Warning: This chapter might cause severe stomach and cheek muscle aches. Death might follow.

"Damn it."

He subconsciously swore out loud.

In conclusion, the job change was a mistake.

Ark disliked hunting in a party. There wasn't a single person he could trust, and their attitudes could change over a single valuable magic item, leading to an argument. He found these sorts of situations repulsive. Rather than suffering from such mess, he was far more comfortable hunting alone, even if it was a little more difficult.

This was the reason why Ark preferred a combat-relation profession.

Thieves who stab their enemies' weak point, or Magicians who boast of having power to deal a one hit fatal blow weren't bad either. However, these professions could only genuinely shine in parties.

On the other hand, although Warriors weren't all that special, and didn't particularly have any exceptional skill, they had high Stamina and Defense. That wasn't all - they also received bonus bag space and in addition, they had resistance to all sorts of ailments. Thus, it wasn't wrong to say they were professions perfect for soloing.

But the profession 'Dark Walker' was closer to a Thief than a Warrior.

Dark Walker, one who walks the night. He should have guessed when he heard the name.

It was a matter of fact that the profession's bonus stats focused on, Agility, Intelligence, and Luck. But even then, all the additional stats were evenly matched to a Thief's.

No, it'd be better to be a regular Thief. If you debate about it, a Thief is a combat-related profession. If you look at the Summoning skill, or the Intelligence stat bonuses, it seems like this profession included a Magician's traits to some degree.

'Agility is fine, since it influences critical hits, attack speed, and evasion rate, but Intelligence and Luck? In the end, it's unclear whether it's a Thief-related or Magician-related profession, or maybe even a Cleric.'

Hybrid-characters. They sound good and all, but in reality, it just means they were neither one, nor the other.

With the additional stats totalled to 60, he had gained a bonus amount doubled that of a standard job-change for a normal profession.

There was nothing problematic stat-wise. However, there were a lot of cases where stat bonuses added by a job change influenced the profession's ability as a whole. This meant that whether he liked it or not, he would have to diligently raise those three stats...

'And whose fault is it? The one who jumped the fence after hearing of a hidden profession was me. It was my mistake.'

He let out a stifled sigh.

But what could he do about the profession he had already chosen?

Similar to how he was mice hunting in Harun, if Ark focused on one thing, he had the propensity to obstinately dig his heels in. Be as it may, he was quick to give up if he thought he couldn't do anything about the situation.

At this moment, the situation was exactly the same. In any case, he couldn't turn back time even if he regretted it. So he thought he should make the best out of the current mishap to try and understand the Dark Walker profession and its special characteristics, and quickly adapt to it with the best of his abilities.

'No, it's still a hidden profession. It's because I've been thinking about being Warrior too much. It's probably not all that bad. If I nurture the profession's advantages, I'm sure I'll find more good points. Okay, calm down and examine it carefully. First of all, it seems fundamentally similar to a Thief. Summoning is definitely one of this profession's unique point. In other words, the profession's nature will be decided depending on how Summoning is used, right?'

Anyhow, he could summon up to three Demons that he could handle at will.

'If I use these guys, won't I be able to hunt solo?'

"Summon Demon."

Ark welled with expectation and called out the Summon skill, spending the newly formed Spiritual Power points. However, as soon as he examined the Familiar he summoned, the speck of expectation in his heart crumbled to bits.

'Wha-what is this. This is?'

The summoned Familiar appeared with a blinding flash was just a skull.

The Skull briefly checked its surroundings with eyes of hazy light. It discovered Ark and chattered its teeth together, making a clattering sound.

Ark hastily opened the information window.

Nameless Dead Man's Skull

The skull of a low-class dead man that had been wandering in the Netherworld. There is nothing special about it. However, it holds unwavering loyalty for the master who saved it from the Netherworld.

Race

Undead

Alignment

Dark

Class

-

Health

50

Loyalty

200

Strength

10

Agility

10

Stamina

10

Wisdom

0

Intelligence

0

Luck

0

In other words, apart from its loyalty, it was a bloke no different from a pebble on the roadside.

