Chapter 43

The sound of flesh tearing echoed across the field.

For a moment, everyone froze—too fast for their eyes to follow, too sudden to understand what had just happened.

A few seconds later, the Gnoll Warrior’s eyes lost focus. Its massive frame wobbled.

Thud.

A gaping hole had been blown through its skull. The beast collapsed, unmoving.

The surrounding gnolls blinked in disbelief, staring at their fallen leader.

His allies turned toward him in stunned silence, but Justin didn’t miss a beat. He looked at Ethan with an emotionless expression.
“What was that about saving someone? I didn’t quite catch it—say it again.”

“…”

“Go on, tell me again. You were saying something about risking my life to buy time, right?”

“…”

Face flushed with embarrassment, Ethan quickly averted his gaze.

“….”
“….”

Despite Justin’s sarcastic remark, an oppressive silence hung heavy in the air. Both the gnolls and his teammates were frozen, unable to process the sight of the Gnoll Warrior’s lifeless body, its skull gaping from the hole that had been blasted clean through it.

Just as he was about to break the silence with another quip, a system message echoed in his mind.

《You have successfully hunted the field boss ‘Gnoll Warrior’ alone.》
《You have gained bonus experience for the solo hunt.》
《Your level has increased significantly. You have reached Level 20.》
《New Warlock-exclusive skill acquired: [Cursed Lightning].》

“…!”

Well, this is a jackpot.

Until now, he had reached Level 13 by grinding through regular gnolls. But taking down the field boss alone had granted him seven full levels in one go. Considering how slow leveling had become after reaching Level 10, the amount of experience gained was absurd.

Suppressing a grin, he reached for his skill menu—

“Krrrhh…”
“Krrrk…”

The gnolls, who had been frozen in shock, now turned toward them, their bloodshot eyes burning with rage.

Derek, still clutching his bruised ribs, recoiled in alarm.
“W-Why aren’t they running? Their boss is dead!”

“Weapons up! Prepare for battle!”
Ethan snapped to attention, gripping his sword and shield tightly.

So they’re not retreating even after losing their leader…

The weapons came up just in time—but the numbers and distance posed a real problem.

“Shit, ten of them?! Isn’t this a bit much?”

Until now, their advantage had always been initiating fights from a distance, thinning the enemy’s numbers before engaging directly. But this time, the gnolls were already close—and all ten of them were still alive and ready to strike. Even if they managed to take down half, the remaining gnolls would be on them in seconds.

While his teammates broke into a cold sweat, Justin calmly opened his skill window.

[Cursed Lightning]

• Type: Multi-target offensive magic
• Effect: Strikes up to fifteen enemies with a chain of cursed lightning. Though weaker than real lightning, each strike inflicts overwhelming pain and paralyzing agony.
• Usage Limit: 2 times per day

Two casts per day, huh?
The limit was low, but given the power behind the spell, it was more than fair.

Lowering the menu, he noticed Ethan shouting through clenched teeth, his voice tight with panic.
“Use magic—now!”

“Cursed Lightning.”

Crackle—

Before Ethan could finish, Justin calmly raised his staff and unleashed the new spell.

Unlike the brief flicker of Black Missile, a storm of dark violet lightning erupted from his fingertips like fireworks exploding in every direction.

The gnolls froze in place, caught off-guard by the sudden display of light—just as the cursed lightning slammed into them.

KRZZZAAK!

“GUAAAAARGH!”
“KIIIEEEEK!”

The chain lightning ripped through all ten gnolls in the blink of an eye, linking them together in a crackling web of dark energy.

It lasted no more than three seconds.
None of the gnolls died from the spell alone, but that didn’t matter—

“Krrrk!”
“Khh… khhh…”

Every single one collapsed to the ground, spasming violently, some foaming at the mouth while others twitched in seizure-like convulsions. None of them were in any condition to fight.

Justin watched the scene unfold with detached satisfaction and turned to his team.
“Finish them off. They’re not dead yet—don’t forget to confirm the kills before they recover.”

“W-What the hell did you just do…?”

“Just trying out a new spell.”

Cursed Lightning.
A multi-target spell that could chain across up to fifteen enemies, dealing light damage but delivering devastating side effects.

The real strength of the spell wasn’t its raw power but its incapacitating effect—any living target struck by the lightning would be thrown into a state of helpless paralysis.

“It doesn’t kill bosses outright, but even they’ll freeze for a few moments. Against weaklings like these? It’s practically a guaranteed win.”

Even a boss would struggle to recover instantly, giving his team ample opportunity to strike. It was, without a doubt, one of the strongest crowd-control spells available in the early game.

No wonder it’s limited to two uses a day.

“Alright, everyone’s exhausted, so let’s finish this up quickly and head back.”

Derek and Ethan’s injuries were quickly healed with a single cast of Intermediate Healing. The spell’s effectiveness had improved alongside their rising levels, and fortunately, the damage hadn’t been too severe in the first place.

With everyone recovered, the team swiftly retreated from the plains.

Whether it was because the Gnoll Warrior had been slain or simply luck on their side, they encountered no further gnoll ambushes on their way back.

A couple of hobgoblin packs crossed their path, but the creatures were little more than an annoyance now—mere fodder for venting frustration.

• “Ugh, these little shits…”
• “Out of the way, unless you want to die too!”

Driven by the lingering tension from the earlier battle, they slaughtered the hobgoblins with ruthless efficiency. Calling it “hunting” would’ve been an understatement—it was a massacre.

When they finally reached the safety of the neutral zone, everyone but Justin collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent.

“Ugh… I’m dead.”
“I can’t even move anymore…”

The exhaustion was obvious from their pale faces and sluggish movements. Curious gazes turned toward them from nearby groups—until now, they had always returned with ease, rarely showing signs of strain.