《Champions of the Boundary》 Chapter 0001 <>(Zack)<> The first sensation that I''m aware of is a cool, hard surface beneath me, slightly uneven at regular intervals. I open my eyes to find myself on a platform formed of dark grey stones. It is surrounded by blackness, and a pure white light emanates from something behind me. The stones themselves emit a powerful sensation, but I push it down. I don''t have time for that, I have more important things to do. Such as think about my situation and figure out what the hell is going on. I have no freaking clue where I am, or how I got here. Or who I am, for that matter. So I need to find out what I know, then assess my surroundings for clues, as there does not seem to be a threat to me. I cannot remember anything except my name, Zack, and the fact that I''m twelve, almost thirteen For some reason, I trust my instinct that there''s no danger around, and that relaxes me, but only by a smidgen. The questions I come up with are as follows this statement. Where am I from? Where am I now? How did I get here? Who was I before now? What happened to me? Why am I here? Why does it feel as if the stones are attempting to overwhelm me with power? You died. The voice is gentle and cool, calm and peaceful. It sounds somewhat like a child, maybe my age. It also enters directly into my head, which is just freaky. "Show yourself," I command, narrowing my gaze and scanning the area in front of me. I sense no movement or presence behind me, so logic says that the speaker is in front of me, and yet there is nothing there, save the archway in the middle of the edge, with a swirling symbol to represent air at the top, and the blackness that rests beyond the border. I am not hiding, but rather, am quite obvious. Look to the source of the light, and you will gaze upon my form. I turn my gaze to the center of the platform, where four steps lead up to an altar, above which floats a crystal ten feet in height and about three feet at its thickest, right in the center, tapering down to each end. At each corner of the steps leading up to the platform stands a small pedestal, above which floats a foot-tall version of the crystal, each emitting the same pure-white light as the larger one. Other than that, there is nothing around me, save an archway on each edge of the platform I am standing on. "Where am I?" I ask. "How did I get here? Why is a crystal floating in the air? How is a crystal floating in the air? How can I hear your voice entering directly into my head? Who am I? Why can''t I remember anything?" I am the Crystal of Light of Air, one of four Crystals of Light, and my role is to act as a passage between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead. Behind you, you will find the Gate of Air. Should you pass through it, you will return to the realm of the living, from where you came, back into your dying body. I turn around to look at the stone archway set into the middle of that edge of the platform, the nothingness beyond, and the swirling symbol atop it. On the opposite edge from that archway is one with a stone symbol, on the right-hand side of the stone gate is one with a flame, and its opposite is a drop of water. Clockwise, from the flame, is fire, air, water, stone. Opposites oppose each other. "And the others?" I ask. The Gate of Stone shall carry you on to death, where you will soon pass to anyway, should you return to the realm of the living. Worry not of the other two, for our brothers have closed themselves to you. Only two gates stand open for you. Neither one is of any concern to those who come to my domain. "So why bring me here?" I ask. "If I''m going to die anyway, I can''t be of much help, can I? And why can''t I remember anything?" Tell me, child ¨C what is your name? Your age? What do you look like? "I don''t know about the looks," I answer, but then knowledge begins to fill me as soon as I think about it. "My name is Zack Noruva, and I am twelve years old. Nearly thirteen. I have brown hair and blue eyes. I''m small for my age, but a ferocious little thing at the same time. Size isn''t everything." I look at him pointedly with that comment. He''s probably trying to intimidate me with his size. Your memories are gone, but your knowledge isn''t. Most of it, anyway. Should you choose to pass through either gate, your memories will return. I have suspended them temporarily, and will propose to you a deal. Accept it, and your memories will be forever gone. You will find yourself using terms you don''t know the meanings of, for they relate to the world you are from, and not the world you will be within, and that extra knowledge will soon fade away, as it''s unneeded in the new realm, should you accept.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "Why?" Burning within you is a light that cannot be squashed. At the same time, there is a darkness there. In all people, the two exist alongside each other. You are among the rare few where the balance is delicate, and the two are entwined. Because of that, you are capable of existing in another realm. "Another realm?" Yes, another realm. This realm is a barrier between reality and fantasy, between what is and what is simply the dreams and hopes and thoughts of others. There, monsters take form and powers are very much real. These monsters serve under various beings, but in the end, all serve under a single entity: the Shadow of Life. The Shadow of Life wishes to breach the veil of fantasy and enter the realm of reality. "In a realm that is nothing but fantasy, is that even possible?" It is because it is a realm of fantasy that this is possible. My brothers and I maintain one part of the veil, while our cousins, the Crystals of Dark, maintain the other. Together, the eight of us stand in the way of the Shadow of Life, keeping him sealed away and slumbering. But on his monsters march, seeking to wipe out the warriors we''ve chosen and sent to the realm to fight his hordes. "So how will they breach into reality?" I ask. "I mean, that just seems weird." Will you stop interrupting me? And ignore that, it''s not relevant. Not to you, anyway. If you accept my offer, you''ll become a warrior in this realm, chosen by the Crystals of Light and the Crystals of Dark. You''ll become different, able to evolve as you go on through a Leveling system, gaining new Skills as you grow. "That sounds familiar," I say. "Why does it sound familiar?" Oh, for reality''s sake! You are exactly the kind of person that makes the others not want to deal with the request, and so dump all of this on me! It''s based off a gaming system from the world you''re from. Many, actually. We made these changes because it makes things easier and simpler for you. Plus, it fits with the world you''re going to be in. Stop questioning everything! So. Want to be a warrior for good? Or do you want to just die? Also, if you die in this other realm, you''re dead for good, there''s no passage, there''s no other world, you''re gone, you''re dead, no more, bye-bye, you''ll be missed temporarily and forgotten shortly. I think I got on the Crystal''s nerves. "Sorry for annoying you," I say, and I hear it exhale heavily in my mind. I suppose it''s only natural for you to be curious; after all, that''s a part of your nature, even if you are small, scrawny, skin-and-bones, and pretty weak. Know that if you accept, a variety of things will be based on who you were and are as a person before your death. You''ll probably have no Stats and a high Experience requirement and scaling. Do you accept? If not, then just take one of the passages. One for instant death and passage on to the next life, and the other to just die a painful death, the way you''re supposed to be dying. "Life''s better than death," I state. "I suppose I''ll give it a chance." Even though you won''t get to move on to heaven, a place of paradise, for accepting this? "What''s heaven?" Oh, never mind! You''ve already accepted. I''ll be glad to get you out of here. Bye. Congratulations on your new life, hope you live a long and prosperous one, becoming strong and powerful, and so on. Blah-blah-blah. Enjoy. Oh, and before you go, know that you can pull up windows with your thoughts, such as your Stats and your Skills and items. Your memory loss, as I never finished explaining, is to make you more adaptable to your new world, as you''d need a certain level of suspension of disbelief at first to come to terms with it. My surroundings fade, and in their place forms trees and dirt. Well, one tree immediately in front of me, a few more scattered here and there, between the buildings surrounding me. I''m in the yard of one of the buildings. The property is surrounded by a low stone wall, the building itself constructed of the off-white brick as the wall. The building itself is shaped like an L ¨C at least, the part of it that I can see. There is a well pump not far from me, and in one of the openings on the wall, what looks like an old kitchen. At least this facility has a bath, as there''s no way I''d want to live somewhere without one. Returning to the yard, I lean against the tree as I take in what''s around me with a quick gaze. I''m smarter than the average boy of my age, that I know for a fact. My mind works differently, it''s more analytical, and more adaptable. I learn fast. My Intellect is likely high, here. Speaking of my Intellect, I need to find out what my Stats are, as those are, no doubt, quite important. I think Status, and immediately, a window appears in the air before me.
Character Information Dark of Fire
Name: Zack Primary Class: None
Level: 0 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 10/10 Mana: 10/10
Strength: 1 Intellect: 1
Endurance: 1 Willpower: 1
Vitality: 1 Wisdom: 1
Agility: 1 Perception: 1
I''m not completely sure, but I think those Stats, while they look like starter Stats, are actually really low. Everything is sitting at base, no doubt, and it says my Intellect is only 1. That''s insulting. Very damn insulting. A high Experience requirement, he said was likely for me. Well, Big C ¨C since I can¡¯t see how much I actually need, other than the percent, then I guess I¡¯ll just have to find out for myself just how difficult it will be for me to gain Levels. I just hope I don¡¯t die, first¡­ Chapter 0002 <>(Zack)<> After exploring the house, I examine my Stats again, this time, focusing on each one to see if I can find out what they are. Doing so for Strength pulls up a window.
Strength
Your physical strength, this affects your physical prowess.
Endurance
Your body''s durability, your ability to endure physical attacks.
Vitality
How healthy you are, this affects both your Health and its recovery, as well as how quickly your body recovers from injuries and illness.
Agility
Your speed and reflexes are both affected by this.
Intellect
The intellect within, this affects the strength of your magics and slightly boosts your memory capacity.
Willpower
The strength of your mind, this affects how well you can resist magical and debilitating effects.
Wisdom
How well you put your knowledge to use, this affects your Mana and its recovery.
Perception
The power of your senses, this affects how well you notice the things you take in and how many things taken in by your senses that you can focus on at a time.
I''m¡­ not sure I want to know how those descriptions were invented. I get the sense that it''s not flat-amounts for them, but rather, they affect me based on my body''s state in addition to that number. At the same time, however, I feel like it is. Does that make any sense? Trial and error will be how I figure that out. If 1 Strength is weak, then I doubt I''d have been able to move around the way I have, to explore the property I arrived on. Dropping to my hands and feet, I begin doing pushups, to see if I can increase my Strength. I perform fifty pushups in a row, but receive no message. Stopping, I determine that if 1 Strength is considered ¡®low'', then it really is something added to my actual physical strength, not a set amount that determines exactly how much strength I have. That decided, I rotate my arms a couple of times, then leave the property, wandering around for a bit. Most of the buildings are vacant, and mine was a fair distance into the city. Pretty much all of the buildings around here are covered in vines, grass and flowers growing between the stones of the road. This isn''t an abandoned city, is it? Did Big C leave me alone? I make my way toward the massive building nearest to the place I arrived, though I can see several around the city. They all have a less menacing appearance than this one, but I like the look of this one. This one''s a massive temple built of black and bloodred stones, a flame insignia on the stone in front of the steps leading up to it. I walk up the steps, finding the insignia on the ground again, and make my way to the jet-black doors. Making my way across the insignia, I look at the doors, where I feel something within me reaching out, a flame burning deep within me that desires to be within. When I attempt to open the doors, however, nothing happens. My hands slide right off of them. There''s nothing to pull on or grip, so I thought they were push-to-open, but it seems that that isn''t meant to be. Unless there''s some sort of magic that prevents people from entering it¡­ But then, how do I get in? I feel like I''m supposed to be here, like this is home to me. I also feel like someone is watching me in amusement as I attempt to enter, and that pisses me off. I begin to feel my rage boil within me. I really want to punch them in their face, whoever they are.
New Skill!
Rage Passive
Increases physical strength based on the strength of your anger.
Rage has been adjusted for amount of skill with this acquired before entrance to the Boundary
Rage is Level 6
Ignoring the message, I look around, focusing on my senses to try to figure out where this jerk is, but I can''t locate them. "Where the fuck are you, asshole?" I ask, and someone appears a few feet away from me, darkness swirling around him. He''s tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular build, wearing light metal armor, a sword strapped across his back, another at his waist, and a knife strapped to his other waist. He''s dressed in black and red, and has brown hair and eyes, a smile on his lips. Dark Knight. That phrase forms in my mind, and I instinctively know he''s something dangerous, something more than just a warrior. Yet at the same time, the flame within me, that small, tiny little fire, says he''s not evil, despite the sense of foreboding I get from him. "What the fuck is so funny to you?" "You''ve got some fire in you," he comments. "I am Nik, the head of the Guild of the Dark Knights in this City of Maelnor." "Why can''t I enter?" "Only those of our line of Classes," he states. "And those we grant permission to, may enter the Dark Temples. Even those of the Blood Priests must receive our permission to enter, and they serve the same master." "I want to enter." "Obtain Dark Squire," he says. "And bring it to Level 10. I see the potential for a powerful Dark Knight in you, Zack. I am the only Dark Knight in Maelnor, right now. Impress me, and I will grant you permission to enter, if you seek to become a Dark Knight, one of the few who will use Skills that decrease their Health." "It''s not like it isn''t going to go down in battle, anyway." "True," he says. "We Dark Knights are among the few who use Health as a weapon. Taking damage does, indeed, decrease it, though where and how helps determine how much you took. Certain things and places do more than others. If your head is ripped off, you will die, even if the Monster could barely do that to you." "Well, then," I smile at him. "Guess I should rip their heads off, first." "Definitely a future Dark Knight," he smiles. "It''s a Tier 3 Class, so you can''t take it on until you meet the qualifications and do the Quest. You''ll need Dark Squire for that, and bring it up to Level 10, then advance to Dark Warrior, bring it to Level 10, and then advance it again. That is, if you''re interested." "I am." "Very well," he nods. "Remember that, then. It''ll likely be a long while before you manage that ¨C on average, it takes four years to bring a Tier 1 Class up to Level 10. I''ll be watching you."This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "Four years?" I ask. "What would you do if I made it in less than a year?" "Laugh my ass off." "How about less than four months?" "If you can master Dark Squire in four months," he chuckles. "I''d have no idea as to what I''d do. You would have blown away even the quickest of those who can Level." "It''s that difficult?" I ask. "Indeed," he nods. "Four years is average for someone who devotes every day to killing Monsters and growing stronger." I hold a hand up and stare at the back of it, then turn it around and make a fist, meeting Nik''s gaze. "Then I''ll just train harder," I tell him, dropping my hand down to my side, and he raises an eyebrow. "What would you recommend?" "First," he says. "To stop by the Trading Post in town, over by the West Gate. You can get a basic weapon in there, and Jesse will replace it if it ever breaks. If you want to gain Dark Squire, you''ll need Sword Mastery Level 1, Knife Mastery Level 1, Rage Level 1, and Taunt Level 1." "Okay," I tell him. "So where are the Monsters? Are they just outside of town?" "Some," he nods, gesturing to a gate in the distance. "The East Gate leads to the pass between the mountains. It takes seven days to reach the next town that way. In the pass, you''ll encounter mostly Slimes and Rats. Be forewarned ¨C most people will tell you to go further into our territory, rather than training here." "Meaning?" I ask. "This town," he responds. "Maelnor, sits at the very edge of Adventurer territory. Every City to the west of it has fallen to Monsters. For thousands of years, they have slowly taken over each City past us, starting from as far as our records go. No one knows what lies beyond that, the knowledge lost. This mountain range is all that separates our people from Monsters. "This City," he continues. "Is the next target, and though our numbers have grown small the last two decades, with only a few hundred people left in it, there is a high possibility that a Horde is on its way here. If that happens, then a Dragon will be approaching us as well. It will destroy the City Barrier, which prevents Monsters from entering the City. It might or might not kill off the strongest Adventurers before it leaves, though destroying the City Barrier often drains it enough that it leaves. "The Horde itself," he continues. "Will be of immense size, and of overwhelming power. They won''t kill us through sheer might alone, but through their numbers, sacrificing their lives to wear us down so that the Elites and King Monsters can kill us off without issue. "And so," he concludes. "You will find a number of people telling you to go through the pass and make your way farther inward. If we fall, the next City won''t be far behind. We are the last barrier between freedom and the end of Adventurers. The Horde makes it through this pass, and it is estimated that every remaining city ¨C despite there being more than three hundred of them ¨C will fall within a decade at most, a year at the earliest. A Horde cannot pass through the mountains, only the pass, unless one of the two Cities guarding the pass falls." Oh. So they want to get me out of the danger zone, because it''s possible everyone here will die when that Horde comes. But at the same time, that means that I''d die anyway. Bullshit. I ain''t dying, no matter how hard they try. "Alright," I tell him. "And the other gates?" "Lead into the valley," he answers. "Naelmar Valley consists of four Cities, ours being the last left standing. To the north, we have the Fallen City of Talorn. It''s filled with mostly Goblins, though Rats are seen from time to time. To the south, we have Praevar, where mines are. Most of the Adventurers are trying to reclaim Praevar, because of those mines ¨C they were once the most valuable in the Boundary, and are now filled with Kobolds. Praevar is filled with those and Goblins. "And to the west," he says. "Never, ever attempt to set foot in Kaelmar." "Why?" I ask. "Even the most powerful of Adventurers are slain by a creature within," he answers. "In a Fallen City, Monsters are stronger than they could be at the equivalent Levels outside of it. In Praevar, they can be even stronger than in a Fallen City, and no one knows why, other than the presence of a creature none of us have seen. Or rather, a creature no one has survived seeing. "Because of this," he continues. "In addition to having that creature and these powerful, Corrupted Monsters, Praevar is filled with Fallen Adventurers ¨C Adventurers who were killed, and their bodies not cremated within seventy-two hours." "Seventy-two hours?" I ask. "Why that timeframe?" "Probably," he says. "To allow people to recover their bodies. Most of the time, though, if someone is killed and not able to be brought out immediately, it was somewhere with an intelligent enough Monster that their body is hidden. Fallen Adventurers are much, much more different from regular ones in that they''re far, far more powerful than they were before they died the second time." "So there''s no Resurrection?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow. "That''s a spell that brings the dead back to life, right? It popped into mind when you talked about dying." "Yes, it is," he nods. "But it doesn''t exist, except in our knowledge from before death. Seems back in our old world, everyone dreamed of being able to defy death. To those of us who have already died once, there isn''t another chance." Doubt it. Resurrection must be a spell so powerful, it isn''t easy to learn. "Okay," I say. "And what Monsters are past each of those gates?" "Naelmar Valley is mostly forest," he answers. "You''ll encounter mostly Goblins within it. The lakes have fish and such in them, though I''d recommend not going for a swim, because there are Monsters in there as well." "Got it," I say. "What other types of Monsters are there in the forest?" "Rats and Spiders, mostly," he answers. "You might encounter Wolves from time to time. For the most part, you''ll only see Goblins." "Alright," I say, then scrutinize him. "What?" "I can''t see a Level or anything on you." "You''ll need Appraisal for that," he laughs. "Oddly, there''s also a Resistance Skill for it, and we''re not sure why." "Adventurers don''t fight amongst themselves?" "We do," he nods. "But most who don''t simply try to live a regular life or retire or raise families typically fight Monsters, regardless of if they get along or not. The Crystals generally frown upon infighting, and encourage us to work out our differences by killing Monsters. The fewer Monsters there are, the safer it is. "Not that it matters, in the long run," he adds. "In the end, all we''re doing is delaying how long it takes. Supposedly, there will be a team of warriors who come that will change the tides of war, but the signs of that prophecy have yet to be shown." "The signs of the prophecy?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "In ancient times, beyond our records, there was a man who prophesied that one day, a warrior would appear, a Crystal Adventurer whose very existence meant the turning of the war. It never said that he would be the one to do it, simply that his arrival meant the war would turn to our favor." "In what way?" I ask. "We don''t know," he shrugs. "The prophecy gave us three signs for his presence ¨C the first, that he would restore the City Barrier of a Fallen City. The second, that he would Ascend ¨C something no one knows the meaning or way of. The third, that he would forge his own Class." "People can''t make new Classes?" "Indeed, not," he shakes his head. "There are set Classes, and unless it already exists, you can''t take it on. If you gain one that no one has heard of before, you didn''t make it ¨C you simply discovered it and its requirements." "Ah, okay," I nod. "So City Barriers can''t be restored?" "If they can be," he says. "No one''s figured out how." Then I guess I''m just going to have to be the first, as I am not going to die a second time. "Wait," I say. "So he''s destined to do three things that haven''t been done before, yet it''s only his existence that changes the war, not he himself?" "Correct," he nods. "If the prophecy is to be believed, his role isn''t to change the tide of war, only indicate the change has come. He isn''t the destined one, or chosen one, or anything like that ¨C others will likely do far more than him. We believe he''s a divine being of some sort, possibly a demigod." "Ah," I say, then look out across the town from the top of the steps, the City that will likely soon fall. "Well, just so you know, I''ve decided to be that person, because there is no way in hell I''m letting myself die again. I don''t even know what I did the first time to let me die, but it ain''t happening again. So I''m going to get strong, I''m going to restore a City Barrier, and I''m going to kick ass. "While I do have a desire to get strong as quickly as possible," I look at Nik. "I also don''t plan on dying anytime soon, and you seem to be quite knowledge and wise. Where should I start with killing shit?" "Starting off?" He asks. "I''d suggest Slimes in the pass until you have Sword Mastery, or you can train at the Warrior Barracks here in town to gain Sword Mastery. I''d recommend waiting until around Level 5 to try the Goblins, though, so that you get a feel for combat. Slimes are much easier, and they don''t require much strategy or Stats to kill, if you go after the low-Level ones." "Can''t tell what their Levels are without Appraisal." "It''s easy to gain the first Level of it," he says. "And it''s passive on Monsters and Adventurers. Just focus on items for awhile, and you''ll eventually gain it." "Okay," I say.
New Skill!
Appraisal Resistance Active
Grants resistance to Appraisal of or lower than the same Level.
"Huh," I say. "That really is a Skill." "What is?" He asks. "Appraisal Resistance," I answer. "I decided to see if I could resist your Appraisal." "Mine''s a fair bit higher than Level 1." "I still gained it," I grin. "So what do you recommend for me?" "You''re worthy of being a Dark Knight," he says. "So there isn''t a chance in the Boundary that you''d listen if someone said to go into the deeper territory and live a life as a kid until you''re older. You''re itching for combat. I''d recommend fighting Slimes and getting stronger, and just doing you." "Alright," I say. "Thanks, Nik! I''ll come see you in a month!" Nik snorts, and I skip down the steps and make my way to the West Gate, to the Trading Post, so that I may gain my first weapons. Chapter 0003 <>(Zack)<> "Excuse me," I approach the first person I see, a man in flowing robes, with a staff strapped across his back. "I got lost on my way to the Trading Post. Could you help me?" "A child?" He asks in disbelief. "An idiot?" I retort, and he blinks. "What else would I be? I''m twelve. I look it. Now. Trading Post. Directions. You gonna help or what?" "They sent a child to Maelnor?" "Big C probably got confused by my awesomeness," I say. "Are you going to keep being shocked by me being a kid, or are you going to give me directions to the Trading Post?" "You''re a child¡­" And you''re hopeless. I walk past him, continuing down the streets until I come across a guy in a suit of armor. Shiny. "You!" I say, and he looks over at me, frowning. "Yeah, yeah, I''m a child and all that. I got lost on my way to the Trading Post, Nik didn''t actually give me anyway. Can you?" "Nik?" He asks. "You''ve spoken with Nikolai?" "Was that his name?" I ask, then shrug. "Anyway, I''m looking for the Trading Post so I can get my sword and knife." "Follow this road," he gestures down the direction I was already heading. "Take the second right, then the first left, follow that down, take the fourth right, and you''ll be heading straight for the gates." "Thanks." "I''d recommend heading deeper into our territory, kid," he tells me. "If you go through the East Gate, you can travel through the pass and to the next city over. They can get you a few more in, to where it''s safer and you can train with a team who you can keep up with. You''ll only have to worry about Slimes on the way, though I would recommend being careful, with your Health being as low as it is." "What, this?" I ask. "Nah. I''d like to see ''em kill me. I''m a tough kid to kill, you know." "You''ve already died once." "It was an accident." "No one remembers what it was like, before waking in the Crystal''s Temple." "So?" I ask. "It was probably some massive, freak cosmic event that ended my life. I''ll be fine out there." "I''d still recommend going further in," he says. "Get a couple of Skills before leaving, too." "I''d recommend not recommending stupid shit to me," I smile at him. "Thanks for the directions!" I begin walking again, reaching the Trading Post after about eight minutes. When I enter, I can''t help but stare at the creeper behind the counter. He has somewhat long, black hair, is dressed in a pink outfit, has green eyes, and is wearing makeup. Pervert. "Oh, my!" He exclaims in a high-pitched squeal. "They sent a child to this city! And you''re adorable, too! Come, come! Let Jesse take care of all of your adventuring needs! Are you going to be a warrior or a worker?" "What''s the difference, Pervert?" I approach the old, worn, wooden counter. "Warriors fight monsters," he explains. "Collect ingredients, and so on, working on Adventurer Classes. Workers, like me, focus on Subclass and supporting through crafting and supplying items. I''m a Certified Assessor, the only Subclass that allows one to run this counter!" "I''m going to be a Dark Knight," I tell him. "So I need a knife and a sword. I was told to come see you." "You get one starter weapon!" He exclaims. "If it breaks, you can always come back and replace it, but one''s what you get! Any others, you''ll have to buy!" "Okay," I say. "So one starter sword, and one starter knife, please." "Just one!" "Sword and knife, please." "You should start off for Squire," he says. "It''s a lot simpler and gives you a stronger foundation!" "I''m already a Dark Knight," I say. "I just don''t have the Classes to prove it. Give me the knife and sword." "Knife or sword!" "Knife and sword!" "One or the other." "I choose both!" "Knife or sword, Zack." "Knife and sword, Pervert!" "One." "Both!" "You get one." "And you''re just an ugly pervert no one wants." "You''re mean!" He exclaims, pulling out a simple sword and a simple knife out from under the counter, thrusting them forward. "Here! Take them!" "Thanks, Jesse," I accept the weapons, then strap the knife onto my right hip. I struggle to properly strap the sword across my back, and have to reject Jesse''s help twice. "Alright, Pervert. Anything else I should know? I already know what I need to do to acquire Dark Squire." "Utilize the ''Inventory'' function," he tells me. "All automatic loot will appear in there." "Thanks," I say. "Anything else?" "Your Health and Mana," he nods. "Will regenerate at twice the normal speed while you''re on your property. The one you appeared on is yours in the System, unless you purchase a new one. As you''re the first to show up for it, you''re the Party Leader of that particular property. You can invite new people into your party, and they will gain the bonus as well, whether or not they live there. Anyone who shows up there will automatically be in your party." That sounds annoying. What if Big C throws someone there that I won''t get along with? They''d have to wait until they could buy a different property to lose that bonus. If I kicked them off the party, would that happen? "And if you kick someone off the party," he continues. "But they were there because of the Crystal of Light of Air putting them there as their arrival location, then they''ll still receive the bonus until they purchase a property." Yeah, annoying. "What are your natural regeneration times?" I ask. "Zero-point-zero-one Health and Mana," he answers. "Per point of Vitality and Wisdom, respectively." So it will take sixteen minutes, forty seconds to recover to full from empty. "Got it," I say. "Anything else I should know, before beginning my training?" "Come back anytime you have loot to sell," he smiles. "And I''ll be happy to buy it off of you! And replace your basic weapons, should they break!" "Thanks, Pervert," I say. "See you." I turn and leave, making my way back to my house. I can somewhat sense its general location, so even though I get lost a few times there, I still have some sort of navigational point I can use. I guess I could''ve used the West Gate as one to get to the Trading Post, since it''s right next to it. Back at my property, I look around, then strip off my shirt, sneakers, and socks, setting them under the shade of the tree in one corner of the yard. I perform a few stretches, then begin doing some exercises in the yard. Pushups, situps, planks, squats, and shuttle runs. I exercise until I''m sore, then collapse on the ground under the tree, my body hot and soaked in sweat, despite the cool air.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Cool air¡­ Is it springtime, here? Or autumn? Or is the weather this ''nice'' all year ''round? +1 STR! So it doesn''t necessarily have to be during the activity itself that a stat boost will raise. Once I have cooled off a bit, I walk over to the pump and work the lever, using the crystal-clear water that pours fourth to rinse myself off. Then, I shake myself, spraying water everywhere, and stretch. Once I''m dry, I pull my shirt, socks, and sneakers back on, do another stretch, then make my way down to the Trading Post. A warrior in armor stands within, and he looks down at me when I enter. "They sent a child here?" He scoffs. "You''re just jealous I''ll be stronger than you within a year," I stride up to the counter. "Pervert, I need food, or I''m going to starve." "Go kill monsters and come back with loot!" Jesse tells me. "Fine," I say. "I guess I''ll starve to death, because the creepy pervert wants to be a jerk to me." I turn and begin walking. "Wait!" Jesse calls out. "Don''t go! I''ve got food! Bread! I''ve got bread!" "Apples?" I look over my shoulder. "Those will cost!" "You think I can live off of bread?" I ask. "I''ll need bread, apples, and meat, if I''m to survive." "I''ll go broke!" Jesse protests in that high-pitched voice of his. "Fine," I shrug. "Looks like I''ll die against the pathetic Slimes, because I have no strength from hunger, all because some pervert didn''t want to keep me alive." "Fine," Jesse sighs, reaching under the counter, then setting three loaves of bread, two apples, and five strips of jerky on the counter. "This should last you until tomorrow night. No more free food! You''ll pay for the rest you get!" "Thanks, pervert!" I scoop them up and put them into my inventory. "See you tomorrow!" I turn and leave, heading back to my property. I sit at the picnic table on the lawn, and pull out a loaf of bread, an apple, and two strips of jerky, then look at the western sky. The sun''s starting to set over the horizon, and I feel pretty tired, even though it''s only been about five or six hours since I arrived. Maybe seven. Turning my gaze back to the items, I focus on each of them intently, determined to gain Appraisal.
New Skill!
Appraisal Active/Passive
Reveals information about items when used, and on Adventurers and Monsters actively, showing information on them up to five Levels above your own per Level of this Skill.
Bread
It''s a loaf of bread.
Apple
Enough said.
Jerky
A strip of dried meat.
I want to slap whoever made those descriptions. The descriptions will probably be better once Appraisal goes up in Level. Maybe. Hopefully. I eat the loaf of bread, apple, and strip of jerky, plus two more strips of jerky. Jesse will give me more food tomorrow, whether or not I can afford it. He probably already expects me to eat all of this by breakfast. Covering a yawn, I make my way into the house and upstairs, into one of the bedroom. It has two sets of bunk beds with straw mattresses. I strip off my clothes and lie down on a bottom bunk, pulling the thin blanket over me, quickly drifting off into sleep. A warrior who appears to be around sixteen or seventeen flies through the skies. He''s bare-chested, his lean body showing dense muscles from a lifetime of training. Sprouting from his back are a pair of majestic, black feathery wings with crimson and golden sparkles. His hair is a thick, curly brown streaked with gold, and his grey-blue eyes are filled with determination. A determination to reach the hordes of monsters that have gathered around a City, the only one showing signs of life. The other Cities he passes by all have crumbled walls and no signs of life, outside the Monsters. Millions and millions of Monsters. Goblins and Orcs and Kobolds and Giants and Ogres and more on the ground, Wyverns and Dragons and other things flying through the air. Though the flying warrior is still miles away, he seems ready to devastate their forces. "Cataclysmic Shift," he speaks, his eyes turning violet the moment he begins to speak. "Heaven''s Descent." The moment he finishes speaking, thousands upon thousands of meteors form in the sky, ranging from as small as a pea to as large as a football field in width. They fall at an angle, and though he''s miles away from the hordes, it crashes into them. The tail-end obliterated, he continues to fly. His attack might have been powerful, but it didn''t take out even a tenth of the total horde. "Cataclysmic Shift," he intones without pause. "Final End." The ground begins to shake, breaking apart, lava bursting out in powerful geysers, the ground shaking and cracking. "Cataclysmic Shift," he intones, ignoring the damage and destruction, the screams of the horde. "Bloody Darkness." Tendrils of darkness and blood burst out from him, reaching the nearby fliers, and once it hits them, they explode into spikes of more tendrils, which reach out to consume more monsters, reaching even the ground from hundreds of yards above. Undeterred by the sudden barrier, he continues to fly, weaving between the web of bloody shadows, silent until he''s over the horde that survived his onslaught, not nearly to the City. "Cataclysmic Shift," his eyes turn violet once more. "Divine Cleansing." A radiant violet light bursts forth out of him, stretching more than a mile in radius. When it fades, not a single monster remains within the bounds of where it touched, the horde now only stretching a mile from the walls of the City. The four smaller Dragons attacking the barrier around the City turn and fly towards the warrior. "Stone Spike," he raises a hand, and a spike of stone ten feet at its thickest forms, then blasts into one of the Dragons, ending its life in a moment. He snaps. "Lightning Storm." Clouds form above the Dragons, barriers surrounding them before bolts of lightning rain down on them. Two of them are shredded, their barriers ignored by the powerful bolts, the third one finding its wings shredded, though it lives on. "Fireball," the mage says, his fireball twice the size of the Dragon, consuming it immediately and leaving behind nothing but ash in less than two seconds. The final two Dragons, much larger than the other two, fly towards him. Both open their maws and roar. "Magic Barrier," the mage says, and a shimmering violet barrier surrounds him, the roar slamming into it, the air rippling from the force. And yet it doesn''t budge the barrier, and he continues to fly towards them, the barrier remaining the same distance in front of him. "Dragon''s Roar." The barriers fade, and he inhales, then exhales, emitting a powerful roar that pushes the Dragons back with its force, their own barriers shattering the moment it strikes, and moments later, several of their scales crack, then break. The Dragons roar from the pain, and the mage is uncaring. Instead of hitting them with magic, he flies forward, his speed increasing. In the time it takes for the wings of the Dragons to flap once, the magician has covered the two hundred yards to them. In fact, their wings were already halfway down, and he reached before the wings hit their lowest point. The magician punches the Dragon he reached, his fist pushing through its forehead, blood spraying everywhere, soaking the mage. In the next instant, the Dragon is hurled towards the ground. The other Dragon exhales flames, ignoring its slain comrade. "Cataclysmic Shift," the mage looks at the other Dragon, ignoring the chaos around him and the attack aimed at him. "Shattered Reality." The flames and the Dragon freeze for a moment, then shatter, as if not more than an image of glass. The mage looks at the falling shards of the Dragon, then down to the horde below, which has paused in its battle against the hundred or so Adventurers left. Even they have stopped their battle to stare at the mage, now. "Barrage," the mage says, his eyes turning violet again. "Magic Bolt. Barrage: Magic Arrow. Barrage: Magic Missile." Slim, violet bolts, violet arrows, and thick, pointed violet missiles form around him, descending to the ground and slaying the monsters from a seemingly endless supply of this magic. Only once the last monster has been slain, not a single strike missing any, no matter how far they were from the City, does the mage''s eyes return to their grey-blue. He scans around, then flies toward the ground, landing beside an armored warrior with a hole punched through his chest, the thick spear still embedded within. The mage pulls the spear out, then throws it to the side, placing a hand on the slain warrior''s head. The dream ends there, the next thing entering my awareness to be the sun shining through the window. I sit up and look around. What the hell? Did Jesse lace the food or something? I will ask Nik, just in case. No telling what sort of funky drugs that pervert stuck in my food while it was under the counter. Shaking my head, I stretch, then get dressed and head downstairs, finishing off the rest of my breakfast. I perform a few more stretches, then strip to my pants and start doing some exercises, before running through the streets of town, reaching the Trading Post.
+1 AGI!
I''m a little winded from that, but not too much, despite that being roughly two miles, sloping slightly uphill. "Zack!" Jesse exclaim when I walk into the Trading Post. "What happened to your clothes?" "I''m still wearing pants," I tell him. "Do you have some water I can drink? And something to carry water in? And more food? I ate it all already. Got really hungry, and I''m doing exercises."
+1 STR!
Go away.
You
The hell? Shaking my head, I approach the counter. "Come on, Pervert," I say. "I''m going to be hungry again by the time I return to my property, and will then be heading out to hunt. I might not make it back in time for lunch, and maybe even dinner. I''ll need food. Do you want me to get all weak and pass out while I''m training?" He gives me more bread, apples, and jerky. I send them to my inventory, then take the waterskin he gave me and drain it, before sending that into my inventory as well. "Thanks, Pervert!" I wave to him, then leave, taking off running, making my way through the streets and across a couple of bridges, returning to my home. I cool off and rinse off, then refill the waterskin and pull my other clothes back on. After strapping my weapons back on and checking to see how they clear the sheaths, I draw the knife and begin slicing through the air with it. It might be a good idea to get Knife Mastery and Sword Mastery before heading out. I look out across the City, to the Dark Temple. Might Nik be there right now? Or is he out, getting stronger? Chapter 0004 <>(Zack)<> "Nik!" I call out. "Are you around?" No response. "Niiiiiiiik!" Still no response. "Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!" "Could you be any more annoying?" "Very," I turn and look at the Dark Knight. He looks exactly the same as he did when I saw him yesterday. "Hi." "What did you want?" He asks. "Do you have training dummies or something I can use?" I ask. "What?" He looks confused. "To train," I tell him. "Or, you know, we could spar with you teaching me some moves." "I told you to try the Warriors'' Barracks." "Yeah, I know." He stares at me, so I stare back, and he sighs, rolling his eyes. "What?" I ask. "Do you really think your best option," he asks. "Is to annoy the Dark Knight, a warrior who uses blood and anger to inflict damage, whose Skills focus on damage, intimidation, fear, and such, without a regard to the well-being of himself or others?" "Isn''t that what I am?" He laughs, approaching me and clapping me on the back. "You''ll make a fine Dark Knight," he states. "Draw your knife and show me what you''re doing when you''re trying." "What makes you think I was trying?" He stares at me, and I grin at him, then draw my knife and slash through the air several times. He frowns again. "Put it away," he puts up a couple of fists. "Try hitting me with your fists and feet." "Why?" "Just do it." I nod, putting the knife away, then swing a fist at him. He blocks it, and by instinct, I move into another strike.
New Skill!
Martial Arts Passive
The ability to fight with just your body.
Martial Arts has been Adjusted for Prior Skill Level
Martial Arts is Level 7
As soon as that appears, a sudden flood of martial arts knowledge fills me, and I launch into a series of attacks. Nik blocks each one with ease, but his stats probably make him way faster than me. I''d love to see how I compare to him with similar stats in Agility, Strength, and Perception. He stops a kick from me, and we both stop moving for a moment, then I pull my foot back, set it on the ground, take a step back, and give him a small bow. "How did you know?" "Know what?" He asks. "That I would receive the Skill for Martial Arts?" "The way you were moving your knife," he answers. "Though it was clear you didn''t have any form of real skill with one, it was clear you knew how to fight. Judging by the way you were moving during that, you''re a real fighter. Your body''s pretty scrawny for one, though. What was its Level?" "Seven." "And you''re that scrawny?" He frowns. "Interesting. To have that high of a Martial Arts Skill is tough, and speaks of years of devotion, especially for one as young as you. Odd that you''d not show the muscle in your body. You must not have practiced in awhile, nor kept your body active." "Maybe," I shrug, then draw my knife. "Have at thee!" He laughs as I attack, then blocks with his own knife, returning with his own strike. We spar for awhile, past when I acquire Knife Mastery 1 and Swords Mastery 1. He never hits me hard enough to do damage, but he does hit me hard enough to hurt. My Strength and Endurance both go up by a point before we finish, and while I''m soaked in sweat¡­ though he''s not. "Thanks, Nik," I put my weapons away. "That was¡­ fun. Same time tomorrow?" He laughs. "So how do Vitality and Wisdom get increased?" I ask. "I assumed Willpower was by getting hit with magic, and Intellect by using it. Wisdom by using Mana, and Vitality by losing Health?" "Correct," he nods. "So if I stabbed myself," I draw my knife. "It''d probably work." "Why would you-" I slice my arm, and he sighs. I stare at the blood on my arm. No message, just a small amount of pain. I cut deeper. A lot deeper.
+1 Health!
"There we go." "Are you sure you''re twelve?" "I''m really a demigod who can ignore petty things like morals and has no issue putting himself in harm''s way to get stronger, defeat an enemy, or protect allies. What about you?" He laughs, shaking his head, and I continue to watch the bleeding cut. It slowly heals as time passes, until a full minute has passed, and there''s no trace of the cut left, save the blood on my arm. "That was cool," I look at him. "Healing isn''t normally that fast. Can I stab you?" "You wouldn''t manage to break my skin." "What if I stabbed you in the eye?" "Please don''t try." So that would work. Got it. I draw my sword and spin in a slash, trying to cut him. He blocks it with his hand and pushes me back. I take a few steps, then sheathe my sword. "You do know you are, quite literally, the weakest Adventurer within several Cities by at least a two Tier 3 Classes, right?" "Tiers?" He sighs. "There are five Tiers to each Class," he explains. "Each Tier has 10 Levels, and each time you gain a Level in that Class, you gain a set amount of Stat Points. Every fifth Total Level, the one displayed on your Status, you gain Stat points as well. "Those points," he says. "Are either none, a quarter, half, three-quarters, or all of your Base Stat Points, plus up to eight more Stat Points. You can start with between eight and twenty-five Stat Points. Most people sit around sixteen for starting." I started at eight. At the absolute base. That confirms I''m utterly weak. "How does Experience work?" "No one''s entirely sure," he answers. "It''s done as a percentage, and that''s about all we know. The higher the Level of something, the harder it is to raise it. The higher its Tier, the harder it is as well. Going from Level 1 to Level 2 of Dark Warrior is harder than going from Level 9 to Level 10 of Dark Squire." "Okay," I say. "So what do you think I''ll be? Fast or slow?" "Honestly?" He asks. "It depends on you, and how well you learn and adapt. Judging by how you were adapting to my fighting style, I''d say that you might manage Dark Warrior in six months, which is pretty fast." "So I''ll have it done in a month," I nod. "Got it." He laughs, then groans when I drive my knife into my wrist.
You Have Suffered Vital Damage!
-5 Health!
-1 Bleed Damage every three seconds
Health Regeneration is Suspended
"Huh," I pull the knife out and inspect the hole going clean through my arm. "That''s interesting." "You''re going to die in a few seconds," he says, and I grab my arm and squeeze it tightly. "That''s not going to help, Zack. Especially not with only 10 Health total." "Maybe if I squeezed harder?" I tighten my grip. "You''re only squeezing one side of it."
Bleed Effect Ended
Health Regeneration Restored to Normal
"It worked." "How the hell?" "I dunno. Ask Big Flame." "Who?" "Well, most certainly not Big C." "What?" "Big Flame," I gesture to the seal. "This is clearly a place for his worshipers and warriors."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "You mean Lord Dark of Fire?" I like Big Flame. I''ll go by that, now. Nik scoffs at the boy-like voice. "Seriously, milord?" Yes. I like it. It sounds awesome. I''ll go by it now. Attention all Dark Knights: I found a new name for you to call me. Call me the Big Flame. "He sounds, like, ten." "We all agree on that," Nik stares at me. "How did you do that?" "I''m just that good." "You''re twelve." "Gotta start young to compete in the greatness department," I tell him. "I just gained a point of Vitality, but my Health didn''t go up, just its maximum. That sucks." "You''re going to stab yourself once you''re healed all the way, aren''t you?" "Yeah." Nik groans. "What?" I ask. "It''s not like you don''t injure yourself to use Skills." "Most of them just drain my Health," he says. "Not actually inflicting damage onto me. Only the more powerful ones require actually harming myself." "Okay," I say. "But my Vitality base is at one, just like all of my Stats, so I gotta get them up." "What am I going to do with you?" "Teach me all the tricks and skills needed to be a Dark Knight, of course." "Step One," he says. "Don''t stab yourself." "Can I stab you instead?" "No," he says. "Stab Monsters." "I''ll find out if that''s fun tomorrow," I tell him. "Thanks for the training, Nik. Imma go harass the pervert for food, then return to my home and get rested." He laughs, and I take off to the Trading Post. "Zacky!" Ugh. "What happened to your arm? Did you go up against some Goblins?" "I stabbed myself," I tell him. "I need more food." "You-what?" He shrieks, covering his mouth. "Why did you stab yourself?" "You gonna give me food?" I ask. "Or let me pass out from hunger from my workout and losing all but one of my Health and a fair bit of blood?" I hold up my arm. "You can even still see some of the blood here." "Why would you do that?" He asks. "I''m training my Wisdom," I draw my knife, spin it around, then stab it right into my other wrist. Jesse gasps, and I sheathe the knife, then tightly grip the wrist, putting enough pressure on the wound that within twenty seconds, I get the notification that Bleed ended. "See? So wise. You gonna give me food, or let me pass out from blood loss?" Jesse continues to stare at me as I let go of my hand, then he stares at my hand. "You have blood on both hands." "Well, I did grip two wounds, one with each hand," I say. "What did you expect?" He pulls out a cloth and wets it, holding it out to me. "Where were you storing this?" "In the System Shop!" He answers. "It''s a fresh, clean cloth, just for you to wipe your hands off with!" "Thanks," I wipe my hands with it then my arms, before sending it into my inventory. "Food, Pervert." "You have to pay for that." "Food, Pervert." "You have to pay for that." "Food, Pervert." "The cloth isn''t free, Zacky!" "I''ll go see if someone else can give me food," I say. "I''m sure they''d be sooo willing to help out the youngest, weakest person here, a mere child thrown here by Big C without any form of mercy or way to sustain himself." "Alright, alright," Jesse relents, putting some bread, apples, and jerky on the counter. "I''ll need some for dinner and breakfast, too, pervert." "You''re so mean!" "I''m a Dark Knight, it''s in our nature to be uncaring." "Even to sweet, old Jesse?" "What are you, thirty?" "One hundred, seventeen!" "Shame you don''t look it." "That''s mean!" "I get cranky when I''m hungry." Jesse sighs, giving me more food, and I send them all into my inventory. "Thanks, Pervert!" I wave and leave, then jog back to my property, only remembering after I get there that I meant to ask Jesse about the seasons. Back at my property, I eat, then strip to my pants and begin doing exercises and stabbings. Once the sun begins to set, I go to the pump and wash off, then wash all of my clothes and hang them to dry in the storage room on the lower level of the house. That done, I go upstairs and relax. I gained three Strength, two Agility, two Endurance, and six Vitality from my training after lunch. That was fun. The only other one that would probably be easy to increase would be my Perception, so, lying down on my bed, I close my eyes and focus on what I can hear. There''s wind rustling the leaves of the trees. Not much else to listen to, so I begin to count, doing my best to count how many leaves I can hear rustling. I manage to pick out four before being unable to count more, so I restart. Five. Six. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven.
+1 Perception!
At last. I can pick out up to thirteen as soon as I receive that notice. Interesting. I push it to twenty-four before receiving another point, then a Willpower. Once that happens, I allow myself to fall asleep, my mind exhausted from the day''s events and trying to count the rustlings. The mage stares out across a field. He''s dressed in the black pants and black leather boots he was last time, and is flying above a City, though stationary in the air, his wings flapping every now and then, somewhat lazily, as if only then remembering that wings need to flap in order to fly. From his vantage point, he can see several Cities, all of which are lively and full of people. Yet his gaze is not one of content or happiness, but of wariness. A flapping of wings catches his attention, and he turns ever-so-slightly to his right, to find a bird flying toward him. The bird flaps its way right into the mage''s chest, falls, catches itself, shakes its body, then flaps until it''s looking at the mage. The bird caws, and the mage snorts. "Alright," he says. "I''ll be there in a few." The mage''s wings vanish, and he leans forward, allowing himself to fall. When he''s around a hundred yards above the city, his wings reappear, and he flaps them once, turning his fall into a glide with just a tilt of his wings, soaring above the City, then away, to a neighboring one, where he lands, approaching an old man, the bird resting on the man''s shoulder. The wings vanish, and a crimson tunic appears in the mage''s hand. He pulls it on, and a moment later, a sword and knife appears, and he straps the former across his back and the latter on his hip, much in the same way I wear mine. I wake, the sun shining through the window, and let out a sigh. What is with these dreams? I head downstairs and grab my clothes, getting dressed, then make my way to the Dark Temple, calling out for the Dark Knight, to see if he''s around. Maybe he can provide some answers. "Yes?" He asks, and I look to the wall he''s leaning against. "You''re very noisy, you know." "I know," I tell him. "Do you know if Jesse''s lacing my food?" "He''d never do that," Nik laughs. "Why do you ask?" "I''ve had weird-ass dreams both nights." The moment I say the word ''dreams'', Nik''s entire demeanor changes to confusion. "What''s up with that reaction?" I ask. "Adventurers don''t dream." "Huh?" "People," he says. "We don''t dream, not in the Boundary. Only the beastborn and Monsters do. No Crystal Adventurer dreams. Ever." "I''ve had two dreams," I tell him. "And both are weird as fuck, Nik, so I''d have to disagree with you. My Stats do say I''m a Crystal Adventurer, too." "What are they like?" He asks, and I describe them both to him, and he frowns, tapping his chin as he leans back against the wall. "The wings are an interesting bit." "How so?" He unstraps his sword, then removes his tunic. A moment later, a pair of black leathery wings sprout out of his back. Though they''re mostly black, they also have red veins lining them. "That''s a Tier 5 Class thing," he explains. "In order to obtain Champion of Darkness, my current Class, the Tier 5 Dark Knight Class, you need to gain a Demonic Something Skill. I chose Demonic Wings, as it''s the only known way to gain flight. "As you can see, however," he flaps his wings once. "They''re leathery, not feathery. Demonic wings are this way. It''s rumored that a Rank 3 Class gives feathery wings ¨C Angel, but no one''s figured out how to acquire Rank 3 Classes, or even if they''re real. Yet those wings¡­ I''d imagine angelic wings as white and gold, not black, red, and gold." His wings vanish, and he pulls his tunic back on, then straps his sword across his back once more. "Your dreams are odd," he tells me. "Two different versions of the Boundary ¨C one where it''s almost fallen, and one where it''s lively and populous. I''d say you''re just dreaming things, except for two things. The first being-" "That Crystal Adventurers don''t dream?" "Yeah," he nods. "And the second being the Skills you heard. Lightning Storm, the Barrage Additive, Magic Missile, Magic Bolt, and Magic Arrow are all real Skills. So are Stone Spike, Magic Barrier, and Fireball. "Then there''s Cataclysmic Shift," he strokes his chin, thinking for several moments, before coming to a decision and nodding. "It''s a Skill series that''s only known of by a rare few. Most of us are those who know of the prophecy I told you of. They''re all Rank 5 Skills, making them impossibly difficult to learn. The only one I know of for sure that exists is Bloody Darkness. A Champion of Darkness of ages past learned it. That''s the Tier 5 Dark Knight, same as me." "Would Resurrection be counted as a Cataclysmic Shift?" I ask, and he laughs. "What?" "Didn''t I already tell you that there''s no such Skill?" "Maybe?" I ask. "I still think one exists. Why else would we have the seventy-two hour window to recover our fallen comrades?" He snorts, shaking his head. "You''re a riot, Zack," he says. "It''s possible that being in the Boundary is affecting you in some unknown way, and that''s causing you to have the dreams. I''ll contact some old mage friends of mine, see what they say." "How old are you?" "Pardon?" "I asked Jesse that," I tell him. "Yesterday, and he told me he was something like a hundred and seventeen, even though he only looks around thirty." "Ah, that," he nods, walking up to me. "Some people in the Boundary are able to slow or halt their aging naturally. Within each of us is a Sacred Crystal, swirling of light and shadows. We each are also touched by the four elements. Certain things in life can cause those elements to bleed into the Sacred Crystal, and as a result, it can have certain effects on us. The most common one is the slowing or halting of aging. Jesse and I are both affected by this. I''m twenty-six years older than he is." "You don''t look like you''re a hundred and forty-three," I tell him. "You look about a hundred or so younger than that." He does. "Thanks," he puts a hand on my head. "Please don''t go around asking random people their ages." "I won''t," I tell him. "I''ll just ask everyone their ages." He laughs again, ruffling my hair before dropping his hand back down to his side. "Only three people in this city have halted aging," he tells me. "And four have slowed. Most of us have something from the Elemental Merging, though." "Is it possible," I ask. "That my dreams are of the future?" He gives me a curious look. "What if the mage," I explain my theory. "Only looks the same age, but isn''t? What if it''s been years ¨C maybe even decades ¨C between the two scenes? The first one could be something happening around the fall of the Boundary, and he was caught up doing something else, and had to rush from¡­ from somewhere, in order to help stop it from happening. The second dream could have been before that happened¡­ or decades after, once the Boundary''s recovering. It''s possible he was going through that Ascension thing, right? He was casting so many spells, and they were so powerful¡­ that would be something from Ascension, maybe?" Nik thinks on that. "Possibly," he finally says. "It''s been over a thousand years since the prophecy foretelling the changing of tides happens. It''s been lost the actual method the prophecy was given, but it''s entirely possible it started off with dreams, like yours, that the one who gave it was actually telling dreams he had. Would you do me a favor and not share this with anyone?" "And be called crazy?" I laugh. "You already said that only a few people know of the prophecy, and you also said that no Adventurer dreams here. What''s a beastborn?" "What?" He looks confused. "You said that only beastborn and Monsters dream." "Beastborn," he explains. "Are the children of other beastborn or of Beastmen, a Rank 2 Class. They have a mostly-human appearance with a couple of animal traits, such as ears and tails, but that''s about it. They also don''t have access to the System. They can''t talk, and tend to be more animalistic in their tendencies, despite looking mostly human. They''re not much more than slaves." "That''s stupid." "They don''t have much other value," he shrugs. "So people enslave them. Seeing as they can dream, and we can''t, they aren''t considered people." "What do Dark Knights think of them?" "Why do you think we view them differently?" He earns a hard stare from me. "We Dark Knights don''t put much difference between them and Monsters, considering the dreams, but we also don''t go out of our way to treat them differently. It likely comes from our warped moral values, such as our tendency to repeatedly hurt ourselves to octuple our Health in a day." I grin at him. "What are your plans?" He asks. "For today?" I ask, and he nods. "Now that I''ve got a couple of Skills and some more Health, I''m going to head out and taunt some Slimes. Is there a bonus or anything for reaching a set amount of Skill Levels before taking on a Class?" "Not that anyone''s aware of," he answers. "But we usually gain a Class within the first twenty. The most I''ve heard of someone reaching before was thirty-six. Why?" "I''m at forty." "How?" He asks. "I know you got a decent-Level Rage, judging by how it felt yesterday, but your other Skills aren''t that high ¨C only Level 2 and 3, plus your Level 7 Martial Arts. Appraisal Resistance at Level 1, and I assume Appraisal, but that''s still something like twenty or so." "Right-handed and left-handed." "How high are those?" He asks. "Maxed." "It took me thirty years," he says. "To bring them from the Level 7 both were at when I arrived to Level 10. You''re telling me you already have them maxed?" "I''m not asking you to believe it." He laughs, shaking his head. "You''re an interesting child, Zack," he says. "Have fun with your slaughter." "Thanks!" Chapter 0005 <>(Zack)<> I exit Maelnor through the West Gate after getting some more food from Jesse, and look around. Probably three or four miles away starts the forest, maybe a bit more than that. Other than that, there''s just the road leading into it and fields, with the occasional cluster of rocks or random tree. But it''s mostly fields with random rocks. There''s a light blue Slime bouncing on the path roughly twenty yards from the entrance to the City, and it keeps bouncing. There''s a dark grey core on the inside, a spherical object with a two-tone coloration to it.
Slime Level 1
Health: 10 Mana: 10
According to Jesse, I need to damage the core. The slime will act slightly acidic to my skin, without a high enough Willpower, and regular Slimes have no attack, but do jump at people. On the flipside to that, however, they provide almost no boost to any Skills or Classes, which means the only benefit to killing them is getting rid of them. As if that matters to me. I''m a Dark Knight, I''ll kill any Monster that gets in my way. And this one is. Along with the hundreds of other Slimes I can see. They''re in my way because they exist. Because they are Monsters, they are a threat to myself, to other Adventurers, to any children born here too young to be able to defend themselves, and to the Boundary itself. Slimes and Rats reproduce at a high rate, and since the Adventurers leave through the South Gate and head to Praevar, the Slimes and Rats around here are untouched by them. As a result of that, I get to have a lot of fun killing Slimes and Rats and gaining Levels. According to the information Jesse gave me, Slimes spawn as a regular Slime, then once they reach the Area Level Cap or have something special happen to them, they can morph into another type of Slime, one with attacks beyond simply jumping at you. The light blue Slimes will be my first targets. Any of the specialized Slimes can fuck themselves, if they think they''ll get priorities. They''re already evolved, and so, not worth the focus from me yet. Take out the ones that can''t fight first, reduce their numbers, then take on their advanced forms. Morphing into Chieftains and Elite Monsters are rare occurrences, and those are the only ones I think I''ll need to keep an eye out for, even after some Levels have been gained. Though I do want to see if there''s a bonus for hitting a combined Skill Level of 50. Maybe even one for a combined Skill Level of 100. That would be so cool. Nik said that Skills tend to be tough to learn or Level without the right stats and associating Classes, so reaching a combined Skill Level of 50 is tough to do without any Classes at all. There''s gotta be a bonus or something. I charge at the Slime, drawing my sword and bringing it down with enough force to cut into the core. The Slime loses half of its Health and starts bouncing away. I pull my sword back, then slice it to the side, sweeping low, and cutting into the core again, killing the Slime. Woot! First kill! An infinite more to go! I avoid the rock clusters, as Jesse and Nik both told me they would likely have Rats hiding within, in addition to the Slimes chilling on them. For about an hour, I manage to kill Slimes, from the light blue Slimes, to the white-gold Heal Slimes, to the dark green Poison Slimes (mental note: avoid their sprays, those hurt), to a random dark blue Water Slime that kept shooting jets of water at me. I take a breather, feeling confident enough that I might be able to take on a team of Slimes, which is probably for the best, because the log I''m sitting on seems to have been home to a quad of Slimes. Two dark blue Water Slimes, a dark red Fire Slime, and a white-gold Health Slime. I become aware of their presence when a blast of water slams into me from behind, taking out 15 Health and sending me crashing to the ground.
Water Slime Level 1
Health: 49 Mana: 58
About average. The others have similar values. The Water Slime that hit me before blasts another jet of water at me, and I draw my sword, blocking that blast with the blade. "Hey!" I yell at it. "I was sitting there, asshole!" Both of the Water Slimes and the Fire Slime blast at me, two jets of water and a funnel of flames. I dodge to the side, rolling a moment before returning to my feet. "Okay," I say. "So I''ve only fought in ones and twos before, so four of you is going to be different. I''ll give you a chance to run away, before I kill all of you." The Fire Slime spits more fire at me. "Hey!" I say after dodging. "I wasn''t done talking, jackass!" I lunge forward.
New Skill!
Dash Active
Allows for a short burst of high speed.
The tip of my blade cuts into the Flame Slime''s core, taking out nearly all of its Health. Before I can finish pushing the blade in, though, it glows, healing some, even though my sword is still in it. "Fuck off!" I yell at the Heal Slime before finishing off the Flame Slime, then taking two blasts from the Water Slimes. "Fuck you!" I pick myself back up off the ground, scrambling to grab my sword, holding it up to stop another blast of water. "Deflect!" I yell.
New Skill!
Deflect Active
Instead of taking on the full force of an attack, you may instead deflect it away from you. The amount of impact absorbed decreases with each Level of this Skill, down to none.
The jet blasts off to the side, slamming into the ground. I still feel the impact, but it''s not as strong as the last one. I go after the Heal Slime, dodging and deflecting Water Jets until it''s dead, then doing the same thing until the other two are dead as well. That completed, I check the log for anymore Slimes or surprises, then sit back down on it and rest. It''s about lunchtime, so I pull out some food and start eating. As I''m finishing up lunch, I sense something behind me.
+1 Perception!
I dodge to the side, feeling a sharp pain in my side. It was a spike made out of stone. I put my hand to my side, looking around, spotting a dark brown blob with a darker brown core.
Slime Level 3
Health: 118 Mana: 20
That fucking hurt! It fires another spike at me, and I Deflect it. The impact still causes me to stumble back a couple of steps. The only Slimes I''ve fought so far have been Level 1, but they were mostly easy, even for the Elementals. This is strong. I might actually need to gain a couple of Class Levels before I can handle it. Or a fair few more Stat Points, though I''m gaining them from my training and slaughtering. I dodge three more Stone Spikes before getting close enough to stab into it. My blade barely nicks its core, only doing two points of damage, the tip breaking off and dissolving away into it. I pull the sword out and take several steps back and dodge another Stone Spike. The part of the sword that was in the Slime started to dissolve, not just the tip. The sword is metal of metal, which is derived from stone¡­ the Slime can dissolve it within. In fact, I''m pretty sure it healed the Slime. I am not going to die against some pathetic little thing, and nor am I going to lose to it.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I''m out of Mana after just one Dash while in Rage, and I still couldn''t hurt the Slime without healing it. I''m going to kill it, though. My fists aren''t affected too badly, though I do still take damage. If I can get the damn core out, this fucker is going to find itself smashed to bits. Unfortunately, it manages to fire off a Stone Spike every time I try to do that, and I quickly find my Health in the single digits. Dark Knights use damage to self to increase their own. There is no way I will not find that method here and now. Though it might also be better for me to retreat, except the only clear shot back to town is past this damn thing. Any other way is filled to hell with Slimes. I dodge another Stone Spike, backing up several feet and wait for another to come my way, giving my body a small amount of time to heal. Not much, but every second counts.
New Skill!
Blood Frenzy Passive
Your physical damage is increased the lower your Health drops.
Oh, right. I have Skills. And can acquire them, too, even during combat. Though maybe now isn''t the time to try for Intimidate. "I''m going to cut up you and your family!" I yell at the Stone Slime, dodging another Stone Spike. "Then, I''m going to hunt you down in the afterlife, and kill you again!"
New Skill!
Intimidate Active
You''re capable of intimidating those with lesser wills through your spoken and body languages. Costs no Mana, and the reaction is dependent on the difference in Willpower between you and the target. Some may freeze up, some may go into a frenzy, some my attempt to flee, and some may faint. Duration of the effect is also dependent upon the Willpower of the affected..
Oh, good. This one froze up. I take off running, jumping over it and making my way to town as quickly as I can, collapsing just inside of it. After a few minutes, I roll onto my back and stare at the sky. That was awful. I never want to be stuck in that situation again. Ever. I wish I''d detected it sooner. I know I''m not ready to take on a Level 3 Slime, that''s why I was seeking out Level 1 Slimes and only Level 1 Slimes. Why did I even try fighting it in the first place? Stupid, stupid, stupid! "You okay?" An old man in a dark blue robe with white and gold runes and trim looks down at me. "Perfectly fine," I smile at him. "Just enjoying the view of the sky from this edge of the path." "Uh-huh," he says. "You know, you could utilize the weaker monsters further in, if you wanted. Any magician at a high enough Level and has been to a further town could bring you in, you know. You''d also find people able to work with you as a team." "Yeah, yeah," I wave dismissively. "I''m not going to turn tail and run, though. I''m going to get stronger here and take out what can be, winning the fight for everyone. If I get a team, then we will do it. But I''m staying here." "Are you sure?" The old priest asks. "Positive," I tell him. "Just need to figure out how to avoid the stronger Slimes while I''m unable to fight them. So my theory is this: I just run away. That''s a good idea. That, or insult its mom, and while it''s confused, run away." "Nik warned me about you," the old priest snorts. "I am Adrian, the High Priest here in Maelnor. Come to me if you need healing or a purge." "Eh," I tell him. "I''ll heal or purge myself." "Good luck," he says. "Just come to the Holy Temple if you need assistance." "Does that include free handouts for food and clothes?" I ask. "Because the perv is stingy." "See you around, Zack," the old priest walks away. Guess not. Once I recover a bit more, I stand, stretch, and draw my knife, flipping and spinning it a few times, then take a stance and slashing the air a few times. I need to avoid the Stone Slimes until I can afford a weapon that will actually damage it without being affected by its power to absorb metals. That, or learn a spell that will work against it. What kind of spell, though? Fire, maybe? I pull up my status.
Character Information Dark of Fire
Name: Zack Primary Class: None
Level: 0 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 110/110 Mana: 20/20
Strength: 7 Intellect: 1
Endurance: 5 Willpower: 2
Vitality: 11 Wisdom: 2
Agility: 6 Perception: 3
If Dark of Fire means the Crystal I align with most closely, then that means I likely have an affinity for fire magics. The spell might be as simple as focusing on summoning something like a fireball, then saying the name for it. It could also require me chanting a spell, though. I''ll ask Nik, when I see him again. Wait. How the fuck did my Intimidation work on that Stone Slime? Aren''t they magic-based? Wouldn''t that mean it has more Willpower than me? I am now confused, and thus, I make my way to the Trading Post. "Zacky!" Jesse exclaims when he sees me. "What happened to you?" I will castrate you. "I got hungry," I tell him. "Got food for me, Pervert?" "You need to stop expecting free handouts!" "You need to start feeding me better." He huffs, but gives me some food. I tear off a piece of the bread and pop it into my mouth. "I somehow Intimidated a Level 3 Stone Slime," I tell him. "Even though I only have 2 Willpower. I''d think it''d have, like, three or four or something, minimum. How did the Intimidate work?" "It works on me!" Jesse exclaims. "You''re just that scary naturally!" So Intimidate also factors in natural intimidation power? The description is slightly misleading in that, then, as it states ''lesser wills'', then brings up the difference in Willpower for the effect. However, Intimidate also looks at one''s actual will at the same time, so something like a Slime, which has pretty much no will at all, can be intimidated by something with a higher Willpower. "Wait!" Jesse exclaims. "You already acquired Intimidate? How?" "Do you have an old training dummy or something I can take home?" I ask. "No." "Are you sure?" "Positive." "Then I''m out," I turn and walk towards the door. "Later, Pervert." I make my way home, then look up and down the tree, before running up to it and jumping, grabbing onto one of its branches and climbing it. My Climb Skill is already at Level 10¡­ What the hell was I up to before dying? At the top of the tree, I look out across the streets, silent and empty. The City of Maelnor used to house over twenty thousand people, and it''s been reduced to less than a hundred because of the ever-growing horde under the control and influence of the being known as the Shadow of Life. Everyone who could help out in the coming battle who isn''t here right now is further in, focusing on getting much stronger and preparing items and such for the battle to come. Feeling the gentle breeze against my body, I focus on two of the windows that appeared alongside the notice for acquiring Climb.
Combined Skill Level of 50 Reached Without a Class
The Original Class in Which Your Skills Align with Most and Your Attributes Work For Has Been Assigned to You
Original Class: Ruffian
New Class! Ruffian
Those who are agile and perceptive, masters of knives, thievery, and stealth, you are uncatchable.
This does not count as a Class, and nor does it take up a Class Slot. It has 10 Levels, and only 10 Levels.
+3 Agility Upon Leveling +2 Perception Upon Leveling
Huh. Even though my Strength, Endurance, and Vitality are higher than my Agility and Perception, I acquired the rogue-based version. Was it because I''ve done a lot of running and dodging, and use a knife more than a sword? Or at least, have a higher mastery for it? It could also be factoring in my natural speed and perception of things, and probably my Climb Skill. Martial Arts probably worked for both, so that doesn''t count. Overall, I''d just be a strong rogue, looking at my Skills. I could also be a soldier or knight, too, but a more agile one talented at evading attacks. So it sort of balances out for both, but with a slightly-higher favor of the rogue. So I guess that makes sense, then. I probably could go for the rogue Classes, first. I do favor quick attacks with a tendency to dodge instead of block. Climbing down to the lower branches, I dangle my legs off the lowest branch on this side, then allow myself to fall back, holding on with my knees and legs. Time to do some curlups. I think that''s what they''re called. Regardless of the path I go down, all of them will require me growing stronger, and I can worry about stuff like which one I''m going to be once I reach Combined Skill Level 100 without a Class. There has to be something there. Especially with the Titles I acquired.
New Title! (R1) First Original Ruffian
The first person to acquire the Original Class of Ruffian after the System nullified the original version for a newer, stronger version of things.
New Title! (R1) First Original Class
The first person to acquire an Original Class after the System nullified the original version for a newer, stronger version of things.
In other words, no one''s ever hit Combined Skill Level 50 without a Class in the new System, and there were Titles for it. Titles that will never be accessed again. No one knows what Titles are for, according to Nik, but there might one day be something that I discover requires them. And I''m going to reach Combined Skill Level 100 without a Class to see if there''s another reward waiting there. After all, why would the System retain the Original Classes, which grant 2 Skill Points more than Tier 1 Classes do, and not have it count as a Class if there isn''t a reward higher up? So I just need forty-five more Skill Levels to go, and I can find out if there''s something there. The ground rapidly approaches, and I slam into it hard enough to lose 5 Health. I should probably focus on exercising and not the windows in my vision. Chapter 0006 <>(Zack)<> The purpose of me fighting the Slimes was to get stronger, so that I could be strong enough to fight Goblins. Goblins have loot. Well, so do Slimes, but I can''t afford the vials to gather up any ooze one might leave behind, once slain. Not that they do that often, but it does happen. I could, of course, collect the tails from the Rats, after killing them, but for now, I want to avoid killing the Rats. Not out of fear or anything, but more out of the simple fact that they''re a fair bit smaller than me and have some decent speed, so they''re irritating to fight, and so I will be until I''m a little bit better with a sword and have some higher stats and am used to fighting a bit more than I am now. That said, Goblins are more my size. I''m agile enough that I can probably take on a weaker Goblin one-on-one. Probably. If not, I''ll run like hell. Plus, I want to get some wood from the forest so I can make a fire in my fire pit. Which is why I talked Jesse into giving me a hand ax before I left, just in case I find some decent logs that won''t fit in my Inventory. Or in the fire pit. With that in mind, I enter the forest, sticking to the trail for a little bit, then moving off of it, sticking to the shadows of the trees. Every thirty to forty minutes, I find a group of Goblins, but stay away from them. I do not want to test my luck against a group just yet, especially since every group bigger than two has at least one that isn''t a base-Level. My luck also brings me across lone Goblins higher than base-Level, and I don''t want to try them, not unless I can handle a Level 1 Goblin just fine. After lunch, I search some more until I finally locate it. A single, lone Goblin. Level 1, too. So happy for that. It''s taken way too long, though at least I have wood for a fire. The Goblin walks through the woods and I stalk it, silently observing my surroundings as I do. I draw my knife, then run forward as silently as I can. The Goblin begins to turn to face me, but I move to the side, staying behind it and plunging my blade directly into its back, where its heart would be, were it human. The Goblin wails and flails for a moment, but its Health steadily drops from 38 to 0 in just a few seconds from the stab wound. I didn''t perform an instant-kill, but close enough. I look at the blood on my blade, then the stab wound in the Goblin''s back. It''s lying face-down, arms spread to the side. The Goblin has an ugly green hide and is somewhat fatty, with a metal helmet on its head that leaves its face exposed. It''s about a foot shorter than me, and has on just a loincloth made of ratted leather. I flick my knife, the blood dropping off of it. Even the basic weapons here will ignore light amounts of blood. Repeated exposure, however, wears off the resistance, meaning it''ll need properly cleaned after enough use. The more basic, less-powerful the weapon, the quicker that will happen. I kick the Goblin, flipping it over. It has a pouch stuffed into the waist of its loincloth, and I pull it out, finding two old silver coins that look worn with time. They both have a 1 imprinted on one side, a Crystal on the other. The pouch also contains a glass marble, clear all the way through. I send those to my inventory, then look through my knowledge of what is useful that can be harvested from a Goblin. Their ears are a demand, so I cut those off, then do the same to its nails, since those can also be used for alchemy, if Jesse was honest with me about that. That done, I spend a couple of more hours searching for another lone, Level 1 Goblin, but failing to find it, I make my way back to town and into the Trading Post. "Hey, pervert," I approach the counter, dropping the two ears and ten nails onto the counter. "I got lucky and have some loot to sell." "Why''d you put those on the counter?" Jesse squeals. "Oh, shut it, Pervert," I say. "How much can I get for them?" "Nails are by weight," he tells me. "You can get two copper per ear." He pulls out a scale and places the ten nails on it, then watches as the single plate moves down on its own. He taps something on the base of it, and the nails vanish, replaced by a single copper coin. The scale is an interesting contraption. A thick stone tablet around six inches on each side serves as the base, a rod sticking up about a foot from the center, then a branch extends from the top toward me, a brass plate hanging from that by three chains. A series of glyphs glow around the base while in-use, but they fade to reveal their etchings after the coin appears. A small rectangular stone plate rests on the side facing Jesse, angled at about ninety degrees. That was the part he tapped on. "You had just enough weight," he tells me. "To qualify for a single copper, Zacky!" I will cut out your tongue and shove it in a Slime. "Thanks," I grab the coin off the scale, and he puts the scale back under the counter, then grabs the ears and adds them underneath, handing me four more copper coins. "Can you explain the monetary system to me? After giving me some food, of course." "Uh-uh!" He waves a finger at me. "Not before you pay this time, since you have money!" "I need that for better equipment," I tell him. "Give me food, Pervert, unless you want me to keep using your cheap crap to fight, and cost me my life because it''s too weak for me to get stronger with." He pouts, but gives me a couple of apples, a strip of jerky, and two loaves of bread. I start eating, and he sighs. "You have no shame," he says, then looks me up and down. "You need some new clothes, too. Your shirt got destroyed a couple of days ago, and your pants are getting torn up. The tunic I gave you to replace your shirt''s soaked in blood already and has some rips in it." "Yeah, I know," I say. "I''ll be getting new clothes before I get new weapons, but they''re expensive, you know. But now I''m fighting Goblins, I''ll be fighting differently, and my clothes probably won''t get destroyed as much." "You managed to carve up a Goblin without problems?" Jesse asks. "Your cuts are clean and smooth. How did you do that? Did you puke at all? Did you-"This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "I''m not squeamish," I tell him. "Carving up small animals was a way of life for me before here, you know." "Uh-huh," he looks unamused. "We don''t remember our past lives, Zacky! They''re erased when we wake up in the Crystal of Light of Air''s chamber!" I will strip each of your twenty nails off your body. While you''re conscious. "I still cut up small animals back then," I tell him. "Anyway, the monetary system here. Explain." "Goblins are a lot different than small animals, Zack¡­" "And?" I ask. "As a Dark Knight, it''s to be expected that I can simply cut up a Monster without issue. It''s not like I was cutting you up for not telling me about the monetary system." "One hundred to one," he says. "For each level to equal the next. Copper, silver, gold, diamond, platinum. A load of stale bread, which is what I''ve been giving you, is worth two copper. An apple is worth four, and a strip of jerky is worth five. And every time I give you food for free, since it''s coming from the System and not from a supply chain, I have to pay for it." "Consider it your act of charity," I smile at him. "After all, you wouldn''t want the sweetest, kindest, gentlest boy you''ve ever met and will ever know to starve to death, right?" Jesse huffs, then I leave, making my way home, thinking about what he said. It seems that stuff is pretty expensive here, compared to what I can earn easily. I pull out the copper coins Jess gave me, then the two silver coins I acquired from the Goblins. They probably won''t work as real currency, since they have that slightly-black tinge to them, but I still want them for a little bit longer, which is why I didn''t give them to him. The designs and sizes of the coins are the exact same, the only difference being that five are made of copper and two of silver. That, and the silver ones have a blackish tinge to them. I''ll ask Jesse in the morning what that means for them. I send the coins into my Inventory, then strip off my bloody and sweaty clothes, washing them under the pump, before washing myself off. Really need to figure out how to heat up water to wash stuff, especially with it growing chillier at night. With that in mind, I make my way to the wood storage room and pull the sticks and branches and stuff out of my inventory, stacking them up and making piles. That done, I grab what is needed for a fire, along with a few more, then move to the ''central'' room of the L-shaped house. There, I build up a proper pile of wood in the fire pit, then get it started. Once the fire is built up and warm, I curl up in front of it, closing my eyes and allowing me to fall into a light slumber. The mage stands near a forest, looking around. He''s actually fully-dressed for once, a knife with a black hilt sheathed on his right hip, an empty, black sheath for a broadsword strapped to his back. The dream shifts, allowing me to view his front, where he''s holding his blade, The broadsword has a semiwide blade pitch-black in color, save for the pure-white fuller on both sides, along which black runes were etched. The hilt itself is a mix of black and white metals, the grip itself a swirl, the crosspiece carved with dragons, the pommel, a black claw gripping a white orb. Though the sword itself looks dangerous, even while stabbed into the ground and seemingly ignored, the air it gives off, even in this dream, pales in comparison. The blade seems as if it could rip through reality itself, and something tells me that if the mage wanted to, he could slay even the most powerful of beasts with that weapon. A weapon he has casually stuck into the ground, as if it''s not something that matters. My thoughts on that lack of care are interrupted by the appearance of a boy around ten years of age, at most. He''s small, looking a little bit younger, and has white-blond hair and brilliant blue eyes. He''s dressed in a white tunic with a sky blue mantle with white trim over it, sky blue shorts, and brown leather boots that reach up to his knees. A staff that seems to be made of the same black metal as the mage''s sword is strapped across his back, white runes etched along it. He approaches the mage, who smiles at him and puts a hand on the younger boy''s head, ruffling his hair. The younger boy blushes, looking down and smiling a little. "Where are the others?" The older boy asks. The younger boy shrugs, and the older one laughs, ruffling his hair again, then pulling his sword out of the ground, quickly sheathing it. "Are they at least rested?" He asks, and the younger boy nods. "That''s good. Alexander is going to make every effort he can to keep us from getting into that temple." Alexander? What temple? The dream shifts, turning so that I can view the mountains in the distance. They are maybe three or four miles from the two adventurers, and though the sky above them is blue, not far into the mountains, a wall of a milky, pink-orange-yellow something swirls and shifts, a border, of some sort. Nothing can pass through it, my senses say. Nothing at all. Not in the slightest. Looking from side to side, I can see this shifting barrier wrapping around, though it doesn''t fully wrap around the forest they''re just outside of. Something tells me that even though the wall seems to fade away, it likely continues off into the distance, surrounding us much further out. Looking back at the mountains, I spot the temple, my vision adjusting to bring me to it. Or at least, what is likely the ''temple''. On the peak of one of the mountains stands a ring of pillars of a dark grey stone, resting on a circular stone pad made of the same stone. Red, blue, white, and brown runes covering the floor, merging in the middle to form a violet circle of runes roughly five feet across. The runes themselves seem to just be colored stone poured into that pattern, no glowing involved. Even in the dream, I can feel the raw, ancient power here. It feels¡­ like Big C''s power. I look around, really looking at the pillars. There are eight of them, each one with a single emblem carved into it, the same emblems on the gates in Big C''s temple space. Fire, stone, water, air, fire, stone, water, air. Arranged so that the elements they support stand next to them, the same stands across from them. Four of the pillars have a lighter color of grey to them than the others, looking at them. The Crystals of Light, while the other four represent the Crystals of Dark. I return my focus to the mage and his healer, the dream shifting so I''m at them once more. "I know," the mage says to the younger boy. "Once they get here, we''ll head out. After another dozen yards or so, the protection yielded by the forest will wear off, and Alexander will notice us and attack with as much might as he can muster. We''re lucky there''s a Dark Temple hidden in the forest, otherwise, the welcoming committee would already be here." The younger boy stares at him. "Yeah, I know," the older boy nods, looking to the mountains, then the temple. "Once we reactivate the temple, this Boundary is safe from the power of the Shadow of Life for at least another thousand years. Longer, if we never die." The mage looks through me for a moment, then the dream ends, and I wake to the barely-warm coals of my fire. Sitting up, I stare at the coals in my fire pit. That was¡­ unsettling. I know he couldn''t have possibly seen me, but when he was looking at whatever it was he was looking at through me, it felt as if he was looking right into my eyes. And his own were violet, signaling the use of his magic. That temple¡­ With it inactive, the Shadow of Life can influence things here? So whatever that temple is, it prevents him from attempting to breach the Boundary and reach reality? If so, then he''s right in that whoever this Alexander is would probably protect it dearly, if he''s on the side of the Shadow of Life. He''s probably some high-Level Adventurer who wants to see the Shadow of Life free. Probably in exchange for something. If that''s the case, though¡­ then why would he have someone so young with him? He himself is definitely incredibly powerful, as evidenced by the first vision I had here in the Boundary, but that boy definitely couldn''t be older than ten. Not unless he''s got that halting to his age Nik mentioned to me that can happen to people, but he said it usually takes awhile for that to occur. So then why would a boy have it by ten? He must be exceptionally powerful, then, to have halted his aging at just ten years of age. But why would he have done so much before then? And how old is he really? Actually, how old is the mage? I need answers. Chapter 0007 <>(Zack)<> "Where''d you get a marble from?" Nik asks, and I look up at him through it. "You''re all warped," I tell him, and he rolls his eyes. He is. He''s warped into the top part of it, as is normal for a marble. It''s hard to make out any part of him through the marble.
+1 Perception!
Shut up. No, you. Uh¡­ what? That was a random voice in my head, and to make it even weirder, it sounds violet. Like the color. How does a voice sound like a color? That makes no sense at all. Who are you? None of your business. Then why are you talking to me? Because I can. "You look baffled," Nik says, and I drop my hand to my lap, rolling the marble between my fingers as I look back to the Dark Knight. "Some pervert''s talking to me telepathically." "Some pervert?" "They won''t tell me who they are." "Only the Crystals can talk directly through minds," he says. "What does it sound like?" "A child," I answer. "Possibly younger than Big C sounds like." "I don''t know him," he shrugs. "Lord Dark of Flame sounds around the same age as Lord Light of Air." "I''m waiting for Big Flame to-" I like that name. Keep calling me it. "He likes that name," I say. "Says to keep calling him that. He''s also apparently forgotten that he already sent a message to all Dark Knights declaring that he''ll be called that from now on, after the first time I used it here, shortly after we met." I did? Huh. Oh! That explains why everyone''s been calling me that. Big Flame giggles. "Ow!" Nik yelps, then sighs, shaking my head. "He zapped me for not calling him that¡­ I think he''s hit every Dark Knight for it." "He didn''t hit me." That''s because you called me it! "Is it normal for you to interact with us?" I ask. I interact with my followers more than the other Crystals. So you''ll hear me from time to time. "Got it," I say. "Do you know who the younger-sounding voice that also sounds violet-" HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT VOICE? He doesn''t sound angry as he yells that, just¡­ surprised. And amazed. And shocked. "Ow," Nik says. "Milord, you yelled that to the point that I heard it." I think all of my people heard it, Big Flame giggles. "He talked to me a minute ago," I explain. "But won''t tell me who he is." Oh, okay. "You''re not going to tell me, are you?" Nope! "Okay," I say, then look at Nik. "I guess that means I can ignore him now, too." Hey! "I wanted to ask something," I say. "Going into the history of the Boundary, maybe." "Sure," Nik says. "Though if you want to go too far back, no one really knows." "What do you know of a space that ends," I say. "With mountains, a wall of a milky, slowly-swirling oranges, pinks, and yellows? There''s a field several miles across leading up to it, a forest on the other side." "The wall you just described," he says. "Is the edge of the Boundary ¨C it''s impossible to pass through it. It''s theorized that the side of it on the far side of the valley the capital rests in can be breached to enter reality, but no one is entirely sure. There''s a temple atop it-" "With eight pillars, representing each Crystal?" I ask, and he nods. "And a series of green, white, brown, and red runes etched into the ground, merging together into violet ones?" "How did you know that?" He asks. "I had a dream." "No one dreams in the Boundary." "I do," I remind him. "Every night so far, always showcasing the same person, a powerful mage who, in last night''s dream, also wielded a dangerous sword." The one you dreamed ¨C were they glowing, or no? "They weren''t, Big Flame," I say. "The mage said that, once he restores the Temple, the Shadow of Life would have to spend another thousand years, minimum, before he could enter the Boundary again. He also referenced someone called ''Alexander'', and said that he''d make every attempt to stop them from reaching the Temple. He''s probably some Adventurer that works with the Shadow of Life and wants to see him succeed." Actually¡­ Big Flame sounds serious. Alexander is the Shadow of Life''s mortal name, the name he had before he became the Shadow of Life, when he¡­ when he was still human. There''s sadness in that voice, telling a story to me. Big Flame knew Alexander, the Shadow of Life, who was once mortal, just like us. Something happened a long time ago, but Alexander was trusted by him ¨C and possibly the other Crystals. Possibly praised and seen as a great warrior, here in the Boundary. Then he got greedy with power, began to practice things that went against the way of the Crystals, and did something that gave him a type of immortality and attempted to breach the Boundary and enter reality.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The Crystals were then forced to seal him away, and that Temple is the sealing point. So long as it''s active, the Shadow of Life cannot influence or affect things here in the Boundary. The Crystals had likely expended a lot of power and energy to forge it, to bind him down, and it''s affected them all. I''m not sure how accurate that story is, and it could be entirely false, but it''s the message I got from Big Flame''s tone. "The Shadow of Life was once human?" Nik asks. Indeed, Big Flame answers. Just like all of you. He practiced dark magics in secret from his friends while pretending to work for their goals. He converted three of those friends to do the same, until they became no different than monsters in the guise of humans. They were jealous of the others, you see, for the others held rare and unusual powers, while the four of them were ordinary, even if older. Those friends weren''t arrogant, though, but kind and gentle, and also mere children. But that mattered not to those four, who only saw power they couldn''t attain, power they absolutely wanted. In the end, the four of them killed their friends, he continues. Mercilessly, stealing the power within them and absorbing it into them. They were children, and the Shadow of Life and his allies butchered them. They were supposed to watch over them, care for them, and ensure they grew up to be fine magicians, but because those boys had powers they didn''t, they killed them without hesitation, without mercy, once their powers were refined and he and his three real friends were ready to steal them and had acquired immortality! Big Flame falls silent after that rant, leaving us in silence for several long moments. I open my mouth to speak. They only succeeded with most of the children, Big Flame continues, his voice returning to calmness. But one of them¡­ one of them, the last of them to be targeted, had realized the others were dying. He prepared a spell far more powerful than one would think possible, his raw emotions and rage fueling him. He was the youngest of the boys, but he had the highest aptitude for magic ¨C and a rare gift for sealing things. When Alexander and his allies came for him in the night, his ''brothers'' dead in their rooms, that boy cast his spell. I won''t go into more details on what the spell was, but in the end, it allowed the nine of us to seal Alexander and his friends away, using the souls of those boys as the anchors for it. So long as those two temples stand and at least one is active, Alexander and his friends cannot break free, and they cannot breach the Boundary and enter into reality. That boy''s sacrifice will not have been in vain. We''ve managed to hold him off for thousands of years, now, but time is passing by, and he grows ever stronger, his forces ever greater, and one day, it will happen. That is inescapable. But we want to ensure that he never does, that their deaths are used properly. Unfortunately, without the one of the prophecy spoken long ago, we must only wait, and hope that as we continue to bring the worthy into the Boundary, most will fight for our cause and stem the flow. Sadly, Alexander grows stronger, and the Adventurers grow weaker and less-numerous. I had Wisdom send you to Maelnor in the hopes that you''d be able to clear up the weaker monsters gathering around it in preparation for the horde coming once spring hits. With luck, you''ll be powerful enough to make a difference in that battle, too. We can only hope Maelnor stands, for if it falls, then the Boundary will be breached by next winter. We have yet to see the signs of the change in the tide, though¡­ so it''s possible the prophecy was wrong. Big Flame sighs. We don''t have the power to reactivate the Temples, it required the magic sacrifice of that boy and the bond between him and his friends in order to do the first time, and due to various¡­ reasons, it is not something that could ever bedone again. An Adventurer would be required to go to the Temple of Bonds and reactivate it, much in the same way they would reactivate a Fallen City''s Crystal Altar. And no, it''s not something we can tell you, it''s¡­ complicated. Only those capable of actually doing it will ever know the full way, as a result. If it comes down to it, we may be able to slow him down a little bit more, but it''d require killing millions of Adventurers to do, and would also possibly make him stronger. So it''s not one we''re wanting to do unless pushed to it. Zack, Big Flame directs his attention right to me. Could you please explain each of the dreams you''ve had so far? "Sure," I nod, then describe each of them in as much detail as I can. You''re absolutely sure that''s what the boy looked like? He asks. The child healer, not the mage. "Yes," I nod. "Why?" He hasn''t died in reality yet. That said, we''re aware that his death is coming up, though it likely won''t be until spring comes, sometime before the horde comes. "So I''m dreaming the future?" Not quite. What you''re dreaming is likely a possible future, which would be why you saw the Adventurer hastily flying to the last City, to protect it, but also on his way to the temple, to restore it. It can only be restored if all Cities are active ¨C that is, all City Barriers are active. The two directly contradict each other. So it''s likely you''re simply dreaming possible futures. The gift of sight is a rare one, and one of the reasons-you should get training, Zack. You have a long journey ahead of you, if you wish to be as useful as you claim. "One of the reasons what?" I ask, but Big Flame doesn''t respond. "Big Flame?" He refuses to respond, no matter how many times I call out to him, so I sigh and look back to Nik. "Don''t look at me," he says. "His Lordship rarely talks with us more than a few sentences. He''s essentially given the greatest speech in existence in comparison. He also gave us history none of us were aware of. The Crystals must take on those childish personas to honor the boys who were slain and the sacrifice made." "Yeah, maybe," I say, sending the marble into my inventory, then jump off the wall. "I''m heading out, Nik. Thanks for the answers. See you later." I turn and leave, thinking about what Big Flame said. It''s not that I don''t believe him, but I sense that there''s more to the story and the Crystals than he shared. Those boys meant something to the Crystal, I''m sure of it. Something more than just their sacrifice. But for now, I''ll leave it be. There isn''t a chance in the Boundary that he''ll give me more answers, and I doubt the other Crystals would be willing to. The most chaotic of the Crystals, the one who interacts with his people the most and shares more information with them than the others do, was serious and sad about the event. There''s not a chance in the Boundary that the others would be more open about it than him. With that in mind, I make my way to the West Gate, so that I may make my way into the woods once more and hunt down Goblins. When I arrive there, an Adventurer is standing beside the gate, leaning against the City''s wall. He''s dressed in leather boots that reach his knees, like many of the lighter-armored Adventurers, dark brown pants tucked into the boots, and a sleeveless, dark green tunic, three knives and various pouches strapped to his belt. He also has on sleeves that cover his arms up to the middle of his biceps, black in color with dark grey, barely-perceptible runes sewn into them. His hands are covered by black, fingerless gloves, and over his outfit is a dark brown mantle, though it''s currently open as he''s scratching the back of his head. "Hello," I say as I approach him. "Hello, Zack," he stops scratching his head, then takes a step forward, frowns for a moment, opens his mouth, closes it, then opens it again before sighing, casting his gaze downward. "This is hard." What is hard? "I saw you running through town earlier," he looks back at me. "Are you complaining about my desire to not sweaty-up my tunic and boots?" I ask. "Because it''s perfectly normal to-" "No," he says. "Ignore the ones who told you that. It''s understandable. A few of us do it, too, but we run in a different part of town." And judging by your attire, you probably aren''t seen as you do it. Actually, I doubt you run through town shirtless, as you seem pretty shy. Ah. Talking''s probably hard for him. "So what''s up?" I ask. "I noticed how silent you were," he says. "As you ran. As a rogue-based Adventurer, I have high Perception, and that was the only reason I could detect your footsteps, though your breathing was a bit louder, but still steady and calm. "Because of that," he continues. "There are two Skills that might benefit you. The first is Sneak. It muffles your sound by ten percent per Level of it. You can obtain it by working on moving as silently as possible, no matter what. "The second Skill," he continues. "Is Conceal. It conceals your presence, allowing you to ''blend'' into your surroundings. You don''t actually change your appearance, but it causes monsters and Adventurers alike to look through you as if you aren''t there. It takes a high Perception to see through it, and that''s if the other person''s Intellect isn''t high enough to affect that." "So focus on concealing my presence?" I ask, and he nods. "Thanks, sir. Oh, I know you''re probably spent from talking that much, but I do have one question. I noticed that some of my stats seem to no longer ''amplify'' my natural attributes, but became somewhat ''set''." "Ten," he says, and I raise an eyebrow. He opens and closes his mouth several times. "Once a stat reaches ten points, it switches into a set system, meaning that someone with 9 Strength might be as strong as someone with 5 Strength, due to the amplification of the body, but two people with 10 Strength will be of relatively similar strengths. In most cases, it''s still a buff, but for a few, it''s a nerf for a short while. Goodbye." He mutters something I can''t catch, then fades out of my notice. Did he just use Conceal? The fact that he didn''t give me an incantation tells me I probably just need to use the Skill''s name, though. He must have used some high-Level rogue Skill to erase the sound of his voice. I''ll figure it out some other time. For now, I''m heading to the forest. Chapter 0008 <>(Zack)<> The Goblin rests lazily against a tree, a short sword laying on the ground beside it, a helmet on its head. It''s also wearing some light leather armor, a shield leaning against its side. It has a few pouches on its leather belt. The thing that catches my attention is its necklace, a black leather cord from which hangs a shiny, silverish skull charm a little bit bigger than the top joint of my thumb, with two sparkling green jewels set into its eyes. I turned off auto-Appraisal on Monsters as I was passing through here to see if I could judge strengths relatively well, but don''t need it to know this guy''s stronger. He''s actually got less fat than other Goblins, as well as some clear muscle. I''m not even going to bother turning it on to verify that. This guy''s sleepy, and doesn''t show any signs of real alertness. Utilizing Conceal and Sneak, I could easily thrust my knife through its eye, making my first kill of the day. I want that necklace. At least, I hope thrusting my knife through its eye works. I''ll just need its eye open, hopefully, unless its Endurance isn''t too great when looking at the thin eyelids. As quietly and swiftly as I can, I make my way around the side of the Goblin, then towards it, making sure to listen for the slightest sounds around me to indicate a trap, making sure to keep track of it and make sure it doesn''t react too quickly. Once I''m right beside the Goblin, I quickly move my knife. It opens its eyes just in time for the blade to pierce through. It struggles, but by the time its fingers are on my wrist, the blade is buried to its hilt in the Monster''s left eye.
Original Ruffian is Now Level 3!
+9 Agility! +6 Perception!
The hell? I check it, and it''s at 94% to Level 4. It was a little less than 70% to Level 1 when I checked it a few minutes ago, and Levels become harder to obtain as they increase. Speaking of increases¡­ I''ll have to test my Agility in a minute, but my Perception¡­ I can definitely notice a better boost to it. I can pick out a fair few more leaves by listening, notice finer details, and more. But it''s not a big boost, except compared to what I had before. If I had ten times as much as I do now, that six probably wouldn''t make a big difference. Maybe? I''m not sure. I''ll ask Nik that later. That in mind, I untie the necklace from the Goblin and pull it on, then steal his sword, helm, and shield, putting them into my inventory. They won''t be useful to me, judging by their details stating that they can only be wielded by Monsters, but I can probably sell them to the pervert. Then, I open up the pouches and pull out several herbs, tokens, tainted coins, a series of beads on a cord, like a bracelet, and a couple of small fangs. I send those into my inventory, then sever its ears and nails, adding them to it as well. That done, I sneak through the forest some more, only managing to kill two more Goblins by the time I decide to head back to town. Ruffian didn''t even go up to Level 4 from them. Why did that one give me so much more? Those were both Level 1, but also decently good. One fought with a knife, the other, with a club, and I actually did fight them, yet didn''t get that much Experience from killing them. That aside, I need thirty-nine more Skill Levels needed before I''ll take on Dark Squire. I return to town and dump my loot on the counter. Jesse stares at me. "What do you want, Pervert?" "Where did you get that necklace?" He asks seriously, his facade gone due to his surprise. "A Goblin was kind enough to give it to me." "I mean seriously." "So do I," I state. "All I did was tell it I wanted it, and it just up and gave it to me. Some Monsters really know who their superiors are. Gimme my money." "The Goblin that wears that necklace," he says slowly. "Is a Bounty Beast, Level 15, the maximum for the woods for Bounty Beasts. A boy of your power wouldn''t be able to take it on. It''s giving trained Adventurers trouble. How did you get that?" "I asked nicely," I repeat. "With a knife to its sleeping eyes, buried all the way to the hilt. What''s a Bounty Beast?" "See the wall over there?" He points to the wall with all the papers pinned to it. A moment later, his usual, hyper, perverted facade returns. "Those are all Bounties! System-made Bounties on Monsters that have evolved past the normal limits! A boy like you shouldn''t be able to even get near one! How''d you get that?" "I asked nicely," I look at the board, then back to Jesse. "So how do I collect the Bounty? I don''t think the Goblin would mind if I collected it." He stares at me, then sighs, reaching under the counter and pulling up a device similar to the scale from yesterday and setting my loot on it, messing with the interface pad. A few moments later, he gives me one silver and eighteen copper. It was probably the fangs I found, no doubt. That done, he exchanges the scale for an orb resting on a clawed tablet, the orb held a few inches above the tablet by some claws. "Place your hand on it," he instructs, setting a sheet underneath the orb. It looks like one of the Bounty papers from the wall. I do, and he does. "Confirm Bounty!"
Bounty Confirmed: Goblin Knight A''Rui Slain
Reward: 20 Silver
"You really did!" Jesse exclaims, eyes widening as he pulls his hand away from the orb. "You really did kill A''Rui!" "Cool," I say. "Now where''s my money?" Jesse sighs, then hands me twenty silver coins. "Thanks," I tell him. "Now you can stop bullying me and buy your own food!" "I need to buy some new clothes and some equipment, first," I tell him. "Gimme some food." "No!" He exclaims. "Pay for it, like everyone else!" "I need to spend my money on clothes and equipment," I say. "I can''t afford to spend it on food right now. Gimme food, and enough to sustain me through tomorrow''s dinner." "No!" "I will stab you in your sleep." "You don''t even know where I live!" "I''ll ask Nik to," I say. "And since he''s a fellow Dark Knight, he''ll do it."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "That''s not how it works!" Jesse exclaims, but gives me plenty of food anyway. "Thanks, Pervert!" I eat some of the food as I leave, sending the rest into my inventory. I head home and exercise for a bit, then wash up and make a new fire, adding my latest grabs of sticks and twigs and logs and branches to the pile. Well, what small branches I could find, since I can''t cut wood yet. I''ll make sure to get a hand ax tomorrow, for chopping wood. I may or may not have broken the one Jesse gave me. I curl up in front of the fire and allow myself to fall asleep. In the morning, after my exercise and breakfast, I head down to the shops. There are only a few of them, since there are so few people, but the quality of their gear is excellent as a result of having so few people, and having so many powerful people. Which means it''ll be a little bit more expensive, but since I''ve been here a few days, they''ll hopefully have some things for me to buy. They''d be fools not to have equipment more on my level of skill and affordability. I make the equipment shop, where I can buy various armors, as Nik informed me that they sell clothes as well, due to not needing a specific person for that. I don''t see any clothes out front, just armor. "Looking for clothes," I tell the worker behind the counter, and he nods. "Preferably in my size. Start with underwear." "I have a few pieces," he says. "Give me a few minutes." He goes into the back, and I explore the shop some more. After ten minutes, he returns with an armful of clothes. I walk back to the counter, and he drops the clothes on it, then pulls out some underwear. He has four pairs of it, the pieces being either boxers or boxer-briefs. Two of each, in two different sizes. I indicate the ones in my size, boxers. "How much?" "Forty copper," he answers. "Forty-five for the other. This is your size?" "Yes," I tell him. "And underwear''s vital. Five copper." "On neither will I give that to you," he says. "Five copper," I pick up a pair. "This one." "Forty-five." "Five." "Forty-five." "Five." "I''m not making it less than that." "Five." He refuses to budge, even when I increase how much I''ll spend on it to ten. After my third statement at ten, he lowers it by five coppers. I eventually manage to talk him into twenty. "Thanks," I smile at him. "Now, you can''t expect me to only use one pair of underwear, even if I could just wash it every night and let it dry as I sleep. So I''ll buy three of them for fifty." "No!" "It''s not likely anyone else is going to be buying them," I point out. "Unless there''s some other small twelve year-old or other person this size in town that I don''t know about?" He gives in, and I give him fifty copper, then he brings me out two more pairs, and I send them into my inventory. I pick out a pair of black pants, then haggle him from fifty silver to twenty-three, before convincing him to sell me three pairs of them for sixty-five. The clerk doesn''t look too thrilled when I start looking through the tunics. I settle on a red one, a red one with black trim, and another red one. He wants eighty copper each for the plain ones, and ninety for the two-tone one. After ten minutes of haggling, he agrees to give them to me for only a single silver. I manage to find a pair of lighter pants and a lighter tunic as well, convincing him to sell them for forty copper total. Once I finish picking out clothes, he shows me the selection of leather boots he has. I try on a few pairs, finding one pair that reaches up to just under my knees. They''re comfortable, and won''t need adjustments, even if they aren''t made-to-fit. I can''t afford that yet. He wants a silver, fifty for them. I pay sixty copper, because that is ridiculous. That taken care of, I grab several pieces of armor from the racks, returning to him and setting them on the counter. A leather chestplate that covers my chest and upper back, but not my lower back or stomach, a pair of leather pauldrons for my shoulders, and a pair of leather vambraces. The clerk wants three silver, two, and two, respectively, for a grand total of seven silver I''m not giving him. He settles at a silver, seventy-eight copper. "Thanks," I say, sending everything into my inventory. "Now I need a jacket for warmth, since it''s only going to keep getting colder." He sighs, but shows me several styles that would fit me. I pick out a black one with red trim that extends down to my knees, then pay fifty-nine copper instead of the silver and a half he wanted. I add that to my inventory, then thank him and leave. My next stop is to the General Store. A woman greets me when I enter, and I pick out several items from the shelves, setting them on the counter. A thing of flint and steel, for making fires, some cooking utensils and dishes to eat with, and soap to clean myself and the dishes with. Overall, she wants a silver and a half for the dishes, fifty copper for the flint and steel, and sixty for the soap. Two silver, ten copper. I haggle it down to a single silver. "Thanks," I put everything into my inventory. "Do you have a kit to mend clothes with?" "Sure do," she says. "You want one?" "Yes, please," I smile. "Also, do you have any blankets?" "I do," she heads to the back, returning eight minutes later with several mending kits and four blankets. I pick the thick, black blanket and one of the kits. "Two silver for the blanket, fifty copper for the mending kit." I haggle that down to one silver, eight copper. I add those to my inventory, and she gives me a funny look, but I ignore it and leave, making my way to the weapons shop, to buy a new sword and a new knife. The beefy man behind the counter watches me as I look around. "I need a new knife and a new sword," I walk up to the counter. "My budget is twenty-five silver between the two." He nods, then goes to the back, returning about ten minutes later with a sword and a knife, both with black and silver blades and grips. A matching set, which he tells me costs twenty-three silver together. I leave eleven silver poorer, then make my way to the food shop, buying some fruits, vegetables, jerky, bread, and a few other ingredients they carry there that Jesse doesn''t have. That done, I make my way back to my home. There, I go to the room to wash my clothes in and start a fire underneath the tubs, beginning to wash my new clothes. Once they are washed and hung to dry, I heat up water for a bath and take one, then get a fire going for food. Once that fire''s going, I fill a pot with water and hang it over the wood. Ah, crap. I forgot to buy an ax to chop wood with. I''ll pick one up after I return tomorrow. For the next hour, I cook a stew, then devour it with some bread and wash the dishes. That done, I change into the lighter tunic and pants I bought, then start to head upstairs. "Zack," Nik says, and I turn to face him. He''s standing just inside the entrance to the property. "Mind if I ask you something?" "I have something to ask you, too," I say. "What kind of increases are stats, past ten points?" "Equal at every point," he answers. "Even if it''s harder to gain the next one naturally. So 1 Strength added at 10 Strength is the same as 1 Strength added at 100 Strength." So the points I earned yesterday were equal in value, then, and that''s why my senses seemed to increase about as much as I suspected. That clears up what the rogue-dude was telling me, too. "Thank you," I say. "What were you wondering?" "Did you really put all of your new things into your inventory?" "Yes, why?" "That''s not normal." "It fit." "Not that," he says. "It''s not normal to be able to put certain things into your inventory. Such as armor and weapons past the basic ones you can acquire at the Trading Post. Not at where you are, anyway." "Really?" I ask. "They all fit for me." I pull out my new armor and weapons, and he sighs, then frowns. "You really did haggle like hell, didn''t you?" "They were overpriced," I shrug. "I simply brought them down to less unreasonable values." "Speaking of prices," he says. "Once you''re going into better equipment, it will be more and more expensive. You can get a discount if you have Soldier Tags." "Soldier Tags?" "Yes," he nods, pulling a pair of dog tags out from under his shirt; bluish with a leather border around them, his name and some other information etched into it. "Soldier Tags cost money, but can earn you discounts on certain things, such as potions and other alchemical concoctions, where they''re most useful. Certain shops will give you discounts on equipment as well, though it''s not as beneficial out here ¨C we get things discounted already. Deeper in, there are shops you can''t even shop at without a tag of a certain level. "You have to buy them," he says. "But for the most part, unless you''re someone born here into a wealthier family or something, it''s proof you were able to afford the money to spend without needing it for something else, like essentials or equipment, food or shelter. "They cost," he continues. "Twenty of the currency of its type. Like I said, though ¨C it isn''t really needed out here, nor are they useful. At least, it won''t be until we start gathering more Adventurers for the war, for when we do our best to change the tide of war." The tide he believes will never be changed, at the current rate. It''s at least six months away, probably, and there''s currently no sign of the tide changing. But I will make sure it changes, no matter the cost. I was given this task, and I''m not going to fail. Especially not with those visions. I don''t know who that mage is, but I am going to make sure that by the time he arrives and makes his way into this part of the Boundary, we have not fallen. Especially since he seems to know that boy, who will arrive before the battle. My real question, though, is who is that mage? And why does no one seem to know about him? As powerful as he is, shouldn''t someone already know him? Unless¡­ he isn''t around yet. Or he is, but he isn''t that powerful yet. But then¡­ who is he? And where is he? And how long before he becomes who he is in those visions? Will I really be needed at the battle? Will he make his appearance there? I have so many questions, but for now, I wish Nik a goodnight, then head up to a room and wrap myself in the blanket, lying on a bed and allowing sleep to overtake me. Chapter 0009 <>(Zack)<> "Hey, Nik!" I wave at the old Dark Knight. "You seem cheerful this morning," he says. "Look!" I pull out the dog tags from under my shirt. "I considered what you said yesterday, and decided to get them! I could only get the copper ones, but I expect I''ll have the silver tags by the time I''m a Dark Knight." "That would require you taking on Dark Squire, first." "Yeah, yeah," I wave a hand. "I''ll get to it once I get to 100 Total Skill Levels. Since there was something for hitting fifty without a Class, I''m going to see if there''s something at a hundred, too." "There was something for hitting fifty?" "An Original Class," I nod. "It counts as a Subclass, according to the status screens. ''Original Ruffian''. It''s currently Level 3, after I killed the sleepy Goblin yesterday." "A''Rui," he says. "Its name was A''Rui." "Yeah, I know," I say. "But he was a sleepy Goblin." Nik snorts, shaking his head. "Alright, Zack," he says. "So there''s such a thing as the Original Classes, then?" "Indeed." "If there is some sort of reward at 100 Total Skill Levels without a Class," he says. "I will personally pay you a full gold. One silver per Skill Level you gained without a Class. I will not give you more than a full gold, it''s only to 100 Total Skill Levels." I give him a cheeky grin. If there is, he''ll probably be glad he fixed that loophole before finding out that he''d have to pay me. "Did you come here for anything else?" He asks. "Ask me anything?" "No." "Did you dream again last night?" "Yeah." "Care to share?" "The mage was sunbathing." "Uh-huh." "He was," I say. "And he didn''t have tanlines, so it''s probably normal for him to do that, too. Then again, a being powerful enough to wipe out hordes of monsters and use Cataclysmic Shifts so many times is probably able to just sunbathe at a waterfall without worry because Monsters probably avoid his presence if possible. They can probably just sense that he''s well beyond their capabilities, and so choose to live." "They generally only do that for Dark Knights and Blood Priests." "Maybe he''s both?" I ask, and he snorts. "What? His attire suggests an affiliation with Most Awesomeness, so it''s not like it''s a far stretch." Were you referring to me? Big Flame asks. "Yes." Oh, cool! He exclaims, and Nik suppresses a laugh. I really am the most awesome one, you know! "Yes, you are." Big Flame giggles in my head, and Nik snorts in his attempt not to laugh. "I''m heading out to the forest," I tell Nik. "Going to try raising more of my Skills, instead of gaining new ones." "How did you hit 50 Total Skill Levels already?" "I''m fully-ambidextrous," I remind him. "And apparently did enough climbing before dying in reality for Big S to say ''fuck it'' and make mine Level 10. Then there''s my Rage already being at Level 6 and Level 7 Martial Arts. So it wasn''t really that hard, since I was already almost there."