"Are you kidding me? If it doesn't have an ability, it should at least have been pretty."

He exploded in anger, but the Skull simply tumbled around. Ark grinded his teeth as he restored his Spiritual Power and called out the two remaining Familiars.

Hatred-Bearing Bat

A low-class Bat ostracized in the Netherworld. Having suffered rejection for a long time, it bears frustration and hatred towards the world. Because of its hatred, it cannot be completely loyal to its master. To expect its loyalty, you must first gain its trust.

Race

Demonic

Alignment

Dark

Class

-

Health

50

Loyalty

50

Strength

5

Agility

10

Stamina

10

Wisdom

10

Intelligence

10

Luck

0

'Oh great, now it's a loser bat?'

A Hatred-bearing Bat? He had to gain its trust? There really were all kinds of crap. However, compared to the familiar that appeared last, the first two were aristocracy.

Netherworld's Egg

A firm shelled egg all high-class Demonic beings of the Netherworld enjoyed eating.

Race

??

Alignment

??

Class

-

Health

200

Loyalty

-

Strength

0

Agility

0

Stamina

40

Wisdom

0

Intelligence

0

Luck

0

Upon seeing the egg appearing before him, he omitted all feelings of wanting to be angry.

'An egg? What exactly could you use it for? So what if it's as firm as a rock? Is it asking to be thrown?'

With these three Familiars in front of him, he couldn't fathom what the hell they were used for. Ark was stunned.

Hidden professions usually had two types of natures.

One, they held the possibility of becoming a hero through their exceptional abilities. While the other was a profession made through an event for fun and games, which was no more than just a unique profession.

By the looks of it, it appeared the profession Ark had found was of the latter type.

He did think the three Familiars he summoned were interesting, but that was all there was to it.

They weren't even Halloween decorations... What help would a Skull, Bat, and Egg be?

However, there wasn't anything that could be done about it.

In New World, a one-time choice would determine one's fate. In a way, it was more cold-hearted than reality. In a world such as this, having already made his choice, there was no way to turn back.

"Huhuhuhu."

An absurd laugh escaped Ark's lips.

Ark quickly gave up. But it wasn't the'whatever happens, happens' kind of surrender.

Someone once said 'If you can't avoid it, enjoy it'. It's quite a famous saying.

Ark had lived with those words engraved in his heart. That's why no matter what situation he was in, he had never pitied himself before. If he harbored even a morsel of self-pity, he wouldn't have been able to endure until now.

"The penalty in Harun Village, and then changing my profession to an unwanted one. With so many failures, I can't even get angry anymore. Alright, let's give it a try. Bad luck? Don't make me laugh. Without fail, I'm gonna try turning this ridiculous character into a Warrior."

If the profession wasn't satisfactory, he just had to raise his level more than others. If raising his level wasn't enough, then he could also raise his skill like crazy.

New World was a game with high degrees of freedom.

Just because he'd selected his profession didn't mean that it would decide everything. Even if it wasn't a special technique, there were plenty of common skills he could learn. With a close choice from that boundless array, he could shape the way his character developed in all sorts of manners.

Although there were cases where a lot of penalties were applied because of the profession, there were more skills he could learn than skills he couldn't learn.

A Warrior-type Magician. Thief-type Warrior, etc... that meant with effort, making a versatile Multi-Character wasn't just impossible, but what he had to believe in now was just that endless freedom.

"If I've made my decision, there's no time to sit around."

Ark sprang up and headed to the hunting ground.

Level 20-30 monsters he could catch were scattered in the Jackson area. Currently, Ark's level was 21.

It was good enough to set Jackson as his base and do his grinding.

"Haaayaahh!"

From that day on, Ark immersed himself hunting in day and night.

The opponent Ark had chosen in the beginning was a mud monster called Harpoon. Its body was made of mud, so he couldn't strike it with his sword very well, and it had a lot of health inconsistent with its level, 20. However, it wasn't a difficult monster to fight because it moved slowly.

When the fighting started, Ark won easily with a strategy of unleashing waves of attacks while circling the area around the Harpoon.

