Hero or Demon Lord?

A wolf with two heads and a body as large as an adult man's; the specific name is Icefire Orthus. It was a common monster that would come from a dog or any type of canine that got mutated by the nanomachine. Don't ask me how a wolf came from a dog, as it's beyond my knowledge.

Anyway, this wolf is pretty biased in terms of stats, and I know of it because it's pretty common as a grinding mob. Like me, it has pretty high agility, but its strength is low. On the other hand, it has high intelligence and wisdom stats.

In terms of distribution, it would be around 30% agility, 50% intelligence, and 30% wisdom. That's the rough distribution, ignoring the other stats. Given my min-max distribution, my agility was basically the same as the giant mutt's.

While I was lost in thought, the two snouts suddenly lighted up, cooking a ball of fire in one and a ball of frost in the other.

"You think I'd let you?" I dashed forward, lunging with Kyouya's spear.

The Icefire Orthus wasn't able to dodge and got skewered easily. This was the main reason that it was considered an easy grind. Whenever it was casting spells, just like any mage, it wouldn't be able to move from the spot.

Despite the ease of handling one, it was still the top reason why a lot of beginner-class who hunted them died young. The reason was currently happening before my eyes. The dying Orthus suddenly opened both mouths, crying in a high-pitched tone that almost shook my eardrums. Soon, as if using all its strength with that last howl, the monster fell.

"D*mn... Too late!" I cursed as I glanced at the surroundings.

From the rubble around us, several more Icefire Orthuses appeared, growling in anger. The last dying howl of an Orthus was something that called its kind to take revenge for it, after all. I actually aimed for both throats to prevent it from happening, but it was still able to call for help. Was it not producing the noise using its larynx?

Anyway, the mutt's backup arrived and surrounded me in a semicircle. Just from a rough headcount, there were already tens of them that were approaching steadily.

This exact situation was the cause of death for many, as getting surrounded meant you wouldn't be able to stop incantations coming from all of the monsters at the same time.

"QUEEN! A little help, please?!" I asked, turning to the back.

However, she was still just standing still, her sword sheathed at her side as her hands were crossed before her chest. A single word left her mouth, mercilessly cutting me off. "No."

'Damn it! Did you bring me here to kill me? Then just stab me in the back, b*tch!' I thought as I vented my unease.

When surrounded by a group of these Icefire Orthuses alone, the best choice would be to run away. However, we were technically already at the edge, as the gate was just a few meters away. There was nowhere to run to. I had no choice but to settle for the second-best option: attacking first!

I jumped forward, keeping my posture low, as I lunged with the spear aimed forward. The Orthus weren't idiots, given that they had high intelligence, and they quickly dodged my attack. Those who were far from me even started to cast their spells, taking advantage of my inability to stop them in time.

"...!"

Eight balls of fire and ice flew, aiming for me on a rough trajectory. It wasn't due to their low accuracy but rather in anticipation of me dodging the attack. This indiscriminate peppering was their main method of taking others' lives, and it looks like I'll be included in that list now too.

*SHIIIIIING!*

A shining wave appeared without warning, washing over my surroundings and clearing the incoming magical spheres all at once. Looking at the source, QUEEN had her sword out, its edge still gleaming with the same white glow. Her expression was still as stoic as before, but it looked so cool in my eyes right now.

"..."

Sh*t... Did I just fall for her again? Wake up, Mahiro! She already rejected you! Well, technically, I was only rejected once, so maybe I still have some chance if I retry...?

*GRAWR!*

A white set of jagged fangs appeared before my eyes, pulling me back to reality. Reflexively, I ducked down and swung the spear in my hand, stuffing it inside the enemy's open mouth. However, there was another set of fangs approaching, as if waiting for me to dodge.

It was a perfect execution, and I was completely surprised and unable to cope. However, just before it was able to take a bite, another flash of white light flew, slapping the one before me along with the others that were approaching a short distance away.

"You... Are you supposed to be this weak?"