Appraisal Resistance is Now Level 2!
"Yes!" "What?" Nik looks confused. "Sorry," I grin at him. "I''ve been actively trying to resist Appraisal with everyone since I got the resistance Skill. It finally went up to Level 2." Nik just snorts again. "Go back to lurking around and waiting for me to show up instead of training," I wave a hand. "I''m going to head out to the forest and stalk some Gobbies again." Nik laughs and wishes me well, then I head out of town and into the woods. I spend the entire day hunting, and only find one Goblin I can take on, not gaining much, even in Skills. I return home and make a small stew, then get some sleep. I train in the forest all day, every day, for another eight days, only stopping in town at night to sleep, to sell my loot at the Trading Post, to get some more food from Jesse, and to chat with Nik about various things. The dreams come to me every night, the dreams of the mage. Even though I don''t manage to kill very many Goblins, I do manage to increase my Skills and notice the difference when I fight the Goblins I do go against, even managing to take on two at once. As I''m sneaking through the woods on the eighth day after the one I bought the tags on, Sneak goes up another Level, and an additional message appears in my vision.
Combined Skill Level of 100 Reached Without a Class
Adventurer Subclass Unlocked
New Class! Adventurer
The truly adventurers, these people posses special talents, allowing them to reach a high level of skill without a Class to assist them. They benefit from all aspects of their adventures, never failing to find new things.
This does not count as a Class, and nor does it take up a Class Slot. This Class has 5 Tiers, each Tier having 10 Levels, like traditional Classes. This Class''s Level is based on your Overall Level. It will go up a Level each time your Overall Level is a multiple of five.
+1 to All Stats each Level Minor bonus to all forms of Experience, loot drops.
(R2) First True Adventurer
Only the truly adventurous can manage to attain a high level of skill without a Class, and you not only managed it, but managed it first. Congratulations!
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I''m having fun watching him. Oh, and you owe him a gold.
Dark Squire:
Requirements: Sword Mastery 1 Rage 1 intimidate 1
Bonus: +1 Strength +1 Endurance +1 Vitality
If you take this Class, you will not be able to take on any holy Class or use any holy Skills you have already learned.
Take on this Class?
Yes No
You are now a Dark Squire!
+1 Strength +1 Endurance +1 Vitality
Yeah, well, things are as they are. Did you seriously just put your hand in fire? I like you! He says happily. And for the record: most Dark Knights do the first time they see my Sacred Fires. It''s funny. I don''t know what it is about the natural Dark Knights, but they seem to like seeing if the flame that burns without fuel atop an altar in a room clearly sacred in some way will burn them. He''s not as nocturnal as you think. He''s currently in Praevar''s mines. He''s come to expect you, Big Flame tells me. So he stops by. I generally let him know when you''re on your way. I do sometimes wait as long as possible. He was in a meeting. Thank you. That was kind of disturbing. Consider the flames an extension of myself. You''re forgiven. You''re too entertaining right now for me to stay mad at. I dunno. It''s for if any of you wish to make an offering or a sacrifice to me, he answers. There''s also a Demon Familiar Skill you can unlock at Tier 3 or above of the Class. You sacrifice a ''Vice'', something off a Monster you slayed, on the altar. The more valuable the Vice, the better the bonus to your Demon. Indeed, he responds. It is one of the few Rank 1 Classes that has Skills locked to it and to certain things. Demon Familiar is available only to it and Blood Priests who have reached Tier 3 or higher of that Classes. The Skill that allows Dark Knights to manifest a demonic aspect is also locked to Dark Knights. Might be sooner than you think, little one, funny, coming from someone that sounds like a child. As we''ve told you, I tend to speak with my faithful more often than the others do. Protip: visualize a ball of flames and say ''Fireball'', and you''ll probably get it in a few tries. Visualize it manifesting into existence through your desire and Mana, and it should, with that. Like all natural-Dark Knights, you align with me, which means you have a high affinity for it. It''ll help you butcher the Slimes, and you need Fireball for the next Tier, anyway. Indeed. No problem. You gain Skill Levels fast due to the characteristic you have of learning and adapting quickly, which provides a bonus to Experience by itself. As a result, you''re actually mostly-there in terms of the Skills and Skill Levels required for the next Tier. The only things you''re missing are a couple of Skills that you don''t have yet, and Fireball is one of those. Plus, it''ll give you an easy way to heat up the water for your baths. No probs. Oh, and by the way ¨C Crimson Guide is the other Skill you''ll need. It generally isn''t able to be learned until at least Level 10 Dark Squire, but it''s you, so I''ll let you know now about it. A sphere of a crimson light, he answers, and I sense a sort of nod from him, which is weird, since he''s a massive fucking crystal. Well, not really fucking, but you know what I mean. It emits a crimson glow, as the previous statement states. It hovers in front of the caster, floating wherever they desire it to be, adjusting its location based on where they are looking to illuminate it. The higher the Level of the Skill, the larger the area of coverage the light can affect. Probably, he answers. All you need to do is, essentially, the same thing as the Fireball. However, instead of flames, it is a light attuned to the power you hold in connection to me. As you manifest it, focus on a light that shows where you look, not where you hold. Indeed, but it takes conscious effort until Level 5 of it. That is all. Chapter 0010 <>(Zack)<> "How did a kid get Dark Squire?" A voice asks. "Wait, is that the kid that you were talking about?" I glance over to see a knight, a magician, a priest, and a rogue sitting at a nearby table, thinking I can''t hear them. It was the knight who spoke. "Yes," the priest answers. "I''m surprised you haven''t seen him yet, since he goes on a run every morning." "How did he get Dark Squire, though?" The knight asks. "To be able to get Intimidate and Taunt-" "You need to effectively intimidate and taunt things," the magician says, sipping his drink. "It isn''t that difficult against lesser creatures, but a child with a darker mind could succeed easily. That boy probably has other issues." "Regardless," the knight says. "I doubt he''ll be able to reach the Second Tier of his Class for at least five or six years. If we''re all still around then." "Make you deal," I walk over to them, and the four of them look at me. "You and me, Sir Shiny ¨C I make it to Dark Warrior within three months, you owe me a full gold. I don''t¡­ I''ll move back into the deeper territory." "You should move anyway," he says. "No one advances a Class that quickly, either. That''s an easy win for me." "So you''re taking the deal?" "Indeed," he says. "I look forward to you moving back and being safer a little bit longer." "I look forward to the gold you owe me," I grin at him. "See you." I finish my trip to the Trading Post. "Hey, Pervert!" I say when I enter. "Zacky!" I will pluck out your eyeballs and feed them to a Rat. "I-" "You got Dark Squire!" He interrupts me. "Shut up, Pervert," I say. He gasps, putting a hand over his mouth and the other on his heart. I roll my eyes as I approach the counter. "Do you have a map of the forest?" I ask. "Thirty silver!" "Five." "I''m not going to give in to your haggling, Zacky!" "Fifty copper." "Thirty silver!" "I''ll find someone who can sell me parchment and pen," I say. "I don''t want to deal with your nastiness, Pervert. Plus, your price is way too high." "That''s the discounted price for Silver Adventurers!" "Yeah, well, you''re disgusting," I say. "And your prices are absurd. Go die in a hole." Jesse fake-cries as I leave and head down the path. I''m making a mental map of it for myself, but I mostly want to have a map as well. Getting a map from them will help me compare how much of it they have accurately and how much they don''t. Not that I''ll really explore that much of the forest, since winter''s setting in and I''m only one person. It probably won''t be until after the battle. The battle¡­ If a horde of monsters comes through the valley, they''ll end up destroying the forest, won''t they? The landscape will be changed by the war that comes. Just how much past the valley is now an unknown, despite the maps they surely have of those areas? I deftly catch the Stone Spike aimed at me and glare at the Slime, which freezes in its place. "I have no love of your kind," I snarl.
Your Target Has Been Stunned for 5 Seconds!
"Fireball!" I blast the Stone Slime with the spell, melting its ooze, but not enough to kill it. My magic did expose the monster''s core, though, so I draw my sword. "Dash!" I lunge forward at a rapid speed, my sword slicing into the core before the Slime could cover it with more ooze. That Slime dead, I decide to expend a few more Fireballs and claim some more Experience before making my way into the forest. Once I''ve used up my Mana, I sneak my way through the forest, using the actual Skill for it when I can and actually need to. I spot a quartet of Level 2 Goblins, and sigh. I wish I could take them on, because that would probably be a decent amount of Experience. Erm¡­ Maybe if I used my sword¡­ I chuckle quietly to myself and put my knife away, drawing my sword. I don''t know why I haven''t been using it against the Goblins. I keep using my knife, which might explain some of my issues. With my sword in hand, I charge forward, the Goblins seeing me, then charging towards me, their own weapons ready. I deflect a short sword, then cut into the arm that held it. Then, I block a club before bringing my blade down into the shoulder of another Goblin.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. It wails as blood gushes out of the wound. Hit an artery. Good to know one''s located there. Another Goblin whacks me in the back of my head, dealing two damage to my Health, and I spin, stabbing my knife into its eye. I pull it out, turn around, dislodge my sword, and get back to work. That was the first and only injury I took, and once I''m done, I make sure my blades are clean, then sheathe the sword before cutting what I can sell off the Goblins and looting their bodies. That was some good work, if I say so myself. Once I''m cleaned-up, I begin looking through the woods again, locating a lone Level 3 Goblin. A dash and a sword to the back later, I''m a few nails and a couple of Goblin ears richer. I drive my sword into the Goblin a few times, annoyed that it didn''t have any loot for me other than the cheap parts of its body. Once its body has been properly abused, I clean my blade, inspect it for nicks, then return to hunting. The next set of Goblins I come across are eating dinner¡­ because it''s that damn hard to find them, even though there''s no one to keep their populations down. They die easily, and yield me a Level for Dark Knight. The Goblins slain, I loot their bodies, then make my way back to Maelnor, selling my loot to Jesse for a single silver before making my way to the sole restaurant-slash-tavern open in the City. By the time I sit, the sun''s long-since asleep, and I probably should be heading to bed as well, but I want to eat a ''professional'' meal for once, since my arrival here, so I''m not. The busty waitress serves me a plate of meat, potatoes, and some other vegetables cooked together. I eat it and down the ale. That stuff''s nasty, but it''s what they serve. That, or other alcohols. Once the food''s gone, I pay her the half-silver for the meal, then make my way back to my house, where I wash up, clean my clothes, mend the rip from a Goblin''s knife, then head to bed. The warrior stands before the altar to Big Flame. So he''s either got a Dark Knight Class, or was granted permission by a high-ranking Dark Knight. He stares at the empty altar before him, an altar devoid of flames, signifying the lack of Big Flame''s presence within this Dark Temple. No¡­ without his flames, according to Nik, only those with a Dark Knight Class may enter. So he''s not just a mage. Beside him, bound by tendrils of darkness, struggles a wolf nearly as tall as he is. The mage runs his hand over the altar, eyes closed, and lets out a sigh. "It is a shame," he says. "That so many of your Temples were forced to be abandoned, Big Flame. Don''t worry. I will restore this one as well." The mage grabs the wolf and lifts it as if the massive beast weighs nothing, then drops it onto the altar, more tendrils of darkness holding it down. The mage removes his tunic, his wings extending out of his back, and he flaps once, twice, then flies straight up, a sword appearing in his hands. "O Temple of the Darkest Flames," he intones, his voice echoing through the hall. "Accept my offering, and return to life." He descends, driving his powerful sword into the wolf''s chest, burying it up to the hilt. A moment later, violet flames spread from his hands to the hilt, then to the wolf, quickly consuming the beast, turning it first to ash, then to nothing, the mage holding his sword in the air, watching as the flames ¨C once the size of the wolf ¨C shrink to their normal size upon the altar, turning from violet to red, becoming the ordinary Sacred Flames of Big Flame. The mage flaps his wings, flying backwards for a moment, then dropping down, landing beside the altar. His wings vanish, along with his sword, and he pulls his tunic back on. "Thank you," the voice of Big Flame fills the air, his power great, even through the dream. "It is my duty," the mage says. "I am, first and foremost, a Champion of Darkness. For blood, by blood, the flame will burn and evil will die." "There aren''t many," Big Flame says, a Crystal matching Big C''s in size, but with a crimson coloration, darker around the edges of it, forming in the air above the altar. "Who can restore my altars. At least, not consistently. Far too many of them rest in Fallen Cities. Without you and your team, the City Barriers would remain fallen, these altars, lost." "Maybe," the mage says. No, the Dark Knight says, for he named himself as the Fifth Tier of it. "Maybe one would come along after me." "Don''t be foolish," Big Flame laughs. "As if anyone could be as impossible of an existence as you. If one did, somehow come along after you who could figure out how to perform what is needed to restore the City Barriers, they likely wouldn''t live as long as you did while trying to. With your team''s aid in restoring the City Barriers and yours in restoring Dark Temples, we are able to transport people through former Fallen Cities quickly, enabling us to begin to reestablish strongholds every few Cities." "I should be returning to the team," the Dark Knight says. "Talk to you soon, Big Flame. Once I let them know it''s restored, they should likely be here within a day, with the restoration crew here within a week or two." "As usual," Big Flame says. "Thank you again. See you later, and don''t forget to make plenty of sacrifices for me!" "Shut up!" The Dark Knight laughs, and Big Flame''s manifestation fades away. The Dark Knight then turns his gaze to me, and the dream ends. What¡­ the hell? That''s the second time he''s looked right at me, then the vision faded. At least, I think it''s at me, now, instead of through me. I sit up, thinking about the dreams. These are definitely visions. No way they could be anything else. But that one¡­ that one told me who the mage ¨C the Dark Knight ¨C is. I lift a hand up, staring at it. "Fireball." My version of a fireball appears. A blazing, brilliant, violet fireball. Unless there''s someone else out there who also has oddly-colored magic, the Dark Knight of my visions is me. If they''re true¡­ then I figure out how to restore City Barriers, and that boy that they told me about, the blond-haired healer who has yet to die in reality¡­ he''s going to be on my team when he arrives.
+1 Wisdom!
Shut up. No, you. "And you, too, Big S." He giggles in my mind, and I sigh, then look out the window. Still the middle of the night. I close my eyes, unable to sleep, my mind focusing on the dream, as well as on what I''ve realized. I didn''t really care much when my flames turned out violet when I used Fireball, as it wasn''t important to me, but now it is. Focusing inward, I decide to see if I can sense the ''Sacred Crystal'' within, if for any reason other than to get my mind off the dreams. I''m not sure what I''m trying to sense, other than that it''s called a Sacred Crystal, but as time passes, I begin to sense it, and it really does seem like a giant fucking Crystal within me. I can also sense the four elements swirling around in the same space, yet not touching it. The Crystal itself is filled with light at its core, darkening into shadows around the edges, similar to Big Flame''s manifestation. Each of the four elements have a barely-perceptible merging into the Sacred Crystal, but it''s so minute that it might as well not exist. I can sense their mergers well, each element touching both aspects of the Sacred Crystal ¨C light and dark. For the most part, they are roughly the same amount, except for fire, which has a barely-perceptible amount more than the others merged in, with roughly that much more merged into the shadowy part of it. If that makes sense at all. As I sense the elements and Sacred Crystal, I think about how I could speed up the merging of them. It supposedly takes a long time, and from what I know, they probably don''t have that much more than me for a long time. But they also don''t possess the ability to sense their own Sacred Crystals, according to Nik. Besides- Wait a second¡­ Can I really do that? No point in not trying. What''s the worse that could happen? I die again? Ha! As if! A moment later, I find success in my goal. Well, Big Flame giggles. That was unexpected! Chapter 0011 Chapter Eleven. <>(Zack)<> "Hey, Big Flame," I grin at him as I stand and face him. I stand within his temple of dark grey stones, the four gates in their places on each edge, the massive crystal from my dream floating above the altar, miniature versions floating above the pedestals around it. He radiates a warm, gentle light, one that feels akin to home. How did you summon yourself into my Sacred Temple? "I''m not entirely sure," I shrug. "I was sensing my Sacred Crystal and trying to figure out how to increase the rate at which the elements merge beyond simply growing stronger through the System, and realized I might be able to summon myself here, so I tried it, and found myself here." There are at least five things wrong with that, he says seriously. I like it! You''re a true Dark Knight! "I know," I smile. "Thanks! You know, if I summoned myself into Big C''s Sacred Temple, he''d probably get mad and smite me or something." Nah. He''d be mad, and probably force you out, but he wouldn''t smite you. He fears my own anger too much to do that. He''s actually a big softie, as much as he doesn''t want to admit it. Probably why you annoy him so much. "Can he hear us?" We can''t observe the Sacred Temples of others, he informs me. Unless they allow us to. He''s figured out you''re here, and is a little upset I won''t send you back and won''t let him observe our conversation. You are, by far, the most fun Dark Knight I''ve ever seen, Zack. "Thanks," I say. "I actually have a question for you." Sure. "It''s not a problem, with you being, you know, one of the Crystals?" Nah. I''m not as stiff as Big C is, he giggles. He hates us calling him that. Keep doing it! Sounds like the other Crystals have taken to my nickname for him. Unless Big Flame''s referring to me and him, and not him and the others. I''ll go with the first option. Anyway, he interrupts my thoughts to continue. You can think of me as the embodiment of chaos, so it''s not like I follow the same code as the others. The Crystal of Light of Fire is my opposite, that is, can be considered the embodiment of order. Though he probably wouldn''t care if you popped in and chatted with him, too. Actually, most of us wouldn''t. Actually, I think Big C''s the only one''s who''s truly stiff about contact, though I''m still the only one that actively engages with his followers outside of special circumstances. So ask away! "Are my dreams visions?" Indeed. "So I really am seeing the future?" Sort of. You''re seeing possible futures. Your gift of Sight is greater than those before you, though, and you''re seeing more likely outcomes than they could. You''re actually more powerful in terms of the second sight than the one who gave the prophecy. "The prophecy that''s referring to me." So you''ve figured it out. "You knew?" We all did. They all did? All nine of the Crystals knew that I was the one in the prophecy? "How?" I ask. "And Big C said-" He was cranky, because of your clash in personalities, he tells me. But he, too, knew that you were the one in the prophecy. How did you figure it out? "The dream I had tonight," I explain. "It had the mage ¨C the Dark Knight ¨C use fire magic of a sort. It was violet, like my flames. Why are mine violet?" We aren''t entirely sure, he answers. But we could sense the violet magics within you, and we knew that the one who would fulfill the prophecy would possess them. There were some other clue-ins as well. "Like what?" Not important, he answers, and I feel like he just shrugged. But we knew you were the one in the prophecy, no doubts about it. "Okay," I say. "Nice meeting you in-person, Big Flame! I''ll be heading back to bed, now!" See ya! He responds cheerfully. Hope you sleep well! "Same!" I say, then return to my room. I climb back onto my bed and allow myself to fall back asleep. I wake to the sun streaming through my window, then stand and stretch. After my morning run and exercises, I wash up a little bit, then eat breakfast. Dressed and ready for the day, I make my way out of town. Gonna steam up some Slimes. Once I run low on Mana, I hunt down some of the Rats with my sword, killing more Slimes when my Mana fills up again. As a Dark Knight, I''ll need plenty of it, so it''s best to train it up. The Rats range in size from the size of my foot to around two feet tall, and some of them wield swords and walk on their hind legs. There are a few that use magic, and green ones that I think are poisonous. I avoid those ones just in case, so can''t confirm. They probably are. There are a couple of strong-looking Rats that I steer clear of, as their Health, Mana, and just looks alone tell me they''re probably stronger than I currently am, just like the larger Slimes. A few are Elites or Chieftains, for both types of Monsters, but some are just plain strong. And if these damn Stone Slimes don''t stop ambushing me, I''m going to go on a rampage.
-3 Health!
THAT IS IT! I rip the Stone Spike out of my leg, spot the Slime that fired it at me, then launch the spike at its core with all of my strength, feeling my rage bubble up within me. It slams into the Slime''s core, piercing and killing it instantly. I don''t care. It''s dead, and so are the two that were beside it. And soon after, the dozen Slimes bouncing around and on a nearby rock. Then another dozen and a half a minute and a half later. By the time I calm down, I''m covered in ooze and blood, more than two hundred Slimes and Rats dead from my rampage. I''m soaked in sweat, too, my breath heavy. As my rage clears up, I steady my breathing. My Health is dangerously low, now. I took a lot of hits during the rampage, but killed a shitton of Monsters. I''ll need to see if my outfit is even worth salvaging. I might just burn it and replace it. I have enough to replace the full outfit, because of Nik. I could even potentially pay full price for it, but ain''t no way in hell am I doing that. I will haggle the hell out of them and get them at more reasonable prices. Making sure the area is clear, I sit down on a nearby rock, closing my eyes and resting, sipping some water every few moments.
+16 Health!
What the? Scanning my surroundings, the only thing I spot is a white-and-gold Heal Slime at Level 3 bouncing up and down a few yards away from me. It glows for a moment.
+16 Health!
Is it¡­ healing me? Why is a Monster healing me?
+16 Health!
"Thanks?" I say, and it bounces in a way that tells me it''s excited. Then heals me again. "You aren''t running from me or thinking I''m going to kill you?" It wiggles as if asking me as if I really would kill another Monster just because.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Another Monster? What? "Well, thanks," I make a note to ask Nik about this later. The Heal Slime makes sure I''m fully-healed, then it wiggles at me again and bounces away. I finish recovering my stamina, then eat a little bit, stand, stretch, and return to town, stopping in the Trading Post. "Oh, my goodness!" Jesse squeals. "Zacky! What happened to you? Why are you covered in so much blood? Are you alright? What happened to your outfit! It''s covered in so many rips and tears and burns!" Yeah, I''ll burn it. And hang you by your intestines. "Just give me my money," I drop what little loot I obtained earlier on the counter. "And make it fast, Pervert." Jesse frowns, but performs the exchange, and from there, I head to the Dark Temple. "Nik!" I yell. He''s in Praevar. "Whatever," I make my way inside the Dark Temple and to its bathing rooms. I strip off my clothes and set them on fire with a Fireball, then start washing myself. "Big Flame, I have a question." I might have an answer. "When I was on my rampage," I begin. "I felt like there was something at the edge of my reaches, something through my rage. But it was out of my reach, I felt. Far out of my reach." Can you describe it more? "Like¡­ like a sort of darkness," I say. "Something¡­ primal. Primal, dark, and fiery. It was weird." Ah, I think I know what you''re talking about. It was likely the-dammit. Hey, I have to go, there''s a situation in another Boundary that needs dealing with. "Another Boundary?" I''ll explain when I can contact again, though it might be awhile. Notice to all Dark Knights: it''ll be awhile before I can communicate again. His presence leaves my mind, though I can still sense his power here. Another Boundary? Wait a minute¡­ Didn''t the future-me reference other Boundaries? Or specifically, imply there were more than one? He said a Boundary, not this Boundary. Possible futures involve me moving to other Boundaries. And Big Flame said that I was seeing the most likely futures¡­ What if those weren''t two difference instances of what could happen here, but rather, things in two different Boundaries entirely? That would explain why he ¨C why I ¨C showed up so late to the battle. What if I had only just arrived in that Boundary? And they were close to dying, too. Had I shown up too much later, the last City there would have fallen for sure. It''s years away, though, I decide as I lower myself into a bath to soak. So there''s no use worrying about it at the moment. For now, I need to focus on the present, on killing Monsters and growing stronger, on being ready for my future team. And for winter. After having thoroughly turned myself into a prune ¨C or at least, my fingers and toes ¨C I exit the bath and dry off, then pull on a fresh outfit. That done, I make my way to the market to buy some new clothes and stock up on food. "You dealing with the cold alright?" The lady behind the counter asks. "Yeah," I answer. "It''ll get colder, come another couple of weeks," she tells me. "Winter sets in fast around here, and temperatures rarely rise above freezing. If you don''t stay moving and bundle up warm, you''ll get sick. At night, it drops well below freezing." "Ah," I say. "So keep a fire nearby at night. Thanks." "Actually," she says. "Give me one minute, Zack." She heads to the back, returning after a few minutes with a box. She opens it up and pulls out a dark grey stone with crimson runes etched around it. "We just got a large shipment of these in," she informs me. "They''re heat stones. Imbue them with a little bit of Mana to activate them, and they''ll run for around ten hours. Their major downside is that you can''t turn them off, so once they''re running, they''re running. They''ll warm a space around fifteen feet in diameter ¨C enough to warm all four bunks in a room in the temporary quarters. "There are three major downsides," she states. "The first is their inability to be turned off. The second is that they''re a single-use item. The third and final one is that they cost a full silver, and is not one that you get a discount for without having at least a diamond tag. They''re difficult to produce, taking a fair bit of enchanting and having at least Level 15 Enchanter as a Subclass." "So I won''t be buying them for ten copper?" I ask, and she laughs. "No, sorry," she says. "Even a platinum-badge wouldn''t get them that low, no matter the haggling power they hold." We''ll see about that once I earn my diamond badge. "How many do you have?" I ask. "I have a thousand of them," she answers. "Just opened up the crate a few minutes before you walked in here, straight from the inner Cities. A lot of us just got our orders in. I can buy around eighty at full price, but I don''t want to pay that much. "So everyone uses them?" I ask. "Most do," she nods. "There are these heat pebbles, then the heat stones, then the heat lamps. The pebbles are these guys. The heat stones are about twice the size and can be turned on and off, and last between sixteen and twenty hours, but cost four silver instead. Then the heat lamps¡­ well, they''re larger stones, can cover a much larger space, and can last anywhere from eight hundred to a thousand hours. They, too, can be turned on and off. However, they also cost ten gold." So though they only last twice as long and a hundred times as long, they cost four times as much and a thousand times as much. At least in the latter case, it has the added benefit of covering a larger area. Unfortunately, I can''t afford that, even discounted. Best to stock up on some of the heat pebbles now, though, in case she''s out when I need them. Let''s see if I can haggle her down a bit. "Can I get," I say. "Fifty heat pebbles and ten heat stones for thirty silver?" "That''s ninety," she tells me. "Thirty-one?" I raise an eyebrow, and she laughs. "You''re not going to give up on haggling, are you?" "Nope!" "Ninety." "Thirty-one!" "Eighty-five." "You''re haggling," I grin at her. "Thirty-two!" I manage to get her to sell them to me for forty-three, which is nearly half of what they cost. It''s gotta be how adorable I am, there''s no other explanation for why she''d discount something so much if they don''t normally give a discount for at least two more tag ranks. That, and because I''m so annoying, they''ll do it just to get rid of me. I''ll only use them if I absolutely need to, though. Unless I''m hunting Bounty Beasts, odds of me being able to just spend the money on them isn''t strong. I need to eat, replace clothes, occasionally repair or replace weapons, and such. These count as a luxury. If anything, I can just bundle up more in another blanket or two and sleep by a fire. But this is in case I receive teammates before winter''s end, even though it''s doubtful. And in case the temperatures are too unbearable to manage, even with blankets and a fire. The latter is the only case I''ll probably use them alone, but there is no way in the Boundary am I going to subject my teammates to that sort of suffering unless they can handle it. Not everyone has as strong a mind as me. Restocked on supplies and stocked up on pebbles and stones, I leave, passing through the streets, receiving a little more looks than I probably should. I don''t blame them, though ¨C if they haven''t heard of me yet, the appearance of a child here would probably stun them. Then add on that I''m dressed a little decently, even if not expensively, and they might not be comfortable with my presence, thinking I''m a rich brat who came here with the latest shipment of supplies. Whoever brought them will probably be spending a night or two, before heading back. If they do know about me, they''re probably wondering where the two extra Levels came from, or why I haven''t left yet, or why I''m so insistent on staying here. A sign catches my attention. It has no words, but it has the image of a potion bottle with a purple liquid hanging from it. I''ve passed this place a few times, but haven''t paid much attention to it. I could probably avoid needing to rest in a Monster-filled area if there are potions that can restore my Health. It would be a necessary expense. I stop inside the well-lit shop, where a man in his forties sits behind a counter, mixing some sort of potion. "Good evening, Zack," the alchemist greets me. "How are you?" "I''m alright," I answer. "I was wondering the pricing on potions that restore Health. Those exist in the Boundary, right?" "They do, indeed," he nods. "I''m Blaine, by the way. I''m the local alchemist, for now. Properly made, Health and Mana Potions come in Lesser, Minor, Regular, Greater, Major, Legendary, Mythical. The first three will restore ten, thirty, and one hundred, respectively. They cost fifty copper, a silver twenty, and two silver, eighty." So the cost goes down just a little bit as the quality goes up, which is good, to me. It''s so expensive for so little, though¡­ Then again, it takes less than twenty minutes to heal to full from empty, and with Health, if you''re at empty, you''re dead. Potions are probably more of an emergency thing. Actually, the weaker ones might be useful for starting Adventurers, now that I think about it. Odds are, they''d be in a party with stronger people who could probably afford a couple of them when they first start out. That, or someone who could heal them. Ah, right. I still need to ask Nik about that. "Alright," I say. "I''d like to buy three regular Health Potions for ten silver." "That''s twenty-eight." "Ten." "Twenty-eight." "Ten." "I''ve haggled against Nik," he tells me. "Insisting I allow you to pay only a third isn''t going to work against me." "Eleven." "Twenty-eight." I haggle him down to thirteen. I still pay less than half the price. Done with that, I wish him a good day and leave, making my way to the Dark Temple. "Niiiiiiiiiiiik!" I yell when I return. He should be back by now. "Niiiiiiiiiik!" "Jeez," Nik steps out of a hall. "You have access to the Temple, yet you still do that." "Yeah," I say. "Hey, I have a question." "When don''t you?" "Imma stab you." He dodges. Asshole. "Alright," I say. "So earlier, I went into some sort of rampage that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Slimes and Rats in the fields to the west. During that rampage, I almost went into some sort of extra form of rage. I asked Big Flame, and he was answering, but then he said he had to go and gave that announcement." "He does that every now and then," Nik shrugs. "No one ever knows what he''s doing when he becomes unreachable, though we can still sense his power. It''s like he''s focusing on something elsewhere." Another Boundary, no doubt. "Yeah," I nod. "Do you know what it was?" "I might," he nods. "But I won''t confirm it for sure, in case I''m wrong." "Okay," I say. "After that happened, I was low on Health, so I sat on a rock to heal since, y''know, everything around me was dead, meaning I wasn''t really in danger. Then a Heal Slime started healing me. I know they don''t have attacks, and that they don''t jump at you or anything, but it was just actively healing me. Why didn''t it flee?" "It was Healing you?" He looks stunned. "Yeah." "And you''re only a Level 4 Dark Squire?" That implies this isn''t abnormal¡­ at a higher Level Dark Knight. "Uh¡­ yeah," I say. "Why?" "That isn''t normal until at least Level 8 Dark Warrior," he tells me. Yep. Higher-Level Dark Knight. "We can go into ''monster mode'' at a times, if we allow ourselves to sink into our more primal side, typically through anger. For awhile, we''ll be acknowledged by Monsters as one of them, and they won''t register that we aren''t." "So I could''ve walked right by Monsters, and they wouldn''t have been hostile to me?" "Nope," he answers. "They would have thought you were one. It generally won''t work against Bounty Beasts, Chieftains, Elites, and Kings, though the stronger you are, the easier it will be to affect them as well." That is so cool. "Thanks, Nik," I say. "I''m heading home. Talk to you tomorrow." He nods, and I head out, focusing on summoning the Crimson Guide on the way. Chapter 0012 <>(Zack)<> "Hey, Pervert!" I cheerfully greet Jesse. "Look what I managed on my way home last night! Crimson Guide!" A crimson orb the size of my fist forms in front of me, and I grin at Jesse. "And even though I was only at 6% to Level 5 of Dark Squire," I add. "There was something called-" "Ability Adjustment?" He asks. "Yep!" I nod, dismissing the spell. It adjusted me to Level 5 Dark Squire, as that''s apparently the minimum someone is supposed to learn it at. "Huh," he looks shocked. "I wasn''t aware Crimson Guide had that! That explains why only Dark Squires and Dark Knights can learn it, then! I''ll have to ask Nik-" "He said he wasn''t aware of it," I interrupt. "Just that he knew he''d never heard of anyone earning it before Level 7 Dark Squire, and that it was normal to finally learn it at Level 10, even though it''s necessary for Dark Warrior." "So, Zacky," he smiles. "What can I do for you?" Contract Zulni''s Rot, so that you rot while still alive in a long, painful, agonizing death that lasts for months before you succumb, because there''s no cure or treatment for it. That was a fun one to discover existed here. That, and the fact that, just like Resurrection, the cure is believed to not exist. One day, I will prove it does, just like I will for the Skill for Resurrection. "Just wanted to show off my new Skill and Level," I grin. "See you!" I skip out of the Trading Post and make my way out of town, leaving behind a trail of dead Slimes and Rats on my way to the forest. There, I begin my usual hunt, entering into what is going to be a long, long grind for me. The days pass, and the leaves turn fully, then fall. Big Flame continues to be absent, focusing on whichever Boundary needs his undivided attention. I continue to push for Levels as hard as I can. Finally, three days before my self-imposed deadline, I reach my goal. Dark Squire Level 10. Looking at the requirements to advance, I find that I was right ¨C I needed Knife Mastery for Dark Warrior. That, and Crimson Guide and Fireball, all at Level 1 or higher. Then the three for Dark Squire at Level 4 or higher. The boosts Dark Warrior grant me for Leveling it are the same as Dark Squire, but with two additional points. So instead of one of each for Strength, Endurance, and Vitality, I receive one of each for Strength, Endurance, and Wisdom, and two Vitality. I select the Class, then receive the boosts. Then, I stretch. After that, I walk back to town, because the sun''s starting to set. By the time I reach town, the sun''s long set and snow has begun to fall. Small flakes, just here and there. I reach Jesse, and he congratulates me on my advancement. "Thanks," I tell him. "Some random adventurer owes me a full gold." "His name''s Adam," Jesse informs me. "Good," I say. "Let him know I''ll be looking for him, Pervert, because I did it several months short of what our deal was." Before Jesse responds, I dump my loot on the counter and tell him to exchange it out for me. Once he does, I head to the local tavern to celebrate my advancement by myself, though a few of the adventurers approach me to do it, too. I like my form of celebration, which is eating a good meal cooked by a professional. Not that I''m half-bad, considering I''ve been cooking for myself. I''ve adapted to it pretty well and have managed to not kill myself, and I think it tastes great. Therefore, I''m a good cook. Not an expert or anything, just good. Once I finish my meal, I head home, wash my clothes, then soak for awhile before getting out, drying off, and changing into my night clothes. That done, I head to the room with the firepit and get a decent fire going, curling up in front of it with a blanket wrapped tightly around me. It''s cold, but I''m still not going to waste my heat pebbles and stuff on myself. It''s not too cold for this to keep me warm. As I focus on meditation and increasing the amount of elements merged into my Sacred Crystal, I begin to drift off. The chaotic flows of existence have been altered. The hands of fate have changed. I bolt upright. That was a voice in my head, yet at the same time, a message in my vision. Not two separate things, though ¨C they were a single thing, and yet¡­ not. What the hell was that? And what did it mean? I attempt to manifest myself into Big Flame''s temple, so I can talk with him about it, only I find myself repelled. Dammit. Whatever''s keeping his attention, he still doesn''t want visitors. I could use the same connection I passed through into his Temple to enter another, but¡­ I''m not sure I want to do that right now. I don''t really know the others. He referred to Big C as ''Wisdom'', so he''d probably be the one to ask, but¡­ I don''t know. I could probably ask Big Breeze, too. I''d probably be more likely to get an answer from Big Breeze than his counterpart, anyway. Wrapping myself back up, I settle back down in front of my fire and close my eyes. No use worrying about it, I''ll just ask Big Flame when he finally finishes whatever he''s doing. My mind takes a long time to wind down and allow me to sleep, but once it does, I drift into dreams of a possible future. A boy around twelve or thirteen stares up at Big C. He''s dressed in black skinny jeans and a black tee, black skater shoes on his feet. He has straight, dark brown hair and bright, azure eyes. He''s lean, but toned, a sign of an active kid. The boy''s slight smile and the vibe of the air in the dream tells me that the ancient being is frustrated, likely by something the boy said. "So?" The boy asks. "You gonna answer, or what?" You are as bad as Zack, I swear, Big C sighs in exasperation. No, wait ¨C I take that back. No one is as bad as Zack. But you definitely compete with him. "Who''s Zack?" The boy asks. The biggest pain in the- Big C begins, but cuts himself off, realizing that his comment would be unbecoming of his facade. Another Adventurer. You two would do well together. That, or destroy the world. I''m not sure which is better. Will you accept the offer? "I don''t know," the boy smirks. "Getting to keep living sounds like a sweet deal, but I don''t really know about this whole ''kill monsters to live happily'' thing. Nor not remembering anything. Will I at least get to eat six meals a day?Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. You didn''t eat that much in-oh, never mind! Big C groans. It''s useless. "As useless as a guy who just floats all day?" The boy asks, and I can sense Big C''s annoyance aimed at the boy, who ignores it as if it''s just a bug flying around. "Sure, I''ll accept it. How much you gonna pay me?" I already told you that you aren''t getting paid for this! Big C responds. You-never mind. It''s useless. Congratulations on your new life, and all that. Goodbye. The Sacred Temple and Sacred Crystal fade away, the boy finding himself standing beside a tree at night. A very familiar-looking tree. I snap my eyes open, waking from the vision. I wiggle out of my blanket and look into the yard, but there''s no one there. After staring at the tree for several minutes, I sigh, then cocoon myself back into the blanket, wiggle closer to the coals, then return to sleep. When I wake, I fix myself a hot breakfast, then make my way to the Dark Temple. Two inches of snow coats the ground, and it continues to lightly fall. Hopefully, this doesn''t cause too many problems when fighting. At the Temple, I walk through, hoping Nik is here. Since Big Flame isn''t communicating, Nik doesn''t necessarily know when I''m on my way, so he can''t time himself to be here. That said, he does still normally wait for me. But he usually makes his appearance before I enter the temple itself, so him not being around when I arrive is concerning. After half an hour of searching, I find him kneeling in front of the altar, where Big Flame''s presence is the strongest. Maybe I should''ve searched here, first. You''re a fucking moron, Zack. I wait, but after ten minutes of it, I get antsy. I''m not used to waiting like this, and Nik isn''t moving, almost like a statue. "Nik?" I say, and he jumps slightly, snapping to look at me. "Don''t behead me, I was just not sure if you were alive or had become, like, petrified or something. You haven''t moved in ten minutes." "I was in Dark Meditation," he stands, turning to face me properly. "It''s something you wouldn''t be able to¡­ congrats on your advancement. I''m sure Adam will try to avoid you as long as possible. Rumors of your haggling prowess have spread, and he doesn''t want to cough up the gold. So he''ll be thoroughly scared of your approach." I grin at him, then remember why I was looking for him. Well, the new reason, I already forgot the reason I was coming to talk with him. "What were you in Dark Meditation for?" "Big Flame," he answers. "I''m a bit concerned by his silence. I was using Dark Meditation in an attempt to reach him." "He said he wouldn''t be reachable," I remind him. "Normally," he explains. "When Big Flame is like this, we can communicate with him for three hours every two weeks, and make our offerings and perform the proper sacrifices and such and receive an actual response to them. It''s been more than two weeks, and that period hasn''t come and gone, and it''s always exactly two weeks from when he sends that notification." So something''s wrong, then. If Big Flame didn''t do something he always does¡­ what is so bad it''s pulling his attention away from everyone else to the point he won''t even give that temporary contact? The old Dark Knight in front of me looks genuinely concerned. "Big Flame''s presence is as steady as ever," I observe, both the flames and his presence in the room the same as they have always been. At least, for me. "So I don''t think it''s too much to worry about." "Maybe," Nik says. "But I''m still concerned. I have the closest connection to him of all the Dark Knights, so they requested that I attempt to contact him. When supplies arrive in the next couple of hours, six more Dark Knights will be arriving, all of them with a high affiliation to His Blazingness, and we''ll perform the Dark Meditative Chant, a group version of Dark Meditation, in the hopes of contacting him." Seems a bit extreme. I step up to the altar and draw my knife, quickly and expertly slicing my arm, then returning my knife to its sheathe. I hold my arm over the flames and allow my blood to drip down into them. Where my blood touches, the dark red flames turn violet, but only for a moment. After several seconds of this, the flames around my arm form almost tentacles of fire, wrapping around my arm and practically drinking my blood, turning violet as it does. As the flames accept my self-sacrifice, I focus on my power of visions. I''ve never attempted this before, never attempted to force a vision, but I pray to whatever being allowed the Crystals to be that it works. After several long seconds of the flaming tentacles drinking my blood, my surroundings change. I see in all directions around me at once, hovering above my surroundings. A warm, red light illuminates the area around me, dark red chains with black runes etched into them extending from my avatar, rooting me to the ground. No¡­ not my avatar¡­ this is¡­ I am in Big Flame''s manifestation in another Boundary. Power is flowing from him through the chains and into the ground. We''re not in a Dark Temple, but rather, outside, in a large clearing in a forest. A dozen or so men and women clad in the armor of the Dark Knights mill about, looking at the edges of the clearing nervously. It''s around a hundred yards in total, though after around seventy yards, there''s a shimmering, translucent barrier of swirling red and black. Lines of crimson energy run from the chains to the barriers. I feel a rage burn within me. They tricked him into manifesting himself, just so they could chain him down and bind him. "They didn''t," Big Flame''s voice enters my mind. "This is¡­ an interesting experience, Zack. I never expected you to manage to do something like this." What''s going on? "Other than my favorite Dark Knight somehow managing to cast his vision into my manifestation in another Boundary?" He asks. "In what should be an impossible feat? I''ve been forced to manifest myself here to protect my Dark Knights in this Boundary. The barrier is concealing their location and powers, making it impossible for others to find them. The other Crystals are working furiously to enable my people to return." These are the last Dark Knights here, aren''t they? "Unfortunately," he confirms. "Alexander has managed to turn everyone against the Dark Knights and Blood Priests ¨C the latter of which have no living Adventurers with the Class of, outside of three of the Dark Knights here." His focus hits three of the Dark Knights at once, two of them women, one of them an old man, all three clad in armor and equipped with swords and knives, not staffs. "We aren''t sure how long this will take," he tells me. "But we''re all unable to contact other Boundaries until I can release this manifestation. It isn''t like my normal manifestations, in which I''m simply projecting an avatar of myself. Instead, I am actually partially here. The others have all done the same. In order to perform this, our Sacred Temples become sealed off, and we can''t even contact each other or travel between." That explains why I couldn''t enter his, then. I guess that means I won''t be able to enter the others, either. "Yeah," he says. "Sorry about that. I would''ve mentioned it if I could, so you didn''t feel rejected or ignored, but I can''t communicate outside of here. Intellect and Wisdom are the only ones who can have anyone pass through them, and that''s because they''re the ones people pass through to enter the Boundary after death or when they die in the Boundary." Intellect¡­ is that Big Breeze? "Big Breeze?" He asks. "Ah, you''re referring to Dark of Air?" Yeah. "Yeah, that''s him," he answers. "You pass through his Temple if you die in the Boundary. Or in reality, but it''s a little bit differently, then, because of where you''re coming from. You get diverted to Big C if you are able to exist in the Boundary." "My Lord," a Dark Knight who appears to be in his thirties, with a broad chest and muscular arms approaches, bowing. "Is everything alright? You''ve been speaking with yourself for the last few minutes." "Actually," Big Flame says. "I''ve been speaking with my favorite Dark Knight. He''s managed to cast his psychic vision here to communicate with me. He''s in another Boundary, and because of my manifestation here, I''m unreachable out there. This is impressive, and only increases his likability to me. "Anyway," Big Flame returns his attention to me. "It might be several more months before I can release my manifestation. Don''t worry too much about me, though, Zack ¨C there isn''t a thing in any realm of existence that could damage me or bind my powers, I promise. "Before you run out of energy," he comments, probably sensing how low I''m getting. Despite my immense pool of energy and stamina, this contact is draining me fast, and I''ll probably pass out shortly. "I''ll ask that you pass word on to everyone that we are doing alright, as well as that it might be several more months before we can perform any contact. Not just me ¨C all of us. And please inform Nik that I could sense him in his Dark Meditation, but even the Dark Meditative Chant won''t allow me to reach them." Yes, Greatest Flame. Hey¡­ have you basically revealed to them here all this stuff you''ve told me? Won''t that cause a problem? "Nah," he answers. "They can''t actually understand me unless I''m directing it to them. Though I suppose they''ll have the knowledge there are more Boundaries, but with it coming from Dark Knights, it''ll likely remain a Dark Knight thing for a long while, even if others hear of the story. "Anyway," he continues. "You''re about to pass out, so goodbye, Zack, and good luck. And please inform them that I''m sorry I can''t grant them a few hours every couple of weeks for the offerings, I really don''t mean to do that to them, but it''s necessary for me to do this, to protect my people properly." I nod, then focus on my real body and pull my arm out of the fire. My vision swims for a moment as it readjusts to being a human''s, not a giant fucking crystal''s. Well, not fucking, but you know what I mean. Then, a few moments after that, my vision swims again, and blackness fills it as my body collapses. Chapter 0013 <>(Zack)<> The bed I''m on is super comfy. It''s definitely not mine. So soft and springy, yet firm as well. And the blanket and pillows so soft and fluffy, the sheets and pillowcase so smooth and silky. It''s a nice bed. I want this bed. Opening my eyes, I find myself on a bed with red and black bedclothes, in a room with smooth, black stone walls, crimson candles set into candelabra on the walls. I pull the blankets off of me, then notice that I''m wearing black and red pajamas, not my own. Nik must have changed me before putting me into the bed. I''m not sure how I feel about that, but I think he did it from some sort of fatherly instinct, not out of perversion. I inspect my arm, tracing a finger along where I sliced myself. I can''t see a scar, but I can sense the spot I cut myself, as if there''s a flame running along it. Not one that burns, mind you, just¡­ one that''s there. A little unsteady, I take a few steps around the room, stretching and getting my bearings. That done, I change into a regular outfit, picking up the one I was wearing before. It''s been cleaned and dried, and was folded neatly on a wooden table in one corner of the room. I send it and the pajamas into my Inventory, then pull on my boots. Before I open the door, however, it opens, and a three foot-tall bear enters the room, then stares at me with its crimson eyes. The bear has short, silky-looking pitch-black fur, a pair of crimson horns protruding from its head, curving back and to away from each other every-so-slightly. A duo of black, slim, furless tails flick behind it, a spade on the tip of each one. "Uh¡­ hi," I say. "Oh, you finally woke," he responds in a childlike voice. "Uh¡­ yeah," I say. "Uh¡­ who are you?" "I''m Kulkul, Nik''s Demonic Familiar," he answers. "I''ve been keeping an eye on you since my master put you to bed in here." "How long was I out?" I ask. "Eight days," he answers. "Nik''s been worried sick that you won''t wake up, especially since the Dark Meditative Chant didn''t work. He had Adrian check you out, but the old fart from the Temple couldn''t discern the cause of your sleep, nor wake you. They even got a magician who can affect dreams try to enter your mind, to see how your conscious thought was doing. "Did you know," he says. "That when someone tries to enter your mind, they''re immediately met with a wall of fire that burns their physical body? I had never seen something like that before. Luckily, you were at the Temple, so it wasn''t a big problem. She was healed quickly." Ewwww! They tried getting a chick to go into my mind! Gross! I mean, I have an issue with anyone trying to enter my mind, but still! Gross! Kulkul giggles, and I realize I''m making a face, so stop. "Nik''s currently praying in the Chamber," he tells me. "Would you like me to escort you there?" "If you wish," I say. "I can find my own way there." "Okay," he shrugs. "I''ll walk with you, since I''m heading back to him, anyway." Kulkul and I walk to the Altar Chamber, chatting along the way. He tells me a lot of stories about things he''s done with Nik, as well as some interesting stories about Nik himself. It seems that Nik has kept Kulkul away from me for the most part, only summoning his physical form once he''s reached Praevar, thinking it best if I didn''t meet him just yet. I''m not sure why, though, since Kulkul has a ton of stories to tell. There are definitely more than the ones he''s told me by the time we reach the chamber, and I''m sure we could spend days telling them. Well, him telling Nik''s, but also me telling some of mine. Kulkul likes to collect stories, it seems, and has picked them up from others. I go to enter the Altar Chamber, and Kulkul stays beside the door. "Aren''t you coming in?" I ask. "No," he shakes his head. "Only Dark Knights may enter, not even we Demonic Familiars are able to." "Ah," I say. "So you''re just going to wait here until he leaves?" He nods. I rub his head, then enter the Altar Chamber. Nik is on his knees, just like when I approached him a week ago. No doubt in Dark Meditation, praying for me to wake. He doesn''t respond as I approach, though worry is clear on his face. "Nik," I stop walking beside him, and he starts for a moment, then looks at me. He smiles, standing. "I''ve woken." "At last," he says. "How do you feel?" "Hungry," I answer. "I haven''t eaten in a week, other than that honey-and-nectar mixture you''ve been having Kulkul feed me." He laughs, saying that he''ll have Kulkul cook us a meal. Once he says that, he suddenly looks serious, looking at the flames on the Dark Altar. "Zack," he looks back at me. "What happened? You bled yourself into the flames, then they began to wrap around your arm and feed directly from you. Your eyes turned violet ¨C we''ll discuss that later-"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Oh, right. He knows about the mage''s eyes turning violet when he uses magic. I haven''t told him yet that the mage is actually a Dark Knight, and none other than the one standing before him. Oops. "-and you spaced out," he continues. "Then after several minutes, you pulled your arm out, looked unsteady, became focused, and then swayed, your eyes rolling to the back of your head as you passed out. I barely managed to catch you. Your arm was healed fully as well, though I can sense a trace of fiery magic where your cut was." So it''s not just me sensing that? Interesting to know. "What happened?" He asks. "I forced a vision," I answer. "One connecting me to Big Flame, with the intent to see if I could check in on him." "Did you manage?" He asks. "You passed out, and have been out for eight days." He''s looking me up and down and all over, and I can see the concern in his eyes. He''s definitely feeling like a father with me. He''s seeing me as a son, and one he needs to protect and keep safe. As much as I amuse him as a Dark Knight, and as much as he encourages me¡­ he doesn''t want me being me because it means I''d likely get hurt bad. But he lets me anyway, because he cares about me too much to upset me on that level. He really does feel like he''s my father. He''s more of a father than mine ever was. Shaking that thought from my mind, I look at the now-confused Dark Knight before me. "Don''t worry about that," I tell him. "Just a thought that crossed my mind, probably something surfacing from before my death in reality." "Okay," he still looks concerned. "Are you alright?" "I am," I smile. "I promise. And I did contact Big Flame. He apologized for not being able to contact us, and said it could be a few more months. He''s currently incapable of doing the contact every couple of weeks, and is genuinely sad about that, and about upsetting you guys with the lack of it. He said that all of the Crystals will be unreachable until then, but that their presence will still be here. They''re just busy with the fight against the Shadow of Life, and are currently forced to devote their attention elsewhere, unable to pull it away for even a moment." That''s actually the truth, in a way. I''m curious to know why he spent so much effort turning the people of that Boundary against the Dark Knights and Blood Priests. What would come of that? It''s not like erasing the presence of an entire Class would weaken the seals on him. At least, that''s what my gut tells me, and considering my prophetic dreams¡­ I''m inclined to believe the gut. "That is good, then," Nik sighs in relief. "Though I''m not sure how I feel about all of them needing to devote their attention elsewhere." "It''s nothing to worry about," I say. "Big Flame assured me that they should be done in a few months, though considering we''re Dark Knights, I doubt it''d take that long." "What does that have to do with anything?" Oops. "We''re Dark Knights," I grin at him. "Our devotion to him is so strong, I''m sure he''ll be able to feed on it and deal with the issue waaaaaaay faster! I wonder how much power he''d get if I cut off my hand and fed it to his flames." "Please don''t," he shakes his head. "Kulkul says we have about ten minutes before he''s finished cooking." I nod, then we begin to walk to the dining room. We reach it and sit down, discussing training and how I should modify it a little, now that I''m a Dark Warrior, then Kulkul comes out with trays of food on carts, setting them out on the table. He''s wearing a cute little black apron with Big Flame''s insignia embroidered onto it with red thread. He is so adorable, I want to just pick him up and cuddle him. Nik laughs when I ask if I can cuddle his Demon Familiar tonight, and Kulkul looks terrified. "What?" I ask. "While you were out," he says. "Kulkul was feeding you the nectar one time, and you grabbed him and pulled him into the bed, wrapping your arms tightly around him and nuzzling him. You did that for about twelve hours before he managed to escape." I guess he''s really comfy, then. I like soft fur, it feels nice. And when it''s on a cuddly creature¡­ I guess I can''t help it. "So can I?" Nik laughs again, and Kulkul sighs, shaking his head. "Are you staying here tonight?" He asks, and I shrug. "The Dark Temple holds no cost to sleep in for a Dark Knight, Zack. You''ve always been free to sleep here. I guess that was never mentioned to you." "Nope," I shrug. "I think I''ll still sleep at the quarters, though. Once I get a team, it''d be best if we''re sleeping together, and I''d rather not get too used to sleeping in comfort and warmth here. Mind if I steal the bed, though? It''s way comfier than that straw mattress." Nik just laughs, shaking his head. We finish eating, then I stretch and yawn. Even though I was unconscious for a week, I''m tired. I may have been unconscious, but I was not sleeping. So I look forward to passing out and getting a solid amount of sleep. "I''m going to go lie down here," I tell him. "Then when I wake, I''ll probably head back home to check on things there." "Alright," he says. "It''s evening, which is why Kulkul made a dinner meal, so you''ll probably wake during the night or in the morning." I nod, then wish him a goodnight, then look at Kulkul. "Can I cuddle you tonight?" I ask. "Get your own Demon Familiar," he tells me. "I am a demon, not a cuddlebuddy." "You look like a giant, cuddly teddy bear," I tell him. "How weak are you to be unable to escape a kid new to the Boundary?" If he could blush, he probably would be doing so furiously right now. Actually, he probably is, I just can''t see it because of his fur and matching skin. "No," he states firmly. "Please?" I give him puppy eyes. "No." "Nik?" I look at the demon''s master. "I can only sustain his physical form," Nik tells me. "At the expense of Mana. I had to drink quite a few Mana Potions to keep him around while you were snuggling him before. I haven''t left here to make sure I was here when you woke, and I do need some sleep tonight, so I won''t be able to." "Okay," I say, then look at Kulkul. "Consider yourself lucky tonight." He sighs in relief, and I get up and walk over to him, wrapping my arms around him in a hug. Even though his fur is sort-of short, it really is super-soft! He''s so cuddly, too. That''s definitely fat underneath his fur! "I''m a demon!" Kulkul fights out of my grip. "Not a cuddly bear! Stop that! It''s disgraceful and rude and unbecoming of a demon!" Says cuddly bear wearing an apron and cooking dinner. I dip my head to them, then make my way back to the room I woke in, changing into my regular nightclothes and lying down. As usual, I begin my nightly meditation and reflection into my Sacred Crystal, though when I do this time, I notice a change. Two changes, actually. I''m not surprised by the increase in the merging of the flames, considering I gained a full Level for "Ultimate Sacrifice of Service". A static, one-hundred percent Experience bonus to Dark Warrior. I was willing to give up my lifeblood and life to contact Big Flame, even though I don''t want to die. I wanted to make sure he was alright. That said, I wasn''t expecting the flames to be merged five times as much more than they were before. That''s a much, much larger difference. Then there''s the other change, and this one is¡­ interesting. It might explain the sense of fire in my arm. Running roughly a quarter of the length of the Sacred Crystal within me is a super-thin band of violet fire, existing entirely within the darker part of the Sacred Crystal, as if along the edge of it. It isn''t centered in anyway, it''s simply there, and it''s entirely unexpected. What does that mean? And what will it do to me? Chapter 0014 <>(Zack)<> A cool, dark light emitted by the dark version of Big C fills this Sacred Temple. Big Breeze seems to be just as stunned as I am, though for different reasons than me. I can sense his total attention focused on me and how I made it in here with the block into their Sacred Temples in place. Meanwhile, I have my eyes closed, because the first thing I saw when I entered his Sacred Temple was not him, but rather, the thirty-four naked people in it. Men, women, young, old, in-between, of many races, hair colors, and eye colors. And again, naked. "You can open your eyes," a child, a boy, says. "No. No, I can''t," I say. "Yes, you can," he sighs. "You can''t see them anymore." "I''ll still know they''re there," I say. "I''m going." "They''re not there anymore," he tells me. "You can open your eyes." "If they''re not here, how are you talking to me?" Because that is my manifestation of a mortal avatar, the same voice echoes in my head. I find it easier to communicate with people through it than this when in my Sacred Temple. I slowly crack an eye open, seeing just a boy wearing black pants, a pure-white tunic, and black boots that go up to his knees, white laces holding them tight around his legs. Confirming it''s just him, I open my eyes and look around. This space is smaller than the other¡­ that one was about three times as large. Once I''m sure no one else is here, I look back to Big Breeze''s manifestation. "Uh¡­ what the hell was that?" I ask. "And if I ever see it again, it''ll be too soon." "You won''t see that one, specifically," he tells me. "But you''ll be there again, and not by choice." "Oh, yeah?" "Yeah," he nods. "I''m guessing Chaos didn''t summon you into his temple, then?" "He¡­ told you he did?" "Yeah," he snorts. "But considering that you just summoned yourself into mine, even though it shouldn''t be possible until we divert our efforts¡­ until we stop acting against-" "I''m fully-aware there are other Boundaries." "He shouldn''t have told you that!" Big Breeze suddenly looks furious, his light feeling dangerous as he clenches his fists, anger clear in his eyes as his jaw tics slightly. "Why did he tell-" "One," I interrupt. "He slipped up by accident. Two, I''ve had dreams referencing ''a Boundary'' instead of ''the Boundary'', and three, if you look into my Sacred Crystal, you''ll notice a ''scar'' of sorts, which is reflected by an invisible scar on my arm." "I earned it," I hold my right arm out, forearm up so he can see it. "By cutting myself and allowing my blood to feed his Sacred Flames on the Dark Altar in our local Dark Temple, then using his ''feeding'' as a link to work with my power of sight to try and see if he was okay. "It had an interesting effect," I say as he stares hard at my arm. "In that instead of simply seeing if he was okay, as was my intent, I ended up entering his manifestation, in a sense, in another Boundary. So even without him slipping up on that a few weeks ago, I would''ve known a week ago, when I did that and found myself occupying the same space as him." Big Breeze takes a deep breath, then lets it out, his anger fading from his body. Or at least, he looks calm. He looks up at me, and I drop my arm back down to my side. "Okay," he says. "You were honest, there. I''m still mad at him for leaking it." "Can you seriously blame him?" I ask. "Considering it''s me we''re talking about. How often do one of you Crystals accidentally leak something to us? How often do you encounter someone like me?" He thinks about it for several long moments, then sighs, shrugging. "I don''t know," he answers. "Not commonly. I''ll still reprimand him, but I won''t do it as harshly. And I''ll wait until after we finish dealing with the other Boundary''s issues." "Be kind to him." He opens his mouth to speak, as if to reprimand me. He''s one of the true Sacred Crystals, after all, and I just gave him an order. But then he closes his mouth, huffing and shaking his head in frustration. "You''re more loyal to him than you show," he tells me. "He''s fortunate to have you as a follower. Whatever you do, please don''t bleed yourself into him to do that ever again." "Considering that it could have killed me last time?" I ask. "I wouldn''t do it unless I was truly concerned for him." In other words, I might do it again, even if it costs me. I was willing to sacrifice myself to make sure he was okay, even if it meant killing the prophecy that says I will change the tide of war and my prophetic visions that say I will do more than start the changing of the tide. Prophecies aren''t set in stone, no matter how much one wants them to be. Big Flame is my patron, and I am his servant. I will always do what I must to see that he is okay when he seems to not be. I''m not sure what I would have done, were he not, but I could not wait and wait, just in case he did finally contact us again.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It might not make sense to others, but it makes sense to me, and that''s all that matters. "What did you come here for?" He asks. "I don''t remember." He stares at me. "Seriously," I say. "I saw something I totally wasn''t expecting. What the hell was that?" "When you die," he explains. "And you''re capable of existing in any Boundary, you are brought into Wisdom''s Sacred Temple and given the offer. If you reject it, you die in reality and move on to the afterlife, passing through mine imperceptibly fast. If you accept it, you''re given a new body within the Boundary, one that''s exactly the same as your dying body in Reality, which dies immediately. Sort of. That''s not really how it works, but it''s the mortal explanation. "If you die in a Boundary," he continues. "You enter my Sacred Temple, where you must wait until either your body is cremated or seventy-two hours pass." "Why was everyone naked?" I ask. "I wasn''t naked when I woke up in Big C''s-" "You weren''t?" He looks stunned, then stomps his foot in frustration. "Wisdom didn''t share that with me!" That¡­ isn''t normal? The boy I saw in that vision¡­ he was definitely clothed as well. "Why is everyone naked?" I ask. "It''s your spirit," he tells me. "That gets pulled into the Sacred Temples, not your physical body. It can only ''manifest'' a physical representation, not anything else. So the fact that you were able to when you were dying in reality is kind of odd." "Then wouldn''t it be odd that I''m wearing the outfit I was wearing when I summoned myself into here?" I ask. "Because I am, and was when I summoned myself into Big Flame''s." "You-" he starts to say, then looks me up and down. "You ignore such petty things as ''not possible''. Huh." "Well," I say. "When I hear the word ''impossible'', I hear that thing screaming ''I''m possible!'', so I just have to do it to prove it is." "You didn''t even know about it," he points out. "I''m a psychic," I remind him. "It''s aaaaaall in the subconscious." He snorts. "So what did you come here for?" "I don''t remember." He stares at me. "I wasn''t expecting to see what I did!" I exclaim. "That was totally unexpected, and it completely derailed my line of thought that led me to seeing if I could summon myself into your Sacred Temple!" He sighs, then frowns, grabbing my arm and inspecting it. "Oh!" He exclaims. "What?" "I know why you come with them when summoning yourself here." "You do?" I ask. "Yeah!" He nods, tracing a finger along my ''scar''. "You''ve actually summoned your physical body here, not your spirit." That is a massive relief. I don''t want to accidentally end up here naked, because that would probably be worse than seeing what I saw. It''s bad enough I''m going to see it again when I die, that was just gross. "Oh, right," I remember. "Hey ¨C is there such a spell as Resurrection?" "I can neither confirm nor deny that," he answers in a neutral tone, his expression blank. "You do know that that''s usually an indication that it''s true, right?" "No, seriously," he tells me, emotion back in his voice. "The System prevents us from confirming or denying it. We can''t even hint at whether it exists or not. Period. It''s impossible." If he''s serious about that¡­ then Big S really is the Big S. That''s incredible. "Okay," I say. "Thanks, I guess. Another question: is it possible for Big Flame to ever be in danger? And is there a way that we Dark Knights could help, if so?" He stares at me again, thinking for several long moments before opening his mouth to speak. "Yes," he answers. "And no. The only way we could ever be in danger would be if we were forced to enter reality against our desire, which will never happen. The nine of us support the existence of the Boundaries themselves, and are linked to them." They support the existence of the Boundaries? Did they form with the creation of the Boundaries, then? Or were they around before them? How long have the Boundaries existed? "Should even one of us," he continues, not giving me time to focus on those thoughts. "Ever disconnect from them fully, then any Boundary we lose the connection to would cease to exist. However, because of that, we would grow stronger, as our power is stretched across the Boundaries as a multi-level barrier against the Shadow of Life. Because we''re stretching ourselves like this, the seals on him are harder to break." So that is what Big Flame meant, then, when he said that there was something they could do that would help them against Alexander, but at the same time, be risky because it could end up helping him instead. They would be able to influence more in the remaining Boundaries, if there were less of them, because their power would be divided into bigger parts. However, Alexander would also have that same power boost. He''d be able to influence more as well. "So if," I say. "You were to enter Reality yourselves, you would have to disconnect from all of the Boundaries?" "Indeed," he nods. "And that is part of why the Dark Knights cannot do anything to help Chaos, should he ever be in danger ¨C because the only way for us to be in danger would be to enter reality personally. However, it''s a bit more complicated than that." "Why?" "Unless we were to merge the Boundaries into reality," he explains. "Our presence could not exist in reality. It would reject our existences. In other words: we will cease to exist, should we ever enter reality personally. All we can do is view into it and sometimes influence it or communicate into it." Wait¡­ so the only way for them to be in danger¡­ is if they were to do something that is a guaranteed death sentence? Something no one can stop? "Why?" I ask. "Our souls," he responds. "Are tied to the Boundaries, and have been out of reality for too long. Reality will not acknowledge us as part of it, and thus, reject us. Only Existence itself or a child of Existence could allow us to exist within reality." Existence? A child of Existence? Something tells me he won''t share more than that with me, no matter how hard I pry. "How come," I decide to ask. "No one knows about people entering your place when they die and waiting there?" "We''re not allowed to reveal it," he answers. "The System binds us into not." Uh¡­ "You did." "I got permission, first," he waves a hand dismissively. "Though I told him that I was summoning you to inspect the scar on your Sacred Crystal, and because of our focus on the other Boundary, I goofed it and didn''t create a new instance for you to be in, so you saw everyone. He giggled really hard and said you''re probably traumatized for life." I am. "Wait," I realize. "You didn''t tell him the truth?" "Nope!" He giggles. "I''m going to run with that story! Chaos didn''t tell us, so I''m not telling them, either! It''ll be so amusing when they find out!" That''s funny. I wonder how many of them I can do this to before they all realize the truth or one of them shares it with the others. I mean, I knew the moment you did it to Big Flame, but I pretended not to when Big Breeze contacted me, because I''m letting them have their fun. Thanks, Big S! "Alright," I say. "How did he react to the scar?" "He didn''t give any indication of his thoughts on it," Big Breeze shrugs. "Though he did ask me to tell him my thoughts on it, seeing as he wasn''t aware I could detect it without focusing on your Boundary¡­" Okay, so maybe I hinted a little bit that I knew he was bullshitting me. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to snort at that. Doing that would definitely give something away. "Who knows?" I shrug. "Anyway, I''m probably taking too much of your focus away from the other Boundary, so I''m going to head back." "No worries," he shrugs. A moment later, I''m in the central room in my house. I could have totally returned to the Dark Temple, but whatever. After starting a fire, I settle down, curling up in front of the pit and wrapping myself in a couple of blankets, quickly drifting into a dream-filled sleep. Chapter 0015 <>(Zack)<> Sneak is awesome. I''m not making much sound, even though I''m crunching the snow. The sound of the crunching itself is barely-perceptible, because of the Level of my Sneak Skill and my naturally-silent movements. So it''s really fun. I''ve noticed a few new types of Slime, too. They''re¡­ interesting, to say the least. For one of them, their ooze is a lighter brown than the Stone Slimes'', and it contains black and grey flecks throughout. Their core is a darker brown than the Stone Slimes'', almost black, with a red dot on one part of it. Those dots seem to follow me around, when I''m too close, though from what I know, a Slime sees in all directions, just like the Crystals, so I''m not sure why they do that. Maybe for fun? Killing them will be fun, I know that much. I''m currently staring at one of them. I haven''t actually fought yet, as I''m just observing, but this is really funny.
Turkey Slime Level 1
Health: 78 Mana: 123
They''re a lot stronger than regular Slime types, and I haven''t seen them before, which means they might appear only seasonally, likely in-line with some holiday or something coming. The Turkey Slimes I''m observing seem to bounce around randomly, sometimes just chilling, sort of like regular Slimes, though theirs seems more like they have a purpose to it. Another new type of Slime is a deep orange, its core even darker of an orange, and unlike that of other Slimes, its core has ridges along it, akin to a pumpkin. Considering its type¡­ that makes an amusing kind of sense.
Pumpkin Slime Level 1
Health: 82 Mana: 119
Why does its core have those ridges, though? I mean, I know pumpkins do, but¡­ this is the only Slime I''ve seen with those ridges. The Pumpkin Slimes just sit where they are; I haven''t seen a single one move at all, apart from the shifting of their ooze and an occasional wiggle. These unmoving Slimes are not to be mistaken with another orange-cored Slime. With a dark grey ooze, the core would likely not normally be noticeable as an orange one should be, but the flickering glow it emits reveals its location to anyone observing it. The tricky part of this Slime is how it seems to almost disappear from view when in bright light, turning pretty transparent if it isn''t in the shade. Night is probably when these guys are strongest and most active, too.
Spook Slime Level 1
Health: 94 Mana: 138
The Spook Slimes seem to be lazy, as most of them are hiding right now. So far, they''re the only ones that actually took notice of me, sometimes jumping up in front of me, as if trying to scare me. But they''ve only done that if I''m passing through shade. Other than that, they just rest in the shade of something or directly in the sunlight, where they''re completely invisible. I don''t have a doubt in my mind that they will be most active at night. The fifth and final new type of Slime I have observed today has a blue-and-white core that looks almost like ice, with an ooze of a mix of white and light blue, akin to frost. These ones seem friendly with each other, judging by the snowball fight three of them are having at this moment.
Snow Slime Level 1
Health: 86 Mana: 104
From what I can tell, it takes them exactly one Mana to cast a Snowball, one second to cast it, and they recover one Mana every three seconds. And they don''t seem to be concerned with saving their Mana, either. This isn''t the first snowball fight I''ve come across, so I know it''s not these three specifically, but this type of Slime in general that does them. That in mind, I begin the trip back to Maelnor, to see if I can find out what''s up with these new Slimes that seemed to appear overnight, considering they haven''t been around for the last six days I''ve been out hunting. I pass through the gate and make my way to the Trading Post, where Jesse is chatting with someone I''ve never seen before, and judging by their pompous attitude with Jesse, I doubt he''s from here. "Are you going to give it to me, or what?" The man snaps. "I''ve already showed you my tags, you know I''m diamond. You-" "Hey, Pervert," I ignore the man and approach the counter beside him. "I have some questions." "I was talking here, child," the man glares down at me. "What''s with the weird Slimes in the fields?" I ask Jesse, ignoring the pompous ass. "Deal with me, first, Pervert, since this guy doesn''t seem to have any form of respect." "Of course, Zacky!" I will cut off every single one of your nails by slipping a knife underneath them, then flicking up. "You will deal with me and show me the respect I deserve!" The man snaps at Jesse. "If you don''t, I will have you replaced!" Jesse smiles at the man, then holds up his hand, an expensive, black leather pouch with a gold drawstring in his hand, an insignia of some sort on the black leather. "Really?" Jesse asks sweetly. "You didn''t even notice me steal your money six minutes ago, do you think you know someone who could handle me?" The pompous ass lunges at Jesse, activating a Skill of some sort. Then, he crashes into a barrier, bouncing off of it.
Notice: Attacking Certified Assessors Who are Working is Against the Rules
Certified Assessment Level: 25
Total Wealth Decreased By: 50%
Status Halved For: 25 days
I hastily check my Stats, then sigh in relief when I see that they''re unchanged, and I can still feel my money in my pouch, confirming I still have it.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Ah-ah!" Jesse smiles. "You shouldn''t have done that! Now eeeeeeeeveryone one in here knows what you did! And be grateful your wealth only decreases by two percent per Level of the attacked working Certified Assessor, instead of four percent! Then, since you''d lose everything, you''d be butt-naked!" Lots of naked going on lately. Thank you, Big S, for only making it two percent and not four percent. You''re welcome! You have a weird sense for what you should respond to. He doesn''t respond to that. "It''s just some punk kid," the pompous ass glares down at me. "What are you smirking at?" "The idiot standing in front of me." He lunges at me, only to find his hand gripped tightly by a powerful Dark Knight, a serrated sword pricking the ass''s throat, an aura of darkness surrounding the Dark Knight, tendrils of darkness binding the pompous ass, restricting his body''s movements. Those look like the tendrils from my vision, of when I ''restored'' or ''reactivated'' the Dark Temple, or whatever it was I was doing. "If you ever," the Dark Knight''s voice is low and dangerous, his expression deadly. "Try to harm a member of my order again, you will wish I showed you mercy. This boy is worth far more than you ever could be simply by the fact that he actually tries to make a difference in the war. He''s so devoted to our cause that he goes out and fights every day he can just to reduce the number of Monsters in the Boundary, that he''s been willing to sacrifice his life to contact our patron to ensure that we remain strong. Do not ever think you are above him again." I don''t even know this Dark Knight, yet he seems to know who I am. Ah, right. He can probably see my information. Hrm. I use Appraisal on the pompous ass.
Kevin Level 23
Health: 70 Mana: 120
Wooooooooow¡­ "Dude," I look at Kevin. "First off, your name is utterly ridiculous and stupid. Second, I''m only nine Levels under you, which is sad, since your outfit says you''re rich, which means you''ve been here a long time, unless you just got here and someone just handed you a fuckload of money. "Second," I look at the Dark Knight. "Thanks for saving me, but judging by his Level and pathetic Health and Mana, I doubt he could do anything to a Dark Knight like me. Especially not with his Stats halved for the next month. I didn''t even know that was a thing." "Consider yourself lucky you haven''t attacked me!" Jesse smiles at me. "I know you want to!" "Nah," I say. "I''d wait until you''re sleeping, then rub fecal matter, Slime ooze, and Monster guts and blood all over you. Then, I''d piss in all of your potions. I''m crazy, not stupid." "You''re so mean!" Jesse squeals. "Nik¡­ was absolutely right about you," the Dark Knight laughs, releasing Kevin''s wrist and sheathing his sword, but not undoing the binding tendrils. "You''re an interesting one, I can see why he talks so highly of you." "Who are you?" I ask. "One of the more senior Dark Knights in the Boundary," he extends a hand, and I shake it. "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Zack. I came in with the group today to assist with a Boss Fight in the mines in a few days. We''re preparing today to head into the mines tomorrow, then we''ll be camping there for several days. Hopefully, we''ll manage to beat it. This isn''t our first attempt at killing this thing, and it''s grown stronger. But so have we, and there are even more of us, now." "How many Dark Knights are there going to be fighting it?" I ask. "Three of us," he answers. "In addition to Nik. Last time, it was just Nik and myself." I force a vision, hoping for the most likely outcome of their fight. I see them battling a massive, dog-like creature with a bunch of smaller ones around, attacking them as well. Kobolds. This one is twenty feet in height, with dark brown fur, white spots on its back, a pair of horns atop its head. After several long moments ¨C though the vision showed me an amount of time even longer than that ¨C the vision ends, and I feel drained. Heavily. No wonder my visions always come as dreams ¨C I''m already resting and recovering energy. That was draining, and it wasn''t anywhere near as long as my contact with Big Flame. "There is a good chance," I tell him. "In that you will fail. As your team is worn-down by the Demonic Kobold King, retreat will be considered. Then, it will successfully kill an Adventurer. Shortly after that, two Fallen Adventurers will make their appearance, and five more will die before escape is complete. Of the thirty-eight that enter, thirty-two will leave. You will only manage to retrieve two corpses. Whether or not this is the most likely outcome, I''m unsure, but it probably is one of the most likely, if not the most likely. It is, however, the outcome I am aware of as a possibility." "Uh, Zacky?" I will feed you to a Spook Slime. "What, Pervert?" I look at Jesse. "I don''t think it''s common knowledge that you have prophetic visions." "Well," I point at Kevin. "He''s unlikely to share it, and if he does, he probably won''t be believed. And he," I point at the Dark Knight. "Probably already knew, considering he''s a Dark Knight." "That''s not how it works!" "Yes, it is," I say. "Are you going to answer my questions, now?" "I did know," the Dark Knight says. "See?" I ask Jesse. "Since you aren''t answering, Pervert, I''ll just ask him instead." I turn to face the Dark Knight, who still has Kevin bound up. "First," I say. "How long are you going to leave him like that?" The tendrils of darkness fade away. "Aw!" I say. "I wanted to poke him!" "You should probably leave," the Dark Knight tells Kevin. "Before he actually does poke you¡­ with his sword." "I''d probably do it with my knife," I tell him. "I don''t think he could survive a Rage-fueled Dash-powered, Blood Frenzy stabbing with a sword. I''d skewer him." "I can think of at least six things wrong with that," the Dark Knight tells me, and I shrug. He looks at Kevin. "Well, Kevin? Are you going to leave? And good luck getting Jesse replaced, considering who he is. "What were you wondering?" The Dark Knight looks back at me. "About the weird Slimes outside." "What weird Slimes?" He asks, and I describe them. He snorts. "Those are the Holiday Slimes. We get them every now and then. These four are regulars ¨C they appear around the same time every year. I didn''t realize it was already time for the Spook Slimes. The start of this begins with their appearance. You said you haven''t seen any of them before?" "Nope," I answer. "And they''re all Level 1 right now, too, so I''m guessing they spawned sometime after I returned last night. What''s with them?" "No one really knows," he shrugs. "And yeah, they probably did, since they weren''t around yesterday. The Spook Slimes are around for about a week, the Pumpkin and Turkey for about a month. The Snow Slimes are around for as long as there''s snow, then whatever ones are still alive after will remain, but no new ones will spawn. There are a few more types of Special Slimes, which generally stop with the Candy Slimes." Candy Slimes? Okay¡­ That''s weird. "So it''s just some weird seasonal thing?" "Yeah," he nods. "They also have automatic loot ¨C that is, a chance to drop something that goes directly into your Inventory. Speaking of your Inventory ¨C can you pull something out of yours?" Why does he want to? A lot of people look at me funny the first time they see me use my Inventory, and both of the Dark Knights I''ve met so far seem to have an interest in seeing me use it. Is there something weird with it? "Why?" "Something Nik said to me." "Oh," I say, then pull a potion out of it. "Okay?" "Interesting," he says. "That-" Kevin begins. "You''re still here?" The Dark Knight asks him, and the pompous ass shuts up and runs out the door. The Dark Knight turns his gaze back to me. "See you around, Zack." "Later, Sir Never-Told-His-Name," I wave to him. "It''s Theodore," he laughs. "Have a good hunting, Zack." Theodore leaves, then I look at Jesse. "What are you staring at, Pervert?" I ask. "Just the most incredible child I''ve ever seen before!" Ugh. Kill me now. I leave the Trading Post, and as the door behind me closes, I find myself in Big Flame''s Sacred Temple. Without trying to go there. Chapter 0016 <>(Zack)<> Big Flame is ignoring me. He summoned me into his Sacred Temple, didn''t say a word to me, and hasn''t responded to me. Sighing, I pull a stick out of my Inventory and throw it at his body. It bounces off, as expected. But at least I have his attention, now. It''s complete confusion. "Thanks for finally noticing me here," I say. "Been trying to get your attention for the last, like, hour." Sorry, he says. I''m focused elsewhere. "Did you summon me here?" Um¡­ you weren''t supposed to actually notice. That¡­ that was a goof on my part. "Gonna explain?" He sounds really tired. Is this too draining for him? I was sending you back to your home, since your vision wiped you out mentally, so you could get some rest sooner. "Ah," I say. "Um¡­ I''m kind of stuck here. Whatever barrier you''ve sealed yourself with is preventing me from leaving as well. It''s not like Big Breeze''s, where I can use the connection to my soul for the passage for life and death." You¡­ what? "He didn''t mention that?" He told us that he summoned you to¡­ oh, cool. He''s a clever little guy. I like him. He''s not as stiff as his twin. "Anyway," I say. "Can I head home?" Sure, gimme a second to divert some energy back there. "You can use mine," I say. "In fact, you sound pretty tired, Big Flame ¨C do you want to just drain my energy? I''m sure that with my increased amount of fire merged into my Sacred Crystal, it''d be a little useful to you." Are you sure you want to do that? "Yeah," I tell him. "You sound like you could use some energy, and while it probably won''t be enough to really support you hugely, every little bit helps. Just¡­ don''t kill me or cripple me, so I can do it again sometime." I wouldn''t, and thanks, he says. And I promise that I won''t draw on you too much, nor unless you ask for it. That''d require me being able to contact you, you dolt. A few moments after he finishes speaking, I feel my energy leave me. Then¡­ I wake in my room, on my bed, tucked in, in my nightclothes, with a heat pebble warming the air. Checking my Inventory reveals that all are there. What the heck? "Thank you, Big Flame," I send up a quick prayer to him, and as I do, I hear movement in the yard below. I slide out of bed and walk to the window, looking out it, and see a boy standing by the tree, looking around. He locks his azure eyes with me, and I smile a little. This is why Big Flame was sending me home ¨C he wanted me to rest so I''d be awake this night, when the new guy showed up. That''s the kid from my vision. I turn from the window, quickly change, and meet him as he''s walking up the stairs. He stops, staring at me. "Hey," I say. "Uh¡­ hi," he says. "I just got here, and woke up in front of that tree." "Big C likes to do that to people." "I''m Bryce," he sticks out a hand. Should I tell him I know that? And that he has 80 Health, making me jealous? "Zack," I take his hand and shake it as he snorts. "Big C mentioned me, right?" "Yeah," he laughs. "How''d you know?" "I know how much he hates me," I answer. "And how much you would have annoyed him. He probably sent you here specifically because we''re his irritants." "Ah," he grins. "So how does this whole thing work?" "Have you viewed your Status yet?" "Yeah," he nods. "What does ''Dark of Fire'' mean?" "It means," I begin. "That you have an affiliation to the Crystal of Dark of Fire ¨C he prefers ''Big Flame'', though. Ever since I called him it. Unlike the other Crystals, he doesn''t rarely speak with his worshipers, but rather, does it pretty frequently. Right now, though, he''s pretty silent, as he''s focusing on stuff dealing with the Shadow of Life. All of the Crystals are, actually, so they''re all pretty sealed-off from us at the moment. "How that ''alignment'' is determined," I continue. "Is by your own personal Sacred Crystal, which is within you. It has a light core and a dark outside, the two merging about halfway in or out. Each of the four elements occupy that same space, and your ''alignment'' is whichever element is merged into your Sacred Crystal the most, as well as which part of it it''s merged into the most. For the two of us, it''s fire, into the dark portion of it.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "That said," I add. "Even if you manage to sense your personal Sacred Crystal, you won''t be able to sense the elements'' merging, as it''s that minute." I give him some time to process that, and he nods almost immediately after. "Got it," he says. "So Big Flame is our boss, or whatever?" "Nah," I say. "He''s just the one we align with the most. However, we''re also naturals for Dark Knights, because of our affinity, and most of us end up taking it on at some point." "What do Dark Knights do?" He looks concerned. "Are they evil?" "Nah," I grin at him. "We''re the absolute best! We can use our own Health as a weapon, and we even increase our power based on how much damage we''ve taken recently. We use rage to fuel our strength and use intimidation and taunts to deal with Monsters! We''re just called Dark Knights because our power deals with shadows and blood and fire, but I promise: we''re awesome as hell. Wanna work be one with me? You''d have to get Dark Squire, first." "Sure," he grins. "That sounds fun. What do I need to do to get it?" "Acquire Sword Mastery," I answer. "Rage, and Intimidate. Let''s head down to the Trading Post and get you some starting equipment. We can get the pervert to give you two, even though the limit''s one." "The pervert?" He asks, and I grin at him. "What?" "You''ll love him," I say. "Come on." "Alright," he says. "Is there a jacket or something I can wear? It''s pretty cold." "Sure," I pull my spare jacket out of my Inventory and hand it to him. "Come on." I leave my house, and Bryce follows me. We chat on the way to the Trading Post, with me explaining a few things to him about the Boundary and answering any questions I can. One Dark Knight on my team is awesome. Two Dark Knights on my team is overpowered madness. With the two of us working together, this valley will hold against the horde. Especially since we determine on the walk that he has Level 4 Martial Arts and Level 2 Knife Mastery, as well as Level 8 Right-Handed and Level 9 Left-Handed. We may or may not have also taken some damage for slipping on the ice, but it''s good training. Gotta work on those reflexes, after all. We reach the Trading Post and find Jesse leaving it, the sign saying it''s closed. He stares at me. "Told you he''s a pervert," I tell Bryce. "Yeah," he giggles. "He''s definitely a pervert!" "Stay open, Pervert," I tell Jesse. "We got a new guy, and he needs equipment." "You''re not very nice!" Jesse huffs. "Stay open, or I''m telling Nik you stared at me lecherously." Jesse huffs, but allows us inside. We walk up to the counter and he goes around it. "Alright, Pervert," I say. "Bryce here needs a sword and a knife, and you''re giving us those and ten loaves of bread, twenty apples, and fifty strips of jerky-" "Hey!" Jesse exclaims. "I''m not a charity! I have to pay for this stuff out-of-pocket!" "Do you want to keep your pockets?" I ask. We argue for a few minutes, but he relents, giving in, then Bryce and I leave, wishing the pervert farewell. "Wow," Bryce says as we begin the walk to the gate. "That was creepy! How did you manage to convince him to give that to us? How often do you have to do this?" "Oh, he does it because he wants to make sure we''re fine," I tell him. "He only pretends to be a scrooge about his inventory ¨C I''ve flat-out just started to leave, not saying a word, because he wouldn''t give me anything, and he stopped me before I reached the door and gave me some. It only works with us kids, though." "Damn," he says. "He really is a pervert, then." "Nah," I say. "He just dresses that way to deceive people ¨C he''s actually a really powerful adventurer." "Are you sure?" He looks at me suspiciously, and I stop walking at the gate, turning to face him. "The way he dresses is creepy, and that high-pitched voice-" "Is all an act," I say. "It deceives people who don''t know him into thinking he''s weaker, which makes handling them easier." He doesn''t appear to trust my word on that. "You remember what I said about the Sacred Crystals?" I ask, and he nods. "The ones inside of each of us, I mean," he nods again. "I can sense them in everyone within a certain range of me, if I try hard enough. I''ve checked Jesse''s, and it has one of the strongest merges I''ve ever seen, and he has three elements merged in ¨C water, stone, and air. Of the dozens of people in this city I''ve checked the Sacred Crystals of, I''ve only seen one other person with a merging that strong or stronger ¨C Nik." "The Dark Knight here?" He asks. "Yeah," I nod. "His elements merged in are fire, stone, and air ¨C his latter two are merged more than Jesse''s, and his fire''s merged even more than Jesse''s water is." "What about me?" He asks. "Most people," I say. "Are barely noticeable, if at all. A noble ass I saw during the morning today? Or, well, yesterday, since it''s past midnight. I could barely even trace his merging of air. Yours? I can trace a little bit more fire than I could the ass''s air. Most people have virtually none merged in, even with their aligned element." "So you knew I aligned with Dark of Fire," he begins. "Before I brought it up?" "It takes an immense amount of concentration I didn''t bother with then," I shake my head. "I did it while we were walking into the Trading Post. Come on ¨C let''s go harass the Slimes. Once the day morning comes and we''re rested and everything, I''ll take you shopping for proper clothes and weapons, since the shops are all closed." "I don''t have any money," he says. "I know," I say. "But I do, so you''ll be fine. You''re on my team, I''ll take care of you." He nods, then we head into the fields, where Spook Slimes try to startle us. He jumps the first time, slashing out with his sword, slicing at air. I laugh, blasting one with a Fireball, then telling him to stab it before it manages to cover its core back up. Bryce does, and it''s barely enough to damage the Slime. We try again and manage to kill it together. We hunt down more Spook Slimes, determining that they have the same acidic property as regular Slimes if they contact our skin or clothes. We also hunt regular Slimes, a couple of Elemental Slimes, and a ton of the Special Slimes. The Turkey Slimes try to run away when attacked, while the Pumpkin Slimes just sit there, not even doing anything. The Snow Slimes continue their snowball fights, sometimes throwing their snowballs at us. They team up if we attack them, their snowballs becoming a lot tougher, and sometimes launch icicles at us instead of snowballs. For the most part, though, the Snow Slimes leave us alone unless we attack them first. As we start getting exhausted from the training ¨C him more than me ¨C we get our first drop. It came from one of the Pumpkin Slimes I butchered with a Fireball, then a knife to the core. A pumpkin. I got a fucking pumpkin from it. Not, like pumpkin pie, or pumpkin cake, but a whole. Fucking. Pumpkin. "Do you have the stuff to make pie or something?" Bryce laughs when I tell him. "Not everything," I shake my head. "But I know how to make pumpkin pie. The trick will be managing it with the stuff from the Boundary. We pick the stuff up when we go shopping." "The stuff from the Boundary?" He looks confused. "What do you mean?" "I seem to know a little about cooking," I explain. "But sometimes, it''s as if I''m missing something, or using a different type of heating element, than from before I died in reality. I''m not an expert or anything, though I am improving." "Ah," he nods. "I feel like I''m ready to just drop, is it alright if we head back?" "I was about to suggest it," I grin at him. "It''s always good to know when to stop, and you seem like you need to." He nods, then we begin the trek back to the house, the sun just beginning to rise when we reach town. Chapter 0017 <>(Zack)<> "I don''t promise," I tell Bryce. "That it''s going to taste good, but I promise it''ll fill your stomach." He laughs, then starts digging in to the breakfast of eggs, bread, and some fruit. That''s all I''ve really been eating, though I''d rather have meat in it. But I''m saving the meat for after training, as usual. It''s more expensive. And since we''re not training today, as we just ate breakfast at lunchtime and need to go shopping to get him clothes, equipment, and other supplies, we probably won''t eat meat at all today. Bryce and I do some exercising after breakfast, then make our way to the markets. My first stop is the shop with armor and clothes, and the man there stares at us horror clear on his face. "Dear Crystals," he breathes in annoyance. "There are two!" I laugh as we approach his counter, then tell him to bring out the clothes in Bryce''s size. He does so reluctantly, and we start looking through them, picking out three pairs of underwear, three pairs of pants, three tunics, a night shirt, some light pants to sleep in, and a jacket. "One silver," I say before he can tell us our price. "That''s not-" "One silver," I state firmly. "It costs-" "I am not," I say. "Paying you seven and three-quarters of a silver. We''re paying a silver." "No," he says firmly. "Why not?" Bryce asks. "Do you want me to go around in cheap clothes that''ll let me freeze to death? Clothes that''ll fall apart because they''re made of a material that can''t stand up to the wear of battles?" "Seven-fifty." "A silver," I repeat. "Seven-fifty." "A silver," Bryce says. "Seven-fifty!" "A silver!" Bryce and I say together. We haggle him down to two silver, eighteen copper, then Bryce stares at the clothes, thinking. "How do you get it into your Inventory?" He asks. "Normally," the clerk glares at me. "You think ''Inventory'', and it grants you the list of the items in your Inventory. If you''re holding an item of yours, you can also send it in through that menu. Its size is limited based on your Total Level, increasing a little bit every 25 Total Levels." Really? I''ve never had a hud for my Inventory. I can just sense it and everything within. Bryce focuses for a moment, then his clothes shimmer and glow for a moment before vanishing. That''s¡­ not at all how mine works. My Inventory, everything just¡­ Oh, crap. I''m not using an Inventory, am I? Inventory. A blank menu appears in my vision. Whelp. Oops. With Bryce''s new clothes purchased and safely tucked into his Inventory, we pick out some boots for him that match mine, as well as a matching set of equipment, then return to the counter, the clerk looking determined to not sell us the items for any less than the eight and a half silver they come to. He stands no chance against us. Two silver, twenty-three copper is what we pay, and not a copper more. From there, we leave and make our way to the smith who sold me my sword and knife, and he gives us an amused look when we walk in. "One young Dark Knight was amusing enough," he tells me. "Two of you will make things interesting. Hello, Bryce." "Hello!" Bryce says cheerfully. "Zack said we''re coming here to get a sword and knife for me." "Do you have more like mine?" I ask. "Same budget." The smith laughs, then makes his way into the back. After about six minutes, he returns to the front carrying a sword and knife similar to mine, with the same price as mine were. We talk him down from twenty-three silver to only nine, for two less than I bought my own for. I''m a bit jealous of Bryce for getting his stuff for cheaper, but then, I was haggling alone when I tried for mine. "May I see your weapons?" The smith asks as I help Bryce equip his, since they won''t fit into his Inventory. He could probably get his knife in, but we don''t really care, since his sword won''t go in. "Sure," I hand mine over, then return to helping Bryce. Once we finish, I look to the smith. "What''s up?" "You need a whetstone," he tells me. "You haven''t been taking care of your blades at all. If you leave them with me today, I''ll mend the blades for a silver drop them off at your home on my way in tomorrow. If you want, I''ll also sell you a whetstone for fifty copper each and show you how to properly sharpen the blades. "And," he holds up a hand to interrupt my attempt at haggling his prices. "I''m letting you know that I''m already giving you a discount on these far below what I would normally do. A simple whetstone is fifty copper. The one I''m offering is a quality whetstone valued at five silver." That''s a discount of ninety percent. "And," he continues before I can mention his service price. "The service for mending your sword would be seven silver, while the service for you knife would be three. You''re getting the same discount for those as you are the whetstone."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "You seem a lot more reasonable," I say. "Than the old fart selling armors." He laughs, shaking his head. "I''m not putting as much effort," he admits. "Into haggling against you, Zack, because a good blade is essential to any blade-wielding Class, and I''m not going to let you two go unequipped. That doesn''t mean I''ll be giving you steep discounts on everything, but I''ll go a bit lower than normal for you. Well, the two of you." He indicates Bryce with a nod, and I decide I like him even more. He''s being completely honest with us. He wants to make sure we''re equipped, and while he won''t be stupid with his discounts, he''ll at least make sure we can make it through. By teaching us how to properly sharpen our swords and care for them, he''ll be allowing us to survive better for cheaper, making sure we''re better-prepared against the Monsters. "Alright," I tell him. "You have a deal." He nods, and I hand him two silver. He hands each of us a whetstone, then asks if we''d like to learn now how to properly sharpen a blade. We confirm without hesitation, so he closes up shop and leads us through the back and the forge into the yard. Out there, he removes three knives and three swords from his Inventory, and I notice the same shift as when Bryce did it, only this time, they glow before appearing. Definite oops. The smith ¨C Jackson ¨C sits us down at a table, informing us that we want as much natural light as possible when sharpening a blade, then shows us how to use the whetstones to hone the edge back to sharpness, removing nicks as we do. One of the key points, he tells us, is to keep the blade at the same angle against the whetstone when we sharpen, as well as to perform the same number of strokes on each side of each edge, to keep it consistent and give the blade as good of an edge as we can. For an hour and a half, Jackson has us practice, and by the end of it, my arms are tired and sore. I''m also confident that he planned on this happening at some point, as he had more than a dozen basic swords and knives in his Inventory, each of which had some damage that needed mending. What smith and merchant would waste Inventory space with those when he could use it for things that would actually benefit him in some form? "Actually," he says when I ask him about holding those in his Inventory. "The Inventory doesn''t work quite like that. Many Subclasses actually grant an extra form of an Inventory called ''Storage'', which allows you to store things relating to that Subclass, and it increases a little in size every Level of the Subclass. Having Certified Assessor grants a sort of sub-inventory space as well. "As a Blacksmith," he informs us."I''m able to store tools for the trade in my Blacksmith Storage, as well as ingots, ores, and other raw materials used in my craft. It''s part of why most Adventurers who explore out of the Cities for long periods of time make sure to get the Chef Subclass ¨C it allows them to free up some of their Inventory by putting some or all of their cooking instruments and ingredients in their Chef Storage. "Back to your question," he continues. "I have Level 6 Certified Assessor, granting me the Merchant Storage. I''ve been storing those for about two weeks after having them brought here from deep within our territory, just in case you didn''t know how to care for your blade." He picks up the last knife I sharpened and examines the blade, then stabs it into the table we were working on. "This only works," he tells us. "If it''s small nicks or for the blade being dulled." He pulls out another knife, stabbing it into the table. This one has some more damage on it, with larger nicks as well. "These nicks," he indicates a few of them. "Are too much for a whetstone to smooth out and would need repaired. If your blade ever gets like this, and you''re able to just stop, do so then and return to town to have me repair it. If you aren''t around here, then go to the nearest town and have their smith repair the blades. "Of course," he continues. "Weapons only last so long as well, which means that even with repairs, they''ll eventually break. That''s why it''s always good to have a backup weapon. As Dark Knights, the need is less-so, but it''s still a good idea. "That said," he says. "I don''t expect you to get a backup now, as the swords and knives I gave you two are quality. It''s likely when you neared the Wrath of Darkness that you damaged your sword and knife so much, especially with the acidity of the Slimes'' ooze." "I noticed," I say. "That the blood doesn''t slide off as much as it used to, will that be a problem?" "Not if you clean your blade properly," he shakes his head. "And don''t let it sit dirty whenever it does start to fade, as that''ll help the fading enchantment last longer. However, when I mend your blades, I''ll be reapplying the treatment that protects them." "I thought that had to be done during the forging?" "It can be done during repairs as well," he nods. "However, only buy the original smith or a Master Blacksmith ¨C that is, a Blacksmith who has reached Blacksmith Level 25, the maximum. Luckily for you, I''m both, so reapplying it won''t be a problem." "What happens if someone else does it?" I ask. "Someone who isn''t a Master Blacksmith?" "It''ll ruin the weapon," he answers. "Weakening its integrity and increasing the odds it''ll damage or break." So any decent smith would never do it unless they were one of those two. That''s good to know. "Alright," I say. "Anything else we should know?" "No," he answers. "Good luck, you two." "Thanks," I say, then he shows us back into the shop. We''re almost at the door when something registers in my head, so I turn to face the smith again. "You mentioned that you''d drop it by on your way in tomorrow ¨C I thought no one lived near me?" "I live about four blocks past you," he informs me. "I''m one of the only people left from having lived here before people began to move inwards. Maelnor was the City I arrived in, and I haven''t moved from my temp quarters. Never saw a reason to, as they work just fine, even if they aren''t ''quality''." That, they do, and that, they aren''t. I nod, then Bryce and I leave, making our way to the general store to buy him a blanket, sewing kit, and us some food. As with the other places, we manage to get an even steeper discount than I managed on my own. I think the lady here is like Jackson, though ¨C she doesn''t really see a point in actually resisting us, and does it just for fun. She wants to make sure we''re alright, and so is happy to sell things to us heavily-discounted. Once we finish shopping, we make our way back home, especially since our ''breakfast'' was actually lunch. Home at last, I start making dinner and the pumpkin pie, carving out the top of the pumpkin to scoop out its innards. I separate the guts from the seeds, tossing them in a skillet with a seasoning mix I bought while we were shopping. Dinner completes just as I put the pie in the oven, so we sit down and enjoy our dinner, talking about what we''ll do tomorrow for training. After dinner, we enjoy the pie. It''s not perfect, but it''s my first attempt at it, and I''m going to learn from this mistake. It''s not awful by any means, either, and we eat the entire thing. Bryce and I clean up our dishes, then I show him where we can wash our clothes. We wash his new clothes and the clothes we wore today, heating the bath as we do. Once the bath water is ready and our clothes are out to dry, we climb into the bath and relax. "So," Bryce says as we relax. "Do you like living here?" "I do," I answer. "This place is a lot of fun, and I get to do a lot of things, kill a lot of things., and be as crazy as I want. And get to screw with people a lot, too. It''s plenty of fun." "Think I''ll like it?" He asks. "After last night and today?" I ask. "Fuck yeah, you will. You''re a Dark Knight at the core, so you''re definitely going to enjoy this place. Just wait until you can fight Goblins with me ¨C they''re so much fun. "Oh!" I realize something, grinning at him. "With the two of us, we could totally fuck with the Goblins." "That''ll be fun," he grins at me. "Can you tell me about the different types of them?" "Um," I think about it for a few seconds. "I actually don''t really pay much attention. I know there are some differences between them, and some have short swords, knives, or clubs, but most of the ones I''ve actually fought were weak enough for me to kill with minimal issue, even in groups of two or three, and they''ve all been the weapon-wielding ones. So I''ve never bothered paying attention to the ones I don''t go up against." "Alright," he grins again. "We can learn about them together. The others can be off doing whatever it is, and I''m sure we''ll be teased for studying and hunting so many Goblins, but it''s our job to kill them, right?" "Right," I nod. "Then that''s what we''re going to do," he grins. "And the more we learn about them-" "The easier it''ll be to deal with them," I nod. "Oh! Right! I do know one thing! They have a weak spot right here," I touch my shoulder, in the spot near my neck where the one Goblin bled like crazy. "Stabbing there causes them to bleed a ton. And I mean a ton! That thing was squirting blood out like there was no tomorrow!" Bryce laughs, and I start telling him about my trips into the forest and the Goblins I have fought, including how I got the necklace around my neck, and he listens intently. I send a prayer up to Big Flame, thanking him for bringing me Bryce. I needed more than just a partner, I needed a friend, and he seems like he''s going to be a good one. Chapter 0018 <>(Zack)<> "Brrr!" Bryce shivers, and I look at him in his cocoon. Last night, when we went to bed, I started heading here, my usual spot at the fire pit, out of habit, and ended up explaining to him why, as well as why I was in my room when he showed up. He decided to join me down here, wrapped up in his own blanket. Unlike me, with my knees pulled up to my chest to compact my body, he slept with his legs stretched out, bent slightly. That means his heat wasn''t as retained, even if he did stay wrapped tightly. His feet are probably freezing. "My feet are freezing," he complains to me. See? "That''s why I was in the fetal position," I tell him, and he gives me a funny look. "The position I was in, with my knees up to my chest. Keeps the warmth around your body better. Spread out like that, not so much." "Ah," he says. We wiggle around until we manage to escape our cocoons, then we change into day clothes and pull on our boots and jackets. Bryce stokes the fire a bit, adding some wood to it. Making the fire last night reminded me that I still haven''t gotten an ax to chop wood with, meaning that we''re still using whatever I can just break into pieces that would work. I mean, I could use my hands to break the wood into proper-sized chunks, and probably just do a chop with the side of my palm, considering my current Strength, but¡­ I''d rather use an ax. I start a cooking fire and get to work on making eggs and cutting fruit, then we eat it. As we''re cleaning our dishes, Jackson arrives, stopping at the entrance to the yard. He''s carrying something wrapped in a cloth, probably my weapons, though it looks like he added to them. The rest are probably just swords he''s bringing to the shop that he kept at home or repaired at home or something. "Come on in," I tell him, and he enters. "Thanks for repairing them." "You''re welcome," he sets the bundle down on the table, unwrapping the weapons. I take my sword and knife and attach them as he gestures to the other two items. "Rather than using real weapons to practice your fighting, I made you two wooden practice swords and knives. These will allow you to practice without having to care for your own weapons after, as they''re made of wood. They''ll last you awhile as well." "Thanks," I say. "How much?" "No charge," he answers. "I''m making them to help two youths thrown into the Boundary, and it didn''t take me much time or any money to do, so it''s not a hit to me, either." "Thanks," I say. He nods, then starts to leave. "Hey, wait!" I exclaim, and he turns to face me. "Do you know if Nik''s party already left for the mines?" "Indeed," he nods. "They were discussing the implications of something they were told, though I didn''t catch who had said it. I don''t think anyone but Nik and Theodore know that source, meaning it''s likely your patron, even if the Crystals are a bit silent right now." Actually, it''s probably what I told Theodore. "Do you know what it was?" I ask. "The likelihood," he answers. "That they were going to lose five or six of their members with Fallen Adventurers showing up during the fight. I''m not sure how they got word of this, but their source must have really made it seem likely that they would face them. It''s possible someone had noticed activity down there while scouting in preparation, but I can''t help but think it was your patron." You''re off a bit. It''s really a psychic thirteen year-old. "Thanks," I say. "I hope they heed the warning well." He nods, then wishes us well and leaves. Once he''s gone, Bryce and I shed our jackets to spar with the training swords. I push him hard, and by the time we stop training overall for lunch, he''s managed to acquire Sword Mastery. After lunch, which does consist of meat, even if it''s just jerky, we pull our jackets back on, then head down to the market street and make our way to Jackson. I forgot to ask him something while he was at our house. "Hey, boys," he says. "Back already?" "I dunno," Bryce says. "Zack just dragged me here." "Do you have any axes," I ask. "That would be good for chopping wood? I keep forgetting to get one." "I do," Jackson nods. "There are a few over there," he indicates an area of the shop to my left. "They''ll be in a chest." "Thanks," I tell him, then walk over to that section. I look through the chests until I open one with a rack of axes. They''re mostly the same, but I still test each one''s swing before picking one and approaching the counter. It''s tagged for ten silver. We start haggling with him, and this time, he actually does try to not go too low. I still manage to buy it for two silver, eighteen copper. After thanking Jackson, we leave his shop, and I turn to face Bryce. "Do you want," I ask. "To go hunt Slimes and see if we can''t get more Special Item Drops, go hunt Goblins and gather some wood to chop up, or see what we need to acquire the Chef Subclass, so we can get that Chef Storage." "You said the Spook Slimes are around only for about a week?" He asks. "That''s what I was told." "I want to hunt those," he tells me. "Get their candy. Plus ¨C I wanna see if I can get Intimidate!" I nod, then we race out of the City and start hunting Slimes, with Bryce and I threatening them with all sorts of things. Most of them ignore the intimidation attempts, but we have fun anyway. We have better results from normal types of Slimes than we do Special Slimes, determining that their higher stats definitely mean they have stronger wills.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Even if the Snow Slimes really like their snowball fights. "Stop that!" I yell at the one that just hit me with a snowball. I scoop up some snow and quickly shape it into a ball. "Take this!" I throw the snowball at the Snow Slime, which dodges, then does a little wiggle. "Um," Bryce giggles. "Is it just me thinking this, or did it look happy that you threw a snowball at it?" The Snow Slime launches another snowball at it, and it looks like the kind it uses against the others of its type. I allow it to hit me, confirming that it really is just a regular snowball. I look at Bryce. "Yes," I say. "It was doing a happy dance at me doing that." "Do they seriously have no issue with a snowball fight with people set out to kill them?" I shrug, then dodge another snowball. Bryce and I start making our own and throwing them at the Snow Slimes, which throw their own back at us, never performing actual attacks. Once we start wearing out, I summon Fireballs and start killing the Snow Slimes, because this shit''s exhausting. A snowball fight is fun and all, but two hours of it? Those things are good. Bryce and I return to our home to eat dinner, then do some light exercises before taking a bath and heading to bed. Well, floor. We go through the usual routine upon waking, then make our way out of the City to hunt more Slimes, breaking at lunch to sit on a rock we cleared of Slimes and Rats. Bryce managed to obtain Intimidate against the Rats. All he has left now would be Rage. We grind for a few more days before Bryce finally acquires Rage, allowing him to take on Dark Squire. He grins at me, then gives me a fist-bump. "At last!" He exclaims. "Yep!" I nod. "Damn, these Special Slimes are tough, too! Especially once they start gaining Levels!" It looks like Special Slimes gain Levels at the same rate as regular Slimes ¨C one every day. And that means that we got to fight some Level 5''s today, which were not fun. The single one we fought, a Level 5 Turkey Slime, took almost everything we had to kill. I''m wiped-out, and Bryce couldn''t really do anything to it. I got a Whole Turkey as an Automatic Loot, though, which means we can celebrate a bit more for his achievement than we could have without. I mean, we could have anyway, but this one''s bigger than the other two I acquired and was saving. The stronger the Slime, the better the reward, after all. Done with our grinding today, we race back to town and to our home, where I immediately get to work preparing a feast. A seasoned turkey cooked on a spit, a salad, mashed potatoes, stuffing, fruit salad, pumpkin pie, the works. I work my damned hardest to make this meal to the best of my ability, using what I''ve learned so far from my mistakes here to prepare it better. Gaining a Class is something to celebrate, especially when it''s for Dark Knight. As I finish preparing and tabling the meal, a message appears in my vision.
