II.

There it was, my nostrils were immediately filled by that familiar stench of death. From where Caspan observed at the top of the hill, those poor fools of the Soul Army were used irresponsibly as fodder to extend the battle as long as possible. Beyond the stockades, defense from various flags were able to reassemble to reclaim whatever the Spine was and its villages.

We, the Tusks, were assigned to join our so-called brothers in arms in the invasion along with other units regrouping from raiding villages. Caspan ruffled his feathers and took up his spear. Yokgu beats his chest. I looked at him blankly, while he returned a ferocious stare as he continued his war ritual. I felt a hand bump my shoulder and see another pointing out.

“Look,” Ake’s voice directed me towards the burning field. The moons descended like vultures watching over the fallen, and the cold Blue Moon dipped the lowest to the earth out of the seven. I hope the enemy did not have any magic users attuned to the Blue Moon. “The Spine is beneath its light.”

I grunt and the hand withdrew. The Spine appeared to be towering bones, shaded in teal beams from the moon, stretching across the plains and winding up a mountain. I could make out the tops of the bones, realizing that they were split in half. I’ve seen spines leaking out of bodies, split in the same way from Skills. Was the giant creature the spine belonged to destroyed by something similar? My attention was drawn to the battle, and the nervousness stirred inside my stomach. This battle will be the seventh I have gone through since my amnesia hit me, or reincarnation happened, and it certainly would not be the last battle waiting for me.

“Light Voice, you ready for the fight?”

I inspected my halberd and shrugged. It was a stick, yet efficient, and further away from the blood and gore in the fight. Better.

“We’re soldiers,” I shrugged. “Tusks don’t come in for free, Commander.”

Ake chuckled.

“We are moving out soon,” he hisses, but I am sure that it is just his normal voice. “After this, Vastil will have another order from the Ack’Sa.”

After this? The Beast People Kingdom’s Krisha soldiers have been running thin, yet resisting the Soul Army for a while now.

“Yes, Commander,” I keep my grim thoughts to myself, but I knew it was not for long before we turned the tides around. Yokgu’s rhythmic beating kept my head in the game. I wonder if that’s why he did it. I checked my Status but noticed an Alert beneath the first window.

CON: F

STR: D

DEX: D

INT: F

STA: D

Luck: N/A

Alert: Elite entity in the area. Slay it to reach the experience threshold for level up.

Well, isn’t it my lucky day? I sighed. Then the war horns sounded, signaling the battle has begun. The system told me a level up is nearby, just somewhere within the bloody mess of soldiers. I only had to find it and destroy it. Easy, right?

“Go!” Ake growled. And so we were off to support another battalion.

I clomped over a torn up body, ripped apart by magic, but the sight of blood and gore no longer affected me. I was a soldier now and if I did not want to end up like that man, I must put my feelings down and my feet forward. I swung my halberd mightily, and added more bodies to the ground. Another dropped his sword, so I took it. It will do better in my hands, I thank him. That made two kills, but still I felt no change in my heart. Suddenly, my Status activated.

Warning: Hostile magic user, take cover.

Where? I turned and saw Ake cleave a man in two with his war axe, which glowed white as he freely used that Skill of his on anyone unfortunate enough to be in front of him. Through the clashing swords and spears, a flash of blue light matched the moon above us. Shit. I dropped to the ground as a bullet of water shot above me into someone else. Water bullets were dangerous, but the way the spell shredded the man inside out as it traveled along meant that it was amplified by the moon. Where are the archers?

The roar of a warhorse thundered and I quickly rolled away. It was Vastil! The Knight drove across the field and swung, his glinting silver sword now stained with red. I was sure that his hell raising was not due to only a Skill, but his pure strength as well. The mage’s body flung in pieces amidst the fray in red mist. I did not have time to watch the majestic beast continue its deadly path, for I had a path of my own to survive through.

Three kills. Four. With that enemy’s sword in my hand, I made a fifth. The sixth man’s cry gurgled out, but was short lived as I wrestled the blade from his eye. These men are weak! I cut through them like grass, and a seventh falls. Aim for the joints and the face, I reminded myself. My strength does not let up but I did not have time to check my Status. From the distance, I see the enemy’s pavilion open up and my Status activated. I did not need to see the notification to be able to know who was emerging from the tent.

Warning: Heavily armed Elite in the vicinity. Slay it to acquire level up.

Easier said than done, I grit my teeth. The individual that emerged stood as tall as me, but was much heavier and definitely possessed a Skill. Worst of all, I felt his eyes gaze upon me as an eighth man fell to my blade. A boss fight, huh. I did not see my allies anywhere, locked up in fights of their own, but it was clear both sides were awaiting this fight. The Elite let out a war cry much louder than Vastel’s horse, and began to charge straight towards me.

Did he sense that I had a Unique Skill?

