She seemed happy enough, so I figured it was fine.
Roxanne slowly took her stance with the sword and moved to the front of the line.
"Alright. Go ahead and take one down with that blade."
I set Roxanne on a Cheap Sheep. She dashed toward the monster and swung Durandal downward. Naturally, the sheep collapsed in a single blow.
"It is incredible. Even I was able to defeat it with one strike. To possess such a magnificent weapon... you truly are amazing, Master."
Roxanne handed me both the dropped item and Durandal. I didn't say it out loud, but I suspected she would have managed that easily even without the holy sword. She was a Level 16 Knight, after all.
"Next, Sherry, why don't you give it a try?"
"Yes."
"This way."
I passed Durandal to Sherry, and Roxanne led us forward. I suppose everyone was going to end up taking a turn. I wanted to believe this wasn't a complete waste of time; there was always a chance this was a hidden requirement for a job other than Dragon Knight. Though, since I didn't even possess a job like that myself, it was likely a moot point.
Sherry slashed through the next monster that appeared. Her level was higher than Roxanne’s had been when she first swapped to the Knight job, and since Master Smiths possess a Strength Increase (Medium), her physical attack power was already substantial. A one-hit kill was a foregone conclusion.
"This is an extraordinary sword. Tell me, can one obtain a new job through this method?"
"No. Probably not."
"I see. Regardless, you possess a truly marvelous weapon."
As expected of Sherry, she seemed to understand exactly why I was having them do this.
"Miria, your turn."
"Yes, is."
Miria, of course, finished her target with a single swing.
"How was it?"
"Amazing, is."
Miria’s ears twitched with excitement as she handed Durandal back, staring at it with deep interest. The whole exercise was turning into a weapon appraisal session. It had been laid bare for all to see that my ability to defeat monsters was almost entirely due to Durandal's performance.
Not yet, though. I didn't know the full story yet.
"Vesta, you try it too."
"As you wish."
Even Vesta, still only a Level 5 Villager, managed to fell the beast in a single blow. There was no longer any room for doubt. It was all thanks to Durandal.
However, even though that fact had been made painfully obvious, Vesta had successfully acquired the Dragon Knight job. Fighting and defeating a monster solo must have been the condition. I didn't think the one-hit kill itself was a requirement; demanding a single-strike victory would be asking too much, even for a Dragon-kin.
Dragon Knight Lv 1 Effects: Vitality Increase (Medium), Vitality Increase (Small), Vitality Increase (Slight) Skills: Dual Wielding, Critical Activation, Damage Mitigation
The bonuses for a Dragon Knight seemed heavily skewed toward health. Was that even allowed? It really was a flashy job, dripping with that over-the-top "cool" factor.
The skills seemed quite impressive as well. The presence of a Dual Wielding skill likely meant that ordinary people couldn't simply pick up two swords and expect them to work efficiently. Even if they could hold them, the effects would probably be limited. Furthermore, it possessed a skill called Critical Activation.
I had the bonus skill Critical Rate Increase. Until now, even when I had it equipped, I hadn't really felt like critical hits were occurring. Perhaps if you didn't have the Critical Activation skill, simply increasing the critical rate didn't actually do anything. Was my Critical Rate Increase a useless skill for anyone who wasn't a Dragon-kin?
No. I wanted to believe there were other jobs out there that possessed Critical Activation.
"What kind of skill is Damage Mitigation?" I asked. I had a general idea, but I wanted to be sure.
"Me? I have never heard of it."
"Sherry?"
"I know of skills for Physical Damage Reduction and Magic Damage Reduction, but I have never heard of a skill simply called Damage Mitigation."
It seemed neither Vesta nor Sherry knew the term. If it was unknown to them, it was likely a passive skill—one that was always active and constantly mitigated incoming damage. It really was a flashy, specialized job.
"Try saying 'Damage Mitigation.' Does anything happen?"
"Damage Mitigation? ...No, nothing is happening."
Even when I set Vesta's job to Dragon Knight Lv 1 and had her speak the words, nothing triggered. It definitely seemed to be a passive skill. If it were an active one, it would be strange for it to be completely unknown.
"What sort of job is a Dragon Knight, exactly?"
"Among the Dragon-kin, it is a job for those with a profound sense of justice—those who serve as a shield to protect their lord and their allies."
I see. So the "Knight" in Dragon Knight functioned more like a Paladin.
"Dragon Knight is a job that excels in defense," Sherry added. "It is said that having one in the party significantly increases overall stability."
So it was a defense-specialized job. With those three levels of Vitality Increase, her durability would be immense. Since job effects benefited the entire party, having a Dragon Knight would undoubtedly make the whole group more resilient. I wasn't sure if Damage Mitigation applied only to her or the whole party, though.
Since our party primarily relied on my magic to deal damage, a tank-like specialized job was a perfect fit. I decided to leave Vesta's job as Dragon Knight for now.
"The Dragon Knight is a job that all Dragon-kin yearn for," Vesta said. "I hope that I, too, can eventually become a Dragon Knight and contribute to you and the party, Master."
It seemed it was a highly coveted job in her eyes as well.
"Well, you actually are a Dragon Knight right now, Vesta," I said, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"Eh?"
"I think we'll just keep going with you as a Dragon Knight."
"Um... but becoming a Dragon Knight requires years of rigorous training and official recognition at the Guild Temple. I have barely even been in a real fight..."
"That's not a problem. Give me your left hand."
I asked Vesta to hold out her hand. I was currently using Plating as my fifth job, Alchemist, so I swapped my fourth job from Monk to Knight. I focused my intent on Intelligence Card Operation.
The Intelligence Card emerged from Vesta's left hand.
"Eh?"
"Take a look."
Proof was better than theory. She had seen my card before, and she could read Brahim. Vesta stared at her own card.
"I... I really have become a Dragon Knight."
"It's right there, isn't it?"
"But... a Dragon Knight... and the Intelligence Card... Being able to manipulate a card like this is supposed to be Master's job..."
"It is all right, Vesta," Roxanne said, stepping in to calm her down. "This is just how Master is."
I suppose it would be a problem if she lost her composure in the middle of a Labyrinth.
"Actually, I'd say you were able to become a Dragon Knight because you had the talent for it, Vesta."
"Um... no, surely not..."
Regardless, if I just left her in a state of mild confusion, she would probably get used to it eventually.