New Subclass Available: Chef
To have not just learned the art of cooking, but to have used your past mistakes to improve upon your culinary skills and create a feast worthy of eating, you have proven your worth in the kitchen.
Accept Decline
Uh, excuse me? A feast worthy of eating? Is the System message insulting anyone who doesn''t have this Subclass? Or at least, have the ability to take it on?
Yes.
Fuck off.
No, you.
Seriously, Big S? Yes. I snort, shaking my head. "What?" Bryce asks. "Big S is being smart with me." "Which one''s that?" "The System itself." "Ah," he says. "What did it do this time?" "Got smart with me via System messages," I answer. "Anyway, I finally gained the ability to take on the Chef Subclass. Ignoring the insult, it appears that it requires making a pretty good feast to unlock, in addition to improving upon your abilities by learning from your mistakes." Does that mean natural chefs have a harder time unlocking it, since they''re likely to make less mistakes? Or does it factor in their natural ability?
Yes.
Fuck off.
No, you.
Dismissing Big S''s smartass response, I sit down to eat, and Bryce and I dig in. This is definitely the best meal I''ve cooked in the Boundary so far. I''m glad, too, because I haven''t cooked turkey like this before, nor with these seasonings, so I wasn''t sure. We spend two more days grinding without a change to our routine, because the Spook Slimes haven''t stopped spawning yet, as evidenced by the number of Level 1 ones around each morning. I''m getting impatient for Nik''s team to return, too. Especially after the night''s dream-vision thing a couple of nights ago, after Bryce managed to acquire Dark Squire. I had a vision of Nik getting skewered by the Demonic Kobold King. A Nikebab is not something that makes for easy sleeping. With Big Flame out of communications for awhile, and no one able to contact the team in the mines, I can''t sleep well. "Everything okay?" Bryce asks, startling me from my thoughts. I zoned out again. "Yeah," I nod, then think for a moment, looking around. "Make sure no Slimes attack me." "Got it!" He says, then charges the Fire Slime only a few yards away. "Diiiiie!" Focusing, I decide to force another vision. This time, I focus on seeing how Nik currently is, much like I did with Big Flame. Whether or not it shows me the truth or a potential version that didn''t happen is up for grabs. Hopefully, it shows me the truth. My power flows, flexing, and I sense it this time as it does. It''s linked to my Sacred Crystal in some way, though I can barely sense that. Then, the vision hits. Nik, resting against the wall of a cave, blue crystals glowing, providing a dim light. A fire burns in front of Nik, around which are gathered twelve other Adventurers, all of them looking quite grim. Nik himself is shirtless, his broad shoulders and muscled body covered in injuries bandaged up, despite the Boundary''s healing rates. I can see blood that seeped through the bandages, and the powerful Dark Knight looks grim. Looking at the team, I see two other Dark Knights, including Theodore. Then, four magicians, two Paladins, and four wearing cloaks that remind me of a rogue''s. Two of them have a quiver of arrows on their backs. All thirteen of the Adventurers look tense, uneasy. "Has it healed any?" One of the rogues asks. "A little," Nik grimaces. "But not much. The Curse of the Fallen is powerful. Once we make it to the surface, I''ll be able to get the antidote." "Is there an alchemist anywhere close enough?" A Paladin asks. "It''ll still be a day, minimum, before we reach the surface. The Curse of the Fallen takes three days to work fully. Unless you''re in a Holy Temple, you''ll-" "I''ll be fine," Nik interrupts. "As long as we make it to Maelnor in time, I''ll be fine. Blaine always keeps extra on-hand. If the damned things hadn''t destroyed the ones we brought, we wouldn''t have an issue." They weren''t in Nik''s Inventory? Why not? "How did he know?" The other Paladin asks. "The kid, I mean. How did he know that there would be Fallen Adventurers arriving?" "Zack isn''t like normal kids," one of the magicians says. "He''s progressed unusually fast, and Nik came to us to discuss his dreams before." "The kid dreams?" The Paladin asks. "Adventurers don''t-" "Zack does," Nik interrupts. "His dreams are potential futures. This has been confirmed by Lord Dark of Flame himself. He had a vision of us fighting the damn thing and told Theodore about it, warning him of the potential future he saw. The ones he sees are among the most likely ones, according to our patron, even if not always the most likely one. That was why we came prepared, just in case." "And yet," Theodore begins to add something. The vision ends there, my power out. I drop to my knees, and Bryce rushes over to me. "Are you okay?" He asks, concern in his voice and on his face. "Your eyes went violet for a few seconds, and then¡­" "Yeah," I hold out a hand. "Help me up." He does, and I tell him we should be heading back town. When we''re about halfway there, a Spook Slime jumps into the path a few yards ahead of us, bouncing and jiggling. Chapter 0019 <>(Zack)<> The Spook Slime wiggles again, and I look at Bryce. "Can you walk about a hundred yards back?" I ask him. "Why?" He asks. "I don''t think it likes you." "The feeling''s mutual," he says. "Why not kill it?" "Please?" He wants to kill it, but does as I ask. I turn to face the Spook Slime, and once my teammate is thirty yards back, the Spook Slime changes how it jumps and wiggles. Just slight differences, but enough for me to notice. It finishes after about thirty seconds, then bounces away, and I wave for Bryce to return. "What was that about?" He asks when he returns. "I''m¡­ not entirely sure, actually," I answer. "Let''s go talk with the pervert." He nods, and we finish making our way back to town and into the Trading Post. Jesse''s sharpening a dagger when we walk in, but stops to beam at us when he notices us. Well, he probably noticed us before that, considering how high his Perception is, so it''s when he appears to notice us. "How can I help you boys?" He asks in his annoyingly high voice. By losing your larynx. "Are there other types of Special Monsters?" I ask. "Other than just the seasonal and holiday ones? Well, sort of like them, but less-common?" "Why, yes!" He says, and I roll my eyes as Bryce and I approach his counter. "There are a few of them! The one showing up soon will be the Spook Master! It''s a Special-Type Monster that can change its form between various Spook Monster forms! Only one shows up in an area, and there''s a huge bonus for killing it! They''re very tough, though, so be careful, if you run into the special kind of Special-Type Monsters! They''re called the Holiday Bosses! I''d recommend running if you sense it nearby! "After this one!" Ugh. Stop with that voice, Jesse. "We''ll have to wait until next month''s Turkey Patriarch arrives!" "Spook Master?" I ask, before he can keep going. "Yep!" He responds. "It only shows up at night, and its appearance means that no more Spook Monsters will spawn! Once morning comes, it''ll fade away as well! It''s a limited-time Monster, but the bonus for kill it is huge! And it changes every year, and is different between each one in the Boundary! No one ever knows when or where the Special Monster Bosses will appear, just that there''s one per area! With the state of things around here, it''s doubtful the Spook Master in this area will be killed!" "Thanks, Pervert," I say. "See you later." I turn on my heel and leave, Bryce following quickly behind me. "What was that about?" He asks when we reach our home. "That?" I turn and smile at him. "I know where it''s going to spawn." "How?" He asks. "The Spook Slime told me." He gives me a disbelieving look, and I sigh, deciding to reveal something to him that I haven''t revealed to anyone. I do think Nik suspects, though. "Think about something ¨C anything ¨C really, really hard," I say. "Why?" "Just do it." He does, thinking about whatever it is hard. "Think about it harder," I say. "Like, really, really hard, as if it''s absolutely the only thing you''re allowed to think about." He gets an intense look of focus on his face, which is my cue. After several seconds of trying, it clicks. "You''ve seriously been wondering that about me?" I ask, and he gives me a confused look. "The answer to that is ''yes'', but please, don''t share it with others." "What?" "I can read minds, Bryce," I tell him. "It takes a lot of effort to do it on people, so the more they''re thinking about it, the harder they''re focusing on something, the easier it is. That thing you were wondering about me? The answer is ''yes'', but again ¨C please don''t share it with others. The fact that I dream in the Boundary is already odd enough, if others knew that, it could be problematic. And the reason I''m not saying what it is out loud is because someone could overhear it." My telepathy doesn''t quite work like that, but I don''t feel the need to share the rest, as this gives the general idea. "Wait," he says. "Are you saying that you could mind-speak with the Slime?" "More like," I try to think of how to word it. "It''s more like I can get impressions from them. Based on that and their actions, I can get a general sense of what they''re wanting to convey. The Slime was impressing upon me the Spook Master, along with a general location and time." Bryce stares at me. "I''m going to eat dinner," I tell him. "Then get some sleep and be ready in time to head to the woods. I want to see just how strong it is. If I can''t take it, I''ll flee." I know Jesse said to flee if we encounter it, but a stab to the eye is a stab to the eye. If I''m fast enough, we''ll be able to manage it. "I probably won''t be much use," he says. "But can I come, too?" "Of course," I give him a cheeky grin. "I''ll be using you as bait so I can escape!" He shoves me, and I race him to the kitchen. We go about our evening routine, even if earlier than normal, then get to sleep. I tune my internal clock so I''ll wake when I plan, then allow myself to fall asleep. At the appointed time, I wake, wiggle out of my cocoon, then wake Bryce up. We quickly change, then head into the forest, my Crimson Guide our only source of light¡­ for when I can actually sustain it. Every few minutes, we have to wait for me to recover my Mana, as I don''t regenerate enough to make up for its cost.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. As we''re walking, we come across a lone, Level 3 Goblin.
Spook Goblin Level 3
Health: 872 Mana: 943
Damn. They scale just as heavily as the Special Slimes. Special Monsters are powerful as fuck. The Spook Goblin is chunky, like most Goblins, and wields a club. Unlike other Goblins, though, this one''s club is a very dark blue, making it hard to track in the darkness, and its loin cloth is pitch-black. Without my Crimson Guide, the Goblin wouldn''t even be visible, I''m sure. The oddest part of this is that the Spook Goblin has on a masquerade mask, a black item with glittering red stones set around its edges. I don''t see a ribbon or anything holding it in place, which means it must be magically-fixed in place. The Spook Goblin watches us carefully, and when I shift, it lunges forward, swinging its club back, then forward. I block the strike with my sword, finding myself pushed back heavily from the raw force of that. I actually dug a pair of shallow trenches in the ground from that. Fuck, this thing is strong. But I don''t doubt for a moment that Bryce and I can''t kill it, especially since it''s focused on me, having determined I''m the real threat to it. The Spook Goblin swings another strike at me, this one faster and stronger than the previous, and I block it again, losing a point of Health from the impact alone. I continue to take the brunt of its attacks, though Bryce makes stabs at it from behind. He never actually damages it, though. Its Endurance is definitely higher than 10 by far, and even the added momentum from a swing won''t change its resistance to his blade. It''s nowhere near sharp enough to cut through on its own, either. Thankfully, mine doesn''t need to be that sharp, but I can''t get a good hit in. Whenever it changes its focus to the nuisance behind it, I hit it with a taunt of some sort, eventually even gaining a Skill for it, increasing the power of my taunting. The Spook Goblin continues to attack me, taking its time dealing damage to me. I manage to keep it from hitting Bryce at all, aided by my speed. There are a couple of close calls. However, it never hits him, only me, and I''m the only one taking damage. It takes a while for it to start hitting me harder, with more of its might. My Health regeneration finally can''t keep up with it, and I start to see my Health steadily go down. When I near 50 Health remaining, I order Bryce to get back, and he does, my Crimson Guide fading as I release the spell after a quick warning. My eyes adjust quickly, picking out the faint glimmer of the Spook Goblin''s jewels in its mask, the sound of it moving across the ground, barely-discernible to my ears, the swishing of its club in the darkness. Then, the club crashes into me, taking out 42 Health in a hit, leaving me at 11 Health remaining. "Hey, you stupid fuck," I taunt it. "Did you really think you''d kill me like this? Huh? You''re just a stupid fuck who doesn''t realize he''s hopelessly outmatched." The Goblin snickers, unaware of the death about to face it. I allow myself to fill with my rage, the combined effects of that and my Blood Frenzy ¨C both Passive Skills that use no Mana ¨C mixing together to increase my Strength massively. With a foot firmly planted on the ground, I pivot, swinging my sword at a high speed, the raw force behind the blow combined with the sheer speed from my double-Skill-powered spin and swing driving the sword into the club, which the Spook Goblin likely moved to block the strike. The moment they connect, the sword cuts through the club, slicing through like a hot knife through butter. That barely affected my speed at all, and a moment later, the Spook Goblin cries out as my blade cuts into its neck, burying itself halfway in before I look all momentum, the Monster taking it all. And then flying into a tree, my sword wrenching out of my hand as the Monster is thrown.
Dark Warrior is Now Level 6!
+2 Strength +2 Endurance +4 Vitality +2 Wisdom
Original Ruffian is Now Level 9!
+3 Agility +2 Perception
Dark Warrior is almost Level 7 now, too. Judging by my teammate''s gasp, he gained a fair few Levels. Probably more than the two, nearly-three, mine did. I summon a Crimson Guide, and am definitely jealous. He gained four Levels to Dark Squire from that, despite how little he actually managed. Then, because of reaching Total Level 5, he gained his boosts from that¡­ He gains twelve fucking Vitality every fifth Level. Twelve. I want to fucking stab him. I collapse onto the ground, the Crimson Guide hovering close to my head as Bryce approaches. He looks down at me, concern on his face. "You okay?" He asks. "Yeah," I answer. "Damn, that thing hits hard." "How did you do that?" He asks. "I was so sure you wouldn''t be able to kill it, not with how little damage you were managing against it and how much it was doing to you." "That?" I ask. "I let my rage flow through me." "Triggering the Dark Knight Skill?" He asks, and I nod. "The power boost from it is that strong?" "No," I lean against the tree, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Mine''s at Level 9 right now, so it gives me a fair boost. However, I also have a Skill called Blood Frenzy. It''s correctly labeled in the Passives, unlike Rage, likely because you don''t trigger it by doing something, unlike Rage, where you have to get enraged. "Instead," I continue. "Blood Frenzy passively increases your Strength based on how low your Health is. As a result, the two of them gave me a massive boost to my Strength, which helps slightly when pushing off of things, as well as with swinging your sword with extra might." "Ah," he says. "So those two, combined, allowed you to kill it." "Not quite," I answer. "I focused Dash into a single foot, using it when I pushed off for added momentum. I''m going to need time to recover, and not just my Health. That''s the toughest fight I''ve been in in a long while." The damn Stone Slime fight came close, I guess, but this was definitely the closest. Had I any doubt of victory, even for a moment, I would''ve high-tailed it out of here with Bryce, making sure he got away. But I had complete confidence in victory. However¡­ I''m not so sure I can take on the Spook Master, even with Bryce''s aid. That thing will be a lot more dangerous than a Level 3 Spook Goblin. Far more dangerous. Closing my eyes, I will my Crimson Guide to shrink, to conserve Mana as I recover. Once I feel ready to go, I walk over to the slain Spook Goblin and examine the mask, taking my sword from Bryce, who removed and cleaned it. I sheathe the sword, then draw my knife, slipping it under the mask and sliding it around. When I pull the mask off, I determine that it truly was fixed to the Goblin''s face ¨C and I had to remove part of the face to obtain it. That determined, I send the mask into my storage area, then think on what to do next. "If you''re doubting we can kill it," Bryce tells me. "I''m confident we can, even if I won''t be able to." "I doubt I''d be doing more damage than you," I tell him. "Without triggering Rage or being low on Health. Combining the two like what I did here won''t work on a Special Boss, I''m sure. The way Jesse talked about it made it sound like it''ll be a hell of a lot more difficult to fight than regular power Monsters like Elites and Chieftains. Hitting it in a weak spot like the eye would likely be difficult, too. If it even has an eye. Jesse didn''t actually describe what it looks like." What does it look like? Bryce thinks for a few moments, and his face lights up as an idea clicks in his head. At least, I''m sure one did, otherwise, why the hell does he look like he feels like a genius? "Do you know," he asks. "If there''s a way you can return damage dealt to you?" "Theoretically," I nod. "I''ve never asked Nik, nor have I attempted to confirm it. The thing I''m concerned about is if we''ll actually manage to escape, if we can''t kill it. I''m rash and reckless in my fighting style, but I don''t like getting into a situation I''m not sure if I can get out of. It''s one thing to be self-sacrificing ¨C it''s an entirely different one to be pure stupid." "Oh," he says. "Not that it matters," I stretch a little. "How come?" "Because the floating lantern heading our way is probably being carried by the Spook Master." He turns, spotting the glowing orange light ten yards away. It only became visible when it was fifteen yards away. It''s unmistakably a lantern made with a metal frame and glass panels, the light glowing from within, though not with a discernible source. It bobs with every step of the its wielder. I sheathe my knife and draw my sword. "If I say run," I say. "You run. Remember: run in the direction of our home. It''s still able to be sensed without focusing, so just take off as fast as you can." "Got it," he draws his sword. I allow my Crimson Guide to fade, and the Spook Master draws close enough for us to make out its form. Chapter 0020 <>(Zack)<> The Spook Master wears a white sheet with two holes for eyes cut into it. Its eyes are a dark brown, and the green skin around them indicates its Goblin nature. That, along with the arm extending from under the sheet, the hand holding the lantern covered with a black glove. Were it not for Appraisal, I probably wouldn''t believe this was the Boss.
Spook Master Level 25
Health: 13,482 Mana: 79,483
Fuck. My Strength is only 42. With Rage and Blood Frenzy combined together, it''d take me more than a hundred full-powered hits to kill it. And the immense Mana Pool indicates that this little Monster knows more than a few tricks. We are hopelessly outmatched. "Ooooh-ooooh-oooOOOOH!" The Spook Master makes ghost noises, shaking its lantern. "Is that supposed to be scary?" I ask, and it stops moving entirely. "Boo?" It asks. "I''m kind of scared," Bryce whispers. "I can''t see its stats." "You''d probably piss yourself if you did," I whisper back. "Fuck." "Yeah," I whisper back to him, my gaze still focused on the Spook Master. "Um. We don''t want to fight you." "Boo?" It asks. "No," I say. "We don''t want to fight you, we can''t fight you." "Boo?" It asks a little more forcefully. "What''s it saying?" Bryce whispers. "I think this one actually speaks English." "Trick or treat?" It asks. Yeah. It speaks English. "Um¡­ treat?" I answer. "Treat!" It exclaims in excitement. Then, its form swirls, rapidly growing until it''s a fucking jack-o-lantern eight feet tall, an orange flame within it. "BOO!" It roars, then jumps towards us. "RUN!" I shove Bryce to the side. Bryce takes off running in that direction, and I Dash forward, rolling as the Spook Master lands, leaving a small crater in the ground. I scramble to my feet, listening as Bryce''s steps fade away. The Spook Master turns to face me, fire burning within it, exploding from its jagged mouth in a steady stream. I roll to the side, evading the flames, and start running. Only to get taken out by a piece of candy shot at a high speed. It passed clean through my leg, taking out a hundred Health and crippling me. I tumble to the ground, taking three more pieces of high-velocity candy as more pepper the ground around me. I''m at 83 Health just from that. Looking at the Spook Master, it''s now taken on the form of a ten-foot Spook Slime. The core glows, indicating the preparation of another assault. One second. That''s how long it will take, at maximum. Definitely for this thing. And it''s barely had a dip in its Mana. That''s how long I have to do this, how long I have to create an opportunity for me to escape. If I fail, I''m dead. I refuse to die, though. Not here. There isn''t a chance in hell I''m going to die, despite the pain I''m feeling right now, despite the odds. I wouldn''t be a true Dark Knight if I did. And yet, I can''t think of something in my arsenal that would allow me to win. The Spook Master fires its next assault of high-velocity candy at me, and I roll behind a tree, which splinters from the impact, the candy likely driving deep into it. "Fireball!" I summon a ball of violet flames as I roll out from behind the tree. I throw it at the Spook Master, hitting it with as much magic as I can. It barely drives a foot into the ooze, and doesn''t actually take out any Health. The hard way, then. I Dash forward, allowing my Rage to fill me. The core glows brighter as I draw near. Even with all my might, unless I hit the core directly, it won''t take damage from a physical weapon. It knows that, which is why it isn''t shifting from this form with me so close. But Bryce was right. There has to be a way to return this damage to it. And I''m going to do that. And in the moment after, when it''s stunned at the damage someone as weak as me dealt to it, I''m going to take off running. Hopefully, I''ll get far enough away that it won''t chase. I trigger Dash once more as I leap, my sword held with the blade facing forward as I bullet through the air, a Skill''s name escaping my lips. "Dark Vengeance!"
New Skill!
Dark Vengeance Active
Focuses all of the damage taken in the last few seconds into a single physical strike. If the opponent''s flesh is pierced, all of the damage taken in that time is returned to them, the user''s Health restored by that amount. This Skill ignores all resistances and Endurance.
Collection Time: 5 seconds per Level of this Skill
Mana Cost: 50% of Maximum Mana, reducing by 4% per Level of this Skill
Forty-six percent of my Maximum Mana drains away and I sink within the Spook Master''s ooze, stopping just close to the core. The sudden flood of my Health restoring to full indicates I nicked the core, and that it counts as flesh. Good, all of its damage to me was in the last five seconds. And the fact that this Skill ignores any form of defense, so long as I pierced their body, means that I just took out 517 Health from this thing. The damage from my pierce only took out 89 Health, I determine. Now to figure out how to escape the ooze; being in this is damaging me. Just as I think that, the ooze sucks in to the core, the Spook Master swirling. I drop to the ground, scrambling to pick up my sword before running.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I make it a hundred yards away before there''s a crashing from above, and I look up just in time to see a massive fucking jack-o-lantern landing in front of me, the impact throwing me back several feet. As I scramble to my feet, a jet of fire streams at me. I roll to the side, then again as the Spook Master turns to follow me with its damn breath. The flames stop for a moment, as I take off, only to find two jets of fire burning the ground ahead of me, moving towards each other and cutting off my path. The Spook Master is a moron if it thinks that will stop me! Instead of trying to stop my run, I drive my next foot into the ground and push, launching myself up, doing a flip in the air between the streams of fire coming from the Monster''s eyes. The Spook Master ends its attack as I do, swirling, and a thought crosses my mind. I flick out my knife, sending it soaring through the air as fast as I can. It slams into the swirling mess, pinning the Spook Master to a tree behind it. This time, the Spook Master is in its sheet-covered Goblin form, bleeding from the knife wound in its shoulder. "I said treat, asshole," I say. "Guess you''re getting a trick instead." The Spook Master pulls my knife out of its shoulder with its free hand, flipping it around in its hand a few times as I charge, then blocking the swing of my sword. I strike at it several times, and it wields my knife expertly, stopping every attack. It manages to get a few hits in on me, its speed only barely higher than my own. After more than a minute of us clashing blades, I manage to lock them together, pinning the Spook Master against a tree. "Time for the trick!" I snarl. "Fireball!" The Fireball explodes out of my hand, catching its sheet on fire, the violet flames turning to red, orange, and yellow as it burns the sheet. The Spook Master abandons its attempts to stop or attack me as it starts patting its sheet with one hand, keeping the other firmly clutching the lantern. The lantern which I target with my sword, smashing through it. The flame extinguishes and the Spook Master roars, ripping the now-destroyed sheet off as two messages appear in my vision.
Spook master Lantern Destroyed!
All Specieal Forms Now Unavailable!
Spook master Guard Destroyed!
All Damage Taken Doubled!
The Spook Master looks like a regular Goblin, apart from the leather gloves on its hands, the leather loincloth, the leather boots, and the pumpkin necklace around its neck. The Spook Master howls, and I stare at it. It''s calling for help, isn''t it? "Arrr-rrooooOOOOOOO!" I howl in response, and the Spook Master jumps, started by the sudden howling. "Give! Me! TREATS!" I lunge at it, and it jumps backwards, disappearing from view as the flames from the sheet fade away. That has to have been the ''Spook Master Guard'', and would probably explain why it stuck to those other two forms. Me striking it as it swirled must have forced it into the Goblin form, which is likely its real form. I listen to the movements around me, ducking as a blow swings over my head. I sweep the Spook Master off its feet, then stab down with my sword, which cuts into the ground. Dammit, it rolled away. I take off running in the direction of home, hearing it following behind me. Several times, I either run directly into a tree or narrowly miss doing so. I do manage to avoid most, though. But the damn thing is keeping up with me. Curse its speed and the lack of moonlight tonight. Fucking cloudy night. Fucking cloudy night? Why is there so little light tonight? There''s snow on the ground, shouldn''t that reflect even the tiniest of light to the point we can see? Something''s dampening the light around here. I stop running, closing my eyes and listening. The Spook Master drawers nearer and nearer, about to reach me. Just before it does, I spin, keeping my eyes shut as slice through the Spook Master with my sword. That shouldn''t have cut past the skin, and yet it passed clean through, the Spook Master fading away as my blade pierced it all the way, judging by the sounds and the location. The moment that happens, the light returns to normal, giving a warm, orange glow to the Boundary in the cloudy night with a snow-covered ground. I open my eyes, looking at what stands before me. Or rather, floats. Floating in place of the Spook Master is the real Spook Master. It''s a floating orange glow.
Spook Master (True) Level 25
Health: 618 Mana: 287,942
Well, fuck that Mana Pool. It must be immense, if it was able to continue to sustain the illusions and cast those spells at me. It was likely making those forms directly, too. Those weren''t illusions. Not unless I couldn''t see them. We were surrounded by a fucking illusion. The Spook Master doesn''t seem to know how to react, as it just floats in front of me, and attempting to read it just yields scrambled thoughts. It begins to glow brighter. That, or it''s sucking in the light around me. "Oh, no, you don''t!" I close my eyes, holding up a hand. "Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!" I blast Fireball after Fireball, listening to the shifting of the air to know where it''s at and predict where it''s moving to. It takes me less than a minute to kill the annoying fucker, indicated by a message appearing in my vision.
Spook Master Slain!
+500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, Title [A Special Kind of Slayer], Title [Holiday-Breaker] Subclass [Special Slayer], Subclass [Holiday Hunter], +10 Gold, +5 Spook Ingots, +5 Spook Treats
Spook Master Slain in its True Form!
Rewards: +500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +15 Spook Ingots, +15 Spook Treats
I drop to the ground, lying there and breathing heavily as I read the message in my vision, as well as the other message in my vision. After reading through that one and deciding that killing a Special Monster Boss would be something that would have been sought after by a bunch of Adventurers around here, I find it odd that no one came here. I know they''re working hard at reclaiming the mines, but wouldn''t it be beneficial to hunt that? That''s five free Levels ¨C ten if they can get it into its true form long enough to kill it there. Plus a decent amount of gold and Spook Ingots and Spook Treats, whatever those are. Then there are the Titles and Subclasses acquired. I pull those up.
A Special Kind of Slayer:
One who has slain the Boss of a Special Monster by himself, you are more than a mere Adventurer.
Holiday Breaker:
One who has slain the Boss of a Holiday Monster by himself, you care not for their celebrations.
New Subclass! Special Slayer
Provides a passive bonus to damage received from all Special Monsters and Special Monster Bosses.
Damage Reduction: 2% per Level of this Subclass
Accept Decline
New Subclass! Holiday Hunter
Provides a passive bonus to damage dealt to all Holiday Monsters and Holiday Monster Bosses.
Damage Increase: 2% per Level of this Subclass
Accept Decline
Those Subclasses seem like they would be useful, either during holiday seasons or if there are Special Monsters around while I''m doing stuff. I''m not sure what to make of the Titles, though. They''re good, and classed at Rank 2, yet it seems like I''m gaining Titles way too easily. From what I know, they''re incredibly tough to earn. And yet¡­ I have five. Though¡­ I would definitely say that these two were hard to earn. They almost cost me my life. Wouldn''t a stronger Adventurer be able to earn them, though? I''m sure Nik could have handled that on his own. "ZACK!" Bryce yells, terror in his voice. I hear the crunching of snow as he runs towards me as fast as he can, then him dropping to his knees next to me. "Zack!" He exclaims. "Zack, you-" "Are still alive," I crack open an eye to see his worry-filled face. "Just exhausted. Damn, that thing was tough." "We should go," he tells me. "Before it returns." So he didn''t see me kill it, then. Or get the messages. Oh, right. He never actually attacked it. "Why aren''t you in the City?" I ask. "When I got far enough away," he explains. "I could see normally again, and realized that there was some sort of magic absorbing the light where we were. When I turned around, it was like a wall of darkness ahead of me. I got farther away and looked again, and saw that it was a giant dome." So the Spook Master had created a massive sphere of the light-absorbing darkness as part of its illusion. "When it faded," he says. "I came running to find you. I-" "You''re a fucking moron," I tell him. "Running into the woods? At night? With something that you knew I couldn''t fight on the loose? What if it''d killed you, too? Then, we''d both be dead." "Sorry," he says, and I sit up. "It let you go?" "No," I grin at him. "I figured out how to kill it." Chapter 0021 <>(Zack)>< "You¡­ killed it?" Bryce asks. "How?" "I''ll fill you in," I tell him. "But as we go back to where it shot candy at me. I want to see if it''s edible." Bryce laughs, then I locate my knife and return it to its sheath, then do the same with my sword. Then, we follow the trail the Spook Master and I made on our way to locate the area it shot candy at. Bryce giggles when I tell him about that part of it, asking what it was like to be taken out by candy. I shove him, but chuckle. We locate the spot and the candy. They''re not wrapped, so we ignore the pieces that have my blood on them and try to find the cleaner pieces, which is hard, since it shot them with enough speed that they dug through the snow and into the ground, and embedded themselves deep in the trees. We manage to locate six total pieces of candy that we can brush off and try, and damn are they delicious. Bryce practically steals the rest of them from me as soon as he tries one. I let him. The candy sampled, Bryce and I make our way back to the City, then to our home. Bryce goes straight to bed, but I take a bath, soaking and letting the hot water relax my muscles and soothe the soreness in me. Even though I''ve healed from everything, I''m going to hurt like hell when I wake up. Of that, I am sure. Once I finish bathing and soaking, I dry, change, then look at my coat and clothes. They aren''t salvageable ¨C the Spook Master''s projectiles did more than add rips or tears, they tore massive holes into it. Not only that, but the clothes are soaked-through with blood. I''ll need to replace them once I wake. I burn the clothes, then head to the room with the fire pit, add some more wood to it, then wrap myself in my blanket, allowing myself to sleep. For the first time since arriving in the Boundary, I wake without having dreamed a single time. That, and to the smell of cooking meat. Sniffing, I determine it''s sausage. I wiggle out of my cocoon, then enter the yard to find Bryce cooking sausages and eggs. "You didn''t have any food," I approach him, stretching my stiff body. Holy fuck am I sore. "Or money. Where''d you get those?" "Jackson," he answers. "He stopped by on his way to work this morning and saw you passed-out in there, and asked if I had food. I told him no, and gave him a brief summary ¨C minus you saying you killed it ¨C of my end of things and finding you, and he gave me food. How did he know I hadn''t eaten yet?" "He could probably smell the lack of cooking," I answer. "That comes with me being awake and having cooked. As powerful as he is, his Perception is probably pretty decent." "Ah." I sit down and let him serve me breakfast. He burned it, but I don''t complain. His face is enough to tell me I don''t need to, so it''d only be rubbing it in. "Thanks for coming back last night," I tell as him as we finish and start washing our dishes. "It was stupid, but appreciated." "Yeah," he blushes. "It was pretty stupid, you''re right about that." I get changed, then we head into town. My first stop is to the alchemist''s shop. Blaine, I think the old man''s name was. "Hey, Zack," the alchemist looks at me. "Why aren''t you wearing a coat?" "It got destroyed last night," I answer. "And my other one''s a bit too tight on me, now. It''s uncomfortable to move around in." It is. I''ve grown two inches since arriving here in the Boundary, and while I still have a lean build, there''s a new layer of muscle on my body. The jacket was loose, but not too loose, and with my recent growth, I''ve outgrown it. I''m saving it, though, for when I get new teammates. If they''re younger or smaller, they could make use of it. "I''ll be getting a new one after we leave here," I tell him. "I was wondering ¨C has Nik and his party returned yet? It''s almost noon, and they should be back today." "No, they haven''t," he tells me. "And their estimate says tomorrow." "What''s the Curse of the Fallen?" I ask, and he pales. "You had a vision, didn''t you?" "Yes, but no." "How did you hear about the Curse of the Fallen?" "What is it?" I ask. "A dangerous curse," he answers. "It takes a powerful Adventurer to die and not be cremated to become a Fallen Adventurer capable of inflicting it, and its only cure is a potion that requires Level 25 Alchemist to make. I always keep a few on-hand. I have a batch brewing right now, as the Dark Knights bought up the ten I had." "How long before it finishes?" I ask. "If I let it brew silently?" He asks. "Four hours. If I were to go and be active about it? Probably twenty minutes. Why?" "What is the Curse of the Fallen?" "Injuries won''t heal at the System-granted speed," he answers. "Instead, healing as if we weren''t a part of it, much like with Monsters, Beastborn, and likely how we did, before we died and entered the Boundary. If, after exactly seventy-two hours, it hasn''t been cured, the Adventurer immediately becomes a Fallen Adventurer. If they die before then, they immediately become a Fallen Adventurer." Fuck. "Why don''t you get back there," I tell him. "And finish it up?"The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Why?" Blaine asks, then looks past me, at something outside. The door opens, ringing the bell, and several heavier footsteps enter. I turn to find Nik, Theodore, and the other Dark Knight standing there. Nik''s not wearing his armor, just black and red clothes. He''s also somewhat pale. "Blaine," Nik says. "I need a Faetomis Elixir." "What happened to the ones you bought?" Blaine asks. "Smashed by damn Fallen Adventurers," he answers. "We need one ASAP ¨C I have less than half an hour left." "Can I say," I look at Blaine. "''I told you so''?" "How long do you have left?" Blaine asks. "Twenty-four minutes," Nik answers. "You bought all of the ones I had," Blaine tells him. "I have another batch brewing. I can finish it in twenty-one. Hang in there." Blaine disappears into the back of the shop, and I look back at Nik. "Hello, Zack," I can tell he wants to ask if I knew because of a vision. "This is Bryce," I introduce my teammate. "He''s my new teammate. He''s also a Dark Knight, like me." "I can see that," Nik smiles. "Hello, Bryce." "Bryce," I say. "This is Nik, the resident Dark Knight. The one to his right is Theodore, and the blond¡­ I don''t know him." "Isaac," Nik introduces him. "He came to assist us. Does he know?" "That I can see the future?" I ask. "Yeah, he does." "You had one of me being affected by this?" "Sort of," I answer. "I forced a vision to see how you were doing yesterday, and saw you discussing it. If you become a Fallen Adventurer, can I have Kulkul?" Nik laughs, shaking his head, then walks to the counter, leaning into it. "All we can do now," he says. "Is wait and hope that Blaine can finish it properly. Speeding it up, even for a Master Alchemist, increases the chances of a failure, and you can only brew one potion of this at a time. He might have several cauldrons brewing, though I doubt he could speed them all up." "So you''re the Nik that Zack talks about?" Bryce asks. "What did he tell you?" Nik asks. "That you have a cuddly demon." Isaac roars with laughter when Bryce says that, and Nik just shakes his head again. As we wait for Blaine to finish the potion, Bryce and I tell Nik everything that happened since Bryce arrived, up until the events of last night. Nik and the other two Dark Knights listen intently to everything, even commenting about it being good that we know how to properly care for our weapons. Blaine returns as we finish telling everything up to last night, but not including our hunt for the Spook Master. In his hand is a potion bottle with a glowing green liquid within it. He hands it to Nik, who downs the entire thing, grimacing. "Thanks," he tells Blaine, who nods. "Alright, boys. You look like there''s more to the tale." We nod. Bryce tells his side of what happened last night, up until he found my lying in the snow, in what he thought to be a state of death. Then, I tell about my side of events, and Nik listens intently to every word of it, interrupting me when I get to running. "You were right," he tells me. "In that you were not able to beat it. Unfortunately, it did attack, and that meant it wouldn''t give up unless you managed to escape its sphere of darkness. And as you noticed, it could keep up with you." "How come stronger Adventurers didn''t go after it?" I ask. "The static five hundred percent Experience is a huge reward, especially at higher Levels." "Probably because," he says. "The reward gets split evenly ¨C rounded down to the whole number ¨C between everyone who attacked it, even once. There are probably only a dozen teams in the entire Boundary that could manage it on their own, mine being one of them. It would''ve taken probably twenty Adventurers to handle that thing, especially since every time it changes its form, its Health restored." It did? Damn! I wasn''t paying close enough attention, I was too focused on finding a way to escape it. Its forms'' Health was likely based off of Mana spent or something, considering its real Health and that absurd amount of Mana. "Who told you about the bonus?" Theodore asks. "What?" I ask. "The bonus," Nik says. "You know that there''s a five hundred percent bonus. I want to know who told you, so I can smack them. I know that''s the reason you went after it." "Uh, actually," I pull up my Status silently, activating my Title. "I wasn''t quite done telling you about the fight." He stares at me, reading the Title, probably several times. Then, he gestures for me to continue, so I do, explaining about how I realized that the darkness was likely a form of illusion that drew away light to work, and that if that was an illusion, maybe the Spook Master itself was one. And that, when I closed my eyes, it broke the illusion. I describe the Spook Master''s true form, the floating glow in the air, then how it began to absorb the light around it, the darkness returning, and how its Health was so much lower than it was before. Then, I tell him of how I kept my eyes shut and hit it with Fireball after Fireball, eventually killing it and earning the rewards. "Speaking of them," I say. "I now have three Subclasses available. How many of them can you have?" "Three," he answers. "What''s your third one?" "Chef." "It''s a good one," he nods. "Especially for if you plan on long trips out of a City. Only one of the thirty-some of us didn''t have it." He grimaces when he says that, likely thinking of the death toll they had. "How many died?" Blaine asks. "Thirteen survived," Nik answers. "Thirty-eight went in, thirteen survived. Only a third. Without the powers of the three of us, no one would have." "Most of it was you," Theodore says. "The powers of a Dark One exceed ours, and you took far more hits than we did." Dark One? "And yet," Nik says. "We nearly lost our own lives as well. Without the Crimson Wall, we all would have lost." Crimson Wall? "Excuse me," I interject. "Novices here." "Dark One," Nik looks at me. "Is a Rank 2 Class. It''s unlocked by bringing Dark Knight and Blood Priest to Tier V, that is, Level 41 for the overall Classline. The version for Priests and Paladins is Holy One. "Crimson Wall," he continues. "Is a Rank 4 Skill usable only by Dark Ones. I worked towards unlocking it just a few weeks ago, just in case it was needed." "And if you hadn''t," Isaac says. "We would all be dead. Is there any word on Normar''s location? Had he been there-" "No," Nik answers. "We still don''t know where Normar is. I told them we should have waited until we could contact him and get him to join us for the battle. With him present, our injuries wouldn''t have been anything." "Who?" I ask. "His name is Nathan Normar," Nik answers. "He''s a Holy One, though he appears to be only ten. His mental state matches it at times as well, due to that being when he stopped aging. He performed a great feat when he was that age, more than a century ago, and it caused his air affiliation to grow strong enough to halt his aging then. A great feat, but at a great cost. He''s currently past Kraemar, the City to the west, at the other end of the valley. He''s found a way to slip through into the other pass without notice. We''re not sure if whether he is going through Kraemar, or if he is somehow able to go around it, but regardless, we can''t contact him. "His healing power," Nik continues. "Is the most powerful the Boundary has ever known ¨C only twice before him has a Holy One been born, and twice, they have found themselves dead before reaching Tier II. Normar sat at Tier III, last we spoke. He was the healer on my team, before we split to train in different ways. Had they allowed us to wait until he returned to a range of contact, we could have survived that damn fight without losing a soul. He can bring anyone back from the brink of death, his heals as quick as lightning, able to restore Health from an instant-kill in the moment just before it hits zero, and he can do it from dozens of yards away." In other words, someone else forced them to go early. I don''t have a doubt in my mind the Dark Knights spoke heavily against doing so, but their words fell on deaf ears. So they went with the team, in an attempt to preserve as many people as possible. They were confident they would succeed, until my warning came. That is likely when they resisted going. They even likely reminded whoever it was that there were Fallen Adventurers down there, and were probably told that the team could handle it. They couldn''t. "Fuck whoever gave those orders," I say. "But not literally, because that''d be bad. And gross. And probably rape. You did what you could. Now. I have questions." "Okay?" He looks at me. "What do you think of there being two of us?" The four adults burst into laughter. Chapter 0022 <>(Zack)<> It looks like Adventurer and Ruffian don''t count as Subclass slots, despite not saying they don''t and being listed with the Subclasses. In addition, when I accepted Chef, I received a notification informing me that Adventurer grants me one extra Subclass Slot, meaning I can take on another, should I find one I want. After buying two jackets for me for a silver, twenty-eight copper, Bryce and I head to Jackson''s shop, whose owner can be heard hammering away at something in the forge. We wait around ten minutes for him to come out and greet us. "Sorry about that, boys," he says. "I''m working on a new sword for Nik; he lost his in the mines." "They lost more than swords," I tell him, and he nods grimly. "Twenty-five more Fallen Adventurers have been added to the ones already down there, meaning it''ll be pretty much impossible to take back, now." "Indeed," he nods. "All we can do is reclaim the other areas and section off that one. Unfortunately, past there is where the really good metals are. How can I help you two boys?" "Have you ever worked Spook Ore before?" "Yeah," he nods. "Back when the City was more lively, I got a few chances to work it, before people left for training elsewhere and our people stopped caring. Why?" I pull one of the Spook Ingots out of my Inventory. Even my automatic drops drop into the second one, not the real one. The ingot is a trapezoidal prism one foot long, five inches wide at the base, and four inches tall, with the top part of it stretching four inches wide. The ingot itself is a dark grey in color, translucent, like obsidian and Spook Slimes. Along the core of the ingot glows an orangeness akin to the flames of a jack-o-lantern''s candle or a Spook Slime''s core. "A Spook Ingot?" Jackson lifts the nearly-weightless ingot off the counter, examining it. "How did you obtain one?" "I killed the resident Spook Master in the forest," I answer. "Erm¡­ well, I was trying to run from it after discovering it was a lot more powerful than I could handle, but ended up killing it during my escape." "How does that happen?" "I discovered something that Nik apparently didn''t know about them." He raises an eyebrow. "It requires you to close your eyes while fighting it," I answer. "Spook Masters are masters of illusion, and that''s the only way to really kill it easily, making it so even someone like me can kill it. I think everyone within its domain has to have their eyes closed, though, not just those observing it. There''s a bonus for killing it in its true form, too." "Indeed," He nods. "I''ve never heard of Spook Masters having their true form discovered before, but most other Special Monster Bosses have a true form, and killing them in that if they do often increases the reward. We''ve known it does have one, but not what it is, as no one''s ever managed to pulled it into that before. You killed it by yourself?" "Yeah," I nod, then gesture to Bryce. "I had Bryce run as soon as I realized we couldn''t fight it, so he never got a hit in. It was all me after that, up until I discovered how to kill it easily." "Which is wise," he says. "Though you both could''ve ended up dead." "Yeah," I say. "That damn pervert didn''t warn us it''d be that strong, just mentioned it had huge bonuses. Once I finish here, I''m going to go and rip him a new one." "Since you dealt the killing blow," Jackson sets the ingot down. "And were the only one who fought it, I''m assuming you have both of the Subclasses available?" "Yeah," I nod. "I took them on." "Did you use the Experience bonus yet?" "No," I shake my head. "I gained five hundred percent static Experience for killing it, and again because it was in its true form. I figured, I could use those ten Levels to reach the final stages of a Subclass, as it''d probably be more difficult than starting." "Indeed," he nods. "However, those two Subclasses are increased by delivering the killing blow to a Monster that qualifies for its bonus. Each kill increases it a Level. It causes a lot of competition, bad blood, and hatred between Adventurers, as there are those who will steal a kill from someone else." "I''m glad," I say. "The Adventurers around here will focus on more important things, like preparing for the war. Any idiot who comes from deeper in to try to lay claim to my kills will find themselves severely injured." "Looking at your Class Level," he says. "You haven''t used your bonus for your Classes as well." "Nah," I say. "Same thing with that ¨C I''m saving it for when it''s more difficult to raise a Level." "I wish everyone was as wise as you," he smiles. "Most people use it immediately, either to reach Level 25 of a Class faster so they can take on another, or to boost a Class they just took on. Then again, most only receive less than a full Level''s worth of Experience, since the rewards are split between all who attacked it in that session." "It''d still be wise," I say, and he nods.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "With Subclasses," he says. "Keep in mind that the higher Level boosts things like speed and efficiency, and chances of creating a higher-quality item when completed. However, it does not make up for actual skill, so don''t forget to practice your Subclasses when you''re able to. You have one more slot, right?" "Yeah," I nod. "Though I also have Chef." "How?" He asks. "By cooking a feast and learning from my past mistakes." "No," he says. "I meant, how do you have four Subclass Slots?" "Do you know about my other two Classes?" I ask. "Original Ruffian and Adventurer?" He asks. "Wait, wouldn''t that be six slots, then?" "They don''t count for Slots," I shrug. "Adventurer gives me one extra Subclass Slot." "Ah," he says, then gently strokes the top of the ingot. It''s perfect in shape, smooth and without any flaws. He looks at me, then back to the ingot. "What makes it glow?" Bryce asks. "No one''s sure," Jackson shrugs. "It just does. Since you killed it by yourself, Zack, I''m assuming you have five of them?" "Twenty," I answer. "I obtained fifteen extra for killing it in its true form. I was wondering if you could forge new weapons for Bryce and me with it. Or is that not a good idea?" "It is," he says. "It''s also good for armor as well. Special Metals, including Holiday Metals like Spook Ore, are different from most materials you can acquire. Spook Ore specifically is lightweight, as you''ve noticed. Its blade will never dull or nick against ordinary materials, and it''s highly resistant to magic to the point that it''s not far from being completely impervious to it. A special trait of Spook Ore is that it draws magic aimed at its wearer to it as well, meaning it''s useful against spell-slinging Monsters for people who wear armor like yours ¨C where it only covers some parts of you, like your chest, forearms, and knees." Anything more, and it would be too restrictive, I feel. "In addition," he continues. "All Special Metals, including Holiday Metals, have the enchantment we work into our weapons and armor to make blood and such slide off as an inherent property. Unless you mix it with something else, it retains this property." "Oh, cool!" I grin at him. "Can you make new weapons for both of us?" "Sure," he nods. "I can do armor as well, if you''d like. I make what''s sold at the armor shop." "I thought he made them?" "He just sells them," Jackson shakes his head. "I''m the only Blacksmith in town capable of making high-quality equipment, which is what''s needed for the Adventurers who remain here. What I don''t make is brought in on shipments. Most of my work is done for the more powerful ones, such as Nik, or repairs. I can make your breastplates, pauldrons, and vambraces with the ore. It would likely take me two and a half or three ingots for a set for each of you." "Can you make two sets for us?" I ask. "So we have backups, even if they are as tough and durable and powerful as you claim." "Sure," he says. "Alright," I pull nine more of the Spook Ingots out of my Inventory and set them on the counter. "Here you go. If you need more, let me know." "Alright," he says. "I may only need one more ingot, but I might be able to do it with these." "Thanks," I say. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" A voice asks. "Just putting ten Spook Ingots down like that. How the hell did you even manage to buy that many, kid? They sell raw from the kill for twenty-five gold!" Really? That''s cool! I turn to face the speaker, a man in his forties, looking like a pompous ass. He''s not the one I saw before. "Me?" I ask, then pretend to think. "Hrm¡­ I think¡­ I''m the one who got a Spook Master into its true form last night before killing it, all while solo''ing the entire thing." The pompous ass snorts. "You''re only Level 16," he scoffs. "You couldn''t kill that thing as a team, much less alone." "And you''re a pompous ass," I say. "Who ignores the fact that a thirteen year-old boy is a Dark Warrior." I can''t see his Stats, so he''s a decent Level, but that doesn''t mean I''ll yield to him. He opens his mouth to speak as I set A Special Kind of Slayer to my Title for the second time today, and he stops, staring. "Is there a way to make a Subclass visible?" I ask him. "I''ll happily show you Holiday Hunter." He doesn''t respond. "Jackson," I say without taking my eyes off the pompous ass. "How long before I can expect our new equipment to finish?" "Three days," he answers. "How much will the cost be?" "Normally," he says. "The knives alone would cost ten gold apiece. The total order would go upwards of twenty diamond coins. However, you''re supplying the Spook Ingots from your kill last night, cutting out a fair portion of the cost. My discounted rate for you will be five gold. No haggling, because that''s still quite cheap compared to what I''d charge others with higher tags." No shit. It''s probably at least a diamond coin for the actual work, but he''s giving it to us discounted because of who we are and us being kids who work as hard as we do. Because we actually try to make a difference. "Thanks," I say, pulling out two gold coins, each with a one denoting their value, as well as five silver coins, each valued at ten apiece. "Here you go." I flip each one up and back, hearing him catch each of the seven coins. "I''ll pay you the other half when I pick them up," I tell him. "See you in a few days, Jackson. Later, Mr. Pompous Ass." I walk past the pompous ass, Bryce following at my heels. I''m surprised he stayed as silent as he did during the whole ordeal. It''s not like there was much he could do that wouldn''t anger the guy worse, but it was still odd. "What did he mean," Bryce asks as we walk towards the Trading Post. "By ''higher tags''?" "Oh, right," I say. "I guess we haven''t discussed them, have we?" He shakes his head, so I explain the tag system to him the rest of the trip to the Trading Post. When we enter, there''s another pompous ass inside who scowls at us. "Zacky!" Jesse exclaims. "I heard about you killing the Spook Master by yourself last night! Congratulations!" I wish you the best of luck getting devoured by the Turkey Patriarch. The ass''s entire expression changes from a scowl to sudden caution as soon as Jesse mentions my feat. He no longer looks as pompous. "Hey, Jesse," I approach the counter, then glance at the pompous ass, as if noticing him for the first time. "And you are?" He''s in his late teens, and is dressed in light blues and silvers, the image of a silver rose sewn onto his breast and his cloak, a silver rose acting as the clasp for his cloak. His black belt has a silver rosehead as the buckle. This guy is seriously into silver roses. In addition to his odd attire, he has golden-blond hair and sky-blue eyes. He also has no visible weapons, though I can''t see his stats, meaning he''s a decent Level. A magician, no doubt. That, or he doesn''t dare show a weapon in Jesse''s Trading Post. In addition to his appearance, there are eight Knights and two magicians in the Trading Post, all of whom moved towards me as I approached a few moments ago, though they didn''t come too close. They weren''t even worth observing. "This is Joseph Forsan," Jesse introduces us. "Crown Prince of Wyina." Wyina is the name of the kingdom formed of the Adventurers to govern them all and keep order and peace. If this is the prince of it, no wonder he has so many guards. "''Sup?" I ask. Chapter 0023 <>(Zack)<> "You didn''t mention," Joseph, Prince of Wyina says. "That he was a child, Jesse." "Oh, I know!" Jesse exclaims. "Isn''t he just the most adorable kid you''ve ever seen? And then Bryce, too! These two children put in a lot more effort than that bully who was in here when you showed up!" "Would that be the bully who harassed us in Jackson''s shop?" I ask. "Maaay-be!" Jesse answers. "There are a few of them around! Several nobles came to visit with Joseph! They wanted to hear the results of the party themselves!" "It''s a shame," Joseph looks back to the old Adventurer. "That the Council pushed for them to leave, after Nik, Theodore, and Isaac all said it was likely they would lose members down there to Fallen Adventurers. I believe my father will impress upon the Council the importance of listening to the Dark Knights, after this." "Hopefully!" Jesse exclaims. "So the kid actually beat a Spook Master by himself?" The prince asks. "That''s what Nik said!" Jesse answers. "And he even did it in its true form, too!" "Pleasure to meet you, Zack," the prince turns to me. "I expect we''ll be meeting again sometime. For now, I have business to attend to." The prince turns and leaves, and Bryce and I look at each other. "You didn''t tell me there was a prince," he says. "I didn''t even mention the ruling body," I remind him. "It never seemed important," I look at Jesse. "They got here fast after word hit that Nik''s party failed." "There are ways to move fast, Zacky!" He exclaims. It''s a shame there isn''t a Spook Master left in the Boundary, now that day''s come. Otherwise, I''d recommend you go ask one for a treat. By yourself. Without any weapons or Mana or items or anything. While tied up. Thinking of treats. "So what do Spook Treats do?" I ask Jesse. "I can''t get a read on them at all with Appraisal." "Don''t eat them during the day!" He tells me. "Otherwise, they''ll be nasty! Eat them at night for a tasty treat!" Okay¡­ "Can I buy silver tags for Bryce?" I ask. "He has to buy them!" I give Bryce twenty silver. "And twenty copper!" Jesse says. "No skipping!" I give Bryce twenty copper. Jesse takes the copper first, then hands Bryce copper tags with his information on it. Then, he takes the silver, giving Bryce his silver tags. Bryce pulls on the silver tags, then studies the copper ones for a minute before putting them in his Inventory. "Thanks," he tells me. "No problem," I say. "You sort of deserve them, being a Dark Knight like you are and having done what you''ve done." "I haven''t really done much," Bryce says. "Yeah, you have," I grin at him. "You were a true Dark Knight and thought of others first last night, not even thinking about the risk to yourself to make sure your teammate was okay. To me, that means you''ve earned it." "Did you boys need anything?" Jesse asks. "Do you recommend we keep the Spook Treats?" I ask. "You?" He thinks for a moment. "Nope!" "How come?" I ask, and he opens his mouth. "Without the annoyingly high-pitched girly voice you do, Jesse. I''m feeling sore as fuck and not really in a good mood." "Alright," he says, his voice more ''normal''. It''s actually a little bit deep. Bryce jumps when he hears it, looking at the Certified Assessor with shock clear on his face. "Spook Treats are a highly-valued delicacy within the Boundary, as are all Special Monster Boss Food Drops. Spook Treats specifically sell to vendors for five gold, minimum, depending on how close it is to their expiration, which is about two weeks. When sold directly to a customer, they could easily be sold at twenty or thirty gold, especially if it''s to nobility. "If you eat them during the day," he continues. "They will taste disgusting, make you sick, and cause you to turn transparent when light hits you. The brighter the light, the more transparent it is. There''s no cure for it, and it lasts for twenty-four hours. If you eat them during the night, you gain nothing, but they taste excellent. It''s a unique taste that has never been replicated. It works great as an ingredient in some dessert dishes as well, such as certain types of pies, some cakes, and even ice cream." I pull one out and stare at it. It''s wrapped in a piece of black and orange paper, and is a disc roughly two inches across and half an inch thick.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. People pay five gold for a snack, just because of its rarity and flavor. It''s not even that big of a treat, either. "Wait," I realize. "So you''re saying I could earn a whole diamond just by selling these?" "How many did you get?" Jesse asks in the high-pitched voice, then clears his throat. "How many did you get?" "Twenty," I answer. "It awarded an additional fifteen of them for killing it in its true form." "Nice!" He says in the high-pitched voice, then clears his throat. "Sorry, Zack. It''s hard to break character, especially when I''m behind this counter." "You really weren''t kidding," Bryce says. "It is just an act." "Indeed," Jesse nods. "It makes it easier to deal with most people. His Highness is one of the few people who is aware it is that I don''t break it for when we''re alone, and that should tell you how few people I do break it for ¨C and how few even know. "Zack," he says. "If you have twenty, and sold them all, you could easily earn four to ten diamond. If you sold them to me, you''d only earn five apiece, as I''d have to go by the standard in the System. If you sold them to the General Store, you''d likely find them bought at seven apiece, and the bakery buys them at ten apiece. And as I said ¨C many of nobility would spend twenty gold or more for one." "Thanks," I say. You know¡­ if I saved them until, say, spring, I could probably sell them for a much higher price. "I think I''ll hold onto them," I say. "Might want to save them for my future teammates. Plus, I want to let Bryce try one." I hand Bryce the one I pulled from my Inventory as Jesse frowns. "What?" I ask. "Food doesn''t keep in the Inventory," he says. "Fresh items will keep for a week, prepared for three days. Special Treats last two weeks." "Really?" I ask. "Yes." "Oh," I say. "My funky Inventory ignores that crap. Food can stay good in there for awhile. Plus ¨C you never know when Big C''s gonna drop someone onto my property." "No, we don''t," he smiles. "Holy shit," Bryce gasps, and I look over to find him having taken a bite out of the dark orange candy. "This is¡­ holy shit. I can''t describe it." He keeps swearing, taking a small bite between them and savoring the flavor. The look on his face tells me it''s good. "Are you going to try?" Bryce asks me. "Later," I tell him. "When we''re not in public," I look at Jesse. "Thanks. We''ll be heading home to rest up and recover from that fight. Well, I am. Then, we''re gonna celebrate my victory." "See you," Jesse says. "I''m back, bitch!" The voice of a kid exclaims from the direction of the door. Bryce and I spin to face the speaker, but no one''s there. At all. I can''t perceive them, either. They''re making no sound, and didn''t when they entered. In fact, I didn''t even hear the door open. And yet¡­ I can sense a Sacred Crystal. I can''t pin it down, but it has a powerful amount of Air merged into the Light. A very powerful amount. It almost matches Nik''s fire into his darkness. Whoever this person is, they''re incredibly powerful. He also has a lot of Fire and Water merged into his Light, though not as much of those elements as Nik has of his side elements. Someone that powerful¡­ Nathan Normar. Shy little guy, isn''t he? "What the fuck?" Bryce asks. "I''m not hearing voices, am I?" "Nope," I say. "There''s a shy Adventurer here who didn''t notice us when he entered the Trading Post." "I don''t see anyone." "He''s hiding," I say, then look at Jesse. "I''ll leave you and Nathan alone to talk about¡­ stuff. See you. And maybe one day, I''ll actually see you, Nathan." I walk to the door and leave, Bryce following behind me. "Nathan?" Bryce asks. "The healer Nik mentioned earlier." "Why do you think it was him?" "His Sacred Crystal," I answer. "Ah." Bryce and I walk home, the only sound around us the crunching of our boots in the snow. He''s thinking about something, but doesn''t say it out loud. I know he wants to, but something is keeping him from doing it. What? We reach home, and I immediately get to work on my feast, a dinner of turkey, pumpkin pie, potatoes, and whatever else I can scrounge up with my resources. It takes me around two hours to make everything, and by the time I''m done, I''m exhausted. Last night and today was exhausting. I didn''t get much sleep last night, and my body''s gotten a bit stiffer and more sore as the day has gone on. When we finish, we sit down to eat. I gained eighteen percent Chef Experience from that preparation. As we eat, Bryce and I chat about our plans, and if we''re going to hunt the leftover Spook Slimes, or hunt down Goblins and leftover Spook Goblins, as well as whatever other Holiday Goblins are out right now. We decide, as we wash the dishes, to hunt the Goblins. We can deal with the Slimes some other time, since new ones spawn every day, while Goblins take longer to spawn, even when adding in their live births to their random spawning. The dishes cleaned, dried and put away, Bryce and I head to the bath to soak, and I close my eyes, allowing myself to sink into the water down to my neck, letting my body relax as the heat soothes my muscles and soreness. I sigh in relief, and hear Bryce giggle. He''s silent for a few seconds, then giggles again. This repeats multiple times, until I open an eye with a glare. "I''m trying to relax, here," I tell him. "I know," he looks like he''s trying hard not to giggle. It escapes for a moment. "I''m sorry, I''m trying not to, but it''s hard." "What is?" I ask. "There''s a, um¡­" He giggles. "There''s a butterfly on your head." "There''s¡­ what?" "Yeah," he says. "A butterfly, it''s black and orange." Is it a Monarch butterfly? Why is it on my head? Does it think I''m a flower or something? Now that he mentions it and I''m actually looking, I can sense its small presence. I slowly lift my right hand out of the water, holding it in front of my face, and mentally nudge the butterfly. A few moments later, it flies into view, gently landing on my index finger. I watch it for several moments, then it flies away. I smile, closing my eye and dropping my arm back into the water, relaxing again. It''s been a long time since butterflies flew to me. I haven''t seen any here. It''s winter, though, with plenty of snow. Why was it out and about like this? There aren''t many flowers around for it to feed from. There are flowers, though. Winter flowers. None near my home, that I''ve seen. "I''ve been wondering," Bryce says after several minutes of relaxation, and I open an eye to stare at him. "How come, with our healing rates, we still feel sore and stuff?" "I''m honestly not sure," I answer. "But it may be that just because we''re healed, we haven''t necessarily recovered? You''d have to ask Big S or one of the other Crystals, though I doubt they''d answer." The real reason is likely to serve as a reminder that though we''ve been given a second chance at life and that we''ll heal from most anything in under twenty minutes, we''re still very much mortal, and we can still very much die. Again. "Alright," Bryce says, and I close my eyes. Then, I hear him standing up. "I''m heading to bed, see you when you come in, or in morning, if I''m asleep when you finish soaking." "Later." Chapter 0024 <>(Zack)<> The trio of Goblins eat their meal, chattering away in their primal language, unaware of their observers. Two of them are regular Goblins, Level 5 each.
Goblin Level 5
Health: 102 Mana: 23
Goblin Level 5
Health: 103 Mana: 12
I don''t think regular Goblins really use magic. None have against me before. Both of those are armed with short swords, one with a rusty dagger and the other with a shield. They''re both subordinates to the other Goblin, which is clearly younger than the two of them, considering it''s only Level 2, and Goblins naturally gain a Level every week, unless they manage to gain enough Experience before then to boost that speed. This Goblin has pale blue skin, is dressed in a pure-white loin cloth, and has a pure-white staff strapped across its back. It wears a blue-white crystal hanging from a white leather cord as well, the crystal glowing with a faint light. It''s muscled well, and smacks the Goblin with the shield in the back of his head. Hard.
Frost Goblin Level 2
Health: 596 Mana: 1,089
Unlike the Spook Goblin I faced a couple of nights ago, this one hasn''t managed to boost its Level up. That Spook Goblin must have done a fair bit, to hit Level 3 in under a week. This tells me that the Frost Goblin will likely be physically weaker than the Spook Goblin. However, its Mana Pool and name suggests it uses magic ¨C likely ice magics. Levels? Wait. Levels. I''ve seen a fair few Goblins at Levels 2, 3, and 4, but only about a dozen total at Level 5. If Goblins gain a Level naturally every five days per Level already attained through passive Experience gains from their monster nature¡­ How come I''ve faced so few Level 5 Goblins? And so few specialty Goblins? I haven''t actually seen any that weren''t normal Goblins. Where are they all? Are they hiding, waiting for the time for battle? How come I haven''t seen any traces of them, though? And where are they all hiding? Are they moving farther away from where people are, even though there aren''t any coming out to play? Well, other than me, and now, Bryce. But even with me coming out to hunt¡­ there weren''t that many from the start. Did Alexander do something? Has he been sending them instructions to stay back, away from the areas people inhabit and travel? Why? The Frost Goblin stops moving, freezing completely for several moments. Then, it turns its head, looking directly at the bush Bryce is hiding behind. It lifts a hand, aimed right at the bush. "Icicle!" It exclaims in a gravelly voice. A icicle ten inches long forms in front of its hand, immediately shooting at the bush. "Deflect!" Bryce exclaims just as the icicle penetrates the bush. Immediately after, the icicle shoots off in a random direction, followed by Bryce bursting out of the bush, weapons drawn. I taught him how to use Deflect after Jackson stopped by this morning to ask us to stop by the tailor''s so he can get our measurements for the armor. Then, we went there to do that, then came out hunting. I''m glad he thought to use it, though he could''ve saved the Mana for¡­ Ah, right. He doesn''t have anything else that really uses Mana. The Frost Goblin, on the other hand, does, raising its hand to cast more icicles. Only to find a knife flying at it from another bush, followed by a thirteen year-old Dark Warrior with his sword drawn.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The Frost Goblin deflects my knife with a quick draw of its staff. It then blocks my sword, chanting a spell. I kick upwards, nailing it in the crotch with my boot, and its chant cuts off as a frosty magic began to form between us, the frost dissipating without the spell to power it. The two regular Goblins attack Bryce as I take on their leader. Or rather, Bryce taunts them to keep their focus on him as I fight the stronger one. The Frost Goblin blocks every attack I make, though I can tell I''m stronger than it, as evidenced by it needing to step back every few blows and readjust its grip on its staff. It can only manage single-word spells like Icicle, and those are easy enough to avoid or stop with my sword. The Frost Goblin is able to stop my Fireballs with a Magic Shield, a thin, translucent blue barrier formed of magic, and as a result of that, our fight becomes a battle of attrition. One I will win. It may be a Special Monster with nearly as much Health as I do and far more Mana, but its spells aren''t able to connect and while mine can''t, either, I have more raw strength, and Goblins don''t have enough stamina and endurance at just a week old to withstand a constant flurry of blows at my strength. After several minutes, our Mana depleted, I manage to drive my sword into the Frost Goblin''s shoulder, right into the artery. Blood begins spurting out, and I withdraw my sword as the Monster drops to its knees. I can see it in its eyes as it looks up at me. It knows it''s about to die, and that there''s nothing it can do to stop me from killing it. I dip my head to it, to let it know I thought it was a good fight, and the Frost Goblin smiles, showing its crooked teeth. Then, I turn my sword, swing it back, then swing it forward, cutting clean through its neck. Blood sprays onto me, and I turn to watch Bryce''s fight for a moment. He''s holding his own, but could use a little assistance. I walk over to my knife, pick it up, and throw it. It flies the twenty feet in under a second, embedding itself in the back of the head of the Goblin with the knife. A moment later, the Goblin drops to the ground, and the other one freezes, looking at its fallen comrade. That moment of distraction is all Bryce needs, and he drives his sword through the Goblin''s chest. His Level went up sometime during the fight, though I''m not surprised, as he only had three percent left, after our sparring session at home. "Good job," I retrieve my knife from the Goblin''s head. "Thanks," Bryce says. We clean off our blades, then claim our loot from their bodies. I acquire another marble and let him keep the rest of the loot. This is his first time killing something and being able to actually acquire loot, so I might as well let him have it all, even though I technically got the kill and Kill Experience with one of them. Besides, I have juicier rewards awaiting me. I approach the Frost Goblin''s corpse and pull the necklace off of it and holding it up, looking at the glow within it. It glimmers faintly, with movement reminiscent of a blizzard raging within it. A quick Appraisal yields results, much to my surprise. I expected it to be like the Spook Ingots and Spook Treats, and be something I couldn''t read because it''s too far above me or I don''t have the proper Subclass.
Frost Pendant
The leather of this beautiful necklace comes from the hide of a Blizzard Hound, the metal attaching the jewel to the cord forged of Winter Steel. The jewel itself glows with the power of a blizzard, shielding the wearer from the cold.
Bonus to Cold Resistance: 20%
Appraising it brought my Appraisal from Level 4 to Level 5. This thing might sell for a pretty penny, especially with its bonus to Cold Resistance. Unless, of course, it''s actually pretty common to find. Then, probably not so much. But my understand is that resistance bonuses are hard to come by, and the Skills for them take forever to even earn, meaning that this might actually be a rare find. "You know," I say as I start going through the Frost Goblin''s pouches. "This pendant giving a bonus to Cold Resistance actually brings up a good question. The Goblins don''t seem to have changed their attire at all, despite the cold. Are Goblins naturally resistant to the cold? Or do they suffer from it?" "How often do you come across Goblins at a fire?" Bryce asks from where he''s carving up the Goblins for his loot. "Usually in groups," I look at the two frost-patterned marbles I pulled from the pouch.. "Most lone Goblins I''ve come across are just relaxing somewhere or walking around. I haven''t seen any shiver, though. But then, I haven''t really been in the woods since it got cold-cold, so maybe they are affected by it, and we just haven''t seen enough to really notice." Yeah, I''m keeping these marbles. "Maybe," he says. "You said it was just the ears and nails from their bodies that are useful?" "Yeah," I answer, pulling out some dried herbs and a tin of healing salve, along with three tainted silver coins. "Don''t forget to check their pouches. The one with the shield had two, the one with the knife had one." "Alright," he says. I finish looting the Goblin''s pouches, then draw my knife and start carving into its chest. "What are you doing?" He asks. "I''m probably hitting Dark Knight soon," I answer. "The actual Dark Knight, at Tier III. Once I reach it, I can sacrifice a ''Vice'', that is, something from something I killed alone, to forge my own Demon Familiar, then later, power it up. I''m only two and a half Levels from reaching Level 10 of Dark Warrior. Since my special Inventory keeps things for a long period of time, I''m going to start collecting Vices from Special Monsters, like this guy. The better the Vice, the better I can power them up. Hopefully, I can get something real good before reaching Tier III." "Oh, cool," he says. "Me deflecting that icicle won''t affect it?" "Nope," I answer. "You never attacked, only defended from a spell thrown at you. According to Nik, that won''t affect it. I asked him, before you showed up." "Oh, okay," he says. "Hey, can I ask you something?" "Sure?" "Regarding¡­ the thing we can''t say out loud." "We can say it here," I tell him. "No one else comes out here, so no one would hear it." "The way you reacted," he says. "When you realized that you weren''t using the Inventory, and the fact that you didn''t even know how to use the proper Inventory¡­ did you have access to your weird one in reality? Back before you died?" Chapter 0025 <>(Zack)<> My special Inventory must have been what he was thinking about yesterday, as we were walking home. That explains why he didn''t ask it then ¨C someone could have heard. "Yes," I finish pulling out the heart, then place it into my Inventory. "I discovered it when I was four. I used it to shoplift." "You were a thief?" "A rich, spoiled brat," I answer. "I''d steal pretty often, usually food. I got grabbed a few times, but no one could provide proof I''d stolen, since I knew how to angle myself so the cameras wouldn''t see it disappearing. They also couldn''t find the items on me. It made it so easy." "Have you stolen here?" He doesn''t even question what a camera is, but I doubt it''s a question that''s off his mind. He''ll probably ask it later. "Only if you count looting the dead as stealing," I answer, causing him to laugh. I start removing the Frost Goblin''s ears and nails. "Things in reality were¡­ complicated. I could read minds there, too. Sometimes, I''d learn things about people¡­ I saw myself as better than them. I knew deep or dark secrets, I had powers they didn''t¡­ I was rich. I was an asshole to everyone. Me wanting to be a Dark Knight would have surprised everyone back there. They knew I was a bully and an ass, but they''d have probably seen me go a rogue route. That, or martial artist. Definitely not something that involves getting hurt for the sake of power." "Why did you go Dark Knight, then?" He asks. That¡­ has a complicated answer. One that probably wouldn''t make sense without knowing me. "It''s more in-line with my real personality," I answer. "Being an asshole was part of how I pushed people away. The closer someone is to me, the easier it is for me to read their mind. It takes me a lot more to read the minds of some random person passing on the street than it does for me to read yours or Nik''s. The way I died¡­ it probably shocked everyone who knew me." Part of the reason our memories are removed, even if their impressions remain, is likely to keep us away from the trauma of our deaths. In my case, though¡­ it wasn''t a traumatic experience. "Why?" He asks. Not traumatizing in the slightest. "I''m a Dark Knight to the core," I answer. With that, I heat up some of the snow with a Fireball, then wash my hands and face clean of the blood. I can deal with my clothes later, when we return to town. "So," Bryce says as I stand and look at him. Good, he''s cleaned himself as well. "Do you know anyone here you knew there?" "No," I answer. "Though I will. Several of my visions have revealed to me a boy of ten years old. I knew him in reality. According to the Crystals, they believe he''ll die come spring. Due to the visions, I know he''s going to end up in my care." "So we didn''t know each other?" He asks. "Nope," I answer. "Alright." How much has he been wondering that, since realizing that I remembered my life in reality? Speaking of finding that out¡­ do the Crystals know I remember everything? I hadn''t access to my memories of reality while in Big C''s Sacred Temple initially, but when I woke up here, the memories were all there, as if they''d never been gone. I know the Crystals seem to be able to hear thoughts, so I''ve done my best to hide it, as I don''t know the extent of that, but I have slipped a few times, including before they began to ignore most of the Boundaries in favor of protecting one. "Do you think we would''ve been friends?" He asks. "If we did?" "Did you miss the part where I was a total asshole to everyone?" I ask. "Not the way we are to people like Jesse or the pompous asses, either, but a genuine, sadistic bastard to anyone and everyone." "Oh, right," he grins at me, then walks over. "Yeah," I nod. "I see this as a second chance at things, more so than had I forgotten everything, since I''m sure most people brought here after dying in reality instead of being born here see it as a second chance already. They don''t have the burden of knowing what kind of person they were. I do." "Yeah," he smiles. "I wonder what kind of person I was. Do you-" "Sh!" I put a finger to my lips, holding a hand up as I listen. "Wh-" "Sh!" He falls silent, and I tilt my head, listening as best I can. Then, I look up at him, feeling my blood run cold. "We gotta move." "Why?" He asks, then widens his eyes. "Um¡­ yeah!" I turn behind me to find forms coming into view. Not one or two, or even four or five, like a regular group of Goblins. Dozens, maybe hundreds. All of them Goblins, with several wielding staffs, and likely spells, judging by their types. Several are well-muscled, and standing in the center of the front of the Goblin horde is one that stands twelve feet tall. That one has a massive broadsword strapped across its back, its olive-green skin tight and without any of the wrinkles or flabs of regular Goblins, its body nothing but pure muscle. It is the clear leader of this horde, especially after my Appraisal.
N''Rina Level 15
Health: 87,908 Mana: 563
A named Monster is nothing less than a Bounty Beast. This is definitely a Goblin, judging by its pointed ears, hairless body, and fetish for wearing nothing but a loincloth, yet it is far, far larger than its three-foot brethren.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "Running would be a good idea," I nod. Then one of the Goblins reveals a bow, firing an arrow at us. I shove Bryce out of the way, snatching the arrow and throwing it back at them. "Let''s go!" I tell him, and we start running. Arrows come at us from several directions, as well as spells, and we have to keep changing directions to avoid them. They''ve been gathering up to fucking ambush me! That''s why they''ve all been missing! Alexander has to know I''m the reason the change is coming, and he wants to eliminate me to stop that! After I killed the one whose necklace I wear, he must have pulled them all back to prepare, just in case I pulled any surprises. They were likely watching me before, but far enough away I couldn''t sense them or their primitive minds. And now, they''re chasing us, and I don''t even know what direction we''re running. I just hope we''re headed the right way ¨C or if not, towards the City with the mines. I can''t remember its name at the moment. A Level 5 Goblin Chieftain drops out of the trees in front of us, the magical camouflage it had disappearing when it moved. It''s a little shorter than most Goblins, but its headdress, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and pouch-filled loincloth alone make it out to be far from ordinary. Then factor in its staff and sword, and shit. We change direction, stumbling when a Fireball blasts between us. Had we not stumbled and fallen, then the green cloud that followed the Fireball would likely have poisoned us. At least, I''m hoping it''s only poison. Bryce and I look at each other, then roll to the sides, get back to our feet, and take off running again. "Where are we going?" Bryce asks as he dodges an arrow that came from ahead, forcing us to turn again. "Hopefully, towards either Maelnor!" I tell him. "That, or what''s-its-name! Praevar! That''s it! The Fallen City with the mines! If we can get there, we should be able to get to an Adventurer in the mines quickly!" "What if we''re heading towards the wrong City?" "There''s a fifty-fifty chance!" I reach out and grab him, pulling him towards me just in time for him to avoid being slammed by a tree. "It''s throwing fucking trees!" "Thanks!" We recover and keep running, eventually bursting out of the forest. There''s a City with ruined walls ahead of us, at the other end of the small grassy area. It''s only a couple hundred yards, unlike the one at Maelnor. "Shit!" I yell. "Fallen City! Let''s hope it''s Praevar!" He nods, and we keep running. Another tree slams into the ground, this one behind us, sending us tumbling. My leg hurts. I look down at it, and see it''s broken. That explains the massive amount of damage I took. Shit! I reset my leg, then pull one of my Health Potions out of my Inventory and dump it directly on the leg, praying to Big Flame that it heals. It does, though my Health doesn''t. "Zack!" Bryce reaches me, helping me to my feet. "Can you run?" "Yeah," I take a few steps, stumbling. "Come on! We gotta get in there!" As we run, something feels off. Something feels very, very off. We''re halfway to the gate when I realize what''s wrong. The fields are empty, save for the Goblin horde behind us. Not a single Rat or Slime in sight. And yet¡­ I can still sense them. In fact, now that I''m trying, I can sense them ahead of us. Not just dozens, either ¨C hundreds of Slimes and Rats. Yet I can''t see a single one of them. "IT''S AN AMBUSH!" I yell. "No shit!" Bryce yells. "What gave it away? The fucking horde?" "No!" I yell, raising my hands. "They''re chasing us into one! FIREBALL!" I release a fireball almost as large as me, draining away half of my Mana. It blasts forward, and a hundred yards from the broken gate, the air around the Fireball shimmers, the illusion fading away, revealing the horde of Slimes and Rats, all of them at Level 5, many of them upgraded. There''s a Goblin Chieftain standing at the front, looking stunned at the sudden disappearance of its barrier, though its shock didn''t keep it from summoning a Magic Barrier to stop my Fireball, the barrier easily twice the size of my own spell.
A''Rimar Level 15
Health: 4,398 Mana: 15,076
That much Mana, despite sustaining the spell for however long it did¡­ and such a powerful illusion, too. Then factoring in the Magic Barrier it just stopped¡­ Fuck! Two fucking Bounty Beasts! We''re fucking doomed! We can''t go back, we can''t go forward, and both hordes stretch too far for us to go to the sides. My rage boils up within me, far stronger than it''s ever been before. This was not something within my power to control. Alexander fucking played us! He got us lost and confused about our direction and led us right here! If we can get into the City, we might be facing stronger monsters, but we definitely won''t have to deal with this shit ¨C regular Monsters can''t enter a Fallen City under normal circumstances, the Monster types available are slightly different, being Dungeon Monsters.
Rage is Now Level 9!
I continue to run, ignoring the Monsters ahead of us. Rage might increase physical strength, but I''m going to wield it for something a bit more magical. I inhale deeply as I continue to run, Bryce following me, unsure of my motives. Then, when we''re only a couple of dozen yards away from the Monsters, I release my anger in a single bellow, a roar that shakes the ground beneath our feet and vibrates the air surrounding us. Several of the closer Rats fall over, clutching their ears. Many of the Slimes freeze in their place, and even A''Rimar seems affected by my bellow.
New Skill!
Roar of Darkness Active
Can only be used while Rage is high, this roar shakes the land and air, instilling a deep fear within all who hear it, stunning your victims momentarily.
I dismiss the notification, turning and grabbing Bryce''s arm and jerking on it. The horde behind us was halted by it as well. Bryce takes several seconds to recover, realizing that we''re surrounded by Monsters when he does. I ignore his sudden spike of fear, knowing it''ll quickly be replaced when he realizes we''re already halfway through the horde of Slimes and Rats. The Monsters only start recovering as we reach the end of the horde, and they start slinging their spells at us. We manage to avoid them, and I note that the spells are bouncing off the walls to the City. They can''t affect things within it, not unless they actually enter it, which they can''t, as it''s been too long since it fell. Only the natural spawns and births can happen there. As Bryce and I pass through the gate, the spells bouncing off the barrier harmlessly, I come to another horrifying realization. This isn''t Talorn, the Fallen City at the northern end of the valley. Nor is it Praevar, the City with the mines. There''s no way Alexander could''ve gotten this horde assembled around there without it being noticed. No way at all. No¡­ I know which City this is specifically because of the break in the mountains visible in the distance, at the other end of the City. This is Kaelmar, the City no one survives entering. I grab Bryce''s arm as he puts his hands on his knees to recover. "We gotta get out of here!" I exclaim, turning and running out of the City. His arm jerks out of my grip as something claws into my back, a burning pain spreading through me quickly. I roll, doing my best to stand as the Monsters watch. They''ve stopped trying to attack me. Whatever resulted in this sensation¡­ it''s a poison I can''t ignore¡­ it''s going to kill me. I stumble, my vision swimming. Standing on the other side of the gate, with one hand clawed through Bryce''s chest, his heart in its hand, is a being wearing the armor of a Dark Knight, it''s very human eyes a brilliant shade of blue. I''m not going to die without making a difference. No way in fucking hell. Whatever it did might be killing me, but I''m going to grab this damn power within me and I''m going to kill this fucking Avatar of the Shadow of Life. With its death, every Adventurer in the Boundary will be able to enter this City once more. Reaching within myself as I stumble again, I draw on the power of my Sacred Crystal, borrowing magic I''ll never get to use again. It would take a heavy miracle for anyone to save me, and it''s too late for Bryce. Interlude I - Falling Snow "Have you recovered?" Blaine asks Nik as the Dark Knight examines a few potions. Ordinarily, it would take several weeks to recover from the Curse of the Fallen. Nik, however, was not like ordinary Adventurers. His Class of Dark One indicated that he had achieved at least Total Level 81, as well as that he had managed to obtain a coveted Rank 2 Class. While reaching Total Level 81 or above was not uncommon in older Adventurers, there were only twenty-six in the Boundary who had achieved Total Level 150 currently alive, and only six who had achieved Total Level 200 currently alive. Nik fell into the latter group, sitting at Level 50 Champion of Darkness, Level 50 Archpriest of Blood, Level 50 Shadow Assassin, Level 50 Arch Elementalist, and Level 28 Dark One. He was not just an Adventurer, but the fourth-strongest to have ever existed in the Boundary. He could take on another Class, since all of his were above Level 25, but with it taking him two decades to bring Dark One from Level 25 to Level 28, the same amount of time it took him to bring Shadow Assassin and Arch Elementalist from nil to max, he knows that it would take him a long time to manage anything else. It would likely take him longer than he has left in his life to gain another twenty-five Levels in another Class. It would be best if he focused on his strongest Class, to unlock the Skills that he can acquire through it that far surpass the Stat Bonuses from taking on another Class and Leveling it a few times. As a result of his long life, immense Vitality, and the amount of his elements merged into his Sacred Crystal, there was little outside of the permanent or supposedly incurable things that would phase him for long. The Curse of the Fallen was the closest he had come in decades to any form of real danger, and it had worked out in the end. So it was not unreasonable for the Level 217 Adventurer to assume the Dark Knight had recovered, despite only a day having passed since the latter had consumed the sole cure. "I have," Nik answers the alchemists question. "Once my new equipment is ready and others have recovered enough to work on clearing other the mines, we''ll be returning." Blaine nods, then leaves Nik to look for what he wants. The two of them adventured together for a long time and learned Alchemy together, so the old Dark Knight knew what he was looking for and needed no help. If something wasn''t available on the floor, then he would simply ask the Druid if he had any of it. Nik turns to face Blaine, ready to ask a question, when three figures enter the shop in a hurry. The first is a man in silver and gold armor, with a shock of blond hair and dark brown eyes. Travis, the Paladin from their party, from when they used to adventure as a team. At Level 203, he was the weakest of the quintet, yet his abilities and speed were among the most feared of all in the Boundary. Many Adventurers who served the Shadow of Life had fallen to his blade, and much like the Dark Knight, he was one of the rare few who had ever slain a Fallen Adventurer. Then, an Adventurer who seemed to be only ten, with platinum-blond hair and electric-blue eyes, dressed in an outfit entirely white, a golden staff strapped to his back with white leather. Nathan Normar, the most powerful healer in the Boundary, and the fifth-most powerful Adventurer to ever exist within the Boundary, standing at Total Level 225, currently undecided on what he wants his next Class to be. The presence of the final newcomer tells Nik and Blaine that their rush was not without cause. It was not often that the Level 219 Shadow Dancer changed into his black leather pants and boots, his dark blue tunic worn under a black vest, nor took out and equipped his bow, knives, and pouch-covered belt. "Zack and Bryce," Jesse says. "Left the City a few hours ago to go hunting. They told me they were going to hunt for a little while, so Bryce could get some experience against real Goblins. They haven''t returned." The Dark Knight and the magician look out the window, at the dark sky. Sunset began an hour before, and Zack always made sure they had returned by then. He had never intended on fighting Monsters at night, apart from when he fought the Slimes in the field on Bryce''s first night and when he went after the Spook Master. Even though those were recent events, the Adventurers knew that Zack would not want to stay out past dark right now, not without good cause. "I was taking the long way back," Travis steps forward. "When I noticed the presence of Goblins ¨C far more than we''ve seen in months. I took out some, but discovered as I did the presence of a nearby horde, and they were on the move." "Coming towards the City?" Nik asks. "Do you know where Zack and Bryce are?" "Yes, and maybe," Travis says. "And while the horde was headed towards they City¡­ it wasn''t this one. They were charging towards Kaelmar, as if chasing something, from what my familiar could say. Unfortunately, my range was too far, and she couldn''t make it out. She said there were two figures at the head of it, but that''s as much as she could see." In an instant, Nik and Blaine are at the door, the rest of the team following behind. The five Adventurers make quick time reaching the West Gate, the Dark Knight and Holy One both extending wings from their backs, not caring that their shirts are destroyed in the process as they take off flying. They have no time to strip them off, and can easily replace them later. Blaine manipulates the air around the other two, lifting them into the air as he uses his magic to fly. Now airborne, the party soars towards Kaelmar. Just as they reach the forest, something forms in the sky in the distance. At first, it''s barely-discernible to their powerful senses, yet it quickly grows, expanding high in the sky. "Is that a fucking Meteor?" Nik asks. "What kind of Monster is summoning that?" Blaine asks. "That thing is almost as large as the ones I can make, and it''s still growing!"Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. By this point, the meteor was already thirty feet across, and as the team flies closer, they determine it''s just above the gate to the Fallen City. It continues to grow at a rapid pace, hitting one hundred yards across in under three seconds from the moment of its formation. Then, it drops straight down, the party having only a few moments to see the horde of Monsters before it lands. Blaine immediately reacts, throwing up a Bubble Barrier around the group as they continue to fly closer, the Meteor''s impact cratering the ground, throwing dirt and other debris up into the air, forming a cloud of dust. The impact range destroys many of the trees at the end of the forest, adding to the debris slamming into the magician''s barrier. "I don''t think any of the Monsters there survived that," Jesse comments. "Unlikely," Blaine responds. "My barrier''s reflected parts from over three hundred Goblin, Rats, and Slimes, among other Monsters and animals that were in the woods but not the horde." "Do you think," Travis says. "That that was whatever kills anyone who enters Kaelmar? The thing pretending to be a Dark Knight that Zack told you about, Nik?" Zack had mentioned this vision to Nik the last time they spoke before Nik left for the trip, commenting how disturbing it was that the Shadow of Life would imitate such a noble Class. "Perhaps," Nik responds. "If so, that was overkill to take out two boys." "It must have wanted to completely erase their bodies," Blaine says. "That meteor would have ensured that even if they''d managed to run, they would die. He''d lose out on their Fallen Adventurer forms, but also eliminate any chances of Zack defying the odds and somehow not becoming one, but rather, waking back up." "You know how impossible that is, right?" Travis asks. "Maybe," Nik answers. "But this is Zack we''re talking about. He does the impossible." It only took them a few seconds to reach the edge of the forest ¨C the former edge of the forest ¨C and to have that conversation. When they arrive, the dust cloud still expanding, the five of them make out the dark form of the meteor. "By the Crystals," Travis comments. "Just how powerful is that thing in there?" Blaine spreads his arms out, and the dust around them blasts away, clearing the air for them to see. The ground around the meteor is nothing more than a crater, with bodies and debris starting just outside the edge of it. The Meteor, the party notices, doesn''t rest directly on the ground, but seems to hover five feet above it. As with all high-level items manifested through raw magic at a rapid pace without proper effort, its presence fades after several more seconds. "Why would it have faded?" Travis asks. "Wouldn''t whatever it is have taken the effort to do it right?" "Maybe," Nik comments, staring at something at the center of the impact. "But I don''t think it was them. The one who created it did it quickly and rapidly, going for size and power over efficiency. In addition, it''s likely to have been the one who can do the impossible, the one who makes the impossible possible." "What do you mean?" Travis asks, before spotting the object Nik''s gaze is fixed on. "What in the Boundary?" Resting on the ground at the center of the crater is an object ten feet long and five feet at its thickest, tapering down to the ends, forming a version of the Crystal of Dark of Fire, manifested within their Boundary and laying on its side on the ground. Floating within the center of it is the form an unconscious boy. "Is that¡­ Zack?" Jesse asks. A moment later, the Crystal shatters, its shards fading away. I was able to shield his body from the blast of his spell, Big Flame''s voice echoes through the air. Unfortunately¡­ Before he can finish, Normar was turning Zack over, examining the four long gashes in his back. The Holy One turns to look at Nik, who has recognized the gashes for what they truly are. A glance at the figure standing where the gate once stood, Bryce''s body at its feet, confirms the use of the Skill. Not even a Holy One, Big Flame continues as the team turns their gaze back to Zack''s body. Nor any form of alchemy can cure the Blood Curse. It would take an Angel ¨C a Rank III Class ¨C to cure it. The Blood Curse, a Skill only available to Dark Ones. Those affected by it would remain in pain for several hours before finally passing away. A guaranteed death sentence to any who managed to be afflicted by it. Nik himself had nearly inflicted it upon the Demonic Kobold King, only to be stopped by the arrival of the Fallen Adventurers, the only physical things known to be immune to it. "A Rank III Class?" Nik lands beside his fallen student. "Those exist?" Indeed, Big Flame answers. But it requires reaching your First Ascension to acquire access to them. The Dark Knight looks to the Avatar of the Shadow of Life, wondering why it hadn''t attacked them yet. Do not worry of it, Big Flame tells the party. An Avatar of the Shadow of Life cannot leave the City of its spawning, whose boundaries are defined, even without the wall. Zack has entered Zero Down, so his suffering will be silent. "So it was him who summoned the Meteor?" Blaine asks. Indeed, Big Flame answers. Had the System not informed me of Zack''s imminent death, he would likely have been destroyed by that as well, leaving nothing for you to find. "At least he wouldn''t have to be cremated," Nik picks up his student, holding him gently in his arms. "Do you know how long before he dies?" Bring him to my Altar of Darkness within the Dark Temple in Maelnor, Big Flame instructs. Lay him on it. Even in Zero Down, where he isn''t aware of anything, he actively fights the curse. How long he lives depends on how long he fights. I will use my flames to mend his body, even if I cannot affect the curse. With how impossible he is, he may, somehow, manage to heal himself of the curse, if he is supported long enough. With my energies, he will manage it. Nik nods, turning and flapping his wings once, twice, then lifting into the air. His team looks to the Avatar of the Shadow of Life, knowing they will not be able to retrieve the body of the other boy. It was able to shield against a Meteor of that caliber and had killed dozens of Adventurers. The four of them would not manage to survive, of that, they were certain. The team returns to Maelnor in silence, the Adventurers watching solemnly as Nik carries his student through the streets, no one daring to say a word. It was not until Nik and Jesse enter the Dark Temple that either show a reaction beyond what they had already. Tears begin to leak down Nik''s face as he carries the boy he saw as a son to the Sanctuary of Flames. The Dark Knight places Zack on the Altar of Darkness, spreading the boy out and resting his hands on his stomach. Nik pulls his arms away, watching as the crimson flames grow and surround Zack, forming a sort of cocoon around the boy. "He''ll survive," Jesse speaks. "Maybe," Nik says. "You heard the patron ¨C it takes a Rank III Class to cure this. Zack might be an impossible child, but even our patron was unsure of his survival." Their patron was, in fact, quite sure of his survival, for unlike Adventurers other than Zack and his half-brother, the childish deity could see within people and their own Sacred Crystals. He can see the four long gouges in it, each one bleeding a blood of shadows that fade as they leave the form. He can see the fire blazing within the Sacred Crystal as well, burning at the gouges, slowly burning away at the curse. So the Crystal of Dark of Fire, now known as Big Flame, was quite sure that Zack would survive, because even though the boy could sense nothing and was aware of nothing, and would wake unaware of anything since he lost consciousness¡­ Unlike his half-brother, Zack had awakened his Divine Heritage already. This allowed him to fight on an impossible level ¨C the kind that only a Child of Existence could ever manage. So yes, Big Flame was quite sure that old one''s child would survive. Chapter 0026 <>(Zack)<> A gentle, chaotic warm surrounds me, something hard beneath me. Without opening my eyes, I know I''m lying on the Altar of Darkness. Carefully, I sit up, looking around. I''m alone in here, apart from Big Flame''s presence. The last thing I remember was Bryce dying, the Avatar attacking me. I reach behind myself and feel my back. My shirt''s mended. I slip my hand under, feeling my skin. It doesn''t feel damaged at all. I slip off the altar and give it a bow. "Thank you, Big Flame." All I did was grant you energy, he responds. You did the rest on your own. "What happened?" You were afflicted by a powerful curse, he answers. That only Champions of Darkness can learn. Unfortunately, the only people able to cure it are Angels. "Those exist?" It''s a Class, he tells me. It''s locked to Ascension One and above, though, as it''s a Rank 3 Class. It¡­ wait, what? "What?" Zack? "Big Flame?" ¡­ "Yes?" What''s wrong. He sounds really confused. "Big Flame? Everything alright?" I am so glad the others can''t observe my sacred chambers. "How come?" Uh¡­ you remember, don''t you? "Depends on what you''re referring to." The first time anyone in the Boundary has heard the term ''angel'', shit. Was when I told Nik and them that it was the Class required to be able to cure you. You asked if they existed, yet couldn''t have known. It''s not one of those things that get an impression left behind. You know what angels are. You remember reality. "Maybe a tad." Big Flame sighs. How are you feeling? "Hungry." Nik is sleeping for the first time in weeks, he tells me. Kulkul couldn''t stay out. You have food in your inventory, and please, don''t use my altar to cook. I meant how you feel from your injury. "It''s like it never happened," I say. "How did I heal it? You said it was all me, you just supplied me with the energy. Weren''t you gone? Is everything fine there?" No, he answers. Everything is not fine there. I had to abandon helping them in order to save you. As of two nights ago, there isn''t a Dark Knight or Blood Priest left. Over the coming years, all knowledge of them will be altered or destroyed. "You¡­ why did you give up on them?" I ask, feeling my Rage boiling. "You could have saved them! Why''d you let me live instead?" Knowledge can be restored, he says. And though their lives were lost, I judged you as being more valuable than them. They were my children, much like you, but you are more important. You are the one who changes the tides of war. Yes, your destiny from the prophecy is not to end the war, but to be what signals the change in it here, with the coming battle. Yes, prophecies can be ignored, as they aren''t set in stone. However, he continues. When you remove prophecies, when you remove destiny from the equation, you are far greater than a dozen Dark Knights and Blood Priests. You are an impossible being, Zack. There have only ever been two of your kind that we''ve been aware of, including yourself. "Two of my kind?" I ask, and the flames on the altar compact, growing smaller, but denser. "Sir?" Remember, when you were told about a Child of Existence? "Yes." In order for you to exist in the Boundary, he continues. You must have a Divine Heritage. Everyone has one. It affects the things you align with most. Most of the prodigious healers are descended of the Divine of healing and nurturing. Nathan Normar has attuned himself to his Divine Heritage quite heavily, waking up a large part of it. That is what makes him such a powerful healer, and so fast at is. Unlike most alive today, his father actually is a Divine. I can list twenty-seven names among the many worlds and all the people in the Boundary with a parent who is a Divine. Twenty-six. "Twenty-six?" Yes, he answers. One of them died recently within the Boundary. This Boundary. "Oh," I look down. "There''s a lot of that going around." It was your half-brother. My¡­ what? "Sir?" I look at his flames. "My half-brother?" Indeed. Your ''father'' is not the man you believe him to be. Genetically, you two have no connection. Your real father is existence itself. It is the cause of your violet magics, and your impossible growth rate. We are only aware of your existences after you die, we have learned. You were a shock to us, when we first sensed you, with you dying. Then your brother showed up, and we were stunned. "My brother only joined the Boundary recently?" I ask. "After me?"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Indeed. Your brother, Zack, was Bryce. Bryce was my half-brother? How, though? How come I didn''t know about him? How come- Do not ask questions, Big Flame interrupts my thoughts before I can voice them. Because I do not have them, myself. We are unsure if your father has had any other children. Normally, he simply spawns them into existence as Divine, but it''s been¡­ well¡­ an eternity. Why he chose to mate with mortal women, we are unsure. I''m still really confused. "Wait," a question comes to mind. "Is that how you knew that I was the Adventurer from the prophecy?" It is, indeed, he answers, his flames returning to normal. A part of the prophecy that has been lost to time was the mentioning of the Child of Existence. Until we detected you, we were completely unsure of how that would ever happen, as Existence never mated with mortals, and seemed to have no intention of doing so. "You guys aren''t Divine?" I ask. We are not, he answers. We are something else entirely. You should be going, Zack ¨C you need to eat. And you need to rest, Big Flame. I give him a small bow, then turn and leave the chamber, making my way to the kitchens to prepare myself a meal. Once I''m stuffed, I leave the Dark Temple. Bryce was my half-brother¡­ and we didn''t know. And now, he''s dead. I wasn''t strong enough to protect us, wasn''t strong enough to prevent him from dying. Had I been stronger, I could have taken on that horde and not been chased away. Had I been stronger, we wouldn''t have had to flee. Had I been stronger, we could have made so many more memories together, become stronger together, and he''d still be alive, walking with me, here with me right now. Here with me¡­ Here¡­ How did I get here? I remember reaching within myself, wanting to summon a meteor, but¡­ I don''t remember anything after that. I blacked-out. Big Flame mentioned that Nik hasn''t slept in weeks, and it''s a lot colder. The streams through the City are frozen, and there''s a good layer of snow on the ground. How did I return to Maelnor? How did I survive? Who could have possibly rescued me from a horde so large? How long will it be before it''s safe for me to venture into the forest once more? "ZACKYYYYYYY!" A high-pitched voice yells, and I turn to find Jesse charging at me down the street, his arms out, as if he wants to hug me. Oh, shit! I run as hard as I can, but I''m not fast enough, feeling myself scooped up into the air and squeezed tight against him, spun around. "You''re awake!" He squeals as I try to breathe. "Nik didn''t let us know! Yay! How do you feel? Are you okay? Did you gain a Title from that? What all did you gain? How do you feel? Do you have a headache?" "Can''t¡­ breathe!" "Oh!" He relaxes a little, and I slip out of his grip and take several steps back, gasping for air. "Sorry, Zacky! I was just so worried, after seeing you suffering from Blood Scar after wiping out such a massive horde of Monsters! Surely you earned a Title from that, right!" "How long was I out, Pervert?" I ask. "Three and a half weeks!" Shit. I lost three and a half weeks of time. That means the Turkey Patriarch should be here soon, and I''m not strong enough to handle it¡­ not on my own¡­ I wish Bryce was still here. Together, by now, we''d be strong enough to handle it. Especially if we''d managed to train all this time. It''d be a breeze. "Chin up, Zacky!" Jesse tells me. "Bryce¡­" "Get stronger for him!" He tells me. "You can''t change the past, but you can forge the future!" Forge¡­ Forge¡­ Forge¡­ I turn and start walking, Jesse following me and rapidly asking questions. After ten minutes, I find myself at Jackson''s forge, stopping and staring at the door to it as words Jesse spoke come back to me. He mentioned that I should have gotten something, and looking at the ever-present Health and Mana values in my view, I can tell that I definitely gained a couple of Levels to Dark Knight, though my Mana shot up insanely high. It more than doubled, and now sits at 1,610 Maximum Mana. It''s more than double my Health. I pull up my status.
