Chapter 20: "300 XP Earned" — The Shame of the Rock Team

A burnt smell lingered in the air.

The two ogres, which had cornered the Rock Team into a seemingly hopeless situation, were easily struck down by a single Lightning Strike spell.

The atmosphere fell silent.

Even Dosari, the team captain who had been screaming in agony from his broken ankle just moments ago, grew quiet.

[Discovered 3rd-tier spell: Lightning Bolt. Requires Basic Mage class, Level 15. Current conditions not met...]

This message flashed before Lyle's eyes, projected on his status screen.

He knew he could transition into the Basic Mage class using his unique "Genius" class, but his level was clearly far from the required range.

"Such a pity," Lyle thought, letting out a silent sigh.

Surveying the quiet scene, Lyle could easily guess the conflicting emotions the members of the Rock Team were feeling right now.

After all, the ogres they'd fought tooth and nail against were so effortlessly defeated by their client.

It was impossible not to feel complicated about it.

To make matters worse...

Using a 3rd-tier spell like Lightning Strike meant one was at least of Platinum or even Mithril rank as an adventurer.

The Rock Team, struggling to advance past Gold rank, couldn't even dream of reaching such heights.

The silence lingered only briefly.

Lyle was the first to break it. He strode toward Captain Dosari, who was lying on the ground, his face contorted in pain.

Squatting down, Lyle inspected the ogre's severed hand still gripping Dosari's mangled ankle. "Captain Dosari, let me remove the ogre's hand."

Dosari instinctively nodded, though his expression reddened slightly.

It was unclear whether this was due to the pain as Lyle pried the ogre's coarse, yellowish hand off his leg—or for some other reason.

Once the grotesque hand was tossed aside, Lyle turned his attention to the captain's leg.

The lower part of the limb was crushed entirely, twisted unnaturally as it lay limp on the ground. It was clear the bones inside had been pulverized.

Such an injury would have spelled permanent disability in Lyle's previous world.

But here? Serious as it was, it wasn't irreparable—not with the existence of healing magic and even resurrection spells.

"Minor Healing!"

Lyle's hands hovered over the captain's leg, glowing faintly with soft white light.

Under the spell's effects, the crushed limb began to swell back into shape, its twisted form gradually straightening.

The captain, who had nearly lost consciousness from the pain, inhaled sharply as the sensation returned to his leg. Though clearly in agony, he gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out.

As the light dimmed, the leg looked far less mangled, though far from fully healed.

"Just surface-level repairs," Lyle muttered. "The bones inside are still shattered."

"Two spells are barely enough for temporary fixes. Once my mana recovers, I'll cast a few more to complete the healing."

Lyle exhaled deeply, standing up.

The Rock Team had treated him kindly throughout their journey. Helping them now was only fair.

Captain Dosari, drenched in sweat and pale-faced, gave Lyle a weak but sincere smile. "Thank you, Lyle."

"No need to be so polite, Mr. Dosari," Lyle replied.

At this moment, Archer Lerr returned, supporting the injured Rand and the younger Bask brothers.

Seeing their captain's improved condition, relief washed over their faces. They turned to Lyle with grateful expressions.

"Are you two okay?" Lyle asked, looking at the brothers leaning on their teammates for support.

"Don't worry, I'm not dying yet," Bask joked with a weak grin. Though pale, he didn't seem to have any external injuries.

Still, the fact that Lerr had to help him walk suggested internal damage—likely from the ogre's earlier kick that had sent him flying.

"Couple of broken ribs," Rand said nonchalantly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "But I'll live."

"When my mana's back, I'll heal you both," Lyle nodded.

"Thanks," Rand said with a faint smile.

"Hm?" Lerr's ears twitched as he glanced at the ogre Lyle had felled with Lightning Bolt earlier. Its arm was still twitching.

"Is it still alive?"

The rest of the Rock Team turned cold at these words.

Before they could react, Lyle moved swiftly toward the ogre.

Drawing his dagger, he thrust it into the creature's eye—straight into its brain—and twisted viciously.

The ogre, which had been clinging to its last breath, fell still.

Lyle's efficiency stunned the team.

Without realizing it, his actions had grown increasingly decisive—and ruthless.

[Gained 300 experience points!]

Seeing the notification flash across his status screen, Lyle's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

That was a lot of experience.

The kill pushed him to the next level. Combined with prior accumulated experience, Lyle was now at Level 5.

"Are you okay?" Nfirea called, jumping down from the wagon and hurrying over with concern written all over her face.

The Rock Team exchanged looks, their expressions shifting to a mix of awe and respect as they glanced at her.

"You can rest assured," Captain Dosari said firmly, standing on one leg. "We won't let this delay the mission."

"That's not what I meant!" Nfirea exclaimed, cheeks flushing as he waved his arms in protest.

Before he could say more, he noticed the team's gazes had shifted behind her, their faces filled with reverence.

"Take a break," came a calm, authoritative voice.

An elderly woman approached with her hands clasped behind her back. Her face was expressionless.

"Yes, ma'am," Captain Dosari replied promptly, though his stance on one leg looked a bit comical.

This woman had just cast the third-tier Lightning Strike spell. Such strength was far beyond the Rock Team's reach.

The rest of the team lowered their heads in shame.

To be saved by the very client they were supposed to protect was deeply humiliating for adventurers.

Even now, they couldn't understand why someone of such power had hired them at all.

Had they been recruited merely as laborers from the start?

Ignoring their thoughts, the elderly woman gazed toward the direction where the ogres and goblins had emerged.

That area bordered the Forest of Tob, part of the Azerlisia Mountain Range's southern region.

A vast and dangerous place, its edge lay near E-Rantel.

"Looks like it's time to clear out the monsters again," she murmured to herself.

Goblins, notorious for their rapid reproduction, frequently allied with other forest creatures to raid human settlements.

This made clearing out the forest a recurring task for the E-Rantel Adventurers' Guild.