When the Harpoon collapsed, it dropped Iron Ore, an item that fetched a really nice price at the Smithy.

If his Health didn't fall below half, Ark wouldn't take a break. Only when his bag was filled bursting or his equipment's durability had fallen to 5 or below did he return briefly to Jackson to address those matters.

Besides that, the rest of the time was solely devoted to bloody battles with monsters! Despite that, Ark didn't feel fatigue. No matter how tough or tired he was, all his needs washed away with the cheerful sound of a level up.

After hanging on, frantically hunting like that for two days, his level went up by another 3, bringing him to 24. His combat-only skills, Sword Mastery and Hand-to-Hand Combat, went up considerably and were now at Intermediate as well. With that, the two skills combined and a new message information window popped up.

Sword Mastery and Hand-to-Hand Combat have reached the maturity of an expert. Accordingly, the two techniques have combined to allow you to register Sword-Hand Combat as a legal skill.

Note, if Sword-Hand Combat is registered as a legal skill, Sword Mastery and Hand-to-Hand Combat will be automatically deleted.

Sword-Hand Combat (Beginner, Passive): The technique that experts of Sword Mastery and Hand-to-Hand Combat use.

Although you cannot equip a shield along with it, it is an advanced combat technique that thoroughly combines deftness and keenness. It grants you additional attack power with all types of swords and knuckle-related weapons, and your evasion and critical hit rate will increase rapidly. General attack power is increased by 20%. Sword-Hand Combat's effect dissolves shield equipping.

A new stat has formed.Flexibility (+10): Your body becomes more flexible, allowing you to perform difficult movements skillfully.

Your evasion is heightened and you receive extra points if your attack hits the mark. However, if you equip iron armor, a certain amount of the worn equipment's effect will drop.

Stat distribution is impossible, and if you succeed in performing evasion movements of difficult techniques, it will increase automatically.

Ark's eyes lit up.

Was there anything that made a user happier when it came down to a character's growth?

With the level and skill growth, he could definitely feel himself getting stronger. Hand-to-Hand Combat was a skill especially well suited to Ark's fighting style.

Ark's tactic of leaving enough space, discharge attacks and delivering the finishing blow at the chance were all techniques he'd learned from Taekwondo. If he packed the sensation directly into his sword, he would undoubtedly scored a critical hit.

With the skill 'Eyes of the Cat' included, it made his critical hit rate even higher. And because of that, a frenzied battle with exploding critical hits wildly unfurled.

Defeating a monster took less than just 1 minute. Although he was bent on believing that he was a Warrior-type, his fighting style, which measured space and watched for gaps rather than blindly throwing himself in, was closer to a Thief's.

"Alright, I think I can proceed deeper in now."

Ark's eyes looked towards the inner depths of the forest.

In order to ensure one's safety when soloing, one was bound to hunt monsters at a lower level than oneself. Ark had done so until now, but this area's monsters didn't give him the proper amount of experience now. Ark moved forward to find stronger monsters.

However, moving his hunting ground without prior information was a mistake.

As soon as he stepped into the forest depths, he heard a menacing cry. As he raised his head reflexively, Ark's face hardened.

In the dark, he saw five wolves prowling about with their gleaming scarlet eyes.

They had enormous bull-like bodies, black fur like the pitch-black darkness, and knife-like sharp canines. They were Dire Wolves.

'5 Dire Wolves...!'

Dire Wolves were incomparably more powerful than normal Wolves. On top of that, it was now night time. The nocturnal Dire Wolf's ability went up by 30 percent. They were such formidable opponents that it wasn't certain if a level 24 would be able to handle two or three of them. Ark's whole body stiffened rigidly with tension.

'Damn, I was too careless. It's too late to run away now.'

His Taekwondo-trained body judged the situation faster than his mind and moved.

The first move meant victory! It was a method used in kung fu, wrestling, and everywhere else.

Ark reduced the distance rapidly as he swung his sword landing a critical hit, with one Wolf falling back. However, the wolves were also beasts that were proficient at pack hunting. A Wolf ran in and avenged its companion with the same critical hit to his back, which he'd left neglected as he focused on attacking.

