Slave Harem in the Labyrinth of the Other World (LN)
Volume 2 - Ch 3.04

Roxanne, did you do something to that monster after I punched it?

Ah, yes, yes I did. After you delivered that punch that stunned it, I whacked it in the back one more time, causing it to collapse. Why are you asking, master? Have I done something that I shouldnt have done?

No, everythings fine.

So she was the one who killed it, huh? Well, I certainly didnt saw anything that looked remotely like that, but to be fair, my eyes were pretty clouded with rage at that moment, so its entirely possible that she truly did that and I simply missed it. But that gives me a crucial piece of information.

Based on what Roxanne said, it looks like the Job of a Monk can be obtained as long as you deal the finishing blow to the enemy with your bare fists, and that is supported by the fact that Roxanne, who dealt the last blow to that Needlewood got herself a Monk Job, while I, who was fighting the enemy unarmed, but did not kill it unarmed, failed to get it. That would truly mean that what is needed to obtain it is the last blow.

That was some truly impressive dodging game there, Roxanne. I didnt know you could actually move like that.

Thank you very much, but it really wasnt anything that impressive. Because there were two of us fighting it at the same time it was distracted, which made seeing through the patterns of its attacks that much easier.

I dont really care that much now that its all over, but

Uh-huh, I see.

Everyone can avoid that kind of slow attacks as long as they pay attention and look closely enough.

Yeah, right, not happening. Calling BS on that.

But once again, I am reminded why Roxanne is such a great person. Not only she knows a lot of things that I do not have a clue about, but she can also sense monsters with just her nose alone, as well as avoid their attacks like it was nothing!

Anyway, the lesson we have learned today is that you need to deal the finishing blow to obtain the Job, so now we can act on it properly.

Okay Roxanne, the plan for the next battle is as follows: I will try to deal the finishing blow, so I would like you to keep yourself distanced, but not to engage the enemy unless it will be an emergency.

That way I will be one hundred percent sure that my kill is not going to get stolen, accidentally or otherwise.

Or so I thought, but once again, the next Needlewood collapsed after only a single blow, which is strange, since I didnt do a Character Reset to change my STR value just yet. Apparently there is some fluctuation to the damage dealt to monsters, but at the current moment I have no idea if it is also affected by things like attack power or STR value, or just plain inconsistent damage.

Well, whatever.

For now, I was able to recover all of the damage I have sustained with Fragarachs HP Absorption, after which I added one more point to the STR stat and proceeded to hunt more monsters, waiting for the appearance of the one that wouldnt just drop dead on the spot after eating just one hit from me. It took some time, but finally such an opponent appeared again.

Now I know that fighting monsters without a real weapon is an unbelievably butt-hurting chore, but if I want to add Monk to my list of Jobs there is nothing I can really do about it.

All I have to focus on now is the enemy in front of me. Everything else will come after he will be dispatched.

If this guy is the same like that one which gave Roxanne a Job of a Monk when she defeated it, then that would mean that even if my slash with Fragarach didnt kill it, it should still be damaged enough to be felled by my fists alone, that is to say on the brink of death.

However, since I asked Roxanne not to interfere this time it means that it will still be incredibly dangerous for me since Im going at it alone, doing fifty percent less attacks than we did before, resulting in the unnecessary prolonging of the battle.

Could it be that I fucked myself over without even realizing it?

Be that as it may, the battle has begun, and right from the get-go I had to deal with branch-fists heading my way.

Ive been thinking: are Needlewoods able to distinct between their front, back, left and right. I dont even know if they need it in the first place, since they can technically attack in a 360 degrees radius with the branches protruding from their bodies. On that note, do they even have eyes? Because, to be honest, I never really bothered to look at them closely enough to check. Somehow I feel that even if they were surrounded by two or more people, it wouldnt place them at that big of a disadvantage. They are technically moving trees, so they should be sturdy enough to take a fair bit of punishment from both humans and other monsters alike.

Roxanne wasnt attacking just like I instructed her, but the Needlewoods behavior didnt change much because of it. If anything, it gotten a little bit more aggressive when the other target wasnt doing anything to retaliate against it.

Yes, I cannot forget that when it comes to hand-to hand combat, Roxanne is stronger than me. I told her not to fight with me this time but it does not mean that she cannot distract the enemy to make my job of hitting it that much easier! Thats it Roxanne, keep doing your paper-thin dodges for me. One of them is bound to leave this Needlewood in a vulnerable position.

This time I didnt simply unequip Fragarach, but completely erased it by doing a Character Reset mid-combat, pouring all of my remaining Bonus Points into STR. With that, by bare-handed attacks should be that much more effective. Roxanne continued to serve as a distraction, so I had plenty of room to prepare myself and launch a single, decisive strike.

There!

I jumped extremely close to the Needlewood while it was still recovering from a swing of its branches. It noticed me, but it wasnt able to get back into position in time. And like that, my outstretched fist collided with the enemy, sending it flying and tumbling along the ground. The Needlewood has fallen, and I was victorious once more.

Amazing! Thats another one hit victory for you!

One-hit victory indeed, but there is nothing to gloat about here, because I cheated a little here by hastely allocating all of my remaining Bonus Points into STR.

Phew, that was tough, but since I was the only one who delivered the ass-whooping onto that Needlewood, then it should mean that this I should obtain that Job for sure. With those thought in mind, I opened the menu to check my Job Settings.

Monk Lv.1

Effects: Medium SPI Increase, Small MP Increase

Skill: Medical Treatment

Well, this is it.

I set up Monk as my First Job and immediately proceeded to check the effects of the Medical Treatment Skill. When I did, the pain that was permeating my shoulder due to one of my earlier attacks has completely disappeared.

All right, the pain has subsided. From now on, if we ever get attacked by monsters and end up wounded as a result, I will be able to heal us no problem.

I told Roxanne.

You can really do something so useful now?

Thats right. And as always, promise me youll keep it between us, capiche?

U-Understood. You really are full of surprises, master.

To be honest, you can use that Skill as well, Roxanne. But it will probably be for the best if the one responsible for healing us in the middle of battle was me, since I have the Chant Omission from Fragarach and all that. One thing worth noting though: when I used Medical Treatment just now, a single usage used up of my total MP, so MP cost-wise its going to be one of my pricier abilities to use, and that calls for going back to using Durandal, since it has the MP Absorption Skill.

Yeah, I will be in charge of our healing.