Chapter 27: A Responsible Soldier of Olmost

His expression changed.

[FIELD QUEST UPDATED]

[Protect the Forward Healers!]

[Objective: Assist Forward Medical Section Three until the immediate threat has passed.]

[Additional Objective Unlocked: The Western Stampede!]

[BASE REWARDS — FIELD QUEST]

[2,000 EXP]

[All Stats +5]

[Verdant Weave Mastery Level +1]

[Rewards scale according to contribution.]

[Base Reward Status: UNCLAIMED]

[SUB-EMERGENCY QUEST]

[The Western Stampede!]

[Objective: Repel the approaching Magic Beast horde and prevent Forward Medical Section Three from being overrun.]

[Completion Possibility: 1.28%]

[ADDITIONAL REWARDS — SUB-EMERGENCY QUEST]

[INT +30]

[Physique: Insatiable Warbody]

[Grade: Mythical]

[Skill: Wildfire Requiem]

[Tier: Sovereign]

[Fire Mana Affinity]

[PRECEDENCE AVAILABLE]

[Available Claim: The Western Stampede! — Sub-Emergency Rewards Only!]

[Field Quest Base Rewards: UNCLAIMED]

[Claim Sub-Emergency Rewards Before Completion?]

[YES / NO]

Zishan stopped breathing for approximately three seconds.

Then, he began clapping. "HAHAHAHA! FUCKING YES!"

The Sergeant, who had been ordering several soldiers to reinforce the western barricade, immediately turned toward the source of the extraordinarily inappropriate celebration.

Standing several meters away was the new soldier Commander Holtz had personally assigned to the Eastern Battlefield. The boy was smiling so widely that the Sergeant momentarily wondered whether the approaching horde had frightened him beyond the point of rational thought.

After all, the young man was only Level 20.

"Soldier Walker!" the Sergeant shouted. "Have you gone mad?!"

Zishan immediately stopped clapping when he realized several people were staring at him. "No, Sergeant! I’m just very excited about our opportunity to defend the medical station!"

The Sergeant stared at him in disbelief. "You’re excited?"

"Of course! As a responsible soldier of the Kingdom of Olmost, I consider it my personal duty to protect our wounded comrades from the dangers of this terrible situation!"

The Sergeant’s expression became increasingly complicated. He genuinely couldn’t determine whether Zishan was mocking him or had simply failed to understand the seriousness of their predicament.

"Then, get your ass over here!" the Sergeant yelled at him.

"YES, SERGEANT!" he replied with a salute and immediately hurried toward him, although his attention had already returned to the greenish panel floating beside his vision.

’A MYTHICAL-GRADE PHYSIQUE?! AND A SOVEREIGN-TIER SKILL?!’

He almost started laughing again.

Just how generous was this damned Quest?!

He quickly activated Precedence before the Sergeant could start shouting at him again. He wasn’t about to waste time deliberating over rewards that would ordinarily require someone to survive an entire horde of Magic Beasts, especially when he could get them before the fighting had even started.

[ADVANCE CLAIM CONFIRMED]

[Quest: The Western Stampede!]

[Claim Scope: Sub-Emergency Rewards Only]

[Processing Quest Rewards...]

[INT +30]

[Physique Acquired: Insatiable Warbody]

[Grade: Mythical]

[STR +5]

[VIT +5]

[AGI +5]

[Fire Mana Affinity Awakened]

[Skill Acquired: Wildfire Requiem]

[Tier: Sovereign]

[Perfected Glimpse: ACTIVE — Wildfire Requiem]

[Sub-Emergency Rewards: PROVISIONAL]

[Field Quest Base Rewards: UNCLAIMED]

A strange sensation immediately spread throughout Zishan’s body. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened, and an unfamiliar warmth began circulating through his Mana channels. He had experienced something similar whenever he received direct Stat rewards, but this time, the changes seemed much more extensive.

His attention was immediately drawn toward the information concerning his newly acquired Physique.

[PHYSIQUE INFORMATION]

<Name: Insatiable Warbody>

<Grade: Mythical>

<Type: Combat / Adaptive Growth>

<Description: A Physique that grows stronger through genuine combat, gradually adapts to enemy attacks, and permanently improves its bearer’s physical Stats after surviving dangerous battles.>

[INITIAL BONUS]

<STR +5 | VIT +5 | AGI +5>

[INNATE ABILITIES]

I. Combat Escalation

<The longer the bearer fights against dangerous opponents, the greater their temporary physical enhancements.>

<Battle Pulse: STR +10%, VIT +5%, AGI +10%>

<War Frenzy: STR +20%, VIT +15%, AGI +20%>

<Insatiable State: STR +35%, VIT +25%, AGI +35%>

<War Incarnate [SEALED]>

<Each stage replaces the previous bonuses. War Incarnate unlocks at Level 100.>

II. Battle Adaptation

<Gradually learns an opponent’s repeated attacks, improving reaction speed, anticipation, and the ability to dodge or counter familiar techniques.>