A cold voice echoed, words filled with disdain and disappointment. For some reason, I felt embarrassed and angry at the same time. After all, she was the one who brought me here, to a field that was above my level, and decided to let me fight a group of Orthus alone. Well, she did save me once, twice, including just now, so I guess I can't complain.

"... But I'm not a damsel in distress!"

Changing gears, I stood up.

The Icefire Orthus that she just slapped away using another white flash were already on their feet, ready to attack at any moment. However, a part of their group moved out, aiming for QUEEN herself. These mutts must've decided that they should prioritize silencing her, as all their attempts to kill me were basically thwarted by her.

Out of the ten of them, three remained to keep me in check while the rest went around, going for QUEEN at the back. There's no need to worry about her, though, so I just focused on the three before me.

Six pairs of eyes stared at me warily, but they didn't do anything or cast spells. They must be trying to play it safe, waiting for the others to finish first before attacking, taking advantage of their numbers.

"But if you're not attacking, then I will!"

Three is easier compared to ten, but it's still harder to manage compared to fighting a single monster. As they were quite a distance away, I ran at top speed with the spear held aloft behind me, as if being dragged across the ground.

*GRAAAAH!*

The one in the middle roared, making the three of them separate. They kept a distance of a few meters between each other, rendering it impossible for me to fight them all at once. Since it was like that, I turned to the one to my right and upped my speed, basically kicking off the ground.

"HAAAP!"

With a hearty shout, I chucked the spear forward like a javelin. With my strength stat, the spear flew the few meters between us in an instant, making it impossible for the one I locked on to dodge. The spear went for the middle of the two heads and went straight through, ending up embedded in the ground. The angle I chose was set so that it would pass through the monster's heart. As expected, Icefire Orthus #1 fell while bleeding from the wound and the two mouths.

The other two were surprised for a moment, but quickly rushed at me in anger. Now that I lost my weapon, they could literally shred me to pieces in an instant. At least, that's what they should be thinking. However, I still had one weapon left.

I lowered my stance, lifted the hem of my pants, and pulled out a scythe knife that I had made. The two of them were in the middle of their leap, so there was no way to dodge. Their eyes widened as the knife went to reap four necks in one action.

Blood spewed out like a fountain as the two bodies continued on their way and crashed among the rubble ahead. I stared at the bodies, maintaining vigilance, but they died just like that. I heaved a sigh of relief, lowering my stance, and glancing at QUEEN who should be facing seven Orthuses at once.

"... D*mn..."

However, before her, there was nothing that remained. All seven who decided to attack her turned into nothing but stains on the uneven ground. Not even their corpses remained. She just continued to stare in my direction, still crossing her arms as if nothing had happened.

Rather, she finished seven faster than I killed these three? I know that she's powerful, but this gap in strength is pretty depressing. Just as I was thinking that, the notification finally appeared.

[

You have slain Lv. 5* Icefire Orthus x4!

You earned 200,000 experience points!

You have leveled up to level 9!

All stats increase by +1 (+2...+4.5)!

You have gained 10 free stat points.

]

"Oh, I leveled up!" I cheered lightly, surprised that only four monsters were able to push me to the next level. As I spent all the new free stats on Endurance, QUEEN's voice echoed, still cold and seemingly uninterested.

"Good. Now, go on and gain another level. I'll use that as the reference."

"..."

So just one level wasn't enough?

Well, at least I now know that she'll help whenever I'm in grave danger, so I can basically hunt to my heart's content.

After that, we searched for lone Orthuses and hunted them one after another. I was using the knife instead of the lance since the knife could cut off their heads, rendering them unable to call for backup.

After the twentieth kill, about two hours later, I finally reached level ten.

"Finally... Class Up!"

I quickly turned to look at the notification but was flabbergasted. There, where only about five to ten items were usually available to choose from, there were over a hundred choices for me! I scanned the list curiously and found the last four items before almost choking on nothing.

[

...

197. Protagonist

198. Hero

199. Demon Lord

200. ???

]

Looking at the classes that I was seeing for the very first time, I couldn't help but scratch my head. "What the hell...?"