His consciousness reeled.

- You have been critically hit! Damage 50.

You have been inflicted with Bleed. Until the battle is over, you will receive 2 damage every 10 seconds.

'So it's insult to injury. Since I'm like this, I'll die after I kill just one more!'

Ark faced the Wolf throng as he unleashed Sword-Hand Combat. He swung his sword wildly and clawed with his Cat Paws. He even rolled on the ground, sprang up, and whipped out kicks.

After 10 minutes of the bloody battle, three wolves collapsed. But Ark, who was inflicted with Bleed, also had to pay a price.

'Huff huff huff, only 20 percent of my Health is left.'

"Eyes of the Cat."

As he used the skill, Ark's eyes turned into golden cat eyes. Their halved Healths appeared above the wolves' heads.

'If it goes well, I might even be able to win.'

Just when Ark had momentarily released his tension, a Wolf who had been watching for its chance didn't miss the opportunity and rushed in.

As it flashed in front of his eyes, his Health plummeted. Ark's body became awash in red. He'd fallen into the critical state. At the same time, message windows popped up continuously.

Indomitable Will and Indomitable Body, which shone more brightly in a crisis, were invoked. Attack power, critical hit and evasion rate skyrocketed!

'It's a chance!'

His eyes flashed as he thrusted his sword.

Clang, clang! As two critical hits landed in succession, the wolves collapsed.

Then, the remaining one lunged towards his side and charged in. Ark hastily turned his body as he swung his sword. However, fortune and misfortune were a just hair apart.

- Your critical hit attack has missed!

If it was a normal attack, there wouldn't have been any reason for it to miss. However, because of his skills triggering automatically when in a critical state, he was in a condition where his critical hit rate was abnormally high. That actually acted negatively. As much as a critical hit gave 2 times the damage, the miss rate was also that heightened.

"Ah, no! If I die now the stats.... SUMMON DEMON! This useless skull. Just do something!"

With his heart clutching at straws, Ark summoned the skull, grabbed it, and threw it.

The skull went flying and clamped onto the Wolf's ankle. Although the damage was just 1, it succeeded in stopping the movements of the Wolf that had rushed in with its bared fangs. It was a chance he'd never even dreamed of.

Ark closed the space in one burst as he thrusted his sword, and a flash exploded out.

- You have landed a critical hit.

As a co-op bonus with the Skull, 30% of the damage has been added.

Awoooo!

The Wolf howled its death throes as it collapsed.

It was a miracle-like victory. Ark, who realized that he'd narrowly won, checked and saw that his remaining health was a mere 3. If the battle had dragged on for just 20 more seconds, he would've collapsed from the Bleed. The Bleed had stopped with the end of the battle, but his heart was still thumping violently as it pumped hot blood through his veins.

Arc rushed to a safe place as soon as possible. After recovering his Stamina with a simple snack, he barely managed to calm down.

Ark stared at the Skull with surprised eyes.

Like a puppy begging for praise, the Skull was rolling over and over around him. It was the same Skull that he decided not to summon again because of its disappointing appearance.

It seemed like it wouldn't be any help, and since it would even suck Mana from him during battle, there wasn't really any reason to pull it out. However, his life was saved thanks to the Skull, and his opinion of it had changed.

'At least it's better than nothing.'

"Anyways, I survived thanks to you, Skull."

Clack clack clack.

The Skull clattered its teeth as if it understood his words.

For the last few days, Ark had been engrossed in hunting. Besides the occasional times when returned to the castle, he was always alone. He hadn't felt it until now because he'd been absorbed in hunting, but he realized yet again that that the forest felt unusually broad and desolate.

"You, I'm really pleased with you."

For one thing, it seemed like he wasn't going to be bored if he was with the Skull. Additionally, if it could be a help like the way he'd used it just now, it was perfectly satisfactory. It would consume Mana in battle, but as long as he doesn't use Spirit of the Cat, he didn't particularly needed the Mana either.