Character Information Dark of Fire
Name: Zack Primary Class: Dark Warrior
Level: 20 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 700/700 Mana: 1,610/1,610
Strength: 48 Intellect: 27
Endurance: 42 Willpower: 21
Vitality: 70 Wisdom: 161
Agility: 48 Perception: 40
Holy shit. That''s right, I also hit Level 20, which meant I received my every-five bonus, as well as the Adventurer bonus. Why did I gain so much Experience, though? Jesse mentioned something about a Title¡­ There it is, a new Title. Destroyer of Hordes, awarded for slaying more than ten thousand monsters by oneself in a single fight. For destroying a horde. How, though? How did I manage such a feat? I''m nowhere near powerful enough, and even my new Skill, or spell, or whatever, Meteor, shouldn''t have been powerful enough to kill everything there. I aimed it at the City, at the, the¡­ the thing. The Avatar of the Shadow of Life. I aimed it at that. Now, though, I know it was foolish. You can''t attack through the City''s border, even after the City Barrier is destroyed. City Barriers prevent Monsters from entering or inhabiting it, but it''s something else, an inherent property of the place, that prevents magic and attacks from passing through. It''s still alive¡­ It''s not like I could have killed it. "Pervert," I say, and Jesse stops his barrage of questions. "You were there?" "After!" He exclaims. "We realized that you and Bryce hadn''t come back when the sun was down, and Travis noticed what appeared to be a horde, so he rushed back. The team gathered together and went to rescue you, only to find the mother of all Meteors in the sky! You used raw emotion and borrowed Mana from the future to wipe out the horde with a single attack, all while dying from the Blood Scar! It was amazing! We could feel it from miles away! They told us when they returned that they had seen the Meteor herein Maelnor and that the wind from the shockwave had even reached the walls of the City! You destroyed almost a full mile of the forest, too!" Considering the forest is a couple dozen miles across, that''s not much overall, but¡­ damn. I did all of that? "Your spell was even powerful enough," he continues, his voice growing higher-pitched. "That it completely overrode the inherent power that protects Cities and prevents attacks from passing through! You even wiped out a part of it! Not much, though, because the force absorbed much of it, but it was still impressive! And the crater ¨C oh, the crater! That was massive, Zacky!" I¡­ actually destroyed part of Kaelmar with that spell? How, though? Even raw emotion shouldn''t be powerful enough for that, right? "Was it there?" I ask the important question. "Was what there, Zacky?" He asks. "The Meteor? No, it faded away, as you weren''t powerful enough to have formed it that quickly and given it a permanent form!" "No," I say. "In the City. Was it there? The Avatar of the Shadow of Life." Jesse doesn''t answer for several long seconds. "Yes," he answers, nearly-breaking character. "Yes, it was, Zacky! So was Bryce''s body." So¡­ that didn''t destroy it. If Bryce''s corpse was still there¡­ then it shielded itself. That might be part of why it didn''t affect as much of the City as it could have. It also means that I can find my brother''s Fallen Adventurer form and purge it from this world, giving him peace. I wish my spell had done that already, had destroyed his corpse so he wouldn''t return. I need to get stronger. I will get stronger. When I do, I will return to Kaelmar, I will kill that bastard, and I will put my brother to rest. Chapter 0027 <>(Zack)<> only if someone here wants gear made from it. I don''t want my metal going to people who don''t put in real effort. Only people still living here and trying to make a difference can get my metal." some gear¡­ Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. real horde comes," I''m grinning now, a grin that would probably send any ordinary Monster running. "That bastard is going to regret coming after me." am going to be deadly. I aim to be a maxed-out Champion of Darkness by the time the year ends. We have what, a month until then? Maybe by the time the horde comes, I''ll be a Dark One." true form, all by myself¡­ maybe I can just skip a few Levels in Blood Priest." you are. I also know you''re going to ask Jackson to make a sword for you with the Spook Ingot I left behind, which is why I left it. If I can''t kill it, I''m out of there, but I did manage to kill the Spook Master." or the other." is. And its screech really will paralyze those who hear it. It takes a high Willpower to not be affected by it. It can also exhale blasts of wind and summon up gales to throw people around." will give it bleed damage and prevent it from breathing out the blast of wind or using its screech. If you can damage its wings, it won''t be able to summon up the gales of wind. The beak is used to peck at you, if you''re within its range.
Turkey Patriarch Level 25
Health: 53,987 Mana: 11,099
Chapter 0028 <>(Zack)<> The Turkey Patriarch opens its beak, sucking in air. "No, you don''t!" I throw my new knife. It flies much faster than any throw I''ve done before, speeding through the air and slamming into the beast''s throat.
Target -217 Health!
Appraisal Resistance
Target -48 Health per second
Not enough to really do anything to something that powerful, as it''ll probably recover and stop the bleed before I kill it, but that all depends on how fast I am. Because of its status as a Special Monster, it''ll likely have some resistance to my weapons, but probably not too much. I charge forward, jumping to the side to avoid its peck, slicing at it. My blade cuts through air, and the Turkey Patriarch rears back, extending its wings. Time for it to summon gales, based off what Nik told me. With as much strength as I have, I crouch, then jump into the air. "Jump!" I yell, hoping such a Skill exists, grinning at the window that appears in my vision.
New Skill!
Jump Active
Increases the power of your jump; you can jump an addition ten yards of height for every Level of this Skill
Cost 100 Mana
It''s a Tier IV Skill¡­ this is my highest-Tier Skill. What makes it so high? And why was it so easy to gain, then? I reach the peak of my jump as the Turkey Patriarch flaps its wings at where I had been, powerful winds blasting forward, pushing back the random Monsters that were in the path. Adjusting my trajectory, I spin, coming down with my sword slicing at the right wing. It manages to pull back, but I still cut a pretty good gash into the wing. I land in a crouch, then roll, avoiding a spinning turkey feather that cuts into the ground after passing through where I had been. I run forward, triggering Jump again, this time managing to pull my knife from the Monster''s throat while throwing out five Fireballs to the Turkey Slimes nearby, killing all of them. Then, I wrap my legs around the Monster''s throat, driving my sword deep into its eye. It shrieks, making a series of noises that shake my body and being. Damn. If it can do this much while damaged in its voice, I definitely don''t want to be affected by the full power of its paralyzing yell. Even with my sword all the way into its face, I don''t manage to kill it, only take out around 10,000 Health. Damn, this thing is tough. How can it survive a sword scrambling its brain? I pull my sword out and allow myself to drop, slicing through its neck as I do. As I fall, I notice something behind the Turkey Patriarch, so as soon as I hit the ground, I Dash forward. I catch the arrow in its flight, continuing forward until I reach the woods, the Adventurer scrambling back when he realizes I''m after him, his hand severed from his wrist the moment I''m there. He screams, falling back as his bow ¨C now broken ¨C hits the ground, still gripped by the hand I removed. I point my sword at his throat, staring at him intimidatingly, and his screams end as he pales in an instant. "This is my kill," I snarl. "Next time, it''s more than your hand you''re losing." I turn and return to the Turkey Patriarch, slicing off a full wing before it realizes I''ve returned. It flaps its remaining wing, summoning up powerful winds as it tries pecking at me, only to find its beak severed, then a leg. The damn thing still lives, but not for long. I perform another Jump, landing on its back and driving my sword into it all the way to the hilt. Then, I slice down the length of its back, reaching the tail before feeling like a moron as it runs around, dying. I could''ve probably just beheaded it. Not much I know of that could survive that. With another Dash from me, the Turkey Patriarch loses its head. I Jump off, landing a few yards away as it falls, collapsing to the ground. Confirmed: I killed it alone.
Turkey Patriarch Slain!
Rewards: +500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +5 Turkey Ingots, +5 Golden Cornucopias, +5 Whole Turkeys
Erm¡­ why the fuck did it give me Whole Turkeys as a reward for killing that?
Turkey Patriarch Slain with Less Than Five attackers!
Rewards: +500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +15 Turkey Ingots, +15 Golden Cornucopias, +15 Whole Turkeys
I got another fifteen of those¡­ Guess I''m eating Turkey for awhile, Bryce. I pull out one of the Golden Cornucopias and examine it. Much like with the other Holiday Boss Rewards, I cannot get a read on it, so I''ll ask Nik.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Nik!" I yell, and he appears beside me. "Oh, there you are." "That," he says. "Is probably the fastest I''ve ever seen a Special Boss get taken down by a small party. Was it necessary to sever his hand?" "He tried to steal from me," I say. "Thieves lose their hands. Who the hell is he, and why did he try to steal from me?" "An Adventurer who came to town a few days ago," Nik informs me. "We gained a few more, over the last few weeks." Likely because of word of that horde. "Send them back." "What?" "They''re here to maintain the forest''s Monster levels, right?" I ask. "Send them back. Those fuckers are mine. And when I''m done with the forest, I''m taking care of Talorn. Then once I restore its City Barrier, I''m dealing with Praevar, then the mines. If I can kill the Demonic Kobold King and the Fallen Adventurers with it, I can handle that fucker in Kaelmar. So send them back. They''re stealing my Experience." Nik sighs, then suggests we return to town. I start walking, asking what the Golden Cornucopia does. It''s huge, and can easily fit two or three Whole Turkeys in it. "It generates food," he explains. "Put food inside of it, and it''ll produce thirty more of it. It has twenty uses. You gained twenty?" "Yeah," I answer. "I managed to catch that arrow before it hit. Why the fuck did it give me Whole Turkeys?" "It is a turkey." I shake my head, sighing as I send the Golden Cornucopia into my Inventory. "If you don''t want to keep them," he tells me. "The Golden Cornucopias, I mean, then you can sell them. They sell for fifty gold apiece. The Turkey Ingots you got sell for twenty apiece." I nod, and we pass through the gates. I split off from Nik, heading home. I don''t want to, but I need to go back there, even though it''ll make me think of Bryce more. Once home, I stare around the place, looking at Bryce''s bed, the bath, the spot on the floor we slept, the kitchen, the table in the yard¡­ "Hey, kid," a voice says tauntingly from the street, and I look over to see a quintet of people standing there. "Did your daddy buy you that armor? How much did it cost him?" I don''t recognize them, which means they likely aren''t from around here. Their tone suggests that, too. Four of them are human ¨C three men, one woman, all of them looking arrogant and mean. The fifth one, however¡­ He has golden-blond hair¡­ and matching triangular ears atop his head, as well as a bushy tail. His eyes are a deep brown, and he''s avoiding looking at me, staring straight down. I''d estimate his age around mine, and he''s skinny as fuck. He''s wearing nothing more than a collar around his neck, a leather band that glows with runes. So this must be a beastborn. Judging by his characteristics, I''d say he''s got some golden retriever in him. "So what are you doing?" The man taunting me asks. "Renting a cheap little temp quarters ''cause daddy won''t pay you enough to get a nice little home?" The others laugh as I contemplate whether or not it''s worth gutting them, though the woman pauses for a moment, then scrutinizes me, before her eyes widen and she stares at me in shock and horror. "What?" The taunting Adventurer asks. "Cat got your tongue? If-" "Sam," the woman says. "Hush, Andrea," he says without taking his gaze off of me. "So who''s your daddy? I''m sure I could make a deal with him, for a price." You''re not getting my sword. "Sam," the woman starts. "Hush, Andrea," he quiets her again. "I''ll even let you be my Squire, if you want. It''s a prestigious spot, highly sought after, once I announced I was going to take one one." "Squire?" I ask, walking towards him, my voice and expression darkening. "You think you could make a Dark Knight demote down to a mere Squire for some asshole?" With one fluid motion, I draw my sword, my Rage-fueled speed enabling me to cut right through his armor before he can react, stumbling back. I aim my sword at him before he manages to grab his, my glare freezing him in place. "This is my home," I tell him. "Where I woke upon arrival in the Boundary. I communicate with His Awesomeness regularly. I have performed a solo kill on two Holiday Bosses. I have survived an encounter with an Avatar of the Shadow of life and killed thousands of Monsters with a single attack! Do not think a mere novice like you could ever be my superior!" I''m roaring at this point, feeling a rage unlike any other burning through me, a new power welling up within me, wanting to break loose. And then¡­ it does.
New Skill!
Aura of Blood Active/Passive
While active, you are cloaked in a crimson aura that enhances your powers and intimidates your foes. For blood, by the blood, with the blood, your enemies will know fear and death.
A crimson light glows around me, and the three men stumble back, the beastborn looking at me curiously as the woman does her best to remain where she is. "I tried warning you," she says, pale. "Samuel Hollins, when the only person in your party able to read past his Appraisal Resistance tries to warn you of something, please listen. Zack, please forgive my ally''s incompetence, we were unaware we were dealing with you." "You laughed as well," I turn my sword to her, and she begins to speak. "Silence, bitch! We are meant to work together to fight the Shadow of Life, and you four want to alienate others instead for your own amusement! You are not worthy of having access to the System! You are not worthy of working for a better tomorrow! Be grateful I''m letting you live! You are a disgrace to Adventurers!
Rage is Now Level 10!
"Now get out of my sight," I snarl to the four of them. "Before I get really mad." The warrior I cut the armor of scrambles back to his feet, then throws a large fireball at me. It draws into my armor, which absorbs the entire thing, leaving them staring at me. "This is pure Spook Ore," I snarl at him. "Your pathetic attacks are useless! You made an attempt on my life, and now, you owe me a life! Your Beastborn is now mine!" "You can''t-! He protests, cutting off when he finds me standing right in front of him, my knife pricking his throat. "He-he''s yours!" "Good," I say, taking a step back. "Now get out of here, you four, before I do kill you." The four of them leave in haste, and I take several deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down. The Beastborn is terrified nearly shitless, and my anger is only making it worse, especially since I''m now his ''master''. Once I have some semblance of calmness, my rage tightly contained, I sheathe my sword, then walk over to the Beastborn, who remains firmly where he is, eyes down, body trembling. I flip my knife around, then cut through the collar around his throat. "Do you have a name?" I ask, and he doesn''t respond. I sheathe my knife. "Alright. Your name''s now ''Gold''. Come on, you''re filthy, and probably cold." For a person with dog traits, he''s surprisingly hairless, his only hair being on his head and eyebrows, and his ears and tail. I know he''s more human than people make his kind out to be, though. He should be treated a bit more appropriately. I don''t want another person living here, but¡­ I couldn''t let him continue to live with cruel masters like them. Chapter 0029 <>(Zack)<> Gold follows me to the baths, watching as I strip. I glance over at him. "You need to get cleaned up," I say, and he tilts his head to the side in confusion. "You smell awful and clearly haven''t bathed properly in a long time." If ever. He doesn''t seem to quite understand what I''m saying, so I sigh, then start washing, telling him to do the same. He seems to struggle, so after I finish, I scrub him down. He does his best not to giggle when I wash his tail, which he swishes from side to side in his happiness, and when I wash his hair and ears, he leans into my hands, his tail swishing even more. Rinsing that thing off was a pain in the rear, because it kept moving and throwing soapy water everywhere. Once Gold''s cleaned up, we soak in the bath for awhile as I do my best to relax, my eyes closed. After around twenty minutes of silence, Gold''s tension seems to fade a little as he starts moving in the water. I let him do it for a few minutes before I crack open an eye and see the dog-boy playing with the bubbles, a smile on his lips. He''s probably never been allowed to have fun before, and with me seeming to sleep, he''s enjoying his new experience and having a little bit of fun, but doing his best to not be noisy. Big S? Can you hear me? Yes. He''s like a person, even if he''s treated like a beast. How come his kind don''t have access? I''m not sure, actually. What do you mean? The first Beastborn were born without access to the System of Skills, Classes, Levels, and such, making them akin to people in reality. I could, theoretically, add it to all of them and set things so that they''re connected, but with how much hatred they have for Adventurers¡­ that could be problematic. Gold doesn''t seem to have an issue. He''s scared, but I don''t think he''d ever attack without provocation. Maybe, maybe not. Would you be willing to? To grant him access? Yes. Big S sighs in my head. I''m about to ask him again when Gold gasps in surprise, his hands quickly moving to his mouth as he stares at me, seeing if he woke me. "I was already awake," I say, staring at his information.
Gold Level 0
Health: 30 Mana: 20
You''ll pay for this, Big S tells me. I''m not sure how¡­ or when¡­ but you''re going to pay for that in some way. And you''ll regret it, should he abuse it to turn against you. Yes, I will. But you won''t need to make me. I know. Thanks. Hey ¨C can he understand it? I know most Beastborn can''t read. Yes. You don''t need to know how to read to understand status windows. Those who can read see it as letters and numbers, as that''s what makes sense to them. To him, he will simply know instinctively how things are. I feel like it''s a bit more complicated than that. It is. I open both eyes to find Gold staring at me, and he quickly averts his gaze, looking at the duck he made out of soap. He quickly pushes down on it, destroying his creation. "Gold," I say. "You are not my slave. Do not call me ''Master'', even in thoughts. This place we''re in right now? It''s your home now, too. I''m not going to beat you for misbehaving, okay? You can look me in the eyes. If I didn''t think you were worth it, I wouldn''t have made a deal with the System so you could be linked to it and gain Levels." Gold gasps in shock when I say that. "I''m tired and hungry," I tell him. "So I''m going to make dinner. Enjoy your bath." He watches as I step out of the tub, following me out as I dry. Foolishly, I put the towel down as he climbs out, forgetting what dogs like to do. Gold shakes his body upon exiting the tub, spraying water everywhere. That definitely came from his puppy heritage, and he realizes that he got me wet. Whimpering, Gold drops his head down, his ears pressing flat against his head as his tail droops. He''s trembling again, terrified of being hurt because of something he did on instinct.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "At least I hadn''t gotten dressed yet," I say in a light tone, rubbing myself down with the towel again, then tossing one to Gold. "Here, use that. It''ll help you dry off a bit faster." Gold sniff the towel for a moment, then blushes before drying himself off. By the time he''s done, I''ve changed into my nightclothes and pulled out a set of my older clothes. "These should fit you," I tell Gold once he finishes drying off. "Put them on; I''m not going to have you running around naked, even if you aren''t human." Gold looks hesitant, but does as I say. He puts the tunic on backwards, so I have to help him fix that, and he doesn''t pull on the boots. I guess he''d rather be barefoot. I never really knew dogs that liked having the doggy shoes on, so it might be from his puppy heritage. I walk to the kitchen, and Gold follows, watching as I cook us a meal. He watches my movements intently, and judging by his reactions, he''s somewhat satisfied. He knows how to cook, and he''s silently judging my abilities. As I prepare the food, my sadness returns as my anger continues to fade. Bryce should be here right now, watching me and cracking jokes. It hasn''t even been a day since I woke up, but it feels like it''s been eternity. So much has happened since this morning. I miss Bryce a lot, and I know they say that time heals all wounds, but¡­ How long? How long will it take to stop feeling like this? It''s yet to be a day, and it''s awful. "Yes, Gold," I look over at him, and he jumps. "I''m sad. I guess you could pick up on it, huh?" He stares at me, and I smile a little. "I''m getting over it," I walk over to him. "But it''s going to take me time to fully come to terms. My first friend ever died a few weeks ago, and I was unconscious since then, up until this morning. It''s okay, though, because I''m going to get strong enough that I''m never losing another ally¡­ starting with you. You''re a housemate and a partner, okay? Not a slave, okay?" Gold doesn''t say anything, but I know he understands what I''m saying. "Cool," I rub between his ears. "Let''s get the table set." Gold nods, helping me set the table and put out the food, then he sits on the ground and stares at it. Stares at the ground. "What are you doing down there?" I ask as I sit. "You''re a housemate and an ally. You can sit at the table, in a seat, and eat with me. Okay?" Hesitantly, Gold gets up off the ground and sits at the table. He''s unsure, and believes this might be a trap. By the time we finish eating, though, I can tell he''s realized that I''m not like his master. Gold insists on washing the dishes, doing it all without saying a word, so I allow him. As he does that, I chop some firewood, then get a fire going in the pit. Gold comes over to me and looks at the two sets of blankets curiously. "I sleep down here," I tell him. "In front of the fire. If you want something a bit warmer¡­ I guess we can go up to the room and use a Heat Pebble to keep it warm. Otherwise¡­" I look at Bryce''s blankets, and have to fight to not break down. He''d want Gold to use his blankets, since he''s not around. I don''t want anyone to use his blankets, though. After a long, internal struggle, I gesture to Bryce''s blankets. "You can use those blankets," I tell him. "Either down here, or up in the room with a Heat Pebble that''ll keep you warm better. Your choice." Gold cocks his head to the side, then climbs onto the blankets, curling up on them. A moment later, he opens his eyes, frowning a little. He can smell Bryce on them, even though it''s been several weeks. He wants to know if they were the teammate''s who died. "Yeah," I tell him. "They were Bryce''s. He''s not around anymore, though¡­ he''d want you to use them, since he''s not." He would. Gold wants to not use them, but I assure him it''s okay, and he calms down, even if he''s unsure. I wrap myself up into a cocoon, staring at the flames and feeling tears well up in my eyes. When I finally drift off to sleep, I find myself in another dream. The future me kneels in front of the Altar of Darkness, another figure kneeling beside him, the two of them lost in prayer. This other one looks around fourteen or fifteen, and has a slight build. The room is dark, so I can''t make him out too well, as he''s wearing dark clothes and has dark hair. When they stand, though, I make out his features. He has a thick, busy wolf''s tail, black in color, with a pair of black, triangular wolf''s ears atop his head, his eyes a brilliant shade of blue. "Come on," the future me says to the wolf Beastborn Dark Knight. "Let''s meet up with the rest of the team." The wolf Beastborn nods, his tail swishing as the two of them exit the chamber, the future me looking back into it for a moment, almost as if looking at me again, and the dream fades. I open my eyes, staring into the coals in front of me. He keeps doing that¡­ Do I¡­ do I gain the ability to sense when I''m being dreamed? When I''m dreaming of myself? Is the future-me ending the visions himself? There was another Beastborn there, too¡­ it looks like he''s in my party one day. So I end up with at least two of them, plus a healer. There can be up to five members of a party by the System''s standards, even if more join up. Are the last two human? Or are they also Beastborn? Wiggling out of my cocoon, I realize that Gold''s missing. Did he run away? I exit the room and look around, finding Gold in the kitchen. He''s sitting in front of the cooking pit cross-legged, his hands pressing into the ground right in front of his legs as he stares at it intently. He wants to make breakfast and have it ready for me, but couldn''t find any food. "I keep my food in my Inventory," I tell him, and he jumps, looking at me in fright. "It keeps longer that way, and I have a special Inventory that can hold a lot more." He forms an ''O'' with his mouth, and I snort. "Do you want to make breakfast?" I ask him, and he thinks for a moment, then nods. "Alright, then." I pull out some food, setting it on the counter, and he stares at it. I gesture for him to work, then do some exercises as he prepares breakfast. He makes a nice breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and sliced fruit, and it isn''t half-bad. "Good job, Gold," I say, and he beams at his plate of food. We finish eating, then Gold takes care of the dishes, his tail wagging in his happiness. He''s still unsure around me, but he''s believing that I really do mean well for him. I think getting him linked into the System helped with that. Oh, definitely, Big S says into my mind. He''s already thanked me, like, forty times since he woke up for his masters meeting you. Forty times? Forty-eight. That rounds to fifty. I know. You rounded the wrong way. He just thanked me for you meeting him again. Gold''s definitely happy, if he''s thanking Big S that much. I watch as he continues to wash the dishes, then dries them off. Once he finishes, I ask if he wants to learn how to fight, and he shakes his head, looking scared. After several attempts, I determine he doesn''t want to learn to fight, no matter what. Oh, well. "Come on," I tell Gold. "Let''s head to the market and get you some more comfortable clothes, alright?" He doesn''t like that idea. He''s perfectly happy with the outfit he''s wearing now. It fits him, but¡­ Whatever. We''re still heading into the market. Chapter 0030 Chapter Thirty. <>(Zack)<> Gold''s keeping to just behind me, his gaze fixed on the ground, as we walk through the market area. We''re getting a few stares from people I don''t recognize, while the ones I do know look somewhat amused. As we''re walking, I spot a familiar face. "Adam!" I exclaim, and the knight turns to face me, eyes widening. "Hello!" He looks terrified as I stride over to him. "Have you been avoiding me?" I ask. "No," he answers. "No, I haven''t. I''ve just been busy with training and the mines." "Uh-huh," I hold out a hand. "Cough it up." "Do you know how hard it is to earn a gold?" He asks. "Do you know how easy it was for me to hit master Dark Squire in a month?" I smile, and he sighs, pulling out a gold coin and placing it in my hand. "Thanks, Adam! You''re a dear! Though I totally should charge you interest for taking so long!" He turns pale. "Don''t worry, though," I say. "I''m in a generous mood, which will continue to remain that way if the asshole who tried to steal part of my reward yesterday decides not to push having me arrested with the knights he brought over after spotting me walking towards you." I turn around and smile at the asshole, noticing his hand''s regrown. "It''s not like the Priests at the temple couldn''t regrow your hand, right?" I ask, and he turns crimson with anger. "Watch it, boy ¨C you''re going up against a full-fledged Dark Knight who''s solo''d two Holiday Bosses, wiped out thousands of Monsters, and faced down an Avatar of the Shadow of Life himself. Hey, Adam ¨C what do you think the odds are that I can take him and the two knights he''s brought over?" "Will you stop antagonizing people?" Nik asks, and I look over at him. "You saw him try to steal part of my reward yesterday." "And?" "What do you think the odds are that I can take him and the two knights he''s brought over?" "Binding Darkness," he sighs, and I find tendrils of darkness wrapping around me. So that is the Skill''s name. Theodore used it without speaking. Hrm. Maybe he whispered it? Nik''s got one over my mouth, probably to keep me from running it as well. Gold looks terrified. "Please," Nik tells the knights. "I''d rather not have to deal with the paperwork involved in fighting you. You''re new to this town, so let me let you know in very clear terms: Zack has earned his gold tags, and if he wanted, he could purchase the diamond ones. All of that is money he''s earned himself. He advances and grows at an accelerated rate, and is one of the favored of the Crystal of Dark of Flame, and-" WHY DID YOU NOT CALL ME ''BIG FLAME''? Everyone around us jumps, including Gold, who whimpers. "-has given our lord a nickname he insists on being called," Nik continues the moment the outburst is done. "Communicates with our lord regularly, has done more for the war in the two months he''s been here than three of you have in your entire lives, has-" Tendrils of darkness surround the would-be thief. "-continued to surprise people every day," Nik sighs, looking at me. "Dammit, Zack. I said don''t antagonize them." I talk through the tendrils, though my words come out muffled. "I''m not sure I want to know what you just said." I told him that I can''t help it. "Anyway," Nik looks at the men as the asshole tries to break free. "Put simply: Zack is not on your level. He''s above it. And you will not arrest a Dark Knight of his caliber for defending his things. This man," he gestures to the bound asshole. "Tried stealing part of Zack''s reward, which is generally frowned upon by society in the first place, but is an even greater crime to a Dark Knight. Now. Would you like to arrest Zack? Or would you like to deal with the Order of the Dark Flame??" You Have Broken Free The tendrils around me slip off of me, fading away as they do, and Nik glances at me, snorting. "That was easier than I thought," I comment. "How did you even break out of them?" He asks. "I tried really, really hard."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "You weren''t even struggling." "Mentally." "Uh-huh." Nik turns his gaze back to the knights and the asshole. There''s a crowd watching, a mix of new people and old. Is it some holiday or something? How come no one''s in the mines? "So," Nik says. "What will it be? Take your arrogance elsewhere, or challenge the Dark Knights for defending what''s theirs?" The Knights back off, and Nik glances at me. I shrug, releasing my Binding Darkness, and the rogue takes a few steps back. "Smart move," Nik says, then raises his voice "Listen up: now that Zack has woken and is ready to fight again, the forest is his. If you wish to continue to hunt there, leave Maelnor and return to deeper within. Otherwise, join us in our attempts to reclaim the mines. Your assistance in the forest is no longer needed. Make sure this is known throughout by dusk. Now begone! All of you!" The crowd begins to disperse, and Nik waits as they do. "So," I look at Nik once they''re back to doing whatever. "Did you say the Skill''s name with the thought I might be able to figure it out?" He smiles at me, snorting slightly. "Got it," I say. "Nik, meet Gold. He''s a Beastborn I rescued last night. Gold, meet Nik. Nik''s the guy who trained me. He''s a good guy at heart¡­ but can be really, really rough, tough, and mean if you get on his bad side. Or are Monsters. Or get on his bad side. We''re both Dark Knights. As you probably know, Dark Knights aren''t like other Adventurers ¨C we have exceptions no one else does." We''re also the best, of course. "How does he have access?" Nik asks. "I''ve never heard of one having it before." Is he the first? Yes. "He''s the first," I tell Nik. "And how does he have access?" "I owe Big S," I respond. "He hasn''t decided what yet, though." The fact that, at his core, he isn''t a fighter makes things difficult. What does that have to do with anything? Big S doesn''t respond. "Alright," Nik looks amused. "Hello, Gold. The lack of a collar and your age tells me that Zack has freed you from your slavery. Is that correct?" Gold whimpers, but nods to the Dark Knight. "Pleasure to meet you," Nik tells him. "I''m sure Zack will treat you right. Zack ¨C please do your best to not antagonize the new people." "I barely know half of the old people," I tell him. "How I am supposed to differentiate them from the new?" "Zack¡­" "Nik¡­" "Do you want a butt-whupping?" "No, Father." Nik stares at me, unsure how to react to my completely serious response. It wasn''t intentional, it just slipped out¡­ my real father made that threat a few times, and that was the proper answer. It also meant to behave after, or a real butt-whupping would come. Nik seems like a father to me, and while he''s not like my real father¡­ it''s hard to break some habits. "You seem to show up at the oddest times." "Big Flame," Nik sighs. "Said that you might need some assistance. Would you please do your best to not antagonize new people? I heard about your incident with the team at your house last night." "They were harassing me," I state. "Making fun of me, and making comments I wasn''t happy with. They were extremely condescending. I want them gone. All of the new people. They aren''t needed, and they''re too full of themselves. You guys didn''t look down on me for being a child ¨C you recommended I go further in and get stronger. They just see a child. I''m not just a child, I''m a Dark Knight, and I''m a damn good Adventurer!" I kick the ground in my anger. "Go to the Dark Temple," Nik tells me. "But-" "Go," Nik says. "Pray the altar, meditate somewhere, I don''t care what, but go in there and calm yourself. I''ll let you know when you can leave." "But-" "Now, Zack," Nik orders. "I will keep an eye on Gold and make sure he''s taken care of." Grumbling, I turn and march to the Dark Temple, making my way to one of the meditation chambers. I sit down on the ground, then switch to lying after just a few minutes, staring at the dark ceiling above me. For what feels like an hour, I focus on nothing but the image of a violet flame in my mind. That helps me calm down some, but I''m still frustrated. I wasn''t strong enough to protect Bryce. All these new people look down on me just because I''m a child; they don''t even care about my Class or Health and Mana. There''s so much outside of my power right now. I need to get stronger. A lot stronger. I could use my free Levels right now to acquire what''s needed to hit the end of the road for this Class, but I want to save them for Blood Priest. I want to speed through that one, doing just enough to get the Skills to what they need to be, then using the free Levels to just push past. I want to be a Dark One by the end of the year. If he''s joining my team when he arrives, as the visions predict, then I''m going to need to be able to protect him. I need to protect Gold. I need to kill Monsters and make the Shadow of Life pay for what he''s done to me and the Crystals and those children Big Flame talked about. I don''t care that my predicted destiny is only to change the tide of war ¨C I want to rip out the throat of the war and shove it where the sun don''t shine. I want to pound it into the ground and make the Shadow of Life pay for what he did. I want to prove that even we children can be valuable assets, despite not looking like it. This isn''t like Reality. We''re all on the same grounds, in the same System. My temper''s slipping away from me again. Taking several deep breaths, I visualize the violet flame until I calm once more, then stand and leave. Next, I make my way to the Altar of Darkness, pulling out the heart of the Frost Goblin, realizing that I should have grabbed the Turkey Patriarch''s heart yesterday. Dammit. I''ll have to wait until the next Holiday Boss shows up, or another Special Boss of some sort. That means I''ll be waiting about a month, minimum, probably, to sacrifice a Vice to create my Demon Familiar. "O Mighty Flame of Darkness," I say, setting the heart on the altar. "Please accept my offering to you." The flames swirl around the heart, eating the blood off my hand as I pull it away. The heart burns, disappearing as it does, and I sense Big Flame''s content with that. He doesn''t respond, but I know he''s accepted it. Sighing, I leave the chamber and make my way to one of the bedrooms, changing into night clothes and lying down, even though it''s barely noon, now. Closing my eyes, wrapped in the blanket and feeling comfortable, I start to relax. As I do, I decide to work on merging my elements once more, and look within myself. When I do, I''m startled by what I see. No wonder it''s called the Blood Scar¡­ It damaged my Sacred Crystal. There are four long, vertical scars on one side, though it looks almost as if they were originally gashes, but then something melted them closed. The scar of violet flames looks the same as it was before, and yet¡­ Somehow, I used fire ¨C that fire, maybe ¨C to heal the wound, even if it left another series of scars on my Sacred Crystal. In addition to the Blood Scar''s scar on my Sacred Crystal, there''s more. Two elements have merged into it more, and by a lot. Fire is nearly triple what it was before, and Stone¡­ eight times as much, though still nowhere near Fire''s amount of merging. Summoning that Meteor¡­ I really did pull within myself and transcend my limitations, didn''t I? Just what kind of an effect is this going to have on me long-term? Chapter 0031 <>(Zack)<> "Zack?" Nik''s voice gently wakes me, his hand resting on my shoulder. "Zack?" "Five more minutes?" "You''ve slept through more than a day, Zack," he says softly, and I turn over to face him. "Huh?" "When I returned to here," he tells me after I do. "After telling you to come here and calm down, I looked for you to find out if you wanted dinner, and you were asleep. That was two days ago. You slept from then until now." "Five more minutes?" "It''s time for breakfast, Zack." "I want five more minutes of sleep." "You need food," he tells me. "Get changed and come down to the dining hall." Nik leaves the room, and I turn back over, pulling the blanket over my head and attempt to sleep some more. It doesn''t work, though, because Nik''s cruel and woke me, so I eventually get out of bed and get changed. When I enter the dining hall, I notice Gold sitting at the table, devouring sausage links and pancakes like there''s no tomorrow. He''s still without a Class, though. "Nik?" I say, and he looks at me from where he''s sitting across from Gold. "How is Gold in here? I thought only Dark Knights could enter the Dark Temples." "I asked Big Flame for an exception," Nik tells me. "For Gold to stay here while you recovered. I was a bit concerned about how he''d be treated without one of us to keep an eye on things." "Have they gone back?" I ask, and he sighs. "What?" "You''re still on this," he says. "Saying that they''re training deeper within," I say. "When they would get more battles and experience out here is just a cowardly way of saying that they''re too unwilling to do real battle. They''re training in safety, where it will take them longer to gain Levels for their Classes and Skills, rather than fighting where it''s needed." "Zack-" "How many," I say. "Would have died had you guys had enough people in that party, when you went up against the Demonic Kobold King, Nik? Had more people been training out here, how many would have been of a strong enough Level when going in there? How many more people would have been here for that battle, been in your party?" Nik doesn''t have a response to that. He knows I''m right. Had people been training here, in the valley, been training in Talorn, Praevar, and the mines, there would be a lot more Adventurers who are stronger. Sure, they need strong Adventurers back in the deeper territory, to help keep peace from stronger Monsters, but there are too few here and too many back there. If more people were willing to train in the dangerous area, not only would that horde not have amassed, but they likely would have had enough powerful Adventurers to take on the Demonic Kobold King and deal with the Fallen Adventurers they came across. In fact, it''s possible they would have reclaimed the mines before I had ever arrived. "That''s what I thought," I say after almost half a minute of silence. "I''m thirteen, Nik, and I could see this. You can''t tell me you hadn''t seen it before, too. If they don''t want to be serious about this, then they need to fuck off back into deeper territory. The forest is mine. The Monsters within it are mine. I need them to push through Dark Knight as quickly as possible, because I am serious. I want to be a Dark One before the year ends, and I can''t do that with trash stealing my Experience and my rewards. If they''re not going to make themselves useful in the mines, then they need to get out." Nik sighs. I kept my tone a lot calmer this time, having collected myself a little, but I''m still annoyed, especially by the coward who tried to steal part of my reward when he realized I could actually kill the thing when he couldn''t. That wasn''t cool. "So," I decide to change subjects. "I noticed Gold has a new outfit. Did you buy that?" "I did," Nik nods. "He refused shoes and a jacket, though, even though he seemed a little cold." I don''t think he feels comfortable wearing that much, even if we can get him to wear this much. He''s been treated like an animal his entire life, and wasn''t allowed clothes before. He''s probably uncomfortable wearing this much, but is because we''ve asked him to. Because I asked him to. Oh, right. I have something that could possibly help with him feeling cold. "Gold," I say, and the Beastborn looks at me. "Are you cold, when you''re outside?" He starts to shake his head, to give the ''right'' answer, but then slowly nods, casting his gaze down, his cheeks reddening. "Here," I pull out the pendant I looted and hold it out to him. "This will help you." "That thing is pretty expensive," Nik tells me. "Him wearing it will cause problems." "I''ve already removed one hand," I remind him. "It won''t matter to me who it is, I''ll remove any number of them, if people want to steal from me and mine." Nik sighs, and something else comes to mind. I pull out a Spook Treat. "Want one?" I ask Nik, and he stares at it. "You do realize how much money you''re just offering to me, right?" He asks.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "I heard they''re a delicacy," I tell him. "And you know full-well how I can store things longer than others, since I know word got back to you on that. I''m sure I could sell it for a lot more now, right?" "Probably," he sighs. "Do you want it?" I ask. "I know you probably didn''t get one, and I hear they''re delicious." "You haven''t tried one?" "I''ll do it when I''m alone," I shrug. "Are you sure you want to just give one up?" "I have eighteen more," I say, and he laughs. "So?" Nik takes the treat, thanks me, then sends it into his Inventory. Oh, right. It''s not night, is it? He''ll have to wait until then to eat it. We finish our breakfast, then Gold and Kulkul clean up the dishes. I look at Nik, who mouths ''in a minute'' to me. Once the dishes are cleared completely from the table and the Beastborn and demon are in the kitchen, Nik looks at me. "Gold gets along with Kulkul pretty well," he tells me. "Even without speaking a word. Kulkul does get annoyed by his attempts to cuddle and play and wrestle, but is somewhat understanding of the Beastborn." "You don''t seem to treat him the way others do," I say. "They treat him with disgust and hate." "Maybe so," he says. "But we are Dark Knights. I summon and control a demon, I use blood and rage to fuel my powers, I sacrifice parts of my fallen enemies to my patron and to empower my demon. What rights do I have to judge him for something he didn''t have a choice in? He seems to enjoy being able to help without punishments, and has shown no hatred for me. And yet he knows what I do and what I am, and am of the same people who treated him wrong. You will find that few and far between are the Dark Knights who have a Beastborn as a slave. Those that do treat them more as companions than slaves." Good. "Have you calmed?" Nik asks. "A bit," I nod. "Sorry¡­ sorry for snapping at you earlier. Yesterday. Um¡­ two days ago. It was two days ago." "You''re strong," he tells me. "But you''re still a child. It''s to be expected that you''d act this way in these circumstances, especially given your personality. Are you ready to resume your training?" "I am." "Very well," he says. "I ask that you do not leave the City until tomorrow." "But-" "Please, Zack," he says. "You may train here, at home, or elsewhere in the City, but do not leave to fight Monsters until tomorrow." "Yes, sir," I stare at the table. "Once Gold and Kulkul finish," Nik says. "We are going to meet with someone. He wanted to meet with you, once you woke. I told him that if you didn''t wake by this morning, I would wake you myself." Who? And why? It takes another ten minutes for the Beastborn and the demon to finish the dishes, then Nik banishes Kulkul and we leave. Nik leads us into the more expensive part of town, though it still looks somewhat abandoned, just like the rest of the City. Nature is reclaiming the areas untraveled, and this is no exception. He leads me to a large, three-story building with ivy creeping up the walls, though it looks like someone recently went through and cleared the path in the yard of the grass and flowers that grow everywhere. Some noble wants to meet with me? Are they going to be a pompous ass again? Good thing I have my armor and sword equipped. I might need to remove a hand or two. We reach the doors, and Nik knocks. A moment later, the door is opened by a woman in her thirties, a rapier on her hip. I can see her stats. Her name is Isabel. "We''re expected," Nik says. "Indeed, Lord Nik," she gives a small bow. "This way, please." We enter, and she closes the door before leading us through the recently-cleaned building until we reach a room. She knocks on the door. "Lord Nik and Dark Knight Zack are here," she says in a clear voice, then bows and walks away. As she does, a familiar knight opens the door. This is one of the ones that was with¡­ The prince. Prince Joseph is here? I might not need my sword. Or I might. I''m not sure, yet. The knight allows us in, and I look around the room. It has sparse furniture, with just two couches facing each other, a low table between the two. Prince Joseph sits on the table opposite us, his back to the window looking into the courtyard. "Hello, Nik," he greets us. "Zack." "Your Highness," Nik says. "He''s woken." "Have a seat," Prince Wyatt gestures for us, and we sit on the couch. Now I feel awkward. Does he want me to move to deeper territory? Is he going to order me to? "Zack," Prince Joseph says. "I am glad to see you have finally woken from your death-sleep. You are the first person to ever survive the Blood Scar." "I cannot explain how I did it," I inform him. "Not in a way that made sense. Sorry." "It''s alright," he smiles. "Nik has told me that even your patron wouldn''t explain how you were able to survive for so long, or how you were able to fight against it. Would you mind telling me anyway?" I do my best to think of a wording that would make sense, explaining about the Sacred Crystals within us, and how I can sense my own and those around me with a lot of focus. Then how it seems the Blood Scar affects the Sacred Crystals themselves, and how I somehow managed to cauterize the wounds inflicted by the Avatar of the Shadow of Life. The prince listens intently as I does, nodding when I finish. "Thank you, Zack," he says, and I shift in my seat. "I have heard that you have requested," he puts emphasis on that word. "That the Adventurers clearing out the forest of Monsters be removed from the area or sent to hunt in the mines instead. Would you mind explaining why?'' I do mind, very much. You''re a prince, even if your authority doesn''t do much out here. I don''t acknowledge your power and authority over me, as I serve the Crystals, not men, yet you can create a lot of problems for me. But he asks, so I tell him as honestly as possible, doing my best to contain my anger. When I finish, he asks why I haven''t used my Static Experience boosts yet from the Holiday Boss kills. I explain to him about wanting to save it for when I really need it, such as pushing through Classes I don''t want to bother spending the time gaining the Experience for normally, outside of what''s needed for the Skills to go up. "I see," he says. "And your goal is to be a Dark One by the end of the year?" "Yes." "By the time the new year rolls around," he says. "There will be, at minimum, two more Special and Holiday Bosses. There is the Santa Boss, as well as the Snow Chief. The latter is an ordinary Special Boss, but it still yields the high bonuses for its kill, due to the difficulty. That should allow you to reach another twenty Levels, should you manage to kill those two by yourself. "Judging by your growth rate," he says. "That should be more than enough when coupled with the Experience acquired gaining the Skill Levels necessary. Let''s make a deal, Zack. If you can reach Dark One by the end of the year, then I will allow you to remain out here, unhindered. If you fail, I will request that you move deeper into the Boundary, as well as order Adventurers to begin clearing the valley again." "Is that reaching Dark One," I ask. "Or reaching Level 41 of Dark Knight and Blood Priest, which is the requirement for it? I plan on Mastering a Class before moving on to the next." "Reaching Dark One itself," he answers. "If it takes longer because you''re Mastering before moving on, that''s on you." "Okay," I say, then register what he said. "Wait ¨C order them to begin again?" "Yes," he stands, and Nik does, so I do. "I am ordering the halting of the clearing from other Adventurers, as you will need the Experience. In addition it is unlikely that the Shadow of Life would be able to create such a horde within it again, despite its expanse, with you now aware of it and capable of handling stronger Monsters. Any who wish to remain will be sent to the mines. Those are a priority. If we cannot gain access to the lower Levels, then we will be unable to prepare better weapons for when the war comes. Do we have a deal?" I will definitely reach Dark One by the end of the year. "Yes," I say. "We do." Looks like I won''t be needing my sword, here. Chapter 0032 <>(Zack)<> "Hello," I greet the lady in the General Goods store. "Hello, Zack," she responds. "How are you feeling?" "Rested," I answer. I ended up resting the last week instead of training, partly due to slipping on ice walking home from meeting with the prince. I caught myself¡­ but still sprained my ankle. Ever fought on one of those before? Not fun. It was hell trying to even be active, and I thank the Crystals that Gold came to me before that. Though I think Nik would have kept me at the Dark Temple, had I been alone. He''d want to keep an eye on me. So it may not have been as bad. The Priests can mend wounds and regrow destroyed hands¡­ but a sprained ankle is beyond them. Apparently, the magics that work for healing the body itself, and not just restoring Health, don''t allow for things like that. Yet they can regrow hands. Yeah¡­ that''s complicated. And weird. And confusing. So I basically sat or laid down for the last week, which was a pain in the ass. Nik laughed when he saw me slip and fall. I had the last laugh, though. He slipped and fell on his way out of town this morning, spraining his own ankle when it twisted on the ice. There''s been a lot of that lately, and they''re advising people to be careful. Eight cases in the last week in a town with a hundred and fifty people. The ice is everywhere, and no matter how much they thaw it, by morning, it''s returned. The paths outside of town are easier, though. The ice isn''t as bad, for whatever reason. At least, that''s what I''ve heard. Something tells me that it''s something restricted to Cities and the paths themselves. Right now, I''m grabbing some supplies for¡­ stuff. "How can I help you today?" The clerk asks. "Do you have blank books?" I ask. "Along with something to write with?" "Sure do," she answers. "Give me just a few minutes." I nod, then she heads into the back of the building. After around six minutes, she comes out, setting several books on the counter, along with a variety of quills and inkwells, along with a slender box made of a polished, dark reddish wood. It''s around five inches wide, three and a half thick, and around a foot long. "We have here," she taps the books. "Several blank tomes. The thinnest one, simply bound with string, holds fifty pages," she taps on the next tome, the first of the ones with an actual leather cover. "The next one has one hundred, then two hundred, then five hundred, and finally," she taps on the thickest. "One thousand pages." I examine each one. The last one ¨C the one with a thousand pages ¨C is a few inches larger than the other four. It also costs the most, sitting at a whopping forty-five silver. She sells individual sheets of paper as well, but that doesn''t matter to me, as the thick tome will work for what I want. After I purchase that, she shows me the different quills and inkwells, opening the box at the end to reveal one of the Absorption Quills, along with nine different inkwells: one for each color, then two black ones. The Absorption Quills work simply by pressing their tip into the bottom of the inkwell. They''ll draw in ink until either they''re full or you stop pressing it, and when you''re done, simply press it back into the bottom of the inkwell, and it will release the leftover ink back into it. They''re magical, of course, and in the quality ones like what comes with the kit, the ink won''t stick to their outsides. The set costs thirty silver to purchase, which is a little bit more expensive than buying them individually, but the extra two silver is probably for the box, which is quality and durable. I purchase two of those, to have the extra inkwells and quill, just in case. After I finish those purchases, I buy some more food, as we depleted almost all of my stash while I was recovering. That, and a little more. I think I made Gold''s night when I handed him the Spook Treat. He clearly knew what it was, and how valuable it was, and not just because of Nik''s comment. With those purchases done, I thank the lady, then head to Jackson''s forge. He''s talking with a customer, a knight I don''t recognize, when I walk in, so I look at the equipment while waiting for them to finish. He''s asking for a commission on some new equipment. It seems Jackson''s getting a lot of those, and has a list of equipment that will take him almost three weeks to finish. For some reason, though, Jackson''s giving him a sort of queue jump.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. When the customer finishes placing his order, he thanks Jackson, then leaves, giving me a curious look as he does. I approach the counter and drop a Turkey Ingot on it. "Are you wanting information on this?" He asks. "I am," I glance at the door, then look at Jackson again. "Who was that?" "You probably wouldn''t have seen him," he says. "He arrived in Maelnor yesterday. He''s one of the nobles serious about helping with the war and getting stronger, and before you say something about him not being here, he''s been hunting in the mountains far to the east, obtaining rare materials. He just dropped a fair few off for me, including Blood Fangs I can use for some equipment for Nik. I''m the only smith he wants making his weapons, and he pays a higher price for it to be rushed, in addition to bringing me the rare resources to use." Then that''s better. "So this," he taps the ingot. "Is a Turkey Ingot, as made clear by the dark brown coloring with white flecks. It''s durable, and can be sharpened to fine edge, as well as has the inherent resistance to grime that all Special Metals do. Not as quality for weapons and gear as Spook Ore, Turkey Ore, when forged into equipment, but it can decrease one''s hunger and rate of getting hungry. The more of it you''re wearing, the stronger the effect, though it can''t stave off hunger forever, even if you''re wearing full white armor." White armor is plate armor that covers the entire body and every joint. That''s about as much of wearing this ore as you can get. "Alright," I say. "It sells for twenty gold an ingot," Jackson informs me. "I''m assuming you have twenty of them?" "I do." "Would you be willing to sell three of them to me?" I stare at him intently. "Not for weapons and armor," he says. "It makes for a good chain for amulets, and if it needs it, the back plate for the amulet as well, such as ones with a stone set into them. Dishes made from it will also keep the food at the temperature it''s at longer, and pots and pans will heat more evenly if made from it." I''m pretty sure he''d need more than three ingots to make full sets of dinnerware and cooking dishes, plus the chains and plates for amulets. I stare at him even more intently. "I want," he says. "To get a head start on the amulet chains and plates, for the next long run into the mines. If I can get some made of Turkey Ore, it''ll cost them more, but it''ll help them a bit better than regular metals. If I can get started on it now, then I should have them ready for the jeweler by the time he gets the demand." After debating with myself about it, I sell him three of the Turkey Ingots, then leave, touching the necklace around my neck. I don''t want any jewelry other than this skull, and while having a decreased hunger rate sounds good to me, I''m not sure if there''s something I could have made out of Turkey Ingot that would count. My current equipment looks damn awesome. Even if, in the future, I swap it out for that strange equipment made of black and white metals. At least, they might be metals. They could be something else entirely. As I walk through town, I realize that I went into a different part of the City than I normally stick to and look around. Standing in the center of the square is a rectangular building built of a dark grey stone with glowing violet lines running along it, forming a pulsing pattern. Walking around it, I determine that there''s no way to enter the building. It''s roughly ten feet on each side, and the same high. Other than the strange material and glowing lines, it doesn''t seem special. But from what I''ve heard, and it''s location in the center of a square, I know what it is. The Enchanted Hall that houses the Altar of Elements. So long as the City Barrier stands, so too will the walls around the Altar of Elements. The Altar itself powers the Barrier, and it takes immense force to destroy one. That''s why the Shadow of Life sends a Dragon of some sort to each destruction ¨C they focus on destroying the Barrier, to cause the Enchanted Hall to break and the Altar to turn dormant. I run my hand along the wall of the Enchanted Hall, sensing the magics within it. It''s nothing like the magics we use, the magics of the System. A little of this type of magic can be wielded through Enchantments, probably, but this¡­ This is something else entirely. Something the Crystals likely won''t reveal to us. It likely has to do with the creation of the Boundaries themselves, and that magic. Turning, I look around the square, noting five large circles near the edges of it, each one identical to the others, each one fifty feet in diameter. This could probably be called a plaza, but we called them ''square'' at home, even if they had a rounded shape like this one. The circles, in addition to being massive an identical, are made up of multiple rings of runes. I can sense a sort of magic in them similar to the Enchanted Halls'', though I already know what they''re used for. The right Classes of magicians can use the powerful Teleport to return to the nearest City. It warps them onto one of these circles, avoiding hitting anyone or anything on them. If they''re in another City and standing on one, they can use Teleport to warp to any City they''ve been to before. Powerful. I might take advantage of that Class one day, though probably not for a long while. I know what my first five Classes will be. Dark Knight is my first, Blood Priest will be my second.DarkOne will be my third. They have a Spearman Class that upgrades to Dragoon later on, and that will be my fourth. My fifth¡­ will likely be another Knight-based Class. Buffing up my Strength, Endurance and Health as the founding Classes. By the time I hit my fifth Class, I''ll probably be ready to acquire a magical Class and gain Teleport. It isn''t really a priority to me right now. It probably should be, though¡­ but I don''t plan on that ever happening again. By the time I have new teammates, I plan on being a Dark One and able to handle myself, even against a horde like that. The timing of that horde¡­ Did he know that Bryce and I were brothers? That we could both screw things over for him? Or did he only know about me? Did he send them after us because we were a threat and he wanted to deal with us, and we''d given him a chance? Or was it because Nik and the other two Dark Knights managed to survive and bring others back? Why did he choose then to send them after us? And what will he do now, since I''m still alive and am much more powerful than I was before? What will he do now, now that I have better equipment and a fiercer dedication to his death? And what will he do, when the day comes that I enter Kaelmar and kill his Avatar? Chapter 0033 <>(Zack)<> I''ve come across a small Goblin camp. There are five Goblins sitting around a fire, four at Level 4, and one at Level 5. The four are Goblin Knights, while the fifth is a Frost Goblin. They''re preparing what looks like a deer and some stew, though I''m not sure I want to know what''s in the stew. For half an hour, I watch the group chatter in their language, cook, and eat, sketching them in my tome, adding some information to what I already have. For the Frost Goblin''s information, I skim through blank pages until my fingers tell me to stop. I used to do it at home, for school journals, when I was noting things down. It always worked, letting me know exactly how far I''ll need to go for sections. I sketch the Frost Goblin the best I can. It isn''t too different from the other. I note down the information I have on it from my previous fight and from watching it, then add in the entry for the Goblin Knights. The only one I''d seen before was the one who gave me the necklace I now wear. At least I now know why I haven''t seen them around before. These four seem to give the Frost Goblin a sort of reverence, and I note this in a separate section. After my sketches of a Goblin Knight that''s a mix of these four, I send my supplies back into my Inventory. The four Goblin Knights have similar features. They''re all around the same height, with similarly-muscled bodies. They have varying shades of green skin, and varying types of weapons, one of them wearing a rusty breastplate. That won''t matter much to me, with my current Strength and my sword made of Spook Ore. I drop out of the tree, landing softly on the ground behind the Goblins'' camp, then draw my sword, flicking my knife out as I do. It slams into the Frost Goblin''s back, killing it immediately. I''ve severed the head of the Goblin Knight with the armor before the Goblins register my presence, and it takes me almost no time to kill them off. No matter how strong a regular type of Goblin is, it can''t take me on at my current strength. They''d have to be a Chieftain, Elite, or Bounty Beast to handle me. That, or a Special Goblin that isn''t caught by surprise. The Goblins dead, I loot their bodies and camp, then get searching again, both to add to my tome, and to gain more Experience. By the time the sun sets and I return home, I''ve gained a full Level and several more entries into my tome. I know my additions will slow down as information becomes redundant, but for now, I am satisfied. Bryce suggested learning about the different types of Goblins to help fight them better, and that''s what I''m going to do. Only instead of simply remembering things, I''m going to compile a full tome on the different types of Goblins. According to Nik, the information they have is just the basic stuff necessary to kill them. As usual, Gold needs helping cleaning certain parts of himself ¨C mostly, his back, tail, and hair ¨C so after I help him with that and relax in the bath a bit, I lie down in front of the fire, Gold curling up on his blanket. When morning comes, Gold cooks us breakfast, seeming as happy as he has been the last few days, even humming to himself. I wish him luck as he washes the dishes, then I leave, making my way back to the forest, killing a few Slimes on my way there. Today, I manage to collect data about Goblin Archers and a little about Goblin Shaman. Including that they are the ones that cast that annoying cloud of poison. Thankfully, my Spook Ore armor draws even that to it. When the day ends, I''ve gained another full Level, and have bought a comb for Gold because he really needs one for his hair and tail. He likes his hair a little bit shaggier, so it gets tangled easily, just like his tail. I continue to train, killing Goblins, recording information about them either before, after, or at home, and work on using my Skills. I push myself hard, hunting down and killing Goblins of Level 4 or 5, looking hard for advanced Goblins. There are a handful of Elite and Bounty Beast Goblins around, and I plan on being able to kill them in a straight fight by the end of the month, now it''s December. I have to push myself hard for that. When I finally hit Dark Knight Level 10 after eight days of grinding and hunting hard, I go home and have a small celebration. Gold doesn''t really know why I''m having one, but he enjoys the feast I forced him to let me make. The only thing I''m missing right now is Roar of Darkness Level 2. It looks like I''ll have to use it a bit tomorrow. Might scare up some Slimes and Rats on my way into the forest, see if that''ll work. I''m nowhere near Leveling Meteor to Level 2, though. That thing¡­ It takes fifteen thousand Mana to cast. I don''t even want to know how I was able to simply borrow enough for that. How few magicians are there that can even afford to use it once? Even with the boosts from Dark Knight and Adventurer, as well as that weirdly-massive increase I gained while fighting the Blood Curse, I''m at a little under eighteen hundred. That confuses me. A lot. Clearing those thoughts from my mind, I finish my bath, dry off, get dressed, then head to the fire pit to get some sleep, Gold joining after a few minutes. He refuses to sleep under the blanket, for whatever weird reason, but I''m sure one day, he''ll sleep tucked-in. When morning comes, I eat breakfast with Gold, then make my way to the Dark Temple, showing up just as Nik is heading out. "Did Big Flame tell you I was on my way?"Stolen story; please report. "No," he answers. "He probably knew we''d cross paths. Did you have a question for me?" "Yeah," I nod. "I need to get Roar of Darkness to Level 2, and noticed that Crimson Guide didn''t go up to Level 6, even though the other two in its set for a Tier did. Shouldn''t Roar of Darkness have gone to Level 4 for necessity?" "It''s a little different for Skills of a higher Rank," he shakes his head. "Normally, they''re much tougher to Level, so we need fewer Levels on them." "Ah," I say. "What do I need for Champion of Darkness, once I''m at Level 10 Dark General?" "All Skills up by two," he says. "Except for Crimson Guide at Level 5 and Roar of Darkness sat Level 3, plus your Demonic Aspect and Dark Vengeance Level 1." In other words, get Roar of Darkness up two Levels and acquire my Demonic Aspect, which is locked to Tier IV and above, so I''ll need to acquire that after taking on Dark General. "Thanks," I say. "You''re welcome," he responds. "How''s Gold doing?" "He''s settling in alright," I answer. "Other than one issue, there''s been no problems with him not being a slave." "I heard about that," Nik chuckles. "You''d imagine people would learn to not antagonize Dark Knights." By ''I heard about that'', Nik means that he was taking Gold shopping again when it happened, so it was him who dealt with it. Last I heard, the guy was unable to afford the cost to restore his hand soon enough, so he''s permanently without one. Apparently, there''s a time limit on how long it can be after the limb is removed, and it costs a ton of Mana and nullifies both regenerations of the caster for awhile. And I got a light scolding for cutting off someone''s hand. I gave Nik a good one. Then we sparred. I didn''t get a single hit in, as usual. I was bruised for three days. It was worth it. "Can I see your tome?" He asks. "My tome?" "The one you bought before you started hunting," he says. "You bought a thousand-page tome. Jackson mentioned he saw you working on it a few nights ago, on his way home. He didn''t see what. Is it private? Or can I see it? He said you looked like you were concentrating on it pretty intensely." "Sure," I pull it out of my Inventory and hand it to him. He flips it open and begins skimming the pages. When he finishes the first section, reaching the first set of blank pages, he looks at me. "You did all of this in eight days?" He asks. "You only reached the first spot," I say. "Where there''s more than two or three blank pages between them." He stares at me for a moment, then starts flipping through until he reaches the next set. He skims through those, looking through the rest of the book until he''s finished, then he looks at me again. "You did all of this in eight days?" "Yeah," I nod. "To better slay my enemies, I need to understand them and know about them. It''ll help with stronger Goblins, too. And it''ll work as a good guide for new Adventurers once I''m done. Well, done with the starting part of it. I doubt I''ll finish it anytime soon." "It looks like," he flips to one page. "You found a Goblin settlement in the forest. Your notes don''t mention how large it was." "I counted seventy-eight Goblins," I answer. "Though that''s excluding any that weren''t in the village at the time. It looked as if it could house more than a hundred." "Did you clear it?" "Nah," I answer. "I figured, why not wait until after I''m either a Dark General or a Champion of Darkness. Taking it on by myself would probably grant me a fair bit of Experience, and those upper Levels will need it." "Be careful," he reminds me. "Always," I respond. He returns my tome to me, and I send it into my Inventory. Then, the Dark Knight wishes me luck, and I head out, making my way out of town through the North Gate. No one comes out this way, so there are shitloads of Monsters. And I mean shitloads. I focus myself, then allow my rage to build up within me, so as to amplify the power of my Roar of Darkness. Once my blood is absolutely boiling, I inhale, then unleash the roar. They freeze up in terror, but I don''t gain a Level. Sighing, I journey northward into the forest, seeking out another settlement somewhere to scare the shit out of. It takes me most of the day to find, it''s so far in. I count eighty-seven different Goblins within it, and a Rage-fueled Roar of Darkness later, they''re frozen in terror. That, and I''m a Dark General. After a silent cheer to myself, I draw my sword, grinning at the Goblins currently too paralyzed with fear to respond, waiting for the paralysis to end. Once it does, the butchering begins. The weakest ones flee, while the strongest ones do their best to kill me, their own lives ending in the process. As I finish killing the ones still within the forest, I decide to hunt down the ones who fled. It takes me an hour to deal with all of them, then loot their bodies. That done, I return to their settlement and raid it and the corpses, satisfied with my work today. I gained a full Level to Dark General from that massacre, and am nearly at the next Level, too. After thoroughly looting the village, I return to Maelnor and visiting the Trading Post, where I have to wait for Jesse to finish with the four Adventurers in his line. Once it''s my turn, I sell him my loot for a total of thirty-nine silver, sixteen copper. "I was wondering when you''d finally sell your loot, Zacky!" I will allow my Rage to reach its peak, then unleash a Roar of Darkness in your ear. "I''ve been busy with more important things, Pervert," I say. "Like becoming a Dark General." "And at Level 2 of it already, too!" He says. "You''re so good, Zacky! I wish I could Level as fast as you!" "It''s slowing down," I tell him. "I have to do more, now, and need to do more than simply kill with a sword, too." "Why, of course, Zacky!" Ugh. This is, like, the seventh time since I walked in. Please, just go get turned into Goblin stew already. "The higher the Class, the more Skills relating to the Class and actions as part of the Class you need to do! That''s only logical, Zacky!" While you''re still alive. "Whatever," I wave. "Goodbye, Pervert. See you whenever." With that, I turn on my heel and make my way to the Dark Temple. I have seven Frost Goblin hearts to sacrifice, as well as the heart of an Elite Goblin Chieftain. That fucker was nasty. I''m glad he was only Level 3 when I fought him earlier, if he were Level 5, I''d have probably been in for a world of hurt. I could handle him by myself, but with the other Goblins in the village¡­ holy fuck was that difficult. He''s dead now, though, so that''s all that matters. I think killing him was part of why I acquired so much Experience today. He gave me a full thirty-eight percent at Level 2. At the Temple of Darkness, I make my way to the altar, where I place the seven hearts in a circle, the Chieftain''s in the center of that, then send a prayer up to Big Flame. "Thank you, for watching over me and guiding my blade," I pray. "For allowing me to shed the blood of my enemies and bring an end to the existence of the Monsters today. Please continue to watch over me, and please allow me to continue to grow stronger, so that I may remain out here and serve you well. Thank you, Big Flame." I finish my prayer, and the fires upon the altar consume the hearts, a warmth filling me. I dip my head to the altar, then turn and leave, heading home. Chapter 0034 <>(Zack)<> Erm¡­ So the roar didn''t work on the weird Monster no one''s mentioned before. Like¡­ it just stared at me, blinking several times, as if it didn''t care. It stands around four feet tall, has a slender, ice-like body with arms and legs that narrow down into points, a head and shoulders with various spikes sticking out of it. Nothing like that Santa Slimes that showed up.
Ice Lord Level 25
Health: 782,097 Mana: 509,893
I guess I should''ve expected my attempt to fail, based on those stats. I''m assuming it''s some sort of Special Monster, though I really want to know why no one''s mentioned it to me. It looks OP, based on those stats. I can probably kill it. "Hi," I say, and it blinks a few times. "I''m Zack." It continues to stare. "That''s very disturbing," I tell it. "Want to be friends?" It howls, its voice screeching through the air. I grip my ears, grimacing from the force of the sound. Damn, that''s loud. It''s annoying as fuck, too. "FIREBALL!" I yell at the top of my lungs, a violet orb of flames forming in front of me, then blasting forward and slamming that thing in the face. It stops. "Finally!" My Fireball didn''t do any damage to it. I unleash another Rage-fueled Roar of Darkness because I''m pissed, then run forward, drawing my sword and cutting at the beast. It raises one of those crystal-like arms to block my attack, my sword cutting into it, but not by much. It does cut it, though, dealing some damage. Not enough to really make a difference, though. The Ice Lord swings its other arm at me, and I jump back, ducking under it as it kicks at me as well. It launches into a series of punches and kicks that I deflect with my sword, arms, fists, and legs, doing my best not to get hit directly. This thing is tough, and it hits hard. Thankfully, my armor takes the brunt of the attacks, and my sword stops a few. But even catching its strikes hurts like hell and deal damage to me. As I''m debating fleeing, my Health in the teens, a message appears in my vision.
You Have Been Healed!
+1,087 Health!
Uh¡­ I know there isn''t a Heal Slime powerful enough to do that around here. Whoever healed him waited until I mixed Rage, Blood Frenzy, and Dash, too. Crap! I probably could have used Dark Vengeance! The Ice Lord and I continue to spar, and when I hit the teens again, I let out a roar. "Dark Vengeance!" I manage to cut into its arm, my Rage-fueled, Blood Frenzy-powered, Dash-quickened strike slicing off the crystal-like ice, my Health healing to full. Damn, that was awesome! And it did even more damage because I actually did some decent damage to it! The Ice Lord jumps back several steps, watching me warily, then suddenly, it begins to snow, and heavily, with high winds that whip at my clothes. My breath begins to fog even more¡­ And I realize that I don''t feel cold. Not in the slightest. In fact, now that I''m thinking about it, I don''t think I''ve felt cold at all. Not since¡­ not since nearly dying and somehow cauterizing the wounds in my Sacred Crystal. In other words¡­ the only thing this blizzard it''s summoning is doing to me is hindering my vision, hitting me with high winds, and making it dangerous for me to move around freely. Because of that, I firmly plant my feet, continuing to fight this fucker while moving as little as possible. Anytime I drop to the teens in Health and can''t land a Dark Vengeance or don''t have enough Mana to use it, the mysterious healer uses their healing magics on me. I can''t sense them, though ¨C they''re way out of my range. Slowly, but surely, I manage to wear the Ice Lord down, cutting it apart over time, taking out its Health that way, eventually killing it. When I finally manage to slay the beast, it melts, leaving behind a glowing core of ice, as well as several messages in my vision.
Dark General is Now Level 10!
+24 Strength +8 Endurance +32 Vitality +8 Wisdom
Adventurer is Now Level 8!
+2 to All Stats
Ice Lord Slain
+500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice,Title [Rare Hunter], Subclass [Rare Hunter], +5Diamond, +5Frost Ingots, +5 Mystic Crystals
Ice Lord Slain with less than Five Attackers
+500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +5 Diamond, +20 Frost Ingots, +20 Mystical Crystals
I pick up the core glowing on the ground, examining it. The System registered me as the only attacker, so whoever healed me didn''t get anything, granting me all of the bonus. At least, that''s my understanding of it. That''s a huge-ass reward, too. Frost Ingots are likely much, much more expensive than the other two I have. Worth diamonds, and lots of them.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I scan my surroundings, but it''s difficult to take note of anything here, the blizzard still raging. Whoever was healing me has remained hidden. Sighing, I turn to face town, only to find a boy wearing a pure-white cloak standing in front of me. He''s around ten in appearance, with platinum-blond hair and icy-blue eyes. "You must be Nathan Normar," I say. He swipes the core out of my hand, then disappears, leaving behind only his footprints, which quickly disappear with the blizzard raging, shifting snow around and adding more to it. Well¡­ okay. Now I know who was healing me, though. I guess he''s claiming that as his payment for it. Shaking my head and smiling, I return to town, where the blizzard is still hitting. It looks like even its barrier can''t defend against the Ice Lord''s storm. "Hey, Zack," Jackson greets me as I enter his forge. "I was just about to close up, this blizzard is pretty intense, and I''d rather make it back home safely." "Yeah," I say. "The Ice Lord that was in the fields out west summoned it when I cut off its arm." "You cut off its arm?" He asks, then sighs. "How did Normar¡­ okay." "He already came by?" "You saw him?" He looks stunned. "He swiped the Ice Lord''s core out of my hand." Jackson stares at me for several long moments. "How did it die?" He asks, and I explain the fight, as well as my realization that Nathan was healing me after he swiped the core. "You''re right in that it''s classified as a different type of thing, thus being the reason you gained a different Subclass instead of advancing ones you already have. Ice Lords aren''t common around here¡­ they''re a Rare Boss Monster. And they''re tough to kill, even for teams as powerful as Nik''s." "I probably wouldn''t have beaten it," I draw my sword and knife, setting them on the counter. "Save for two things. One, the awesome weapons and armor you gave me," I start removing my armor and setting them on the counter. "And Nathan healing me from wherever he was hiding. How much is it to repair these?" My blades have nicks all in them from the Ice Lord''s attacks and blocks, and my armor is dented to hell. Jackson sighs, then tells me he''ll repair them for free this time, because of how lucky I was to survive the Ice Lord''s attack. "Eh," I say. "My gut said I could kill it. I didn''t know Nathan was there, but my psychic power probably did. Thanks." "You''re welcome," he sighs. "Also ¨C you were wrong about counting as the only one. Another tactic to steal part of the reward is to buff or heal people who are attacking during that session. Normar got half of everything. I was thinking he''d managed to kill it on his own. He just came in, dropped off some Frost Ingots, Mystic Crystals, and diamond, and asked me if I''d make him a new set of armor. I wasn''t even aware he''d returned to the area." "Oh," I say. I guess that makes sense. Damn are the rewards for killing that thing immense, then if I only got half of the reward. "Can you explain the items to me?" "Sure," he says. "Frost Ore is excellent for making cold-resistant gear, and can provide a powerful buff to it. The type Normar wants will actually cause him to absorb cold damage from magic and Monsters. Mystic Crystals can be used to enchant various ores and materials, and won''t affect the special properties of Special Metals. It''s necessary in order to make the type Normar wishes to have, which is actually a pretty complex enchantment. The staff he wants me to make requires that ore he stole from you, too." "Eh," I say. "He can keep it. Without him healing me, that thing wouldn''t have died to my blades. How much are they worth?" "Mystic Crystals," he says. "Run at fifty diamond apiece, while Frost Ingots runs at thirty apiece." I whistle at that. I''m sitting on a goldmine with my rewards the last month and a half or so. Just from the Ice Lord''s drops, I''m sitting on twenty platinum, before factoring in the straight-up ten diamond it net me. "Indeed," Jackson says after my whistle. "That''s a lot of money. Rare Boss Monsters are tough as hell, so it''s not surprising they drop such valuable loot. Ice Lords actually drop some of the cheapest loot for Rare Boss Monsters. There''s a Forest Guardian whose cheapest loot is worth ten platinum to sell initially." "Um," I feel a bit nervous at that. "Forest Guardian?" "You won''t spot it," he tells me. "Rare Boss Monsters don''t form in the valley, and¡­ what the hell was an Ice Lord doing in the valley?" "I''m wondering the same thing," I say. "Since you just told me they don''t form in the valley, and the only way in or out is through this City or the Fallen City, and Monsters can''t enter the Fallen City because it''s been too long since it fell." "Probably however Normar is getting past Kaelmar," he sighs. "That would explain why he was nearby, then. Now my question is if he chased it here, or if it chased him." "It followed him," Nik says, and I turn to face the Dark Knight, who''s just entered the shop. "I''d recommend leaving, Zack, Jackson. We''re clearing the streets and shops, shutting everything down. An Ice Lord''s blizzard can last for several days. Judging by what Normar told me, this one might last for two or three." "Damn," I say. "There goes hunting. Also ¨C we live pretty far, and the streets are already looking pretty covered. And the wind''s looking pretty strong." "I can get you to the Dark Temple," Nik tells me. "I''ve already shut Gold inside with Kulkul keeping him occupied. Jackson?" "I know someone nearby," he tells Nik. "Normar told you what happened?" "Yeah," Nik says. "We really should be going, though ¨C neither of you are prepared to travel far soon." I nod, then follow Nik out after Jackson assures him he''s got a place close by he can stay. As soon as we''re outside, there''s a warm aura radiating off of Nik, melting some of the snow. Even still, I can still sense the cold penetrating into it, and the wind whips into it as well, despite the difference in air pressure. The snow even makes it close before finally melting, the blizzard''s so strong. It takes us a long time to reach the Dark Temple, and I can tell Nik''s running low. He went through several Mana Potions to get us here. Well, and probably to sustain Kulkul''s presence, too. But regardless, I know this must have taxed him a lot. "Thanks," I say once we''re inside. "I definitely wouldn''t have been able to get here without that." "You''re welcome," he nods, leading me down the hall. We''re probably going to the dining hall for dinner. "I just hope Blaine and the other casters manage to get everyone home safely. Normar said the thing followed him ''all stealth-like''. His wording, not mine." "My impression is that he doesn''t talk much." "He doesn''t," Nik chuckles. "His team''s the only group that''s ever heard his voice, and even then, it''s rare. I''ve probably heard it the most, and that''s partly because of him explaining to me the appearance of this storm." How did he ask Jackson for the commission if only his team''s ever heard his voice before? "Where''s Gold?" I ask. Something suddenly tackles me from the side, knocking me to the ground and holding me tight. It takes me a moment to realize it''s a certain doggy beastborn. His eyes are closed as he hugs me tightly, tears in the corner of them. "I think that answers that question," Nik chuckles, and I glare up at him. "He''s been worried about you ever since the blizzard started. He was pacing around like crazy when I arrived at your house, and I had to tell him to help Kulkul to get him to stop once we were here. Normar didn''t tell me everything about the Ice Lord, I''m sure, seeing as you''re Level 10 Dark General. Would you mind explaining to me how that happened?" "Sure," I manage to shove Gold off of me. "While we''re eating. Gold ¨C I''m fine, I promise. I know my powers are based in fire, but the cold doesn''t really bother me, and I had Nik to help me get here." Gold nods, seeming to calm down a bit, and Nik gives me an inquisitive look. Oh, right. He doesn''t really know that I can understand Gold, does he? I wonder what he''d say if I told him that beastborn can speak, just like I questioned when he first told me about them. Gold never has, but I''ve gotten the impression from him that he can if he wanted to. He''s scared of saying the wrong thing and getting into trouble, even if he''s acknowledged that I won''t hurt him. Apart from when I accidentally stepped on his tail, but that was a different story. I was half-awake, yawning, and my eyes were closed. He forgave me. "Let''s go eat," I say. "I''m sure Gold and Kulkul made a decent meal for us." Gold nods happily, then takes off running, probably to the kitchens. I just grin at Nik, then head to the dining room. Chapter 0035 <>(Zack)<> "Zack?" Nik says as I enter the dining hall with a yawn, Gold happily eating bacon. Lots of bacon. "Did you try leaving?" "No," I yawn again. "I''m so tired." "Where you up late?" He asks. "I ended up not falling asleep," I answer. "I''ve gotten used to having someone else sleeping close by, and it felt weird being alone." "Ah," he says. "How much do you have left for Champion of Darkness?" "I''m pretty much there," I take a seat. "Why don''t you acquire your Demonic Aspect while you''re waiting for the storm to subside?" He suggests. "It takes around a full day for the change to occur, regardless of what it is. During that time, you''ll be asleep. Have you decided on what you''re going to pick for your Demonic Aspect? I know you''ve mentioned wings in your future, but not Demonic Wings." "Demonic Voice." Nik stares at me for several long minutes. "That¡­ doesn''t take all that long to form, actually," he says. "You''d probably be able to acquire it with just an hour''s sleep." Demonic Voice allows for instilling terror simply by speaking. It amplifies all fear-inducing Skills used with it. "It was an agonizing hour of being awake," I tell him, and he stares at me. "I was awake. It was painful." "And you didn''t take on Champion of Darkness yet?" He asks. "Huh?" "You need sleep," he tells me. "Yeah, I know," I yawn. "Probably going to try again after I eat breakfast." "Alright," Nik says. We eat in silence, Gold consuming even more bacon as we do, then I return to my room and toss and turn for awhile. Eventually, I guess I manage to get some sleep, because I wake to Gold shaking me nervously. "Huh?" I look at him, and he tilts his head to the side. "Thanks." Gold nods, then leaves. I get out of bed and stretch, then change and head to the dining hall, where Nik is eating lunch. I join him. "Have a nice nap?" He asks. "A little," I yawn. "I don''t think I got much." "Let me try asking my question again," he says. "And you didn''t take on Champion of Darkness yet?" What? Oh. "Heh," I snort. "Too tired to have even processed that earlier¡­ or that I could. One sec. Aaand there! Champion of Darkness!" Nik laughs, then congratulates me, and Gold beams at me as he brings out a pitcher of water. "Going to work on Blood Priest, now?" He asks. "Nah," I say. "I''ll get that after manage to finish Champion of Darkness. I can gain thirty Levels from the bonuses. Factoring in that you start off at Level 1 for each Tier, I only need forty-five Levels total, or fifteen extra. I''ll gain several of those, probably, just getting the Skills to the necessary Levels. Odds are, I''ll be able to take on the Santa Boss as well, meaning I''d be able to skip whatever''s left. There''s also the Snow Chief to fight. I''m sure that if I can kill the Ice Lord, I can kill the Snow Chief." "You only survived that encounter because of Normar, Zack." "Yeah, yeah," I wave a hand dismissively. "Please remember that I killed the Turkey Patriarch on my own and even punished someone for trying to steal from me during that." Nik stares at me, thinking. "Yeah," he says. "You could probably kill it, especially with your new weapon." After we finish eating, Nik and I move to one of the training rooms to spar for a bit, using wooden training swords. When he hands me one, I stare at it, flashing back to when Bryce and I would spar. That was a lot of fun. "Zack?" Nik''s voice pulls me back from those painful memories. "I miss him." "Would you rather do something else?" He asks. I attack him, and he blocks my sword. He pushes me until I''m soaked in sweat and completely exhausted, barely able to move, and at that point, I just lie on the ground, doing my best to catch my breath. Once I finally recover enough, I head out and wash my face, then make my way to the library to read until dinner. The next day, Nik trains me a lot, pushing me hard the entire day to the point I pass out immediately upon lying in bed. The future me scans the field from his perch atop a wall. It looks like a City''s wall, and through the dream, I can sense the powerful magics of the City Barrier. Yet something tells me that this City has fewer residents than Maelnor. The future me has one foot resting on the wall, the other hanging over the edge. He ignores movement behind him, as if someone is scaling the wall, despite its height. Instead, he continues to watch the valley, keeping an eye on the forest. I shift my view around to see who''s scaling the wall just as they reach the top, jumping up and landing on the edge, twenty feet behind the future-me. It''s the kid healer from my other visions, the one I know in reality, who hasn''t died yet. He has an annoyed look on his face as he approaches the future me, then draws his staff and whacks him on the head. The future me turns and looks at him, and amused look in his eyes.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "What?" He asks, and the healer continues to stare at him intently. "You were still sleeping, and you looked cute and peaceful. I didn''t want to wake you." The healer huffs, then sits beside the future me, who then looks back out across the field. The two of them share sandwiches, eating in silence, yet I sense that they''re communicating somehow. "It''s almost time," the future me says as he finishes his sandwiches, then stands. "Please don''t heal me during this fight unless I actually need it. I''ll probably need to return damage multiple times. Only do it in the instant before I would die, okay?" The healer huffs, but looks reluctant. Then, the future me frowns, shifting his gaze to look directly at me, and the vision ends. I sit up with a start. That time, it felt like the future me was forcing me out of there. And roughly, too. He seemed really annoyed. Why? He should know that it''s not like I''m trying to do that, considering he''s me. I highly doubt I''ll get amnesia if my memories of reality persist into the Boundary when they shouldn''t. So what the fuck is up with me forcing myself out of the involuntary dreams of the future very roughly? Deciding I won''t have answers for awhile, I get out of bed and stretch, then make my way to the dining hall for breakfast. As we eat, Nik informs me that the blizzard''s subsided, and it''s safe to leave. I nod, finish dinner, then make my way to the doors of the Dark Temple, opening them. And immediately jump back to avoid being buried by snow. There''s, like, ten feet of it outside the doors. "I said it''s over," Nik laughs behind me. "I didn''t say you''d be getting anywhere." I glare at him, then look at the snow, focusing hard. "I''ll do it," Nik laughs again, stepping forward as an aura of heat forms around him, the snow within it evaporating almost immediately. "Let''s go." That makes it a lot easier, and since we''re not being pelted by the wind, we can walk a lot faster than we did on our way into the Dark Temple during the blizzard. It doesn''t take us longer than normal to reach the main area of the City, where magicians are already hard at work clearing the streets of snow. Jackson''s forge is running already, and it takes him eight minutes to come up to the shop after I enter. "Hey, Zack," he greets me. "Hey, Jackson," I respond. "Working on Nathan''s gear?" "Mending your breastplate," he shakes his head. "I was just finishing it up, and will get started on the rest of yours once I head back there again. It''ll be around three to six hours, depending on my customer rate and how long it takes me between customers. Special Ores need more time, even when sped up." "Thanks," I say. "I''ll see you in a bit, then." Jackson nods, then I head out, wandering through town for a few hours. As I''m considering making my way back to the forge, a woman bumps into me, then freezes where she is. I stop and look at her curiously. "You know," I say. "The fact that I have been standing here for eight minutes now means you bumping into me is entirely your fault. It''s quite rude to not apologize." She turns and looks at me, and I perform a quick assessment of her. She''s dressed in a light robe, underneath which, I can see various knives, daggers, and pouches, including a few of what look like smoke bombs. She''s a rogue. Did she just try stealing from me? I didn''t feel her hands on me. "My apologies," she says. "I was just distracted, and-" "By what?" I ask. "Is there a Skill that allows you to steal without physical contact? Did you ignore my Primary Class being Champion of Darkness? Or is your Appraisal not yet high enough to view one''s Class?" "I-" her eyes widen as she scrutinizes me. "You''re a Champion of Darkness? How old are you?" "Thirteen." Her eyes widen even more as her mouth opens in shock just a tad. "Envious that one so young can go so high?" I smirk. "So, I''ll trade you. You tell me what you did when you bumped into me, since your hands didn''t probe my body ¨C and yes, I know they didn''t ¨C and I''ll let you keep your hands. I''m in the habit of removing them from people who try to steal from me, so I feel it''s a fair trade." She smiles. "That would require you being able to catch me." With that, she moves faster than I can, releasing one of her smoke bombs and throwing it into the ground. It explodes, filling the air with smoke. I wait it out, knowing she''s already gone. Shrugging, I make my way to one of the quieter areas of town, reaching a tavern that hasn''t been used in years. There, I walk around to the back of the building, slipping between a trick wall, then descending the steps below, my Crimson Guide illuminating the stone passage. It has several trick floors, spiked pits, dropping walls, and other various traps, but they aren''t that difficult for me to pass through or notice before they occur. How do they deal with wanna rogues who die in the passage? Do they just burn their bodies away? How many people die to the traps? I reach the end of the series of tunnels and ascend the stairs, then open the door that awaits me there. Lanterns are lit, illuminating the massive wooden room well. There are a series of workbenches scattered throughout, though most are covered with a layer of dust. Several bookshelves stand against the walls, filled with books or jars of items and ingredients. Ladders and stairs lead up and down, doors set into various walls. The presence of illuminated lanterns indicates its current use. Unlike last time I was here, when it was dark and I had only the Crimson Guide to brighten the place up. I walk over to a table, dust it off, then jump up and sit on it, facing a specific set of stairs. Then, I wait. And wait. And wait. Until the would-be thief from earlier descends those stairs. She freezes when she sees me, staring. "Hi," I smile at her. "I don''t believe you introduced yourself earlier, though I know you know my name, and my status as a Dark Knight. That''s a bit rude, you know. You should at least tell me your name, after you tried to steal from me." "Tara," she says. "How did you find the entrance?" "I''ve known where it was," I tell her. "So. Are you going to answer my question from earlier?" She stares at me for several long moments. "I''ll trade you a Spook Treat for the information." She scoffs, then stares when I pull one out of my Inventory. "I''ve never seen an Inventory act like that before," she says. "It''s not the System-generated one," I tell her. "I''m¡­ special. I have an extra Inventory ¨C one where food doesn''t go bad. I think I''ve figured it out. There is a thief Skill that allows you to steal from people. However, it doesn''t steal something off their body, but rather, from their Inventory. The reason you froze after bumping into me is because it didn''t take anything. My System-powered Inventory is completely and entirely empty, as I keep everything in my personal Inventory, which doesn''t have a limit on space. At least, not one I can imagine myself ever filling, even if I stuffed a few Dragons inside of it." Actually, that might fill it. Depends on how large the dragons are, though. And how many I decide to make a ''few''. The Spook Treat disappears back into my Inventory. "Since I figured it out," I say. "Your face betraying the truth, I have no need to give you the Spook Treat. I could sell it to some noble for forty or fifty gold, considering how long it''s been. Plus, I''ve already just given away three of them. I got the full reward, since I killed it solo." Her eyes widen, informing me that my gamble worked. She doesn''t know much about me, nor who I really am in this town. As a result, she has no idea that I provoked it into its true form, increasing my reward, so right now, she only believes that I had five, meaning I have two left. "Well," her expression shifts. "How can I believe you on that? How do I know you didn''t just get a hit in while stronger Adventurers took it out, then got the lucky proc on the reward for one of them?" I make public my Title of A Special Kind of Slayer, then three seconds later, switch it over to Holiday Breaker. After that, I pull out two Spook Treats, allowing her to see them. I sense her movement before it happens and send both back into my Inventory. She stops with her hands right in front of me, where the two Spook Treats were just moments before. "Nice try," I smile at her. "I was serious about cutting off a guy''s hand, too. He tried stealing part of my reward for killing the Turkey Patriarch when he realized I was actually going to kill it solo." The moment I say that, her expression changes to one of pure wariness and she jumps back several times until she''s almost forty feet away from me. She''s heard of me. "You''re the one who cut off my brother''s hand?" She asks. "He told me it was a bratty Dark Knight, he didn''t tell me-" "That child was your brother?" I laugh. "Oh, that''s awesome! Brother and sister, both thieves! Tell me, lady ¨C what do you have that could talk me into not removing your hands?" Chapter 0036 <>(Zack)<> "Thanks, Jackson," I say as I examine my equipment. "It''s like new." "You''re welcome," he says. "Be careful, will you? Things are dangerous." "I will," I nod. "Have a good day." Jackson nods to me, then I leave his shop and make my way to the western gate. The path''s already been cleared, though it looks like the fields are covered in snow as well. The forest likely is, too, but odds are, the Monsters within are keeping their paths clear. That in mind, I leave, walking down the path. As I reach the forest, I notice several smaller passages into the snow, as if the Monsters carved out little tunnels for themselves to pass through. I wait until I find one roughly the size of Goblins, then walk through it. I''m a little bit taller than most Goblins, so I have to keep crouching and bending over, my Crimson Guide proving light. Despite it being snow and light normally being able to pass through, ten feet is a lot, so it''s still pretty dark. Goblins might have a small advantage if they come across me, due to not needing to crouch or bend over like me, but they won''t survive anyway. As I walk, I confirm that as fact. They don''t even manage to hurt me. After almost six hours of walking through their passages, plus my break for lunch, I reach the gates to the Goblin settlement I saw before. It has at least four hundred Goblins in it, and the ones who saw me are staring at me in shock. "Hi," I wave to them. "I was looking for some Experience, and was wondering if you guys had any I could take." Two Goblin Giants charge at me. I Dash forward, drawing my sword and slicing up. It only takes me a few attacks each to kill the two Goblin Giants, then I have to deal with the Goblins, Goblin Knights, and Goblin Shaman attacking me. Four more Goblin Giants join the fray, but it isn''t until the Goblin Chieftain joins in that I really get into a pinch. I think its status as an Elite Goblin Chieftain might contribute to that. It seems Elites and Bounty Beasts pulled themselves back to the settlement during the blizzard. The more I kill, the stronger I become. The more I''m wounded, the stronger I become. It doesn''t take long for them to realize they''re doomed, and they only have one exit. It''s also an exit I''m able to cover extremely well, even as I butcher the Goblins. Well, it''s not really butchering when I start struggling, but whatever. These stronger fuckers are tough as hell, and whatever that damn chant of the Chieftain''s is is starting to really grate on my nerves. These Goblin Giants are tougher than the two I fought at the start, and they''re protecting the damn Chieftain. I feel myself wearing down as the battle goes on, but I stay determined to kill every last one of these fuckers. Will a yell, I charge forward again, focusing on the Goblin Giants once more, now that most everything else has died. It takes me several long minutes to kill them, between their own might and the Chieftain''s magic, then the Chieftain and I go head-to-head. I Deflect spell after spell, block strike after strike, and feel my body starting to drag. I''m exhausted. I need to rest. But I need to kill this. I can kill this. With one final Dash fueled by my Rage and Blood Frenzy, I unleash my Dark Vengeance into the Goblin Chieftain, taking out the last of its Health. I drop to the ground, then roll over, staring up at the clear blue sky, breathing heavily as I listen to the sounds of the village that surrounds me. Nothing more than the fires crackling, now. There are a few birds chirping in the distances, but other than that, only my breathing can be heard, my breath fogging in the air above me. That final kill was the last thing needed. This was a tough fight, and I used so many Skills and took so much damage and dealt so much. That last kill brought me up that final Level.
Champion of Darkness is Now Level 10!
You Have Mastered Champion of Darkness!