My ninth victim lay in halves at my feet as the other enemy soldiers scattered. Come at me, then! I pull my halberd out of him. This level one Elf will not let you break our formation! The Elite’s heavy spear readied itself in retaliation, but to my eyes it seemed much slower than I anticipated. I can dodge this! The beast’s weapon swung at me like a battering ram, but as I shifted into a better position, the spear head grazed my shoulder plate.

Now was not the time to succumb to pain! I counterattacked and jabbed my halberd into the giant’s side. To my horror, my halberd shattered against his tough plate. I missed his joints! A laughter erupted from the man, as he prepared to charge against me. His fellow soldiers cheered, and I noticed that the Soul Soldiers also were cheering. Focus on the enemy, you idiots! I growl and toss the stick aside.

Luck is bullshit, I spit and pull out the stolen sword. I groan to no one in particular, because I don’t even have it available on my Status Skill. The sword was much thicker than my original one that got stolen, but it still felt light. Maybe I have a chance, I just had to think quickly. The Elite regarded me with a condescending disgust as he paced back and forth.

“Give it up, small fry!” He roared then burst into a charge. His weapon glowed, signifying that he was using a Skill. I was used to that trick by now and for better or worse, I was ready for it. “I am Hower of the Reach, and you shall fall!”

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“Some idiots have all the luck,” I muttered. I was sure I did not have the speed to hit his head off and my heart pounded. I stood square against his charge with all the courage my level one self had and closed out the thunderous chant of his cheering men. I could hear only his heavy stomps approaching me and my breath, which was now evening out as I focused. “But I don’t need it!”

I roared against him and swung the blade against his side. In a flash, my sword feasted upon flesh, turning the air scarlet under the cold Blue Moon’s misty light. A perfect blow, decided by me using more of my strength and pushing the blade all the way through his torso. The roaring was silenced as his top half drenched me, and I was relieved to know the scarlet blood washing over was not my own. I heard a familiar battle cry holler above me. It was Yokgu’s! There was no time to celebrate now. The enemy lay broken, like their commander’s halves! I picked up his massive spear and joined in with their war cries. That was one Elite down and hopefully my Status had something good to tell me when I had the chance to read it.

Hours later, the noise died down as the battle came to a close. I trailed behind and realized I only slew eleven soldiers and the Elite commander total. Squatting above a pool of blood that was thankfully not my own, I decided to wait it out until someone found me. The blood puddle belonged to the last victim of mine, a young soldier who begged me not to take his life.

“Please, don’t kill me,” I heard him cry out through my muffled helmet. Even in my bleariness I could see the damage I did to the man. His chest plate was crushed by my spear, mixing in with the dirt beneath it. “I have a family—“

I smashed his face in before I could hear the rest. It’s a kill or be killed world out here, I reminded myself as I rested. Did I have a family before all of this? Even in my previous life, I had no recollection. I was interrupted by my Status opening by itself.

Level Up Achieved. Promote two stats and gain new stat parameters.

I can promote two stats? The status window displayed my stats, but I had a number of things to consider. Apparently, the heavy spear I could destroy my enemies with did not change my stats when I wielded it. I could use it just fine, along with the sword. The heavy blade contained glittering metal within its edges, suggesting that it was reinforced with a strange magic metal. It cut through that man like he was made out of butter, which confused me.

Even if I landed a lucky hit at his non-dominant side right between the armor plating, my build was quite weak. It took effort to slash him in two, and if I got hit once by even a single attack from the Elite Hower, I surely would have died. My only problem was now, were these Stats. Should I increase my Constitution to survive a hit or Dexterity to dodge faster? How much strength would a single letter upgrade give me?

Only one way to find out.

CON: F

STR: D now upgraded to C

DEX: D now upgraded to C

INT: F

STA: D

Luck: N/A

I decided on promoting DEX instead of CON. I did not know if CON stood for what I theorized and probably would not be able to react quickly after getting hit if I survived anyways. I waited for anything to happen, but a hand smacked my back and I heard a satisfied grunt. My status window closed as I heard whoever patted me chuckle.

“You know, Light Voice,” Yokgu laughed. I was glad he survived. Not that I would tell him that, though. “For someone as quiet as you, you are quite the animal! Destroying the enemy commander, and how many soldiers?”

“Eleven,” I choked.

“Holy shit! You animal!” Yokgu roared in approval, although I don’t feel any pride in it. I noticed most of the Soul Army were human slaves. They were twisted in the process of becoming pathetic soldiers, which made me realize how weak that race truly was. Blood stained the orc, but it was dried enough to not stain my armor when he patted me on the back. “Eleven kills! My rookie has grown up!”

“We should get back with the squad and see if everyone’s alive,” I stood up.

“Hey, wait up!”

My body ached and I was unsure of what was different about being level 2. Was it the fact that I could even walk after destroying so many enemies? Or being able to carry this heavy spear and sword while doing so?

We rested at camp that night under the stars. I watched the fire’s smoke and the large bones that reached to the moons like white fingers. After checking, I noticed our numbers were considerably less. The watchman, Caspan, and our magical caster were present first, though I did not know the mage’s name. He was deadly and did his job well. Others gathered around the campfire, but it was clear our unit was shrinking fast. Yokgu and I sat down after setting the tents up. There were enough people to have their own now, I thought grimly as I swallowed some soup down.

