I tried chanting several Sacred Verses, but a healer job remained out of reach.
I suppose it made sense when I thought about it. If it were that easy to acquire, there wouldn't be any need for actual training. Even calling them "Sacred Verses," they were little more than superstitious charms.
However, in this world, both magic and skills were triggered by incantations. I couldn't simply dismiss them as nonsense.
Perhaps there was a specific incantation suited for the job. I wondered if there was anything else I could try.
"Come to think of it, I heard that to become a Monk, one undergoes training to defeat monsters barehanded. I remember thinking at the time that it sounded like something even I could do."
Roxanne offered a hint just as I was beginning to brood.
I wish you’d told me sooner, Roxanne, I thought, but I kept the comment to myself.
So she thought she could do it?
Exactly how strong was she if she considered defeating monsters with her bare hands a feasible task? Roxanne might actually be a terrifyingly powerful girl.
Still, the idea of barehanded combat held merit. I had likely obtained the Swordsman job because I fought with a sword—or perhaps because I had defeated a monster with one.
If defeating monsters with a sword granted a Swordsman job, then it stood to reason that defeating them barehanded would unlock something else.
So Monks were bare-knuckle brawlers. They probably trained at a place like the Shaolin Temple.
Even if I couldn't unlock Monk, there might be a Pugilist job or something similar. It was certainly worth an attempt.
There were still several variables regarding the conditions, though.
When it came to "fighting," was landing a single punch enough, or did I have to kill the target?
If I had to kill it, did I have to do all the damage from start to finish, or was delivering the final blow sufficient?
And if it had to be from the start, did I have to fight alone, or could we do it as a Party?
There was nothing for it but to experiment.
"Right. I’d like to begin a few tests."
"An experiment?"
"Exactly. Roxanne, sheathe your sword. We’re going to fight barehanded."
"Understood."
That being said, defeating a monster barehanded from scratch seemed excessively difficult.
It had been an ordeal even when I used the Copper Sword—one I never cared to repeat.
Even with our levels increased and working as a pair, fighting without weapons would be rough. If I tried it alone, I’d almost certainly die.
Therefore, I decided to test the limits of what was feasible.
First, I tried landing a single strike.
Keeping Durandal at my waist, I lunged into the Needle Wood’s reach and threw a right hook.
"Gugh!"
Because I had to get closer than I would with a blade, I ended up trading blows with a swinging branch.
It stung. Yet, was it my imagination, or was the impact lighter than before? My level had likely mitigated the damage, leaving the wound smaller than expected.
The immediate pain, however, hadn't changed much.
Roxanne followed up, her arms snapping out in a fluid left-right combo.
The monster, having just focused its attack on me, couldn't react in time.
I stepped back and drew Durandal. I wasn't skilled enough to pull off a fancy Iai strike straight from the sheath. I felt like I might manage it eventually if I practiced, though I wasn't exactly eager to get used to this kind of combat.
The Needle Wood swung another branch at me.
I parried the blow with Durandal and swept it aside, then delivered a diagonal slash across its exposed front.
While Roxanne gathered the dropped Branch, I focused on my Job Settings.
Neither I nor Roxanne had obtained the Monk job. It seemed that simply participating in barehanded combat wasn't the trigger. As I suspected, we likely had to actually kill the target.
But I had no idea how long a barehanded kill would take. Since I’d have to dive much deeper into the enemy's range than I did with the Copper Sword, it would be a life-or-death struggle.
First, I’d try delivering only the finishing blow barehanded.
With Durandal, every fight ended in a single hit. With a Copper Sword, it took far too long. However, my Bonus Equipment ranged from Weapon I to Weapon VI. I decided to test them in descending order.
Weapon V was apparently called Fragarach. It possessed HP Absorption, but lacked MP Absorption. It clearly wasn't on the same level as Durandal.
"You possess such a wide variety of weapons. That one looks quite formidable as well."
Roxanne had noticed the swap.
"I’m going to try this sword next."
"Understood."
I followed Roxanne’s lead as we moved through the Labyrinth. Thanks to her, we found the next monster almost immediately.
The pace was incredibly fast with her around. Everything was going so smoothly that I briefly considered if we should just stick to the First Floor indefinitely. Monsters here died in one hit from Durandal. I could finish them off without taking any damage at all. The First Floor was safe.
Yet, the terrifying reality of this world was that absolute safety was an illusion.
This was a world of Labyrinths, prowling monsters, and rampant Thieves. There was no telling what might happen. I needed to become as strong as possible while I had the chance. Regret would come too late once disaster struck.
I would likely earn far more experience points by advancing to higher floors. I needed to keep moving forward, even if it was only one step at a time.
There was no need to be reckless. My goal was security, and throwing my life away to progress faster would be counterproductive.
But I couldn't afford to be stagnant, either. I had to make steady progress.
If I could acquire jobs like Monk, I should do so as soon as possible.
I lunged at a Needle Wood Lv 1 with Fragarach.
It didn't fall. Even moving down only one tier from Weapon VI to Weapon V, I had already reached the limit of one-hit kills.
The Bonus Equipment was unexpectedly underwhelming—or perhaps the Copper Sword was just that weak. The power gap between the starting gear and Durandal was simply too vast for the intermediate tiers to bridge. If that was the case, Weapon I was probably only slightly better than a Copper Sword.
The monster lashed out with a branch. I dodged in a hurry.
While I stood there, surprised that the monster was still standing, Roxanne lunged in. A left, a right, and then a heavy left straight. She swayed back, narrowly avoiding a swinging branch before snapping upright to deliver a stinging jab.