Title Acquired: Champion of Darkness
+300% Static Experience to Any Class of Your Choice +3 to All Stats
That''s¡­ that''s a damn good reward. I gained a Title for it, which Nik had told me I would, but he didn''t mention the Static Experience bonus, nor gaining Stat Points to All Stats. It means I''ll only really need to gain twelve Levels, now, instead of fifteen. I''m sure I can manage that easily. Once I recover my stamina. It doesn''t take me long to recover enough to retrieve my sword and sheathe it, then locate my knife and return it to its sheath as well. Those returned to their rightful sheaths, I make my way over to one of the fires and add some wood to it. They already had it set up to cook, so why not make use of that? I''m hungry. After a dinner of a cooked turkey and some veggies, I let my stomach rest, then start to make my way to the entrance. As I do, a trio of Goblins walk in, chattering quietly to themselves as they examine the carnage I wrought here. Oh, right. They probably had some out on patrol as well. "Hi," I say, and they look at me. Then die as I bash a staff over their heads, gaining a mastery for using that weapon. Two more Skills to go for Blood Novice. I''ll have to be careful on the squishier Goblins, because I need them alive to use some of the Skills required for the Blood Priest line. Well, I could always just hit Adventurers for them, but doing it to Monsters works even better, because it means I can torment them before ending them. I turn and examine the village, then decide I can loot everything here. I have the Inventory space for it, after all, and it''s not like they''ll be using their shit anytime soon. After an hour of looting has passed, another group of Goblins entered, allowing me to acquire Absorb and Drain Life. The former absorbs Mana from the target, while the latter drains Health from it, decreasing their amounts and increasing my own. Unfortunately, I only gain ten percent of the removed amount per Level of the Skill, so me damaging myself and expending a bunch of Mana was a waste. They both also require a little of the other ''resource'' in order to use. Nik didn''t tell me about those little details. However, I''m now a Blood Novice, which gains one each of Vitality, Willpower, and Wisdom per Level. The Willpower is necessary for a Blood Priest as many of its Skills ¨C including the two I just gained ¨C require it to be higher than the opponent''s. Drain and Absorb Life won''t work if the target has a higher Willpower than the caster''s own. As I make my way back through the tunnels, I find myself able to practice acquiring the other necessary Skills to reach Archpriest of Blood. Blood Burst: sacrifice Health in order to create an explosion of blood in a fixed location. Doesn''t sound like it''s damaging, but it is, especially with a decent Intellect. I can''t make one occur within a Goblin, unfortunately, but it''s fun watching them squirm as the acidic power of the Blood Burst burns at their skin for three seconds per Level of the Skill. Shadow Burst: uses Mana, and creates an explosion of shadows in a fix location. This one does no damage, but if a target''s eyes are hit by it, and their Willpower is lower than the caster''s Intellect, then it will blind them for several seconds. Three seconds per Level of the Skill. Those are the only two required for the next Tier of Blood Priest: Blood Acolyte. To reach Blood Master, Tier III, I''ll need to also acquire Transfer Health, Transfer Mana, and Crimson Shield. The first two are self-explanatory, it transfers Health or Mana from the caster to the target. The Goblins look utterly confused when I use it on them, but it works for acquiring the Skills, so I don''t see an issue with hurting the Goblins over and over to practice my Skills.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The third one is dangerous, just like Dark Knights and Dark Priests, and their usual Skill sets. It sacrifices Health over time in order to form and sustain a shimmering, crimson barrier. According to Nik, it''s a weaker, smaller version of Crimson Wall. By the time I reach the City, the moon is high in the sky, the night chilly, with a slight breeze. And it''s probably only an hour or two until dawn. I make my way home, where I find Gold sleeping at the entrance, curled up and shivering from the cold. I sigh, then lift him up and carry him to the room with the fire pit. I lay him on his blanket, and he curls back up, though I don''t think he woke at all. He probably got worried when I didn''t return and tried waiting for me at the entrance, but ended up falling asleep. He needs to warm back up, so I drop my blanket on him, then get a fire going. Once it''s blazing, I curl up on the ground, my exhaustion knocking me out the moment I stop fighting it. The Shadow of Life paces in a temple similar to the Crystals'', though his lacks the giant Crystals. In their place are orbs of fire, warming the chill air and providing light. With how fast he''s pacing, something''s bothering him. The annoyed look on his face only supports that theory. "Dammit!" He roars. "That boy is getting too strong! At this rate, he might Ascend before the battle comes! That damn meteor! How did he even manage that? That should have been impossible! And his survival of the Blood Curse! That''s not possible! Just what is that brat?" He seems like he''s throwing a tantrum. Is there a way I can shift to somewhere else? I don''t want to see his childish meltdown. And he''s rambling to himself, too. Wait. He''s talking about me, isn''t he? This dream¡­ is it of current times? Is the Shadow of Life currently bitching about me? Like, right now? "How did he even manage to survive that village?" He asks. "Those Goblins should have been enough to take him on! Yet he survived! Not only that, but he''s now working on Blood Priest! Dammit! I need a Dragon." He looks into the giant orb of fire in the center of the temple space, and after a few moments, the insides of the flames changes to provide a view of the inside of a cave, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon outside of it. Looking back at us is the face of a Dragon. The head itself is easily four times as tall as Alexander, and it looks somewhat annoyed. Its skin is a deep crimson in color, the horns atop its head spiraled and black. Its glimmering violet eyes shift from Alexander to me for a moment, then return to the Shadow of Life. It can sense me here, can''t it? "What?" Its voice is deep and rumbling, shaking the air. "We need to accelerate some things," Alexander says. "The horde will still wait until spring, but I need you to send one of your Dragons to attack Maelnor now. There''s a boy there who needs to die. Should he live, the battle for Maelnor will likely fail. He''s the child of the prophecy, and is destined to be the one who changes the tide of war against us." "Is this the same boy who slayed the Ice Lord?" The Dragon asks. "With no assistance apart from healing by Nathan Normar?" "Yes," Alexander responds. "He wears armor made of Spook Ore, so he''ll be easy to spot. He''s generally training in the forest in the valley itself. He''s growing far too rapidly. If he isn''t dealt with soon, he might even one day be able to slay you." "I don''t doubt," the Dragon says. "That a Child of Existence could grow powerful enough to slay an Elder Dragon, Alexander. You would also do well to remember that we do not take orders from you. We work with you. Why have you not dealt with him on your own? Or has he proved too troublesome for your methods to work?" "The damn brat summoned a Meteor!" The Shadow of Life rages. "One far more powerful than he should have been able to! He shouldn''t have even been able to summon a Meteorite! He summoned a damn Meteor! And to top it off, he survived a Blood Curse through his own power, drawing energy from his patron as he did. In just a few months, he''s mastered Dark Knight, and is currently working on Blood Priest. If left unchecked, that boy will ruin our plans." "You seemed panicked," the Dragon says calmly. "More than that Meteor and his rapid growth scares you." "I''m not scared!" "You are, Alexander," the Dragon chuckles. "Do not forget that I am far older than you and the Boundaries. The only reason you still live is because you and your antics amuse me. Your war was doomed the moment those children awakened their latent magics and sealed you. You will never win. Give up." "This again," the Shadow of Life glowers. "I will reclaim my powers, and I will break free of here, and I will manage to enter into reality once more. I will reign. And when I do, those children will suffer for what they''ve done to me. Even the gods fear me!" "You are mistaken, Alexander," the Dragon chuckles. "The gods don''t fear you, they simply don''t have an interest in interfering. They know that in the end, things will work out. The universe goes through cycles of light and darkness. In the impossible event that you did succeed and bring darkness around, the light would return eventually. Their descendants see to the cycle''s balance, even if the gods themselves never interfere directly anymore." "Just send someone to kill Zack!" The Shadow of Life snaps. "If he survives-" "Oh, he''ll survive," the Dragon chuckles again. "Believe me when I tell you that, Alexander. You slaying his brother has angered him and awoken a being far more dangerous than would be woken, were his brother not to die. So¡­ what did he do, when you killed his brother, that has you so scared, Alexander?" Alexander takes several breaths, forcing himself to calm. The Dragon is intentionally antagonizing him. He knows I''m watching, and yet he hasn''t said anything. Is he capable of forcing me out of this vision? "Yes," the Dragon''s voice echoes in my mind. "But I think it''s alright for you to hear this. In fact¡­ it might do you some good to know what has him really scared of you." "Zack," Alexander takes a deep breath, then slowly releases. "Zack wounded my Avatar. It''s a weaker Avatar, being younger and newer, but still ¨C even Nik''s team wouldn''t have managed such a thing. His Meteor was powerful enough to override the City''s anti-attack shield and damage my Avatar. It wasn''t much, only three points of Health removed, but still¡­ that boy is terrifying. If he should make it to Dark One, he could likely take on the Demonic Kobold King, and if he masters it, then he could even handle it and the Fallen Adventurers near it. If he Ascends once he''s hit Level 250, then he could likely kill the Avatar of Kaelmar." Level 250 is the point of Ascension? I file that piece of information away for the future. "It''s actually every 250 Total Class Levels," the Dragon informs me. "My estimates say that either you or Nik will hit it first. It''s possible Nik will reach it before you, but not by much. Prophecies aren''t set in stone, after all." "Are you sending a Dragon to Maelnor?" Alexander asks. "That boy needs to die before he becomes too powerful." "I will send a Dragon," the Dragon says. "When it is time for the war, and not before then." "Why not?" The Shadow of Life demands. "Why will you not send one before he becomes a bigger threat? What if he could kill a Dragon then?" "That," the Dragon moves its face closer, so that just an eye is visible in the viewing flames. "Is exactly why I''m waiting. I want to see the boy grow, and see if he truly will change the tide of the war. If he can''t kill the Dragon I send, then you will be able to conquer this Boundary. If he slays it¡­ you will never claim it as your own." "YOU WILL-" "Remind you," the Dragon calmly interrupts him. "That I am no ordinary Dragon, Alexander. I exist in a realm around all realms. I am the Father of all Dragons. You hold no power over me." "One day," the Shadow of Life growls. "I will end you." "You might try," the Dragon chuckles, pulling its head back so the full thing is in view once more. "But you will never succeed, for reasons you may never learn. I am amused by the boy and your reactions to him. Therefore, I will let him live¡­ for now. If he is slain by the Dragon I send in the spring, then so be it. I want to see if he can grow that powerful, that fast. The plans of mortals mean nothing to me when I have my own interests. "Calm yourself," the Dragon orders the Shadow of Life. "Because I will not be sending a Dragon prematurely. Should I do that, the Adventurers there will reinforce the City far more than they would for the battle to come, which will ensure the horde''s attack fails. Besides, Nathan Normar is hanging around the area, keeping an eye on Zack, just in case. Should I send a Dragon after the boy, it will find a child who is healed far faster than it can damage him. Would you like for Nathan Normar to discover those Skills? The ones you dread him finally figuring out? He''s already managed to use the Divine Purge once, even if at great cost to his safety. How would you feel if he learned those ones, all because you rushed things?" The Shadow of Life calms down. Whatever Skills the Dragon''s referring to, Alexander must fear Nathan learning them. "Oh, definitely," the Dragon says to me. "They''re Skills that have never been learned before, many of which exist only in theory ¨C some only to Nathan Normar himself. When his half-brother arrives in the spring¡­" the Dragon chuckles. "That will be an amusing time. I have no doubt in my mind that between the two of them, as well as you, those Skills will finally be discovered." "Do you see reason, now?" The Dragon asks Alexander. "And understand? Yes, it''s for my amusement¡­ but also for you. If Nathan Normar learns those Skills now, you won''t be able to win the battle. Or any of them. He is destined to change the tide of the war, yes, but he is not required to do all of those things in order to do it. His death at the hands of a Dragon before the horde comes could very well be what changes the tide of the war. And it will. He is nothing more than a lynchpin, Alexander. His survival isn''t necessary for the tide to change. His death must come at the right time in order for that to be avoided." "I will adjust my plans," Alexander growls low. "I will speak with you when I need you again." The Dragon chuckles as his image fades from the flames, and Alexander begins pacing once more, muttering to himself. I wake with a start, bolting upright as I do. "Eeee!" Gold shrieks, scrambling back a few feet. Chapter 0037 Chapter Thirty-Seven. <>(Zack)<> "Sorry, Gold," I apologize to the frightened Beastborn. "I just had¡­ I''m not even sure what that was." He tilts his head to the side. I''m not sure how to explain it, so after thinking for a bit, I decide to just tell him about my visions, and how I can see the future, and sometimes, current events. How it normally comes as dreams, and how this time, it seemed like I was watching the Shadow of Life himself. Gold listen intensely, then once I finish, he shrugs and gives me a look and impression that lets me know he needs food to cook. I pull some out of my Inventory and hand it to him, and he dips his head to me, then runs off into the kitchen. I stand and stretch, walking to the table as I try to sort that out. The Dragon was just screwing with him, of that, I am sure. He gave legitimate reasons to not send another Dragon after me, but he really just wants to see if I can kill the one coming in the spring. Gold finishes breakfast and we eat, then I head into town as he starts washing the dishes. One of the knights gives me a funny look, then walks over to me. He''s one of the high-Level ones who was here when I got here, but I never learned his name. "Zack?" He says. "Yes?" "You look quite refreshed for someone who gained ten Levels overnight," he tells me. "I thought I heard you were saving your Static Class Experience for a little bit." "Yeah?" I say. "I am. Plus, I slept through the¡­" No. No. Fucking. Way. The Dragon didn''t¡­ did he? I pull up my Status. "Holy fuck!" I exclaim, and he the knight jumps. Did I accidentally use my Demonic Voice? "Sorry. Holy fuck. That''s¡­ that''s insane." "What?" He asks. "Uh¡­" I say. "This wasn''t me." Pretty sure the ''Father of All Dragons'' is really fucking with the Shadow of Life. Because I''m not a Level 4 Blood Novice, but a Level 4 Blood Acolyte ¨C the exact number of Levels away from Archpriest of Blood for me to use my Static Experience to reach Mastered. "You just magically gained ten Levels?" He asks. "Yeah," I pull up my Skills. "Holy fuck! He hit my Skills, too!" All of my Skills are at their required Levels for me to just go straight to Archpriest of Blood without worrying about grinding them up even a single Level higher. "What?" He looks confused, and I give him a cheeky grin. "What?" "Would you believe me if I told you an ancient Dragon gave me some free Levels and Skill Levels?" He laughs. "Good one, Zack," he says. "A Dragon being able to do that in the first place is ridiculous, but willingly granting one of us Levels for anything? Yeah, right. Don''t want to tell us, then don''t." "Seriously," I say. "An ancient Dragon wants to fuck with the Shadow of Life, because he was wanting to kill me now, because I''m getting too powerful, too fast for his tastes. The ancient Dragon refused, then granted me some Levels, but didn''t tell me, so here we are." "You snuck out," he shakes his head, chuckling. "See you around, Zack." Heh. No one''s gonna believe me on this, and they''re just gonna think I snuck out and grinded the night away. Oh, well. While I''m here¡­ I start doing the Level adjustments. I can only go up to Level 10, because I have to accept the advancement, so it takes me a few moments to go all the way up. As soon as I master it, I acquire the notification, then look at the one that popped up as soon as I hit Archpriest of Blood Level 1.
Qualifications Met:
Champion of Darkness 1 Archpriest of Blood 1
Class Available: Dark One (Rank 2)
Now that I''ve finished taking on Classes, I accept Dark One.
You are Now a Level 1 Dark One!
+1 STR +1 END +1 VIT
+1 INT +1 WIL
So it has two more starting Stat base than Rank 1 Classes do. I think I remember Nik mentioning that, and that it still only gains an additional two Stat Points with each Tier, though each Tier is named the same. Seems the System didn''t want to come up with new names for each Tier of Class for Rank 2 Classes, and possibly for Rank 3, and if there are any above it, for those, too. It''s just simpler, Big S tells me. Besides, at Rank 2 and above, the distinction between the Tiers isn''t really needed. You''re already over Level 80, so at this point, you''re in it for the grind and such. Most people who reach a Rank 2 Class are over Level 100, and are truly dedicated to the job assigned to all. Most. There are a few who aren''t, but they aren''t that big of a problem. Usually. How did you get your Skills and Level up to where you needed? I couldn''t lower them below where they were, which is weird. There are only a couple of reasons a Level would be ''set'', including one of us bestowing a Level Blessing upon someone, but none of us did that to you. An ancient Dragon gave them to me.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Uh¡­ please tell me you''re joking. No. I had a vision involving him angering the Shadow of Life by refusing to send a Dragon to kill me now. I woke up, had the Levels. Huh. Well. Don''t tell the others. They wouldn''t believe you. You do? Describe said Dragon. I give him as much detail as I can about the Dragon, and I can feel him listening intently. Yup. You saw him. That''s¡­ that''s¡­ yeah, that''s him. I wasn''t aware he even still bothered looking into this realm. Guess you caught his attention somehow. Probably because of a ranting asshole. Probably. Anyway, I gotta go back to doing what I was doing. Was it something called ''napping''? Yeah. How did you know? Just a gut feeling that you''re lazy as fuck. I''m running the entire System¡­ While napping. Yeah. Sleep well. Thanks. You, too. Me, too? He doesn''t respond, so I shrug it off as the kid-being just feeling some exhaustion, then I continue to walk through the streets, making my way to the alchemist''s shop. As I do, I notice my vision blurring and body feeling heavy. No matter how hard I fight it, my body continues to grow more and more lethargic, until my vision turn black and my body drops. Emptiness, as far as can be. It is everywhere yet nowhere, real, yet imaginary. It surrounds me and is within me, and yet it''s not there at all. What is this place? A moment later, a pinprick of light forms, rapidly growing larger and larger until the light washes over me like an explosion, leaving in its place a crystal easily a hundred yards in height. It glows with a light within it, fading to shadows around the edges as it slowly turns. It is a myriad of colors, from reds to greens to blues to purples to whites to browns to oranges to yellows, shimmering and shifting until turning dark and starry, galaxies clear within it. Yet we are still surrounded by the nothingness, just my vision-self and the Crystal¡­ a Crystal which seems to contain an entire universe within it. "So¡­" a deep, male voice rumbles. "A new one has formed." "Indeed," a melodic, female voice echoes. "A new one has formed." "It has been a long time," the male says. "Indeed," the female says. "What do you think will happen, now?" "We have an observer," the male abruptly says. "Someone is here." "Who?" The female asks. "Only we exist outside of-" "Sh!" The male hushes her. "Whoever it is has likely learned more than they should have already." Silence follows, leaving me alone with the universe-containing Crystal and the knowledge that there are two beings around, though I can''t sense them at all. There is nothing around me, not even existence¡­ Not even existence¡­ The Crystal¡­ that contains all of existence, doesn''t it? Or rather¡­ Existence. "I can''t sense them," the female says after several long minutes of silence. "Nor can I," the male says. "Yet there is another." "Who can escape our notice?" The female asks. A Child of Existence, no doubt. I allow myself to float forward after they fall silent once more, likely trying to sense me again. I will myself to take on some sort of form, finding myself looking like myself once more. I reach out to the Crystal¡­ Is this my father? "FOUND YOU!" The male exclaims as my hand touches the Crystal. The moment I make contact, I find myself falling through it, and I continue to fall, unable to stop myself. Worlds, galaxies, asteroids, comets, stars, moons, and more all pass by me as I pick up speed, everything turning into a blur until I eventually see what looks like Earth coming at me at a high speed. I pass through its atmosphere, and find myself falling from a great height into a valley surrounded by mountains, a shimmering, pearly barrier of oranges, yellows, and pinks surrounding the realm in the distance. Then, I fall through the roof of the Dark Temple, slamming into my own body, lying in a bed. I jolt up with a start, breathing heavily, disoriented from the sudden shift in my perspective and sensations. That was¡­ what the fuck? Looking around, I realize that I''m in my usual bed in the Dark Temple, and Nik is looking thoroughly startled beside it. Gold''s hiding behind him. "That was unexpected," Nik lets out a breath. "Normally when someone wakes from Power Jump, they don''t jump up like that." "Power Jump?" I ask. "Yeah," he nods. "Power Jump is the condition when one rapidly gains Levels. I was going to warn you about it as your Skills got closer to what was needed, as it''s best to spread out using Static Experience over several days as a result. Especially that much. It just knocks you out, though¡­" He trails off, thinking. "What?" I ask. "How long was I out?" "That''s the thing," he says. "Normally, if you''re hit by Power Jump, you''re out for several hours to several days, depending on how rapidly you gained the Levels. It''s extremely rare. There are also no recorded cases of anyone acquiring more than twenty-three total Levels rapidly enough to get hit by Power Jump. You gained more than fifty in just a couple of days. You should have been out for at least two months, by our estimates." "Should have?" I ask. "How long was I out?" "Long enough for me to reach the market, pick you up, bring you back here, and tuck you in." It felt like an eternity¡­ "What did you see?" He asks. "Huh?" I give him a confused look. "How did you know I saw something?" "Everyone who gets hit by Power Jump sees something," he informs me. Ah. "I''m¡­ not sure I saw the same thing as them," I say. "Why?" He asks. "What is normally seen?" I ask. "Please answer that, because I''m pretty sure my unique circumstances affected what I saw." Nik thinks for a moment, then nods, probably realizing that my ability to have visions probably did affect what I would have seen. "Normally," he explains. "They see a vision of a sort of Crystal, green in color. Something dealing with the elements. And finally¡­ it''s difficult to explain, actually. I''m the one who hit twenty-three Levels, abusing some tough Monsters mixed with Static Experience buildup from Special Monsters. Even having gone through it, it''s hard to describe what I saw. In the end, though, it allowed me to learn how to use several new Skills and the requirements for a Class. I''m not sure if I was simply learning how to use them and unlock them, or if I was seeing their creation. No one who''s had Power Jump has been able to tell." "You gained 23 Levels rapidly?" I ask. "In two days," he nods. "It was hard enough to do that, too. We''ve honestly been surprised you hadn''t been hit by Power Jump before, but considering your inhuman constitution, it made a bit of sense to us after some thought. The bigger the jump, the more Skills one will see and learn how to unlock. I''m only the second recorded case of learning of a Class. It also takes more to cause it the higher your Level is already. "So," he says. "What did you see?" "Erm¡­" I feel my face heat up. "What I saw? It kind of makes what you saw pale in comparison. Oh, and I didn''t learn any new Skills or Classes. Well, how to unlock them." "Odd," he says. "What did you see?" I think¡­ I think I stepped outside of Existence itself. Literally outside of it, and saw its formation. Whatever that space was outside of it¡­ it wasn''t a space. It wasn''t anything. It didn''t exist. And yet¡­ I was there. And so were those two. With me being outside of Existence, there was no real time, which might be why I saw the formation of Existence itself. But those two beings¡­ what were they? The moment the male voice sensed me, his voice¡­ it was filled with so much hostility. "Zack?" Nik interrupts my pondering. "What did you see?" "I think¡­" I hesitate for a moment. "I think I saw everything." Chapter 0038 (Zack) "What do you mean?" Nik asks. "Why do you think you saw everything, and what do you mean by that?" "I mean literally," I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and slide off, stretching. "The universe itself. I think my power of foresight enhanced the vision from Power Jump to the point that I literally saw the creation of the universe itself. So, unfortunately, I didn''t get to learn how to use a new Skill or unlock a new type of Class. Sadly. I was hoping for something awesome, like ''Embodiment of Destruction''." "One," Nik laughs. "You weren''t expecting anything, considering you didn''t even know about Power Jump when it happened, and two, that sounds more like something you want to be described as, possibly have as a Title." "Oh!" I grin at him. "That sounds like an awesome Title to earn! Imma try to get it." Nik chuckles, shaking his head. "So," he says. "What are you going to do now?" "What''s-his-name," I say. "The prince guy? Gonna let him know I met his challenge head-on and came out the victor. Do you think he''d mind if I showed him the head-butt I gave it? As a bit of a demonstration?" "Please don''t head-butt the prince." "Why not?" "Please¡­ don''t." "Okay," I say, then look at Gold, who''s been standing there, silent, his head tilted slightly to the side. "Do you like it here, in the Dark Temple?" He hesitates, but I can sense how much he likes being here, partly because there are so few others around, but also because Nik and I treat him vastly different from pretty much everyone. "Instead of needing to receive permission," I say. "From Nik or me every time you enter, if you take on Dark Squire, you can do it on your own. The three things it requires are Sword Mastery Level 1, Rage Level 1, and Intimidate Level 1. They''re relatively easy for you to obtain ¨C the first two, you can actually acquire at the same time." Gold tilts his head to the other side, his eyebrows narrowing in confusion as he frowns a little bit. "You won''t have to fight for real," I tell him. "And you won''t have to pick up a sword again, if you don''t ever want to. I know how much you don''t want to, but if you do it this one time, you''ll be able to enter and exit the Dark Temple as you wish, and not have to get permission every time. You''re still welcome to live with me, though, if you wish ¨C I''m not trying to get rid of you." Gold thinks about it for a few moments, then shakes his head. He doesn''t want to leave me ¨C at least, not right now. Eventually, he''ll accept my offer to teach him how to obtain those Skills, so he can stay here instead. Big Flame''s constant presence here is comforting to him, though my presence is even more so, likely due to what I mean to him, as his savior and the one who gave him the unobtainable access to the System. "Alright," I say, then look at Nik. "It''s about twenty miles to the other side of the valley, but closer to thirty-five or forty to reach the ends ¨C to reach Praevar and Talorn. Normally, that would mean a trip lasting twenty or more hours for just the walking, not factoring in rest, since you''re traveling through forest most of the way, right?" "Yes," Nik smiles a little. "So you''ve finally wondered?" "Do you guys just run there?" I ask. "Aren''t you exhausted by then?" "Most of us heading to the mines," he says. "Have been around long enough and are powerful enough that it isn''t an issue for us. Some of us can fly, as you know ¨C doing so, I can cross the valley in just minutes. "There''s another way, though," he says. "At least, for those within the Order of the Dark Flame." Right! Nik''s mentioned that to me before, as did a couple of my prophetic dreams ¨C any active Dark Temple can be teleported between by Dark Knights. We just need to stand on the sigil out front and focus on the Dark Temple we wish to arrive in ¨C the City''s name is needed for it ¨C and we''ll receive a message asking if we wish to teleport there. It''s cost-free, and we can take our parties with us. That must be why Nik''s gone so much ¨C he must be acting as the transport for most people here, adding them to his party, taking them there, then returning. Or maybe he stopped that? Isaac and Theodore ¨C the other two Dark Knights ¨C are still around, so they might be doing it as well. Nik''s still the official Guild Master of the Dark Knights for Maelnor, though, which is awesome. "Oh," I say. "That''s cool. So ¨C theoretically ¨C we could reach Talorn easily that way?" "Yes," he nods. "Though due to no one feeding the fire or living there, the Dark Temple''s gone dormant, and we''ve sort of lost the method of waking them back." I''ve seen that happen in one of my visions, though I''m not sure how much of it was actually necessary, and how much of it was just me being me. "Ever tried asking Big Flame?" "He''s cryptic about it." "Hey, Big Flame?" I say. "How do you wake up a Dark Temple?" "You just need a sacrifice of some sort," he responds. "A prayer usually helps. The bigger the sacrifice, the easier it''ll be to wake it up. Multiple smaller sacrifices work as well. Announcement to all Dark Knights: do not call it ''activating a Dark Temple'', call it ''waking up a Dark Temple''." Oops? Nik buries his head into his hands, shaking it a little and letting out a long breath. "Dammit," he says after a few seconds, then looks at me and sighs. "Of course you get an answer." "Probably because I said ''please''." "You didn''t say ''please''." "Maybe not verbally," I say. "But the request had the ''please'' implied into it." "Actually, it didn''t," Big Flame says. "But there''s no use in stopping you guys from waking up a Dark Temple, if it''s Talorn. Anyway, gotta go, before Big S yells at me again."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Big Flame stops talking, and Nik gives me an incredulous look. "I have no idea why he''s getting yelled at," I shrug. "Do you have a map of Talorn?" "Are you planning on going there?" He asks. "I''ve taken out several large settlements of the Goblins''," I nod. "Once I take out a few more and gain a few more Levels, I''ll probably start hunting there. Considering how long it''s been since anyone has, due to how lacking a use Talorn is, it''s probably got quite a few Level 10''s, Classed-, and specialty Monsters, in addition to the Elites and Bounty Beasts being numerous. "I''m going to be careful," I hold up a hand to stop him from protesting. "If I have to get there through the long walk, I''ll stick near the gate leading out. If I can manage it at the Dark Temple, then I''ll stick near it ¨C close enough to whichever to quickly flee, if it''s too much. "That said," I say. "I''m going to need to fight tougher monsters, with how strong I am, now. Except for Perception, all of my stats are triple-digits, and my Overall Class Level is as well. Fighting the Dungeon-Rank monsters will be what''s needed in order for me to really gain more Experience. "Continuing that," I hold up a hand as he starts to talk again. "I do need to learn at least one or two more Skills before going there. I have two in mind specifically, though you''ll need to tell me if one of them does exist. If it doesn''t, then I can abuse Adventurer''s Tier II added bonus." Nik sighs, then nods, asking me what they are. "Since I''m a Dark Lord," I say. "That means I can learn Crimson Wall, right? I know it sacrifices Health, but in return, it generates a powerful barrier, right? Can you teach it to me?" "Yes," he nods. "What''s the other Skill?" "Other than Drain Life," I say. "Is there a Dark Knight Skill that will let me heal?" "No," he answers. "Our only recovery Skills are Drain Life and Absorb, unless you count Dark Vengeance." "Alright," I say. "Then I''ll have to seek out that old priest and ask him to teach me Heal. His name was Adrian, right?" "Dark Knights can''t use holy magic," he tells me, narrowing his gaze. "Unless that''s what you were referring to, when you mentioned the Adventurer Tier II added bonus?" "It is," I grin at him. "Adventurers who reach Tier II of that special Subclass aren''t blocked from using Skills locked due to Classes, which means that as a Dark Knight, I can use Heal, Cure, and the like. Actually, learning Cure might be a good idea as well. Is it just one Skill, or are there different Skills for different ailments?" "Different Skills for different ailments," he answers. "Though High Priests and higher also have access to Remedy, which can do a variety of ailments, and for a slightly-lower cost. Remedy can also help with simpler illnesses, such as the common cold." "The flu?" "No." "Okay," I grin at him. "If you get it, I''m staying far, far away from you." "I don''t get sick," I tell him. "We can learn Crimson Wall tomorrow. Gold, why don''t you come with me?" Gold looks hesitant, but nods, and follows me. We leave the Dark Temple and walk between the giant walls of snow to either side. It''ll be awhile before it starts melting, considering it''s a little less than zero outside, which means we''re well under freezing. I mostly wanted to escape before Nik pressed me more on what I meant by ''everything''. I''m sure that he''ll try to push me more about what, exactly, I saw, but I''d successfully pulled him away from that topic. Once he''s sure I''m ready for Talorn, he''ll probably let me look over the most recent map of the place. That said, he''s probably going to head there to awaken the Dark Temple, since he''ll want to keep me from having to do that long trek. Since I''m at Dark Lord, I''m going to go say "hello" to Prince Joseph, to let him know that I did it ahead of schedule. With a little less than two weeks left here, I managed to do it much sooner than anyone probably expected. Mostly because of that weird Dragon, but I doubt I''d have failed without his help. The walk to the prince''s mansion is mostly-silent, though I can hear Gold''s tail swishing from side to side throughout. He''s excited by something, though I''m not sure what. His mind''s a bit scrambled right now in his excitement. Something about presents, cookies, milk- Oh, right. Christmas is coming up, though they don''t really celebrate it, not knowing about it. Why does he associate the Santa Boss with presents, cookies, and milk, though? Are those its loot? Gold did seem to come from a ''wealthier'' master, so it''d make sense that he might have seen the loot, or something related to it. I''m going to make sure he gets milk and cookies, whether or not I''m the one killing the Santa Boss. Though hopefully, everyone here is too preoccupied with the mines to take it on. Gold and I eventually reach the prince''s home, and the guard at the doors narrows her gaze at me. "Sorry, kid," she says. "You need to have an appointment if you want to see him." "I''ve already seen him at least twice," I wave a hand. "Can you let Joseph know that Lord Zack is here?" "That''s Prince Joseph," she says. "And you''re too young to be any of the lords." Gold starts radiating nervousness and fear. "Okay," I say. "Could you let Joseph know that Dark Lord Zack is here? And that I succeeded in advancing to that about two weeks ahead of schedule?" She frowns, narrowing her gaze at me further, and I know she''s using Appraisal, so I actively do my best to resist it, as I always do when I know someone''s using Appraisal to check my stats.
Appraisal Resistance is Now Level 6!
She jolts a little, and I realize that she probably only had Appraisal Level 5, which means that my Status suddenly became unavailable to her as she gawked at the fact that a child was a Dark Lord. "Also," I say. "Please remember that the most powerful healer in the Boundary looks like he''s ten." Remembrance fills her face, and she sighs, then looks to the other guard, who looks amused. Now that I think about it, he''s one of the ones I''ve seen with the prince, so he knows who I am. He dips his head to her, and she heads inside. "When did you reach it?" He asks. "A little bit ago," I answer. "I got Power Jump in the middle of the street, though I woke up shortly after Nik got me into the bed at the Dark Temple." "You woke after only a few hours?" "I also didn''t have the typical Power Jump dream," I shrug. "I saw the formation of existence itself. I''m not exactly ''normal'', you know." "No, you aren''t," he chuckles. The lady guard returns a few minutes later, then escorts Gold and me to the prince, though she clearly doesn''t seem happy about it. My impression is that she''s not too fond of the Beastborn, especially not with him being clothed and clearly free. Does she know he has access to the System as well? Probably, if she used Appraisal on him. The prince meets us in the same room we met in last time, and greets me with a smile. "Welcome, Lord Zack," he says, gesturing to the couch opposite him. "Please, have a seat." "Thanks!" I say, walking around it and plopping myself onto it, then I pat the seat beside me. "Come on, Gold, have a seat." The lady guard opens her mouth to say something, but the prince holds up a hand, and she stops. "You may leave us," he tells her. "It is not a good idea to let-" "He''s over Level 100," Joseph says. "And possesses Dark Knight techniques, being one. If he wanted to hurt me, we''d need several more guards in here, and of a higher Level, all with Rank 2 Classes. A Level 60 warrior won''t be enough to stop him." "Then we should-" "Go," he says, and she leaves. "So, Zack, you reached it." "Yes, I did," I smile at him. "I just wanted to stop by and let you know, and we had an agreement." "Yes, we did," he smiles. "Anyone who wishes to stay and continue working the mines may. I''ve also put in a call for anyone deeper in who will come out here to work the mines further. We need to prepare for the battle, if the statements that it''s coming this spring are true." I can check that. Focusing, I look to the future, pressing my power until my head hurts. "Ow," I wince, rubbing my temples. "Yeah, it''ll happen this spring, possibly this summer." "Your eyes really do turn violet," he looks stunned for a moment, then quickly recovers. "So, I assume you knew I knew about your ability to see the future?" "Nik told me he let you know," I nod. "And that I was the one who''d warned them about the Fallen Adventurers showing up in the mines. By the way ¨C Nik is probably heading to Talorn in the next few days to awaken the Dark Temple there. Once I''ve gained a couple of more Skills and am a bit better, I''m going to start grinding the Dungeon-Type monsters there, as they''ll be better for my Skills and Levels." "Alright," he says. "Have a message sent to me when you''re stopping in the forest." "I will," I nod. "Though I''m getting a team in the next few months, probably, and they''ll be using the forest, so we''ll lay claim to the northern section of it." "Alright," he says. "And again ¨C congratulations." "Thanks!" I hop off the couch, then look at Gold. "Let''s race to the Temple." Chapter 0039 (Zack) "Hi!" I greet Adrian, who jumps, turning to face Gold and me. "Did we spook you?" "No," he lies. "How may I help you, Zack?" "Can you teach Gold how to use Heal and the Cures?" I ask, and Gold tilts his head to the side in curiosity. He heard me say that I can use them, so he''s wondering why I''m asking for him instead of me. And why I want him to learn them. "That way, if he gets scraped up when he''s running around, he can mend himself?" "And the Cures?" "Because why not?" Adrian sighs, knowing I probably have some ulterior motive behind wanting Gold to learn so he can help himself. He''s probably thinking it''s so I can heal myself, even though I''ve deal with everything on my own so far. Well, apart from a couple of issues, but Power Jump and the Blood Scar are two entirely different levels of ''issue''. And Power Jump''s just passing out. And Blood Scar isn''t exactly something they could help me with, anyway. "Zack?" Adrian asks. "Yes?" "How did you get in here?" "What do you mean?" "You''re three levels beneath the surface of the Temple," he says. "Through several sealed doors that you need a special kind of key to bypass, and you''d have needed to get past guards who prevent anyone from-you know what? Never mind." It really wasn''t that hard to get down here, especially since Gold seems to know Sneak and Conceal ¨C he acquired the Skills for them immediately upon attempting, and after having him show me his Skills list, I could tell he''d done it a lot, before I freed him. "To use Heal," Adrian says. "You focus on your inner light, and call upon it while invoking the Skill. You need to focus on healing as well, though it does require an injury. It''s not something you can do, since you''re a Dark Knight, but Gold probably can do it. What''s his Crystal Affiliation?" "Light of Water," I answer. "Because he aligns with the light side of the Crystals, it''ll be easier for him to learn. If he''d been affiliated with Air, then it''d be even easier. Here, Gold ¨C try it." I roll up my sleeve, then swiftly draw my dagger and stab myself.
You Have Suffered Vital Damage!
-98 Health!
-18 Bleed Damage every second
Health Regeneration is suspended
"Gavin!" Adrian exclaims as Gold stares at my wound with horror, and I pull my knife out, the blood sliding off easily. "Don''t do that!" "It works," I hold my arm out to Gold. "Go ahead, it won''t kill me if you take awhile." He gulps, and with trembling hands, reaches forward and focuses on my arm. Adrian starts to say something ¨C probably about how Beastborn can''t talk ¨C but stops when I glare at him. I return my gaze to Gold and watch as he focuses and reaching towards his inner light. I''m sure it usually takes meditation and stuff to achieve, but I have full confidence in Gold. His ears twitch, and his tail flicks to the side, and he briefly glances up at me, and I smile at him. He can sense my confidence in him, and it''s boosted his own confidence a little, though it''s also made him a bit nervous. He''s scared of what will happen if he fails. I doubt he will. After nearly three minutes, with my Health and blood continuing to drain away, a small glow forms around my injury.
+2 Health!
"Good job," I smile at him, and he beams at me, realizing that I''d noticed the minute change to my Health. "Looks like it takes 20 Mana, which is your limit." He nods, and I look at Adrian. I can''t see his Stats, which means he''s probably got a decent Appraisal Resistance. Well, that, or he''s more than five Levels above my own. Considering he looks eighty-something, I''d say he''s probably more than five Levels above my own. Judging by the strength of his merged elements, he''s probably older than Nik. "How old are you?" I ask as Adrian promptly heals me and uses Cure Bleed. "That''s not really any of your business," he answers. "Considering how strong your affiliation to Light and Air is," I say. "And how old you are, and compared to others I''ve seen, you''re probably at least two centuries old, though from what I know, you''re simply a powerful healer, but nowhere near on the level of Nathan Normar." "I''m Level 157," he tells me. "And over four centuries old. Satisfied?" "Yes," I answer. "So are the Cures learned the same way?" "Yes," he answers. "Though they require 50 Mana to cast¡­ and Heal should cost 25, not 20." I look at Gold, who look confused, and I realize what happened. "Zero Down?" I look at Adrian, who looks confused for a moment. "Gold ''borrowed'' Mana, sort of like I did with the Meteor, right? But he''s not affected by Zero Down, even though he should be, even if just for a few minutes." "Indeed," Adrian nods. "Borrowing Mana from the future occurs from strong emotions. If Gold wanted to heal you badly enough, it''s possible that he did, indeed, borrow from the future. The reason he didn''t enter Zero Down likely deals with this room, which has ancient enchantments on it that nullifies some of Zero Down. When you were wounded, I wanted you down here, though Nik had stated that Lord Dark of Fire wished for you-ow!" "He prefers ''Big Flame''," I tell Adrian, who''s holding his head. "He tends to do that if you call him anything different, though it''s usually only for Dark Knights. I guess it''s ''cause you''re talking with us. Anyway, Gold got what we came here for! Later!"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Gold and I leave the underground sanctuary and make our way back to the surface, then head to Jackson''s forge, because I want to ask him something. When we enter the shop, the bell rings, but it''s not needed, since the smith''s at the counter, speaking with a woman who looks to be in her thirties, but she''s got a hella powerful merging of her Water affinity into the darker part of her Sacred Crystal. She''s dressed in blacks and dark blues, including the leather of her light armor, with various knives and potions strapped around her, some hidden from view. She''s probably got smoke bombs and stuff, too. She''s probably more of an assassin than a thief. With her brown hair tied into a high ponytail and brown eyes, she looks familiar. "Hello, Zack, Gold," Jackson greets us briefly, then returns to talking with the customer, though her gaze remains fixed on me, her mouth turned downward slightly. "Hi?" I say to her. "My brother mentioned you," she said. "Though I didn''t believe there really was a kid Dark Knight as powerful as he claimed. It seems you''re even stronger, being a Dark One, now." "Your brother?" I ask. "Brandon Fuld," she says, and I raise an eyebrow. The name''s unfamiliar. "I went the Assassin route, he went the Ranger route. You may not have seen him, he''s quiet, and not much of a people-person. Has social anxiety." "Ah," I say. "I think I met him, there was a guy who wasn''t good with talking to people, looked maybe a year or two younger than you. You do remind me of him, a little." "We''re twins," she tells me. "Though he ages a little bit slower than me. He didn''t mention you''d hit Dark One when I spoke to him earlier." "I hit it earlier." Jackson laughs, shaking his head. "You can finish up," I tell her. "I just wanted to ask him something, and I''m not busy or in a hurry." She nods her head once, then turns her gaze back to Jackson, resuming their conversation. She''s commissioning a set of knives from him. I start looking around the equipment that''s out here. Maybe I can get Gold to at least have a knife, even if he doesn''t want to fight. It can be used for a lot of things, not just fighting. "Do you have any leftover Spook Ore?" She asks. "You probably don''t, since it''s been a month and a half. Or did no one fight it?" "It was killed," Jackson says. "There''s some left, however, I''m only allowed to use the Spook Ore for certain people, as part of the agreement to selling it to me." "Certain people?" "People who actually train out here and fight against the monsters," I say, and she looks at me. "Not stay back in safety. Only people with serious effort given are allowed to use the rare, powerful metal that is the Spook Ore." "Someone''s hoarding it?" She asks. "An annoyed thirteen-year-old," I nod. "He''s not happy that people stay in the safety that rests to our east, rather than doing serious fighting against the monsters. They''d get a lot stronger much faster that way, than if they stayed behind. So only people with serious effort can access the legendary ingots he holds." "An irritated thirteen-year-ol-" she cuts off. "You? "Yes," I answer, holding out my hand, a Spook Ingot pulling out of my Inventory and resting on my palm. "Me. I actually wanted to ask some stuff relating to them, Jackson, if you don''t mind answering, since we''re on the topic of them." "Go ahead," he says. "One," I say. "Do you have enough left to make Gold here a knife? I like the ones you''ve got out here, but I think he could do with a quality knife." "I don''t," he tells me. "I was actually going to ask if I could buy another ingot or two from you. A few of the more serious Adventurers asked if I had any left and wanted something, mostly in the forms of amulets or other talismans, though a couple wanted weapons." He probably means he''ll need ten to sixteen of my remaining ingots. "I can sell you three," I tell him. "But you have to make Gold a knife, too, and make sure to prioritize properly." "We have a deal," Jackson says, so I walk up to the counter and place the ingot, followed by two more, on the counter. Jackson hands me the seventy-five gold as payment. "And Zack?" "Jackson?" "Samantha here," he gestures to the assassin-chick. "Was out here until a few years ago." He wants to know if he can use some of the Spook Ore for her. "Why''d she leave?" I ask. "Samantha!" A high-pitched voice fills the air as a familiar presence enters the shop. "You''re back!" The fuck you doing out of your Trading Post, Jesse? I turn to face Jesse, who''s still dressed in his usual attire, and he looks as enthusiastic as always. "Oh!" He exclaims, seeing me. "Zacky! You''re here!" Did she leave to get away from you? I look at Samantha, who looks at Jesse with amusement. "Hello, Jesse," she says. "I just arrived an hour ago. I brought my students with me." Her students? She was teaching? What was she teaching? "Good, good," Jesse smiles. "All of them, or just the two who have proven exceptional?" "All of them," she answers. "The other three can work the monsters in Praevar. Also, another six Dark Knights came with us, so I''d be a bit¡­ careful." There are six more Dark Knights here? There are ten of us here, now? "Eleven Dark Knights in one town?" Jesse squeals. "Things are going to be interesting!" Eleven? There''s someone I don''t know about? Who is it? "You''re a teacher?" I ask Samantha, deciding to settle on something I can focus on at the moment. I''ll ask Nik who the eleventh is some other time. "What do you teach?" "The art of the night," she answers, and I raise an eyebrow. "Stealth and assassination techniques, just as Master Jesse here taught me and four others, I''ve taken on a group of students, to train them up. I''ve had them practicing in the mines, caves, and forests around Night Valley." "You should let her use some of your Spook Ore!" Jesse tells me. Jesse knows my requirements. If he''s telling me this, then it probably means that he considers her to be making a serious effort. Was her training others part of her attempt to help prepare for the war, then? And Jesse taught her¡­ does that mean that she knows it''s all an act, then? "Alright," I say. "But I want a pair of knives for myself, too." "Will do," Jackson nods. "You can pay when you pick them and Gold''s knife up." "Okay," I say. "Have a good day." "Before you go," Jackson says. "You said you had several questions?" "What?" I ask. "Oh! Right! Is it possible for you to forge together several of the Special Ores without losing their special properties? Such as making an amulet of Spook Ore, Turkey Ore, and Frost Ore, and having the effects of all three without them losing their special-ore-resiliency and the natural clean-thingy?" "Yes and no," he answers. "I''d need Primordial Essence to do that." "What''s Primordial Essence?" I ask. "No one''s entirely sure," he answers. "And it''s exceptionally rare ¨C every monster has a chance of performing an Automatic Loot of it, but in the last thousand years, probably only two hundred have been looted. Only Subclass Masters can work it, but it''s versatile ¨C alchemy, smithing, carving, cooking, it can be used in them." "The last time it was looted," Samantha tells me. "Was around sixty years ago, just after Jesse took me under his wing and began teaching me. A sixteen year-old Boundary native had gone out to hunt, was killing some Slimes and Rats, and it dropped, marking the fourth recorded time it dropped from a low-class monster. A few days later, he was found dead, and while everyone knows who used the Primordial Essence, no one can really do anything about it. He had a potion made that greatly boosted his defensive stats. Even a team of Dark Knights can probably only barely touch him." I bet if I became a Demon, the Rank 3 version of this line of Classes, I could easily kill him with my might alone. At least, I''m pretty sure Demon is the Rank 3 darkness Class, since Angel is the Rank 3 holy Class. "Alright," I say. "If I find some Primordial Essence, I''ll make sure to drop it off. Also, I wanted to commission another sword." I place three Frost Ingots onto the counter. "Can you make it so the sword works extra-effectively against ice-type things?" I ask. "With Primordial Essence." "Damn," I say. "Oh, well. In that case, I just want a sword, and probably a pair of knives." "Come back in three days," he tells me. "And I can have everything done." "Thanks," I say. "Come on, Gold, and don''t freak out when we get home. I''m stabbing myself a lot so I can learn and train Heal and Bleed Cure." Chapter 0040 (Zack) "Hey, Gold," I greet the Beastborn as he starts setting the table, breakfast already completed. "Are you sure you don''t want to spar with me?" He nods. "Alright," I stretch, then sit at the table. I picked up my new equipment from Jackson yesterday, and will be heading out to the forest to farm more monsters today, though with my old equipment. There''s just something about the Spook Sword that I really, really enjoy. And the Spook Knife. After I eat, I change out of my exercise pants and into my standard outfit. Black pants, boots, belt. Red tunic with black trim, then my Spook Armor pulled over everything, my sword and knife fixed to their spots, then my red coat with black trim pulled on. I wish Gold luck, then leave, making my way out of town and into the forest, reaching it just as the sun begins to peek over the horizon, though the tunnels of snow are still illuminated only by what light makes it in and my Crimson Guide. The monsters have actually dug holes around three feet wide straight to the top every fifteen to twenty feet in the tunnels, so that light can filter down. And since snow is snow, the light spreads out. I move quickly and silently, my coat''s lower portion trailing out a bit behind me from my speed. When I''m sure I''m nearing a settlement, based on the tracks on the ground and the scent in the air, I remove my coat, sending it into my Inventory. These tunnels are a bit larger than the others, which confuses me. They''re not large enough for Goblin Giants ¨C those seem content to stay in the villages right now ¨C but they''re definitely too tall for the Goblins, standing around twice the height of one. I''m actually able to walk pretty well right now. It would still probably be better to use my knife, so I draw it, just in case I''m attacked before I''m in a settlement. The moment my knife is in front of me and I start moving using Stealth and Conceal, something bursts out of the snow beside me. I sidestep and slash at it, only it''s disappeared into the snow wall to my other side, yet there''s no sign that the wall had been touched. What the hell? Jumping back, I avoid being bitten, only to watch as the thing disappears back into the snow. It attacks me several times, moving just a little bit faster than I can keep track of. I''m barely able to avoid being eaten. It looks like a wolf as tall as I am, with snow-white fur and silver eyes, and it''s blending seamlessly into the snow, without a trace of its passing, apart from the snow covering the ground. Somehow, it''s filling the snow back up and not ''damaging'' the walls. Looking around, I dodge another attack from it, then take a few more steps back, before sidestepping with my knife slashing through the air, feeling it bite through something. The wolf is back in the snow, and I watch as the blood fades away ¨C both from my knife and the wall, remaining only on the ground and the snow it splattered onto. I still hit it, though. It attacks again, and the injury''s gone, I think. I''m not sure. We continue to play this game, one of us needing to wear down first. It''s probably going to be me, but every attempt to flee is met with it showing up again, and- Fuck. I just got a glimpse of its status.
Snow Master Level 25
Health: 28,972 Mana: 23,496
It''s the Snow Master, a Special Monster that only shows up in the winter, especially if there''s been a lot of snow lately. I should''ve remembered this! It''s nowhere near as dangerous as the Ice Lord, but it''s still very, very powerful, on par with the other Special Monsters and Holiday Monsters ¨C possibly more so. No wonder my attacks seem ineffective against it and its recovery seems so high ¨C it heals through snow. And there is plenty of that around here. It''s fast, being based on wolves, and stealthy. No wonder I can barely detect it, and only when it''s about to attack. In addition to that, it''s able to generate snow and meld into it. As I try to dodge it again, an arrow flies at my back, and I move to dodge it, only to find the Snow Master biting down on my arm. "Argh!" I yell in pain, slamming my knife into the Snow Master, which releases me and returns to the walls. "Fuck you! Fireball!" My fireball kills the Goblin Archer that attacked from afar, and I realize with a sinking feeling that I was ambushed. The damn Snow Master is working with the Goblins. One of the times it was in the snow, it must have sent them a signal letting them know there was someone here. Dammit! I really need to go extreme if I want to win this, don''t I? And that''s if I can win this. There''s a high chance I can''t, and I''d rather get away, if possible. Feeling my rage building up even further, combined with the pain from my arm, I let out a Roar of Darkness just as the Snow Master bursts out of the snow again. It falters. "KNEEL BEFORE ME!" I yell in my Demonic Voice, and the Goblins flee as the Snow Master takes a hesitant step back. "I WILL CONSUME YOUR BLOOD!"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Fear radiates off of the Snow Master, my Intimidation attempt working, and as it''s temporarily paralyzed from the fear, I take off running. It chases me down once it recovers, but I use Intimidation and my Demonic Voice enough that it eventually gives up. Intimidation does decrease in effectiveness as it''s used more against the same target, and it''ll take time for me to be able to use it on that thing again, but hopefully, by the time I do fight it again, I''m a fair bit stronger. Or with someone else. Though I want to kill that fucker on my own. Orienting myself, I make my way through the tunnels again, eventually reaching a settlement of Goblins, perfect for me to Level against. I estimate there to be around two hundred Goblins here, and as soon as I see them, I draw my sword and immediately get to work. There are quite a few shaman, two Chieftans, and about twenty Goblin Giants, but overall, I acquire only 3 Levels. Dark Lord, being a Rank 2 Class, takes a lot of Experience, and since I''m already ''experienced'', that means I receive decreased Experience. After the last Goblin dies, I begin looting what''s useful, then turn on my heel and leave, pulling my coat back on and returning to Maelnor. It''s been long enough that the sun''s going to set before I arrive, and I want to at least be out of the forest by then. I reach the tunnel that''s the path leading back to Maelnor just as the sun begins to set, and by the time I''m walking through the gate, the sun''s long-since set. Before heading home, I make my way to the Trading Post, where Jesse''s talking with a woman, her blond hair tied into a high ponytail. She looks like she''s in her late twenties, but the strength of her affiliation suggests she''s older. She aligns to Dark of Fire, and her black-and-red outfit suggests she''s either a Dark Knight or a Blood Priest. Judging by the sword strapped across her back, she''s the former. She must be one of the six new ones. I haven''t actually seen them yet ¨C they all went to Praevar immediately after arriving. Well, I guess she could be even newer, arriving later. Or the mysterious eleventh one I forgot to ask Nik the identity of. Maybe Jesse knows? He''s pretty knowledgeable. "Hey, Pervert," I walk up to the counter, then look at the woman. "Hi, I''m Zack." "I figured," she looks at me with her blue eyes and smiles. "Jesse was just telling me about you, though I''ve heard a little. I''m Kayla, one of the Dark Knights that arrived a few days ago." "Cool," I say. "Why''d y''all run off to the mines immediately after arriving?" "Fallen Hunting," she answers. "Huh?" "Hunting Fallen Adventurers," she answers. "There''s a team of six of ours and four others who hunt them down, the others being Champions of Light or Archpriests, while working on the other. Nik sent word to us about the increased number of them in the mines, requesting we come deal with some of them. There are at least two hundred total that are known, and with the more recent losses, it was determined that we should temporarily stop hunting them elsewhere and handle these. While they could handle them before, working around the Fallen Adventurers, twenty-some more is a large increase, and they do need hunting." It takes ten powerful Adventurers to take on Fallen Adventurers. I''m betting they''re mixing up buffs like crazy for it, and possibly burn through potions like crazy, too. Her sword is high-quality, I''m betting, and their gear probably is the best they can get. A Fallen Adventurer has a reward of 20p for a kill, generated by the System, for the low-ranking ones. There are a few that have rewards five or ten times that. The hunters probably spend that on their gear, to ensure they can keep fighting these undead abominations. The ten of them, if they really do hunt the Fallen Adventurers as a team, could probably make a huge difference in the war, when it''s time. They probably move throughout the Boundary and handle the Fallen Adventurers in places where it''s a lot more rare for someone to be able to just ignore them or work around them. Places where people aren''t serious about getting stronger for the Boundary. Nik''s mentioned before that the Fallen Adventurers tend to stick to the areas around where they died, and so they know the general locations of them throughout the mines. Sometimes, they move, but the teams that are there are generally able to either push them back, kill them, or get away. For the most part, though, no one wants to tangle with the Fallen Adventurers. A dead person who may have once been a comrade would be hard enough to fight, especially since they look human. Then there''s factoring in that they come back with stats at least ten times as high as they were when they died. So a Level 100 person dies and become one, with their health at 3,000? It''s 30,000 as a Fallen Adventurer. Mana scales the same way, so it''s theorized that their Stats are exactly ten times as high, though no one knows for sure on the others, since they can''t be read. Fighting people who look human, and may have once been teammates¡­ No wonder it''s mostly Dark Knights doing it. The holy-Classed ones are probably there mostly for healing or any purging that''s needed. "So," I say. "How many have you guys killed there so far?" "Four," she answers, then looks back to Jesse. "I should get going, I''ll see you when I return again." "Goodbye!" he dips his head to her, then she dips hers to me, before leaving. "So! What brings you here, Zacky?" The strong desire to burn this place down with you tied up inside of it while anchored to the ground. "I want to buy the Diamond Tags," I approach the counter and set twenty diamond down. Jackson paid me fifty platinum for the Ingots he didn''t use, taking my commissioning fee out of the cost as well. I''m not sure if it turned out to be exactly fifty platinum or if he rounded up to make it even, but it''s enough for me to do this. Frost Ingots are thirty just to sell. He takes the two coins, then hands me my Diamond Tags, bluish tags, like what Nik showed me before ¨C though he''s apparently platinum, he just wears the diamond ones for some weird reason. I set down two platinum coins, and Jesse laughs, handing me my platinum tags, the white-silver tags of the highest rank. I pull them on while sending the other two sets of tags ¨C golden and diamond ¨C into my Inventory. "Thanks, Jesse!" I say, then turn and leave, making my way down to the armors and clothing store, grinning at the annoyed expression on the shopkeeper''s face. "Hi! I need to buy a few new outfits." For the three pairs of underwear, three two-tone shirts, and three pairs of pants, my total is seven silver and five copper, though I haggle him down to two silver and eighty-nine copper. My purchases done, I make my way home, where Gold''s happily cooking dinner. How he knew I was on my way now, I''m not sure, but he''s got good timing. The moment I remove my coat to sit down for dinner, Gold''s expression and thoughts turn to concerned, and I realize that he''s seeing my bloody sleeve, which is part of the reason I was buying new tunics. I rip my sleeve off and show him my arm. "I''m healed," I tell him as he looks a little less concerned. "I ran into the Snow Master." His ears perk up, his tail wagging in excitement. His thoughts are too jumbled for me to make sense of at the moment, though I think he''s wondering what the rewards for its kill were. "I didn''t kill it," I tell him. "I was forced to run, actually." His ears droop a little, his tail drooping a lot. "It''s okay," I smile at him. "I''m going to kill it, eventually. It''s just a tad too strong for me at the moment. Remember, though ¨C I can take on things that usually require large teams to handle. For the Ice Lord, I only needed a healer, and I was able to take it out." Gold nods, perking back up. "Now!" I clap my hands together and rub them. "This feast looks delicious! Let''s dig in!" Chapter 0041 (Zack) "Zack," Nik says, and I look over to the Dark Knight, who''s standing just inside the entryway to my home. I heard him coming. "I know you want to go out hunting some more, but would you mind coming to the Dark Temple? I''ve already received permission for Gold to enter." "What for?" I ask. It''s been four days since my encounter with the Snow Master, and I''ve gained eight Levels since, making it to Tier II Dark One Level 2. Looks like it adds on another VIT and a WIS to my Level-up Bonus. I''m going to try to reach Tier III before challenging the Snow Master again. While I''d only be gaining eight or sixteen to each of the affected six Stats per Level of Dark One, I''d also gain five to all of them, due to my Level-Up bonus of one to all, combined with Adventurer''s now-three to all, being at Tier III. Nik''s taking me out of my training, so I''m hope it''s good, especially since, if my assumption is correct, tomorrow''s Christmas. Though it does seem that the ''distances'' between events aren''t always the same, and nor are the lengths of the years. They know when the new year begins solely because the walls of the Cities turn crimson for six days, and the year begins on the fourth day, halfway through. No one knows why the walls turn crimson, other than that they do. And that a lot of people disappear outside of the Cities, never found again ¨C not even as Fallen Adventurers ¨C while the walls are crimson. If someone''s male or a child, they''re more likely to vanish. In other words, there''s something that goes on outside of the Cities during New Year''s, and the walls turning crimson are likely to keep it from entering the Cities ¨C or at least, from going near them. Whatever this is, it''s obviously a monster of some sort. Well, several, since it happens everywhere. It''s also said that the period of time between the Santa Boss and the new year''s beginning can result in amazing loot, and I really want to go after it, but caution also somewhat wins out on me, so unless I''m a lot stronger, I doubt I''ll be leaving the City during that time. I''d rather not vanish, thank you. Oh, right. Nik asked me something, and I asked him why, and then got side-tracked with my thoughts. "Sorry?" I look at Nik, who looks amused and is standing right in front of me, now. "What are you thinking about?" "If I leave the city during the Days of the Crimson Walls," I say. "Then it''ll probably just be to right outside it." He laughs, ruffling my hair. I pull away and shake my head, fixing my hair. "So why do you want me to come to the Dark Temple?" "I''d like to teach you some new moves," he answers. "Really?" I scramble off the bench and look at him. "Dark One moves?" "Actually," he laughs. "You could have learned them before, though being a Dark One will improve this." "Cool!" I say. "Let''s go!" I look over at Gold, who''s staring at the playing cards with a fierce intensity. "Two?" He asks. "What are you two doing?" Nik asks. "Playing a game of cards," I say. "Can I see the card?" Gold shows it to me. "That''s a three," I tell him. "See? It has three images ¨C one, two, three. We can play a new game after I finish training, okay?" Gold nods, then puts the deck back together and hands it to me. I return it to the wooden box I bought it in, then return it to my Inventory, and I explain the game to Nik, who listens intently. He''s never heard of the game, and considering how old he is, I think that should count as heresy. It''s a common game played by children back in reality. They have playing cards here. How in the fuck do they not know this game? I calm down a bit by the time we reach the Dark Temple, and Nik takes me to the training yard he''s teaching me in, not a trace of snow around. We worked on melting it all the other day, so that we could train in it again. I remove my coat, tunic, and boots, and set them on one of the benches, picking up one of the wooden training swords as Nik sets up a few training dummies. Gold sits on the bench beside my clothes, picking at them and folding them up as Nik walks over to me. "Okay," he draws his sword. "The first Skill I''m teaching you is Dark Strike." "Dark Strike?" I ask. "Imbue the blade with the power of darkness, and all that?" "Sort of," he answers. "The Skill requires you to focus on an unyielding, penetrating darkness, and to channel that into your attack. Dark Knights generally have to do a fair bit of Dark Meditation first, so they can draw upon their inner darkness for the attack. While you haven''t learned Dark Meditation, you can draw upon it, I''m assuming?" "Yes," I answer, then take a fighting stance. It takes me several minutes of attempting to channel my inner darkness and the power of an unyielding, penetrating darkness into my strikes at the dummies, but eventually, the wooden blade becomes shrouded in darkness, a message appearing in my vision. I finish my swing, slicing into the wooden dummy, then pull my blade back, watching as the dummy heals itself. Nik told me that no one really knows who did the magics in the dummies used here. Only the Dark Temples have the self-repairing ones, and no one''s figured out how to replicate them. No alchemy or woodcarving tricks work, nor any enchanting tricks, either. I switch to a resting position, the tip of my sword barely touching the ground as I rock on the balls of my feet, still ready to strike if needed or ordered to, and read the notice.
New Skill!
Dark Strike Active
Imbue the power of your attacks with your inner darkness, ignoring a portion of your enemy''s armor and temporarily reducing all regenerative effects in them. Effect lasts either until you strike, or five seconds.
Armor Ignore: 5% per Level of this Skill
Regeneration Reduction: 5% per Level of this Skill
Cost: 15 Mana (reduces by 1 per Level of this Skill)
The Skill''s Mana Cost reduces? This is my first Skill with a reducing cost. Looking at it, it''s a Tier 3 Skill. Pretty strong, and if what Nik said about the attack itself being stronger is true, then it''s likely that the strength of one''s merging with the Dark portion of their Sacred Crystal affects how strong the attack is. Well, okay, Dark Vengeance also reduces in Mana Cost per Level of the Skill. But that one also uses a percentage of my Maximum Mana. And it also risks me dying. So I don''t count it. "Try it a few more times," Nik tells me, get the hang of it, so I spend the next five minutes using it, then return to a resting position. "Ready for the next move?" "Yes." I''m sweating lightly, but my breathing''s still even, so I''m sure I can handle this. "It''s the Strike of Darkness," he tells me, and I look at him, raising an eyebrow. "It''s the improved version of Dark Strike. It''s a lot more powerful, but costs more Mana as well." "Naturally," I say. "What do I have to do for this one?" "Same as you did before," he tells me. "Only intensify your thoughts of the unyielding, piercing darkness, and don''t trigger Dark Strike."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I nod, then get to work. It takes me a few minutes before I succeed, the darkness around the blade even stronger this time. Before, it was more like a light coating, a shroud of shifting shadows maybe a quarter of an inch thick. This time, however, it''s more like a thick shroud an inch thick. The New Skill message confirms to me that I received it.
New Skill!
Strike of Darkness Active
Imbue the power of your attacks with your inner darkness, ignoring a portion of your enemy''s armor and temporarily reducing all regenerative effects in them.
Armor Ignore: 10% per Level of this Skill
Regeneration Reduction: 10% per Level of this Skill
Cost: 50 Mana (reduces by 2 per Level of this Skill)
Duration: 1 strike or 2 seconds per Level of this Skill
"Oh, cool," I say. "You didn''t tell me that it can also last longer than Dark Strike." "Indeed," he smiles. "I had a feeling you''d like that." While at Level 1, it lasts for less time, but the same amount of strikes, it lasts for more strikes at Level 2, but for less time. However, once Strike of Darkness reaches Level 3, its duration also exceeds Dark Strike''s. And that''s before factoring in that it ignores more armor and reduces their regenerations. It says ''all'', too ¨C does that include from Skills and potions? "Yes," Nik answers when I ask that. "It means all." "Can you combine them?" "No," he answers. "However, you can combine them with Rage, Dark Vengeance, Blood Frenzy, Aura of Darkness, and the like." Aura of Darkness¡­ I haven''t learned that one yet, just Aura of Heat and Aura of Blood. Despite the Skills not mentioning it, they apparently increase the power of all Skills using their affiliation by five percent per Level of the Aura Skill. So a Level 10 Aura of Darkness would increase the power of Strike of Darkness by fifty percent. Nik helps me learn Aura of Darkness. Unlike the other two Aura Skills I know, it doesn''t have an effect on my surroundings, just creates a thin, shadowy layer around me, but my Dark Strike and Strike of Darkness both damage the training dummy even more. Grinning, I wound myself as I allow my rage to increase, and Nik sighs, taking several steps back. "Aura of Blood Aura of Darkness! Strike of Darkness! Dark Vengeance!" I strike at the dummy, wondering why Nik is moving so far back. My wooden training sword cuts through the wooden dummy''s head, though it''s not with ease, feeling a lot of resistance. The head flies off, rolling to the ground, and I turn and grin at Nik, who''s standing beside Gold, a Crimson Wall in front of them. It''s a completely opaque wall the color of blood, and I can''t see them through it. Why is he- Something moves behind me, and I turn to find all of the dummies attacking me, with the one I beheaded having regrown its head, the head having regrown its body. "Gah!" I yell, jumping back. I draw my real sword the moment I realize that the dummies each have a wooden sword coated with shadows. These things can fight back! I fight the dummies for almost ten minutes before the fight stops, and at this point, I''m soaked in sweat, breathing heavily, and really, really damn confused. Every time I removed a limb, they''d just regrow it, and the limb would regrow their fucking bodies! And they knew all the Dark Knight moves I know, plus more! "Nik!" I yell, turning to find him having released his Crimson Wall. "What the fuck was that?" Gold looks confused and concerned, and Nik''s just laughing. I''m a bit mad, since I''m in a lot of pain from the attacks that kept hitting me. By the end, there were fifty dummies, though I did learn that if I damaged them badly enough, they''d stop moving. Then, I learned that I had to get them through the chest to deactivate them, but ''badly enough'' usually meant their chests were destroyed. "Dark Knight hazing," he grins at me. "Once someone''s strong enough to actually remove something from one of them, we tend to let them. It triggers a fail-safe in them, and any that aren''t still strapped to the racks activate like that. Consider yourself lucky ¨C I was in a group of five Dark Knights when when managed it, unaware of what would happen, and all fifty dummies that were there had been unstrapped. I was knocked-out for a week, and that was considered light." Nik only removed five of them for me, and there are fifty on the racks. The ones I destroyed aren''t repairing, though the ones with just a stab through the chest are. I walk over to one of the ones I destroyed and start poking through the splinters, finding a wooden orb at the center, though my attack to the dummy had not just cracked it in several places, but completely broke it, splitting it into six cracked fragments. I pull them out and turn them over in my hands. "Appraisal." No response. Even if it''s broken like this, having most of it should yield a response. Or am I missing something? "Appraisal!" "It takes Level 10 Appraisal to receive a result," Nik tells me, walking over. "They''re golems." "I figured," I tell him, piecing the core together as I realize something. "They grow whole new cores?" "Yep," he nods. "We''re not sure how, though." "What are these markings?" I ask, holding the core together as best I can. "They look sort of like runes of some sort." "Old magic," he answers. "The runes that make up old magic are much more flexible than the Skills we receive through the Kingdom, though it tends to cost more Mana to use." He holds a finger out, and the tip begins to glow with a blue-white light. He quickly draws in the air three runes, and as soon as he completes the runic formation, it converts into a fireball, which blasts through the air, slamming into the far wall and exploding massively. That was hella awesome. "That takes me around ten Mana," Nik tells me. Fireball takes five. "However," he walks over to one of the dummies, pulling out his sword and quickly marking runes along the blade of the weapon, before swiftly driving the sword into the dummy''s golem core, burying his blade down to the hilt in the wooden dummy and the ground. "It has its uses. I just used runes to amplify the effects of momentum and decrease friction." Which allowed his blade to easily pierce even the powerful golem bodies with ease and the ground beneath, despite the fact that it can''t be that much easier for him than it is for me. "Unfortunately," he says. "It''s difficult to use them with Skills and such, and again, it takes extra time and Mana to perform. I only know those two tricks, plus one other, and that''s after five decades of studying, as well. However, it really is possible to do nearly anything with old magic, because of its versatility." Old magic¡­ is this the type of magic the nine children Big Flame told us about used? Extra Mana cost can be acceptable if it''s truly as versatile as he''s telling me. "Where did you learn it?" I ask. "There are texts in the libraries of every City that contain the knowledge of it," he tells me. "I''m sure you''ll pick it up easily." I nod, and he tells me that he''s got two more Skills for me, once I''ve caught my breath, so I take a few more minutes to catch it completely and drink a little bit of water, sipping it every twenty to thirty seconds. Once I''ve caught my breath, Nik teaches me how to use Dark Slash, which projects a slash of darkness along the path of the blade, sending it through the air. Sort of like what I sometimes saw in video games, cartoons, and anime, back in reality. It takes me a few minutes to manage the spell, a wave of darkness flying out of my blade as I slash it through the air, a blue window appearing in my vision.
New Skill!
Dark Slash Active
Project the darkness outward in a devastating wave.
Distance: 5 feet per Level of this Skill
Cost: 50 Mana
It doesn''t have any added effects to it, but such a Skill is definitely useful. I can''t combine it with Dark Strike or Strike of Darkness, but I can combine it with the same stuff I can combine them with. I''m starting to realize just how broken and OP the Dark Knight line of Classes really is. This must be why the Shadow of Life went after them in that other Boundary ¨C to decrease the number of people capable of fucking with his plans so thoroughly. So many Skills that will stack on each other, with several of them exclusive to these lines. He must really, really hate the Dark Knights in this Boundary, for having people like Nik, Theodore, and Isaac among them, all of them at or nearing Dark One and possessing a plethora of Skills and abilities that allow them to just be a pain in his ass. And I''m such a pain in the ass so fast, he''s literally trying to get me killed fast so that he can be ''sure'' of his victory. I have no plans for that. "One last Skill," Nik tells me, then looks at Gold. "Gold, this Skill negatively affects anyone without the Dark Knight or Blood Priest line of Classes within its range. Stay over there, and don''t come near us. Considering what you are, you''ll likely feel a strong urge to get Zack out of it. Don''t ¨C he won''t be negatively affected at all, and entering it will give you nightmares. If you want to really resist it, then leave the training yard before I use it, so you don''t have to deal with that primal instinct of yours." Nik walks closer to me, so that he''s a conversational distance away, then looks at Gold, who looks hesitant. He''s scared of what''s about to happen. I smile at him with reassuring thoughts, and he nods, then leaves the training yard, closing the door behind him. "Shroud of Darkness," Nik triggers the Skill. Immediately, the air around him turns dark, filling with a blackness. I can see us and everything within the range without issue. He''s expanded it twenty feet in all directions from him, and it looks surreal. "Only Dark Knights and Blood Priests," he tells me. "Remain unaffected. We can see clearly in this, and all of our attacks have increased damage. Anyone else will feel a suffocating darkness around them with their defensive and offensive values effectively halved, their regenerations temporarily suspended." Nik releases the Skill, and looks weary. "It costs 50 Mana a second to sustain," he tells me. "Reducing by two per Level. Finally, it can stretch only five yards out per Level of it. It''s exclusive to Dark Ones. I''ve had it for nearly thirty years, and am only at Level 2 of it." "It''s Rank 5, isn''t it?" I ask, and he nods. "Damn, that''s awesome." "Yes, it is," he smiles. "Even if it''s intensive. And all of our attacks have extra damage through it, regardless of their affiliation." That makes it even more powerful, if just a regular stab will be increased. I spend the next two hours attempting to use it, with Nik giving me every bit of advice he can for it. Eventually, though, I manage to gain it, and promptly pass out from the mental exhaustion of trying. Chapter 0042 (Zack) "Morning, Nik," I greet the Dark Knight, who''s standing just inside the entrance to my home. "What brings you here?" "The Santa Bosses have been spotted," he tells me. "There''s one in the northern half of the valley, and another in the southern half. There''s also one in the pass to the east." So today''s Christmas, then. As I suspected, but good to know my estimation was right, even with the Boundary''s wonky calendar. Nik strongly suggested to me last night that I don''t try to challenge it. Apparently, while it does have a highly-coveted reward, it can take fifty or more Adventurers to kill, and that''s with at least ten percent of them being strong healers. However, up to seventy-five people, everyone is guaranteed a reward. At exactly five people, the rewards are supposedly even, but Nik said that his party has never gathered for a fight against it as just them, so they aren''t sure. The fact that it can take more than seventy-five people to kill one of those tells me just how powerful it is. "So you want me to stay here?" I ask. "No," he answers. "Actually, I know you''re probably burning to fight one. Normar''s already in position, and Blaine, Travis, and I will be on standby." So his team''s going to try to take it on by themselves? Is Jesse not joining them? "Good luck," I tell him. "Why isn''t Jesse joining you? And why do you want me to watch?" "Not watch," he laughs. "We know you''re probably burning to fight one." When he repeats that statement, I realize what he''s meaning. Normar can heal someone even if they''re delivered a fatal wound, his powers working fast enough to act just before their Health truly hits zero. He''s standing on standby to heal me once I''m unable to continue. With just five people, though¡­ They also want to test the theory on the rewards being even for five, rather than based contribution or something. And they''re willing to let me get some of the reward. Nik only just taught me those Skills yesterday, so I haven''t really Leveled them yet, but I can definitely use them in this fight. And I''m willing to bet that the real reason he taught them to me yesterday was so I could use them in this fight. "Sure," I stand, grinning at him, then look at Gold. "You good staying here?" Gold nods his head, though I can tell he''s excited. In his own way, he''s cheering me on. "I''ll see you, then," I tell him, then look at Nik, who''s removing his tunic. "Uh, Nik?" He extends his wings out, then holds out his hands. "I''m carrying you," he tells me. "Turn around and back against me. Flying will be much faster." I nod, doing as he says, and he wraps his arms around me, and I feel something else wrapping around me too. Looking down, I spot Binding Darkness strapping me against him. That''s an interesting use of the Skill. Nik takes off, and we''re suddenly soaring through the air so fast, my breath catches in my throat. Everything becomes a blur, and in just seconds, we''re already past the walls of Maelnor and flying over the fields, then over the forest. Our flight takes us to the northwestern edge of the valley. Once we reach a river, which Nik informs me is the Haeus River, he starts flying along it. I can see Talorn in the distance, with its ruined buildings and walls, though even further, I can make out the imposing, black and red Dark Temple. Moments later, we''re too far for me to see it, as Nik''s not flying that high, and he starts descending. I turn and face forward, watching, and spot the clearing with the Santa Boss. It''s over thirty feet in height, and is a giant, plump man in a red, black, and white Santa suit, a large, crimson sack slung over his shoulder.
Santa Boss Level 50
Health: 1,000,000 Mana: 5,000,000
Holy fuck. And they really expect me to be able to do shit to it? Then again, they''re only a hundred Levels or so higher than me, but I''m sure they''re also using buffs and shit. Then again, I also have buffs of my own. "Normar will heal you," Nik stops flying and hovers a few yards from the clearing, which is around a hundred yards across. "But only if you absolutely need it. Once that happens, the four of us will become active participants in the fight. Do as much as you can to it before then." Jesse must be sitting this fight out, if the four of them are handling it on their own without him. Are they going to split their portion of the reward with him, in that case? "Sir, yes, sir!" Nik snorts, then tells me to let him know when I''m ready, so I tell him that I don''t think I''ll ever be ready, so just drop me in. He laughs, then flies to the clearing, dropping me down. I land in a roll. "Ho, ho, ho!" The Santa Boss exclaims. "Lookit what''s here! A naughty little boy, are we?" He holds out a hand, palm facing me, and chunks of coal start flying through the air. I dodge them, rolling and jumping, and as I get closer, I let a piece of coal slam into my leg, which breaks instantly from the force.
-1,709 Health!
Your left leg has been broken.
"FUCKING HELL!" I yell. "Jump!" I jump as high I as possibly can, all sixty-some yards, dismissing the message as I do. No fucking shit my leg''s broken! Did you really need to tell me it was? I start calling out Skills as I drop towards the Santa Boss, twisting and turning to avoid being pelted by more coal. "Aura of Darkness! Aura of Blood! Dark Shroud! Dash! Strike of Darkness! Dark Vengeance!" With a final burst, I slam into the Santa Boss''s arm, which moved up to prevent a strike to the head. I was aiming for the fucker''s eyes, but I still did decent damage anyway. I managed to strike it at the eighteen second mark, and since Dark Vengeance''s collection period is twenty, that added some extra damage to the attack.
Your Target has Sustained Significant Damage!
Target Health -34,093!
That''s a hell of a lot of damage, and yet against the boss I''m up against? That''s not even a full percent of its Health, and I drained a lot of Mana just for that. At least my leg''s healed. Rolling to the side, I read the notifications I received from the impact.
Dark Vengeance is Now Level 5!
Dark Shroud is Now Level 2!
Strike of Darkness is Now Level 2!
Aura of Darkness is Now Level 2!
At least I can do that again with a bit less Mana cost, now. I evade a few more shots of coal, downing a Mana Potion to give myself a bit more Mana to use, then take a piece of coal to my leg and my arm again.
-1,798 Health!
Your left leg has been broken.
-1,946 Health!
Your right arm has been broken.
My rage builds up even higher, and I perform the same series of moves as before, moving even faster with the added boost from Rage, and this time, I manage to strike the Santa Boss''s right eye, driving my sword into it, all the way down to the hilt.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Your Target Has Sustained Significant Damage!
You have Struck a Critical Point!
Target Health -198,807!
The Santa Boss roars that I''m eternally on the naughty list, and I barely manage to jump off its body in time to avoid being swatted aside by its hand. I''ve managed to deal pretty decent damage to it, now. It''s under eighty percent of its Health from those two attacks. However, this is considered to be one of the most powerful Rare Boss Monsters in the Boundary. There''s not a chance in hell it''s this easy, if even Nik''s team hasn''t managed to take it out with the five of them in past years. Which means that the coal shots and its raw strength aren''t its only attacks. I was sure of that from the start, though, considering its sack and what Santa is. It takes me a few minutes to recover enough to where I''m comfortable performing the combo again, and I do, landing on the same eye I landed before, and dealing a little more than a quarter of its starting Health to it, enough to put it under half a million Health. I barely have enough time to dismiss the notifications letting me know about the damage and my Skill Level Ups when it swings its sack at me. "Jump!" I soar over the sack, unleashing a series of fireballs at the monster''s face. It''s glaring at me with its remaining, black eye, and lets out a bellow, the force of its roar stopping my fireballs and even knocking me back a bit. Landing in a roll, I quickly move to my feet in time to see it pulling something out of the sack, which has been returned to being slung over its shoulder. A present wrapped in metallic crimson paper and tied with a golden ribbon. I hate that kind of wrapping paper, it''s hard to just rip, and needs to have the tape ripped instead. Though my current strength means it probably wouldn''t be an issue for me. I don''t have much time to dwell on that, though, as it throws the present at me. With a light dodge, I realize too late that I should''ve expected more from that. The present explodes, fragments embedding themselves into my leg. I let out a small yell in surprise and pain, then dodge another crimson-wrapped present. I let my Health go down a bit, noting that the monster''s Mana drops every time it pulls out a present. At least I know what its Mana is used for, now. Once my Health is under a fifth, I perform the combo again, only managing to damage its arm, which moved to block my attack.
Target has Sustained Significant Damage!
Target Health -59,098
The Santa Boss swats me away, and pulls something out of his sack as I recover. Cookies. He''s pulling chocolate chip cookies from his sack, and before I can react, he''s shoving them into his mouth, a total of ten large cookies, each one restoring 10,000 Health. Well, fuck. Does it drink milk to restore its Mana, too? Five minutes later, I confirm that he does, indeed, drink milk to restore 50,000 Mana a glass, but he only drinks one. From what I can tell, he only starts doing stuff like that once he goes under a certain amount, and it takes several minutes for him to do it again. I manage to whittle him down to under a quarter of his Health, and once I do, he throws a present with green paper instead of red at me, and it''s rather large. When it lands, it doesn''t explode, but rather, fades away, letting loose a swarm of elves, each around a foot tall, dressed in red and green with black belts, and I''m pretty sure those are supposed to represent martial artist belts, because the tiny, pointy-eared Santa''s Helpers start attacking me. Now, I have to dodge them and the crimson presents, and the golden ones, which explode into a shower of light. Black-wrapped presents explode into a cloud of coal dust, obscuring my view. Once I''ve taken out twenty of the twenty-five elves, another green present is tossed, releasing more of the fuckers. At this point, I''m no longer able to fight the Santa Boss, my attention needed solely to take on the Santa''s Helpers and dodging the presents being thrown at me, and it takes me several minutes to be able to strike the Santa Boss again. Minutes pass as I do my best to stop the fight, to take out the boss, and my vision starts turning black at the corners. So damn close, but exhaustion and pain is wearing me out. The Santa Boss pulls out more cookies. "FIREBALL!" I holler, throwing fireballs at the cookies, managing to burn them before the Santa Boss could swat them away. Its face turns crimson, and a pair of horns sprout of it, the Santa''s Helpers suddenly taking off into the woods as the boss itself charges me, roaring about how I''m about to be a pancake. Then, my vision goes black, and the next thing I''m aware, I''m laying in the snow, my body screaming in pain, and Nathan Normar is peering down at me, crouched beside me, his face filled with concern. I move the messages to the sides of my vision, probably just letting me know what my rewards were after they took it out. "He''s woke," a voice says, and I look over to see the Holy One, Travis, standing a few feet away, then Nik near the giant sack, and Blaine chatting with him. The two of them look over at me, and a yellow-white light coats my body, my injuries and pain fading away, my body cleansed of the blood on it. I look at Nathan. "Thank you," I say, and he dips his head to me, then I look back at Nik. "You guys killed it?" "No," Nik walks over to me. "You killed it." "But-" I cut off, reading the messages in my vision.
Santa Boss Slain!
Rewards: +10,000% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +10,000% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +25 Platinum, +5 Platinum Presents, +10 Diamond Presents, +15 Gold Presents, +20 Silver Presents, +25 Copper Presents
Santa Boss Slain in Rage Mode!
Rewards: +10,000% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +10,000% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +25 Platinum, +5 Platinum Presents, +10 Diamond Presents, +15 Gold Presents, +20 Silver Presents, +25 Copper Presents
Presents? I got presents for it? Is that really what everyone covets? Just what are the presents? Judging by the types, they probably follow the standard ''rarity'' here. That is, copper are the worst, and platinum are the best. And then the Static Experience¡­ 10,000% each. No wonder it''s so coveted. But if that''s the full reward¡­ "How did I kill it?" I ask. "I passed out!" "Your vision went black," Nik says. "And the next thing you knew, you were waking to Normar staring down at you?" He''s guessing at that. "Yeah," I stand, stretching my stiff body. "But how did I kill it? The damn thing overwhelmed me!" It''s then that I realize something pretty important. I''m wearing Nik''s coat. Not my clothes, Nik''s coat. "You, ah, tranformed," Nik tells me. "I did¡­ what?" "Transformed," he says, and I look at Normar, whose mind is filled with both awe and wonder. That, and the images of me transforming. I really did transform, if they''re being serious. I turned into a fucking dragon. How in the actual fuck? "I feel¡­ so exhausted," I say, my body suddenly feeling heavy, and I stumble a few steps. "Whoa." "I''m not surprised," Nik tells me. "We''re, ah, going to not tell anyone about you transforming into a dragon. I doubt you can do it on command, and we''re sure you weren''t even aware you could do that." "Thanks," I say. "And yeah, I totally had no clue that I could." The dragon I saw in that vision of the Shadow of Life¡­ did it know I could do that? It seems to know a lot about me. Shaking my head, I decide to check my status. The other notifications let me know I''d gained several random Stat Points from the fight, as well as plenty of Skill Levels and Dark One Levels ¨C I''m now a Level 10 Dark One of the second Tier.
Character Information Dark of Fire
Name: Zack Primary Class: Dark One
Level: 120 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 4,750/4,750 Mana: 3,510/3,510
Strength: 209 Intellect: 157
Endurance: 171 Willpower: 183
Vitality: 475 Wisdom: 351
Agility: 126 Perception: 113
Some pretty decent Stats, now, I think. It''s a shame I still only get one to each upon every fifth Level, though Adventurer does make up for it a small amount. I''m also just five Levels from being halfway to Ascension. Rubbing the back of my head, I ask if they can give me some privacy. "Barrier Prison," Blaine triggers a Skill, and an opaque, blue barrier forms around me, creating a cubic room. Well, that''s one way of doing it. They probably know what I wanted to do. I quickly shed Niks coat and burn it, then change into a clean outfit from my Inventory. I''m so glad I recently bought new clothes, because morphing into a dragon kind of destroys them. I''ll make sure to pick up a few more sets, just in case it happens again. Though¡­ it does make me wonder why I turned into one, and how. As soon as I finish changing, I drop to the ground, fully exhausted and nearly asleep, fighting to stay awake, and after a few minutes, the barrier fades away. "How did you know I was done?" I ask Blaine. "It''s you," he tells me. "You''d have wanted to move as fast as possible." I grin at him. "So what now?" I ask. "Want to go home and sleep?" Nik asks me. "Or come with us to meet up with Jesse and watch us try to take on the one in the pass by ourselves?" So they were planning on challenging one as a full team, then, regardless of the outcome of this fight. "Sure," I struggle to my feet. "Though I''ll probably need to sit during it." Chapter 0043 (Zack) Nik decides they can wait a little while before heading to the Santa Boss in the pass, so that I can rest up a bit. By that, I mean that we end up chilling in the clearing for an hour before I''m ready to go, and I look over at the giant sack laying on the ground. "So Santa Boss leaves behind a present?" I ask. "Yeah," Nik nods. "Though only the person who delivered the final blow can open it." I walk over, curious to know what''s inside. When I ask, Nik tells me that it changes, often tailored to the person themselves, but there''s also quite a few items within it. All I need to do is perform the Access Tap, and I''ll be able to open it. "The fuck is the Access Tap?" Nik and the others laugh in response to my question. "Tap it with your middle finger while thinking the word ''Access''," Nik tells me, and I do as he says on the tied-up opening to the sack, a blue window appearing in the air in front of the sack.
Santa''s Sack 1 use
Open?
"Yes?" I respond, and nothing happens. I look at Nik. "I''m doubting tapping ''Open?'' will open it." "You have to answer," he says. "Not question." I roll my eyes, then return my gaze to the sack, and the message. "Yes."
Santa''s Sack Opened!
+3 boxes candy canes (100-count) +10 large Hams
+10 Major Mana Potions +10 Major Health Potions
+2 crates Neburis White Wine (15-count) +3 coats
+1 pair of Shadowwolf hide boots +1 pair of Shadowwolf hide gloves
+20 platinum +10 Christmas Ingots (Red)
+10 Christmas Ingots (Green) +10 Blood Ingots
+10 Shadow Ingots
"What the fuck?" I stare at the message in my view as the giant sack bursts into a shower of blue-white sparkles that fade away. "That was-I got a hundred items from it? And holy fuck!" "It always drops a hundred," Nik tells me. "From what we can tell, it factors in your current Level ¨C the higher your Level, the better the stuff you get. A Primordial Essence obtained about two hundred years ago came from it once, from a Level 48 Dark Knight who managed to get the last hit in." It''d no doubt take being a Dark Knight to damage one of those at such a low Level. "I got," I read through the message. "Some holiday food, some clothes, something called Neburis White Wine-" "Neburis?" Nik asks, and I look at him. He sounded confused. "That''s¡­ one of the Fallen Cities. According to our records, its vineyards made exceptional wine. You got some?" "Erm," I say, then grin. "Two crates of it, each with fifteen bottles. I guess that makes up for the three hundred candy canes and ten hams." Nik roars with laughter, then asks what the rest of my loot was. "Some platinum," I say. "Then forty ingots." "The Christmas Ingots and the ham are the only standard," he tells me. "Did it double it up on you?" "No," I shake my head. "I actually got Blood Ingots and Shadow Ingots, and judging by your expression, that''s pretty damn rare." "It is," he nods. "I obtained some from a Diamond Present about twenty years ago ¨C that''s what my sword and armor are forged from. Normally, obtaining them would require killing certain powerful Rare Monsters or mining in certain areas, though the current mines for them don''t exist." In the lost territory, then. "Ah," I say. "I got ten of each." Looks like I''m too high of a Level to have acquired the Primordial Essence. Oh, well. It''s absurdly rare, so I''m not going to bother trying to get it ¨C especially since even with my luck, it''s unlikely to get it. Big Flame told me that, though he also giggled when he did, so I''m not sure how rare it is for me. But he said the odds of getting it are still one in millions, so it''ll be unlikely that I ever obtain it. So I focus on the stuff I can obtain, like more Levels. And some rest. "Alright," I look at Nik. "Let''s head out." He nods, and straps me to him again, then takes off flying. Travis removes his tunic to extend his own wings, and Blaine flies using magic. Nathan disappeared at some point, so I''m not sure where he is, but he''s probably being shy again and flying as well, just with something like Conceal hiding him. Nik and the party fly over Maelnor, and I ask about meeting Jesse. "He''s making sure no one else tries to take our kill." Ah. That explains why he wasn''t around for my fight against the Santa Boss. We reach the Santa Boss, and while I can''t see Jesse, I can sense his Sacred Crystal, and judging by its location, he''s probably just using Conceal. Nik places me down a safe distance away, but still close enough to fight, resulting in me sitting on a cliff on the mountains. Well, on a tree on a cliff on the mountains, though Nik didn''t actually put me in the tree. I climbed up it once he and the team flew off to meet up with Jesse, who remains Concealed. Nathan disappears from sight, and the other three start fighting, the four attackers probably obtaining powerful buffs from Nathan. Nik uses the Skills I know, plus a few of the others he''s used or mentioned to me before as Blaine casts powerful area of effect spells and regular spells and Travis striking with his sword. Based on injuries simply appearing, I know Jesse''s striking while Concealed. Once the Santa Boss starts throwing presents, Blaine switches to dealing with the Santa''s Helpers, usually by containing them before they can spill out with the same spell he used to give me privacy, then by slamming them with an AoE. The Santa Boss rapidly throws those presents out against them, which is probably why Blaine doesn''t simply keep them contained. It slows down the other presents and the Santa Boss''s healing. When the Santa Boss drops down to under a hundred thousand Health, it starts using ribbons and garland in its attacks, creating a barrier of whips that stop most of their attacks, no matter how powerful. Eventually, though, they manage to break through. Nik performed a powerful combination of attacks, passing through a gap between the garland and ribbons that Blaine created before it could close back up or attack him, and managed to get his sword through the monster''s gut, dealing enough damage to finish it off. The three of the clap each other on the back, and I focus on sensing the other two Sacred Crystals again just in time to see Jesse appear, dressed¡­ as he always does. Put some damn clothes on out in this cold, I know you changed your outfit just for me to see it, and probably so you''re like that when you return to town. The other Sacred Crystal, on the other hand, is beside me on the branch. I look over at Nathan, then reach out and pinch where his cheek could probably be, and he squeals, and a snow-Nathan appears down below.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Hi, Nathan!" I crack up laughing as the little healer pokes his head out of the snow, glaring at me. "Enjoying the show?" He huffs, then attempts to climb his way out of the snow, which is pretty comical to look at. Eventually, he just removes his tunic, extends his wings, and flies straight up. While they''re still mostly pure-white, Nathan''s wings have golden flecks to them. The little healer looks at me, blushes furiously, then vanishes from sight, before flying towards his party. I stand, crouch down, then push off, uncoiling like a spring, landing in a roll beside Nik and coming to my feet. "Is Nathan really shy?" I ask Nik as he laughs at me, and he raises an eyebrow. "It''s not like I haven''t seen him before." "Keep in mind that he''s over a century old," Nik tells me. "He''s not comfortable with the fact that he looks ten. That''s ignoring the fact that his wife does, too, and she doesn''t care." Nathan has a wife? And she''s also got her aging stuck at ten? There''s got to be an interesting story behind that. Nik opens the sack, then straps me to him again, then everyone flies back to the city, though I''m not sure how Jesse''s flying. He''s still invisible. Does he have a Class that gives him wings, too? Or a special Skill? Or is he a magician, like Blaine, and knows flight magic? We reach the city in decent time, and Nik drops me off at home, where Gold''s cooking lunch. "Hey, Gold," I say, and he looks at me, tilting his head to the side. "So I can apparently turn into a dragon." Gold''s mental reaction is a lot less surprised than I expected. It''s almost as if he expected me to be able to. Every time I''ve ever pulled up my personal information window, it says my Species is Human and Type is Crystal Adventurer, so there was absolutely no indication that I could. Why would Gold expect me to be able to, when even I had no hints I could? Deciding not to ask, I ask Gold what he''s making, and he just rolls his eyes at me, then blushes when he realizes what he did, and I laugh. "What?" I ask. "Just because I can smell that you''re making brats and roasted veggies doesn''t mean I can''t ask anyway." Gold hesitantly nods, then starts serving lunch, and I can tell he''s thinking about what to make for dinner. After we finish eating and he starts clearing the table and washing the dishes, I set a ham down on the counter, and he looks at it. It''s a rather large ham, so it''ll probably feed the two of us. He then looks at me, tilting his head to the side. "Yes, Gold," I grin at him. "I killed it by myself, too. Wanna help me unwrap the presents later?" Gold tilts his head to the other side. "Yes, Gold," I say. "I''ll share some with you, even if you didn''t fight. You''re pretty nice, and pretty helpful, and do all this work without really being asked or forced to." Gold looks hesitant. "Seriously," I tell him, and he slowly nods. He finishes cleaning up, then gets the ham cooking over some coals, and we move into one of the rooms. I asked Nik on the flight back, and he told me that each type of present corresponds to a type of item, but that they can be literally any item in that classification of them. Platinum Presents can be any of the rarest items. I pull a Platinum Present out. It''s a box around a foot on each side, wrapped with platinum wrapping paper and tied up with a neat bow from a platinum ribbon. I hand it to Gold, who taps it, then nods. The present vanishes, and he squeals in horror. "What?" I ask, and he squirms in his seat. Something about dragons? His thoughts are too scrambled for me to understand right now. "What is it, Gold? What were they?" He squirms a little bit more, then gestures wildly with his hands before the telltale signs of the Inventory''s use forms, and a pair of crimson leather boots appear in the air, which he snatches and holds out to me. They''re slightly-metallic, and even the laces seem to be made of the same leather as the rest of the boots. He got boots from the Platinum Present? That must be why he''s freaking out ¨C he really, really wants to go barefoot. But his reaction is a bit wild. Is it because he got boots for a Platinum Present? Or just because they''re boots? Does he have something against boots? Frowning, I perform Appraisal on the boots.
Dragonhide Boots Bound to Gold
Boots made of the hide of a red dragon, the defensive and fire resistance stats of the wearer are increased, while the boots themselves are nigh-indestructible. These boots will grow with the owner, and are Bound to Gold.
Defensive Bonus: +100% END
Fire Resistance: +500%
Pretty damn good reward. Just wearing the pair of boots gives a huge defensive bonus. And Bound equipment? I''ve not heard of that before, but I''m assuming it means they can''t be stolen or sold. Maybe they can be sold. I can see why they''re considered a Platinum Present, though ¨C a bonus that massive to Endurance? If I were to wear them, I''d be pretty damn hard to hurt. "EEEEH!" Someone squeals, and I turn to find Nathan standing there, holding out a pair of boots to match Gold''s, only these ones are white. He looks pretty damn happy. I perform an Appraisal on his boots before he can disappear from view.
Dragonhide Boots Bound to Nathan Normar
Boots made of the hide of a white dragon, the defensive and darkness resistance stats of the wearer are increased, while the boots themselves are nigh-indestructible. These boots will grow with the owner, and are Bound to Nathan Normar.
Defensive Bonus: +100% END
Darkness Resistance: +500%
Appraisal is now Level 6!
Wait. Isn''t my Appraisal too low to read something like Dragonhide Boots? Shouldn''t I need, like, Level 9 or 10 for that? "Hello, Nathan," I decide to focus on my sudden guest, who quickly looks at me, quickly widening his eyes before vanishing from sight, then from the area. Guess he''s got a form of Teleport. "That was¡­ interesting." I look back at Gold, who tilts his head to the side, and realize immediately that Nathan was showing off his boots to Gold. And Gold''s thoughts are filled with recognition¡­ "Does Nathan visit you while I''m gone?" I ask, and Gold nods, blushing. "There''s nothing wrong with that, I was just a little surprised you two knew each other. I''m glad you''ve made a friend." Gold smiles a little shyly, happy at my praise. "Alright!" I clap my hands together, pulling out another Platinum Present. "My turn!" I tap the Present while thinking Access, and the window appears in front of it.
Platinum Present 1 use
Open?
"Yes."
Platinum Present Opened!
+5 Primordial Essence
I just obtained¡­ five¡­ Primordial Essence. I pull one out of my Inventory and examine it. It''s contained within a rather large jar, and seems to be a blue-purple substance somewhere between gas and liquid. Appraisal fails on it, likely because it''s too low to read something like this. Obtaining just one is rare enough, but the Platinum Present gave me five. Gold''s looking at the jar curiously, and I send it back into my Inventory. "It''s nothing," I smile at him. "Well, it''s obviously something, but nothing you really need to worry about. Let''s open a couple of Diamond Presents, yeah?" I pull out two Diamond Presents, and slide them across to Gold. "Open one Platinum, two Diamond, three Gold, four Silver, and five Copper, then restart, yeah?" He thinks for a moment, then nods, pulling the two bluish presents towards him and opening them both. He squeals in excitement at the second one, and his thoughts are all scrambled from it. I manage to get him to show it to me, and it turns out to be a pack of dragon jerky. By ''pack'', I mean ''giant fucking crate''. I manage to convince him to show me the other present, which is a beanie with little holes for his ears. It''s red and green in color, and he quickly pulls it on, beaming at me. I do a quick Appraisal on it, since there''s no way it''s just a beanie, seeing as it was a Diamond Present.
Beastborn Magus Beanie Bound to Gold
A magus''s beanie designed for Dog Beastborn, this beanie provides a bonus to magic and magical resistances when worn by any Canine Beastborn. This item is Bound to Gold.
