The Stagnant Witch’s Survival Method

Silver Wand felt truly frustrated.

‘What am I doing with these insects?’

Following Grace’s orders, he had gathered mercenaries.
The mercenaries who gathered were all trash or leftovers.

Truly worthless insects without any power.
But he was leading them without saying anything.
What could he do? If he touched them carelessly, that witch wouldn’t leave him be.

And the mercenaries awkwardly followed behind Silver Wand.

They had rushed at the witch’s call, but what was there wasn’t a witch but a man with a dirty impression.
And he looked quite strong too.
The mercenaries, who had long fought life-and-death battles, knew even better.
The fact that this man had risen to a rank like the witches.

Though they had never seen such a being who wasn’t a witch before, the mercenaries quietly followed.
As they walked a long distance like that, soon a building that looked like a large warehouse came into view.
When they opened the door and entered the building, they saw an interior that was cleaner and neater than expected.

Of course, this was a place Silver Wand had diligently cleaned.
It was obvious how much Silver Wand, who had never held a rag in his life, had struggled.

And she was standing on the platform.
The faces of the mercenaries, who had been somewhat uneasy, brightened.
She was there.
The witches who had led us and returned after reaching the end beyond the barrier of despair.
Ulrisa raised her hand high and waved, saying it was a welcome face, and Grace smiled and lightly threw herself.

“Today, I’m going to make you all a very good offer.”

At those words, the mercenaries wore puzzled expressions.
They thought they were called suddenly because their strength was needed, but a good offer?
They murmured because they hadn’t thought of such a thing, but Grace knew this was an offer they couldn’t refuse.

“Those of you here might not know the details, but you vaguely know about the existence of ranks. Right now you might only know about witches, but there are many different types of ranks, and everyone here has the qualifications to rise to those ranks.”

The mercenaries’ eyes grew wider and wider.
She was presenting a higher path to those who had lived ordinarily all their lives, no, who had endured for 10, 20 years.
While Grace was continuing her speech feeling like a pseudo-religious leader, the only one denying this was Silver Wand.

“Impossible. It’s nonsensical gibberish.”

The wolf from a vast realm incomparable to the Witch Society gritted his teeth.
To him, rank was an absolute wall.
A wall that only those born with the right bloodline could overcome.

Silver Wand was pure blood among pure bloods, that’s why he could rise to a rank.
Among ordinary humans who weren’t like that, only geniuses among geniuses who awakened to mana from birth could achieve the miracle of rising to a rank.
But how could these leftovers rise to a rank?
These insects who had lived as ordinary humans for decades!
Unable to believe it, he naturally said such words.

But Grace was still wearing a confident smile.

**

There are three main categories of ranks.
Good, Evil, and Neutral.
Usually, Good and Evil borrow power from high-ranking beings.
Just looking at witches, they borrow power from demons, werewolves from the red moon, and priests from gods.
It might seem easy since they’re borrowing power, but this too is incredibly difficult.

It was a miracle possible only for a chosen few, that’s how one could rise to a rank.

But neutral ranks are a bit different.
Beings who rise by building up power on their own.
If they climb the steps and reach the rank of gods, their titles are not ordinary.

Those who reach Rank 3 in the neutral ranks are called kings.
Rank 2 are emperors.
Rank 1 are called great emperors.

In a way, rather than meaning gods, these express positions that have reached the pinnacle of humanity.

It can be seen as an evaluation that they broke through the wall on their own.
Because they rose to a great rank as humans.
Therefore, they are called great emperors.

So they had to keep training, gaining enlightenment, and breaking through walls to advance.
Unlike witches who contract with demons and raise their rank by communing with them or being invaded, neutral ranks must undergo endless training and practice.

In my view, they had more than enough qualifications.
If they could awaken their dormant potential, they would all rise to Rank 9.

“You all grasp your weapons and swing them.”

As if intoxicated by some strange atmosphere, they began to grasp and swing the weapons they had handled all their lives.

Originally, I was planning to divide the ritual and guide them to rise to various ranks, but it was difficult to obtain such diverse promotion materials, and the ritual would have to be conducted in a more detailed manner.
Just for the barbarian rank alone, you need to bring a tribal chief to promote, but where would you get that from?

It’s better to promote them all to one rank instead.

Therefore, the choice I made was the “Warrior” rank.
A rank that charges bravely, takes the enemy’s head at the end of a bloody battle.
The characteristics of the warrior rank are heaviness, toughness, and aggressiveness.

The given powers are and

It’s decent.
And strong.
If all these people become warriors and fight, it would be no different from thousands of elite knights rampaging.
Moreover, if a warrior rises to a high rank and becomes a “Warrior King”, they could sweep the battlefield with truly transcendent strength.

Whoosh- Whoosh-
Boom- Boom-!

Axes, swords, daggers, heavy chains cut through the air.
It was a strange scene to see many people gathered swinging weapons, but all the mercenaries were lost in a trance, continuing to swing.

