SWNOVELXO Chapter 26: - Racial Evolution
There were some unpleasant moments, but we entered the boss room. There were no remnants of the previous party, so they seemed to have successfully defeated the boss.
I wanted them to taste a bit of trouble because of their foul mouths, but I didn’t wish for them to die.
The boss consisted of three creatures: two Giant Spiders at level 12 and one Black Ant at level 13.
“I’ll lure the Giant Spiders. Rosalina, please take care of the Black Ant.”
“Yes.”
After considering various tactics, I concluded that I would lure the two spiders while Rosalina defeated the Black Ant. This strategy seemed to work best.
I suddenly remembered that I had Status Points (STP).
STP allowed me to enhance my stats as I pleased. I had invested all my STP into AGI.
There’s an old saying: “If you don’t have bread, eat sweets.” Both bread and sweets are often made from wheat. It didn’t make sense, but it popped into my mind.
So, I thought, “If they don’t hit, that’s fine.”
That was my conclusion after some thought. Therefore, I allocated all 19 points to AGI. By increasing my speed, I could dodge monster attacks easily even if my defense was low.
Giant Spiders weren’t slow monsters, so it would be a tough battle. However, as the saying goes, “What must be done eventually, should be done immediately.” There was nothing I couldn’t do. With this determination, I faced the two Giant Spiders.
“Annelise, intervene if things get dangerous as usual.”
“Understood.”
Light emanated from the floor, and the boss appeared. The Black Ant’s shell, dyed black after its Worker Ant counterpart, emitted a suspicious glow.
“Rosalina, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
With a speed I hadn’t felt before, Rosalina approached the Giant Spiders, slashing at one and kicking the other.
“Go, Rosalina!”
“Haaaah!”
Rosalina struck the Black Ant, and her mithril two-handed sword produced a sharp, metallic sound.
The Black Ant was indeed tough. It wasn’t an opponent that could be defeated with a single blow. I, too, wasn’t free from dealing with the two spiders. I fought, believing that Rosalina would always come to my aid without losing focus.
Although my speed was superior, it took more than one or two attacks to bring them down. I had to attack dozens of times with my current attack power.
The two Giant Spiders coordinated their attacks. Just like the bosses on the second floor, these creatures were skilled in teamwork. Occasionally, their forms overlapped, making one of them disappear from my sight. They reappeared from my blind spot, forcing me to narrowly evade their attacks. I would counter if I could, but I mainly focused on evasion.
When I moved, sweat flew from my silver hair, and droplets fell into my left eye. My vision blurred for a moment, and attacks were launched during that vulnerability.
A Giant Spider’s sharp leg passed right in front of me. If I let my guard down, the flow could easily overwhelm me.
“You guys seem close,” I said.
My casual remark didn’t seem to register. Their emotionless eyes only saw me as a target to kill.
I dodged and evaded, moving quickly left and right, skillfully avoiding the Giant Spiders’ attacks. It happened when I was skillfully deflecting one of their strikes. Unable to keep up with my high-speed movement, my Maze Cowhide boots slipped.
I lost my balance, and my left knee hit the floor. Seizing this significant opening, the Giant Spider approached.
“Kuh!”
Zusha!
A silver blade pierced through the Giant Spider’s head (?).
With a crisp, hard sound, the Giant Spider disappeared.
“You made us wait,” I said.
“Yeah, we were waiting for you.”
Rosalina defeated the Black Ant and rushed over to us.
Now, only one Giant Spider remained.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my Maze Cowhide gloves and took a deep breath. I felt a liberating sensation as oxygen spread through every cell of my body.
“You did well, but your time is up.”
I used my speed to approach the Giant Spider. My steel one-handed sword struck its leg. I couldn’t sever it, but that was fine.
“Haaaah!”
The mithril two-handed sword swung down on the Giant Spider’s head (?). Span!
The battle ended surprisingly easily. The mithril two-handed sword was indeed an excellent weapon.
“It’s over.”
I sat down on the floor, feeling drained.
“Master, here’s some water.”
“Yeah, sorry.”
I took the water bottle from Annelise and drank it all at once.
“Guh, I’m revived!”
Rosalina also quenched her thirst with the water bottle. Had her level gone up?
“Huh!?” (Rosalina)
“Oh!?” (Me)
“Eh!?” (Annelise)
A dazzling light enveloped Rosalina.
It seemed she had reached level 10.
The light surrounding Rosalina gradually expanded until it burst.
“… … …”
We stared in astonishment.
“What? Who’s this?”
Rosalina was no longer Rosalina.
She now had short, neatly trimmed, thick red hair. Two small horns protruded from her forehead. She had a healthy, fair complexion, standing at 165 centimeters tall. Her body was well-proportioned. Her appearance was like that of a model. Seriously, who even are you!?
“Are you… Rosalina-san?”
“…Yes. Rosalina… I guess?”
She seemed bewildered, probably as much as I was.
I opened the status screen and checked Rosalina’s stats.
She seemed to have successfully evolved her race. However, I hadn’t expected her appearance to change this drastically.
When Goblins reach level 10, they evolve their race. Most of them seem to evolve into ‘Hobgoblins,’ but Rosalina had evolved into something called ‘Goblin Fighter.’
I had my doubts about such a race existing, but since it did, I had no choice but to accept it.
Goblin Fighters were a race specialized in hand-to-hand combat. Simultaneously, her job had become Battle Master Level 1. This must have been the result of Rosalina’s dedicated training to become a Battle Master. Her strong determination had led her to evolve into a Goblin Fighter.
[Job] Battle Master Level 1
[Skills] Powerful Strike (Minor), Iron Fist (Minor), Kick Attack (Minor), Defense Break (Minor)
[Unique Skill] Fighting Spirit (Minor)
Even a unique skill, which hadn’t been present when she was a Goblin. Hobgoblins don’t get unique skills upon evolving their race; hence, it must be a very rare evolution.
[Skills Details]
– Powerful Strike (Minor): Increases ATK by 30 points when attacking. (Passive Skill)
– Iron Fist (Minor): Increases ATK by 25 points for 3 minutes using fist attacks. Consumes 5 MP. Cannot be used for 5 minutes after activation. (Active Skill)
– Kick Attack (Minor): Increases ATK by 30 points for 3 minutes using kicks. Consumes 7 MP. Cannot be used for 7 minutes after activation. (Active Skill)
– Defense Break (Minor): When attacking, there’s a 30% chance to decrease the enemy’s VIT by 5 to 10 points or reduce the equipment’s durability by 10 points. (Passive Skill)
– Fighting Spirit (Minor): For 10 seconds, one of the following attributes, ATK, DEF, MATK, or MDEF, can be multiplied by 4. Consumes 20 MP. Cannot be used for 1 hour after activation. (Active Skill)
The Job Battle Master allows wearing gloves, gauntlets, boots, and similar items but prohibits equipping weapons. However, the skills compensated for that limitation. What kind of skill set was this? Even a hero with a two-handed sword might consider fleeing barefoot from this!
With the passive skill Powerful Strike, her ATK increased by 30 points. Adding Iron Fist, which further increased ATK by 25 points, and then multiplying it all by 4 with her unique skill Fighting Spirit… who could stop this onslaught!?
In terms of attack power, she was clearly on the level of a monster. However, Iron Fist, Kick Attack, and Fighting Spirit all had cooldown periods, making it challenging to find the right moments to use them.
I was astonished not only by Rosalina’s transformed appearance but also by her extraordinary job class.
The detailed appraisal had informed me about Goblins evolving, but I hadn’t expected such a dramatic transformation.