Magic Bonus: +100% INT
Magical Defensive Bonus: +100% WIL
That''s probably good enough to be classed in the Platinum Presents, right? Based off the Dragonhide Boots, anyway. Is being linked to a specific Species and set of it ¨C the Canine Beastborn ¨C the reason it''s only Diamond? Gold''s looking at me expectantly, wondering what I think of the beanie. "It looks very nice on you," I tell him, and he beams at me, his tail wagging furiously in his excitement, then he gives me a questioning look. "Yeah, yeah. I''ll open mine." I pull out two more Diamond Presents and open them, receiving a winterbird down blanket and matching pillow. They''ll apparently, supposedly, keep themselves clean, and when I pull the blanket out, it''s pure-white (as expected) and extremely soft. I let Gold feel it, and he starts rubbing his face against it, before blushing deeply when he realizes what he''s doing. It''s cute. By this point, Gold''s happy, and doesn''t seem interested in opening more presents, so we just sit back and relax, and he checks on the ham, even though it''s only been a few minutes. Maybe I can pull out a bottle of the champagne for dinner? Tomorrow, I''m going to return to hunting monsters. In reality, there are six days between Christmas and the end of the year, which would mean that I''d only have three days to the day the walls of the City turn crimson. Which means I have probably only three days before I can''t leave the City for a bit. Then, Imma have six days of celebrations with Gold, because he could really use some extra holiday cheer. It totally has nothing to do with me liking the idea of spending six days celebrating New Year''s. Chapter 0044 (Zack) Gold''s sleeping peacefully by the fire, curled up on his blanket. I dropped my new one on him after dressing him and moving him there, he passed out in the bath last night. He got really drunk, but it was a giggly kind of drunk. He drank nearly an entire bottle by himself. He can really hold his alcohol, I learned, considering that the champagne tasted pretty strong to me. Footsteps approach me from the road, and from the sound, I know they''re Nik''s. That, and the fact that he called my name several times, but I''d totally spaced, watching Gold sleep from my spot at the table. "Zack?" Nik asks once he''s right beside me, and I look up at him. He starts to say something, but frowns, narrowing his gaze at me. "Were you crying?" "Maybe," I rub my sleeve against my face. "What''s wrong?" "Samantha mentioned that you were crying," Nik tells me. "I wasn''t entirely sure if she''d read the situation right, but your eyes are red and puffy. You were crying. What''s wrong?" "I was thinking about him," I look down at the table. "Him?" Nik asks, and I nod. "You mean¡­?" I nod again. "Enough to cry?" "Gold got pretty drunk last night," I nod, feeling the tears welling up again. "And he got a bit goofy. We goofed around in the bath, and it brought back some memories of him, and then I was thinking about him, and-and-and it was awful. The light, playful side of Gold was just like¡­ just like¡­" I break down completely, sobbing into my hands, and Nik pulls me off the bench, turns me around, and pulls me against him, and I cry into his coat. Gold''s drunken happiness really reminded me of Bryce. Especially the way he''d goof around in the bath, and not just with the bubbles. I spent two hours cleaning up his mess after getting him dried off, dressed, and onto his blanket. Soap and bubbles everywhere. It took me a solid twenty minutes to figure out where he''d shoved the bottle of shampoo, too, and I''m not sure when he put it there. Locating that took up a decent chunk of time, a lot more than I expected it to. How did he even get it there? I had to pull the shelf apart just to retrieve it. Once I calm down, I decide to tell Nik about the other thing Gold did last night. "Nik," I hesitate, suddenly unsure of if I should say it or not. "What?" He asks. "Gold, um," I say, looking down. "Gold loves me." "Are you sure?" Nik asks, and I nod. "Did he say it?" "Well, no," I say. "But his thoughts were filled with how attractive I was and how much he loved me and wanted to be my lifemate as he kissed me, so I think that''s enough evidence." Nik''s silent for several seconds. "How did you react?" "I froze up!" I answer. "I wasn''t expecting it, and it came out of nowhere! I didn''t know how to react to it! He was so drunk last night that he probably won''t remember it when he wakes up. It''s probably to pretend like it didn''t happen." "Your choice," he ruffles my hair, and I groan and fix it, causing him to chuckle. "On another note, do you feel like playing a game?" It takes me a moment to realize what he''s asking me, and even though I''m still a bit spacey from Gold''s antics last night, I immediately feel myself guarding up. "I''m wary of any game you want to play with me." "Not with me!" He laughs. "It was the reason Samantha was stopping by earlier, to see if I thought you''d go for it. With the walls turning crimson soon, you younger kids will be staying in here ¨C yes, I''m aware you''re planning on it, with how cautious you are ¨C she figured you might get bored. All of her students are between twelve and fifteen." "A multi-day game?" I ask. "What kind of game is it?" "Tag," he pulls out a pair of red gloves. "Normally, these gloves have nothing special to them. However, if you touch someone wearing one of the other sets of them, they leave a red mark that will last for a bit, and it registers on the linked crystal tablet. The color being used for her apprentices is blue, and she''s setting the duration of the game to ten days. Your goal will be to avoid being tagged by her students. Don''t seek them out, and don''t hunt them down. However, they''ll be hunting you. They aren''t to interfere if you go hunting, and your home is a safe-place. The goal will be to deliver a death-touch to you. If you tag them with a death-touch, they aren''t allowed to try again for at least six hours, their gloves going ''inactive''." I grin at him, pulling the gloves on and holding them up to him. It''ll be good training for me, even if it doesn''t give me Experience. "Got it," I say. "Who''d be ''it'' if I''d refused?" "Refuse next time, and maybe I''ll tell you." Nik ruffles my hair again, then leaves as I rip into him for that. Gold wakes up a few minutes later, and quietly makes breakfast. He''s carefully controlling his thoughts, avoiding letting me know whatever he''s really wanting to think about. That''s unusual, but I''m not going to press. Not after the way he acted last night, not after he kissed me. Watching Gold, I''m reminded of Bryce a bit again, and some of my lessons to him in cooking, and his efforts at it, too. I tear my gaze away and force the tears back, and wait for Gold to serve me. After breakfast, when he starts cleaning up, I let him know that I''m going to go visit Jackson, and explain to him about the game, and that he can come along if he wants, just to keep it mind. He shakes his head. Does he remember his kiss? Is that why he''s being so melancholy right now? Knowing he''ll eventually let me know, I bid him farewell, then start walking down to Jackson''s forge. About five minutes down the road from my house, I spin, slamming my palm into the chest of the person behind me, a boy around twelve, with pitch-black hair and rich, emerald eyes. He looks stunned, as he lands on his feet a few yards away, then looks down at his chest, to the crimson imprint of my hand. "Red Team: one, Blue Team: zero," I grin.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He groans, then quickly triggers Conceal and leaves. They''re already behind by a point. Did Samantha let them know how much above them I probably am? His Status put him at only Level 12. It does make me wonder how intense his training is to already be there, considering how hard I was told it was to hit Tier II of Dark Knight. Then again, that might just be something exclusive to the Holy and Dark Classes, and it might be a little easier to do it with other Classes. Though I''m sure that any student of Jesse''s wouldn''t be a pushover when it comes to training. Her poor students. I reach Jackson''s forge without incident, and there''s no one in there, so I wait for him to come out. I ask if he''s got a room I can talk with him in privately, and he nods, leading me into the back and triggering the privacy seal. All shops have one, if they were ''standard'' shops; that is, shops here through the System''s funky magics. I check for Sacred Crystals, just in case someone else snuck in here ¨C especially with the game going on right now. "A private commission?" He asks, and I nod. "What do you want?" "A sword and armor," I tell him. "Oh, and a knife. But you can''t let anyone know about it." "Why not?" He asks, and I pull out a jar of the Primordial Essence, causing his eyes to widen. "Is that-" "Yes," I answer before he can say it, just in case. "It is. I obtained it from a Platinum Present. Five of them, weirdly." "Platinums give five, if it''s a resource," he tells me. "I''m guessing you want a mix of ingots?" "Yes," I pull out two of every ingot I have, plus another jar of the Primordial Essence. "Can you make something with these? I know there are probably others out there, and that this is a lot of metal you''d end up making, but I want something powerful. Something dangerous. Something deadly. I want to save the rest of this, just in case there''s more rare resources I obtain that can be used to make something that exceeds even that." Jackson runs his hands over the ingots. "Any full ingots you don''t use," I tell him. "I want back. Any of the catalyst. Whatever of the alloy itself that isn''t used for this armor and the weapons, you can keep, and we''ll call it the payment for the work, unless you use it all, which I''m doubting, considering just how much of the alloy you''d get unless you used very, very little. Any partial ingots you have leftover, you can keep. Do we have a deal?" Jackson runs his hands over the ingots again, then looks at me and nods. "There are only a couple of more metals," he tells me. "That could possibly help create a more powerful alloy, but they''re even rarer. Temporal Ore and Dragon Ore are the two I can think of, though Love Ore and Candy Ore could, potentially, as well." Love Ore? Candy Ore? Valentine''s and Easter, probably. "Could I also use," he says. "Some of your Magic Crystals? I''d like fifteen, though I might not use more than ten. The extra five is just in case. I''ll return any I don''t use." I hesitate on that, but nod, handing over fifteen of them. I trust Jackson because Nik trusts him. Otherwise, I''d be really, really hesitant to do this. But he''s pulled through for me before, and Nik trusts him. I just hope I don''t regret this, later. "Thanks, Jackson," I say, and he dips his head to me. "Also, as a gift for doing this for me, and keeping it a secret, plus everything else you''ve done for me so far¡­ here." I pull out a bottle of the Neburis White Wine, and set it on the table. Jackson thanks me, then sends all of the resources into his storage, and we head back to the front, where a customer is waiting. I thank Jackson for the help he''s given me in the past, then leave, and wander around for a bit and eat lunch, tagging two more apprentices ¨C a boy around fourteen, and a girl of fifteen ¨C before they could tag me. Then, I make my way back to my home, where Gold''s not at. At first, I get worried that someone did something to him, since Nik didn''t let me know he''d be borrowing Gold, and Gold doesn''t leave without someone, usually. I''m about to start searching when I realize that Gold''s clothes are missing. His change of clothes. They''re gone, too. Did Gold¡­ leave? Was that why he was so silent earlier? He was thinking about moving, but didn''t know how to break it to me, and so gathered up his courage to just leave? He could''ve told me, I''d have been happy to help him find a new place, even buy it for him. Was that why he kissed me last night, while he was drunk? Because he''d been planning on leaving, and wanted to let me know how he felt before he did, but it took getting drunk to actually do it? My head swimming, I wait at the house, in case Gold drops back by, and fix myself some sandwiches for dinner. Gold doesn''t return for a bath, and it''s so weird, being alone here. First Bryce, then Gold, and now¡­ no one. I feel so alone. The next day, I look for Gold, to see where he''s at, but I can''t find him. I check with Jesse, in case Gold decided to gather up the courage to come here and buy a place for himself, but Jesse tells me he hasn''t seen my former roommate. The next day, I continue looking, calling out for him. He didn''t have to move. Why did he move? Why did he abandon me like that? Did I¡­ did I hurt him? Nik stops me at some point, telling me I should let Gold be, but I refuse. I want to at least talk with him, to find out why he didn''t tell me, and why he won''t talk with me now. In the end, Nik loses the argument and starts looking with me, and talks the other Dark Knights into looking as well. They''re in town because they don''t want to risk being out and disappearing, even as a group. Nearly all activities outside of the Cities ceases once the walls turn red, and no one knows how many more days we have before that. On the third day after Gold left, the walls are red when I wake, and I still haven''t found him. He''s hidden himself well, wherever he is. Why doesn''t he want to face me anymore? What did I do wrong? "Gold!" I break down, crouching on the side of the street in one of the abandoned areas of the City. "Please! I just want to talk!" I try fighting the tears, but they came out anyway. I''m so alone. "Are you alright?" A gentle voice asks, and I look up into the pale blue eyes of a girl my age. She has long, dark brown hair tied back into a high, tight braid with a black band, and is dressed in an all-black outfit with light, dark blue leather armor visible beneath her dark blue and black dappled coat. Her face is filled with a lot of concern, and she looks genuinely worried for me. "I''m fine," I rub my eyes. "Who are you?" "Kylie," she introduces herself, offering me a hand gloved with black, fingerless gloves. I take it, and she helps me to my feet. "You don''t look fine. Who''s Gold?" "A friend," I rub my eyes. "He¡­ he disappeared, and refuses to come out when I''m calling for him. I just want to talk. He shared my house with me until a few days ago, and he-he-he just left, without telling me why. And I just want to ask why." "What''s he look like?" She asks. "I can look for him with you." "He has golden hair, ears, and tail," I answer. "And brown eyes." "Ears and tail?" She asks. "Beastborn?" "Yeah," I nod. "Um¡­ do you have Appraisal?" "Yeah," she nods. "He''ll be easy to identify, then," I tell her. "He''s got Access to the System." Her eyes widen in surprise. "How did he-" "I made a deal with Big S," I tell her. "He agreed to do it for Gold, and I''ll have to do something eventually." Still trying to figure out what. Been awhile, Big S. "Big S?" She asks, then her eyes widen. "Oh, you''re Zack." "You''ve heard of me?" I ask. "Yes," she smiles. "I''m Samantha''s fifth student. I haven''t actually sought you out yet. I guess your outfit and looks should''ve clued me in, but I just saw you crying and calling for someone to talk with you, so¡­ I didn''t even think about it. You said it''s been a few days?" "Yeah," I nod. "The other Dark Knights are looking for him, too, but there''s no trace of him." She frowns, thinking. "What does he wear?" "Clothes," I shrug. "I don''t know what he''s wearing right now, though. Hopefully, he''s still wearing the outfits we bought for him. Um¡­ what did they look like?" I try racking my brain, but I can''t focus enough right now to remember what his clothes actually are, and feel myself starting to shake again. "Hey," she smiles at me. "It''s okay, we''ll find him. I''m sure he''s just nervous about facing you after leaving without a word, even if Beastborn can''t speak. Come on, let''s check out the next few blocks." I don''t bother correcting her, and just nod, following with her, the two of us calling out Gold''s name and checking every building that''s got an opening to it through the snow, but by the time the sun sets, we still haven''t located Gold. I''m not going to stop looking for him, though. Kylie convinces me to go to bed, and that she''ll meet with me in the morning to look for him more. Chapter 0045 (Zack) Gold trembles heavily, hugging himself tightly against the tree he''s climbed up as he looks down, whimpering in fear, his tail between his legs, ears perked up. Something slams into the tree, shaking what little snow remains off of it and to the ground and Gold lets out another whimper, then a howl, a high-pitched, fear-filled sound that fills the air. The beast slams into the tree again, deep in the shadows of the night, the new moon hidden high in the cloudless sky, the only light coming from the stars and their reflections in the snow. The beast slams into the tree again, and Gold lets out another howl of fear. His clothes are ripped and torn, dirty as can be and covered in mud and blood. He''s injured, I realize, his left arm likely broken, and his left leg clawed to hell and back. As the beast slams into the tree again, Gold howls, tears streaming down his cheeks. I bolt upright with a start, struggling out of my blankets. That was another dream, and it was about Gold. But why would I dream about him being in danger? Especially since- The snow. There was plenty on the ground and in the distance, even if the tree had none, because of the beast slamming into it. That wasn''t a vision of the future. The reason I couldn''t find Gold¡­ he''s not in the City, is he? He''s out there, in the forest- He''s in trouble! I quickly scramble, pulling off my clothes and pulling on a day out and my gear. The New Moon is tonight, right now, the night before New Year''s Eve. That dream vision ¨C it was telling me the present. Gold''s in danger, and I need to hurry. I summon up my Crimson Guide, to guide me towards Gold. I didn''t want to do it before, I wanted him to hear me and come to me, but this overrides that. He''s outside of Maelnor and in danger, so I can''t waste time hoping I find wherever he is. The Crimson Guide needs to lead me there. As I run as fast as I can, I pass by Kylie, who''s wandering the streets, a lantern in one hand. She doesn''t see me, but she certainly feels my passage, due to how fast I''m moving creating a small wind around me. I''m out of the City in no time, and the Crimson Guide leads me deep into the forest. It''d normally take hours to get to where it takes me. I continue going, until I eventually hear the snapping of a tree, followed by a yelping and a howl. "Gold!" I exclaim. The howl falters for a moment, then picks up again, this time more urgently than before. It only takes me a few more minutes to reach where Gold is, the tree he''d been on crashed to the ground, the Beastborn up another tree nearby, whimpering when he sees me. He must have jumped onto the other tree when the first one started to fall. Impressive, with his injuries, but I can focus on that later. "Gold!" I exclaim, and he whimpers down at me again, looking sad, his thoughts filled with panic and sorrow and fear. "What-" I cut off as I see the beast. Its body is that of a tan-furred dog, though it''s larger than a fucking elephant, and has a flat-faced lion''s head. It has a pair of black horns, and its maw is filled with many, many sharp teeth. It''s turned his ugly head to me, letting me see those golden eyes. "Nian," I breathe out. It''s like a mix of the two descriptions I''d heard of them back in reality. If this really is one, then it''s no wonder the walls of the Cities turn red ¨C the legends say they''re terrified of fire and the color red, though I''m not sure why. They also say that Nians eat children, which explains why it''s more likely for children to disappear during the six days of the crimson City Walls. The Boundary Nians must also have a taste for men, I don''t remember hearing about them liking men as well. I look at its status, and know that I really, really need to think fast if I''m going to save Gold.
Nian Level 100
Health: 20,000,000 Mana: 0
At least it''s not a magic-user, but that Health, and those claws¡­ this thing can do some serious damage to me. But I can''t let Gold die. What''s he doing out of the City, anyway? Did someone chase him out? My outfit has red on it, which has made the Nian wary. Gold''s outfit is blue and white, not a trace of red on it, except for his blood, though the Nian doesn''t seem bothered by that. And since he''s a kid, that increases his attractiveness to the Nian. It must increase mine, too. The Nian takes a step towards me, and the ground shakes, its tiger-like tail flicking in anticipation. I need to get Gold, and get out of here. And learn how to do the fucking Teleport spell, too, so that I can just Teleport back to town when there''s an issue like this. "Fireball!" I exclaim as the Nian charges me, and a fireball forms in front of me, the beast pausing a little. "Hey, kitty-doggy. Wanna play?" The Nian snarls at me, and I throw the Fireball at it, jumping to the side, then up and into a tree, leaping from there to another as the Nian charges into the first. "Binding Darkness!" Black tendrils of darkness wrap around the Nian, temporarily immobilizing it. Considering its brute strength, it can probably break free of it, so I don''t have long. I jump over to Gold''s tree, and his thoughts are filled with apologies. "Save it for when we meet up again," I touch his leg. "Heal." His cuts heals, and I move my hand to his arm, causing him to whimper at my touch. I swiftly set his arm, and he yelps. I perform another Heal, then quickly cast down another Binding Darkness as the Nian breaks free of the first. "Okay," I tell Gold. "Listen up. I''m going to distract this thing. You need to get back to the City. Go straight to Jesse''s house, I know you can find it by scent. Pound on his door and wake that fucker up. You won''t need to be able to talk, he''ll be able to tell something''s probably wrong, based on your appearance and panic. Binding Darkness! Show him this." I pull my necklace off and place it around Gold''s next, and he tilts his head to the side. "It''s unique," I tell him. "One-of-a-kind. He''ll immediately know something''s wrong with me. I''m going to distract this thing so you can get gone, then I''m going to do my best to lose it, but there''s a strong chance I won''t be able to. Jesse will assemble his team, and they''ll come hunting for me. I can hold out for awhile, this thing''s just got strength, though with that strength comes a speed from the sheer force. They should be able to-Binding Darkness! They should be able to retrieve me without issue. Now go!" Gold nods, then takes off, jumping to another tree. He''s pretty nimble, especially now that he''s no longer injured as bad. He''s probably still feeling the pain, though. I can mend the injuries, but not ease the pain. Sorry, Gold. I look down at the Nian, which snarls as it struggles against my binds. Its WIL must be pretty low, based on how long it takes it to break out of each set. Unfortunately, it gets better at breaking out each time, and I have a limited Mana Pool. I stab myself, draining nearly all of my Health as I perform my most potent combination, my knife striking straight into the Nian''s left eye without me even leaving the tree, just in time for the beast to break free. My body heals of its injuries, though it didn''t damage the Nian too badly, and it roars, bleeding out of its eye with my knife stuck in it, then charges at the tree, using its powerful legs to propel itself forward. Yeah, my estimate was right. This thing''s probably about as fast as I am, when I pull my all into it. Judging by its thoughts, the only reason it''s heavily ignoring the slight fear that''s filled it because of the red on my outfit and the Fireballs I keep launching at it is because it''s hungry for human flesh, having not had a decent snack in more than a century, and it''s furious at me for letting its other prey get away.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The Nian bunches its back legs down, and I jump to the side and down to the ground as it launches itself into the air, slamming into the tree I just vacated. The force of the leap snapped the top of the tree off, and I''m already running. The Nian and I play this little ''game'' for awhile, where its best to kill me, and I do my best to get away from it while also hurting it. I manage to retrieve my knife at some point, only to take a fair bit of damage, which I promptly return with another Dark Vengeance. After probably twenty minutes, I receive a notification that surprises me.
You have dealt 1,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+10 platinum!
Damaging this thing earns me rewards? And I got money for it, too. What a nice surprise. What are the other rewards? There''s got to be more than just platinum. And what would I get for killing it? Or would I not get anything? I evade some more of its powerful attacks while doing my best to get away and wound it badly enough to force it to give up. Unfortunately, it''s just too hungry and angry to do that, and it''s a bit too tough for me to break its legs. Dammit. If only I were stronger. As I jump up into another tree, then quickly vacate it before it goes crashing down, I remember that I have that massive reward for solo''ing the Santa Boss, which I only have because I, uh, turned into a dragon for some reason. I could instantly acquire the remaining 29 Levels to master Dark one, which would be a massive boost for my power. But that would also risk Power Jump occurring again. Making a decision as I dodge the Nian, I pull up the interface for adding my Resting Experience, then use 900% of it to bring me up to Level 10, before advancing it to Tier IV. That''s only a small boost, though, compared to my overall Stats, so I quickly use up another 900% and advance me to Tier V. Twenty Levels should leave me alright, and the extra boosts from my every-fifth and Adventurer might be at least halfway decent of an added bonus. They also give me an added bonus to my Agility, and it''s enough to just-barely stay ahead of the Nian, unless it leaps at me, but I''m fast enough now to properly dodge and not risk having my body swiped by those paws. Instead of having to dodge before it moves or the moment I notice it springing and hope I manage. We continue our fight, and I start losing track of time. The only thing that really lets me know it even passes is my Health and Mana increasing, or an occasional Skill Level Up notice.
You have dealt 2,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+5 Temporal Ingots
Temporal Ingots? Isn''t that one of the ores Jackson mentioned? I suppose it makes sense this thing could drop them, considering that it''s a beast of the shifting times. But it''s not as if- My entire body freezes, and I focus on my Mana, remembering the fight just in time to avoid being killed by the Nian, though I do still get hit, thrown into a tree. "Fuck," I mutter, standing and brushing myself off before jumping straight up, the Nian slamming into the tree. Time''s moving slower. This thing doesn''t have any Mana, though. Is it burning its Mana immediately to slow time? Or is it simply inherit around it? Or does it have to do with tomorrow being New Year''s Eve? Do the Crimson City Walls also denote a different passage of time outside of them? What''s going on? Before I can drop back down, I sense something moving at me towards a speed far faster than I can react to, coming at me from behind, and suddenly, a pair of strong arms are gripping me. "I''ve got you," Nik''s voice carries into my ears, and I let out a sigh of relief. "Might want to fly higher," I tell him, and he does, just in time to avoid being clawed by the Nian, which had jumped as soon as it realized its prey was getting away. "I don''t know how much longer I could''ve gone." He''s not using Binding Darkness. Why''d he use it the last couple of times? "You had to use up some of your bonus Experience," he tells me. "Yeah," I nod. "I was barely managing to avoid it." "Two million damage," he mutters. "You took out the Santa Boss, and that thing doesn''t have Mana. How tough is its hide?" "Extremely," I answer. "My strongest attacks were only doing between ten and twenty thousand damage to it." "Damn," he says. "The Nian, huh? I don''t remember any mentions of it in the records." "It''s powerful as fuck, that''s why," I say. "It''s also why the walls turn red." "What do you mean?" He asks, and I throw a glance back to the now-roaring Nian. "It fears the color red," I answer, looking up at Nik, who nearly drops me before using Binding Darkness to keep me from moving around so much. Oh, that''s why he did that the last couple of times. I guess not dropping his student from a few hundred feet up would be preferable, wouldn''t it? "You were wearing red," he points out. "I also used fire against it," I say. "And it fears fire. It was hungry, and also pissed that I let its prey escape." "How do you know about what it fears?" "I''m me." Nik''s silent for a few moments as he continues flying towards the City. "That''s what causes people to disappear," I tell him. "Time flows differently around it." "Differently how?" He asks. "As soon as we were a mile away," I explain. "My Mana and Health started regenerating at the same rate as they should have been, but they were regenerating slower around it. Thinking back on things, whenever we disturbed the snow, it actually moved a bit slower than it should have, so it wasn''t a regeneration-slowing effect. It was slowing time down around it." "Damn," Nik says. "That must be why no one''s ever reported it. If someone had, the Dark Order would know for sure." "Yeah," I nod. "Oh, and it''s not exclusive to the six-day period the walls are red." "What do you mean?" "Do the walls further into the Boundary change at varying times?" "How did you know?" He asks. "Some of them turn a day sooner, and they don''t consistently turn at the same time. Ours turned during the night, but last year, they turned the day before." "They''re to prevent the Nians from drawing near," I explain. "This thing is a Holiday Beast, but it''s not gone the rest of the year, it''s asleep. It doesn''t spawn, it wakes up. The walls turn red when the ''local'' one wakes up, but it''s guaranteed to be awake for the three days up to and of the new year." "How do you know this?" Because I gleaned it from the beast''s thoughts. "I''m me." Nik sighs, flying me down to the Dark Temple, where the rest of his team are waiting, though I know they''d been searching as well ¨C I could sense Nathan flying alongside us after a few, then he sped up to land here, unhide himself, and wait. Travis and Blaine were visible, and I''m sure Jesse was traveling on the ground. "What happened?" Travis asks, and I explain about the Nian, though I leave out about the rewards for dealing damage to it. No need to risk incentivizing death like that. If word got out that you could get platinum and Temporal Ingots from dealing enough damage to it, plenty of morons would try their hand at killing it rather than dying in the war coming up. "Where''s Gold?" I ask, just in time to sense his thoughts as he bursts out of the Dark Temple, before spotting me and slamming into me. He was cleaning up. I guess he was let in to wash up and change, considering he''s not only clean now, but wearing the black and red of the Dark Knights. Nik must have gotten him the clothes before leaving. "Hey, Gold," I hold him against me. "I''m fine, I told you I''d be fine." Gold just cries into me. He''s really sorry about abandoning me like that, and I manage to glean out of him that he overheard Nik and me talking, and how I couldn''t date him because he wasn''t strong enough. "What?" I ask, pushing Gold back. "What are you talking about? That''s not at all what I was saying, Gold!" He looks confused, and tilts his head to the side. "I don''t love you," I say. "But I do like you. You''re a good person, Gold. I''ve missed you a lot, and I''ve been looking for you like hell the last few days because of it. I won''t date you because¡­ because of reasons! But it has nothing to do with you not being strong! You don''t need to be strong, Gold! Just be you, okay?" Gold tilts his head to the other side. "What?" I ask, and realization hits me. He mixed up the two topics Nick and I discussed, not realizing we were talking about someone else initially. "We were talking about Bryce, Gold." Gold tilts his head to the other side. "My half-brother," I explain. "He was killed by the Shadow of Life shortly before we met. He and I got up to a bit of mischief, and the way you acted when you got drunk reminded me of him." Gold''s ears and tails droop, and he drops his shoulders, looking down. He realizes he misunderstood what Nik and I were talking about, and now feels terrible for putting my life in danger like that. "It wasn''t intended," I step up to him and put my hands on his shoulders. "I forgive you, Gold. You couldn''t have known about the Nian." His mental frenzy tells me that he did know about it. "You¡­ did?" I ask, and he nods. "Did you think you could fight it?" He shakes his head. "Just that you could avoid it?" He nods. "It was a lot more powerful, and a lot more fast than you expected, though, wasn''t it?" He nods. I pull him against me, and he starts crying again. "It''s okay," I tell him. "I forgive you, Gold. Let''s me get cleaned up, then we can head home." He nods, then suddenly steps back and pulls my necklace from his pocket and holds it out to me. "Thanks," I take it and pull it back on, then look at Jesse. "Was it all that was needed?" "Yes," he replies. "Is that why you refuse to sell it?" "I think it looks cool," I shrug. "Having it be able to be used as a sign that something''s wrong is just an added bonus, since it''s unique. Anyway, I''m tired, and am probably pushing the limits for Power Jump with the boost I gave myself to avoid being killed, so I''m going to wash up, then Gold and I are heading home, for bed." "Make sure he doesn''t pass out," Nik tells Gold, who nods very seriously, and it takes all I have to not laugh. Chapter 0046 (Zack) "Hey, Pervert!" I say as I enter the Trading Post. "Zacky!" "If I remove Chef, can you teach me how to be a Certified Assessor?" "Why?" His entire act drops with that request as shock fills his face. Something can actually force him to react out of the act when he''s got it on? And why does me asking him that shock him so much? "Just because." "It''s not to punish Samantha''s students, is it?" He asks. "What?" I ask, then remember the game going on. "No. They should be smart enough to not attack a Certified Assessor on the job. I hadn''t actually remembered that punishment until you just mentioned it." "Then why?" He asks. "Talorn." "What about it?" "Once I start hunting in there," I say. "I''m probably going to be facing a lot of Bounty Beasts, and possibly doing multi-day trips there. Being able to directly buy the basics from there would be beneficial, but it''s mostly so I can just collect the rewards without having to bother you. I plan on stocking up on supplies here, in case I do any long trips." "The Trading Post and Dark Temple are pretty far apart." "So maybe I''d end up stealing your orb for a few minutes when I return?" I offer. "It took us, like, ten minutes to do my full assessment after I wiped out that horde." "Are you planning on taking on a horde again?" "I''m stupid, not suicidal." Jesse sighs, then I kick up and back, my foot slamming into the face of the fifteen-year-old student of Samantha''s. He manages to block two punches before my fist connects with his chest, and he groans. "You guys aren''t going to beat me," I say. "We''re going to," he tells me. "We have four more days before the walls turn normal, and two more for the game after." "Maybe," I say. "But the only way you''ll get me is if you do something that will cause me to get very angry. And if you do that, you''ll be losing your head." He pales a little, taking a few steps back. My Demonic Voice leaked out a little, and I reign it back in. "I''m nearly Level 141," I tell him, and his eyes widen. "I''m a Rank 2 Class. My Perception is over a hundred. I''m surprised none of you actually did your research and looked up the information on me. As fast as you are, I''ll know you''re coming, and I''ll be able to block it. That''s why you can''t touch me as you use Conceal, dummy." He frowns, but nods and leaves, and I turn back to Jesse, who raises an eyebrow. "Isn''t it because you can sense their minds?" "Do you know how many people are aware I can sense the minds of others?" Jesse nods. "So?" I say. "Can you?" He sighs, but nods. "Dealing with your rampages in Talorn could take up a fair bit of time," he says. "And with more Adventurers going to be moving out here in preparation for the war coming up in a couple of months, having to spend ten or fifteen minutes seeing which Bounty Beasts you killed could be a hassle. That said, you do need to be Level 15 Certified Assessor to check your own rewards." "Pervert?" "Yes?" "Santa Boss." The normal kill is enough for a hundred Levels to a Class and a Subclass, and the bonus kill that I received doubled it. Then there were the thirty Levels I could already add on to a Subclass from past rewards. "Right," he say. "You have to pay a fee of a hundred plat, go through a medical exam, and bring Appraisal up to Level 10." "What about if I piss in your potions?" "50 gold fee, Level 10 Appraisal, Level 5 Bounty Hunter." The Level 10 Appraisal makes sense, the 50 gold sort of makes sense, but the last one? "Level 5 Bounty Hunter?" "Yes," he responds. "Seriously?" "I don''t make the rules," he tells me. "Big S?" Long story. "He says it''s a long story." Jesse laughs. "Damn," I say. "Getting Appraisal to Level 10''s gonna take me forever, since it only goes up through repeated use and on things with a decent resistance or at a high enough ''item type'' that I can still use it on." "Good luck," Jesse tells me. "You think you can handle the Bounty Beasts?" I stare at him, and he just laughs in response to that. I only need one more Bounty Beast killed to hit Level 5 Bounty Hunter. I really do want to know the story behind needing Bounty Hunter Level 5 in order to become a Certified Assessor, though ¨C why does it require that we kill five Bounty Beasts alone? "If you go into the back," Jesse tells me. "There are some items that should get you from Level 6 to Level 7 ¨C check out the two stacks of shelves on the far wall, furthest to the left." "Thank you," I say, then vault over the counter and walk to the back. The back room is just shelves and tables covered in goods, and one of the tables has an alchemy station set up. Jesse''s been busy making his own goods while he''s bored, hasn''t he? I''m betting they''re poisons and smokebombs. He must keep all of his adult creations in his own Inventory, because I can''t find any. I reach the back shelves Jesse told me about, and start using Appraisal on everything on it. It has a wide variety of times, from dinnerware to cutlery to weapons to potions to enchanted stones to resources, and more. I''m on my third run through them when realization hits, and I look at the pair of shelves to my left, which are pretty sparse with items, almost as if they were emptied out and are being stocked up with the usual, low-level stuff that a Certified Assessor would keep on-hand, just in case.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Frowning, I start using Appraisal on everything that I doubt would be normal stock in here, and confirm that the ten shelves on this back wall are all things that would require Level 6 or higher Appraisal. I can''t read anything on it past the two shelves he told me to use. The two back sets of shelves on the wall to the left¡­ those had things that would require Level 5 Appraisal to see, didn''t they? Jesse''s stocked his storage up just for me. They expected me to one day do ask for this, didn''t they? Nik wants me to let him know when my Appraisal goes up a Level. I thought it was so he could get an estimate on how soon before I can read him if I''m close enough in Level, but what if it was really so that he could let Jesse know that he could clear off two sets of shelving? I return to using Appraisal on the wide variety of items, managing to bring it up to Level 7 on the fourth pass, and to verify, I check the other shelves on the back wall. The fact that the two to the right of the Level 6-required items contain items I can read confirms it. Finished with reaching Level 7 for the day, I head to the front, thank Jesse for the use of the stuff, then vault back over the counter and leave, promptly taking down another apprentice assassin before making my way to the local restaurant for dinner. Gold''ll probably make food still, but that''s fine, as I''ll probably still be hungry when I get there. I''m seated quickly, and a few minutes after I start eating, Kylie shows up in the restaurant. Spotting me, she comes over. "Hey," she says. "Mistress told me you found your friend." "Yeah," I answer. "It turns out that he''d gone out of the City, and was having a hard time getting back in. We made up." "Mind if I sit here?" "Um, sure," I say, and she smiles at me, taking a seat. "Why were you wandering the streets last night?" Her face immediately turns to confusion, and she even shakes her head and moves it back in that short, jerky motion that some people do when surprised by something. "How''d you know?" "You remember that breeze you felt?" I ask, and she nods. I stare at her. It takes her six and a half seconds for realization to hit. "That was you?" "Yes." "There was a blur, but that was it!" She says. "I wasn''t sure what had happened, and thought maybe I''d imagined that! If you''re that fast, we''re never going to win." "There''s one way to win," I tell her, and she raises an eyebrow. "Use someone I like as a hostage. If the five of you teamed up, you could probably do it. I care about Gold very much, as he''s the second friend I''ve ever had. If his safety is threatened, it''d be easy to win against me. As assassins, none of you should have not thought about that." "Um, yeah," she blushes a little. "We''re taught to assassinate monsters, not people. The human assassins are different." "Maybe," I shrug. "Though there''s one little problem with going after Gold so you can beat me in this game." "What is it?" "I''d no longer see it as a game." The tone of my voice, the low growl in my throat, something about what I said had an effect. A strong one. Not only did Kylie flinch backwards and turn pale, but the entire room went silent. I take a shaky breath, then let it out. I didn''t mean to scare her, but I can''t stand the thought of Gold being hurt. I really wish I had the power to kill the Nian, to make it suffer for hurting him. Just thinking about not being able to infuriates me. I''ve already lost one friend, I can''t lose another. "Sorry," I force a smile. "So! What were you doing last night?" She takes a few moments to collect herself, then blushes. "I was looking for Gold," she admits. "In the middle of the night?" I ask. "Why were you looking for him?" "I, um," she blushes deeper and looks down at the table. "I dunno." She''s lying. I press with my thoughts, and manage to figure out that she was doing it because she hoped it''d let us be friends. She thinks I''m cute. My face heats up when I realize that, and I quickly look down at my food. A girl who likes me. If I were still back in reality, that''d be nothing more than a fantasy. I don''t¡­ I dunno how to react to this. We both eat without really talking anymore, and as soon as I finish, I throw some money onto the table and leave, hastily heading home, where Gold''s cooking one of my hams. He gives me a curious ¨C and guilty ¨C look, but doesn''t want to ask why I was moving so fast. After dinner, Gold does the dishes, then shifts around a bit in the entryway to where we''ve been sleeping, watching me practice my martial arts. Is it because I''m in my usual practice attire? Thinking about him crushing on me leads me back to Kylie liking me, and I feel my face flush again, so I start pushing myself harder until I catch a specific thought sequence from Gold, realizing why he''s shifting around like that. "Come here, Gold," I say, and he tilts his head, but walks over. I hold out my hands, and a pair of wooden training swords appear, dropping out of my Inventory onto them. "Bryce and I trained with these. Take one." He does, and I take a few steps back. "Stop me from hitting you," I say, and he nods, holding up his sword. I don''t hit him hard, but I''m not light, either. He knows I''m keeping in mind what he can do as I do this. He''s very hesitant to use the sword, especially against me, his twice-savior, but he wants to be able to at least defend himself and protect himself. Being chased by the Nian has really scared him, and he knows that even if he''s no plans on ever leaving the Cities during the Crimson City Walls again, he might still need to fight at some point, as much as he doesn''t want to. It takes about an hour before he manages to actually strike my sword. He''s watching my form, learning quickly. Once I notice a sudden improvement in his ability to defend against me, I give us a break. "Congratulations," I tell him, and he beams at me. "You learn fast, Gold, which is helpful. You also watch your opponent, which helps you grow. That''s good. Keep it up, and I''m sure you''ll be a master in no time." He beams at me again, his tail wagging in his happiness. Those were things my own mentor said to me, and the martial arts instructors I learned from back in reality. I learned quickly, and it was sped up because I watched and analyzed my opponents and instructors, learning what they did almost as if by sight. Gold and I wash up and head to bed, and when morning comes, I teach him a bit more with the sword, then a little of martial arts. He learns that even faster, though I''m sure he already had some experience, based on his thoughts. The Beastborn happily prepares dinner for us, making a feast for the new year, doing his best to try not to let me know that he hopes he can taste the champagne again. When it''s time for dinner, I pull out another bottle, but make sure he doesn''t drink too much, only a glass of it. After settling him down and putting him to bed, I jump up onto the roof of my home and watch the sky, lying down in the thick snow that still covers the top of my home. Back in reality, there would be fireworks, and my family would be having a party with a bunch of their associates. I take a swig from the bottle every now and then, letting the warmth fill me. I learned long ago that I couldn''t even get affected unless it was by something really strong, and in a decent quantity. Father said I probably got my tolerance from Mother, because she could handle quite a bit more than him. I can handle more than her. Now that I know that I''m a literal demigod whose true father is existence itself, I know why I never seem to get drunk and can handle so much alcohol. Closing my eyes as midnight hits, the last thoughts I have before drifting off to sleep are about how Mother met my real father, and what Father thought when she turned up pregnant with someone else''s kid. They''d never told me. A man stalks the night, his stride slow, steady, and predatory, his dark blue eyes fixed firmly ahead, not bothering to look around as he passes through the alley. A man in ragged clothes jumps the brown-haired man, only to find himself¡­ gone. Simply erased from existence. The strange man continues to walk, until he reaches a dumpster. When he reaches it, the dumpster moves to the side, revealing a blond-haired woman with brown eyes, who looks up at the finely-dressed figure with fear in her eyes. The woman is dressed skimpily, revealing the fine figure and intentional appeal of her body. A hooker? "Hello," he smiles down at the woman. "You look like you could use a good place to sleep tonight." "Tell Benny-" The man holds up a hand, and the woman''s voice ceases as I stare at her through the dream with confusion. That voice was, unmistakably, my mother''s. Looking at her now, I realize that, if I were to put her in fine clothes or a nice dress, clean the makeup from her, maybe give her a light touching-up, and she''d be my mother. Well, adding on probably thirteen or fourteen years as well, but still. She''d be in her late teens at this point, maybe twenty, at most. "I do not work for him," the figure tells her. "Benny is no issue, not anymore. Why don''t you walk with me? One night is all I ask, and you''ll have a warm place to sleep tonight. You won''t have to do anything you don''t want to." The woman swallows, but nods, and she stands. He leads her to a hotel, where they spend the night together, and when morning comes, she''s leaving the hotel when she bumps into another man, who is around seventeen or eighteen. He''s dressed in a fine suit ¨C worth probably at least ten grand ¨C with his blond hair styled well, his brown eyes frowning at her. I''d put him around maybe sixteen or seventeen. "My-my apologies," she stammers as the other figure watches, a light smile on his lips. "I-I-I didn''t, I-" "How old are you?" He asks. "Eighteen," she answers. "And you''re a hooker?" He asks. "If-if you want me to-in-in exchange for-" "No," he holds up a hand. "My father taught me better than to use cheap women. It was probably fate that brought us together, though. If you wish to leave the life, then call this number tonight. Mention that I told you to." He holds out a business card, and she takes it with shaky hands, and he starts to leave. "What''s your name?" She asks. "Michael Noruva," he answers without breaking his stride, reaching the expensive car pulled to the curb and saying a few short words to the driver, who opens the door and lets him into the back. Chapter 0047 (Zack) My mind is reeling, after my vision New Year''s morning. That dream-vision¡­ was that really my parents'' encounter? I remember hearing that they met when they were still teens, and married after Father graduated high school. I don''t remember them having a wedding, but maybe they kept it quiet? He was sixteen when they met, and that was definitely his name. That man with the brown hair and blue eyes¡­ the same brown hair and blue eyes that I have¡­ was that Existence, taken mortal form? Why did he interfere like that? Why did he manipulate the threads of fate so that they would meet? I''m glad the vision didn''t show me the part in the room, I really don''t need to see that. What did he see in someone with that profession, though? My mind continues to swim until I reach Jackson''s shop. He stopped by on his way in and let me know that my equipment was ready. Gold''s at the Dark Temple again, and I think he''s considering moving in. He''s still embarrassed by what he did the other day, and learned the appropriate Skills. I caught him intimidating the local, non-monster rats to obtain that Skill, and he blushed deeply in response to it. It''ll be lonely at home, if he moves away. I already miss him, and he''s still living with me. Nik''s told me before that I''m welcome to move into the Dark Temple, too, but I can''t do that. Sometime in the next few months, the healer of my party is arriving, and I want to be at the house for it. Partly to make up to him for how I treated him, back in reality. I can''t just let him be thrown into this world on his own. Personalities come intact when we come here ¨C Big Flame told me that while they remove the memories, the impression they left on our souls, that which formed our personalities, remains. If that''s true, he''s going to have it rough when he arrives, and my protective instinct towards him screams at me to make sure he''s going to be fine. I also have no clue when that Wolf Beastborn is arriving, either, but I doubt he would be as willing to enter the Dark Temple as Gold. The only reason Gold''s so willing is because of my saving him, and it being ''mine''. Gold''s weird like that. Then again, I did see the Wolf Beastborn in the Altar Chamber in one of the visions, which is interesting. It suggests he''s a Dark Knight in the future. Shaking my head, I push open the door to Jackson''s shop and walk up to the counter, waiting as he finishes talking with the customer, a high-Level Paladin who''s been around awhile, though who hasn''t really talked with me much. Once they finish their transaction, the Paladin leaving behind a sword and shield for repair, the Paladin leaves, and Jackson leads me to the back, where he triggers the privacy enchantment and pulls my commission out of his Blacksmith Inventory. The armor''s nearly identical to my current armor in design, though it''s black with red streaks through it, and seems like there''s gold flecked through it. The sword and knife are similar. I remove my weapons and coat, sending the former into my Inventory as I start pulling on my new equipment. It''s lightweight, but I''m sure it''s as deadly as any ¨C possibly deadlier. "Thanks, Jackson," I say as I slash my sword through the air. "These are really good." I can''t register them with my Level 8 Appraisal, but I kind of figured that would happen. A powerful alloy made of multiple rare and Holiday ores, plus Primordial Essence? Why would it be anything less than something requiring Level 10 Appraisal? "You''re welcome," he says. "It''s the finest set I''ve made yet. Mixing them together created a powerful alloy, as expected, and it was highly malleable ¨C the coloration was entirely up to me, for instance. The System''s registered them as "Zack''s Holiday", probably because of what makes them up." My rewards from Holiday Bosses, and such. "Yeah," I nod, sheathing my sword. "Anything I should know?" "All injuries inflicted," he says. "Will have a reduced recovery, even Bleeding, if it''s bad enough. Any damage to a critical spot will be amplified, and it can cut through magic with ease, just like your Spook Ore could. Your armor will absorb any magic thrown at you that isn''t healing, while giving you a boost against both heat and cold." It really is malleable, if he was able to take the Turkey Ore''s property for cookware and dinnerware and use it for armor. I''ve no doubt that''s where the resistance to cold came from, if he didn''t have something like the Ice Lord''s core/heart thingy to use. "There are some other nifty parts to it," he tells me. "But that''s about it for the important stuff." I nod, and he pulls out the remaining ingots, one of each, and six of the Magic Crystals, as well as one jar of the Primordial Essence. I add a Temporal Ingot, five more Magic Crystals, and another jar of the secret ingredient (wrapped in cloth) to the pile, and give him an expectant look. "How did you-" he starts, then cuts himself off, holding up a hand. "Never mind, I''m not going to ask. I expect you want something even stronger?" "Yes," I answer. "I can''t exactly acquire the other ores right now without an extreme amount of luck, but I''m sure you can make do without. Use what you need to. If using an ore isn''t beneficial, then keep it out. I want only the strongest." "Understood," he nods. "Thanks," I pull my coat back on. "I''ll see you around." He dips his head, and I leave him to his dealings, making my way back home, where I practice with my new equipment for a few minutes, just to get a feel for it. It''s lightweight, and it''s powerful. I adjust my Level a bit, to give myself another boost of power. Nodding when I detect no signs of Power Jump preparing to happen, I change into a white and blue outfit before I leave, heading to the home next-door, which looks completely undisturbed, other than having been cleared of snow. I walk to the table in the courtyard and sit on it, fixing my gaze at a spot near the wellpump, keeping it up as intensely as I can, shifting it when necessary, up until Nathan cancels his concealment. "Hi, Nathan," I say. "I have a favor to ask." He looks at me curiously. "Today''s the last day of the Crimson City Walls," I say. "And I don''t want to wait a year to settle a grudge match. Would you mind coming as backup? Same condition as with the Santa Boss ¨C only heal me if I''m actually dying, and only step in and interfere if it''s needed."If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He thinks for a few moments, then crosses his arms over his chest. "You know about the beast''s special circumstances," I say. "And about a certain item I hold. I''ll happily give you one if your services aren''t needed. If you do step in and help, well, you''ll get a share of the rewards just from that." He sighs, then nods, removing his coat and tunic, before spreading his wings. He beckons for me to come closer, so I do, and he uses some sort of ropes of light to strap me to him, which is weird, considering that he''s a fair bit shorter than me. The next thing I know, there''s a prickling sensation, and I sense that he just used Conceal on both of us before taking flight. It takes us around thirty minutes to locate the Nian, and instead of lowering us down, Nathan simply releases his hold me, causing me to fall towards the ground. I land in a roll, my new sword in my right hand, my Spook Sword in my left, and begin my attack without delay. I''m a little bit stronger, and while my left sword is the same strength as before, my right one penetrates much, much more easily, with no resistance detected. I''m able to do a lot more damage, and that''s before I start using my combos. And with my twenty new Levels, I''m even faster than before. The Nian has healed to full since my previous encounter with it, and when I reach a million damage dealt to it, I find myself a bit disappointed.
You have dealt 1,000,000 damage to the Nian!
You have already earned the reward for this against the Naelmar Valley Nian this cycle. Try again next cycle.
Damn. I was so hoping to get more, but it looks like I''m shit out of luck on that. The 2,000,000 damage reward gives me the same notification, and I determine, now that I''m thinking a bit more clearly and without the panic of a few nights ago clouding my thoughts, that it seems to get tougher the less Health it has. It likely has an innate form of Rage or Blood Frenzy. My new sword doesn''t seem affected by it, so I press on, curious about what the next reward will be, finding out after just a few more minutes.
You have dealt 3,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+1 Stat Token!
A Stat Token? What the hell is that? And it''s even rarer than Temporal Ingots, if the rarity of the rewards increases the more damage is dealt. Instead of thinking about it further, I return my focus to the fight.
You have dealt 4,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+5 Primordial Essence!
So I get even that from this, huh? At least I know Stat Tokens are between Temporal Ore and Primordial Essence, though it does bring up the question of what rewards them, normally.
You have dealt 5,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+20 platinum!
I just earned double the first reward for doing four times more the damage. Will I earn Temporal Ore again with my next million threshold?
You have dealt 6,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+10 Temporal Ingots!
Damn! I''m betting that someone soloing this thing so much isn''t normal ¨C indeed, the only reason I can is because of my new sword. I send the Spook Sword back into my Inventory the moment it can no longer penetrate the hide of the beast without a full combo, and even then, it''s only scratching the thing. At least my new armor seems to absorb all of the shock from the attacks, if I can manage to get them in the way. I still get thrown around, but I take no damage unless I either miss an attack, misjudge one of its, or don''t react in time.
You have dealt 7,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+2 Stat Tokens!
Yeah, the rewards are probably something probably intended to help the truly powerful ¨C only someone who could normally hurt one of these things. I''m betting someone that powerful would probably already be past a couple of Ascensions. Or at least, in their first one. Whatever these Stat Tokens are, they''d probably provide only a meager bonus to them.
You have dealt 8,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+10 Primordial Essence!
But still ¨C these resources are coming in like crazy. I mean, I understand this is supposed to be tough ¨C and it is, considering how resilient this thing''s gotten and how strong it''s become. They''ll last me awhile, I''m sure. I could make some pretty decent gear. That''s actually probably the intent. I''ve no doubt there are much stronger beasts around than the Nian, things that would require even stronger equipment than what I''ve got. But why so many Temporal Ingots? Is it really that useful?
You have dealt 9,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+30 platinum!
Looks like the rewards increase by the base amount each time, but that doesn''t matter, since it''s still a massive win. I''m starting to feel exhaustion biting at me.
You have dealt 10,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+15 Temporal Ingots!
The first signs of resistance for my new weapon, only the slightest shift.
You have dealt 11,000,000 damage to the Nian!
+3 Stat Tokens!
I disable System Notifications so I can continue on the fight without the distractions, especially since I know what''s coming. The Nian''s probably expected to be attacked over several days, not all at once, and I''m getting more and more exhausted as I fight. Eventually, though, I manage to slay it, and once I do, I collapse onto the ground. Movement occurs near me, and Nathan comes into view, pouting at me. "I made a promise, didn''t I?" I ask, and he nods. I wave a hand, and three bottles of the champagne appears in my hands. He looks happy as he takes them from me. "You''re welcome. Want some Primordial Essence and Temporal Ingots as well?" He probably knows it''s a bit of a bribe, so that he won''t tell about what we just did. Nik''s going to be furious if he hears about it. Nathan looks at me, unsure about if I''m serious or not, so I pull out ten Temporal Ingots and ten jars of Primordial Essence. I have more than enough for myself. Nathan''s eyes widen, and he quickly moves everything into his Inventory. I''m sure he''s going to find a use for those. I can tell the bribe worked, so I sit up and reactivate the notices. The pattern continued with the rest of the rewards, including receiving 25 Primordial Essence at 20,000,000 damage dealt. That''s quite a lot of Primordial Essence. There''s another notification, but it''s not the usual bonus for killing something special ¨C though both of my relevant Subclasses went up from it, and I maxed-out the Level for the current Tier of my new Class.
Naelmar Valley Nian Slain!
The Naelmar Valley Nian will take twenty years to be reborn, granting two decades of peace from it to the region!
No bonus reward or anything, but I''m betting the Levels alone would normally be considered enough. I have not a doubt in my mind that it''d be extremely difficult without my new equipment to kill it, even in a large party, and anyone participating would surely receive an immense amount of Experience. Someone in their first, and maybe even second, Ascension would likely receive a decent amount of Levels from the kill. Especially considering that slaying the Nian earned me a Rank 4 Title, Savior of the New Year. Considering how difficult a Rank 1 Title is, and how much more difficult they get to earn the higher their Rank, that was truly a significant feat. Already exhausted, I feel myself fading, deciding that I probably did get affected by Power Jump, but only because of those last few Levels. Those are my last thoughts before blackness fills my vision. Chapter 0048 (Zack) I''m back to that place outside of existence, and can sense those two¡­ things. I''m watching existence, the giant Crystal that is all that exists, contains all that exist within it. Yet those two things are outside of it. Do they exist? Or do they not? If I touch they crystal, they''ll likely sense me again, but there''s a good chance that I won''t be able to return to myself just from that. Looking around, I confirm the nothingness around me. Nothing at all. And then, without warning, I''m in the cave with the crimson dragon with violet eyes, who''s smiling at me. "Hello, Zack," he says. "Best not to be outside of existence for too long, lest that which doesn''t exist attempt to grip you." "Uh¡­ hello?" I say. "Hi," he chuckles. "You seem shocked." "Aren''t I in Power Jump?" I ask. "This is¡­ different than last time." "Your heritage makes things unusual," he says. "Consider yourself both as having a vision of things and not." Because that makes total sense, but I''ll roll with it. I''m Zack Noruva, after all. "Can I ask you something?" "Asking is free," he answers, then snorts. "For now." I''m going to ignore that. "Why do you work with Alexander?" "I don''t." "But you send Dragons-" He lets out a massive bellow, laughing so deeply that the air itself shakes with the force of it. It takes him several minutes to calm down, turning that violet gaze back to me. "The Dragons that attack the cities are his own doing," Big FD says. "Not mine. I only sometimes send Dragons for him when I''m feeling particularly bored and he needs something stronger than one of his own. My own Dragons live here, in this realm that permeates all existence while existing outside of it." "That makes no sense." "It will," he tells me. "When you''re older, more mature, and have come into more of your power, Zack." "O¡­kay," I say. "So. What am I doing until this ''vision'' ends?" "Want to play cards?" "Are you even able to play cards like that?" I ask, and he grins at me. Immediately, his form begins to change, shifting and changing, shrinking down. Within moments, he''s a boy my age, dressed in a navy blue tunic, black pants, and a pair of black leather boots, a black leather belt wrapped around his waist with a crimson metal buckle designed like a dragon, with what look like real amethysts set into it for eyes. He has familiar brown hair and blue eyes. Very familiar brown hair and blue eyes. "Are we¡­ related?" "Yes," he answers, his voice light and amused. "We''re related, Zack." "Are you stuck at thirteen?" "I can be any age I want," he laughs. "Since you''re thirteen, I figured, I''d take the form of someone of a similar age to you, make it for similar height." "So is being short something in the family?" I ask. "Or did you just choose to be that way?" "This wasn''t always considered short," he tells me. "And I''m rather fond of it." "So you can turn into a Dragon, too?" I ask. "I can be anything I want," he tells me. "Though you didn''t inherit that particular trait. As far as I can tell, you just have your human and Dragon forms." "Am I as big as you?" "Not even close," he tells me. "You''re much too young for that. Nice fight against the Santa Boss, by the way. I was in stitches when you turned into a Dragon. Actually destroyed a mountain from the force of my laughter." I am so glad he didn''t destroy this one while I was inside of it with his laughter a minute ago. "Do you know how I can do it on purpose?" "Nope," he answers. "Such powers are dependent on you. Come on, let''s play cards, you''ll be out for almost four hours this time." Big FD manifests a deck of cards, and we play until I feel myself pulling out of the vision. Before I even open my eyes, I can smell it. Food. Lots of food. Opening my eyes and sitting up, I look to the source of it, which turns out to be Nathan cooking something huge over a fire. "Is that a hog?" I ask, and Nathan looks at me, then quickly blushes before returning to his preparations. Looks like he''s making a bit of a feast. Zack? "Yes, Big S?" Where did you go? "What do you mean?" I ask as I start hunting for my sword, and Nathan looks at me, curious. "Big S is talking to me."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. He makes an ''o'' with his mouth, then returns to cooking. As if it''s perfectly normal to converse with the Crystals like I do. He does, doesn''t he? Dang. Here I was, thinking it was just me. You had your Power Jump vision, Big S says. Except I sensed you¡­ leave. You did the same thing last time, only you were back quickly, and had a residue on you that told me you''d temporarily left Existence itself. "That leaves a residue?" I sheathe my sword. Yes. You have it this time, too, but it''s so faint¡­ you went somewhere else. "I was playing cards with Big FD." With who? "The Dragon you told me not to tell the other Crystals I''d seen." Big S lets out a heavy sigh in my mind, but doesn''t talk further. I walk over to Nathan and help him finish cooking. He doesn''t talk at all, but at least I know what he''s making. As soon as we''re done cooking, we start eating, finishing up just as Nik approaches us. From the sky, and he looks panicked. "What in the hell are you two doing?" He asks. "There is a giant fucking monster on the loose that could kill you, you know." Nathan cracks up laughing. "Why''s he laughing?" Nik asks. "You''re going to be mad, so I''m not going to answer." "You fought it, didn''t you?" "Yes," I answer. "Where''s it run off to?" "Hell," I answer. "Actually, do monsters go to hell? Or-" "You expect me to believe you killed that?" Nik asks. "I am stronger," I tell him. "And I had better equipment." Nik looks at me, assessing my equipment, then frowns. "When did you get that?" He asks. "Erm," I say. "I had Jackson forge it." "It feels," he approaches me. "Powerful. Like it''s made of-how many ores went into this?" "Uh," I say. "I think¡­ a lot? Seven." "Seven Holiday Ingots or rare ores," Nik mutters. "Yet at the same time-Primordial Essence. You got some?" Damn, he''s good. "From a Platinum Present from the Santa Boss," I admit. No use hiding it. "Jackson forged it for me in secret. It was able to pierce the Nian''s hide a lot easier than my other swords, and the armor held up well, too." Actually, speaking of things holding up, I need to check my sword for nicks and such. How will I sharpen it back up? Pulling my sword from its sheath, I begin examining it as Nik starts scolding Nathan for agreeing to this. The blade doesn''t have a single mark on it, completely undamaged by the Nian''s hide and claws. That''s impressive. Just how powerful a beast would be needed in order to damage this thing, if the Nian failed to? I remove my armor and inspect those, finding them as pristine as when I received them, then pull them all back on and sheathe my sword once more. Nik''s still scolding Nathan for how reckless it was, and said that he''s over a hundred years old and should know better than to do something like that. Isn''t he the one person on their team who would be able to escape a dangerous fight of absurd proportions on his own? From what I know, the little healer has an immense amount of Mana, and he''s even faster than me. If things got serious, he could heal me, grab me, and take off. "Nik," I say. "Let the little guy go. He regularly travels into Lost Territory, remember? He probably knew about Nians before." Nik looks at me for a moment, then looks at Nathan. "Did you?" Nik asks, and Nathan averts his gaze. "Normar, have you known about the Nians?" Nathan gives a shy nod. "And you never said anything?" "He probably knew about the rewards, too," I say, and Nathan''s cheeks flush, confirming it. "You''ve killed a Nian before?" Nik''s shocked. "The reward isn''t for killing it," I say. "There isn''t a reward for killing it." Nathan''s slight pout tells me he didn''t know about that. So he hasn''t killed one before. How much has he done to it? "Then what reward are you talking about?" Nik looks at me. "Every million damage an individual deals to a specific Nian," I say. "They receive a reward. Five plat for the first million, five Temporal Ingots for the second, a Stat Token for the third, and five Primordial Essence for the fourth. After that, you receive them over again, though increased. Double the base, then triple, quadruple, quintuple, ending at twenty-five plat, twenty-five Temporal Ingots, five Stat Tokens, and twenty-five Primordial Essence." The old Dark Knight seems stunned by that knowledge. "However," I say. "Time slows down when you''re fighting it, even if you don''t. That includes your regenerations. Not only that, but the Nian seems to get tougher the less Health it has. My sword was cutting through it like a hot knife through soft butter at first, but by the end, it was like my Spook Sword at the start ¨C with a fair bit of resistance. Not only that, but it got a bit faster and stronger, too." My mentor closes his eyes and lets out a very heavy sigh before opening them and looking at the two of us. "And Normar didn''t tell anyone because he didn''t want us attempting to get those rewards," Nik finally says. "In case we risked dying against it while he wasn''t around. How much did you manage to do the one you fought, Normar?" Nathan wiggles a little bit, definitely uncomfortable by all the attention put on him. Eventually, he holds up two fingers. I attempt to read his thoughts, though it''s not easy. Easier than most people, though, so I guess we count as being close? "Two million?" Nik asks, and Nathan nods. "Were you trying to kill it?" "No," I snort as Nathan''s thoughts hit me. "He was trying to escape it. It probably thought he was another juicy kid, another decent snack for it to consume. The first in a long while. Ours was pretty pissed over not having had a snack in over a century, it''s safe to assume that Nathan''s probably the first treat they''ve smelled in¡­ a long while. At least, out in the Lost Territory." Could that be why he was here? To stick around until after it was ''safe'' to travel back out there? Nathan shrugs, then looks at me curiously. "They never told you that I can read minds, did they?" I ask, and his eyes widen. "It''s not an accurate art, Nathan, I only get some impressions of what you''re thinking. It''s easier with people like Gold, since that''s their primary method of communication. By the way ¨C I don''t have an issue with you being friends with him, I was just shocked about it. And because of your friendship¡­ I kind of want to know something." He gives me a curious look. "Did he tell you about leaving the City before he did?" I ask, and he shakes his head. "So you didn''t know he was going to try and teach himself how to fight?" He shakes his head, and I sigh. "What?" Nik asks. "He knew Gold was going to try to ''be strong''," I say. "Just not that he was going to leave the City." "Jeez," Nik mutters under his breath, switching to some language I don''t know. I just shrug, then finish my meal before it finishes going frozen. Nik helps us clean things up, then the three of us head back to town. "Nik," I say once we''re at my house, since he decided to walk me there. "What?" He looks as if he expects me to drop a massive bomb on him. "By the way," I say. "There won''t be a new Nian in the valley for twenty years. I''m not sure if the walls will still go crimson or not, but it''ll be as safe as always to enter the valley during the time of the Crimson Walls for the next twenty years." "What makes you think that?" He asks. "The only notification that wasn''t about my Levels after I killed it," I answer. "Duh!" I turn and enter my property as Nik groans, then he leaves. Gold''s busy staring at cards, and he looks at me with concern, only for me to remember that I''m kind of covered in the blood of two beasts. Guess he''s spending the night here tonight, too. I''m still expecting him to just start sleeping at the Dark Temple, with how much he''s been in it the last few nights. "Hey, Gold," I walk over to him. "I''d give you a hug, but then you''d get blood all over you. I killed the Nian. No one fucks with my friends." His face lights up with excitement as his tail wags, then he charges forward, tackling me and giving me a hug. "The blood! The blood!" Well, and I''m actually pretty sore from the fight, too. Gold releases me, tilting his head to the side. "Gah, Gold!" I say. "Now you''re covered in blood! Where''s your other outfit? The one that makes you look like a Dark Knight Beastborn?" He puffs out his chest, and I crack up laughing. I can''t help it. "Come on," I say. "Let''s go get washed up." Chapter 0049 (Zack) Today''s the last day of the game with Samantha''s five students, and damn, are they really trying. Even after ''dying'', they''re still working together, hoping they can manage to take me on despite our massive difference in Level and ability. Even Kylie''s joined them. She''s the only one I haven''t tagged yet, mostly because she hasn''t come after me before, and the other four are attempting to distract me so that she can tag me. Well, they''re going to attempt to distract me. They''re currently just stalking me beyond what they think is my range of perception. Okay, well, they kind of are. But Gold''s stalking them, and is letting me know. Apparently, Beastborn are natural stalkers. Who knew? Wait. Hold on. Me. I did. I knew it. I can''t wait until I meet an actual Wolf Beastborn, since they''ll be bigger masters of stealth than Gold. Speaking of Beastborn, I''ve managed to learn that there are only four types, and of each species of them, they''re all the same type. So all Dog Beastborn have golden retriever traits, all Monkey Beastborn have¡­ the same kind of monkey traits, all Cat Beastborn all have¡­ I''m not sure, actually. As near as I could glean, they''re either tiger or lion. I could probably just ask Nik or Jesse or Blaine, though. The five of them have been following me all day. I shoot a quick impression to Gold, who I''m pretty sure starts giggling in response by how amused his thoughts get. Then I use Conceal, something the five apprentices weren''t aware I had. I sneak my way down to Samantha''s hideout, where the five students are staying. It''s in the abandoned part of town, and technically, underneath a building. Getting into the hideout requires knowing how to get in there, which I found out by stalking my little prey. I mean my hunters. I''m barely five steps into the common area of the assassin''s hideout when something attacks me, flipping me over and onto the ground, putting me into a chokehold faster than I can react. Dammit, Samantha! "Zack?" She tightens her grip when I cancel my Conceal. "How did you get in here?" "I''ve known how to enter for, like, three weeks," I tell her. "Don''t think Nik''d appreciate me getting broken bones ''cause of you." Samantha loosens her grip on me. "What are you doing here?" She asks. "I gave your apprentices the slip," I grin, turning my head to face her. "Figured I''d wait for them in here, since we only have, like, an hour left of the game. You know I almost killed them yesterday, don''t you?" She sighs, releasing me. They tried to used Gold against me, putting to the test my claim of no longer seeing it as a game if they did, and the only reason I didn''t beat the living crap out of them was because it was obvious they''d asked Gold to pretend like they''d kidnapped him. His wagging tail, barely-contained smile, excitement in his eyes, and rapidfire thoughts told me all I needed to know. His excitement at the game was so powerful that I could sense it before I even got to them. I still gave them a good thrashing. No permanent injuries, but I felt I had to remind them that I like Gold a lot and that they were lucky I knew it was by his choice that he was tied up. I''m not even sure how they talked him into that, though it probably had to do with the fact that he could escape the rope easily, since they didn''t actually tie him. He was holding the ends of the rope in his hands, with no knot formed. "You know they''re probably not going to realize you''re here, right?" She asks. "You know they were doomed to fail from the start, right?" I ask, and she laughs. I walk over to one of the couches and plop myself onto it, lifting my up left leg and resting my foot on my right knee, leaning back with my hands behind me head, smirking. I can''t help it, this is too awesome. For the next hour and a half, I remain sitting here, Samantha and I chatting a bit about her days as an apprentice of Jesse''s. He was definitely a slave driver for her as a student, but she talks about him with affection. He terrified her at first, but she wouldn''t be who she is today without his teaching. She wouldn''t be a powerful assassin, and I can sense her very real desire to work against the Shadow of Life. "Samantha!" Her apprentices rush into the room, none of them using Conceal. "He gave us the slip earlier and-" "Hey, Zack," Kylie waves at me. "Hey, kids," I smirk at them as the other four look at me. "Only Kylie noticed me," I tell Samantha. "You going to punish them for lack of observation?" "Yes," she says, then frowns. "Are you the one who turned all the statues around before we showed up here?" One of the rooms in their hideout have this large stone statues of assassins, though I''m not sure who they''re supposed to be over. There are six of them in total, and they face the center of the room. "That took me, like, three days to do." They took me about three hours each, and I had to take a decent break between each one to recover. Those fuckers were heavy. But once they were all turned around, there were no creepy statues staring at me in there. "We''re still trying to finish turning them back around!" One of the guys exclaims, and Samantha laughs. "You guys were doomed to fail from the start," I tell them, then pull my gloves out of my Inventory and hand them to Samantha. "Here you go, Samantha." "Thanks," she takes them, then looks to her apprentices. "Head to the training room and get started on set forty-three." The five of them groan, but leave, and I stand and stretch a little.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "So," Samantha stands. "Mind if I ask something?" "Asking is free," I tell her. "Well, for now." She raises an eyebrow, and I grin at her. "I''ve only ever heard you call Jesse ''Pervert''," she says. "But it''s clear you actually respect him in addition to knowing the truth. Why do you call him that?" "It goes with his act," I tell her. "When things are serious, I drop it, just like him. In fact, I called him by his name out loud just a few days ago." She looks stunned by that. "And to his face a time before that," I tell her. "The Pervert knows I''m just having about as much fun as he is, and if he wanted me to stop, he''d tell me. Just like you, he can move quickly enough to put me in a lock, and I''m sure he''s strong enough to actually kill me on his own, too. I''m not sure how, I just know he is. He''s freaky strong." Rogues generally aren''t that strong. "Yes, he is," she laughs. "How easily could you have gotten out?" "Depends on if I wanted to give you a serious injury or not," I answer. "I have a couple of powerful Dark Knight Skills that would''ve made it easy, but also would''ve probably done something pretty damaging as I attempted to escape. Without those¡­ you felt a little bit stronger than me, and you''re definitely faster. So it''d be a struggle, ultimately. You aren''t quite on the level of those who can just take me down." Like Nik, Jesse, Nathan, Blaine, and Travis. The Dark Knights who hunt Fallen. Some of the other badasses in the area. Those are people against whom all my current power would be worthless. They''re not just stronger, faster, and more resilient than me, they''re also far more experienced, many of them by decades, or even a century or more. "Anyway," I tell Samantha. "I need to go finish my preparations, I''m going on a bit of a trip tomorrow, and will be gone for a few days." "Good luck," she tells me, and I nod, then leave. My first order of business isn''t preparations, though. It''s to track down the Snow Master and give it a taste of my new sword. If it really can reduce healings¡­ it might be able to prevent it from healing when it enters the snow. Or at least, make it take longer. I''m stronger now, too. And faster. Better. And I have new Skills that can and will help me, too. So I leave the City of Maelnor and make my way through the snow tunnels of the valley until I sense it stalking me through the walls. The moment it lunges at me, I dodge. "Shroud of Darkness" I growl as I move, and space goes black. As usual, I have crystal-clarity in this, and the Snow Master looks a bit confused and stunned, its thoughts filled with the fear that comes with being caught within this. I move forward as it attempts to get its bearings. It manages to move, but not fast enough to stop my sword, a Strike of Darkness augmented by my Aura of Darkness cutting through the beast with ease, severing its head. I release the shroud and watch as the beast before me explodes into snow. Looks like it falls into the classification of Rare Boss Monster, and its two rewards were Snow Master Pelts and Snow Master Blood (Vial)s. That beastie dead, I make my way back to Maelnor and down to Blaine''s shop, hoping he''s actually free for a few minutes. He''s been extremely busy lately. "Hey, Blaine," I greet the old alchemist when he comes out of the back. "Do you have a bit?" "I''m mixing up some potions," he tells me. "We need to stock up before the war. I can spare maybe five minutes." "Mind if I come back with you?" I ask. "Oh, and I have something that might count as a rare ingredient for you. I''m not sure." "Oh?" He asks. "Vials of the Snow Master''s blood," I explain. "Indeed," he nods. "Those are pretty hard to get, depending on the area. Out here? Definitely. I assume this means you hunted it down for a bit of revenge?" "Yep," I grin at him. "Do you want to buy them?" "I assumed you got all fifty?" "Nope," I answer. "I didn''t get it into its true form, sadly. I''m not actually sure how to do that." "Me, neither," he laughs. "Do you want to come into the back and talk about whatever it was you wanted to know?" "Yeah," I say. Blaine leads me into the back, where he has several alchemy stations set up, all of them in-use. Yeah, he''s definitely preparing for the war. There are crates and barrels of supplies in here, jars and bottles and vials covering the walls. "Damn," I say in awe. "I didn''t realize just how much you had back here." "I receive regular shipments from deeper in," he tells me. "And over the next month, they''ll be sending out some guards to set up a warehouse specifically to stock full of reagents and potions, a few more Master Alchemists coming out. We want to make sure we''re as prepared as possible." More Master Blacksmiths are coming out, too ¨C and they''re getting a warehouse set up to hold ingots and stuff. Naturally, everyone still has to pay, even for the war. Things cost, after all. It does make me wonder about how the loss is handled when a bunch of high-tag people are buying things. When I asked Nik about it, he was pretty evasive, and asking Jesse isn''t something I''m really into. "I''ll buy the vials for ten gold apiece," Blaine tells me. "I''ve already set out a request for them at the same worth. Normally, they''re sold for five ¨C that''s what a Certified Assessor will give for them. However, the Potions I can make with them are portent." "What kind of Potions do you make with them?" "Ones better for magicians," he tells me as he returns to working on his potions. "I can use them to create potions that either temporarily increase someone''s cold resistance or the power of their cold-based magics. It''s the most expensive ingredient, but the total potion, just in materials alone, can cost up to a diamond just to make." I whistle. That''s an expensive potion. I know they have even more expensive ones, though. "Speaking of magicians," I say, remembering why I actually came here. "Is the Teleport Spell locked to magicians? I''ve only heard of them having it, and it''s been implied or suggested to me that it was. I figured, since you''re a magician, you could probably tell me for sure?" "Yes," he answers. "Only one Class can actually use it ¨C you have to go through the Scholar line of magicians. It becomes available at Tier III of the Class." "Got it," I say. "That kind of sucks, since I don''t plan on becoming a magician until I''ve Ascended." "That takes five Classes, minimum, yes?" He asks. "Yes," I answer, then remember something. "You know, it''ll take longer if I don''t advance Warrior? I just wasted some pretty damn good Experience, I''m sure, because I forgot to do that." "Probably," Blaine rolls his eyes. "Did you wish to sell them?" "Yeah," I pull out the vials, and he hands me the diamond for them. "See you around, Blaine." "Good luck," he tells me, and I leave his shop. My next order of business is the tailor, who also does stuff with pelts. She just moved in a few days ago, and Nik vouched for her, or I wouldn''t be going to her. "Hello," she smiles at me warmly. "You must be Zack." My reputation precedes me, if that guarded look in her eyes tells me anything. "Hello!" I walk up to her. "Can you do anything with Snow Master Pelts?" "Sure can!" She tells me. "Did you want to sell or have them transformed into something else?" "Two jackets, two pairs of boots, and two blankets," I say. "I have ten. Has Nick given you the foot sizes for Gold and me?" "He sure has," she tells me. "I can have them ready for you in a week, and it''ll cost you twenty gold." "Five." "Twenty." "Five." "Twenty." "Four." She''s tough, and it takes me almost twenty minutes to bring her down to nine gold, eighty-seven silver. After I negotiate that with her, I pay her for the work, making her promise she''ll actually do it right, then I buy some clothes for her. She actually came with a bunch for youth, since not only am I here, but there are a few others as well. The original cost for my purchases would be thirty-three silver, but I talk her down to fifteenish. With those purchases done, I head to the new shoemaker''s store, where I pick up the three pairs of boots I had custom-made for me. Rather than being a silver and a half, they''re two. I talk him down to only two and a half total. My final stop is to the general goods store for some groceries, as I want to make sure both Gold and I are stocked-up well on them. After my haggles, I manage to spend only around fifteen silver for around forty silver''s worth of groceries, half of which will go to Gold. My purchases done, I make my way to Jackson''s. He''s with a customer, a soldier I don''t really recognize. Here''s hoping Jackson can do what I want, since his shop''s supposed to be closing here in a few minutes. I would''ve come sooner, only it was a last-minute thought of mine. It''s not an emergency, anyway. Chapter 0050 (Zack) "I''m sorry," Jackson says to the knight at his counter. "But I do have a backlog. There are two more smiths in town, with more coming in over the next few weeks. If you''d like something finished for you before then, either go to them, or look at what I have in stock. However, I have enough work to take up the next two weeks." The knight grunts, then starts looking around the shop. "Hey, Zack," Jackson smiles at me. "Hey, Jackson," I grin at him. "I know it''s last-minute, but I didn''t think of it until I was getting some groceries. I was wanting to commission a spear, too. Once I master up Warrior, I''ll be taking on Spearman." The knight in the room snorts at my comment, and I choose to ignore it. "Sure," Jackson says. "What do you want it made out of?" "The same alloy as my other stuff," I tell him. "Speaking of, I was wondering the progress on that?" "It''ll be about a day before I can finish it," he tells me. "Another day if I add your spear to it, which I''ll do for you." "No worries," I tell him. "I''m actually heading out for some advanced training the next few days." "Nik''s told me where you''re going," Jackson says. "That is not ''advanced training''. That is ''you''re being you again''." "Yeah, it is," I grin at him. "Thanks, Jackson." "You''re welcome," he says. "Do you know how long you''re heading out for?" "I can probably be there a week or so?" I answer, then shrug. "I just got a bunch of groceries for the trip. I''ll return once I feel it''s time to. If I get near Power Jump again-" Asshat snorts again. "-I''ll probably return," I continue. "I''m not sure how easy it''ll be for me to hit it again, and as much as Nik tried to talk me out of going there, I''m going anyway." "What?" The asshat finally decides to talk. "You really think you can hit Power Jump multiple times? At your Level? Just who do you think you are?" I look him, then roll my eyes and look at Jackson. "Are most of the Adventurers who haven''t stayed here awhile assholes?" I ask. "Or do I just attract them? This Level 86 moron can''t even see my Level, and assumes¡­ what?" Jackson snorts and his expression and the sense I get from his mind tells me I''m forgetting something. "Age," Jackson reminds me. "Yeah, yeah," I roll my eyes. "We''ll go with that. Anyway, I need to get going home so I can be rested and ready for when Nik comes to take me there." "Are you ignoring your superiors?" The man asks. "Are you suffering from a superiority complex?" I ask. "Listen here, you little shit-" Yeah, I really do attract the morons. Before he can continue his little bitchfest, I''m behind him, my legs wrapped around his waist, one arm around his chest, my free hand holding a knife at his throat. "No," I say in a low voice in his ear. "You listen here, Grant. I''m a Level 170 Dark One. I''ve taken on some of the biggest, baddest monsters around. I''ve survived an attack orchestrated by the Shadow of Life himself and have defied explanation every moment since I woke in the Boundary. If you ever attempt to bitch at me again, ever belittle me, talk to me condescendingly, or whatever, I will slit your fucking throat. Do I make myself clear?" He gulps in response. "I asked a question," I prick his neck with my knife. "Y-yes." "Good," I say, then push as I release him, landing on my feet as he stumbles forward. I return my knife to my hip. "And that, asshat, is what it''s like to have Intimidate used on you by someone thirty Levels your senior. And keep in mind that I''m not the scariest thing around." I walk back over to the counter and look up at Jackson. "I''ll see you when I get back," I tell him. "Thanks." He wishes me luck, then I leave. I decided to wait until I reach Talorn to up Warrior, after all. To hit Knight, I need Swords Mastery Level 6 and Battlecry Level 1. Swords Mastery is already maxed-out, so that''s not an issue, but Battlecry Level 1 requires me unleashing, well, a battle cry. Against my enemies. I could use it here in town, but¡­ yeah, I''m waiting until I reach Talorn tomorrow. Making my way home, I inhale the scent of Gold''s feast. He''ll be staying at the Dark Temple while I''m in Talorn, though I''m sure he''ll be back here every day to keep things clean and tidy. Even though he doesn''t have to do this, it seems to be something he enjoys. I find that interesting, considering how much he was forced into it before I freed him. I haven''t pressed him for why he likes doing it when he hated it before, though. To be honest, I think it has to do with him doing it not being something he''s doing unwillingly and doing it for someone he likes. Not likes, just that he likes me. Like the way that I like him. As a friend. "Hey, Gold," I greet him. "It smells delicious." He beams at me as he continues putting the food on the table, then we dig in to our dinner. After, I help him clean up, though he mostly shoos me away, so I head to our sleeping area and get some sleep. When I wake, Gold''s making bacon and eggs, and has a piece of cooked bacon sticking out of his mouth. He blushes when he sees me, then sucks the entire thing into his mouth and chews rapidly. I''m guessing he wasn''t expecting me to wake up just yet.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. As we''re finishing breakfast, Nik shows up. I finish equipping myself, then walk over to him, saluting to Gold, who dips his head to me. "See you when I get back," I tell him. His tail wags in response to that. Nik pulls me against him, using Binding Darkness to hold me against him as his wings begin to flap. Taking off, Nik flies north, to Talorn. It takes around twenty minutes for us to arrive at the rate Nik''s flying. "The Dark Temple''s off-limits," he tells me. "There''s a pretty strong Bounty Beast hanging around there, and before you considering fighting it, Jesse and I couldn''t kill the thing while working together. Its name is A''Lutar, and it''s a Goblin Chieftain." "So I can''t stay in the Dark Temple?" "Correct," he answers as he flies me to an area near the northern edge of the city. We aren''t that far from the Dark Temple. "Nearly all Bounty Beasts have a set area they''ll stick to, and where I''m dropping you off is out of his. There aren''t any Fallen Adventurers within this zone, and the few Bounty Beasts I saw are within your range." He flies around, showing me the boundary for the area he''s leaving me in. "Quick question," I say. "How, exactly, am I supposed to leave?" "See that?" He points at a crumbled section of the City Wall. "Easy way out for you, another reason I scouted this area. As for other warnings for the area you''re in, let''s see. Do be careful going over there, there''s a Goblin Giant Bounty Beast name A''Ivak who''s pretty tough. "And finally," he says. "Whatever you do, do not drink the water from the wells and pumps in the city. Melt snow if you need more than you brought." "Got it," I say. "Where are you dropping me?" "Over there," he gestures towards a cluster of homes. "One of those homes isn''t too far from the exit and still has a solid second floor, so it''ll give you shelter from the weather. Just need to clear out its current residents." "Got it," I say, then he literally drops me into the house''s yard. I startle a few Goblins, which die with a few quick swings of my sword. These ones are definitely tougher than the ones in the valley, though that''s because they''re Dungeon-Class Monsters. At least, according to everyone and the notification I received when Nik flew down before he dropped me.
You have entered the Fallen City of Talorn
All Monsters within its boundaries of Dungeon-Class Monsters, which are stronger than ordinary Monsters of their same type and Level. Be prepared. Be very, very prepared.
Thanks for the warning, Big S.
You''re welcome. It took me nearly two centuries to get the wording right.
Get out of my head. Okay! I''m not even going to bother asking him why he sent me a message for the first one, then talked telepathically for the second. Looking around, I spot a cluster of Goblins wielding rusty swords. "RAAARRGH!" I yell at them, charging forward.
New Skill!
Battlecry Active
Let out a war cry to let your enemies know you''re there. Temporarily stun them and weaken their defenses; can only be used once per encounter on the same enemies, and will not affect those who have heard it until the next encounter ¨C should they survive.
After killing the temporarily-stunned Goblins, I return to the property and kill off the dozen living inside, before pulling up my Classes and advancing Warrior to Knight. It increases the Strength and Vitality gains per Level by one, bringing them up to four and six, respectively, while Endurance remains at one per Level. Nodding, I look around, then start clearing out the bodies. Once they''re tossed out into the street, I use the snow I can find to scrub some of the blood out, before starting my hunt. Not just for fighting, but for my book. I brought it, so I can make records of my Dungeon-Class Goblins living in a Fallen City encounters. Around noon, I discover that the Goblins don''t want me to eat lunch. Mostly because every time I try, they harass me, then take off. This isn''t a ''we''re attacking you for real'' kind of harassment, though, it''s a ''we''re harassing you because you''re eating, and we''re going to run a way as soon as you attack''. The only reason I don''t manage to kill them all is because they''re being led by a Bounty Beast.
A''Minra Goblin Knight Level 25
Health: 83,962 Mana: 8,199
He''s an annoying fucker, and it seems to me like he''s just wanting to harass me and keep me from eating. For the ninth time, he shows up just as I got to take a bite of my sandwich, egging on the regular Goblins, who throw rocks at me. "Hey!" I snap, turning my head and staring at them as they start to take off. "If you keep doing this, I''m going to actually chase after you, gut you, and turn you into stew!" I turn back to my sandwich, and actually manage to take a bite. Satisfied with the success of my Intimidation, I finish eating, then return to watching and hunting Goblins for the rest of the day. When night comes, I quickly learn that the Goblins have no intention of letting me sleep, in addition to not giving me peace at mealtimes. They don''t outright attack me. No, what they do instead of get very, very noisy until I go to chase them down. Then, they''re gone. The rare glimpses I get of them tell me there''s a second Bounty Beast leading the night ones. With A''Minra doing a little as well. By morning, I''m tired and cranky, and half the buildings around mine have even more damage than they did before I showed up. The next few days, I and the Goblins fall into a routine, with me doing a lot of watching, and a lot of killing, some of it out of rage. A''Minra and A''Kuta really don''t want want me to have peace while eating or sleeping. By the end of the fifth night, I''m wishing I could summon Meteors still and just bomb the Fallen City with them. Boom, boom, boom-fucking-boom. Those fuckers are fast as fuck, and they always keep themselves far enough away and time it just so in order to ensure they can escape. I do get a lot of information for my records, though. The Goblins in the forest weren''t anything like this, even when led by a Bounty Beast. I guess Dungeon-Class Monsters are more intelligent. More observations and samples will be needed to confirm, though. I also use a large parchment to make a map of the Fallen City. While there are old maps of it, some of the landscape''s changed, and not just because of my fits. I''m actually making two maps ¨C one of just the Fallen City itself, and one of the Fallen City, as well as where Bounty Beasts I spot are. Even the ones I kill, just as a reference. Another interesting thing I discover are the holiday variants on the Monsters. I mean, I know them being here was kind of an obvious thing, since they don''t disappear, remaining instead until they die. They aren''t Bosses, after all. This means that I acquire some extra candy and turkeys. Of course, the Snow Slimes are around, too, so I start up a snowball fight in a part of this area of the Fallen City that has enough snow for it. We even include some Frost Goblins in the snowball fight. They''re reluctant to play with me, so after the game ends, I kill them. The Snow Slimes live, though, with a promise that if there''s still snow the next time I''m here, I''ll play with them. The final, and most important thing, I notice here is that nearly every Monster is either Level 10 or a higher type than just the regular. In other words, nearly all Goblins are actually Soldiers, Guards, Knights, Archers, Shaman, or Chieftains, and there are a number of Elites around. This shouldn''t be surprising, to be honest. No one''s been here to clear them out, and they get stronger over time naturally, even without conflict. I mean, there should still be weaker ones, right? Unless areas designated as "Dungeons" by Big S have a limit to how many Monsters they can have in them? After all, they still need to eat, too, and there are limited resources, especially with them being unable to leave the Fallen City. The sun begins to set on my sixth day, and I''m satisfied with what I''ve gained, between both my Levels and my book''s recordings. Chapter 0051 (Zack) "Jumpy, much?" Nik asks, tossing me my knife back. "I haven''t had a decent night''s rest since I got here," I glare at him, sheathing my knife. "Has it really been a week?" "Yep," he answers. "How''d training go?" "Nearly to Level 10 Knight," I answer. "It''s so much slower, now. Of course, that''s probably to be expected, considering my overall Level." "You ready to go?" He asks. "Am I ever," I say, then look around. "A''Minra! A''Kuta! I''m leaving! Next time I come here, I won''t be so easy on you!" Nik snorts, then pulls me against him, casting Binding Darkness before taking off into the sky. "So," I say as we fly towards Maelnor. "How much of my training did you watch?" "I stopped by at least once a day." "I counted at least twice." Nik snorts. "Yes," he says. "I was here at least twice a day. You were pretty intently watching a lot of times, though the snowball fight looked fun. The kills after, not so much." "They annoyed me," I say. "So I killed them." "Please don''t do that to actual people," he says. "Goblins are a big difference." "Depends on how and why they''re annoying me." Nik groans, but doesn''t comment on that, asking me a little bit more about the training. He mentions that they do believe there''s a maximum capacity Lost Cities have for Monsters, but it''s hard to confirm something like that. And the Crystals aren''t giving me a straight answer on it. "How''d Gold handle the separation?" I ask. "He stayed at the Dark Temple at first," Nik answers. "But the last couple of nights, he wouldn''t leave your property, so I''m sure he''s worried to death about you. Actually, I know he''s worried to death about you, based on how much he was pacing around when I left him this morning." "Drop me off at the Trading Post," I tell Nik. "I''m going to collect my Bounties and sell some shit before heading home. Gold probably won''t want to leave me for a bit once I''m there, and I could use a bath." Nik snorts, then agrees. A few minutes later, we fly over the walls of Maelnor, and are soon at the Trading Post. I head inside, and am surprised to find an actual line at the counter. There are six different groups waiting for Jesse to finish. Most of them have only two or three people, though the third one in line has five. Holy damnation, that''s a lot of people. More than I''ve ever seen before, and I only recognize one of the groups. "Are you guys people who are normally camping out at Praevar?" I ask the knight in front of me, who looks down, his gaze giving my armor and weapons a curious look before meeting my own. "I''ve never seen most of you before, and this is¡­ an unusual line." "Troops coming out here for the war," the knight tells me. "We''ll be farming Praevar and the mines until it''s time, though a couple of groups are here to keep the valley''s numbers in check. His Highness is assigning a few groups to stay at the other side of the forest to act as lookouts as well." "And you?" I ask. "Praevar," he answers. "I''m hoping to gain another dozen Levels before the war." He''s Level 98 right now, so he wants to hit Level 110. That would be three more every-five boosts. His equipment doesn''t look that good, so he''s probably not one of the ''experienced'' warriors. "When did you come out?" I ask. "A few days ago," he answers. "Haven''t seen you around before, but you seem equipped. Hunting without the System?" "No," I respond. "I''m-" "ZACKY!" Jesse finally notices me, and everyone jumps at his sudden shriek. Myself included. I really, really hope he decides to stay in Talorn for a little bit and know the horrors I''ve faced over the last week. "Yeah, him," I say. "Pervert, I will feed you to A''Minra! I really will!" "How was your trip?" He exclaims. "Go back to serving others!" I tell him. "Or did you not notice that you have a line? I know it''s an unfamiliar concept to you, Pervert, so let me explain how they work, okay? You serve the people in the order they arrived in the line in. You have five groups between the one at the front and me. Okay? So serve the ones at the front, then the ones after then, and so on, until you get to me. And then, I will mercifully sell my shit to you, okay?" "But you-" "PEOPLE IN FRONT FIRST!" A few of the adults laugh as Jesse returns to working with the people he''d been with. "Yeah, I''m that guy," I tell the stunned soldier. "Why did he shriek like that when he noticed you?" "You haven''t heard my reputation, have you?" I ask. "No," he answers. "Haven''t heard of a kid, unless¡­ you''re not a kid? But I''ve not heard of an aging-altered person with your description." "Nah, I''m a kid," I tell him. "I''m just very popular with the locals. I was hunting down in Talorn for the last week." "Hunting?" He asks. "Yep," I answer. "I''m making a record of Goblins that''s more complete than anything you''ll have found before." "What kind of record?" He asks, and I pull the book out. I sense confusion when he sees the thick tome, so I open it and show him my data so far. He seems pretty impressed.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "And you''re able to sneak around?" He asks. "Some of them I''ve seen are pretty smart." "Yeah," I say. "While I was in Talorn, I had to deal with two who weren''t interested in fighting, and were smart enough to get away with their harassment." "Who all went with you?" He asks. "No one," I answer. "I can handle myself, in most cases, and Nik''d scouted the area and left me somewhere that he felt I''d be safe in within the walls, with an emergency route of the Fallen City available if I needed it." "The Dark Knight, Nik?" He asks. "My mentor," I nod. "He''s taught me a lot." The warrior continues looking through my tome until it''s time for him and the woman with him to do their business, so he hands it back to me. I put it back in my Inventory, drawing some curious looks from the party of five, which hadn''t left after they finished their business. They''re just hanging around. They''re all pretty strong, too, and their looks and what I do manage to sense from their minds tells me they don''t have pleasant goals in mind. I mean, they''re looking as if they''re just curious about the kid with the weapons, but I''m doubting it. Taking a deep breath, I force a vision while looking at them to see what their goals are. It lasts for a few seconds, and I sigh. "Guys," I say. "If you really want to ogle my weapons, you can just ask." I totally misread them. They''re just interested in my equipment, and not in stealing it. "I tried using Appraisal on your breastplate," the leader of the group, a Level 143 magician, approaches. "Though it didn''t register." "Probably because it requires Level 10 Appraisal," I answer. "It''s made from a special alloy crafted of a variety of rare and valuable ores." I pull off one of my vambraces and hand it to him, and he turns it over in his hands, examining it carefully. He frowns a little bit, then mutters a spell under his breath. "Interesting," he says. "Does this use Spook Ore as one of the components to the alloy?" "Indeed," I answer. "How''d you guess?" "The type of metallic look it has," he answers. "It reminds me of it. How did you manage to afford this?" "The ingots were mine," I answer. "And I''ve a bit of money from them and selling other stuff, so Jackson was willing to forge this for me." "And all of your gear was forged with the alloy?" He asks. "What I''m wearing, yes," I answer. "And you were fighting Dungeon-Class Monsters the last week?" He asks. "Including Bounty Beasts?" "Yeah." "Interesting," he turns the vambrace over a few times, then hands it back to me. "May I examine your knife?" "Sure," I slip the vambrace back on, then unsheathe my knife and hand it over. He examines the blade closely. "You like equipment?" Now that I''m looking at his, it''s pretty high-quality. The armor he''s wearing especially.
Chestplate of Herasid''s Judgment
Forged of a special alloy of Holy Ore, Blessed Ore, and Light Ore for Isaac Herasid, this chestplate possesses a high resiliency for any form of dark magics. When worn with the rest of the set, the effects of Endurance and Willpower on defensive Skills are increased by 100% and any healing or light magics'' potency is increased by 100%.
