Chapter 12: 4th job change

Screams erupted. As I unleashed my skills, the underground prison turned into a battlefield of chaos.

Boom!

Crackle!

Magic rained down. A Thunder Spear I couldn’t dodge pierced my body. A tingling sensation coursed through me.

I gritted my teeth. A few hits like this wouldn’t kill me. Gripping my sword tightly, I charged forward.

“Don’t break formation! Hold your ground—damn it, stop spacing out!”

Slash—!

I cut down the noisy bastard. Another level-up message appeared.

[Level Up!]

The fifth one today.

An absurdly fast pace. Not exactly a welcome level-up. I didn’t feel great about it. …Or did I? I couldn’t tell anymore.

“Paladins! Protect the Bishops!”

“Fck, you think we’re invincible?! We can die too!”

“If the Bishops go down, we’re all dead!!”

Kaboom!

I unleashed an Aura Blade. A pillar supporting the prison half-collapsed, crushing several soldiers who screamed in agony.

Kaboom!

“Guh…”

Mid-air, Akairum’s lightning struck me dead-on. I swallowed a groan.

No matter how many I cut down, their numbers didn’t shrink. Reinforcements arrived too fast, and the Bishops, chugging mana potions, kept healing. They weren’t idiots—they knew I was targeting them and teleported to keep their distance.

“Huff, huff…”

My mana was running low. I’d nearly burned through my potions.

“Barrier deployed!”

“Fire now!”

“Meteor—!! Paladins, get in!”

The ceiling glowed as scorching heat surged. Looking up, I saw massive meteors crashing down.

…Fck. That’s dangerous.

Even pre-Big Bang, a fourth-job ultimate skill was too much. Especially in this situation.

Clang—!

I sliced a meteor falling close. It exploded on impact, flames engulfing me.

“Argh…!”

I couldn’t hold back a groan. Normally, I wouldn’t be this vulnerable, but with so many Slows stacked, dodging other magic was already overwhelming.

“He’s still standing! Hit him again—!!”

“Blizzard!!”

Fck…!

Blizzard, an Ice/Lightning Mage’s ultimate skill. Getting hit by that would be bad. I leaped to escape the blast radius.

But—

Kaboom!

“Urk…!”

As if waiting for it, Akairum’s lightning struck the moment I jumped. It was far stronger than before.

Smoke rose from my body. The smell of burnt flesh hit me. No strength left for a Double Jump, I crashed to the ground.

Then came the menacing sound of Blizzard.

Crunch—!

“Ugh…!”

A sharp ice crystal pierced my arm. Blood dripped.

“Urgh… guh.”

Before I could pull it out, a desperate shout rang out.

“He’s almost done! Bishop—! Do it!!”

“Genesis—!!”

A Bishop raised their staff, shouting. A massive light appeared in the ceiling.

…Oh.

It was blinding. Time seemed to slow. A kaleidoscope of memories, perhaps. Even pre-Big Bang, Genesis was infamous, its divine aura palpable just by looking.

The heavy light poured down.

I had no strength to dodge.

BOOM—!

A massive explosion erupted.

“…”

The soldiers fell silent. A harsh wind scattered dust and debris.

The battle paused. The smoke obscured vision, and the mages were exhausted from their barrage.

“Ugh, aaah…”

“Bishop—! Here! Hurry! This guy’s barely breathing!!”

“Jayden! Get him out of here!!”

“Arden, open your eyes! Fck, don’t die—damn it!!”

Bishops and Clerics ran around, casting Heal nonstop. The scene was gruesome. Unrecognizable corpses littered the ground, blood everywhere. Groans never stopped.

“Bishops, don’t overdo it. If you burn out, we’re done.”

“…We’re fine.”

It was a nightmare. Devastating. They couldn’t believe this was from one man. Their racing hearts wouldn’t calm.

They couldn’t relax yet. His death wasn’t confirmed. Those still able reformed their ranks.

The soldiers stared silently at where Genesis had struck. Only the occasional sound of falling debris broke the silence.

“…Is he dead? Gotta be, right?”

“Don’t jinx it, asshole…”

“Be real. After all this, if he’s not dead… is he even human?”

“You think that was human?”

“Come on… I’ve never seen anyone survive Genesis.”

“…True, but…”

They were uneasy. Could that monster really be dead? What if he stood up again? They tried to stay optimistic, but the events so far contradicted that hope.

…And their fears came true.

“…!”

Akairum, squinting through the smoke, gasped. A silhouette emerged.

“…Fck.”

“No way…”

They denied reality. I’d survived that hell.

I wasn’t in good shape. One tap might knock me over. An ice spear from Blizzard was lodged in my arm, and my body was charred black from Genesis and Meteor.

Yet, I was alive. That fact terrified them.

“…Unbelievable.”

Akairum muttered, exasperated. How was I human? I was a beast—a vicious one.

“…”

I raised my arm. The ice spear, unmelting despite Genesis, was slick and hard to grip. I pushed it through, tearing my flesh to remove it.

“Haa, haa… cough!”

I coughed, nausea rising.

“Urgh—spit.”

I pulled out my last potion, downing it all. It wasn’t for healing—my throat was parched.

Invincible Belief, a passive skill that massively heals near-death, had saved me. Without it, I’d be long gone. Its long cooldown was the trade-off for its power.

I looked up. Their numbers had dwindled. Reinforcements would soon refill their ranks, but many were already dead.

“…Honestly, this is pointless.”

Their deaths meant nothing.

“This isn’t some noble cause worth dying for.”

Nor was it honorable.

“You think it’s right to go this far for one man’s greed?”

“…”

“That bastard king won’t honor your deaths. No reward. Just a meaningless end. …Maybe a memorial stone, like last time.”

A memorial stone—a pathetic price for their lives. No one would die for that.

“All I want is one key. The key to her shackles. Give me that, and I’ll leave cleanly.”

My words stirred them. They were human too. No one wanted to die here.

Some glared with anger. They likely had loved ones—ones who died here today. Their eyes asked how I’d take responsibility.

…What do you want me to do? I gave them a chance. They refused. They died because they were weak. I wasn’t obligated to bear that burden.

“…”

They exchanged glances, checking if others shared their doubts.

It didn’t take long.

“Barrier deployed!”

“…?”

“Fire—!!”

And with that—

BOOM—!!!

A massive light poured from the ceiling.

“Urgh…!”

Fck. The searing pain burned my skin again. I didn’t expect them to hit me with Genesis out of nowhere.

“Huff, ugh.”

My legs shook. I stumbled but didn’t collapse pathetically.

“Look! He’s on his last legs!”

Amid my panting, their shouts reached me.

The voice sounded familiar. I looked up, trembling.

“We drove him to this! With our power!”

…Paladin.

The fourth-job Paladin from before.

“So many heroes fell to this demon! Countless!”

“…What nonsense…”

“For us! For the souls of the fallen! For His Majesty—!! Today, we’ll slay this demon and offer his head!”

WAAAH—!

Cheers erupted. I must look half-dead for them to have the guts to cheer.

“…Phew.”

I understood their resolve.

If that was their choice, I’d respect it.

And then—

Ding—!

[All objectives completed.]

[4th Job Advancement Trial completed.]

[Would you like to begin the 4th Job Advancement?]

The quest was done.