III. Battle Tempering

<Surviving difficult battles grants permanent STR, VIT, or AGI.>

<Difficult Battle: +1 Stat Point>

<Stronger Opponent: +2 Stat Points>

<Near-Fatal Battle: +3 Stat Points>

<Maximum: 12 permanent Stat Points per 100 Levels. Rewards from the same battle do not stack.>

<Limitations: Requires genuine danger. Prolonged use causes physical strain. Adaptation does not grant immunity or heal injuries.>

Zishan’s eyes sparkled as he read the description. If he understood it correctly, he had just received something that would make him increasingly difficult to defeat the longer a dangerous battle continued.

Not only that, but surviving those battles could actually make him permanently stronger!

’WHAT KIND OF BROKEN SHIT IS THIS?!’

[The Insatiable Warbody cannot compensate for the Dumb Host’s poor judgment.]

’Can you stop insulting me for five fucking minutes?! I’m trying to appreciate my blessings here!’

However, something else immediately caught his attention.

His previous Physique had never been properly identified, yet he had somehow acquired another one. He briefly wondered whether ordinary people could even possess more than one Physique, but that question seemed rather unimportant compared to what was happening outside.

After all, he had just received a Sovereign-Tier Skill!

Zishan quickly inspected Wildfire Requiem while following the Sergeant toward the western defensive line.

[SKILL INFORMATION]

<Name: Wildfire Requiem>

<Tier: Sovereign>

<Type: Fire Magic / Area-of-Effect>

<Required Affinity: Fire>

<Mana Consumption: Minimum 100 Mana>

<Description: Ignite multiple enemies with magical flames that spread from one target to another. Every affected enemy receives a Pyre Mark, which continuously burns its body and allows the fire to spread to other nearby enemies. Whenever a marked enemy dies, its Pyre Mark explodes, damaging nearby enemies and potentially igniting those that have not yet been marked. Multiple deaths can trigger successive explosions, creating a devastating chain reaction throughout an entire horde.>

[SKILL EFFECTS]

I. Pyre Mark

<Ignites an enemy with magical flames that deal continuous Fire Damage. Each newly marked enemy consumes one target from the casting limit.>

II. Chain Ignition

<A burning enemy can spread its flames to nearby unmarked enemies, allowing the fire to travel throughout a tightly packed horde.>

III. Funeral Bloom

<When a marked enemy dies, its Pyre Mark explodes, damaging nearby enemies and potentially spreading additional Pyre Marks.>

[MANA SCALING]

<The initial Mana expenditure determines the maximum number of enemies that can be marked and the Skill’s effective radius.>

<100 Mana: 10 Targets / 30 Meters>

<200 Mana: 60 Targets / 55 Meters>

<300 Mana: 110 Targets / 80 Meters>

<400 Mana: 160 Targets / 105 Meters>

<480 Mana: 200 Targets / 125 Meters>

<Every additional 20 Mana increases the maximum target capacity by 10 and the effective radius by 5 meters.>

<Higher-Level enemies, powerful defenses, or Fire resistance may weaken or completely resist the Pyre Mark. Maximum target capacity does not guarantee successful ignition or kills.>

<Chain Ignition and Funeral Bloom consume no additional Mana. Their effects are included in the initial casting cost.>

<The chain reaction ends when the maximum target capacity is reached, no eligible nearby enemies remain, or enemy resistance prevents further propagation.>

Zishan read through the description several times before finally understanding what he had just acquired.

In simpler terms, he could burn several Magic Beasts at once, and those burning beasts could subsequently spread the flames to their unfortunate friends. Whenever one of them died, it would explode and potentially spread the fire even farther.

The only catch was that the initial Mana expenditure determined how many enemies the flames could potentially reach.

His grin widened.

’HAHAHAHA! SO, IT’S BASICALLY A FUCKING PLAGUE MADE OF FIRE?!’

Then, he remembered something extremely important.

His Mana!

A few moments earlier, he had received another thirty Intelligence Points. Each additional point increased his Mana capacity by ten, which meant he had just gained another three hundred Mana in capacity.

Zishan immediately opened his Status.

<anno data-annotation-id="58273f8f-14a7-6d9e-cadc-eebe9db055da" data-title="[Mana: 540 / 540]">[Mana: 540 / 540]¹</anno>

"FUCKING FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY?!"

<annotations style="display: none;">With his previous Mana at 240/240, Zishan received an additional 30 INT from the Sub-Emergency Quest. Since every INT Point increases his maximum Mana by 10, he gained another 300 Mana (30 × 10). The additional capacity was immediately filled upon receiving the reward, bringing his Mana to 540/540. Moreover, I mistook the Mana Capacity from previous Chapters, but I’ve already fixed it.</annotations>