In other words, as long as he''s wearing the full set, which I''m betting is what the full, silver-and-gold armor he''s wearing is, then he''s got a pretty solid defense. I suppose him being a Paladin means that''s pretty useful. "Yeah," he responds as I''m examining his armor. "Your knife doesn''t have any nicks in it, nor any signs-Primordial Essence?" "How''d you guess?" I ask as the duo talking with Jesse looks over, and even Jesse himself gives me a curious look. "It has at least three ores I can think of in it," he says. "Yet doesn''t seem affected by the supposed fighting you had over the last week. While you might have simply not used it, if you''re selling loot, there''s a good chance you used it instead of your sword to cut into the monsters. This is definitely the work of Jackson as well. It''s a good family to get equipment from." "Family?" I vaguely remember some mention of his family being a family of smiths. "Yeah," the Paladin says. "His family''s one of the oldest smithing families in the Boundary, and they''re known for making legendary equipment. They''re considered one of the Five True Master Blacksmiths, collectively. His grandfather forged this armor for my great-great grandfather." "Huh," I say. "That''s impressive, I wasn''t aware of it." That does explain a lot about his demand, and why he''s out here forging equipment for the high-powered Adventurers. I just thought he was good at forging ''cause he was old and been doing it forever. It being a family legacy definitely explains it. "It''s an impressive legacy," he confirms, returning to me my knife. "I managed to get my hands on some more ores, and was planning on seeing if he''d forge a sword to go with the armor." "The one you''re wearing doesn''t?" I look at it curiously. "No," he answers. "Well, it does a little bit, but it''s not quite as strong, and nor was it made by a True Master Blacksmith." "Ah," I say, and he returns me my knife, which I sheathe immediately. "How''d you get some Primordial Essence?" I guess I really can''t hide it anymore. "Platinum Present from the Santa Boss," I answer. "There''s Christmas Ore in your gear?" "No clue what its purpose is, but yeah." He snorts, shaking his head. "You''re an interesting kid, Zack," he says. "That is your name, right? I heard Jesse call out-" "Yeah, it''s my name," I answer. "Anyway, I think it''s almost my turn at the counter. Was there anything else?" "No," he answers. "We''ll see you around, Zack." The Paladin and his crew leave, and I return to just waiting. As Jesse finishes up with the duo in front of me, another person shows up. "What can I do for, you Zacky?" Be eaten while attempting to kill A''Lutar. "I need to claim two Bounties," I answer. "And sell some loot." "Loot first!" I open up my Inventory and start pulling shit out, dropping it onto the counter. "Zacky?" Jesse picks up one of the items. "Is this a Goblin''s tongue?" I will do to you what I did to him. "He was being cheeky, so I cut his tongue out." "Was he dead first?" "Possibly," I answer as Jesse picks up an amulet. "Found that on some random Goblin." Jesse assesses everything, putting it on the estimator thingy, then gives me my loot from that before preparing the Bounty Beast papers for the two I name. After giving me the reward, he wishes me a good day, and I head out. My next stop is the tailor, who''s finished the coats and boots I ordered. They''re extremely comfy, and I send them into my Inventory. I check the blankets after that, and confirm they''re of an excellent softness before sending them into my Inventory. "Thanks," I say, and she dips her head. My final stop before heading home is to Jackson''s forge. He takes me into the back and presents to me my new gear. It doesn''t look all that much different than my old. "It''s a lot more powerful," he tells me when I comment that. "I did refrain from using certain ores in the final mix, though there are only partials of the remaining ingots. I also used up all of the other two ingredients as well." The Primordial Essence and the Magic Crystals. Damn, this stuff was costly for him. I''m sure he has the loose stuff he''d made to test it laying around. I''ll let him keep it. "Keep what''s left," I tell him. "Are you sure it''s more powerful?" "Yes," he answers. "The armor itself, as long as you''re wearing it, will slow down Bleed effects to once every three seconds, and will continue to absorb hostile magics. It has the most potent cold resistance of anything I''ve forged before excluding some of the gear for Normar. "Your weapons," he continues. "Will inflict Bleed with every cut, and it won''t heal from bandaging. It will require a high-power, specialized healing in order to cure, and that''s from just a nick, including ones that don''t do any direct damage." "Got it," I say. "Thanks, Jackson." "You''re welcome," he says as I send everything into my Inventory. "Not going to equip it?" "No," I smile at him. "This set''s going to remain a secret for now. People know I had another set forged, but they''ll think it''s just a backup. Once it''s time to get serious ¨C like with the war ¨C I''ll use it. The spear''ll be used earlier, but people''ll probably think it''s just the same alloy as what I''m wearing. Also, some guy with a Heradis Judgment armor thingy figured out my armor was made with Primordial Essence, so people will probably mention it. Oh, and he said he was going to see if you could forge a sword to match his armor." "Peter, probably," Jackson nodded. "His father died recently, and he inherited the suit. We''ve wondered when his lineage would eventually ask us to forge a weapon to match it. Unfortunately, we forged the armor with Primordial Essence, so unless they managed to acquire some-" "Do you vouch for him?" I ask, and Jackson thinks for a few moments, then nods. "I''d be willing to sell one to you, specifically for his sword." "Zack," Jackson says. "A single Primordial Essence is worth one thousand platinum." "I take it you don''t have that in change?" Chapter 0052 (Zack) Gold''s passed out at the table waiting for me to get home. He''s sitting there, resting with his head on his arms, his tail hanging down. I know he''s asleep, because he didn''t react when I entered the property. If I had a permanent marker, I''d totally be writing on his face right now. He''s just too adorable to resist that with. Yeah, it''s probably for the best that I don''t have one. I walk over to him and gently nudge him until he wakes. As soon as he registers my presence, he tackles me with a hug, and I can tell by his thoughts that he was sure something bad had happened, and that that was why I hadn''t come back and Nik hadn''t told him anything. "I''m fine, Gold," I tell him. "I promise. I sold my loot and picked up the stuff I commissioned before I left, since I knew you''d want to hang around. Anyway, I''m starving and in need a bath. Which do you think I should do first?" He thinks for a moment, and decides that we should eat first, so I give him some food from my Inventory, and he gets to work making brunch. That only makes my stomach growl hard, though, since I kind of didn''t eat breakfast. Nik ''woke'' me up, then took me straight back here. As Gold cooks and we eat, I tell him about my visit to Talorn, and he seems pretty amused by my plight with the Bounty Beasts that wouldn''t give me rest. After breakfast, we enjoy a bath, Gold showing off a wooden dog that someone carved for him to play with. It''s about the size of his fist, and I''m guessing he''s used it in the bath every time since he got it, considering how much he plays with it. And for the first time, I hear him actually make sounds other than whimpers, cries, screams, howls, and such. He yips, yaps, and barks while playing with the dog, though it''s not his own, actual ones ¨C it''s the pretend version, as if it''s the toy doing the sounds. It''s adorable. I finish up my bath while he continues playing, then dry off and head to the sleeping area, where I curl up under my comfy new blanket, quickly passing out. When I wake, I find Kylie here, talking to Gold. Not with him, since he''s not talking, just to him. And judging by his mindset, he''s really, really bothered by it. She''s making him uncomfortable. Doesn''t sound like she''s realized it, though, and nor does it sound like it''s intentional. He''s just not used to anyone other than Nik and me treating him like a person, among other things. The moment I let Gold know I''m awake, he whimpers a little, then runs past her and to me, hiding behind me a little bit. Kylie stiffens up a bit, then turns, her expression saying that was unexpected. It was for you and me both, Kylie, trust me. The moment she sees me, however, her face lights up. "Hey, Zack!" She says. "How''re you?" "A bit confused," I answer. "Wasn''t expecting to see you here. Don''t you have, like, death''s training, or something?" "Yeah!" She laughs. "I had a little bit of a rest, so I thought I''d come and see how you were doing. Samantha mentioned that you were a bit unconscious." "Gold?" I mutter. "What does she mean by that?" His response is immediate. Apparently, I was out for nearly a full day. Damn, that''s a long nap, but damn, do I feel refreshed. "Yeah," I respond. "I didn''t get much sleep on my trip." "Is it true you were in Talorn all by yourself?" She walks over, seeming genuinely curious and concerned. "Wasn''t it dangerous? I''ve heard there are lots of really, really powerful monsters in there, including Fallen Adventurers." "There are," I nod. "Nik did a little bit of scouting for me beforehand to find a place that I could work with easier. Part of the trip was training, since my gains from regular Monsters are dropping, in terms of Experience, though it''s also for my book." "The one on Goblins?" She asks. "Yeah," I nod. "I''ve got quite a lot about forest-dwelling Goblins, but that''s it. There was a lot that got added to it in my week there, and I mean a lot. And I just remembered that I should''ve bought more ink while down in the market earlier, ''cause I''m just about out. Hey, Gold ¨C want to head down there with me? We can eat at the restaurant that opened while I was gone." He nods vigorously behind me before remembering that I can''t see that, and I snort. "Anyway," I say to Kylie. "We''ll be heading into town to pick up some stuff. As you can see, I''m doing fit for battle." Gold snorts behind me, and I playfully jab my elbow into his ribs, causing him to yelp. "Don''t worry, Gold," I say. "Oh! Right. Gold ¨C I''ve got Jackson making a knife for you." I look at Gold after that, and find him having tilted his head in confusion. "To celebrate you becoming a Dark Knight," I say. "And to hopefully get you to not mourn the loss of using Heal too much." Gold shifts around uncomfortably, and I narrow my gaze on him. "Gold," I say. "What was your combined Skill Level when you acquired Dark Knight?" He squirms a bit more, and I let out an aggravated groan.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Alright, Gold," I put a hand on his head and rub it a little bit, sensing his enjoyment of that. "Got it. We should get you up to Level 25 Dark Knight, so you can take on the regular Squire." Gold suddenly looks scared and nervous. "Don''t worry, Gold," I pull my hand away. "It''s purely for defensive reasons." He starts to think in confusion, then realizes why. Because at Level 51, he''ll be a Tier 2 Adventurer rather than Tier 1, and that''s when he''ll be able to use Heal again. "Anyway," I pull out the knife that I had Jackson commission, back when Samantha and her students first showed up. "I had Jackson make this for you, just so you could use it and shit. With everything going on, he kind of forgot about it. Also, I have him making a new knife, so you''ll get to have two. If you want to do something like a rogue or assassin rather than the line for Knights, we can get you training on that, too." He nods, his tail wagging excitedly, his face lit up with a smile. "Oh, hey, Kylie," I pull something out of my Inventory without turning around, unwrap it, then send the wrapper into my Inventory before turning around and holding it out. "Here, you can have this for being so nice to Gold and not treating him like crap for being a Beastborn." "What is it?" She asks suspiciously. Just take the damn thing, will you? "I heard you unwrapping it." "Just a treat," I tell her. "Pretty damn good, or so I''ve heard. Gold likes them. I unwrapped it ''cause you seeing the wrapper would spoil the surprise. I promise, it''s really good." Gold''s mentally giggling, doing his best to not let it leak to verbal giggling. Kylie accepts the treat and takes a bite into it, immediately gagging as she starts turning transparent. "Well, it''s only really good at night," I tell her. "That is for not realizing that Gold wasn''t very comfortable with you yattering away at him." "What is this?" She asks. "A Spook Treat," I tell her, and she swears, looking down at her arms before swearing again. "I found a fresh one. Not really sure how, but there it was, just chilling there in Talorn. Since Gold likes them, I thought I''d nab them. Please learn to understand Gold, because he was being very obvious you were making him uncomfortable." By the time I''m finished speaking, she''s done turning transparent, her body completely invisible, though her clothes, armor, and hair tie are still visible. It looks kind of funny. Kylie swears again, then hurries off, using Conceal as she goes. I turn to Gold and grin. "Let''s go get our shopping done." He giggles, then follows me into town. We first stop by the restaurant, because I am fucking starved, and it''s open for lunch. And a little bit packed already. We order our food ¨C well, I order and Gold sits there, shifting uncomfortably ¨C then we wait for our food. We draw more than a few gazes from Adventurers new to the area. I know they''re new because of the confused looks they''re giving Gold and inquiries they''re making of others. "Oh, and the Dark Knight-looking kid next to him?" The mage who''s explaining who Gold is to a table of ten. "Don''t mess with him. Zack''s a powerful Dark One. Yes, Dark One, as in the Rank 2 Dark Knight Class, and he is the kid he looks like. Much like other Dark Knights, he''s very temperamental, and hasn''t made any qualms with removing body parts on people who bother him." Who try to steal from me, dude. From people who try to steal from me. "He''s really a kid?" One of the Paladins at the tables ask. "He''s not one of the unaging or slow-aging power-fest freaks?" "Correct," the mage answers. "He''s an actual kid who showed up a little before the Spook Master, coming from reality." "Damn," one of the other Paladins says. "How did he get strong so fast?" "Part of it''s from past skill," a martial artist I don''t recognize speaks up. "The kid had done martial arts and such before dying, and was pretty talented at it, so he was able to kill a lot of stuff, and fast. He learns quickly, too, which affects Experience gain. In addition, he''s managed to kill a few Holiday Bosses, mostly out of luck." "Mostly," one person agrees. "But he''s gotten powerful equipment from it, and rumor''s going around that his current set was made with Primordial Essence, and considering that Peter Heradis has mentioned it, there''s a good chance it''s true. He was trained by one of the Five True Master Blacksmiths, after all." No one told me that. Dang, he must really know his weapons. They continue talking about me, completely unaware that I can hear them. And judging by Gold''s twitching ears and smile, he can, too. "Why does he treat the beast like he''s a person?" Someone from another table asks, and Gold''s mood drops. "He''s a Dark Knight, just leave it," someone else comments. "The beast has access to the System," the first person comments. "We can''t just drop it. How did that even happen?" "It''s Zack," the person who said to leave it says. "Just leave it." "That doesn''t explain-" "It''s Zack," someone else states. "When something inexplicable occurs and he''s involved, just leave it. Half the people who were in the City when the Turkey Patriarch showed up saw him fight the thing and kill it as if it was something people did every day." "I didn''t know that''s not normal," a quiet voice whispers next to me, and I look over to find Nathan standing there, looking quite embarrassed. Embarrassed not from what he said, just from the fact that a lot of people can see him. His comment was meant as a joke. I think. "Don''t worry, Nathan," I say. "The lesser folk can never hope to understand the brilliancy of people like you, me, and Gold. You here to join us for food?" He nods and sits, just in time for our food to arrive. Before I can even offer to let Nathan have some of mine while we wait for food to show up for him, Gold shoves his own plate in front of the powerful healer, looking at him expectantly. Nathan shakes his head and shoves the plate back, and Gold tries to protest, though it''s mostly just by pushing it back and shaking his head, but the healer sits firmly on his stance that he''ll wait and we can eat. So I do, digging into my food. Not that I wouldn''t have if he didn''t want us to eat until he got his food. I''m starving, and the food''s still hot. It''s pretty okay, not something high-class, in my opinion. Bryce cooked better than this. The moment that thought hits me, I start choking on the food, and Nathan pounds on my back until I stop. I also lose a few Health every time he does, reminding me that he, too, is a pretty strong guy and several dozen Levels higher than me. Gold can sense that something got my mood down completely, though he doesn''t try to push it. After I pay, Gold and I leave, heading to do some shopping. I buy around twenty silvers'' worth of food, and around two golds'' worth of writing supplies. I can tell that my tailed companion''s curious about the extra, thick books I bought, so when we get home, I decide to explain to him about them. "I''m seeing more than just Goblins," I tell Gold. "And while I''m observing the Goblins primarily, I do still notice things about them. So, I''m making a guide for other things, too, like Wolves, Rats, and Slimes." Gold nods, understanding the purpose, now. They probably won''t be as expansive as my guide for Goblins, but it''ll work. It''s not like they''ll be released anytime soon, though. It''ll take me years to make the guides properly. Even if I just released a forest-based Goblins guide. My experience so far is in exactly one forest. After the war, I plan on visiting several others. Most will be in the Lost Territory, though I know I''ll probably be summoned to the capital once the war ends. As if they could force me to. They can try to rule me, but the Boundaries are made and run by the Crystals. Only they have true authority over me, and I will not bend to mortal kings. I wasn''t sent into a kingdom, I was sent into the Boundary. Trying to force your reign on the people the Crystals chose is stupid, and I will stop anyone who tries to do that to me. Chapter 0053 (Zack) "What''s with that disapproving glare so early in the morning?" Nik sighs. "Did you really feed Kylie a Spook Treat during the day?" "She should''ve realized she was making Gold uncomfortable," I answer. "But she was treating Gold like an actual person, too. So I gave her something very sought-after that tastes excellent. I didn''t tell her to eat it then." "You also didn''t warn her that doing so would make it taste foul, her get sick, and turn her transparent." "She''s recovered," I point out. "Stopped by this morning to say ''hey''. By the way, Nik ¨C why did it take you a week after I gave it to her to actually come to me over that?" "I didn''t come over here for that," he lets out an aggravated sigh. "You haven''t left the City at all in the last week, and I was wondering what mischief you were up to. Samantha said that Kylie commented that you were working on your Goblin guide." "Actually," I lift it up. "This one''s for Slimes." "You know," he says. "Some people wish they could just take time off from training, and-" "I''m not," I say, and Gold nods vigorously beside me. "I''ve been teaching Gold some combat moves." A burst of excitement goes through Gold, and I look at him. "What?" I ask, and he starts pointing at part of the book. I look down at it, tuning into his thoughts. "Really?" He nods, and I''m granted with the impression he had of them, and his own personal experiences. "Oh, okay," I say. "Yeah, that''s interesting." One thing about me and Slimes and Rats: I haven''t had much personal experience with them, while Gold has had quite a bit. It seems the master I rescued him from enjoyed sending him to ''fight'' the Slimes, and it always resulted in him getting hurt. So he has lots of experience with them. Or at least, with running from them with his tail between his legs. Hearing his stories (well, is it really ''hearing'' when it''s a mixture of images, words, and impressions exchanged mentally?) about it makes me heat up, and really, really damn glad that guy left Maelnor. Or he''d probably be about as much shorter as he''d be if he lost everything below his knees. "I''m under the impression that Gold doesn''t want to learn how to fight," Nik tells me once I finish writing down what Gold told me. "He didn''t," I look back to the Dark Knight. "But he''s realized that he can''t protect himself, and so wants to at least be able to do that, should he need to." Gold nods at Nik. "Ah," the old man says. "How''s it going?" "It''s going decently," I answer. "Gold has natural instincts, which helps him a lot. Also, he apparently has Adventurer." Nik looks stunned at that. "Yeah," I say. "He has a lot of Skills. Both handedness are high, due to his masters over his life being assholes and sometimes breaking one arm, and he also has Jump, Dash, Howl, and a few other ones that really should''ve been obvious. Did you know that he can manifest claws?" "He-what?" Nik looks stunned. "Show him, Gold," I say, and Gold holds up his hands, claws forming at the tips of his fingers. More doglike than the super-sharp ones of cats or the sharp ones of wolves, but they''re still there. It''s apparently why he despises footwear ¨C when he uses Claws, it manifests all four sets of them. I think that he can control which set comes out at a higher Level, though I''m not entirely sure. Him describing the Skill without speaking was a bit tough for me to understand. "That''s¡­ interesting," Nik says. "Yep," I say. "He can also increase the power of his bites through a Skill called Bite, which I really should have seen coming." "Same here," Nik told me as Gold undid his Claws, which simply vanished. "Does it cost Mana?" "Ten of it," I nod. "But only to summon." "Druids have a similar skill," he tells me, and I give him a curious look. "They''re a Rank 2 Class. When in their animal form, if it''s one that would normally bite, like a wolf, they can enhance the power of the bite, but it only works while in that form." "Druids can shapeshift?" I ask, nearly asking ''here, too?'' with it. "Yes," Nik answers. "There''s a group coming in tomorrow, if you want to meet them." "Really?" I ask. "What time?" "Fuck," he mutters. "Maybe I should tell them to come a different day, and to head straight to Praevar?" "I wanna meet them!" "Of course you do," he sighs. "Do not harass them, Zack."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I am totally going to convince at least half of them into taking on their animal forms. And after Nik leaves, try to figure out why Gold''s been nervous ever since Nik mentioned the Druids. "I make no promises," I grin at Nik, who''s probably forgotten the actual reason he was stopping by. "So, Nik ¨C what were you here for?" "I can''t remember," Nik sighs. "You''re really annoying, you know that, right?" "Maybe," I say. "But I''m like Kulkul ¨C too cute and cuddly to get rid of!" Nik lets out an aggravated groan, then leaves, and I look at Gold, who''s grinning at me, his tail wagging. I look at the paper in front of him to find that he''s done a quick sketch of two people, one smaller than the other, with what I think is supposed to be a sword in his hand, running it through the other. "Did you draw a pic of me skewering Nik?" I ask, and Gold nods vigorously in response, his grin widening. "Come here!" I tackle him, wrestling him off the bench and onto the ground, where we wrestle for awhile. Once we calm down, we dust ourselves off, then return to working on the guidebook, Gold giving occasional bits of information based on his own observations. After awhile, I realize that he''s never once asked why I got the idea to do the guidebooks on the various Monsters. Generally, people just go off what they hear or discover on their own, and no one''s ever bothered putting together a book actually giving the various types of them. Does he wonder where I got the idea from? Or does he just accept it as something that''s because of me? Of me being me? Part of it is, after all. Having something like this could greatly helps Adventurers of all types. Rather than relying on information they obtained from others, they could just read the guide and go ''okay, so this is what I''m looking for, based on the observation of someone who actually spent time to research them''. My plan is going to be put to the test when someone else shows up who is new to the Boundary. Completely. The next time Big C drops someone off here ¨C other than my teammates ¨C I''m giving them the condensed version of the book, which will just give information on the Valley''s Goblins, not all the random types. The research on the various Holiday ones will be put to the test after the war, after I''ve observed them out in the Lost Territory a bit, since there will be plenty there for me. A poke at my side pulls me from my thoughts, and I look at Gold, who''s giving me a confused look. "Nothing," I tell him, and he tilts his head to the side. "Don''t worry about it, bud." He tilts his head to the other side, and I snort. "I know that it''s not morning," I tell him. "Though I''m not sure if Nik''s even realized I said that." Gold rolls his eyes, then we return to finishing up our work on the book for the day, before we take a bath and relax before bed. As we''re heading to our sleeping quarters, Nik shows back up. "Zack," he says. "Did you really say ''so early in the morning'' an hour before sunset?" "Did you really just walk back here from the Dark Temple just to ask me that?" He shakes his head in exasperation and leaves, and I burst out laughing, Gold giggling a little bit. "Come on, bud," I ruffle his hair. "Let''s head to bed." Gold nods, and we climb into our ''beds'', and I quickly drift off to sleep. The Wolf Beastborn that I''ve seen before is running down an alley. He''s wearing nothing but a loincloth and the slave collar. Is this from the past? The future? Could this be happening right now? He''s running on all fours, using his hands and feet to move quickly. His body''s covered in injuries, but that doesn''t seem to slow him down. He jumps up onto some crates, and from there, onto a roof. Not pausing in his movements for a moment, he continues his run, leaping across rooftops. Eventually, he jumps down. As he does, he slams into a sudden Barrier. The Wolf Beastborn lets out a whine, but that''s it, despite the fact that it clearly hurt. Laughter catches my attention, and I shift my focus to the one laughing. It''s a man who looks to be in his forties, wearing a magician''s robes, as well as a handful of others, a few of whom have slaves as well. I''m pretty sure the magician is the Wolf Beastborn''s master, though. The man suddenly cuts off his laughter and walks straight towards the Wolf Beastborn, an ugly look on his face, and kicks him in the stomach. I wake with a start, and when my fury subsides, I realize that Gold''s awake, looking at me with worry clear in his eyes. "It''s okay," I smile at him. "Just a bad dream." He tilts his head to the side, and I snort. "Not dream-dream," I remind him. "When I dream, I have visions of the future, present, or past, remember?" He makes an ''o'' with his mouth and nods, and I smile at him again, then wiggle my way out of my blankets and ruffle his hair. That elicits a big smile out of him, and he leans his head into my hand. I scratch behind his ears, sensing his happiness at that. Gold really is so doglike in this moment, and I can see why people might mistake him as being less than human, but¡­ if no one draws this side out of them, how would they ever know? Why do they just treat them so awful? Beastborn aren''t lesser, just because they dream and don''t speak. Even if they couldn''t speak, they still wouldn''t be lesser. They understand us just fine, at our own intelligence levels, and when given a chance, are perfectly good people. Sure, some might be evil, or dark, but that''s the same with people, like the Wolf Beastborn''s master. I''m pretty sure the Beastborn was on his way to his master. Just thinking about that makes my rage boil again, and the only thing that keeps me from screaming and lashing out and shit is Gold''s happiness at my scratch. It''s so childlike. Like I''m supposed to be. It''s calming. After a bit, Gold pulls away from my hand, impressions of hunger and images of food flashing through his mind, letting me know it''s breakfast time. "Alright," I say. "Got enough food?" He nods, and I get the sense the Nik gave him a lot of food. Nik¡­ and some of the other Dark Knights. And if I''m not mistaken, there was one image of Nathan in the mix that he quickly pushed down before realizing he''d projected them. "It''s okay, Gold," I chuckle, standing and ruffling his hair. "I know you and Nathan are friends, and I know the Dark Knights are probably more interested in you than you''re used to, especially since you''re able to enter the Dark Temple, now." Gold beams at me, then gives me a hug before running off to the kitchen. "And make enough extra for two more," I tell Gold as I leave the room and walk to the dining room table, and he gives me a curious look. I jerk a thumb in the direction of Nathan''s house. "We''re being stared at by a certain shy munchkin, who''s more than welcome to join us for breakfast, and I''ve got a feeling that Kylie''s going to be here." He nods, then gets to work as I sit down. Halfway through his preparation, Kylie does, indeed, show up, just to ''chat'' and see how I''m doing. I invite her to sit down, then pull out a pack of cards. She looks at them curiously, and I teach her how to play Go Fish. After the first game ends with my victory, I shuffle the desk and deal again, and she frowns. "Why did you deal three spots?" She asks, and Gold snorts. "You can''t feel the intensity and desire of the gaze?" I ask. "What?" She gives me the most confused look I''ve ever seen. "You can play with us, you know." A sudden breeze slams into the table, and I quickly catch the cards, keeping them from flying around. Kylie looks at the source of the breeze, then jumps. "Whoa!" She exclaims. "Who is this?" "This is Nathan," I introduce the midget healer, who had moved as quickly as he could into a seat at the table. "Nathan?" She asks curiously. "He moved¡­ fast. How old is he? What''s his Level?" "Both rude questions," I say. "You''ve probably heard of him before, most people call him by his last name, Normar." Her jaw drops, and Gold giggles, his tail wagging. Chapter 0054 (Zack) It took Kylie quite awhile to get over the shock of meeting the most powerful, most famous healer in the Boundary. Nathan took it all in stride, and by that, I mean that he quietly played the game, then used Conceal promptly after dinner finished. He did accompany us to the plaza, though, where Kylie rejoins her fellow apprentices. I think she''s still trying to process the fact that she met Nathan. "Zack," a voice says, and I look at the paladin. "Hey, Peter," I say. "My aunt is coming with this group." "She one of the Druids?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "What does she turn into?" "A bear," he answers. "Cool," I grin at him, then glance at Gold, who still looks extremely nervous. "Everything alright?" He nods, though fear and anxiety shoots through him. "You don''t have to be here," I whisper, and he nods, stepping closer to me and gripping my hand tightly. I look down and notice his knuckles are white from the tightness of his grip. "Gold, why''d you come if you''re so nervous?" He whimpers in the back of his throat, and I sigh, then reach up and pat his head. He''s wearing his beanie, which is really cute. It''s not often he doesn''t wear it when he''s not at home, and I get the feeling it''s a badge of pride for him. Something that expensive and valuable, all his. Ignoring the boots, of course. The beanie is the real prize. Something powerful made by the System just for him, tailored for his Beastborn traits. Tailored for the¡­ Beastborn traits. Do the boots¡­ do they have the ability to be perfectly fine when his claws come out? Or do they not, since they don''t say ''Beastborn'' in their name, like his beanie does? My thoughts on that fade as the circles around the plaza all begin to glow in unison, and dozens of people appear, grouped on each of the circles. Most have wagons, though a couple have crates or chests, and one of the circles is devoted to the Druids. There are twenty of them, all of them looking to be in their fifties or sixties, though by the strength of their Crystal mergings, they''re probably a lot older than that. About half-and-half between male and female. After everyone arrives, they talk for a little while, mostly setting up where they''re going to be staying until the war''s over and such, then one of the women, who looks to be in her late fifties, approaches Peter, giving him a hug. I look at Gold during this, whose gaze is fixed on one of the male Druids who looks to be around sixty. A particularly strong merging, so I''d estimate he might be around Nik''s age. When the Druid moves, I see another Beastborn there. Another Dog Beastborn, and judging by the series of emotions that goes through him, it''s one Gold knows. A brother, perhaps? He''s got a strong sense of longing and desire, but not the romantic kind. So they''re brothers, even if not by blood. There are a few Beastborn among the Druids, now I notice it. More than half have them. Most are Dog Beastborn, though I spot two Cat Beastborn and a single Monkey Beastborn. All of them are forced to wear the bare minimum ¨C or less ¨C and the collar, and that''s it. Most have bruising or injuries of some kind. The Dog Beastborn Gold''s looking at doesn''t look to have an injury. At least, not until he turns around. His back is covered in scars, including a gash that looks like it''ll scar. As soon as Gold sees it, I know he''s breaking. Before my rage claims me, a hand firmly grips my right shoulder, and I look up to see Nik standing there, Nathan beside him, looking worried. He must have gotten my mentor. "Nik-" "Gold?" He asks, and I hesitate, then nod. He looks at the Beastborn who''s causing this effect on Gold, then his master, then grunts. "Landon." I look back at Nik, confused, and then realize that he isn''t alone. The other eight Dark Knights I know about are here ¨C including the Fallen Hunters. They must be here on a break or something. It''s only once I realize this that I notice that the crowd''s giving us a fair bit of space. Ten Dark Knights, all gathered in one spot? Yeah, I guess people who aren''t used to us would be nervous of a showdown or something. And I did, admittedly, just try to cut off a guy''s legs. And would''ve, if Nik hadn''t stopped me. So a showdown did nearly happen. "Landon!" Nik called to the departing Druid, who stops and turns, looking at him with a sneer that fades the moment he sees the practical army of Dark Knights standing here. "Come on over! Let''s talk for a minute." The collective gulp of the plaza''s crowd is quite audible, and I can already see the gazes on the Druid planning his funeral. One of the Druids even whispers ''good luck'' to him. "Well?" Nik asks, and I can hear the menace in his voice. The Druid pales a little, then walks over. How is this going to go? What is going to happen here? This is beyond me. I could use my sight, of course, but I don''t think I should. I''m a bit nervous, myself. Part of that might be from the waves of fear radiating out of Gold, who''s hidden behind a couple of the Dark Knights behind me. "What, Nikolai?" Landon asks, and I look at his Beastborn, easily overhearing the conversation between him and Gold, even though he''s looking at the ground.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Gold''s trying to make sure he''s okay and assure him that everything''s going to be fine, that I''m a good person and these are my friends. At least, that''s what I think is going on. A full conversation between two Beastborn? Hasn''t happened around me before, and it''s moving much too quickly for me to properly register. I''ve no idea why Gold''s going on about candy, for example, just that there are snatches of it here and there. The other Beastborn seems extremely scared, and is worried that his master is going to beat him. "I see you''re still treating him with disgust," Nik told the Druid. "He''s a beast," the Druid scoffed. "Just because we can assume the forms of animals doesn''t make us them, like these things are. Don''t think I didn''t see the one who''s hiding. Fed properly, given proper clothes, and a body that''s suspiciously clear of injuries? What, you really think you can civilize them?" Nik''s grip tightens on my shoulder, warning me not to say anything. "Gold is a free Beastborn," Nik stated. "And if you saw him, then you saw his Level as well. He''s a Dark Knight with full Access. He''s not a beast, like you claim, and even the System has recognized that. "Now," Nik said. "For the purpose of which I called you over here. Normar here, as you''re aware, is used to traveling on his own, usually only working with his own team when he does work with others. He''s been staying in Maelnor, and will until the war''s over. He''s looking for someone to take care of his property, since he''s pretty neglectful and forgetful. The Beastborn you own would do well for that." "I''m not selling him to any of you," Landon sneered. "Not even to the little healer." A staff whacks him on the head, and I look over to find Normar staring at him furiously, staff poised for another strike. "I don''t think he likes being called ''little''," I comment, and Nik''s grip tightens again. "And who are you?" The Druid sneers. "A little Dark Knight wannabe?" "I am death incarnate," I say with my Demonic Voice. The entire plaza turns dead-silent, nearly everyone freezing up in terror. I might have used a bit of Intimidation in that as well, it was just too hard to resist. "This is Zack," Nik''s grip tightens on my arm. "And he''s a Dark Knight as well. With Access." The Druid scoffs. "Now," Nik said. "You will sell Normar your slave. There is no questioning this. You will find another to abuse." The Druid frowns. "That Beastborn," he said. "That''s this one''s littermate, isn''t it?" So they are blood brothers. "I thought I recognized him," he sneers, then freezes, his eyes going wide. He starts to say something, only to freeze up again. What''s going on? "Ver-very well, then." "Normar would like to buy him for ten silver," Nik states, and Landon begins to protest. "Landon, the other option is I release my grip on Zack." Landon looks at me nervously, then nods. He''s not sure why that''s a big deal, but the fact that the other eight Dark Knights suddenly started emanating pity and all shifted back half a step probably told him it''s something big. Normar holds out a silver ten-coin, and the Druid accepts it, glaring down at his former slave, before turning and marching off. Nik keeps his grip on my shoulder until the other Druid is out of sight, releasing me only then. He lets out a groan, and I turn and glare at him. "Next time you''re being warned not to talk," Nik says. "Don''t talk. That could have ended badly." "For us or him?" "I''d rather deal with things without bloodshed, when necessary," Nik tells me. "Okay? We can shed blood later." "I''ll shed your blood," I say, and he snorts. I look at the staring crowd. "Alright, people! Show''s over! Get your asses back to whatever the fuck you were doing! Now!" Everyone starts dispersing, and I look at the Beastborn, who looks terrified. Gold''s doing his best to try and calm him down, but it''s failing. "Nathan," I look at the little healer, then draw my dagger. He nods, understanding what I''m asking. "Alright." I turn back to his new servant, then step forward, rapidly slicing through the collar and letting it fall to the ground. The movement is fast enough that he doesn''t catch it, and is startled when the collar drops, jumping back and whimpering, an apology forming in his mind. "There we go," I say. "Nathan said he doesn''t want you wearing that. Now, I''m doubting Big S will let you have Access just yet-" Or ever. "But we''ll work on that," I ignore Big S''s comment. "Mostly after we figure out how I''m making it up to him and paying him back for Gold being granted it. Now, you need a name. Do you want to pick your own, or Nathan?" The Beastborn still looks nervous, and I look at Nathan, who shrugs, and a flash of something goes through his mind. He knew I was tapping in. "Really, Nathan?" I ask, and he grins. I look back at the Beastborn. "Nathan''s naming you ''Aurum''. It''s a dead language for ''gold''." Here and in reality. "Come on," I say. "Let''s get you home and cleaned up. Some of Gold''s new clothes will probably fit you." Aurum''s fear increases in volume, and a moment later, he''s tackled by Gold, who''s telling him it''s alright, that everything''s fine, that they''re back together again, and that no evil masters are going to ever beat them and separate them again. I really should''ve expected Gold to be a twin. Since they''re Dog Beastborn, does that mean there could be more of them? "N-" "No," Nik interrupts me as soon as I turn to face them. "It''s just the two of them. There were three, but the middle one died not long ago, long after Gold''s final master bought him. Gold''s the youngest of them." That explains why he''s so attached to his brother. They were split up years ago, and their third died somehow. I feel so sorry for them, getting split up. Gold''s probably suppressing the guilt he has, living well while his brother was a slave and getting abused. Even if it was for a short period of time. His fear and anxiety was probably from the possibility that the Druid who owned his brother ¨C and probably him a long while ago ¨C would be in the group. Fear and anxiety over his brother showing up. "Gold," I say, and he jumps up guiltily, face flushing. "Why don''t we save the happy reunion for after we get home? Since Nathan lives across the street from us, you two can spend a lot of time together, if you want. And we can have a nice brunch, and you can help Aurum take a nice, hot bath." Gold''s tail wags furiously as his face lights up, and I can tell how happy he is to get to show his brother what it''s like to actually be clean for once. Glancing at Nathan, I notice he looks upset. "Nathan," I say. "I''m pretty sure they''d be happy to let you take a bath with them. Plus, Aurum''s back needs healing, so¡­" I trail off, and Nathan nods, his expression going from miserable to serious with a touch of happy. "Thank goodness this made him forget to ask about seeing animal forms," Nik mutters. "Oh, right!" I look at Nik, who looks like a goblin caught with its loincloth down the moment I do. "Thanks for reminding me!" I turn to the Druid, Elizabeth, judging by her status. "Can I see your bear form?" I ask. "I wanna see you transform!" "Tell you what," she chuckles. "Why don''t you come by Peter''s house for dinner tonight? We''ll host you and your¡­ friends for dinner." I can see the idea of free Beastborn makes her uncomfortable, but she''s trying to hide that, and accept that maybe the view we Dark Knights have might be a better one. At least, in the case of these two. "And discuss a business thing as well," Peter adds, and I raise an eyebrow. "Our previous discussion. Aunt Liz has brought the payment." "This is the boy you were telling me about?" She looks shocked, staring at me. "You didn''t tell me he was a Dark Knight in that letter!" "We have a lot we can talk about tonight," I tell her, grinning. "I can''t wait to see what his cooking''s like." "Ha!" She laughs. "My nephew couldn''t cook to save his life! I''ll be the one doing the cooking." Chapter 0055 (Zack) We say our goodbyes to Peter, his aunt, and the Dark Knights, then make our way back to our homes. The party is of Nathan, Gold, Aurum, and me, and I was the only one who actually spoke. We reach my house, and not even five steps inside, Gold tackles his brother to the ground. Nathan and I move to the table and watch as they wrestle, claw (with their fingers, not their claws), and bite at each other, running around the yard. It''s easy to tell that Aurum still isn''t too sure, but he has to play with Gold, mostly because his brother isn''t letting up. I wish my brother was still here. We didn''t even know we were brothers until after he was gone. If Bryce were still here, what kind of mischief would we be getting up to right now? How much differently would that meeting at the plaza have gone? A lot, probably. And all kinds of mischief, too. The two of us together would tear the forest''s monsters apart, forge a path of blood through Talorn. With him being my brother and how fast he obtained Dark Squire, there isn''t a doubt in my mind that he''d probably be close to Dark One by now. We wouldn''t forge a path of blood. No, we''d carve it. There would be so much more I could do, if my brother were still here. Could he see the future as well? Did he have the gift of sight, too? Why did he have to die so early? He hadn''t been here all that long! A hand on my back pulls me out of my thoughts, and I look at Nathan, who''s looking at me with concern. Immediately, I realize both of the Beastborn are standing on the other side of the table, doing the same. And that there are tears in my eyes. "Sorry," I smile at them, then look at Gold. "It''s¡­ I was thinking about Bryce again." He immediately feels guilty, averting his gaze as Aurum gives him a curious look. "You two are absolutely covered in dirt," I say, and Aurum shoots me a fearful look. "I keep forgetting that we clear the snow out of here as soon as it falls, if we can. Why don''t you two go take a bath?" Nathan disappears. Not visibly, but physically. I''m pretty sure he ran to the bath. Judging by Gold''s and Aurum''s shocked expressions, they''re both surprised and confused. "I think Nathan thinks that whoever''s the last one in has to make lunch," I tell them. Gold and Aurum look at each other, then at me, then Gold takes off, dragging Aurum with him. His brother''s going to loosen up and lighten up, I''m sure of it. I''m not able to just grant him Access like I did with Gold, so it''s going to take a bit more, but he''ll see that his brother, his new master, and I are a lot nicer. Deciding to get some Experience for my Chef Subclass, I head into the kitchen, pulling food out of my Inventory. Should I do a turkey or a ham? Might as well go with one of the hams I earned from killing the Santa Boss. I add some herbs to it before I stick it in the oven, then prepare some rolls to go with it. As I wait for it to get closer to finish, I listen to Gold and Aurum horsing around in the bath, and Nathan''s occasional laughs. Do people whose aging slows down or halts ever mature? I know that part of the childish nature kids have comes from the development of their brains. Has Nathan''s brain stopped its maturity as well, due to his lack of aging? He seems like a mix of an adult and a kid to me. If I stop aging when I''m around sixteen, like the visions suggest, and my little healer when he''s ten¡­ so soon after arrival¡­ will we never fully mature, mentally? Or will we continue to mature mentally, but have that handicap that makes us a little childish at the same time? The meat starts to finish as I think about that, and I pull my thoughts away, putting the rolls into the oven and preparing both the vegetable salad and the fruit salad. As everything finishes, I plate them at the table, and by the time I''m done, there are two wet boy Beastborn and a wet, old healer sitting at the table, dressed. Probably because it''s still freezing out here, and I can already see their hair starting to crystallize because they didn''t dry it well enough. Aurum''s tugging at the hem of the tunic he''s wearing. It''s one of Gold''s blue and white ones. Gold''s and Aurum''s cheeks are crimson from all the exertion and fun they had, and based on what I heard, they were wrestling in the bath over the dog toy. At nearly the same time as I sit down, both of them start talking to me through the usual way that Gold talks, telling me about their playtime in the bath and how they had to keep dunking Nathan because he wouldn''t play with them. From what I can tell, it was mostly Gold dunking him, with Aurum being nervous and scared of being beaten. "Alright, guys," I say. "Dig in." I serve myself some food as Nathan and Gold do the same, and Aurum stares at his brother in shock. Gold seems oblivious to this at first, but then his ears twitch, and he looks at his brother, tilting his head to the side.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Aurum''s eyes widen, and I know that Gold just told him that he does it all the time. Eats with me, I mean. Then, Gold returns to serving himself. It takes Aurum a few minutes, but he starts pulling food off the plates and out of the bowls, hesitantly and only small pieces at a time. Nathan lets out a frustrated groan, then grabs two rolls and dumps them on Aurum''s plate. Then a huge chunk of ham and a lot of each salad. Then, he firmly points at the food with his own fork before resuming eating. I snort at the Beastborn''s face, and Gold cracks up laughing. Shaking my head, I get back to eating. As I do, I read the notification I received the moment I''d finished setting everything on the table.
For creating a worthy feast and sharing it with others, you''ve earned enough Experience for Chef to increase in Level!
This isn''t a ''worthy feast''. Trust me, I could make a lot more. Plus, we haven''t even busted out the wine. That''s a good idea, since it''ll help Aurum to loosen up a little bit. Nathan''s eyes widen when I pull out a bottle, and Aurum gives it a curious look. "You are not getting drunk," I tell Gold, who gives me a sheepish smile. At least he''s done being apologetic over the drunken kiss. "You can each have one glass. Nathan and I will share the rest." As lunch progresses, I determine that Aurum has a little bit less of a tolerance than his brother, as he seems tipsy just from that one glass. It''s kind of cute, if I''m being honest. After lunch, Gold insists on cleaning everything up, pulling Aurum with him, and Aurum looks a lot more comfortable once they get working, though I do notice him rolling his sleeves up as he does, while Gold leaves them down, as usual. One is worried about getting his clothes dirty, while the other doesn''t care. We can always get the stains out, as long as we get washing soon after. Nathan stares at me, and I roll my eyes, then pull out another deck of cards, playing another game of Go Fish. After two more pass, Kylie shows up, asking if she can join us for a bit. "No training?" I ask. "Not right now," she shrugs. "We do get breaks, you know." "How long is this one?" "All day," she answers. "Samantha''s getting a refresher course from Jesse." "Do you know where?" I start to stand, and Nathan pulls me back onto the bench. "Hey!" "It''s very deadly," he tells me quietly. "No going." "But-" "One nick, no proper healer, you die in minutes." "Alllrighty, then." Nathan nods, then whistles, and Gold looks at him, then nudged Aurum. The other Beastborn looks at Gold, then at Nathan, then nervously walks over to the healer, who turns and leaves. "What was that about?" Kylie asks, and I remember that she''s here. "Oh," I say. "Consider yourself lucky, Kylie. Nathan doesn''t often show himself to others, and it''s even rarer that he talks. At least, exempting his team. But Gold and I are exceptions, and I think Aurum is now as well. I think he was people''d out for today, especially after the scene at the plaza." "Yeah, that," she frowns. "What in the hell happened there?" "Angry Dark Knights," I tell her. "Wanna play? Gold''s done cleaning up, so we can do three-person." She looks at the cards warily, but agrees to. She plays with us for around an hour before she says she should get back to base. "Want to get some dinner with me later?" She asks. "Gold and I are going to Peter''s for dinner," I tell her. "Peter?" "The Paladin in the fancy armor who was standing by me." "Oh," she says. "Okay. What about tomorrow?" "Can''t, sorry," I say. "Tomorrow, I''m doing more prepwork, since I''m heading back to Talorn the day after." Gold snorts, and I look at him. "What?" I ask, and immediately receive a few impressions. "What? I''m spending most of the day making sure I have enough resources for another week-long trip, especially since this is going to be a training-oriented trip. The plan is to master Warrior. I only need a little bit more Experience, then I can advance the Quest, I think, then another 9 Levels, another Quest advancement, and nine more Levels. So if I push hard, I should be able to. I told you this." He huffs and rolls his eyes, and Kylie gives him an uncomfortable look. Right, she''s not used to Beastborn being anything more than slaves who can''t express themselves. "Gold, what are you trying to say?" I ask. "Just say it." He huffs again, then sends me more impressions and images. It''s all jumbled up. "Gold, I know you like me," I say. "You don''t need to tell me that, remember?" "Rahrargh!" Gold groans, and I snort. "What?" I ask. "It''s true! Remember? You got chased up a tree by a monster because you kissed me? Why are you telling me you like me again? I thought you''d accepted-" Another flash of images go through my mind. "What does Kylie have to do with this?" I ask, and Gold buries his face into his hands. I look at Kylie, whose face is crimson. "You''re looking hot," I put a hand against her cheek, and she flinches away. She is hot. "Are you doing okay? Maybe you should get going and bundle up a bit more. If you''re not prepared for the cold, you can get sick. I don''t know why I didn''t notice this before." "So when he''d disappeared," Kylie says quietly. "It was after you two kissed?" "After he kissed me," I state. "He was really drunk, and it just kind of happened. The morning after, he heard me and Nik talking about the kiss, and that I didn''t like him that way. We''ve cleared things up, and he''s happy just being friends. At least, he said he is, but this is weird. You should probably get going, or you might pass out from whatever''s getting your temp up." Gold lets out another groan, and more thoughts, impressions, and images hit me. Including a flash of Kylie, then of him kissing me. "Gold," I say. "I can''t understand that. Why do you keep telling me that?" He groans again, shaking his head and walking off, and I look at Kylie, whose face has gotten redder. "Kylie, you really should lie down for a bit," I tell her. "Actually, it might not be a good idea to walk back. I can carry you, or you can get some rest upstairs. Gold and I haven''t really used the beds, we usually sleep by the fire." "I''ll be fine," she tells me, then hurries out. I hope she gets home okay. I like her. I''d like her more if she''d stop being so hesitant and on-edge around Gold. He''s a good person. Since she seems to be healthy enough to leave quickly, I assume she''ll make it home alright, so I track down Gold and suggest we train some more. His face lights up, and he draws his wooden training sword and follows me back out to the yard. Chapter 0056 (Zack) "And remember," Nick mutters as we enter the house. "Behave, Zack." "Always do, Nik!" I grin at him, and he groans as Peter chuckles. Peter has a big house, rather than the standard, like what Gold, Nathan, Aurum, and I live in. A small yard in front and in back, all of the rooms of the house opening up inside rather than outside. Well, our bedrooms are internal, but that''s it. Everything else opens up outside. The furniture in here isn''t that fancy, and probably brought in with Peter. His team lives here, too, Nathan told me, but the rest of them are out doing stuff at the moment, mostly so we can have a private dinner and meal. Liz greets us warmly, and I compliment her on the smell of dinner. She laughs, then tells me she needs to get back to cooking so it doesn''t burn and leaves, heading back to the kitchen. The rest of us sit in the living room, and Gold sticks right beside me, pressed up against me. I can feel his nerves, but they''re not like with the Druids before. He''s just nervous to be around unknowns, and how they''ll react to him sitting at the table with us. If they''ll let us. They probably will, since he''s a Dark Knight, and there are two others of our kind here. Once Liz finishes cooking, she calls us into the dining room for dinner. It''s a ham, with a salad, two casseroles, a bunch of rolls, and she promises us pie for dessert. Her food is delicious. Way more than mine. Every few bites, Gold gives her a nervous glance, and I think he misses all of hers and Peter''s. They''re all uncomfortable with the situation, but aren''t saying anything. That''s good. Dinner is mostly spent the same way as before, with Nik and Peter chatting about hunting and fighting and stuff, and I can tell that Peter''s also nervous of Nik. Not because of Gold being here and his views on it, but because Nik''s a Dark Knight with a powerful reputation. One even greater than mine. I need to fix that. Must be patient, Zack. You. Must. Be. Patient. When the great battle of the war comes, you will exceed his reputation, and will become known as the greatest Adventurer ever. I am going to kill that fucking Dragon. After dinner, I tell Liz that Peter can clear the table. "That way," I say. "We can stop delaying me seeing your bear form. Gold''ll show you his claws if you do." Gold gives me a confused look, and she raises an eyebrow. "Come on," I say. "Show me that bear form!" "I''ll help," Nik tells Peter, then looks at me. "Zack, behave." "I always do," I grin at him. Nik and Peter start clearing the table, and Liz mutters some strange words under her breath. As she does, her body begins to shift, rippling, fur growing out as her body increases in size. In under ten seconds, she''s a grizzly bear. "That is so fucking cool," I say. "Guess what? I can turn into a Dragon!" "Not at will!" Nik calls out as she returns to her human form. "And your clothes and stuff did the transition, too!" I exclaim. "That''s awesome! When I turn into a Dragon, mine are destroyed." "You can turn into a Dragon?" She asks. "Yeah," I nod. "But not at will, unfortunately. See, I''m really this super powerful demigod gifted with the power of transformation, though my ancient immortal relative said I can only shift between human and dragon. Maybe one day, I''ll be able to retain my clothes. I''ve actually only done the switch once, anyway. Completely blacked out for the whole thing." Yeah, she totally doesn''t believe me, and her expression is priceless. "Alright!" I say. "Gold! Use Claw!" Okay, that was bad, and Gold can definitely tell there''s more to that command than he knows. He can sense it in my giddiness. Rolling his eyes, his face flushing, Gold holds up his hands, claws forming at his fingertips. I glance down, confirming they''re still on his toes, too, then look back at Liz, who looks¡­ curious. She steps forward. "May I?" She holds up a hand, and Gold gives her a hesitant nod. She takes one of his hands and examines his claws. "How interesting. I wasn''t aware Beastborn could do this." "I''m not sure if it''s normal," I tell her. "Or just because he has Access. I think it might just be a Skill, and that it was something he could do purely because of what he is." "How did he get Access?" She continues to examine his claws, and I can tell Gold''s getting uncomfortable. "I made a deal with Big S." "Who?" She gives me a sideways look. "The ninth Crystal," Nik says before I can respond. "The one that supports the System itself. Zack gives all of them nicknames." "Oh?" She raises an eyebrow. "So I take it you''re the reason all of the Dark Knights are suddenly calling the Crystal of Dark of Fire ''Big Flame''?" "Yep," I grin at her. "Big S runs everything and keeps everyone else in line, while Big Flame is the awesome one." Thanks! "You''re welcome!"This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Nik laughs, shaking his head, and I stick my tongue out at him. "What?" Liz asks. "Big Flame responded with ''Thanks''," Nik tells her. "Whenever he talks to Zack in something that''s not a private matter, any Dark Knight near him hears it." Gold grins, nodding as his tail wags. Liz releases Gold''s hand and raises an eyebrow. "What else can you do, if you don''t mind my asking?" She asks, and he shifts around. "He can enhance the power of any bite he makes," I tell her. "Though I think you Druids have something similar, for when you''re in animal mode." "Yes," she nods. "We can only use it in those forms." A knock at the door interrupts further conversation, and I give them a curious look. "That''s probably him," Peter says. "I''ll get it!" I run to the door before anyone can protest and open it to find Jackson standing there. "''Sup?" "Hello, Zack," he chuckles. I step aside and let him in, curious about why he''s here. I close the door and return to Gold, who''s retracted his claws. "Welcome, Jackson," Nik seems about as surprised as I am to find the blacksmith here. "What brings you here?" "Business," Jackson answers. "Right," Peter said. "Aunt Liz? Where did you put it?" "In your bedroom," she tells him, and Peter leaves. "What''s going on?" I ask. "You have something he wants used," Jackson tells me. "Oh! Right!" I say, then look at Liz. "Wait, so you brought the payment?" "Yes," she chuckles. "I was supposed to come out with this group already, so it wasn''t too much of a bother to grab a bit extra for my nephew so that we can finally have a sword to match the equipment." Peter returns, bringing with him his equipment. I raise an eyebrow at that. "I''ll need it to match the sword to it," Jackson explains. "Ah," I say. "Do you have the ores you need?" "Yes," he nods. "Peter dropped them off yesterday, asking me if I''d hold onto them until we could arrange for you to sell the Primordial Essence. Now, just to verify, you are going to sell it to us?" "Nik vouches for him," I gesture to my mentor. "That''s good enough for me, most of the time." "Most of the time?" "You''ve made some questionable decisions before." "Like what?" He asks. "Taking me on as an apprentice." Gold nods in agreement, and the four adults crack up laughing. Jackson sends the armor into his Blacksmith''s storage, whatever it''s called. I can''t remember. Then, Peter pulls out several platinum coins and hands them to Jackson, totaling around five hundred plat. Holy fuck, that''s a lot. After that, he pulls out fifteen hundred plat''s worth of coins. That is a lot of platinum. What''s a boy like me gonna do with all that? "Jackson said they cost a thousand," I say. "Starting," Peter says. "And having this sword is worth quite a lot, Zack. I consider this a more fair price for it." "Okay," I say, then accept the money, sending it into my Inventory, then pulling out one of the jars of the purplish substance. "So do I give this to you or Jackson?" "Jackson," he answers. I nod, then hand Jackson the jar, and the blacksmith sends it into his storage for that shit. "I''ll have the sword done in the next three days," Jackson tells the paladin. "I''ll send you a message when I finish." The paladin nods and thanks Jackson, and the smith says he needs to get going, then leaves. Nik looks at me, then snorts. "What''s that look for, Zack." "I am probably the richest kid in the Boundary," I say. "Especially on the list of ones who actually earned their shit and wasn''t just handed it." "You were just handed it." "I sold something," I point out. "Something that I earned." "Zack?" Peter asks, and I look at him. "I''ve noticed that you wear your armor and sword all the time, even while just walking around town. Why?" I''m not the only one who wears their gear around town. I do probably take it to more of an extreme, though, since most don''t if they''re not planning on leaving or aren''t returning or doing guard duty or something. "Agents of the Shadow of Life are everywhere," I state in my most ominous of voices. "Plus," Nik adds. "He thinks he looks cool in it." "I do look cool in it," I say. "Plus, it helps deter people from fucking with me. I hear the whispers around me, not everyone''s happy that a kid''s as tough as I am. If I weren''t wearing my armor, I''d have probably had to beat some lessons into people." Nik starts to say something, then sighs. "Fuck," he mutters. "That''s actually a good point." It is, that''s why I do it. Think about all the people who have caused issues with me. Then remember that those are the ones who were arrogant enough to do something after seeing me in my gear. "Gold and I should get going," I say, then grin at Liz. "I''ll see you around." "See you," she says. I gesture to Gold, and he follows me. As soon as we''re off Peter''s property, Gold lets out a heavy sigh in relief. He was getting uncomfortable to an extreme. We walk in silence, for the most part, and when we''re halfway down the street to our house, someone steps out of the shadows. A large, bulky man with a sneer on his face. "I hear you''re a kid with Primordial Essence." "I hear you''re only Level 134." "Only," he scoffs. "Give me all of your essence, kid. I know you keep it stored in a special, theft-proof Inventory." I narrow my gaze on him. If he knows who I am, then he''s confident he can handle me. Gold''s terrified, and is frozen in fear. Is this the guy who had that special potion made from the stolen Primordial Essence? Does he believe he can take me simply because he''s a physical-based Class kind of Adventurer with an impossible Endurance? "What''ll you do if I don''t?" I ask. "First," he says. "I''ll torture you. Fail to give it all up, I''ll torture your little friend there, then the pretty girl that-" He doesn''t finish speaking, as my fist slammed into his throat. No one threatens Gold. Ever. Or Kylie. They. Are. My. Friends! He punches me in the stomach, and I''m pushed back a bit. I charge forward, and he laughs, telling me that even Nikolai, one of the most powerful Adventurers in history, would never manage to scratch him, even with a full combo. I duck under his fist. He''s fast. I slice up with my knife, not bothering to use a Skill. This isn''t the knife I''m wearing. It''s from the Zack''s Blood set. Sharper than any weapon before it, with an increased Bleed effect for even the slightest scratch given. Part of a set of equipment that let me kill one of the most powerful Bosses in the Boundary. My knife slices through his stomach, and he yells. Sucks to be hurt when you''re unhurtable, doesn''t it? I slice at him again, and he grabs at me. I cut through his arm, and he roars, punching me. I''m thrown across the street, but am back up in an instant. He''s got Gold in his hand, the Beastborn whimpering, waves of fear emanating out of him. The asshole has a knife to Gold''s throat. My vision goes red, my rage peaking. "Listen here, boy-" the asshole begins. The next thing I know, he''s in pieces on the ground, and Gold''s several feet away, staring at me with wide eyes when I turn my gaze to him. What happened? "Gold," I say, and he whimpers. "You''re hurt." I bolt forward, reaching him before he can run and grabbing him. He howls, and I press a hand against the cut on his neck. "Heal," I say, watching as his flesh mends, a notification informing me of how much I healed him. "There we go, Gold. You''re all better." I look back at the body. Or, well, its pieces. I really did a number on him. He''s¡­ dead. I killed him. I killed the asshole, and he deserved it. He tried to steal from me, tried to use Gold as a tool against me, threatened to hurt him and Kylie. He killed someone else for his greed, and has been an asshole for too long. He will never treat someone like this again. "It''s okay, Gold," I pull the Beastborn against me, gripping my knife tightly. "It''s okay. You''re okay. No one''s going to hurt you, so long as I''m around. I''ll protect you." My vision starts to go black as I promise Gold I''m not letting him get hurt by anyone else. I''ll protect¡­ you. I''m not¡­ going¡­ to¡­ lose¡­ anyone¡­ else¡­ Chapter 0057 (Zack) My head throbs as I open my eyes, finding myself in a room at the Dark Temple. This is way too frequent of an occurrence for me to be comfortable in any sense of the word. Rubbing my temples, I let the pain fade away a little before climbing out of the bed and changing into some clean clothes, throwing my bloody ones and the blanket and pillows into my Inventory before leaving. It takes me a few minutes to track down Nik and Gold, who are sitting in the dining hall. I probably should''ve checked here first, but my stomach was growling, so I ended up in the kitchen first. "How much trouble am I in?" I ask Nik as I sit with my plate of food. "That depends," he says. "What happened? I haven''t been able to get Gold to answer, even though you still believe he can actually talk." "He can," I say as Gold shifts uncomfortably. "He''s just too scared to talk. I promise, he will one day grace us with his voice." "What happened last night?" "Some asshole tried to steal my Primordial Essence?" "So you shredded him?" "I was going to go with a hand," I say. "Then he threatened Gold and Kylie. Then he put a blade to Gold''s throat. Next thing I knew, he was in pieces, then I was healing Gold and passing out." Gold starts nodding vigorously and seriously, his way of telling Nik that''s what happened. Nik lets out a long sigh as he leans back in his chair, thinking for a bit. "So was that the asshole who stole a Primordial Essence before and used it to make himself insanely durable?" "Yes," Nik answers. "Despite you technically not having the Strength to hurt him, your weapons are far beyond that, and his absurd Endurance, from the looks of it, was easy for you to cut through with them." "Yeah, it kind of was," I tell him, and he raises an eyebrow. "I cut him once before I blacked out for the fight. So. How much trouble am I in? Because I''m pretty sure that''s nothing I can just get away with." "Get your temper under control," Nik tells me. "I know you got pissed because Gold-" "I am not going to let my temper be tamed in situations like those," I state. "Now. Answer my question." Nik lets out another sigh. "Consider yourself lucky, Zack," he says. "Because you''re not. He attempted to steal from you, from a Dark Knight, has murdered before, and several other things. There''s been a bounty on his head for decades." "A bounty?" "You aren''t receiving a reward," Nik states. "Consider that your punishment. And Zack ¨C I''m serious. Get that temper under control. It''s going to cause you some major problems, if you don''t." "Whatever," I shove some food into my mouth. "You''re still leaving tomorrow, yes?" He asks, and I nod as I chew. "For serious training, not just observations?" I nod again. "It might be best if you left today, due to last night. I''ve purchased several potions and enough food to last you up to ten days, and no, you don''t need to pay me back." "Fine," I huff. He''s got a point, though. Things are probably going to be a bit awkward, were I to go around town right now. Leaving today instead of tomorrow would help to let people calm down from that brutal murder, as they''ll have less time seeing me before departure. However¡­ "What if I stayed here until tomorrow?" I ask Nik, and he starts to talk. "I mean, you or one of the others can help me train a little bit, right? That will help me be a little more prepared for when I head into Talorn tomorrow. We can leave early in the morning, so fewer people''ll see me, too." Nik thinks for a few seconds, then nods, seeing my point. I can still leave at the planned time. "Alright," I say. "Let me finish eating, then Gold and I are heading into the training courtyard." Gold gets a frightened look on his face, and I ruffle his hair, assuring him I''m not going to beat him up. As soon as I finish my breakfast, I shove my tray towards Nik, grab Gold''s hand, and rush out to the training courtyard, stripping to my pants and sending everything into my Inventory. "You get practicing on a target," I tell Gold, and he nods, giving me a wary eye. "I promise, I''m just going to practice some moves by myself."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. He still looks a little tense, but I guess that''s to be expected, after last night. Instead of focusing on Gold, I start performing a series of punches, kicks, and other types of strikes, lashing out at imaginary enemies. Vaguely, I''m aware of him striking out with his sword at one of the training dummies, and I make sure to not get too close to him as he tries to use the sword. After thirty minutes of nonstop fighting for me, I take a break, noting that Gold''s already resting, sitting on a bench, leaning back with his legs stretched out, his hands gripping the bench. Making my way over, I take a seat next to him, a thought coming to me. "Hey, Gold?" I say, and sense a trace of worry coming from him. "Can I see those boots you got from the Platinum Present?" Confused, he pulls them out of his Inventory and hands them to me. I inspect their toes carefully, but find no trace of any marks that would indicate slits for his claws. That sucks. Why did the Diamond Present come tailored for a Dog Beastborn, but not the Platinum Present? "Here you go," I hand the boots back to Gold, who sends them into his Inventory and tilts his head at me in curiosity. "I was checking to see if there were slits for your claws to come out, but there aren''t." He nods in understanding, then watches as I pull out some of the marbles I''ve looted to fiddle with. Deciding to teach him how to shoot marbles, I pull a piece of chalk out of my inventory and make a circle on the ground. "Come on," I tell Gold as I start putting out marbles. "Let''s play a game." We play a few games of marbles before I send them all back into my Inventory and tell him I''m going to do some more training. He nods, then pulls out his wooden sword and makes his way to a training dummy as I begin performing another series of strikes against imaginary enemies. After half an hour, Theodore arrives and attacks me, and I spar against him until he draws his sword. Then, I pull one of my blades out of my Inventory and fight against him, the two of us using Skill after Skill. He nearly strikes me a few times, but I always manage to slip just-outside of his reach. We''re too close in Level for anything but his own experience to give him a large advantage over me, and I''m a wily little guy. He doesn''t seem to bothered by my constant use of the marbles, which is a boon, though he hasn''t actually slipped on them yet, which is disappointing. "Ow!" He exclaims when a marble strikes his forehead. "Ha!" I exclaim as Gold explodes into laughter from his spot on the bench. "Got you that time!" Theodore strikes out at me as I tease him, and I dance back, deflecting his blade with my own, striking at him with my other sword, which connects with the side of his neck. "Fatal wound!" I exclaim, sticking my tongue out. "You''re dead!" "You''re far too hyper," Theodore chuckles. "I''m thirteen," I tell him. "It''s only natural I''ll be hyper!" "You''ve been working out for over an hour," he says. "How long before you conk out?" "I''ve got plenty of stamina left," I hold up both swords. "Want to go another round?" "Are you going to pull a sword out of your Inventory mid-fight again?" "Hey," I say. "No one said I couldn''t." "Of course I wouldn''t tell you to," Theodore tells me. "You''re a Dark Knight, Zack, it''s in our nature to use anything we can to our advantage against an enemy." "Maybe," I shrug. "Weapons, the environment, our own blood¡­ that''s the nature of a Dark Knight." I know my expression darkens as I say the next part. "But not innocents." "No," Theodore says softly. "Not innocents. Nik told me that you got a bit moody when he told you to reign in your temper. I asked him what he''d have done, had it been someone he cared about." "What was his response?" I ask. "He admitted that he may have been unnecessarily harsh with how he told you to get your temper under control," Theodore responds, and I raise an eyebrow. "You do need to get it under control, Zack, but not so you don''t shred someone who tries to bring harm to innocents. Big Flame does not like that in the first place, so you''re in accordance with his ways, even if not with the people''s. "No," Theodore shakes his head. "The reason you need to get that temper under control, Zack, is so that you don''t black out when it hits you. Turn yourself from a blind rage to a cold rage. When you get angry, calculate, don''t strike without focus. Find a furious clarity, and use it to your advantage." It would be useful if I knew how to start figuring that out. I''ve never gone into blind rages before. I''ve never blacked out ¨C before here, I always had that furious clarity. Thinking about it, this actually scares me. Why am I going into these blind rages? I should''ve been able to keep my focus as I tore that man apart, and yet I didn''t. Does this have to do with my dragon side? My divine side? Is this an effect of it starting to wake up and me merging my elements into my Sacred Crystal? "I didn''t mean to depress you," Theodore walks over and places a hand on my shoulders, and I realize that I''ve lost my stance, my blades drooping down. "Much like Nik and the other Dark Knights, I wish to help you, Zack." "It''s¡­ not that," I say, shifting. "Can you bring Nik in here? I¡­ have something I should probably tell you two. It¡­ it''s kind of serious." I send my swords into my Inventory, and Theodore nods, telling me he''ll be back in a few minutes. While I wait for him, I sit in the middle of the courtyard and meditate, looking in upon my Sacred Crystal. All of the elements have merged into the light and the dark portions fairly, though the fire is still the strongest by far, and more on the dark side than the light. Then there are those three long scars on the crystal, and the scar of fire. My wounds, from when the Shadow of Life nearly killed me and from when I bled myself to make sure Big Flame was doing okay. Scars¡­ On what is probably the most important part of my existence. Could they be why I have these blackout rages? So far, I''ve had two, and both came after I received the injuries. If so, which one is it? The one from feeding Big Flame, or the one that caused my first blackout rage? When I sense two more Sacred Crystals drawing near, in addition to the one that''s close by, I stop my inner reflection and open my eyes, looking at the pair of Dark Knights that arrived. "Nik," I dip my head to him. "Theodore said you wanted to talk with me?" He asks, and I nod, beckoning him over, then Gold and Theodore. "Before I tell you what I''m thinking," I say. "I want you to swear on the Crystals that you won''t reveal it to anyone. If you can''t make that oath, then you need to leave the area so you don''t overhear it." "Zack-" Nik begins. "I''m serious," I say. "Swear it, or I won''t tell you." Gold nods, and I can tell from his impressions and thoughts that he''s agreed on the Crystals to not tell anyone. Nik and Theodore make the swear, then Nik asks me what that''s about. Chapter 0058 (Zack) "I think the blackout rages are caused by the scars on my Sacred Crystal," I tell Nik, Gold, and Theodore my new suspicion. "It''s easy to blame other things-" Nik begins. "No, Nik," I say. "I''m serious. Before the scars, I never had a blackout rage. Twice since then, I have. It''s possible that beginning to awaken my Divine Heritage, combined with those scars, is causing them. First with Bryce''s death, then last night, with the harm nearly brought to Gold. Think about it ¨C every other time I got angry, I was in control. Except for those two incidents, every single time." "Both of those times," Nik says. "Someone you cared about was in danger. Someone you cared about deeply. A person had threatened them." "Maybe," I say. "But what about with the Nian? Gold could''ve died then, too. I didn''t go into a blackout rage." "Probably because it was a monster," Nik says. "Rather than a person." "No," I shake my head. "I mean, it could be because of that, but when you think about it, I''ve been furious a lot. I''ve removed hands, for the Crystals'' sake. I also blacked out when I was in serious danger, back with when I turned into a Dragon ¨C I don''t remember that at all." "Wait," Theodore looks at Nik in shock. "He actually turned into one? You weren''t screwing with us?" "No," Nik says. "We weren''t. Zack, I know you want to blame it on something else, but the fact of the matter is that you have a temper that-" "I have a temper," I say. "I''ve always had a temper. But I never blacked out because of it before, not even in reality." "How would you-" Nik begins, then his eyes widen. "The oath you made us swear ¨C you remember?" "Everything," I state. "And there''s someone in reality that I cared about a whole lot more than Gold, and I saw him get beaten quite a lot. Trust me, this is a new thing." Gold seems really upset, ready to cry. "Gold," I turn to him. "I care about you a lot. This other person, I''ve known them pretty much their entire life, and they''re like a little brother to me. I mean, you are, too, and I care about you a lot, but I care about him even more. Please don''t be upset, it''s just¡­ the way it is, okay? I can''t help it. But I do care about you a lot." He still looks ready to cry, so I pull him into a hug, and he mentally freaks out. "It''s okay, Gold," I reassure him. "I care about you. Think of it like how you care about me and your brother. It''s a different kind of care, and different level. You care and like your brother a lot more than me, right?" He calms down when I mention that, reluctantly agreeing that he cares about his brother more than me. I release him, then wipe the tears that had formed in his eyes, before patting him on the head. "Who all knows?" Nik asks me. "About it possibly being the scars?" I ask. "Just you three? I just had the thought while waiting for you to arrive." "I mean about you remembering." "Oh, that," I say. "Big Flame and Big S know for sure, and I think Big C and Big Breeze do. Not sure about the rest." "And the non-Crystals?" "You three and Bryce." "Bryce knew?" Nik asks. "He figured it out," I shrug. "And considering we''re half-brothers, I sometimes wonder if he remembered, too." It would be one way of explaining how he figured out I remembered, after all, even if he didn''t know we were brothers. I never saw any indication that he remembered, though, and nor do my memories show any. So it''s a mystery until I die, I suppose. Once I do, though, I''m going to ask him straight-up if he remembered. Then knock him over the head if he did, just for not telling me or letting me know. First, though, I have to become a lot more powerful, train up my team, win a massive battle, kill a Dragon or more, avenge his death, and eventually, kill the Shadow of Life. Only then will I be allowed to die, because there''s no way I''m leaving this life without having done so. Before I can do all of that, though, I have to figure out if it really is my Crystal''s scarring that''s causing these blackouts. Nik, Theodore, and I discuss the possibility, especially now that they''re aware ¨C even if a little disbelieving ¨C that it could be from that. "I''m going to do something," I tell them after a bit, thinking of a possibility while discussing my own Sacred Crystal. "That''s going to cause me to vanish from here. Presumably, I''m going to return to the same spot, so please don''t come here. I''ll probably be in a different spot if you do, though, so don''t worry about that too much. I don''t know how long I''ll be gone." "Why?" Nik asks. "You can''t use Teleport, so-" "It''s not a Skill," I state. "It''s¡­ something else." Inhaling, I focus on my Sacred Crystal, then slowly exhale as I pull on one of the connections it possesses, closing my eyes as I do so. The shift in the air and the difference in what I''m hearing confirms I''ve arrived, though I keep my eyes shut. "It''s safe," Big Breeze tells me after a few minutes, and I open my eyes to find him standing in front of me in his avatar, giving me a curious look. The tilt of his head reminds me of Gold, and I nearly laugh. "What brings you here, Zack?" "Twice since arriving here in the Boundary," I say. "I''ve had a blackout rage, which¡­ isn''t normal. I''m kind of scared of what''ll happen if it keeps happening." "Shit happens," he shrugs, and I raise an eyebrow. "What? Sacred beings can''t swear? Trust me, you should hear Big S when he gets grumpy. Boy does he have a potty-mouth." I giggle at the thought of Big S swearing up a storm because someone interrupted his pervy dreams. "No," I calm down. "I mean¡­ I''m worried that it''s a sign of something more serious, and if it had to do with the injuries to my Sacred Crystal ¨C the scars on my inner Crystal." "Ah," he says, thinking for a few moments, then nodding as he comes to a conclusion. "Bare your torso."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "What?" I ask. "Bare your-" he starts. "Oh. You''re already shirtless." I roll my eyes. "Why did you want me shirtless?" "I need you to be so I can actually see your Sacred Crystal," he tells me. "Stay standing in that spot." He begins slowly walking around me, poking me every now and then. While most of the pokes are probably him assessing my inner Crystal, I''m pretty sure some of the pokes at my ribs and sides are to see if I''m ticklish. I''m not. For several minutes, he continues to walk around me, and I can sense something happening to my Sacred Crystal as he does. Closing my eyes, I focus inward, and stumble away from him the moment I do. Hooooly fuck! "What''s wrong?" Big Breeze asks. "Um," I say. "I looked inward, and wasn''t exactly expecting that." "You can sense your inner Crystal?" He asks, and I raise an eyebrow. "Right, that''s how you knew about the scars in the first place. Um¡­ yeah. Sorry, that was probably weird for you, wasn''t it?" "Very weird," I say. "I¡­ don''t even know what that was." "That was me," he answers. "I was scanning your Crystal. Mind if I resume?" That was pretty disturbing, and the more I sensed it, the worse the feeling got. But if it can help with the situation¡­ then it needs to happen. "Yeah," I nod. "Go ahead and continue." I resume a natural stance, and Big Breeze returns to walking around me. Closing my eyes, I look inward once more, watching as a sort of purple light moves around my crystal, brushing against the scars and other parts every time Big Breeze pokes me. That''s what I''m sensing, and it''s weird. It''s even worse when he touches a scar, and part of me wants to recoil, to push him away and stop him from doing that. I trust him, though, and let him continue, now that I''m prepared. I''m not sure how long passes before he finishes, but when he does, I drop to the ground, exhausted. Whatever he did, it exhausted me, and even he looks weary from it. He looks at me for a few moments, then takes a seat. Is it me, or is he pale? Not from the light, but actually pale? "Are you okay?" I ask. "Yeah," he nods. "That''s just exhausting. Even as powerful as I am now, it''s generally not a good idea to do such a thing. My body''s not mortal anymore, either, which leaves me vulnerable while I''m doing that. Zack ¨C if anyone other than one of us Crystals does that, immediately shut them out and get away." His body isn''t mortal anymore? There''s a difference, for a giant, floating chunk of magical crystal? What was it like for that to be mortal? "Scan me?" "I wasn''t just scanning you," he says. "I was interacting with your inner Crystal. Had I any malice, I could have ended you or killed you. That''s part of why the Blood Scar is so dangerous ¨C because your Sacred Crystal is a part of you. The Blood Scar is one way of directly attacking it." He sighs. "The art of Crystal Magic is long lost," he says. "And it''s not exactly something the nine of us can teach you, not since the creation of the Boundaries." The Sacred Crystals predate the Boundaries? I thought they came from its creation? "What, exactly, are you?" I ask. "We''re not allowed to tell," he says, and I fold my arms over my chest. "I''m sorry, Zack, but we aren''t. The knowledge of what we are, how the Boundaries came to be, and how they bind the Shadow of Life and his team-" He cuts off as he realizes what he said, and I just raise an eyebrow, keeping my gaze fixed on him until he sighs. "Please, don''t push me," he says. "The only one of those four we have to worry about is Alexander himself. There are four prisons, and we use the Boundaries to keep them sealed. Alexander''s the only one able to actually influence outside of them." "But the nine of you," I say. "You come from before the Boundaries?" "Yes," he answers. "You know the story that Chaos told you about Alex and the children?" "Yes," I respond, then realize what he''s saying. "You mean that the Boundaries are the seals that were forged?" "Yes," he answers. "And the kid used the nine of you to power them," I say. "That''s why you''re connected to them." "Yeah," he nods. "The nine of us are linked into the Boundaries in order to ensure they remain stable and the seals they represent remain active. The only way Alexander can possibly get free is if someone opened a hole in the Boundaries into reality." "But not his prison?" I ask. "His prison is woven into the Boundaries themselves," Big Breeze shakes his head. "That''s why he''s able to influence things within. If both Temples of the Elements of one of them were to be turned off, then he''d be able to simply slip out of his prison and into reality. I really shouldn''t tell you more, especially with how easy it can be for you to make connections." They believe that revealing too much to me can cause me to know something that even I shouldn''t know. Is that because they think I might give in to the darkness? Or because they don''t want anyone to know it? What is it? "You know you''re only making me curious, right?" I ask. "Yeah," he admits. "Anyway, Zack, on to the results of¡­ that. Unfortunately, since the art of Crystal Magic is no longer possible due to the existence of the Boundaries, even for a Child of Existence-" "Why not?" "Can''t tell," he says. "The only way to heal those scars would be through Ascensions." "Ascensions?" "Yes," he stands, brushing imaginary dust off of his tunic and butt. I stand as well, giving him an inquisitive look so that he''ll continue. "When you Ascend, your soul and your inner Crystal strengthen. Theoretically, that will help you start to mend it. There aren''t any Skills that will heal it, but considering who you are, it''s possible that you''ll forge one." "Wouldn''t that be Crystal Magic?" I ask. "Blood Scar isn''t Crystal Magic," he tells me. "Yet it''s able to affect the Crystals. No, it''s different. It''s more like Sacred Magic." "And what you were doing," I say. "That was Sacred Magic?" "That was Crystal Magic," he shakes his head. "But you said-" "I''m a giant Crystal," he gives me the ''you''re-an-idiot'' tone. "Even though it''s not possible anymore, that''s only for most. As a giant Crystal, I can use it. It''s only natural. The reason it can''t be used is because we suck it up. It''s an innate part of us. Even Alexander can''t use it anymore." Thought you weren''t going to tell me? "Okay," I say. "And these blackout rages ¨C are they caused by the scarring?" "Yes," he answers. "And, uh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but¡­ I''d probably try to Ascend in the next two or three weeks." "Why?" "No reason." "You can''t say ''bad news'', then not give me a reason." "You, uh¡­ yeah, just go for Ascension," he tells me. "You really need to get that thing healed. ASAP." "Big Breeze?" "Yeah?" He asks. "One," I say. "What''s wrong? Two, if you can use Crystal Magic, can''t you heal it?" "No," he shakes his head. "Because there''s a difference between healing an inner Crystal and breaking it. To do the latter, all I''d have to do is hit it like a battering ram. To heal it, I''d have to change its properties ¨C only the one it''s of can do that." Damn. "Now," I say. "For the first one: what''s wrong." "Oh, just that you could potentially keep blacking out, lose control over yourself, turn into a giant Dragon who''s forgotten who he is, and destroy everything in the Boundary if you don''t get that thing healed up." "And I have three weeks before that might happen?" I start to panic. "Fuck!" "No, no," he hastily waves his hands. "You have about three months. Just¡­ the more frequent blackouts, which will start happening more than just when your emotions enter an extremely heightened state ¨C that''s what''s triggering them, by the way, not your rage itself ¨C in about three weeks. About two months after that is when your inner Crystal will potentially cause your magics to go haywire, turn you into a Dragon, and cause you to kill everyone in the Boundary and destroy the Boundary itself." "What¡­ are the odds of that happening?" I ask, and he doesn''t respond. "Big Breeze, what are the odds of that?" "Eighty-seven-point-two-nine percent." "Of it happening, or it not?" "Of it happening," He says. "The other twelve-point-six-one percent is simply that your inner Crystal shatters and you die, which will still happen either way." "So it''s either die, or kill everyone, then die?" "Or die while killing everyone." "And if I Ascend, that can fix this?" I ask. "Yes," he hesitates for a moment. "Well, sort of. It can help restore your Sacred Crystal a little bit ¨C help strengthen it. This is only a theoretical situation, since, you know, no one''s ever done it before. But it''s the only thing Big S and I could agree on regarding it. If it does strengthen the Crystal, you''ll probably have a year or more before you need to Ascend again. I''d have to examine you again after you Ascend, though." Taking a deep breath, I nod. "Looks like I''ll probably end up using some of my Bonus Experience, then," I say. "I''d rather see if that works than not." "Good luck," he tells me. "And may the gods be with you." Chapter 0059 (Zack) "Where''d you go?" Nik asks as I reappear in the Dark Temple''s courtyard. "Big Breeze''s Sacred Temple." "Which one''s that?" Theodore asks Nik. "He calls Light of Air ''Big C''," Nik says. "So I''m going to assume Dark of Air." "Yeah, it''s him," I say. "Anyway, I need to push for Ascension." "You''re already doing that," Nik tells me. "Why are you-" "Big Breeze confirmed it''s as I suspected," I state. "He said the only way he knows of for me to strengthen my Sacred Crystal and help guard against these effects is to Ascend. Also, he said that it''s not rage that''s triggering it, but emotions that are extremely heightened. The only one that''s been hitting me is rage, which is why it seems like it''s just me going into a blind rage. The blackouts will continue to get more frequent, though, but if the Ascension does strengthen it, then the blackouts should stop. Based on the timeframe he gave me, I should be fine. However, I''d like to stay in Talorn for two weeks, rather than seven to ten days. I want to hit this as soon as possible." Nik nods, then tells me he''ll buy me some additional food for the trip, before heading out. I look at Theodore, then start stretching. "I have a weird-ass feeling," I tell him. "And need to focus off of it. Spar again?" Gold hurriedly runs to the bench, causing Theodore and me to laugh. He blushes furiously, then I draw my swords, Theodore drawing his own sword, and we begin sparring again. As we spar, Gold leaves, returning half an hour later with lunch. Theodore and I break for that, the resume our sparring and his assistance with my techniques. We finally stop at dinner, though Nik hasn''t returned. A few of the other Dark Knights join us, Gold happily making food for all of us. Part of said happiness probably comes from the ham I gave him as part of what he can use for dinner, while he was staring at the kitchen''s supplies. After dinner, Theodore, Gold, and I return to the courtyard to teach Gold a bit more, the Beastborn sparring with both of us, something that''s interrupted when I receive a purple notice in my vision. Based on their reactions, they, too, did. It is one hell of a long message, and literally the second line in it shows how pissed Big S is by something.
Attention Citizens of the Boundary!
This is getting annoying as fuck. For those of you unaware of what the coloration means: I am the Crystal of the System. Ask the Crystals you worship, if you do, or the ones you follow, if you do. They will confirm this. On to the fucking business that''s caused me to fucking intervene, you fuckwards. Having all eight of the other Crystals interrupting my fucking business managing the System was not pleasant in the slightest fucking way. Those who come from reality into the Boundary did so by choice, and thus, serve us. The Crystals. Directly to us. They do not owe allegiance to anyone but us. They do not abide by the laws of you mortals. They. Are. Ours. You are ours. The Boundaries are ours. Am I clear enough yet? No? Then let''s get a bit more said. Stop with the fucking bullshit. Anyone who intentionally hinders the progress of the war against the Shadow of Life as he seeks to destroy the Boundaries will be executed when found. Those assholes deserve it. Those who attempt to hinder those who truly serve us will deserve what punishment they''re given. The Dark Knights are our enforcers. Each and every last one of those fuckers possesses complete and entire loyalty to Big Flame (the one you lesser shitheads still call ''Dark of Fire''). They know who the true bosses are. Learn from them, and when they come for those who would betray the Boundary and us Crystals, fear for your fucking lives. Your petty mortal rules don''t apply to them. They never have, and they never will, for our word is law, and they know this. And for those of you who think you can use the ''I serve the Crystals, I don''t have to listen to you'' bullshit, guess what ¨C we won''t let that fly. We''ve refrained from doing this before, but guess what, fuckers? You''ve put us to this. There are now Mortal Bounties. Check out your local Trading Posts to see which fucktards got their faces plastered around the Boundary. These are people known to abuse the ''I serve the Crystals'' statement, work for the Shadow of Life, or have maliciously hindered or attacked someone who truly serves us Crystals. Stop this shit.
And the message ends with that final note. Holy fuck is Big S pissed. Was this because of what happened with me? I can''t help but note the coincidental timing, there. No one''s really telling me what''s going on because of last night, just that it''s causing a fuss. And damn, Big Breeze wasn''t kidding when he said Big S is a cusser. "So, Theodore," I look at the Dark Knight. "Want to tell me it''s not that bad?" The Dark Knight sighs, and Gold giggles a little, causing the man to roll his eyes. "People have been calling for you to be arrested," Theodore said. "And for us Dark Knights who moved you in here and refuse to let them have you." "What, exactly, do they think they could do to me?" I ask. "I''m literally near the top in terms of power among the entire Boundary''s Adventurers." "There are still those stronger," he says. "And teams could do it, too. Considering how lengthy that was, I''m assuming something happened while Nik was out, which would explain why he''s taken so long returning." Yeah, Big Flame says. We, ah, bothered the System''s ''business'' because they were causing him problems. We barely managed to keep him from adding ''off with their heads'' to the message. "What?" Theodore looks confused. "Cut off their heads," I snort. "You know, kill them? Decapitation? Calling for the deaths of those interfering with those of us who actually fight against the Shadow of Life, not act and perform a show."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Seems Big S has a few regular movies he likes to watch. That, or it''s just Big Flame saying that, and he was being metaphorical with what Big S was wanting to put in the message. The fact that they managed to affect what he sent, though¡­ did he let them review his message, first? If that''s the case, did Big Breeze add those swears in to show me that Big S swears? Or was that just Big S swearing because his nap got interrupted when the others decided enough was enough? "Okay," Theodore says. "Didn''t know the System could be bloodthirsty, but I guess that works, too." "He was probably napping." Was not! "His miffed response says he was," I say, and Big S huffs in my head. "Looks like things might be changing. Gold, let''s go get washed up, we''re both all sweaty from our workouts." Gold nods, then follows me to the bathing chambers. We rinse off a bit, then climb into the bath and soak, Gold tilting his head from one side to the other every now and then. I can tell he wants to ask something, but I don''t poke around in his head to find out. He''ll let me know if he wants to, and I''m trying to test my patience with not just asking him. I mean, I know I can be incredibly patient, but I''m also incredibly curious. Eventually, Gold slides under the water. I can''t actually see him due to how warm the water is is and the soaps in it, but due to my Perception, I can tell where he''s at. He''s sneaking his way towards me. When he''s around two feet in front of me, he pauses, then rapidly shoots up, snarling with a grin when he breaks the surface. He only manages the snarl for about two seconds before exploding into giggles, and I chuckle at his antic, flicking my wrist across the top of the water, sending a wave of it slamming into him. Gold yelps, then shoves both hands forward through the water, pushing a smaller wave towards me as he giggles again. I do a fake-angry splash at him, before launching myself forward and dunking him down into the water. He yelps, slips out of my ''grip'', and comes up behind me, dunking me down. Gold and I wrestle around for a few minutes, then I take a break, knowing he''s getting a bit too exhausted from this after his workouts today. Once I let him know it''s time to calm down, he nods seriously and watches as I sit back where I was. Then, he stands and walks over to me, turning around so his tail''s in front of me, swishing back and forth. I poke at his mind and immediately learn that he wants to know if I''ll wash his tail. Apparently, something he''s not told me before is that he has a hard time cleaning it too close to the base. That actually makes sense, since he can''t see it that well. Grabbing the shampoo bottle, I start lathering up his tail, which isn''t that easy because he keeps flicking it from side to side in his happiness that his tail''s getting fully cleaned. I contemplate using Binding Darkness to hold it still, but decide against that. Next time, though¡­ I might. Definitely will if his tail keeps wagging while I''m trying to clean it! I eventually manage to get his tail clean and rinsed, then we step out of the bath, rinse, and dry off. I comb through Gold''s tail to untangle it, then we dress and head to meet Nik in the dining room, where the tables are covered in food. At least, one of them is. This must be my supply for the next two weeks. All of the Dark Knights I know about are in here, and then some. More must have shown up, though I''m doubting any of them are the mysterious one I don''t know the identity of. Will check before this ''meeting'' ends. "There''s enough here," Nik tells me. "To last you three weeks. I also had Blaine fix up a little something for you. Something special." He holds out what looks like a firework to me. "Is this a firework?" I ask. "Yes," he answers. "Ignite the fuse while aiming it upwards. It''ll shoot upwards and explode with a deafening boom. That should buy you some time to get clean away. It''ll be visible from here, even if you were on the mountains themselves, and linger for around a minute. Someone''s going to be watching in that direction at all times. You''ll have no more than ten minutes after firing it before one of us shows up, so use it if you absolutely need rescuing." "Got it," I send the firecracker into my Inventory. "You said there were potions, too?" "Yes," he nods. "I had Blaine mix up twenty Health Potions and twenty Mana Potions, just in case." "Okay," I look around, spotting them on another table. "Those there?" Just to confirm. "Yes," he says. I walk over to the table and take them. "How many Potions do you have, in addition to those?" "I only had nine Health Potions," I answer. "Only ever used a single one since arriving here." "You''ve only used one Potions the five or six months you''ve been in the Boundary?" One of the Dark Knights I don''t know asks. Has it been that long? Huh. "Yes," I answer. "I¡­ tend to calculate my odds before going into a situation. With my Perception as high as it is, that makes it even easier. The only times I''ve been in danger has been a miscalculation or through no fault of my own. I''m not afraid to push my limits, but I won''t let myself be in danger unless it''s to save someone else." Like Gold with the Nian. There''s also the standard Dark Knight absorbing Skills, which are pretty useful, and my ability to use Heal. I walk over to the table with the food and start sending it into my Inventory, then look around at all of the gathered Dark Knights, before looking at Nik. "So there are twenty-eight Dark Knights in Maelnor, now?" I ask. "That''s nearly more than double what it was before." "Twenty-nine," he states, and I raise an eyebrow. "There''s one who isn''t in here," Nik tells me. "They''re keeping an eye on things." Dammit, they already told the others not to tell me, didn''t they? One of these days, I am going to figure out who he or she is. "How come sixteen more came in?" I ask. "They had to have come through our Sigil." "Big Flame may or may not have told almost the entire Order about what was going on here," Nik told me. "Which we found out when several more groups showed up. He seems to have exempted this particular City from that notification." Yep! Big Flame giggles, and a couple of people look a little shocked. "You were right," one of the new ones says. "He does talk a bit more here." That was all it took for them to believe? "We''re holding a war conference as well," Nik tells me once I finish putting the food into my Inventory. "Regarding the message that the Crystal of the System sent to everyone. You really weren''t kidding when you said his messages were purple. Nor his voice." "You heard his voice?" "He told me that I need to call him ''Big S'' from now on," Nik nods. "How¡­ how the fuck can his voice sound purple?" "I know, right?" I ask. "That makes no sense at all, yet that''s how he sounds!" One of the Fallen Hunters raises an eyebrow. "Now I''m curious to hear him," he says. "He''s probably already gone back to napping," I state, and he gives me a confused look. "Big S literally supports the entire System. He''s constantly sleeping. The other Crystals literally woke him up because of whatever the fuck happened to Nik." I turn and look at Nik. "I ran into some trouble in town," Nik explains. "And when weapons were drawn, I told them that if they wanted to make an enemy of the Dark Order, then so be it, because we would continue to fight the war against the Shadow of Life, whether they wanted us around or not. Before it could devolve into violence, I received a message from Big Flame telling me to just bind everyone, and that I''d know why I shouldn''t kill everyone in a few seconds. A few seconds later, the Cryst-Big S sent that notice out." "You should''ve made it a slaughter," I plop myself down. "Alright. What''s the meeting for? ''Cause I''m super tired, and I think Gold is, too, and you shouldn''t leave us out just ''cause we''re young. We are Dark Knights, too." "We weren''t planning on it," Nik places a hand on my shoulder, then gestures for everyone else to sit. "We''re just going to discuss a few things regarding what''s going to happen from now on, then be off to do our things." Chapter 0060 Chapter Sixty. (Zack) "Gold," I whisper as I gently nudge him. "Gold, wake up." Gold woofs quietly, probably from his dream, and I nudge him again, whispering for him to wake up once more. That time works, and he slowly opens his eyes, letting out a big yawn, before blushing and covering his mouth. "Nik''s getting ready to take me to Talorn," I tell him. "I wanted to say ''goodbye'' before I left. We decided that I''ll be gone for up to three weeks, with Nik stopping by in two to see if I''m staying the third or not." He nods, giving me a hug. "Are you staying here while I''m gone?" I ask, and he nods. "Alright. Don''t forget your brother, okay?" He nods, his tail wagging and ears perking up. I know he wants to play with his brother a lot. He''ll probably head to Aurum as soon as I''m gone. "When you go to hang out with him," I say. "There''s something I want you to give him, okay?" Gold nods, his curiosity piqued. I pull a Spook Treat out of my Inventory, and his eyes widen. "Remember," I say. "Eating during the day will turn him invisible and make him sick for around a day or three. I can''t remember which. Eaten at night, it''ll taste delicious. Make sure to keep it in your Inventory, and only give it to him when Nathan''s around, okay?" Gold nods. "I''m serious," I say as he sends it into his Inventory. "If someone else sees it and Nathan isn''t around, it might get stolen." He gives me a grim nod, then a hug, and I know he''s apologizing for letting himself be used two nights ago. "Gold," I pat his head. "You couldn''t help it. He was an asshole. It''s not your fault, okay?" Gold releases me and nods, and I scratch his ears, causing his tail to swish from side to side. "Let''s go eat breakfast," I tell Gold, and we make our way to the dining room, where a few other Dark Knights are already eating. After breakfast, Nik and I head outside, Gold trailing after, Theodore following him out. I''m betting that Dark Knight wants to make sure Gold is fine after I leave. Nik stretches out his wings, then straps me to him with Binding Darkness. Eventually, I''ll have wings of my own and can fly without assistance. Eventually. And my wings look awesome as fuck, too, if my visions are to be believed. Nik takes off into the sky and I watch as the City passes by beneath us, then the fields, then the forest. The first half of the trip is quiet, though that''s not hard, since it''s not actually that long of a trip, even if it''s pretty far. But I have a burning desire to know something, and I''m me, so I speak up after we''re halfway to Talorn. "How come you can fly faster than you can run?" I ask Nik. "What makes you think I can?" "I''m psychic." Actually, it comes from the statement of how long it would take you to reach Praevar being longer than how long it takes us to fly to Talorn. Even though we''re flying straight rather than following a path¡­ if you can fly to Talorn in less than half the time it takes you to run there, and you prefer flying or the insta-porting of the Dark Knights, it''s pretty obvious. Flying''s faster. "If you''re psychic, you can use that power to figure out the answer." "Or I can just ask you, then pester you until I get the answer." "What makes you think you''d succeed?" "I mean, my aim is to Ascend soon, so¡­" "You can fly around three times as fast as you can run," he tells me. "Essentially, Speed affects your flight speed differently, giving it a bigger bonus per point than it does to the rest of your movements, though you''re still able to act and react properly while flying." "Got it," I say. "But it does require you to gain the momentum, right?" "Correct," he answers. "So if you''re crossing a short distance, it''s probably better to just run." "Okay," I say. We finish the flight, and Nik drops me into the courtyard of the same house I stayed in last time. I draw my sword and grin at the stunned goblins. "Miss me, bitches?" I ask, before lunging forward and ending their lives. "Ah, fuck." Forgot to use Battlecry. Thankfully, there are a few others coming out of the house to check out what that was about. I let out a Battlecry, then charge forward, killing the fuckers before they can really realize I''m even here. It only takes me a few minutes to finish cleaning out the house, and I''ve pushed Battlecry to Level 4 in that time. Now I just need the last bit of Warrior Experience to become a General. Not much, as the thirty-two Goblins who decided to inhabit the property were able to give me 4% of Experience, putting me up to 91%. So there''s that nice bonus. Stretching, I take off out of the property, using Dash as I do so, and the Goblin only knew what hit him because he saw me. A trio of them round a corner, and I kill them as well, before dodging the arrows from the rooftops. "Hey, fuckers!" I holler as I Jump onto the roof, swiftly taking off their heads, then dropping, looking up to see an icicle shooting past me. "Oooh! Frost Goblin!"Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Spinning, I deflect another icicle, then jump across the street, landing on the roof opposite while deflecting more icicles, charging the Frost Goblin and severing its head. Then, I stab it in the gut just because I can, before letting out a maniacal laugh. Mostly to Intimidate the other goblins around, but also because it''s funny. "A''Minra!" I holler. "A''Kuta! Come out, come out, and I''ll spare your souls eternal damnation!" I explode into giggles after I sing that. They are so gonna die this time! I jump off the roof, landing in the center of a quintet of Goblin Knights. This is too perfect. I spin in a circle, cutting through their armor with Zack''s Blood. I could use Zack''s Holiday, as I have been, except no one''s really around to see me, so this makes things a lot easier. Though¡­ it''s probably dampening how fast I gain Experience, since it''s making things way easier. That''s alright by me, though, because this place is absolutely teeming with monsters for me to kill! I forge a path of blood on my way to the plaza where I''d found the Snow Slimes before, and join them for a snowball fight, just as I promised them I would. They never manage to hit me, but it doesn''t stop them from trying. Nor does it stop them from dying, once I finish. As my blade pierces the last one''s core, I reach Level 10 Warrior and let out a whoop before advancing it to General. Not only do I reel in the bonuses from both of those Levels, but I also welcome the points from both Adventurer and every-five. Pretty damn nice. "NOW COME OUT SO WE CAN PLAY!" I holler, then explode into laughter, before sensing something terrifying. Spinning around, I find myself facing a person. Not really a person, but still a person. Their skin has paled unnaturally, and several wounds are visible on their bodies, though no blood leaks out, just¡­ a small trickle of darkness. Their black hair is matted against their skin, their black eyes lifeless. The armor they wear signifies that they''re a knight of some sort, probably a regular one. It''s rusted, but I can tell that it''s still quality. Their sword has a few chips and cracks in it as well, but I still doubt it''s a weak one. I can''t read its Level. Fuck. I don''t think I''ll be able to run, will I? Turning, I use Dash, only to hear it keeping pace with me. Fuckfuckfuck! Jumping, I land on a roof, only to find it jumping as well. Fucking Fallen Adventurers! "I wanted to play with Bounty Beasts!" I tell it. "Not Fallen Adventurers!" The thing lunges at me, and I barely manage to sidestep it, striking out with my blade. "Counterstrike," the voice is quick, but gravely, and I find my deflection being deflected as its own blade strikes at me, cutting into my arm. "Gaaaarraaah!" I yell, grabbing my arm. Fuck that hurts! And I''ve got a Bleed effect of 23 Health reduced every three seconds. Thank fucking goodness I switched into Zack''s Blood. Zack''s Holiday would''ve kept the Bleed effect at every second. I duck backwards, letting the blade cross over me as the Fallen Adventurer attempts to kill me again. No one fucking told me they could still use Skills! At least, I don''t remember that! As soon as the blade passes over me, I straighten up, only to find the blade swinging back towards me, direction suddenly changed. Lifting my arm, I let it hit my vambrace. Two can play at this game, fucker! "Counterstrike!" I call out the name of the same Skill he used, immediately finding my sword lifting up and striking at the Fallen Adventurer, cutting through its chestplate and leaving a trail of the blackness. Fuck that''s an expensive Skill!
New Skill!
Counterstrike Active
100% chance to perform a successful counterstrike against a superior foe (be it equipment, Level, or raw skill). Said counterstrike will be a single movement and can be dodged.
Cost: 2,500 Mana
A very expensive Skill. It looks like it''s Tier 3, too. Fucking moron! "Shroud of Darkness!" Immediately, my Shroud of Darkness fills the air, turning it black, leaving only the edges of objects visible, as well as myself and my enemy. That should help even the odds. I lunge forward, performing a Dark Strike. The Fallen Adventurer barely manages to avoid a lethal blow, but that''s fine. Two injuries from Zack''s Blood, it''s got to be losing a ton of Health. Or whatever the fuck it is that Fallen Adventurers have, if it''s not Health itself. That black wispy stuff is kind of disturbing. It just dissipates into the air. As my blade clears its body, I swing back with a Dash to my step, augmenting my speed just a little. This time, I cut clean through its stomach. I don''t care how much Health you have, ain''t nothing lives against getting cut in half. Nothing. Collapsing to the ground, I groan. I''m still losing Health, and need to learn Cure Bleed now. Sheathing my sword as I release Shroud of Darkness, I grip my wound, focusing on my healing magics and grateful for Adventurer. Taking a few deep breaths, I begin working my power, attempting to learn Cure Bleed. It takes me nearly a full minute, and once I learn it, I let out a sigh of relief, my Health beginning to slowly climb back up. The relief wasn''t from being cured, it''s from finding out that Cure Bleed can only cure a Bleed effect that''s weaker than four times one''s Health Regeneration. Levels decrease its Mana Cost, and that''s it. Since my Health Regeneration is over six per second, it was barely enough to cure the Bleed effect. After taking a few moments to collect myself, I inspect my arm. The injury''s still there, so I use Heal until it''s gone, then sigh. That ruined my sleeve. I can probably mend it, but whatever. My next order of business is checking out my gains from the fight. The damn thing brought me all the way up to Level 10. I suppose actually getting hurt in a tough fight counts for something when combined with what I was fighting. I can see why it takes teams of Adventurers to kill those things. Without Zack''s Blood or Zack''s Holiday, I doubt I''d have survived. A few more moments of rest, and I check to see what I need to reach Champion. I''m already at Level 10 Sword Mastery, so the Level 9 requirement there is met. Battlecry needs to be at Level 6, so I need two more Levels of it, and I need to have Warrior''s Might. Having already known about Warrior''s Might being a requirement, I''m not blindsided by it and needing to figure out what it is. I can at least get this new Skill while I''m waiting for my stuff to regenerate and my body to calm. Taking a few deep breaths, I stand, then feel for the power of the Skill, channeling it. "Warrior''s Might!" I exclaim as I push my own might outwards. Immediately, a notice appears in my vision as a golden-brown ring appears around me, denoting the aura''s space.
New Skill!
Warrior''s Might Active
Share your might with your allies, so that they may fight stronger. This does not effect with other Warrior''s Might, and only the first aura someone enters will be active on them.
Strength Increase: 1% per Level of this Skill
Duration: 1 minute per Level of this Skill
Distance: 2 feet per Level of this Skill
Cost: 1,000 Mana (reduces by 20 per Level of this Skill)
Damn that''s an expensive Skill, and it even has a cost reduction. Will only be at 800 Mana to cast at Level 10, but it''s still a potent Skill. I suppose it makes sense, considering it''s required for a Tier 5 Class. At least I only need it, not have it at a certain Level. I highly doubt it''ll increase just by using it ¨C it probably needs to actually affect allies. Then again, I could probably go Monster Mode and buff up some goblins for the kicks. Buuuut I need to focus on getting stronger right now, so time to go kill more shit and up Battlecry. Chapter 0061 (Zack) "RAAARGH!" I yell, then explode into laughter at the goblin''s expression. "Got you, A''Minra!" I burst into laughter again as it snaps at me in its primitive language. That was so much fun. It didn''t even notice me sneaking up on it. "Come on," I take a few steps back, drawing my sword. "Fight me, boy! Don''t, and all the other gobbies gonna know you''re just a coward at heart, you little tiny weakling!" A''Minra draws its sword and charges me, and I deflect its blade, doing that as it strikes at me again and again. I don''t let up on the taunts, mostly because it''s funny watching an enraged Goblin Bounty Beast trying to defend its honor. I do have to be careful, though. A''Minra isn''t a lightweight. He''s no Fallen Adventurer or Goblin Chieftain Bounty Beast, but he is strong as fuck. Thankfully, I''m stronger than fuck. After a few minutes, he manages to nick my arm, and once he does that, I strike back, running my sword through his stomach, the sound of the steel of his armor being ripped by more metal grating on my ears. Gritting my teeth, I shake my head to clear the sound, then realize I still have to pull my sword out. Gritting my teeth again, I pull my blade out, then shake my head to clear the sound from it as I sheathe my blade. Bastard One: dead. Time to locate A''Kuta. It took me all of the morning and part of the afternoon to locate this one, and I''m betting A''Kuta is probably hiding, too. He may have even left the ''safe'' zone. No matter, though. I will find him, and since I''m hunting this time rather than simply observing, I can expand my safe zone a bit. Nik''s already given me the rundown of where all of the Fallen Adventurers wander. Or at least¡­ where they used to¡­ I suspect the Shadow of Life has changed a few things in anticipation of my return. A suspicion that''s probably confirmed when I spot half a dozen Bounty Beasts chilling around a fire, talking in their primitive tongue. Sounds like a war plan. Should I go Monster Mode and surprise them? Run for my life? How about¡­ Monster Mode as I figure out a certain spell? Ah, fuck. Wait, I can''t use that spell, it costs 5,000 Mana. I still need 510 Mana more to be able to do that. Dammit. Hrm. At least I''m in Monster Mode. Yeah, I''m going to slaughter these things. Two are Goblin Giants, though, and that makes me a little bit wary. I''ll need to take them and that Shaman out, then I can handle the two Knights and the Archer. These things are probably plotting how to kill me, considering they don''t belong in this area. There''s no other explanation I can find for it. The Shadow of Life wants to ensure I don''t leave this place alive. Well, joke''s on him, because I''m living to the death of existence itself. Ha! Actually, since Bryce and I are Children of Existence, does that mean that we''ll continue to live after existence ends? Or at least, this existence? I mean, I can exist outside of existence, so that''s a plausible theory, right? Shaking my head, I refocus on my battle plan. The Goblin Giant Bounty Beasts would make for good springboards. They stand over ten feet high each and both are pretty thick with meat and muscle. They''ll hit hard, though, so I''ll have to make sure I''m faster than them. Probably not hard, regular Goblin Giants are waaaaaaay slower than me already. The Shaman will actually be the most troublesome, but I can probably use his attacks to my advantage. As long as I can dodge them, I can probably cause him to hit his allies. Once he does that, he''ll likely be more wary of casting a spell, especially if one of his allies are behind me. The Goblin Archer will be the easiest to deal with. I don''t see any knives on him, which tells me he''s likely a ranged fighter only. His build doesn''t suggest martial arts, either, unless it''s hidden under that disgusting fat of his. Put on some fucking clothes, will you? Same to you, Goblin Giants! You guys need to wear something more than loincloths! The Shaman and Knights are at least somewhat built. Well, the Knights are built. Focus, Zack! Focus! Gotta finish your battle plan. Shroud of Darkness will help a bit here, as it''ll slow them down and weaken them, but I can only sustain it for so long, especially if I''m using other Skills at the same time. Augment that with Aura of Darkness, and I can be devastating if I use my darkness-based attacks. Again, though, I''ll need to be careful. There are six of them, and they''re Bounty Beasts. Level 25, and much more powerful and intelligent versions of the normal versions of them. The question I have to face before I start fighting, the most important of them all¡­ Is which do I kill first? One of the Goblin Giants, or the Goblin Shaman? I can use all three against the rest, but at the same time, they''re the most worrying. After much internal debate, I walk up to the Goblin Bounty Beasts and greet them. They give me curious looks, then chatter in their language. "I''m sorry," I walk up to the Goblin Shaman, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But I can''t understand a word of what you''re saying, because while I can pass as a monster¡­ I''m not one." I quickly draw my sword, cutting through him before any of them can begin a defense or realization. As soon as he''s dead, however, they''re attack, my Monster Mode neutralized by their knowledge that I''m not one. "TREMBLE BEFORE THE GOD OF DEATH!" I yell in my Demonic Voice, and they give pause, giving me enough time to ram my sword into one of the Goblin Giants. Unfortunately, he shifted as I did, so it wasn''t a killing blow. He''s got Bleed, however, so I know he''s going to die whether I finish him off or not. All it takes is a single nick from Zack''s Blood, and these monsters are doomed. I doubt any of them have a powerful enough Cure Bleed to deal with it. The other Goblin Giant attempts to kill me, its massive fists clamped together and swinging down. I jump back, evading the strike and jumping off the Goblin Archer, which is attempting to put some distance between us.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The Goblin Archer flies into a building from the force of my kick as I launch forward, cutting into the Goblin Giant''s arms. My cut manages to completely sever its right arm at the bicep while only cutting the left arm. Pivoting as I land, I cut with my sword again, my blade driving into its side. Hearing something move behind me, I quickly flip my sword around while catching an arrow with my other hand. A blade clashes against my sword, and I spin, driving the arrow into the Goblin Knight''s stomach before rolling to the side, dodging a punch from the other Goblin Giant. An arrow glances off my arm, and I''m reminded that arrows'' power isn''t based on the Strength of the archer ¨C not without Skills. Though¡­ if this is a Bounty Beast, shouldn''t that mean the fucker has some? The next arrow flies with a lot more force, and this time, it does graze me, but still doesn''t do any damage. It''s testing my defenses. That''s why the first arrow was easy to catch and the second didn''t even graze me. Crap! I spin, dropping to the ground to evade a swing from a Goblin Giant. Springing back to my feet, I swing my sword up, cutting through its arm. I wasn''t close enough to cut it off, but that should still render it mostly useless. The other Goblin Knight strikes at me, and I stop its blade while barely catching an arrow that fades away. That one was made of magic. The fucker didn''t want to risk me stabbing another ally of its, did it? Fuck! Forgot to use Shroud of Darkness and Aura of Darkness! Well, I''m doing well enough as it is! "Shroud of Darkness! Aura of Darkness!" I summon up those two Skills and begin a mental timer. Two minutes is all I''ll give myself. "Dark Strike!" I lunge forward just as an arrow passes by where I''d been standing. Another magic arrow. I''m curious about if those are weaker once they enter the range of my shroud or not. The Goblin Archer itself is probably fine, since it''s taken a vantage point up on a roof out of the range by now. The Goblin Knight is a little too slow to completely avoid my downward slash, though it does manage to avoid an instantly-fatal blow. Unfortunately for it, Zack''s Blood cut through its shoulder, severing its arm as well as that chunk of shoulder and ribs. As it wails in pain, I dodge around it, avoiding another blow from a Goblin Giant, then ram my sword through the back of the Goblin Knight. Two down, four to go. The Goblin Giant with the missing arm charges me, and I wait until the last moment, then dodge to the side, cutting through its left leg. As it drops to one knee, I slash through the other Goblin Giant''s stomach, swinging my sword upwards as I do. Three down. I spin around, cutting through the back of the remaining Goblin Giant, before dodging the first Magic Arrow to come near me since the initial one after, only to find another striking my jaw. That fucking hurts! I''ll deal with him after I kill the last Goblin Knight, which attempted to take advantage of my distraction from the arrows to stab me in the back, beneath where my armor rests. With my Shroud of Darkness active, it''s too weak to penetrate me, not with a weapon as pathetic as that. It''s not even made of a rare ore. Spinning with a Strike of Darkness, I cut off its head, then deactivate my AoE''s and Jump into the air, flinging my Zack''s Blood knife at the Goblin Archer. The thing attempts to run away, causing the blade to pierce its shoulder rather than its heart. I land on the rooftop beside it, slashing upwards with my sword and cutting the beast in half. With that dead, I flick my sword, letting the blood slide off, then sheathe it before doing the same with my knife. After doing a stretch and loosening shake for my muscles, I assess the changes. Two more Levels before I''ve mastered this shit and can move on to Apprentice Spearman. "Thank you, O Stupidity of Life, for allowing me to gain these wonderful Levels on my first day here!" Here''s hoping he heard me! Now that I think about it, so far today, I''ve killed seven Bounty Beasts, increasing my damage dealt to them by an additional fourteen percent, and I''ve also killed a Fallen Adventurer, thus qualifying me for Fallen Hunter as a Subclass, though I can''t take it on at the moment, since my slots are all full. I could remove Chef, but nah. Ascension probably allows for more Subclass Slots, and I''m curious about if Adventurer grants more at Ascension as well, since it already boosts them by one. Does Adventurer have more bonuses for Ascensions? I doubt most Subclasses will, but this one seems like it would. Shaking my head, I stretch again. That Fallen Adventurer was probably a low-ranking one, based on the fact that I killed it without too much hassle. If it takes a team mixed of Dark Knights and holy people to kill most Fallen Adventurers, that was probably a weak one. Best be careful, lest the Shadow of Life gets any funny ideas. Once I''ve finished recovering from my fight against the half-dozen Bounty Beasts, I begin seeking out A''Kuta, killing a bunch of other goblins on my way. When I find it, the fucker''s got an army with him. He knew I''d survive. Alexander knew I''d survive against the Fallen Adventurer and the half-dozen Bounty Beasts. He even knew I''d win and get stronger. This army¡­ those were just distractions to keep me from noticing the gathering. There are so many more types of goblins here than I''ve known, too. Specials and Holiday Goblins, no doubt. Letting out a long breath, I assess my enemies. Every last one of them looks to be a Knight or Soldier of the varying types. Spook Goblins and Frost Goblins, I know. I can see regular Goblins as well. Then there are City Goblins, Spring Goblins, Flame Goblins, Blood Goblins, Dark Goblins, and Light Goblins. So many types more. No wonder my psychic powers had me give so much space in the book ¨C it was accounting for types of Goblins I''d never even heard of. I''m curious how these guys form, though ¨C what makes them these Holiday Goblins? My gaze fixes on the hundred Elite Goblins. A goblin gains a Level every week, even if inactive. This can be sped up by doing various things, such as fighting ¨C I''m sure they hunt the rats, spiders, slimes, and such around the City. In a Dungeon Zone, such as a Fallen City, the Level Cap is Level 10 for regular monsters. Once they hit it, they can advance to the next type, based on what they''ve done or currently do. It will take them ten weeks before that evolution takes place, and they''ll be Level 1 again. Once they reach the upper forms, such as Goblin Knight and Goblin Shaman, they can become an Elite Monster. It''s the stage before Bounty Beast, and is a sign of their growing intelligence and abilities. The requirement for that is an additional twenty weeks. They can advance to the next form in that timeframe, since that only takes ten weeks. If they don''t and continue, they can become an Elite Monster. Elite Monsters automatically morph at Level 15, and will then have to spend thirty-five weeks there before turning into a Bounty Beast, automatically at Level 25. I''m counting around a hundred of them, too, and this is just for the Knights. Alexander must have had them hiding when Nik did his surveillance and while I was hunting and seeking stuff, just like this army. It does make me wonder if someone''s been here, though. It takes more than a year to reach that Stage, so I''d expect there to be a lot more Elite Goblins and Bounty Beast Goblins. Not that there''s a shortage of those here, either. Twenty-three, if I''m not mistaken. They know I''m here, too. A''Kuta waves at me a few times as I do my assessment from the roof I''m sitting atop. I doubt they''ll let me flee. Alexander intends for me to die here, against this army of more than a thousand Goblins, including many types I''ve never seen before. There aren''t any other monsters around here, either, something I found suspicious as I was traveling. Good chance that they aren''t here because the way I fight, there''s a good chance they''d be hitting allies instead of me. Alexander is clever. Oh, so clever. He knew he could trick me into this. He probably had this planned the moment he realized Nik was heading to check out the Fallen City. He knew I''d be back, alone, without backup. Should I use the firework? I have not a doubt in my mind that I''ll survive ten minutes ¨C long enough for Nik or whoever to come rescue me. At the same time, though¡­ I''m confident I can win this fight. Even if I don''t get pushed into turning into a Dragon, the odds are in my favor. Pulling off my upper armor, I remove my tunic. It''s damaged to hell anyway. I pull my armor back on and stretch a bit, getting a feel for how it feels without the padding of my tunic. With my Endurance, it won''t hurt me or chafe me. Once I''ve adjusted, I pull Zack''s Holiday out of my Inventory and equip it on my back, crossed against Zack''s Blood. There''s a good chance I''ll hit Level 10, which means I''ll be switching to the spear in a bit as well, so I pull the Zack''s Blood spear out of my Inventory. Okay, so changing weapons to an unfamiliar one during a big fight like this might not be the best idea, but if things get dire, I''m drawing my swords again. I already know what Skills I need for the Spearman Classes, all the way up to Impact Drop, the one required for Dragoon, so I can easily learn those during the fight, too. Other than the Elite Monsters and Bounty Beasts, the only thing that gives me even the slightest bit of worry would be what is obviously a Special Monster. I''m really, really curious what a Goblin Death Knight''s able to do. Time to get killing. Chapter 0062 (Zack) Before I begin the slaughter, I pull several potions out of my Inventory and throw them as high as I can, using all of my Strength to do so. Then, I Jump off the roof, soaring high above the center of the street. As soon as I''m there, I twist around, throwing the spear at the ground. It drives down a full foot past the head, and I drop down, flipping so that I land on the butt of the shaft with my left foot, my right foot standing on air, positioned behind it as I draw my swords. "I don''t have a shield," I tell the goblin army. "So you''ll have to deal with me using two swords instead." Now that they''ve been informed of that, I jump off the spear, twisting to the side to avoid some sort of arc slash. I cut through four goblins before landing, lifting my blades up in an X to stop another from slicing into my head. Moving my wrists together quickly, I cut their blade as if using big, super-sharp scissors, then as the goblin pulls back in shock, spin with both blades out, killing the goblins around me, then jerk to the side, stopping a frost-covered blade from cutting me with Zack''s Holiday. Elite Frost Goblin Knight. Tough fucker, huh? Only until I run my swords through him with Zack''s Blood, then move on to the next-nearest goblin as I trigger Shroud of Darkness and Aura of Darkness, lashing out with Dark Strike at any goblin that comes too near. Or that I get too near to. As I battle, I observe and learn the different types of goblins. Frost Goblin Knights imbue their weapon attacks with the power of frost, while Flame Goblin Knights do that, but with fire. Spring Goblin Knights are annoying, as they can manifest vines from the ground to either try to trap me or create a shield. Blood Goblins seem to be a blood-focused version of Dark Knights, but for goblins, as they do drain their own Health in their attempts to kill me, City Goblin Knights are just stronger versions of Goblin Soldiers, but using shields more often. Not as strong as Goblin Knights. Light Goblins have an annoying tendency to illuminate their blades or flash bright lights at me, causing me to need to rely on my ears and the air until the spots fade from my vision. Dark Goblins are probably the most annoying of them. They can feed off my Shroud and Aura, though thankfully, none of them manage to actually hurt me. Lunging forward, I jump a little into the air, just over the head of a goblin, and grab the potion, draining it and tossing it to the side before I hit the ground. Well, a goblin, but then we hit the ground from the momentum, and only one of us stands back up, flinging another potion into the air as I continue my assault. It only takes me three Bounty Beast kills before I manage to master Champion. As soon as I do, I carve a path to the spear, yanking it out of the ground and thrusting it through the stomach of the nearest goblin, immediately acquiring Spear Mastery, allowing me to take on Novice Spearman, so I do. The spear is fun to use, but I have to keep switching between it and my swords, and I switch it between hands as well. I fucking love being ambidextrous. A few times, I Jump into the air, then hurl the spear, or the spear and myself, down, creating craters in the ground while killing several goblins at once. A few of the Spring Goblin Knights create barriers of vines when I do that, which are annoying. Spitting vine-leafs out of my mouth, I impale the nearest Spring Goblin Knight, then turn around and impale another goblin, before pausing. "Didn''t I already kill you?" The thing''s already got the signs of being killed, such as a sword puncture already running through its neck. I can even see the other side. Oh, fuck. This one''s called an Undead Goblin Knight. Wonderful. I guess that''s what a Goblin Death Knight can do, huh? They''re necromancers. Not as cool as I was hoping for. The zomblins are annoying to work with, and I do my best to hunt down the Goblin Death Knight, but it''s keeping its distance from me. It knows its death will come. Probably because it''s the only way I can think of to stop the damn zomblins. Oh, wait. I can cut off their arms and legs, can''t I? Yep, that works. Something impacts my back, and I spin around, slashing with my spear and killing the Flame Goblin Knight that tried killing me. "Take that, bitch!" I stick my tongue out, before resuming dismembering zomblins. As the battle draws on, I feel myself growing weak and exhausted. I had not planned on zombies appearing here. I was thinking something like a mix of dark and blood magic from the death knight, not necromancy. After all, it didn''t say it was a Necromancer Goblin Knight, and I didn''t play any video games back in reality where Death Knights could bring back the dead. I mean, I''m sure some existed, I just never played any that had that feature. Even with my growing exhaustion, however, I''m confident I can win this fight. Spearman uses the same second-Skill as Knight, which means I already have it up. The more I fight, the more Experience I acquire. All I have to do is kill that damn Death Knight, and all my problems will go away, so I begin hunting it down, jumping into the air and launching my spear at it, memorizing the direction it moves while throwing my knives at it. I hear it cry out in pain as I drop back down, then I carve a path through to it, Rage building up within me. Keep it tempered though, Zack. Don''t let it get too high, or you could potentially¡­ Actually, that wouldn''t be a bad thing, but it''s still best to keep it tempered. Never know what''ll happen, I black out again. Reaching the Death Knight, I find it pulling my knives out, though it blocks my twin strike with its sword. The blade itself is black as night, with a few skull imprints on it in dark grey. The hilt is decorated like bones and a skull, with the pommel a bone hand gripping a black stone. The Goblin Death Knight itself is a darker green than most goblins, and from what little skin I can see ¨C a rarity in and of itself ¨C it''s well-built, even if it''s only the same height as me. Then again, I am, too. Moving on, it''s dressed in black armor decorated with skulls and bones done in white and dark grey. Its ears are a little bit more pointed than other goblins'', and its black eyes show me far more intelligence than I''ve seen in a goblin before. "Hi," I say. "I''m Zack." The goblin chatters at me, and I take a step back, swinging my sword in an attempt to cut off its head, only to find it blocked by its own blade. It knows to deflect my swords against the flat of their blades, rather than against their edges. Guess it saw me cut through weapons too many times. As my other sword swings to cut through its legs, I find the goblin deflecting it with my Spook Knife. "Hey!" I kick it in the stomach, causing it to stumble back. Wow, that actually hurt. Guess its armor''s pretty tough. "That''s my knife!" I slash through the incoming goblins, then charge the death knight, striking out at it again, only to find my attacks deflected once more. I continue to attack the bastard and thief as I kill any goblins that try to interfere with our fight. He doesn''t seem to be raising their corpses into Undead Goblins, making me curious as to what he needs for that. Is fighting me preventing him from doing it in some way? The death knight''s blade strikes the exposed part of my right arm, barely cutting it, and it lets out a triumphant sound, before frowning. If it doesn''t see hurting me as something to be proud of, then the fuck was that sound for? Curses. Fucking death knight thought it hit me with a curse, didn''t it? But that''s magic, which my armor draws away. My armor and my sword. It''s why none of the magic goblins'' attacks have really done anything to me ¨C the magic''s neutralized quickly. The only reason the Spring Goblins'' vines even work against me partly is because they''re grown magically, but they themselves aren''t magic.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "I bet your daddy''d be so happy, you failing to curse me!" I taunt it, and by its angry response, my guess was right. "Ha! ''Look at me, Daddy! I''m such a big, bad death knight, but I can''t even curse one lousy little kid!'' Ha!" The death knight charges me, and I start deflecting its enraged blows. I need to finish this fight fast so I can focus on killing what remains of the army. Some of it''s helping me with that on their own, coming to their deaths, but there are still a couple hundred, outside of the zomblins. As I battle, my Spearman Level continues to grow, even advancing as soon as my Spear Mastery hits the required thresholds. The secondary Skill it needs is the same as Knight, luckily, though I''ll still need Impact Drop once it''s time to move on to the final Tier. The death knight manages to cut me again, though this one''s even shallower than the previous, my growing Endurance making me tougher. I stab at it with the spear, and it jumps back. I stab the spear into the ground, pull both of my swords from the goblins I left them in, sheathe them, then grab the spear and Jump to the full height I can. Twisting, I throw the spear with all my might straight down. "Impact Drop!" I call out, triggering the Skill before kicking my feet against the sky above me with as much force and speed as I can. For a moment, the sky feels like it''s solid beneath my feet. Then, I''m soaring towards the spear at a rapid rate. The spear impacts into the ground and sinks down probably a foot, creating a shallow crater a few yards around, and I perform a flip so that I land on it with one foot. The moment I do, the effects from Impact drop trigger, resulting in a massive shockwave, the spear sinking four feet into the ground, the land itself rippling outwards as a larger crater is forged. Only the head of the spear is actually still in the ground, due to the sheer force of the impact. That''s what this Skill does, after all.
