Where The Wild Things Are (3)

"Slash!" His sword glows slightly as he swings downward with all his might.

'BRRRAAACCKKK!'

A huge gash opens up along the beast's hind leg. It stumbles to the side from the impact.

[When did he learn that one?]

I know Josh would pick up some skills eventually, but I didn't think it would be this fast. "Slash" is a skill that increases the power of one attack at the cost of an appropriate amount of stamina. It is often used to change up the timing of your attacks, to catch an opponent off guard, or to deliver a decisive blow in a battle.

[I've only heard of people learning that skill after leveling up their swordsman job. Josh shouldn't be anywhere near that level.]

The job system exists within the structure of the seal system. While not all sponsors are created equally, everyone can make use of the Job Tree. The first job is the commoner job, and as you level that up, more jobs become available. Normally, the Slash skill becomes available when you level up the Swordsman job. Considering I'm still a low-level commoner, Josh shouldn't be anywhere near that prerequisite.

[I'll have to ask him about it later.]

Despite my concerns, The damage applied to the Dracoterra is very real. The battle of attrition has accelerated. I call out to everyone to take advantage of this opportunity.

"Aim for that wound; hit it hard!" I plan on having everyone make a move on its injured flank while I aim for its one remaining eye. If we can completely blind the beast, the battle will be as good as finished. Despite firing a full quiver of arrows, Sakura has only managed to land a few hits. It's not that she's missing; it's just that its hide is too thick. That being said, even these small wounds are starting to add up. The Dracoterra's movements are slowing down, and its attacks are getting sloppy. Now is the perfect time to finish it.

"AAHHHH!" Neji is the first to act. He holds his shield up as he runs in and stabs his sword deep into the monster's leg. It knocks him back with a flick of its foot, but he manages to block it. I use this chance to quietly move into position. Josh drinks a stamina potion and prepares for another attack. I assume he's going for another critical hit with his Slash Skill. Our eyes meet briefly, and he gives me a small nod before running forward. I follow his lead.

"Slash!" Josh shouts. Another gash opens up on the beast's right side. It turns its head to the right to face it's assailant, exposing its right eye.

'BRRAACCCKKK!'

I retract my spear protruding from its exposed left eye. The ground swells as if to explode. The tension in the air has reached its peak. Using the last of its strength, the Dracoterra unleashes a torrent of spells in all directions. A bulb is brightest just before it goes out, and this time is no exception. We've all retreated behind the massive trees, but it still doesn't feel safe. Boulders fly through the air, and the whole area rolls with powerful earthquakes. I'm actually less concerned about any more monsters arriving due to just how vicious the Dracoterra is assaulting the surroundings; no creature in its right mind would approach now. We hunker down for another minute until the berserk monster tires itself out.

"Sakura! Hit it with an arrow!" I call out to our resident archer, who is only thirty or forty meters away.

"I'm out!" she answers while turning her quiver upside down to show there's nothing in it.

[Shit, we'll have to improvise.]

I pick up a rock that landed next to me and chuck it at the Dracoterra's head. The stone makes contact, but the exhausted beast doesn't even move. I make eye contact with Josh and motion toward our prey. Now is the time to move in for the kill. We carefully approach until we are just within arm's reach. The Dracoterra is laying on its side, panting heavily. I lightly stab at its legs before quickly pulling back to avoid any counters. Josh holds his position and watches for the beast's reaction. It barely moves. I think it's basically given up at this point, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.

"DIIIIEEEEEE!" Scott jumps out of nowhere with his sword raised above his head. His reckless shouting startles the half-dead monster. The Dracoterra uses the last of its strength and slaps Scott aside. I watch as he tries to catch himself, and his leg twists in an odd direction.

"AHHH, FUCK!" He clutches at his leg, which appears to be broken.

[Damn, we were so close. I really thought we were gonna get out of here unscathed.]

Other than some minor scrapes and bruises, our parties have been largely unharmed up to this point. I grab Scott by the collar and drag him out of reach of the Dracoterra.

"Amanda, can you give us a hand?!" I call out to the healer, who runs right over.

"Accelerated Healing!" Amanda lightly places her hands on Scott's leg. A white magic circle shines as the magic is cast. "You idiot! What were you thinking?!"

Scott winces through the pain as he struggles to respond.

"I just wanted to level up... if I got all the experience for taking down that monster, then we'd finally be able to live comfortably. I'm so tired of living like this." I can see the anguish in his eyes as he speaks. There's no way that single kill would have changed his situation all that much, but I get where he's coming from.

[It's noteworthy that he's concerned with leveling up and not getting stronger. He seems to conflate a person's level with how successful they are, which is a mistake. On top of that, he's suffering while doing a job he doesn't want to be doing. That's soul-crushing.]

I think back to my time working at a certain fast food bakery and how miserable it made me. It's hard to imagine how much worse that job would have been if I had to risk my life or deal with the elements while doing it. What Scott did was foolish but understandable. Everyone knows what it's like to yearn for a brighter tomorrow.