“Your armor is broken up at the shoulder,” Yokgu poked at the piece. “You’re lucky you didn’t lose the arm.”

I grunted in agreement. Wait a minute. As I took the busted part off, I noticed my arm was completely fine. Was it because of the level up? My blood ran down into my pit and sides, but there was no visible wound showing, as if the spear never hit me.

“That guy grazed me,” I confirmed, but someone slammed a mug into my shoulder.

“Yo, woman!” Ake rattled, his breath stank of alcohol. I was surprised he knew that, but we have been on the road for so long that he could probably tell. I suddenly felt silly for not knowing what I was and trying to hide it. He plants his rear on the barrel next to me. I wondered if the previous me was less distant, or more naive. “I heard you took the enemy commander out. And eleven soldiers, but I killed sixteen. I won!”

I knew how to play the corporate game, so I chuckled and pretended to be jealous. Taking human lives was not something I would be proud of, but it paid me for now.

“Eh, Commander? It’s not like I could compete with your Skill,” I joked, but my gloomy face must have betrayed me. The commander simply laughed, and Yokgu howled.

“I bet you want a Skill, don’t you?” Yokgu did not seem to mind that I am a woman either, despite having no qualms about killing the human ones. I shrugged as Ake brags.

“I’ll take one if it’s free,” I scraped the bottom of the soup bowl.

“Commander, what is that Skill?” A new voice came from a fresh recruit. That boy barely grew into his horns and he somehow survived this battle. Forget the one I acquired from Hower, his own spear towered over him.

“It’s a blessing from the Gods. Ours, Ack’Sa, gives us them. Much stronger than the Human Gods. Not even the Moons give this kind of power out,” Ake grinned and raised his axe. “Power Smash. I don’t say I’m cheating, because it uses my strength!”

He activated the Skill, which made the axe glow white hot and directed its powerful blow at the wooden log. He must be able to activate it with a thought, like my Status. The piece shattered, making the crowd around gasp and clap in amazement. Ake realized he no longer had a place to sit anymore so he rested on his tail and laughed.

“They say if you do great things or get beaten up a lot in battle, you can get a Skill,” He pointed at me and laughs. “You better focus on magic, woman, because you won’t be able to beat me in kills!”

“Not true, Commander,” Yokgu beats his chest. He, too, smells like alcohol. “You’re forgetting I will beat her! I defeated eight, and I will catch up!”

I groaned and look towards the Blue Mage in our squad. He was silently meditating on his own. I kicked back and rested quietly. Caspan was busy plucking dirt out of his feathers to engage in our meaningless conversations. Skills are not cheating and I would continue to use my own skill to survive through every battle. Still, a Power Skill could only be obtained…

“In my dreams,” I muttered allowed, but Yokgu went quiet and stared at me. “What?”

“Holy shit! Commander!” Yokgu yelled at Ake. “Light Voice said she dreams!”

“Something wrong?” Ake faked concern for me, but I was sure my face soured.

“Ah, I remember when you were a rookie,” the orc laughed. “That was a few months ago, but still! Now you’re a war beast. New bloods like you should follow in Light Voice’s footsteps.”

The young demon boy gulped, but nodded.

“Is… Light Voice your real name?”

“We don’t have names,” I recited what I’ve been told, taking a drink of whatever cruel concoction of alcohol Ake handed me at some point tonight. The bile slithered down my throat, and the Commander had already passed out with several empty mugs surrounding him. The snake man had a long enough tail to be deadly and mobile if he crawled, but also doubled as a bed.

“Idiot!” Another fresh blooded soldier hit the boy’s arm. A female demon, armed with a bow and no taller than him, glared at him. “I could have told you that!”

“Sorry, sorry!”

Their golden eyes and horns were similar. War is hell, I groan. Brother and sister siblings should not be out this far from home. Both regarded my brooding nature as if I was the snake and Ake was not, while Yokgu simply laughed.

“You’ll get used to her moodiness,” Yokgu smacked the boy’s shoulder. “Get some rest. That bastard knight’s probably got us more orders come tomorrow morning. Tch.”

That bastard knight saved me, I thought. Even if he wasn’t aware of it. My head soon found a tough cot to sink into. I had fuzzy memories of my past life, understanding that a method for sleeping faster was acquired by relaxing the facial muscles, then working all the way down slowly and softly. Now as time had gone by, it no longer mattered. I could sleep wherever and wake to the slightest disturbance thanks to the Status skill. At the mere thought of it, the window revealed itself.

Level 2. New Objective: Slay another Elite to reach experience threshold.

I sighed. Another boss fight was required for my skill to level up. At least, there was always a new battle ahead to see the full results of my newly improved stats, even though the letter C did not fill me with great confidence. Darkness covered me and I bid farewell to the window as I succumbed to it, wondering what it was like to sleep on my own tail if I had one.