The ritual was performed.
And I, as the conductor of the ritual, filled in one or two lacking points for them to gain enlightenment through [Promotion Condition Relaxation].
And soon, the moment of awakening approaches.

A man standing still with blank eyes.
If I remember correctly, this man’s name was Andel.
To think he’s the first among these many mercenaries to touch enlightenment, perhaps he might have been given the chance to reach Rank 9 on his own even without me.

But a chance is just a chance, there’s no guarantee of crossing the rank.
Now there were materials to grasp that chance.

“Grasp the spirit herb, Andel, and swallow it.”

The spirit herb is an herb containing mana.
It wasn’t a common material, but it was obtainable in this realm where neutral rank promotions don’t exist.
Andel immediately chewed and ate the spirit herb.

“Phew…”

A blue light flowed from his mouth.
The mana that poured out like a strong current soon began to invade every part of his body.
If he were an ordinary person, it would just invigorate his body and boost his energy, but the enlightenment that could grasp the mana running through his body was now occupying him.

That soon creates a miracle.
Everyone except the mercenaries still chasing enlightenment and swinging their swords watched blankly.

It truly was a miracle.
Even I couldn’t take my eyes off the mysterious sight.
Mana gathered and started to converge towards the heart.
The gathered mana formed a shape, soon pulsed like a heart, and began to circulate through the blood to the fingertips and toes.

The circulating mana awakens the senses of the whole body and transforms the physique.
Andel, who had been a veteran mercenary, became slightly younger, and his body became harder and contained powerful strength.
He grasps a sword in his hand and swings it.

Silver Wand, who had been gaping with trembling eyes, finally couldn’t hold back and exclaimed in admiration.

“Th-This can’t be, how can someone who lived as an insect all their life!”

Whiing-!

A blue light gathered on the sword.
The sword he swung unconsciously cut the ground like tofu.
Awakening from the trance of enlightenment, as he slowly lifted his eyelids, blue mana swirled in his eyes.

An ordinary mercenary.
It was the moment of awakening as a being handling transcendent power.

“Congratulations.”

As I offered words of congratulation for his promotion, Andel immediately knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

Thud-!

“Warrior Andel will serve Witch Grace as his lord.”
“There’s no need to go that far…”
“No, it must be so.”

Hmm, I did want them to become subordinates out of gratitude for raising them to a rank, but it feels like that goal has been achieved excessively.
His eyes were filled with blind loyalty that couldn’t be shaken off.

As I patted his shoulder ceremonially, I looked at the other mercenaries.
Andel’s talent must have been more outstanding, as it seems no one else has gained enlightenment like him yet.
But with me here to lower the conditions by one step, they should all be able to promote by the end of today.

Therefore, I looked at my friends with a confident face.
They all had astonished expressions.

“Can you believe what I said now?”
“G-Grace, can this really be done?”
“Ha, ha, even this noble can hardly believe this sight. Is the commoner not actually contracted with a demon but already taken over by one… Kyaak!”
“That’s rude.”

I’m completely fine, you know?
While I was making a stern expression at Belladrin who had collapsed after being hit by magic, other awakened ones started to appear.

With enlightened faces, they unconsciously chew on spirit herbs and practice their aura.
And another “Warrior” is born.
The newly born Rank 9 warriors, for some reason, all kneel before me and swear loyalty.

It’s somewhat different from the game.
In the game, you just gained quite high favorability and that was it, but now they were actually serving me as their master.
It was a good thing, but it feels strange to have about twenty mercenaries all rise to the warrior rank and pledge loyalty to me.
I’m not some knight commander or anything.

After everyone was reborn as warriors, I gave a simple instruction to feel the reward of pulling them up to Rank 9.

“It’s nothing grand, but there’s something I need you all to do.”
“Please, speak freely. We are your great warriors and the weapons to be wielded by your hand.”
“…”

No, stop doing that, I’m telling you it feels weird.

But I couldn’t help but be swept up in that atmosphere.

“Kill a Rank 8 wraith and obtain its heart. It’s for my friends to rise to the next level.”
“We will obey.”

Andel bowed his head deeply and stood up.
He pulled out the sword stuck in the ground and moved.
Other warriors began to follow him.
The group of mercenaries, who had been rowdy, free, and diverse in their individuality, moved as warriors born through arduous training and discipline from birth.
I keep losing words at such a dramatic change.

“…The effect might be more amazing than I thought?”

The birth of a group of twenty Rank 9 warriors honestly had an even greater significance.
Moreover, they’re not novices but veterans who have fought monsters for a long time.

And of course, there was no reason why 20 Rank 9 warriors couldn’t catch a mere Rank 8 wraith.
It would probably only be challenging if a Rank 7 or higher monster appeared.

Thump, thump.

In less than a day, they finally tore out the wraith’s heart and presented three fresh, pulsating chunks of meat to me.

“How did you…”
“We were a bit late.”
“No, that’s not it.”

I was flustered because it was too fast, way too fast.
How did they get not just one, but three in a day?