Impact Drop Active
Vastly improves the radial impact of any spear into the ground when dropped or thrown from a great height based on the force of the impact, which is also increased. The effect can be triggered by landing on a thrown spear.
Impact increase: 20% per Level of this Skill
Cost: 1,000 Mana
It''s a Tier 4 Skill, and the one required for Dragoon, and it looks like it''s the full impact, not just the spear''s, that is increased. It just requires a spear to perform. Looking around, I take in the damage. The crater I caused stretches dozens of yards due to the full impact, and the bodies of the goblins have been thrown about, buildings collapsed due to the ground beneath them suddenly shifting and flying. It takes me a minute to find the death knight, which is half-beneath a piece of the road. Its right leg has been completely crushed. Twirling the spear, I slam it down into the thing''s chest, impaling it into the ground. Pulling my spear out of the thing, I pick up my knife and fling it before returning to work killing goblins. Now, I can mainly use the spear, though I really need to end this soon, because I''m running out of potions to toss up and consume when they drop as well as running out of stamina itself. As soon as Master Spearman reaches Level 10, I send the spear back into my Inventory and start kicking ass with my swords. I''m faster this way, and don''t have to worry about Levels. The moment everything around me is dead, I sheathe my blades, advance Master Spearman to Dragoon, then spend 900% of my Bonus Experience to master it. I earned two Titles, there ¨C Dragoon and Master Adventurer. It looks like I''m one Bounty Beast shy of mastering that particular Subclass, too. There''s one more notification as well, and it''s purple rather than blue. The purple of Big S, yet I''m pretty sure it''s not a message from him, but a standard message for reaching Level 250.
Level 250 has been reached. You may now perform the Ascension Trial. Do you wish to?
Yes No
If you reject this, you may continue to acquire Skills, Skill Levels, and Titles, but you may not advance any more Class Levels or take on any more Classes. Subclasses can still be acquired if slots are left, and their Levels may continue to increase until maximum. You pull up this interface at any time.
The whole purpose of this training thing was to Ascend as quickly as possible, and the Shadow of Life left me prime for it instead of killing me. He''s probably fuming, now, especially if he knows where I am. It doesn''t give me any indication of what the Ascension Trial is, though, and I''m exhausted from the fight. It would be best to rest and recover before beginning the Trial. However, he might try to send Fallen Adventurers and strong Bounty Beasts at me, now I''m worn out. I really, really doubt I''d be able to handle something strong right now, especially if there are several of them. What should I do? Zack? Big S speaks to me directly. He sounds hesitant, unsure. "Big S?" I respond. You don''t need to rest and recover to perform the Ascension Trial, he tells me. You can simply accept it. However, it will take around thirty hours due to temporal¡­ anomalies. At least, that''s my estimation. "Temporal anomalies?" I ask. You''ll understand when you return from the Ascension Trial, he tells me. I''ve been informed of your situation. You can rest if you want, but I know why you''re hesitant to do that. That''s why I''m letting you know now that you''re fine. No resting is required for the Ascension Trial. "Alright," I say. "Then yes, I wish to perform the Ascension Trial." Immediately, I find myself in a Sacred Chamber. This time, I''m greeted with the sight of Big S himself, in all his violet glory. Instead of one archway on each edge, however, there are two, one that is a dark grey, one that is light, with the emblems of the other Crystals. Big S radiates power. The others radiate authority, mystery, and so much more, but none of them actually radiate power itself. The entire chamber is filled with it, filled so thickly I could almost drag my fingers through it. Zack Noruva, Big S''s voice fills my head. You have chosen to undertake the Ascension Trial. Because you come from reality, this takes the form of living there again from the moment of your first death there. You will spend a period of time there, and after it ends, you will die again, as fate has chosen for you. When you die, you will once again be granted the opportunity to enter the Boundary and live there again. Before I transfer you back, you must first empty out your entire Inventory. All of it. You must also remove that which you wear, though worry not, as you will be dressed as you were when you died, being returned back to your dying body. "Why?" I ask. "And Big S ¨C there''s no way I''d not accept the offer again." You might, he says. Remember, Zack ¨C that which isn''t of reality cannot exist within it. All of your memories of here will not be available there, and you are not powerful enough to ensure they persist. Only once you return to this chamber and make your choice will they return. "And my stuff?" I ask. Zack¡­ I just told you. "Oh, right," I feel my face heat up. That stuff can''t exist in reality. If I bring it with me, all of it may just disappear entirely. It can''t exist there, period. It''s possible it''d stay, since it''s in my Inventory, but even if that''s the case, I need to lose my memory and connections to the Boundary, it seems. "Why do this?" I ask. "For the trial, I mean?" A reminder, he says. Of what it is you are fighting for. One has, before you, undergone the Ascension Trial. I don''t like the idea that someone else got here before me. They had to have been a Child of Existence, I''m sure o fit. "So there''s been an Ascended before?" No, he responds. When it came time to make the choice, he rejected it. When you return here, you will remember your life in reality. That will affect your decision. For him, he could not stand the thought of such a life, and rejected it, moving on to death. "Well," I grin at him. "I bet I''ll be more than willing to do this fight when the time comes," I grow more serious again. "But¡­ why do this to us? Why let us return? Why give us this choice? Why is this our Ascension Trial? I know the adventurers born in the Boundary don''t do this ¨C they can''t exist in reality." That is correct, he responds. They undergo a separate Ascension Trial, and at the end of it, are given a choice. Each of them has chosen not to continue the fight. "How¡­ how many?" I ask. "How many have reached here before me?" Eighty-seven. Eighty-seven. There have been eighty-seven who have reached Level 250 before me. Not one of them accepted the offer. That makes me a lot less confident that I will. At least one of them had to have been like me. "Big S?" I''m a bit worried now. "Why-" Why do we do this for the Ascension Trial? He asks, and I nod. It is simply the way it is. Now that you have accepted, there is no turning back. Empty your Inventory, Zack. The other option is to pass on to the afterlife now. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, then nod, opening up my Inventory and pulling everything out of it. There''s no way I won''t choose to continue on. There''s no way I won''t agree to the fight. I will do it. When I finish, I take another deep breath. "Before you do it," I say. "How are you able to return me to when I died? It''s been months since then." The Boundary exists in a flexible state, he informs me. Including a flexible temporal state. Are you ready? "As ready as I can be," I nod. Farewell, he tells me. When we meet again, you won''t remember me. And remember that without your memories of the Boundary, you''ll be back to the same irritating, annoying brat that you were before. The jerk of jerks that came before the Boundary. Those are the last words shared between us before everything goes black. Chapter 0063 Chapter Sixty-Three. (Zack) "-stable," a voice says as I drift back into consciousness. I''m on some sort of rolling bed? A gurney? Is that what they''re called? My body hurts all over. What happened? It''s moving fast. There''s a mask on my face. My mouth and nose. Breathing. Ow, that hurts. "All of his injuries look to be skin-deep," another voice says. This one''s a man, the first was a woman. "He''s a lucky kid." "We''ll need to do some x-rays to make sure," the woman says. "He was thrown twenty yards by the truck." "How did he even survive?" Another woman asks. "That impact should have killed him." "He''s a hell of a tough kid," the man says, and I groan as I try to take in another deep breath, my chest hurting like fuck. "I think he''s waking up." You think? You''re a fucking moron. The bed suddenly slows down, and they turn me into a room. I think it''s a room. My eyes aren''t opening yet. It''s really bright and smells of disinfectant. A hospital? Right, they mentioned getting hit by a truck. Everything comes back to me. Getting suspended from school, leaving before Mom arrived, throwing my backpack over the wall at the house and continuing on my way. Pushing Noah out of the way of a speeding truck. That thing had to have been going at least eighty an hour. How am I still alive? I know I''m tough, but that¡­ that''s just inhuman! Then again, so am I. I mean, how else can I read the minds of those around me? I can already sense the minds of these doctors, or whoever they are. One of them''s probably a doctor. Despite my not wanting it to, my entire body goes slack as I try to fight against the incoming blackness. "Let''s move him onto this bed," the first woman to speak responds. "I think he went out again." The next thing I know, I''m lying on a bed, no mask hooked up to me, though there''s something pricked in my arm. This time, I''m able to open my eyes. There''s a white tile ceiling above me, a window with the curtains pulled closed to my left, a bathroom with the door open to my right, and a gap between the bathroom and the wall, where there''s probably an indent in the room before reaching the door. There''s a curtain there, pulled partially closed. I can hear voices, but my head''s pounding too hard to really focus on eavesdropping. There''s no one in the room ¨C at least, not on this side of the curtain. There''s a chair on the opposite wall, and a shelf in the corner. The thing pricking my arm''s an I.V. The wall opposite me has a chart. My nurse''s name is Elise. It takes me a full minute, but I manage to sit up without too much pain. Good, I''m already recovered for the most part. I''ve always healed pretty fast. Someone changed me out of my school uniform and into a set of hospital scrubs. "-a miracle he''s even alive," a voice says, and I realize that they''ve moved a little bit closer. "By all rights, he should be dead. You have one lucky son, Mr. Noruva." Ugh. My father. "I don''t understand," my father responds. "From what I''ve heard, his body should be in a bad state, yet you said he didn''t have a single break or fracture?" "Just bruising and scrapes," the other man says. "Your son recovers pretty well. A few of the more minors bruises had already healed most of the way by the time I finished checked him over, and some of the smaller scrapes were even, well, smaller." "Zack''s always healed fast," my father says. "He''s a resilient brat." Yeah, and you wonder why I don''t love you, asshole. Go fuck off and die. Did Noah make it? Is he okay? "So he''s going to be okay?" A third voice asks. This one''s younger, closer to my age, and familiar. I let out a sigh of relief. No one''s allowed to hurt him but me. "I-why did he do it?" "You''ll have to ask him that yourself," Father tells Noah. "I''ve never once thought Zack would protect anyone, much less put his life at risk for someone." Yeah, well, I don''t care about people. But I can''t stand anyone but me hurting my victims. Plus, I wasn''t thinking when I ran, I just did. I saw the truck speeding down towards Noah, who didn''t seem to notice it, and the next thing I knew, I was here and in a lot of pain. "Do you know how long before he''ll wake?" Father asks. "So he''s going to be okay?" Noah asks again. "Yes," the doctor says. "Zack''s going to be okay. He''s a very tough kid. I take it you''re the young man he pushed out of the way?" Did you get that from the previous conversation? How fucking dense do you need to be? "Yeah," Noah responds. "He¡­ yeah." "Did you get that when he pushed you?" The doctor asks. "What?" Noah asks. "The scrapes, yeah." "No, that," the doctor gestures. "No, I got that when he punched me at school." I might punch you again just because. Why the fuck are you visiting me in the hospital? "So are you three going to stand out there talking?" I raise my voice in irritation. "Or can I get something to eat, please? I''m fucking starved!" "Zack!" Father snaps, stepping into the room. "Watch your language!" "Maybe you should''ve been watching to see if I''d woken up, asshole," I say. "I''m fucking hungry. How long was I out? You know I need to eat. Get me some fucking food."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Watch your language, Zack," he says in a warning tone. "This self-sacrifice doesn''t lighten what you did before." "Oh, please," I roll my eyes, gesturing to Noah. "He''s perfectly fine! Other than the black eye, but that''ll heal." Noah glares at me. He''s standing between my father and the doctor. Black hair, dark brown eyes, and skin that was tanned by the sun throughout this past summer. He''s dressed in the same designer clothes he was in when I shoved him, though I can see a few scrapes on his hands and cheek. "You''re on thin ice as it is," he says. "You nearly got yourself expelled from school, Zack! We told you to stop these fights!" "It wasn''t really a fight," I say. "He went down as soon as I punched him, and he never threw a punch. Get some tougher guys, and maybe there''d be a fight. Now get me some fucking food, and I want to go home and play with Max." "No," Father says. "You''re not playing with Max, you''re going straight to your room as soon as you get home. You''re grounded." "Yeah, right." "I''m serious," he says. "I''m done dealing with this, Zack. You''re grounded until your suspension is up, and then we''ll consider lifting it. Based on how you act, we might extend it." "As if this''ll hold," I snort. "You fucking coward. You''re not even my real father. Is that why you hate me so much, you asswad?" I bite my tongue as soon as I say that. I don''t know where that came from. I mean, I always had a suspicion, but never evidence. The way he reacts tells me I hit the nail on the head, though. He tensed up, and his mind went into a panic. A panic completely without fury. "Before you two go back to your fighting," the doctor says. "I''d like to say two things. One, it''s able to be heard outside, so I''d like you to tone it down a bit, especially with the swearing. Two, I need to run some checks now that Zack''s awake." "No checks until I get a fucking meal." "He''s not going to cooperate until he gets food," Father says with tightness in his voice. "And can we please get this I.V. out of me?" I gesture to it. "It''s pointless right now." The doctor agrees to get me some food, placing the order and then asking if he can start the checks while we''re waiting for it to arrive. It''s a fucking sandwich and some apple juice. What do I look like, a fucking kid? I mean, I am twelve, but I''m nearly thirteen! My birthday''s in a few weeks! I''m not a little kid! Okay, maybe I am short, but that''s not the point, asshole! "Zack," Noah pulls me out of my irritated thoughts, and I glare at him. "Wh-why did you shove me out of the way? You hate me." "I hate everyone," I state. "But I''m the only person allowed to hurt you." "You could have died!" "No," I say. "You could have died. Clearly, I''m above such things. I don''t even have a broken bone. Not even a fucking fracture. What are you even doing here? Did you want me to make your left eye match your right?" "Zack!" Father snaps. "Oh, please," I roll my eyes. "I''m betting that''s really why he came here. Or were you hoping to see me all weak and frail? Tough luck, Noah. Ain''t happening." The doctor interrupts this with his checks, and the sandwich arrives halfway through. I start eating it, stopping only when he removes the I.V. When I finish devouring my meal, the doctor leaves and my father glares down at me. "How did you know?" He asks. "Mom got pregnant while you were in high school," I say. "And you''re huge on the whole ''abstinence until marriage'' thing. While you''re a hypocrite, I''m pretty sure you followed that, especially since I know you''d have lost your inheritance if you had any children before you were seventeen, the age of consent for our state." He stares at me in shock. "You really think I didn''t know how to pick the lock on your safe?" I roll my eyes. "The only sequence of numbers that stumped me was the first set. I never did figure out what they meant." "It was the date your mother and I met first," he states. "I need to change that." "You can''t change the past, moron." "Zack," he says. "You are grounded when you get home. Don''t push your luck. And I know you, Zack. You''d never sacrifice your own health to save someone else. Is there something I need to know?" Is he-oh, jeez, he is. "You think I like Noah?" I ask, rolling my eyes. "As I said, I don''t like people hurting my victims. I would''ve done it if he were Jess, too." That came out without me meaning to say it. Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought? "Who?" Father asks. "Jessica Turner," Noah explains. "She''s the cutest girl in our class. Can I-can I talk to Zack? Alone?" Father gives me a warning glare, then leaves, and I glare at Noah. "Thanks," he says. "Is that really why you pushed me?" "Yes," I state. "The only person allowed to hurt you is me, because you''re my victim. Call it being possessive." "You bully everyone," he says. "Are you telling me you''d have done the same thing if it was James?" "I''d have watched him die." "You really are an ass." "This ass saved yours." He opens his mouth to respond, then sighs. "I still can''t get my head around that," he says. "Why did you save me, Zack? You''d never put yourself in danger." "Maybe you don''t know me as well as you thought?" I offer. "Now leave me the fuck alone, before I do make your left eye match your right." He starts to say something, then turns and leaves. A minute later, my father enters the room. I''ve been cleared to go home, the doctor saying to take it easy. Once that''s said, I''m given a change of clothes from home to pull on, then Father and I leave. It''s nearly midnight and the roads are quiet, as is the ride home. We reach the mansion we live in and pull past the gate that opens as we approach. Father parks in the garage, then follows me to my room to make sure I actually enter it. My stuff is gone. My laptop, my T.V., my gaming systems, all of it. "You''re a fucking asshole," I say. "You''re grounded," he says. "Other than when we let you, you are not to leave this room. And you aren''t taking your martial arts classes again until the grounding is over." "But-" "No," he says. "Martial arts?" I whine? "Seriously? You''re a big, fat, stupid, fucking asshole!" "Enough!" He says. "Now go to bed!" "I want Max and Gold." "No," he says. "You''re grounded, you''re not getting them." "Yes, I am," I say. "They''re my dogs. You said that I''m responsible for them when we got them, remember? And that if I don''t take care of them, then we''re getting rid of them. If I''m grounded, I can''t do that, which means that you''re sabotaging me." "I''ll handle them while you''re grounded," he says. "Now go to bed." "I''m taking a shower first," I walk into my bathroom and slam my door closed. I hear my bedroom door close a minute later, then I take a deep breath and let it out. Father''s an asshole. I wish I had died when that truck hit me. Maybe then I wouldn''t have to deal with all of this shit. My head throbs and I rub it, then strip off my clothes and turn on the shower, stepping under the spray as I adjust the temperature. I have an on-use water heater for my bathroom, which means I don''t have to wait. After my shower, I pull the towel off the rack and dry off, then wipe off my mirror. My brown hair''s still streaked with gold from summer, and I still have a light tan from it, too. Summer''s the best time of year for me, because I can get away from people. Just me and the dogs in the woods my father owns. But school''s been back for more than a month, now. I hate this. It''s too stressful. Not all twelve-year-olds are meant for school, and I''m not meant for interaction with people. I can''t stand most people. Why couldn''t that truck have killed me? It would get me away from all these people. I''d never have to worry about pushing people away so that I don''t constantly hear their thoughts again. I''d never have to worry again about letting people be too close to my physically so I don''t hear their thoughts and sense their minds again. Why did I have to be born this way? Why couldn''t I have been born normal? I''m prone to everyone''s secrets, especially if they get close to me. Their thoughts, their feelings, what they really think of me. Why am I cursed? Wiping the tears from my eyes, I enter my room, finding two familiar faces sitting on my bed. Gold, my golden retriever, and Max, my black lab. Father must have changed his mind about not letting me have them during the grounding. "Hey, boys," I smile at them, walking over and climbing onto my bed, pulling them against me. "You''re probably the only ones who''d miss me, I''m sure. I''d miss you, too." Chapter 0064 (Zack) "Morning, Gold Max," I ruffle the dogs'' fur behind their ears. The pair of dogs turn their heads and look at me, and I climb out of my bed before quickly dressing. My dogs then follow me out of my room and downstairs to the back yard. There isn''t a chance in hell that Father is going to try to keep me in my room if he''s letting me have the dogs. They can''t use the toilet. Well, I could probably train them to, but that''s not the point. The maids will clean up the dogs'' shit, so once they relieve themselves, I grab a ball and start throwing it, watching as the pair chase after it. They''re awesome. They''re not like people, with their simple thoughts. Most of it involves making sure their master is happy, their bellies are full, their bowels and bladders empty, and fun is had. A lot simpler lives than being human. People are liars, people are cheaters, and people act for selfish reasons. Even me. But my selfish reasons decrease the amount of foreign thoughts I''m reading. "Did I say you could play with the dogs?" Father asks, and I turn to face him as Max and Gold run up to me. Then there are people like Father. Controlling. They want everything to be in their control. My gift of sight has let me know he wasn''t always like this. Is it because he''s taking care of a kid who isn''t even his? If so, then why did he never let me know? Or did he just want to make me suffer, knowing that I struggle to find his source of hatred for me? "You can''t expect me to keep them from getting their exercise and fun, can you?" I ask. "Or are you just looking for reasons to keep me grounded, asshole? You let the dogs into my room. The dogs are my responsibility. I''m taking care of them. I always play with them first thing in the morning. It''s their first exercise of the day." "Zack-" he begins, then stops when the dogs walk up to him, one on each side. "Zack, what did you do?" Both dogs turn around to face me, then lift their legs. Before Father can stop them, they start pissing on his legs. "That''s it!" Father snaps. "Your grounding is extended, and we''re getting rid of these mutts!" "They''re purebreds, and they''re mine!" I yell as he reaches for their collars. Fury engulfs me, and I shove my hands forward. Father is thrown backwards, flying through the glass patio doors. "Come on, boys!" I take off running towards the back of the property as Max and Gold follow after me. When I reach the wall, I push off the ground with one foot, flipping up over it and landing on the other side. With a gesture of my hands, my dogs are lifted into the air, landing gently beside me. They''re momentarily confused, but I soothe them with calming thoughts before taking off again, disappearing into the woods behind the property I grew up on. No one tries to take my dogs away. I wander around the woods for a few hours, but my stomach starts growling due to having not eaten since last night. I don''t have my wallet on me, either, because I wasn''t expecting to run away. They''re probably freaked out over that. I''ve never used my telekinesis around them before. What will they think of that? Are they going to try to cut me up? Or sell me to someone who will? I don''t want to be a lab experiment! Max nuzzles my hand, and I crouch down and scratch behind his ears as I wipe the tears from my eyes. I pull both of the dogs to me, hugging them. "I love you both," I say. "I won''t let anyone take you from me. Stay here, okay? I need to go get some food." Both dogs plants their asses on the ground, and I make my way into town. Hopefully, no one stops me for truancy. It doesn''t take me long to reach the nearest pet store, maybe only an hour. In there, I make my way to the dog food section, running my hand over one of the bags of the kind I feed my dogs. Looking around to make sure there are no witnesses save the camera, which breaks with a flick of my wrist, I quickly send the bag of dog food into my spatial storage before hurrying out of the aisle, pretending to be startled by the sudden drop of the camera. No witnesses. I leave while the employees who came to investigate are puzzling over the incident, then I make my way a few doors down to Walmart. In the grocery section, I take a few items in the same manner as at the pet store, though without breaking cameras.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. It''s a lot easier because everything''s smaller. Finished, I make my way to another section of the store after grabbing some paper plates, some cups, and some plastic eating utensils. I had to leave everything behind, so there are a few things I need. Before I grab those, however, I grab a bag of marbles. I had to leave those behind, too, but I like playing with marbles. I also grab some playing cards, then make my way to the camping section, nabbing some of their camping toilet paper and a few other things from there. With my selection finished, I make my way to the front, where I''m stopped by security, who accuse me of theft. "Theft?" I snort. "Are you high?" "Listen here, kid," he grabs my right arm, and I strike with my left hand, snapping his radius and ulna. "You little brat!" "You assaulted a minor," I take a few steps back. "I was well-within my rights to retaliate. You had no legal or valid reason to grab me. An accusation of being on drugs doesn''t count. I don''t like being touched, and if the security guards behind me try to manhandle me, I''ll break their fucking faces. I didn''t steal shit, and this accusation is completely unfounded. I''m not even wearing a fucking jacket, where would I hide anything?" "Empty your pockets, kid," one of the security guys says. "No," I fold my arms over my chest. "I''m going to walk out that door, then I''m calling my father and letting him know that you shitheads decided that an unsupervised kid was a fucking thief and decided to fucking manhandle him. As soon as he finds out, he will have your jobs." "You''re in here all the time, brat," one of them says. "You never buy anything, and things go missing after you leave." "Do you have proof that I''m stealing?" I ask. "Have you seen me steal something? Or are you just speculating and trying to force evidence?" "We''ve already called the police," he says. "You''re in a deep shit." "No," I say. "You''re all in shit so fucking deep, you''ll never fucking escape. Ever." "Officer," one of the security guys looks behind me. "This kid assaulted our security officer and-" "No," I turn to face the pair of officers. "I was walking out of here and this jackass grabbed me. I reacted with force against force. They''re throwing unfounded theft accusations against me. Does it look like I could have stolen anything? What did I steal? Where did I put them? Oh, no, this fucking unsupervised fucking kid came in and took a fucking look around, like he always fucking does, that means he''s a fucking thief, let''s just fucking grab him out of nowhere." I can tell these officers are inclined to believe the guards, even though there''s nowhere I could have put a fucking thing. At least, not where they can fucking see. "I''m going to ask you to empty out your pockets," one of the officers says. "On what fucking grounds?" I ask. "You were called for a potential thief, and he''s a kid? What evidence do they have that I''m stealing? You can be sure my father and I are pressing charges for assault and harassment. In addition, we''ll-" A sudden headache comes on. No, not right now! Don''t do this to me! A boy with blue eyes and sandy-blond hair stares out from under his bed. He''s only ten, and fear is clear on his face. He''s watching as his identical twin is beaten in their room by their parents. The beating lasts a long time, then the first twin is dropped. The other twin covers his mouth, scared. He''s doing his best to not make a sound. It doesn''t matter, though, because his parents lean down and look under the bed. He screams, but they ignore it, pulling him out and start beating him as well. The vision ends when his lights go out and he''s left beside his brother. I don''t have time to process what happens to the kids of two of my parents'' servants, for when I come to, there are hands feeling me up. I react on instinct, breaking the hands and flipping whoever they are down, smashing their head into the ground with a fist. "Teach you to fucking grope a fucking kid, you fucking pedophile!" I strike down again, only to find someone pulling me off. I lash out again, this time driving my foot up into their crotch as my elbow meets their face. Their grip releases me, and I take off out of the store. I don''t stop running until I''m in the woods again. When I find my dogs, I whistle for them to follow and keep running, going deeper into the forest. There, I collapse to the ground and start crying. The dogs lie down beside me, resting their heads on my chest. I reach up and scratch behind their ears. Why did my life have to go to hell? I must have fallen asleep, because when I wake up, it''s already evening. The dogs are still resting with me, so I gently wake them, then sit up and pull a pair of bowls from my storage, before the bag of dog food. I fill the bowls and send the bag back in, then pull out a box of crackers and start munching. Tears start falling again as I think about my vision. Why did it have to come then? And why did the officer think it was okay to start feeling me up? I get trying to check someone to see if they stole something, but I had gone unconscious. That''s sexual assault of a minor. Shame my father''s an asshole and hates me. If things had turned out differently the last couple of days, I''d have been able to go straight to him and tell him what happened. He''d put that entire department under fire for it. They don''t know I''m special. Well, they do now, but they don''t know that my blackouts are. They don''t know I''m having visions of what is to come. Like that scene¡­ Luca''s parents have always beaten him and Braden. Always. I''ve never put a stop to it, even though it boils my blood. Luca''s too sweet and innocent, he shouldn''t be forced into the beatings. I don''t really care about Braden, because he''s a brat, but¡­ I can''t stop them. Luca and Braden are dying soon. Their parents are killing them. And I can''t do a thing to stop them anymore. I should''ve put a stop to it before, but¡­ it was just too hard. But maybe putting up with it was even harder? Sobs break out of me, and the dogs stop eating to comfort me. I share some of my crackers with them, then we curl up together and fall asleep. I need to figure out how to put a stop to it. How to stop them from killing Luca. But what can I do? I''m just a kid! I hate this world! I don''t want to be here anymore! Why do I have to live here? Max and Gold are my only reason for living. Without me, they''d have no one. I''m the only one who understands them, who gets them. The only one who can truly communicate with them. Why did I have to be born like this? Everything would be so much better if I didn''t have these stupid fucking powers! Chapter 0065 (Zack) "Stay here," I whisper to the dogs. "And stay quiet." They lie on the ground, resting their heads on their paws, and I look at the wall surrounding my parents'' mansion. My visions usually take place three or four days before the actual events, so today''s the absolute latest I can put an end to this. It''s the third night after. Praying to whatever powers actually exist, I jump over the wall, landing in a low crouch on the other side. After checking to make sure no one''s around, I take off towards the building itself, hiding behind flowerbeds and hedges. It takes me almost seven minutes to reach the wall to the servants'' wing without being detected. Curse my parents and their security. It''s never made me feel safe in the first place. As soon as I''m at the wall, I scale the pipe for the rain drain. It''s strong and sturdy, and can handle my compacted weight just fine. As soon as I''m at the third floor, I reach out and grab the windowsill, pulling myself over and dropping down, keeping my legs bent. I probably can''t be seen from the window beneath, but best to make sure. Slowly pulling myself up, I peek through the window. No one''s around. With a simple telekinesis, I''ve opened it from the inside, then haul myself up and through it. What I''d give to become unseen. Footsteps catch my attention, and I quickly push off one wall and onto the opposite, before stretching myself across the hall, my back against the ceiling. I''m barely tall enough for this. Six months ago, I probably wouldn''t have fit across this hall. Thank goodness I had a minor growth spurt during the summer. I just hope I get more, because I don''t want to be on the short side forever. I watch as one of the chefs enters his room, and after making sure everything is clear, I land on the carpet in a crouch. Listening for a moment, I make my way down the hall and around the corner. A bad feeling fills me, and I feel my eyes widen. Rushing forward, I reach the twins'' room and throw open the door just as their parents go to open it. They look at me, stunned, and I quickly turn my gaze to the twins, who are lying on the floor, just like¡­ just like.. "NO!" I scream. The next thing I know, I''m cradling Luca in my arms, sobbing again. I''m doing that a lot lately. He can''t be dead. Luca can''t be dead. Why did his parents have to do this? It takes me a few minutes to realize that I''m not alone. There are other people here. My parents. Luca''s parents. Cops. They''re all blurry. No, my eyes are filled with tears. It takes me a moment to realize that there''s a familiar mind here. But it wasn''t here before? Lifting up one arm, I wipe my face with my sleeve and look down into Luca''s pained eyes. He''s alive. He''s alive! I pull him against me, crying into him. I''m not going to let anyone hurt him again. Never. They''ll have to kill me, first. Someone talks me into letting the EMT''s check out Luca. They put him on a stretcher, and I go with them to the hospital. The cops want to talk with me, but my parents don''t let them. A couple of hours later, I''m sitting in Luca''s temporary room in the hospital. He''s got his right arm in a sling, and I know his chest is wrapped. There are some bandages around his head, too, and I know he''s got more all over his body under the pajamas my parents brought for him to change into after the doctors finish. His parents really did a number on him. The doctors are amazed he''s even alive, and he doesn''t even have any broken bones. Like me. Luca''s a tough little fucker. He''s also scared. I climb onto the hospital bed and cuddle him, and he calms down. "I''m sorry," I whisper to him. "I should''ve stopped it. I should''ve stopped it. I shouldn''t have let it happen. I should''ve been faster. If I''d been faster, it wouldn''t have happened." Luca sniffles, cuddling against me, and I hear footsteps drawing near. My father. Luca tenses up, the hand he has on my arm stiffening. "It''s my fault more than yours," Father says. "I knew what they''d done to the twins, Zack, and didn''t put a stop to it. Any other servants, and they''d have been gone." Yeah. That''s why I didn''t put a stop to it. But their own father was that important. The head butler of the house. The one servant I couldn''t get rid of. Otherwise, I would''ve. "We need to talk," Father says. "I''m not coming home," I say, and Luca immediately fills with fear. "Your mother and I have acquired temporary custody of Luca," he says. "And based on how you''ve been acting, we know you want to keep an eye on him. Either come home, or don''t see Luca again."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "I''m just going to get arrested," I mutter. "I attacked a police officer." "According to the security footage," Father says. "You were stopped by security, they grabbed you, you reacted out of self-defense. Then, when the police showed up, you fainted for a couple of minutes. The officer then decided to start patting you down while you were unconscious, and when you woke, his hands were at your waist. You reacted without seeing him. It was self-defense against a perceived child molester. They decided to not pursue it." More like you paid them off, I''m sure. Just so that your name isn''t tainted. "I bet the store''s going to push for me to be arrested for shoplifting." "They have no evidence you did," he states. "I had a word with their CEO about the incident. You''re not getting into trouble." Right. I forgot you know their CEO. I bet a friendly chat is all that was needed to clean up the mess. "So when are the men in the white labcoats coming?" I ask, causing Luca to feel confused. "Never," Father says, walking to the door. "We''ll talk about that when we get home." "You''re not hurting Luca." "I don''t understand this," Father says. "Four days ago, you didn''t care about anyone. Then you shove one of your victims out of the way of a car and try to rescue, then become extremely protective, of Luca. I know you had your issues with Braden, but you flat-out ignored Luca, and always had." "Luca''s too innocent," I say quietly. "Too¡­ too Luca. He needs protecting." Luca shrinks down, hugging me as best he can with his injuries. He''s confused, but he knows I care for him. That I''ll protect him. He likes me more than he likes Father. "What about his parents?" I ask. "I didn''t-didn''t-" "No," Father says. "You didn''t kill them, though you did get them pretty good." "I¡­ I blacked out," I say. "I don''t¡­ I don''t remember hitting them. I just-I saw Luca, and then¡­ I was crying onto him. He was dead. Luca had died. But now he''s not dead. He came back. Maybe I was wrong? But Braden''s dead. I know he''s dead. I heard them say he''s dead." Dad keeps talking with me until I calm down, though I guess I fall asleep at some point, because the next thing I know, I''m in bed at home, changed into pajamas, and Luca''s curled up next to me, holding his stuffed bear under his good arm. Both dogs are on the bed, too. Someone found them at the wall, probably. I stay like this until Luca wakes up, then show him my bathroom because he needs to pee. When he finishes, I piss, then we head downstairs, the dogs following behind us, Luca clinging to my side. Through breakfast, I can tell Father wants to talk with me, but not with Luca around. When we finish and some staff clear away the table, I take Luca and the dogs outside, then start throwing a ball around. After a few minutes, I encourage Luca to do it, too. After a few throws, I take a step back and look at my parents, who are watching. They shift uncomfortably, then walk over. The door''s already been replaced after I threw Father through it with my telekinesis. "Zack," Father steps forward, glancing at Luca, who''s become absorbed in throwing the ball with his good arm. He giggles when the dogs return and give him the ball back. "About the other day." "So your guys don''t wear white lab coats?" I ask. "Are they in black suits, then?" "No," Father rubs his temples. He seems exasperated. I wonder why the fuck that would be. He should be more worried about being thrown by psychic powers again. "Zack, we''ve known about your abilities." "And how the fuck would you know that?" I ask. "You''ve never-" "When you were a baby," Mother interrupts him. "Your powers were active. Once you started school, things calmed down. It was almost as if you had noticed that others did not possess powers and stopped using them. That, or they had faded." I don''t remember ever using them when I was that little, and I can''t see a reason for why they would have faded. I only noticed them a few years ago, when puberty hit me. "You''re telling me I had psychic powers as a baby?" I snort, even though I can tell they''re being honest. "What did I do, blast you around every time I was upset?" "Sometimes," Father responds. "You also projected that you were hungry," Mother said. "It made figuring out what your needs were easy, but it wasn''t comfortable, having you in our heads like that. We were grateful when the powers seemed to go away. How long have you been using them?" "They came back when I hit puberty." "You''re actually going through that?" Father blinks several times in astonishment. "But you''re still short!" Mother smacks him in the back of the head. "I''m only late on the fucking growth spurts," I state. "I''m actually an early bloomer, which means I''m perfectly fine, Father. So I''m not being sold to some lab or something?" "No," Father says. "You aren''t." "And don''t worry about your father''s comments about height," Mother says. "Your biological father was only average in height." "I thought you said you didn''t know who he was?" Father asks her quietly. Was Mother¡­ she was¡­ oh, wow. Before they met? Really? "Not at first," she says. "He could''ve been one of several. However, I can tell who his father is now. He was the man who brought me to the hotel you and I met at. It does make me wonder about Zack, and if he inherited these things from his father." They''re talking as if I''m not here. Fucking assholes. I turn back to Luca, who''s staring at the dogs. Max has the ball in his mouth, and Luca''s hand is covered in dog slobber, and I realize that he''s only now realized that. Luca is a massive clean freak. Almost as much as I am, though I can handle playing with the dogs. Does he realize he''s barefoot in the grass? Ignoring my parents, since it seems like they''re off in their own little world, I walk over to Luca and pat him on the head before pulling the ball from Max''s mouth. "Stay," I command the dogs, then throw the ball as hard and as far as I can. Max and Gold want to chase after it, but I gave them the command to stay, so they stay, though it''s getting hard for them to not take off. If I wait too long, though, they might forget about the ball. "Fetch," I command. Both dogs take off at once, and I pat Luca on the head with my clean hand. "You''re going to be fine," I promise him. "You''re never going to be hurt again. I''m not going to let you." He gives me a hug as he does his best to subtly wipe the dog slobber off on me. I do the same to him. Maybe he''d miss me, too, just like the dogs. I bet my parents treat me like shit because of the hell I put them through as a baby and toddler. The dogs return and I wrestle the ball from Max, then put it away and take Luca inside. We both need showers, so I grab some clothes from his room and take him to mine. "I''ll be in here," I tell Luca. "If you need anything. Just go in there and shower. Or take a bath. Whatever it is you do, okay?" He nods, then gives me a hug before grabbing his clothes before entering my bathroom and closing the door. I sit on my bed and lie back, petting the dogs that jump up onto it. The dogs and Luca are the only ones who''d care if I died. Would anyone else even notice it? Chapter 0066 (Zack) The fuckers tried taking Luca away. Father didn''t let them, though, and I''m glad for that. I don''t think he could handle such a thing. He''s grown too attached to the dogs and me after his brother''s death and his parents'' arrest. Now, I''m being woken by my father, who''s doing his best to not wake Luca. The little guy gets scared anytime he''s alone, and sleeping makes it worse. I don''t blame him, since they were attacked while he was sleeping. Even having the dogs in there doesn''t work, so he''s joined me each night, curling up on my bed while clutching his teddy bear. "The fuck you want?" I ask as quietly as I can, to avoid waking Luca. "For you to watch your language," he says, waking Luca. "And Zack, yesterday was the last day of your suspension. You need to take a shower and get ready for school." "No." "Yes," he says. "You will be returning to school, Zack. And if you get into trouble again, they''re expelling you." "They''re going to cause trouble," I say. "Then pin it on me. That, or they''re going to make stuff up. That''s how it is. I''m going back to bed. You woke Luca up." "You''re going to school," Father says. "And so is Luca, Zack. Now get your ass out of bed and get ready, or your grounding is extended." "Like that even works," I say. "Or you''re going to military school," he says, and I freeze up at that thought. He''s completely serious. "If you get expelled, Zack, you are going to military school. So get your ass out of bed, get in the shower, and get ready for school." He turns and leaves the room, and I let out an irritated grunt. Father is an asshole. At least I know why my parents hate me, now. Who would be happy about having a kid who can read minds, projects his thoughts into theirs, and move objects with his own? Jeez. I don''t even have the ability to project my thoughts anymore. That faded away forever ago, it seems. Maybe one day, I''ll regain that particular ability. "Come on," I nudge Luca. "Father didn''t leave us much time for a shower, so we need to hurry." Luca and I climb out of bed and shower, then once we''re dry and in our school uniforms, we head downstairs to the dining room, where breakfast is served. After quickly eating it, we''re given our school bags and driven to our schools. I attend a private junior high while he attends a private elementary school. Even before his parents killed his brother and tried to kill him, he was a student there. Father wanted to make sure his servants'' children were well-educated. I hope Luca does alright without Braden. I hated the punk, but at least he acted as a shield for the little guy. Entering my school once I''m dropped off, I ignore the glares of my classmates. None of them want me here, I don''t even need to sense their minds to know that. The ones who are physically close to me, I can even hear their nasty thoughts. They hate me and wish I had died when the truck hit me. I enter my homeroom and sit in my usual seat in the back of the room. There are a few other students already here and they''re all giving me annoyed or uneasy glances. They''re like everyone else. My eyes flick to the woman at the desk. She''s not our regular teacher, so I''m going to assume she''s a substitute. She''s glaring at me, which tells me that she knows exactly who I am. I turn my gaze to Noah, who''s just entered the class, dressed sharply in the school uniform. I hate our uniform. The part that''s the same for both sexes is the white dress shirt. Males have to wear either a tie or bowtie which is red with green stripes. It''s not fucking Christmas. I hate it and Santa. I''ve never gotten much I''ve liked. If it were possible to kill Santa, I would. A dozen times over, and then more just for good measure. Girls have to wear either a tie or a bow around their neck, and it looks fucking ridiculous. Their option of skirt is black with either red or green plaid. For boys, we have to wear either slacks or dress shorts, black. All shoes must be black dress shoes. Over our dress shirts, we wear either a vest or a blazer with the school''s emblem, a pair of crossed spears. I''m wearing a black blazer left unbuttoned, though I could pick from black, red, or green if I went with a vest. If I were to wear shorts, or a girl to wear a skirt instead of black pants, then they have to reach past the knees while standing. It''s the same for both sexes, which makes me amused when someone complains about our ''sexist'' uniform policy. If both sexes have the same standard for coverage, how is it sexist? Speaking of the girls'' uniform, Jess does look nice in hers. She just walked in behind Noah, and I realize that they''re talking. My anger flares up at that. He knows I like her, after my comment at the hospital. I''m sure of it. He''s taking her so that I can''t ask her out. It doesn''t matter that I wouldn''t in a million years, but it still makes me mad! I fume as they take their seats, which are thankfully on opposite sides of the room. Normally, I''d lash out already, but I do not want to go to military school, so I need to keep myself in check. Pushing everyone away without getting in trouble is going to be tough as fuck. The bell rings a couple of minutes later to alert everyone that we have five minutes until class starts, and I continue to simmer, glaring at anyone who looks at me. I can''t get into trouble for glaring. Well, I could, but I''ll raise hell if they do.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The teachers glare all the time, so why can''t we? Not only that, but what else am I supposed to do when people keep looking at me? If I kept looking at them, they''d glare at me and not get into trouble. I fucking hate people. The bell rings and the sub starts roll call. When she finishes, she asks if there''s anyone who she didn''t call the name of. I nearly blurt out me, but catch myself as she glares. I raise my hand. "What''s your name?" She asks. "Zack Noruva." "I called your name," she says. "No," I say. "I would have responded if you did, and you didn''t, so I didn''t." "Are you back-talking me?" "Are you calling me a liar?" That came out before I can stop it. "Go to the office," she says. "Now." "No," I fold my arms over my chest. "I''m not going to the office because you want to call me a liar. You didn''t call my name. You said ''Zachary Norva'', which isn''t my name, and isn''t what''s written on the attendance thing. My name is Zack Noruva." "I called for Zack Noruva," she says. "Liar." "Office! Now!" "No," I glare. "You''re just trying to get me into trouble. Ask any student in here. You did not call my name." "I''m calling the office," she goes to her phone. "You do that," I say. "I''ll have you fired." "As if you could ever do that," she snorts as she picks up the phone. "He might not be able to," Noah stands up. "But I can. You didn''t call his name. You attempted to provoke him. This incident is entirely your fault." "Sit back down," she says. "You''re getting written up, too." "Don''t bother with the call," Noah pulls his phone out and presses it to his ear. "Put that phone away!" "Would you mind coming down to my homeroom?" Noah asks. "Our sub just tried provoking Zack, and while he did respond, he hasn''t done anything I think''s unacceptable in the situation. You can''t expect him to change overnight." The moment he says that, a strange flash goes through his mind, and I narrow my gaze on him as I try to overhear his thoughts. "We can''t let him get expelled," he''s thinking. "Oh, good, Dad''s coming." I lose my focus and am out of his mind. Too many other minds around interfering with my senses. "My father''s on his way," Noah pockets his phone and sits down. "And since he owns this school, I''m sure my word will be weighted heavier." Why doesn''t Noah want me expelled? The sub ignores him to tell the office about a pair of belligerent students, and she hangs up. "They''ve got security on their way," she tells us smugly. "If so, then it''s for you," Noah says, and I try to push back into his mind. "I didn''t like her in the first place. Operation Rehabilitate must happen." Operation¡­ Rehabilitate? He''s thinking about me, isn''t he? The only thing I can think of is that he''s got some plan to pull out the ''kindness'' in me that he found when I shoved him out of the way and took the hit for myself. I narrow my gaze on him, focusing all of my annoyance at the very thought of him try to change me, and Noah jumps, twisting to face me. His sudden movements startle the students around him as I glare. His face tinges with red, and he quickly turns around. He doesn''t know I know about his plans to change me, but he knows he''s upset me. Noah''s father soon reaches the classroom, and our sub looks even more smug when she sees the two security guards behind him. "What happened?" Mr. Elis looks at his son, and Noah explains what happened, then the man looks at me. "I see. I can''t say that I approve of the response, but it''s not the same he would''ve done two weeks ago." I bite my tongue to keep from responding. I can tell he doesn''t like me, even after I saved his son from a deadly accident. "However," he turns his gaze back to the sub. "Your actions were unwarranted. You were attempting to provoke Zack into reacting negatively, and-" "You can''t trust a kid," the sub says. "They-" "I can''t trust my own son?" Mr. Elis asks. "If I can''t trust my own son, who has an exemplary track record, then I can''t trust a substitute teacher. I''ll be taking over this class until their teacher returns. They''ll escort you to the office." She attempts to fight him, but Mr. Elis doesn''t budge, winning the fight. It''s hard to win when the school''s very owner forces you out. He takes a seat at the desk, then reviews the attendance report, marking something on it. Probably that I''m here. Then, he runs through the announcements for today, finishing just as the bell rings to signal the end of period. Our next class is in here, too, so we remain seated, though Mr. Elis calls me up to the front. I reach it and glare at him, my arms crossed over my chest. "Mr. Noruva," he says. "Do not think you''ll be allowed to do something like that again. Next time, you go to the office, and there-" "I get called a liar as well?" I ask. "Because I know that''s what will happen. You''ll listen to what the teacher says, then completely ignore me in favor of them. Why? Because I''m just a kid, and they''re adults." "Are you giving me attitude?" He asks with a warning note to his voice. "Stating the facts," I state. "Whether you see it as attitude or not is entirely dependent on whether you want to acknowledge said facts." Without waiting for him to respond, I turn and make my way back to my seat, plopping myself into it and slouching, just to annoy him. He doesn''t bother correcting my posture, even though we aren''t allowed to slouch. The rest of the day passes without too much incident, and when it''s time to leave, I ambush Jess on the way to her ride. "Go on a date with me tomorrow." "What?" She looks confused. "Tomorrow," I say. "Saturday. Go on a date with me." "Why would I do that?" "Several reasons," I state. "First, if you and I go on a date, it might help dispel some rumors that George spread. After all, why would you want to date me?" She shifts uncomfortable. George is a kid in the eighth grade, and he''s an ass. His birthday is right after the cutoff, so he''s already fourteen. I''ve put him on his ass a few times, so he leaves me alone. And usually walks as far on the other side of the hall or street as me. "Second," I say. "Because it''ll get you out of your parents'' party tomorrow afternoon. I know how much you''d love to attend that." She frowns. "And what''s in it for you?" She asks, and I squirm a little. "What? I know you aren''t asking me on a real date." "I need a cover," I say. "I pissed off my parents, so my grounding got extended. If I say I''m going on a date, then they''ll let me leave the house. Probably out of shock more than anything." "What do you need a cover for?" She asks. "A wolf''s giving birth," I answer. "Uh-huh." "Meet me at Irene''s Cafe at two." "Where?" She gives me an incredulous look. "It''s a cafe," I say. "Just search for it. Tell your parents that you''re going on a date with me or whatever." "The party starts at one-thirty," she says. "Make it one. We can call it a late lunch, then we can go to the amusement park after that. I''ve got some friends who''ll go before we get there, and they''ll get our wristbands then, so it''ll look like we showed up earlier. How far''s-" "The amusement park?" I ask. "It''s about twenty minutes from the cafe. If we say an hour for eating, we can say we''ll be there around two-twenty to two-thirty. Thanks, Jess, I knew I could count on you." "But that-" she starts as I walk away. "Wait! Zack! Wait!" Chapter 0067 (Zack) Mother actually did faint when I told them I had a date with Jess, and I''m grateful they didn''t try to stop me from going. Luca''s trying to cling to me, but I promise him that I''ll be back once the date''s over. I think he knows there''s more to the date than it being just a date. I still need to figure out how to talk to him about something, too. His injuries healed way too fast, and I realized last night why. When he thinks I''m sleeping, he starts emitting this golden glow around him. It''s very faint, but it apparently heals. Luca''s got powers, like me. His tend towards the more healing side, it seems, but it could just be that one thing, that strange aura, that has healing potential. So I need to figure out how to talk to him and find out what other things he can do. For now, I need to focus on the date. Jess just walked into the diner, and she''s looking at it in confusion before noticing me and walking over. She''s wearing a nice, light green dress that reaches down to her ankles, as well as a pair of flats that compliment it nicely. Her earrings today are emeralds hanging from silver. I only really picked her for the date because she''s our nicest female classmate and I knew a couple of things that would provoke her into agreeing to it. Dressed like this, though, I realize that she really is pretty. "You''re actually here," she says. "I said I would be," I say. "We do have time before the birthing happens, so we can eat lunch. What''s in the backpack?" "A change of clothes," she answers. "I told my parents that we were going to the amusement park, and that a dress wasn''t that good for it, so I''d change in¡­ a restroom. This place does have one, right?" "Yes," I snort. "I can''t imagine your parents liking that idea." "They don''t," she states. "They also don''t like me going to an amusement park, but I''ve never been before." "Even Luca''s been to one!" "Who''s Luca?" She asks as a waitress comes over. "The kid of one of my family''s former servants." "Wait," her eyes widen. "You mean-" "Yes," I interrupt her, looking at the waitress. "Get us two of my usual, please?" "Sure thing, Zack," she says. "Where''ve you been the last couple of weeks?" "Grounded," I grumble. "I got suspended from school again." "You need to stop doing that," she smacks me with the order book. "Yeah, well, people need to stop pissing me off," I say. "We''ll both have lemonades to drink." "Got it," she smacks me with the book again. "Start behaving, Zack, or your parents are sending you to military school." "They''re going to, I get expelled!" I tell her, and she laughs, smacking me with the book again before walking off. "You seem pretty friendly with the staff here," Jess comments, and I glare at her. "What? She kept smacking you with that thing and you didn''t attack her." "She''s my martial arts instructor''s daughter," I tell her. "She can kick my ass. It''s one of the only restaurants my parents will let me visit." It''s the only one I ''behave'' in. Mostly because her dad pushes me even harder in my martial arts lessons, and he actually scares me. Sometimes, I think he''s not human. He''s freakishly strong. "I''ve never eaten in a place like this before," Jess tells me. "You''ll like it," I say. "It''s greasy and delicious." "Greasy?" She makes a disgusted face. "Yep," I grin at her. "Greasy! So what are you going to do between lunch and the amusement park?" "Watch a wolf give birth." She doesn''t believe me. "You don''t believe me, do you?" "Not one bit," she says. "So I''m sticking to you. And if you so much as think about losing me, I''ll tell your parents." "As long as you do exactly what I say while we''re in the forest," I tell her. "We won''t really have an issue." "I''m serious." "So am I," I tell her. "I really am going to a wolf giving birth." She gives me a disbelieving look, but I know she''ll be believing me soon enough, since it really is what I want to do. The waitress returns a few minutes after we fall silent, setting two baskets with burgers and fries in them, and I dig in immediately, devouring it as if I''m starved. Probably because I am. I think my parents forgot that I''m a growing boy about to turn thirteen, because they aren''t letting me snack between meals, and they made me wait until this to eat, even though breakfast was six hours ago.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. After lunch, Jess heads into the restrooms to change and I wait at the table, the waitress clearing our baskets and drinks away. "So you''re on a date?" She asks. "That makes more than you, right?" I ask, and she smacks me with one of the baskets. "Hey!" "You know I''m engaged," she says. "How did you convince her to date you? Don''t you scare off everyone?" "It doesn''t work on you," I grumble. "Maybe not," she says. "So how''d you bribe her?" "She got out of a boring party her parents are throwing." She snorts. "So when are you off grounding?" She asks. "My dad said you haven''t been to lessons because of it." "I dunno," I shrug. "I got hit by a truck, and he won''t lighten my punishment. My father''s an ass." "Be nice," she says. "He is your father." "Only by marriage," I mutter. "What was that?" She asks. "Nothing," I straighten up. "Jess is back, I have to go." We''re pushing it close for time with the birthing, too, so I make haste out of the cafe and into the forest it''s near the edge of. Jess calls for me to slow down a few times, but I ignore her. If she wants to follow me, she needs to stay with me, because I really want to be there for the births. I wasn''t able to see the last few. We reach the cave from behind, as I planned, and I stop walking. Jess catches up to me, breathing heavily. "Where are we?" She pants. I look at her. She''s soaked in sweat from the walk here, and even took off the jacket she''d put on with the outfit. It''s a blouse that matches the dress from earlier, and a pair of black pants. Should''ve worn shorts or a skirt for this trip, Jess. "My family''s property," I answer. "We own huge tracts of land, including most of this forest. The birth''s about to happen. Count to twenty, then follow me. I need to warn her that you''re going to scream when you see her." Jess snorts, but stays put, and I walk around to the front of the cave, where the wolf''s laying there, about to give birth. She''s the only member of her pack. Max, her husband, died recently, and the rest of her pack got sick and died. Ghost''s had issues through her pregnancy, which is part of why I wanted to be here for the birth. "Hey, Ghost," I say softly as I remove my shirt, folding it up and setting it to the side as I continue talking. "I''ve got a friend with me, she''s going to scream when she sees you, okay?" Ghost dips her head, acknowledging my statement, then a moment later, I hear the crunching of leaves that indicate Jess is here, followed by a scream. "There''s an actual wolf!" "And she''s starting to give birth," I say, moving forward to help if there''s an issue. Jess watches as Ghost does her best, and I make sure the pups are moved to beside Ghost as soon as they''re free. "They''re going to be blind for a bit," I tell Jess once Ghost finishes giving birth, thankfully without complication. "But eventually, they''re going to start seeing. Until then, they''re going to be largely dependent on her." "Where''s the rest of her pack?" Jess asks. "Aren''t most wolves living in packs?" "Yeah," I answer. "Her pack''s died off. Max, the alpha male, died about a month ago. There aren''t any other wolves in the area, other than a lone male that lives probably an hour''s wolf to the north, but he only moved that close after Max died. He''ll probably take over as alpha, which Ghost will probably accept only so that there''s another wolf to protect the pups." I stand and kiss Ghost on the head, then tell her I''ll be back when my grounding''s up. After that, I walk to the nearby stream and wash the gunk from the birthing off of me. "What''s that?" Jess indicates what looks like a small camp around fifty feet from the stream. "I don''t feel safe. What if they-" "I ran away when I got out of the hospital," I tell Jess. "That''s my camp. And since I know you''re hopelessly lost, you aren''t going to be able to tell anyone where it is, so it''s safe." Jess hands me my shirt, then we leave the woods, making our way to the amusement park. Her friends meet us outside of it to hand us the wristbands showing we''ve paid, and they look stunned that we really are together. We spend a few hours walking around the park and enjoying the rides, and eventually, I decide to try my hand at the darts game. For a dollar, I''m given three darts to pop balloons with. The balloons range in size from fully-inflated all the way down to a partially-inflated small balloon. The darts will have an easy time popping the full balloons, but a harder time with the ones that aren''t as full, due to not being stretched as thin. To make scoring easy, the sizes of the balloons are color-coded. The smallest balloons are metallic gold, and worth one hundred points each. If I can score three hundred points, I''ll earn the giant stuffed bear. The trick to this game is to use as much force as possible. There''s probably some ''better'' trick, but I like my way better. I don''t even need telekinesis for it, for which I''m grateful, since I don''t actually have fine control over it. It''s mostly useful for blasts, like when I threw Father through the patio doors, or a projected ''push'', like when I flipped the lock on the window. I was lucky I didn''t break the lock or the window when I did that. As soon as I win the teddy bear, I give it to Jess, who squeals in excitement, then we move on. I find a small arcade center, and there''s a crane game near the front with a bunch of stuffed animals in it. I put some money into the change machine to exchange them for quarters, then start putting money into the crane machine and grabbing bunnies. If something else is in my way, I move it out of the way, creating a pile of stuffed rabbits beside me. A crowd grows as I do this, and I stop once all of the machine''s rabbits are in a pile. "You''re really good at these," Jess says. "You just have to know the tricks," I tell her, noting that she''s put her jacket back on. I suppose the autumn air is a bit chilly. "Come on, Jess, let''s go meet up with your friends. It''s time to leave." "Alright," she says, following. "Wait! What about the bunnies?" "Did you want one?" "No," she answers. "Then I see no issue," I say. "Someone else can take the bunnies, if they want. They''re free, I guess? I did it because I was bored." Jess snorts, following me to the front of the park, where we meet her friends. They ask if we had fun and Jess tells them about how I got the bear on the first try and all the bunnies from the crane machine. After that, we leave the park, her friends walking away to meet with their parents, and I see my father approaching. "You know," Jess says. "When you aren''t being a jerk or a bully, Zack, you''re actually a really cool guy. I think Noah thinks it''s a bit harder to pull that out than it really is." Noah thinks what? That''s what they were talking about? He was pulling her into Operation Rehabilitation because of my comment about rescuing her, too! He thought that maybe getting my crush involved would help things along! "Don''t get mad at him," Jess says, and I realize that my fury was probably evident. At least she knows it''s not towards her. "You did ask me out. And I liked it, Zack. Let''s do it again." She kisses me on the cheek, then walks off, humming a light song, and I''m left stunned. I mean, it was on the cheek, but she still kissed me. A spike of bloodlust hits me, pulling me out of the shock as I realize it''s aimed at me¡­ and they''re right behind me. They managed to hide themselves well, but it''s just one of my classmates. He''s normal. He must not realize what he did. I start to turn to face him, only to feel something sharp stab into my back. I strike at him, my fist connecting with his throat as black spots form in my vision. I stumble a few times, punching him again before falling to the ground myself, darkness overtaking me as I hear my father shouting, his voice drawing nearer. Chapter 0068 (Zack) The first thing I''m aware of is a comforting light washing over me. I open my eyes as I rub my back. I''m on some sort of stone platform, but there''s nothing outside of it. There are two stone gates on each edge of the platform, one light grey, one dark grey. Each side of the platform seems attached to an element ¨C fire, water, stone, and air. Resting in the center of the platform is a raised area with nine steps leading up to it, a giant, violet crystal hovering over the center, rotating slightly as it gives off the violet light that fills the air. The corners at the bottom of the steps have a small pedestal with a miniature version of the crystal floating over it, though two of them are dim, with only a faint light at the core of one of them, the other one''s light even fainter than the first. "This is not what I expected heaven to be like," I look around. "Nor the entrance to hell." Actually, which way am I going? I never really believed in heaven. "Could be some other religion." This chamber has nothing to do with religion, a tired voice enters my head without bothering with my ears first. "Whoa!" I exclaim. "How does your voice sound violet? You sound like a little kid. Are you the giant crystal?" Yes, he chuckles. I''m the giant crystal. "Cool," I say. "So I guess I''m here because that asshole stabbed me? Am I dead, then?" Yes, you are dead, Crystal responds. No, that sounds totally wrong. I''ll just call him the Crystal. "But I''m not even thirteen yet!" I protest. "Why did I have to die?" Everyone dies, he responds. A couple of weeks ago, you pushed someone you hurt a lot to protect him. You put yourself at risk to save him, even though you bullied and belittled him. "I can''t stand-" I''m fully aware of your true nature, Zack, he interrupts me. To the core, you''re a protector. However, your gifts affect you. Because you can''t fully control them, you push others away to avoid hurting yourself and hurting them. "Yeah," I say. "So what am I doing here? Good afterlife? Bad afterlife?" You are privy to the secrets of those around you, he says. How many of those people would you really protect, when it came down to it? Would you protect James? "That asshole killed me!" I snap. "I hope he suffers in hell for the rest of eternity!" The world is cruel, indeed, the Crystal says. But you didn''t answer my question. Let me ask another: do you think your home is worth protecting? After everything you''ve been through, do you want to protect it? "What, like an angel?" No, he responds. Like a guardian, of sorts. Someone who fights elsewhere to protect Earth from evil. This choice can only be done by the willing. If you are unwilling to protect your world from evil, then you will simply move on to the afterlife. "What awaits me there?" I ask. "Is it, like, actual afterlife, or-" You''ll have a good afterlife, he responds. Though your actions have been evil, the scales of karma weigh heavy with the positive. Your sacrifice for Noah is one of the many things that factors into it. You didn''t think, you simply acted, and it wasn''t for truly selfish reasons, as much as you tell yourself they are. You cared about him as a friend. "You claim to know me?" I ask. I know you very well, Zack, he says. You need not worry about the afterlife, for you are guaranteed a good one. You could even be reincarnated, if you want, and that''s not an opportunity given to many. However, dying for a friend without a thought to your own safety- "But I didn''t die," I say. "I didn''t even break a bone!" You died, he says. It was through my own power that you survived. I gave you a second chance, Zack, because of your selfless action. I mended your bones and undid the lethal damage done to your body, restoring your soul to your body. "Who are you?" I ask. A being older than reality itself, he responds. Do you wish to protect reality, to protect Earth, from evil, Zack? A world where you truly only care about a few? A world where you''re killed by a classmate just because you''re a jerk? Or would you like to pass on to the afterlife, as you should? What kind of question is that? Why would I ever want to protect people like them? My own parents didn''t like me because I was a freaky baby. Most of my classmates hated me before I became an ass because I was richer than the rest of them. They''re always plotting in some way, scheming or something. And we''re still kids. "I want to-" I stop. But then there''s Luca. If I''m fighting against evil to protect the world, then I''d be fighting to protect him, right? I swore I''d protect him, that I''d never let anyone hurt him again. And Noah, who I apparently literally died to protect. And Jess, who was willing to hang out with me even though I''d been mean to her. I want to protect them. "What kind of evil?" All kinds, he responds. For evil comes in many forms, Zack. Sometimes, it''s a monster, and sometimes, it''s another person.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Why me?" I ask. "I''m just a kid." Maybe, he responds. But sometimes, kids can be just as incredible as adults. You don''t necessarily have to fight right away ¨C many children given the opportunity to fight evil train for years before beginning the battle. Oh, okay. I mean, I could maybe fight now, since I already have some training. "Why''d you save me?" I ask. "Instead of letting me die? Why am I being given this chance?" All will become clear after you accept, he answers. And as for the choice to protect reality and your former home from evil¡­ you are descended of a god, whether a direct child or not. The offer to protect reality is made to anyone who is descended of a god. So gods are real! And I''m descended of one! No wonder I''ve got powers! Have you made your choice, Zack? He asks. "Yes," I respond. "I''ll do it. I''ll fight." He lets out a sigh of relief, then glows even more intensely than he currently is. Immediately, I regain all of my memories as a series of messages appear in my vision. "Dammit, Big S!" I exclaim, and he laughs. "Did you make him kill me?" No, he responds. Though you are correct in assuming that I can influence reality. It''s one of the powers I have that the others do not. Your death wouldn''t have been so painful¡­ or so harsh. I was planning on creating a sinkhole under you. "That''s not painful?" It is? He sounds genuinely confused. Oh¡­ I''ll file that away for the future. For if someone else from reality manages to undergo the Ascension Trial. "So I''m going to have to do that each time?" I ask. No, he responds. This is a first-time only thing. Otherwise, the Ascended-wannabes would get suspicious. I¡­ don''t actually have plans for what to do for a Second Ascension Trial. As it is now, there''s a lock there, so it''s impossible to go above until I figure out what to do. Thankfully, I have plenty of time, as Experience becomes a lot harder to acquire after Ascension. That''s in one of the messages, I have. Not quite that Experience itself is harder, but I could infer that already based on what it says.
Congratulations on Ascension!
You can now take on Rank 3 Classes. You now have 1 extra Subclass Slot (+1 addition due to Adventurer Class). Spending Bonus Experience requires 2x Bonus Experience now. +10 to each Stat. +First Ascension Title.
The fact that it''s going to take me 200% Bonus Experience just for each Level if I want to advance them without doing stuff related to the Class is going to be annoying. The bonus to my stats feels kind of underwhelming when compared to what my stats are at. "Big S?" I dismiss that notice, fixing my gaze on the dim crystals rather than the other messages. "One of those was dim when I came in here, and now another one''s dim. What''s going on?" He''s silent for several moments, then I feel him sigh, the air itself shifting with it. The Ascension Trial, he tells me. Requires me expending an extraordinary amount of energy in a mix of Sacred Magic and Crystal Magic. You remember Intellect telling you that we draw in Crystal Magic, yes? "Yeah," I respond. "The mini-yous are containers for them?" In a sense, yes, he responds. They''ll restore naturally over time the Sacred Magic and Crystal Magic they lost, though they''ll also draw in any around them. The only reason Sacred Magic can be used despite us drawing it in is because of the existence of the gods, as well as our father. Each time I do an Ascension Trial, I have to use up all of the power within one of the containers, and all of that energy stored within it from the draw. Did he say our father? If that''s a genuine slip reveal, and not just an ''accident'', then he must really be tired from letting me do this Ascension. I guess it makes sense he''d have to use so much power, if it means moving something from the Boundary into reality as well as through time. "What happens if all of them go empty?" I ask. "Big Breeze said you can''t die, but-" We won''t die, he tells me. We''ll just have to draw on the energy within our cores, the main bodies. For any other than me, it''s perfectly safe. I sustain the entire System, however, so if I were to start using that energy, it''s possible that people would stop acquiring Levels and Experience and such, and that people fresh into the Boundary or freshly thirteen wouldn''t acquire Access to the System. That''s part of why I draw on the life force of the monsters that are slain ¨C something even your own master cannot do. "Draw on¡­ what?" I ask. Every time a monster is slain in the Boundary, Big S informs me. I draw in their remaining life force. It acts as an additional fuel for me, and is largely why I''m able to run the System. If everyone stopped killing monsters in all of the Boundaries, I suppose that people would stop acquiring Access, both upon arrival and upon turning thirteen. "Oh," I say, looking at the crystal that has a small amount of light in it. "So¡­ how long do they take to fill? That one''s light isn''t very bright. When was the last Ascension Trial? You said there''s been eighty-seven?" Eighty-eight, now, he tells me. Thought at last, someone has accepted in the end, passing on to the next stage and Ascending. "I almost didn''t," I admit. I know, he tells me. In here, I am privy to all of your thoughts. If it weren''t for those dear to you, you wouldn''t have changed your mind and accepted the offer. "Why make it?" I ask. "Why not let us have our memories back? Why make us go through-" Part of it is to strengthen your connection to your Crystal, he tells me. Part of it¡­ is to make the offer in another way. Eighty-seven before you have been given it, and eighty-seven before you have chosen to move on into the next life. "Speaking of that," I say. "Were you-" Honest? He asks. Yes, Zack, I was honest. So I really am worthy of a good afterlife? Even reincarnation, which he said was an extremely rare thing? And they don''t take me too long to recharge, he says before I can continue thinking. Only a few years passively, if I''m not trying hard. No, this other one isn''t from an Ascension Trial. It''s from connecting Gold into the System. I''m not sure if his children will have it or not, it might take two parents with Access to produce one with, or it might only need one. "That''s why you didn''t give Aurum Access!" I realize. "Because you don''t want to go down to no backups! You probably know about the Wolf Beastborn I''ve been seeing in my visions, so-" That is correct, Zack, he responds. I want to keep at least one active at all times, and I know that you''ll have another Beastborn you want to connect, soon enough. Maybe in a few years, once I''ve recovered from all of this, I''ll connect Aurum. "Alright," I say, then stretch. "So¡­ where''s my stuff?" A moment later, all of the stuff I took out of my Inventory before beginning the Ascension Trial appears in the temple, exactly as I left them. "Thanks, Big S." You''re welcome, he yawns. As soon as you''re done with this and I send you back, I''m going to nap for a long time. It helps me recover my energy. "Alright," I tell him. "I''ll make sure to kill a lot of monsters for you, Big S." That should help him recover a bit. I bet the big battle for Naelmar Valley will help him, too. Thanks, he responds. "So was the ''our'' earlier an indication that we''re half-brothers?" Chapter 0069 (Zack) Big S is silent for several long minutes, and I spend the time picking up my stuff and sending it into my Inventory or equipping it, pulling on a clean outfit rather than the one that got bloodied up during my fight against the goblin army. I can tell that Big S is pretty stunned by my inquiry. He didn''t mean to let slip that we were siblings, but it makes sense, now that I think about it. It makes so much else make sense, too. "Big S?" I say when I finish cleaning everything up. Yes? He responds. "You guys," I say. "Your avatars ¨C those aren''t in honor of the children that Alexander killed, are they? They''re what you looked like, when you all died. Big Flame''s story was about the nine of you." Several long seconds pass as Big S thinks, then a form shimmers into existence, solidifying after several more seconds. A dragon with crimson scales, black horns, and violet eyes ¨C a miniature version of Big FD, standing just a head taller than me. He looks exhausted. "Yes," he responds, speaking through his mouth, his voice sounding exhausted. "So your actual words don''t sound violet." "No," he chuckles as he sits down. "It''s an effect of speaking through my Crystal Magic. You would sound that way as well, were you to do it." "So you guys are the creators of the Boundaries," I say. "That''s¡­ really sad." "Thank you," he dips his head. "But it was a long time ago. It was only because of what you and I are that it happened." "What do you mean?'' "We have four aspects to our existences," he tells me. "Human, dragon, god, and existence itself. As a result, our mental state isn''t quite a child, but not quite an adult, as we age and mature. We''re¡­ different. And then I drew on the power of existence itself to create Alexander''s prison and to convert our very souls and our magics into our Crystals. It''s very complicated." "Okay," I say. "Why did you take on this form instead of your human form? From what you said, you''re part human." "I no longer possess that power," he says sadly, his head drooping down. "Unlike the others, who were mere demigods, I possessed the blood of our father, whose primary form is a dragon. When creating the spell, then sustaining the Boundaries, I began to bleed into that form, until it become my native one. I will never take human form again." "Well," I say. "One day, when this war is done, Big S, I''m going to find a way to restore you. To get rid of the Boundaries, to return you to your bodies from when you were killed, and give you back the option of turning into a kid again." "It''s a futile task," he tells me. "But I wish you luck on it. Will you finish your decisions here, or when you return?" "Here," I tell him. "I''m sure you don''t stretch this form often, and it''s¡­ beautiful. Just like Big FD''s. I wish I could see mine." "It''s not too much different from ours," he yawns, reminding me that I should probably hurry. "I''m going to do this, now," I tell him, and he nods, lying down and curling up in front of me, though I can tell he''s not asleep. I turn my attention to the next message. It seems I can increase how many stats I gain upon Leveling based on how many Titles I have, allowing me to allocate fourteen points total. The areas I''m lacking in are Agility and Perception, though the latter isn''t really a problem for me, so I''ll ignore that. There''s also the need for Vitality, due to me using my Health for a lot of things. Actually, wait. I''m going to add one of each first. That leaves me with six points. I''ll put two into Agility and two into Health, leaving me with two more, which I then split between Strength and Endurance. When that''s completed, there''s only one message left that''s probably important here, another reward. Since these are items, I''m assuming it''s separate from the other rewards message due to the physical nature of the rewards.
For completing an Ascension Trial, you have earned:
+5 Primordial Essence +5 Primordial Ingots
+5 Crystal Essence +5 Crystal Ingots
Accept Wait
"Accept," I say, and the objects manifest in the air, hovering. The Primordial Ingots looks like the Primordial Essence, only solid instead of liquid, while the Crystal Essence looks like Primordial Essence, only as a nearly-clear whiteness. The Crystal Ingots are ingots that look like they''re made out of a completely-clear crystal. I quickly swipe them, sending them into my Inventory, then look at Big S. "I''ve never heard of Crystal Ore, Primordial Ore, or Crystal Essence before." "It''s as rare as Primordial Essence," he murmurs. "But found differently. I decided they''re apt rewards for Ascension, due to the rarity of even reaching Level 250."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Alright," I say. "I''m ready to return, Big S." "Okay," he says sleepily. "It was good seeing you in-person at last, little brother." "I''m only little because you''re both a dragon that''s a head taller than me and a giant fucking crystal more than twice my height. Just wait until I''m fully-grown. I''ll be able to turn into a dragon way bigger than you." "Can''t wait," he murmurs right before I find myself on the street where I fought everything. Someone moved all of my corpses! Letting out a grunt of frustration, I read the other messages as I make my way to the ''house''.
After Ascending, you are able to take on more advanced Classes. These Classes require previous Classes at full Level in order to unlock. When you take them on, you will be able to view a small list of Skills you can acquire due to having said Class, giving a description of what they are and how to unlock them. You are also now capable of reading the Class Summary for any Class. You may do this by using the command ''Class Summary: [Class]''.
Being able to see what Skills are usable due to my new Class sounds good to me, as it means I won''t have to figure out stuff. There''s got to be lots of useful things. A quick check tells me that Demon''s available due to mastering Blood Priest, Dark Knight, and Dark One, so I take it on immediately. And because I''m me, I decide to read its information before checking out what Skills are available to me now. "Class Summary: Demon."
Demon (Rank 3 Class):
A warrior who has mastered the arts of blood and darkness, demonic power flows through them, enhancing their magical prowess while making them invulnerable in battle. They enrage friend and foe alike, turning battle into nothing more than a wild frenzy.
I''m going to take a wild guess and say that it''s referring to when using Skills, and not at all times. I''m pretty sure demonic power isn''t flowing through me right now. I check out a few more Class descriptions, and find that they''re all of a similar vein ¨C basically describing stuff that requires Skills. As I reach my temporary home, I check out the last message.
Placeholder. Remember to figure out if you actually wanted something here and forgot, or if you remembered wrong. Needs to be done before the first Ascension Trial is reached.
Does Big S realize that''s still there? Dismissing the message, I move to the kitchen and pull wood out of my Inventory to make a fire. It''s nearly night and I''m starving. So I''m going to eat, then get some sleep. And when morning comes, I''m going to try and learn Demon Form, one of the available Skills for me. As the ham''s cooking and I think about dinner, I come to a sudden realization. "She was trying to get me to go on a date with her!" It went over my head! Kylie was trying to go on a date with me! That''s what Gold was trying to tell me and why she was so red when he was! Ugh! I''m such a moron with that! I finish cooking dinner, then eat, and when I finish that, I stretch, then remember something else and enter into Big Breeze''s space with my eyes closed. "Oh, you''re safe," he tells me, and I open my eyes to find us alone, his avatar resting on the steps. "And System told me that you figured it out." "About who you nine really are?" I ask, and he nods. "Yeah¡­ I don''t think I would''ve realized if he hadn''t slipped up." "He''s supporting a lot more than all of us," he says. "And sending you into reality really taxed him. Tunic?" I pull my tunic off, and Big Breeze approaches, doing the same thing he did before. This time, I don''t look inward, mostly because I know it''ll be even worse for me if I do. This feeling is bad enough, but seeing him using that magic again would be pushing it for me. When Big Breeze finishes, he walks around so he''s standing in front of me, then flashes me a grin and two thumbs-ups. "You''re good," he tells me. "The scars are still there, and they''re pretty much unchanged, but your Crystal is stronger by a lot, just as we suspected. The blackouts should stop, and you''ve got probably six or seven years before they start up again. If you do enter a blackout again, though, let me know immediately." "Is there any way to permanently push these off?" I ask. "Just keep Ascending," he shrugs. "Eventually, it shouldn''t be an issue at all, as long as your Crystal continues to strengthen. I''d say maybe the fifth or sixth Ascension will do it, depending on the speed. If you can do it in the next two centuries, you should be safe. That''s my estimate, and it might change based on the progress." "Alright." "Try not to damage your Crystal anymore." "I''ll try," I snort. "I wasn''t trying to before." "Yeah, I know," he rolls his eyes. "Anyway, is that all? System''s taking a long-ass nap, so I''m going to play a prank on him with Chaos." He''s got a permanent marker, doesn''t he? "Yes, that''s all," I say, then warp myself back to the house and collapse on the ground. "Exhausting." The next thing I know, the sun''s peeking over the horizon and my stomach''s rumbling. The brief break from this was nice, and it''s reminded me of how much of an ass I was before. I stand and brush some dust and snow off of me, then fix myself breakfast, thinking about my break in reality for the trial. Luca and Braden¡­ they were both killed, I''m sure of it. I''ve only had visions of Luca being in the Boundary, so Braden likely didn''t qualify for here, even though he had to be descended of a god, too. So there''s probably something more than just being descended of a god, but I''m not going to ask what it is. They have their reasons. The fact that they were both killed tells me that Luca Ascends at some point. He was back in reality, doing the Ascension Trial. I''m happy that he makes it there, however long it takes him here to reach Level 250. I hope he chooses to continue the fight when he returns to Big S''s temple after his break in reality ends. I doubt he''s going to Level as quickly as me, so he''ll have fought a long, long time. And become pretty powerful on whatever path he chooses. I bet he''ll be a healer, like Nathan. He''s a demigod, too, right? Luca, I mean. I know Nathan is. That''s all stuff for later, though. I need breakfast, and I need to ask Big C something. "Big C?" I ask. Yes? He responds. "Can you make sure Luca ends up with me?" I ask. "I know you guys know he''s going to die already, since he already has¡­ and hasn''t? It''s so weird." It is extremely complicated, when time is messed with, he responds. But yes, I was planning on sending him to you, even before you mentioned your visions. I know that you are his best bet for guidance, as much as I dislike you. "Thanks," I say. "You''re among the best." He snorts, then his thoughts fade away. That''s good, that he''s giving me Luca. I''m going to make sure that nothing and no one ever hurts him. Never again. Chapter 0070 (Zack) "GIVE! ME! MORE! EX! PERIENCE!" I punch through the goblin''s head, then snarl at the others in frustration, before attacking them and ripping through them. Once they''re all dead, I calm down a little and pick up my sword from where I''d dropped it. Three days! Three days, and I''ve acquired only two percent of the Experience needed to hit Demon Level 2! All of the strong monsters are hiding from me, too! The Shadow of Life''s probably ordered them to clear out from this area to avoid feeding me even more. Once I calm down a bit more, I plop myself onto a tree that fell during my rampage and take a few deep breaths. I guess I''ve taken for granted my rapid Leveling. Admittedly, it probably is best if I slow down on that, since I''m not sure how much I can take before Power Jump hits again. So maybe it''s a good thing that the higher a Class''s Rank, the more Experience they require? And the stronger I am, the less I obtain from kills? Doesn''t mean I have to be happy about it, though. Letting out a sigh, I focus on attempting to obtain Demon Form. Again. I managed to obtain Bloodpact just fine, but Demon Form seems to be a lot more difficult. I''m sure that using Demon Form will help me acquire more Experience. Focusing on my Demon Voice, the Demonic Aspect I picked for Dark Knight''s advancement to the final Tier, I wish I''d picked Demon Wings instead. What''s done is done, though, so I continue to focus on my Demonic Aspect. The requirement for Demon Form is that I allow my Demonic Aspect ''take over'' my body. With the Demon Wings, that means letting them fuse into me and spread their demonic power. With the Demon Voice, it''s a lot harder since it really isn''t a physical change. At least two hours a day have been spent on this so far. Okay, okay. At least four hours a day have been spent on this so far. Just like earlier, I feel the shift start to take place, and I attempt to welcome it, letting it take over. Power starts to flood me, then fades away. Dammit! Again! I''m getting close for sure, so I continue focusing on it. I continue doing so, despite the failures, knowing that I''m close. I have to be close. A message appears in my vision as power fills me and a massive ripping sounds from behind me.
New Skill!
Demon Form Active
Take on the form of a Demon, greatly enhancing your powers for the duration.
Boost: +10% to all Stats per Level of this Skill
Duration: 60 seconds per Level of this Skill
Cost: 5,000 Mana (decreases by 200 Mana per Level of this Skill)
Daaaaaaaaamn this is an expensive Skill! But I can feel a tail and wings, which are probably the source of the ripping feeling and sudden chill on my back. Turning my head, I confirm that my wings ripped open the back of my tunic when they manifested. They''re leathery and black with some red marbling close to my back. My skin''s crimson, now. So''s my tail, which flicks out behind me. Long and slender, like a lizard''s, with a spike on the tip. This is so fucking cool! I have wings now! I mean, they''re way more expensive than Nick''s, but who cares? I''ve got wings and can fly! I flap my wings, taking off into the sky. It feels so natural, flying around. I keep a mental timer of how much time I have left in this form as I play around with my new, sky-bound freedom, soaring straight towards my temporary home. This is fucking awesome! I covered the distance so fast! Time''s almost up, though, so I drop down to the ground the way Nik always has. Rather than touching down, though, I end up face-planting on the ground. "Ooooow!" I moan I sit up, feeling my form fading away as I rub my cheek. "I need to work on my landings." A presence moves in at a high speed, and I can hear them moving through the air. Spinning, I flick my knife at them, realizing only after I''ve thrown it that it''s not some form of flying monster, but Nik. Thankfully, he catches the knife, rather than getting impaled by it. "Sorry, Nik," I say as he lands. "Why do you look concerned?" "What was that?" He asks. "I came for the checkup and saw you¡­ like that. What was that?" "Oh," I rub my head. "Heh. So Alexander ¨C the Shadow of Life ¨C tried killing me with an army of Goblins, a bunch of Bounty Beasts, and a Fallen Adventurer. Not necessarily in that order. Anyway, I reached Ascension, so I''m now Ascension 1. By the way ¨C that''s what the ''Unavailable'' is on our statuses. See?"
Character Information Dark of Fire
Name: Zack Primary Class: Demon
Level: 251 Ascension: 1
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 8,250/8,250 Mana: 5,300/5,300
Strength: 775 Intellect: 311
Endurance: 501 Willpower: 363
Vitality: 825 Wisdom: 530
Agility: 366 Perception: 253
forever to Level, by the way," I tell Nik as I pull off the remains of my tunic and inspect them. "Other than attempting to be able to take on the Demon Form ¨C that''s the Skill you saw me using that made me a Demon ¨C I''ve been butchering things to hell and back. Still only Level 1, as you could see from my Status."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. easier Levels just because they''re hard? I''m going to see what it''s like to Level normally for once." possible," Nik snorts. "I''m sure you''re already further than I''d be there. How much are you using the Skills for Dark Knight and such?" personal information say that? Or are you just calling yourself one?" Well, sort of! But he is, Nik, just like Normar. lot of power to take them on by myself. That''s were Demon Form comes in." powerful. I can fly, I have that tail, and they feel natural, like they''ve always been a part of me. No acclimation time." all of my stats by ten percent per Level of the Skill. If I master it, I can become twice as powerful for ten minutes at a cost of 3,000 Mana." anything with a lower Willpower than me, according to the information." no memory of the Boundary when I was given the choice after the trial ended. pissed if he''s not." didn''t mention is that it''s draining on him. That''s probably the reason he hasn''t connected all of the Beastborn before. From the way he talked, I think he''d have no issue connecting them if it wasn''t so draining and there wasn''t such a high chance of them turning on the adventurers." Chapter 0071 (Zack) I rap my knuckles on the metal door. It bears Big Fountain''s symbol, so I''m assuming it leads to the waterways beneath the city. I''ve seen a few of them, and there are several I''ve noticed in Maelnor. I''ve never paid much attention to them before. But the strong monsters really went underground when I began my killing spree a week and a half ago, and I realized that they might have literally gone underground. After assessing my options, I realized that these doors probably led to the waterways and were where the monsters were hiding. It''s possible that whatever''s down there could be an answer to why the water here''s bad. I''m sure they''ve investigated it in the past, so it''s probably not something I can actually handle. And thinking about things I can handle, Fallen Adventurers might not be, especially if any are grouped up underground. Deciding against heading underground, I roam the streets, hoping to find a crowd of goblins to try out something on. I could do it without them, either on just a lone one or without anything around, but I''d rather do it for the first time on a group. Unfortunately, I think Alexander''s taking a personal interest in this little hunt of mine, because there are so fucking few monsters around. And when I do find some, there''s generally only one or two. Doesn''t matter if it''s rat, slime, spider, or goblin, there''s just one or two. When dusk begins, I return to my temporary home and eat dinner, then sit on the ground and focus on my power of sight as I turn on my Demon Form. I have two minutes to do this. Pushing with my power, I force myself to look out of the Boundary and into the place where the Shadow of Life lives. Alexander''s pacing around his prison, though he stops moments after I force myself into viewing it with my sight. He looks around, eventually fixing his gaze on where I''m looking at him from. "Who are you?" He asks. "How are you looking into here?" "Hello, Alexander." "Zack?" Shock fills his face. "Yes," I reach forward. "Zack. And you''re hindering me, so I want to try something." "Nothing you do will stop me from preventing my monsters from evading you." "Not even revenge?" I ask. "What can you do to me?" He laughs. "You''re strong, but you''re nowhere near powerful enough to scratch me!" "Are you sure about that?" I ask, quickly shifting myself around, drawing upon my inner power. "Blood Scar!" I claw forward with my hands, visualizing my hand ¨C my claws ¨C scratching at Alexander''s back. I doubt it''ll kill him, but if it works, then I''ll at least have some peace for awhile, I''m sure. A ghostly version of my hand forms, shimmering with violet energy, crimson light at the tips of the claws on my fingers. The hand moves with mine, scratching at Alexander''s back, and he lets out a scream as he moves away. He''s much faster than me, but I got him. "A gift for you," I tell him. "And a reminder that one day, I will kill you, even if I can''t right now. You killed my brother, and I will never forgive you for that. When I''m powerful enough, I''m going to enter your prison myself and rip you apart like the monster you are." My energy''s almost out, so I cancel my sight, collapsing to the ground as everything goes black. The next thing I know, Nik''s slapping my face, and I open my eyes to stare into his worry-filled ones, a message in my vision. "You''re okay," he lets out a heavy sigh of relief. "I showed up and you were¡­ like that. Lord-Big Flame said that you''d done something stupid and amusing, but you weren''t waking, and-" "I''m fine," I sit up, then groan, clutching my head. "Fucking hell, that hurts." It''s not just my head that hurts ¨C it''s every part of me. My body, my power, my Crystal. "I pushed myself too hard for that." "What did you do?" He asks. "Big Flame said you''ve been like this since the day after my last visit." "Huh," I say. "I would''ve expected to have been out for longer. Guess that''s why I''m still here, isn''t it?" Nik pulls me against him, squeezing me tightly. He''s really been worried that I wasn''t okay, despite Big Flame''s words to him. "Sorry, Nik," I say. "I guess I should''ve waited for you, but I was getting pissed at Alexander, so-" "The Shadow of Life?" He loosens his grip and moves back a bit to look into my eyes. "What did you do?" "Erm," I say. "I''m not really sure? I drew upon my inner power ¨C the same power and energy I used to contact Big Flame when he was silent for the extended period. Then I used it to push my sight into the place where Alexander''s physically at. That was exhausting. I told him to stop having the monsters avoid me so I can actually get some more Levels. He decided to personally interfere to ensure I didn''t continue Leveling." "And what did he say?" Nik asks. "Erm¡­ that he wasn''t going to yield." But I still think I got him. He''s at least got to be suffering a little, because of my new Skill, the one whose description is in my vision.
New Skill!
Blood Scar Active
Lay a powerful curse upon your enemy that ensures their death, even if not immediately, though you have only one second to unleash it, and you can only use it once a month.
Cost: 5,000 Mana
"Oh," I say. "I guess I went into the thingy for using more Mana than you have? I used Blood Scar on him while in my Demon Form to ensure it was stronger. Not sure what it did, though. Shame it only works once a month."The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. If it was without that restriction, it would cost 50,000 Mana, Big Flame tells us. "Damn," I whistle. "That''s a lot of power." It''s only through the balance of its restrictions can it be used for less, he says. And¡­ did you really do what you said? "Yeah, why?" Because¡­ I mean, Blood Scar isn''t really effective on people who know Crystal Magic, and due to where he''s at, he''s able to use it without it being drawn away. So his Crystal''s been shielded. "Damn," I slam a fist into the ground, standing and stomping around the yard in frustration. I know it''s childish of me, but I''m thirteen, so I have an excuse! "All that for nothing!" I wouldn''t say that, Big Flame says. Alexander''s¡­ still been affected by it. You really did a number on him. He''s placed himself into a sort of stasis to heal from that. You may have bought some extra time before the big battle for the valley. Not much, but it''ll be there. That said, I do not recommend doing that again. The only reason you even woke this soon was because I sent you some of my energy. The way he said that¡­ he used one of his four storage crystals, didn''t he? "Thanks, Big Flame," I say. "How''s Big S doing? Is he still out?" Yes, he responds, then giggles. Intellect and I are having fun. "You''re riding on him, aren''t you?" Nope! "Right," I say. "You can''t ride on something that''s not moving. You''re sitting on him, aren''t you?" He doesn''t respond, so I know I hit the mark, and Nik gives me a confused look. "Big S fell asleep while his avatar was manifested." "Ah." "So, Big Flame," I say. "I have a question for you." No, you cannot join us. "I wasn''t going to ask that," I say. "Though the idea''s tempting. Actually, it''s about the war. How did Alexander get the armies into the valley before, when he took out Praevar and Talorn? Doesn''t the City Barrier at Kaelmar prevent monsters from entering and exiting it?" Usually, yes, he responds. But the Shadow of Life exerts an immense amount of energy into disabling the barrier temporarily in Kaelmar to allow non-Dungeon-type monsters to pass through. So anything not of them can pass through until the barrier fixes itself. "Okay," I say. "That makes sense. Second, why''s there still a barrier if it''s destroyed when the City is?" It''s technically a different barrier, he explains. It''s a Dungeon Barrier, in actuality, not a City Barrier. Restoring the City Altars will override it and restore the City Barrier while killing all of the monsters in the City. "Really?" I ask in shock. No, that last part was a joke, he giggles. Stop poking me. "I''m not?" I give Nik a quizzical look, but he just shrugs. No, Intellect is, Big Flame says. He says to stop talking with you so we can go back to what we were doing before Wisdom starts yelling at us again. Oh, he says ''hi'', too. Anyway, it''ll override the Dungeon Barrier and restore the City Barrier. At the same time, the City Wall, the City Gates, and the Enchanted Hall will restore. Monsters will no longer be able to advance themselves or spawn there, either, and they won''t be able to be born, either. Alright, alright! I have to stop talking with you so we can finish trying to put this on System. Bye! "What were they trying to put on Big S?" I ask as Big Flame''s presence fades from my mind. "You''re the one on familiar terms with them," Nik says. "I''d expect you to know." "Yeah," I scratch the back of my head. "I dunno. That''s useful information, though. Just have to figure out how to restore it. There are half a dozen Fallen Adventurers surrounding the altar at any given point in time, and no way in hell for me to get close enough to it to figure it out." "Pravar''s altar is free," he tells me. "You could use that one." "Oh, right," I say. "But I doubt I''d be able to figure it out, if you guys haven''t. You said people have been studying it, right?" "Yes," he nods. "Scholars have, though they aren''t making any progress. It''s been centuries since we began analyzing them, though this is our first time actually having it happen constantly, rather than on short trips." Since they''re already set up in Praevar, they don''t need to ''brave'' a Fallen City. "Alright," I shrug. "Thanks for checking on me, Nik." And thank you, Big Flame, for your sacrifice. I''ll recover faster than System will, he tells me. But please, try not to do that again. I won''t. His presence fades again, and I look at Nik. "You hungry?" I ask. "Because I''m starving." Nik laughs, then ruffles my hair. "Stop that!" I pull away from him, making him laugh again. I fix us dinner using a turkey I obtained from a Turkey Slime, and we eat as Nik catches me up on what''s going on with the people. Apparently, Big S''s fit really did get sent to everyone in the Boundary, and the peoples'' leadership isn''t sure what to do. He essentially told everyone that the royal family and politics don''t matter in many ways they have influence, yet at the same time, they still retain much of their power over the non-adventurers. According to Nik, a lot of people decided they wanted to become adventurers to ''free themselves from the rule''. Some of the less-pleasant adventurers apparently tried committing crimes claiming they were protected because they were adventurers fighting for the cause and needed to do blah blah blah to advance. Apparently, the Crystals did not take that well and are actively engaging with people on a higher level than they used to. Well, other than Big Flame, who''s kind of always been active with his people, who have been fighting the true fight all along. So there''s some semblance of order, while also some semblance of chaos. And apparently, Big S was serious when he said they''d put Bounties on anyone who attempted to abuse being an adventurer fighting the fight and serving the Crystals to do what they want. More than twenty thousand Bounties appeared in the first week, and I''m reminded of just how vast the Boundaries are. Ours has hundreds of billions of people in it, it''s that vast. I haven''t voiced my suspicions yet, but I''m pretty sure Earth isn''t the only world with humans on it. That it''s not the only world where people come to the Boundaries from. Big S''s wording during the Ascension Trial suggests it, too. He specified Earth to me, but also referenced reality. Why protect worlds without life? It also explains how they''re able to pull so many people into the Boundaries in addition to those being born here. It''s the only way that makes sense, and I should''ve realized it sooner. We''re not fighting to protect Earth, we''re fighting to protect all of the worlds with life. How many worlds don''t have humans? And how did humans spread on all of them that have them? I doubt all of the worlds naturally evolved humankind. Nik leaves after filling me in on information, and I clean up, then go to bed, drifting into another dream, as usual. Luca stares up at Big C, his eyes wide as the giant Crystal makes the offer. He''s scared, unable to remember the past but still his quiet, easily-frightened self. Big C finishes his speech, and Luca looks around for a few moments, before looking back at the giant Crystal, giving a light nod. A moment later, he fades out of the temple. I wake, and when I do, I immediately want to go back home. Luca''s coming. When I received the vision for Bryce in the temple, it was ten days before he appeared. I''m sure that the vision for Luca''s arrival is my sight forewarning me he''s coming soon, too. In the next couple of weeks. Is it today? Tomorrow? Ten days from now? Two weeks from now? Whatever it is, I want to go home now so I can be ready for him. Pulling out my firecracker, I set it on the ground, then run as far as I can throw a Fireball, before throwing one at the firecracker and covering my ears. Chapter 0072 Chapter Seventy-Two. (Zack) "Where''s Gold?" I ask. "I rushed off as soon as I saw the firecracker," Nik tells me as I stretch, no longer bound to him through his magic. "He''s still at the Dark Temple, though I think he''s trying to move in." He seems unsure on that, but a glance into the room with the fireplace we''ve been sleeping by tells me that he''s probably right. I guess it makes sense, since I''ve taken two extended trips. I know he''s been thinking about moving into the Dark Temple and making himself its permanent resident servant. Gold seems happy making food without being forced to, and while I''m not happy he''s ''serving'' again, I''m happy that he''s happy. In hindsight, the fact that he constantly insists on making the food despite the fact that I know I''m a decent chef should have told me that it''s what he wants to do. "He probably is," I tell Nik. "If that''s what he wants, we should let him. He likes helping out around the place, anyway. I''m sure Kulkul would be grateful for it." "Speaking of Demon Familiars," Nik chuckles. "Have you gotten yours yet?" "No," I shrug. "I''m waiting until I find something truly powerful to sacrifice the heart of. Might be a Dragon." "Please don''t sacrifice a Dragon''s heart for that," Nik says. "Especially since you can turn into one." "Not at will," I pout. One day. One day, I will turn into a Dragon that dwarfs Big S''s Crystal form. But I need to get older for that. A lot older, I''m sure. "One day," he ruffles my hair, and I pull away again, fixing it. "What are you planning on doing until your friend shows up?" "Prep work," I answer. "I told you about the new resources. I''m going to see what Jackson can forge for me." "Good luck," Nik laughs. "He''s backed-up with orders." "I''m sure he''ll make an exception for me," I grin. "Tell Gold that I''ll be there when I''m done around town." "I''m not a messenger," he says. "You''re heading to the temple, aren''t you?" "Yes, but-" "Then you can deliver it!" I grin at him. "See ya!" I take off past him. He could probably catch me if he wanted, but he doesn''t follow. After a few blocks, I slow down to a walk, strolling casually through the streets until I sense Kylie''s mind, then I slip my hands into my pockets and stroll towards her. "Hey, Kylie," I say, and she spins around, trying to stab me. I catch the blade as she realizes who I am. "Jumpy much?" "I''m hiding behind some crates, stalking someone!" She hisses. "Yes, I''m a bit jumpy when someone suddenly shows up behind me and talks!" "Who are you stalking, and why?" "Samantha!" She answers. "I''m pretty sure she found a boyfriend, and I want to find out who it is!" "Good luck with that," I say. "Speaking of boyfriends ¨C were you trying to get me to go on a date with you before I left? Back when Gold was trying to tell me something and I thought you were sick?" Her face reddens and her mind tells me all I need to know. "I guess I was a bit dense, huh?" I ask. "Admittedly, you didn''t tell me and Gold''s a bit¡­ jumbled. It isn''t always easy trying to figure out what he''s trying to tell me when he''s embarrassed." "How do you do it?" She asks. "Do what?" I ask. "Read his mind?" "It''s more like," I say. "I''m not ignoring his messages. Beastborn communicate the way most animals do ¨C through emotions and impressions, rather than thoughts. Only snatches of words, which often won''t make complete sense unless you have the emotions and impressions coming with them. It''s part of why they don''t talk, though they can speak. They don''t to avoid being punished for saying the wrong word." "Yeah, but you seem to read his mind," she says. "It''s less of that," I say. "And more of simply hearing what he''s saying. Think of it like having a natural subconscious block to it due to thousands of generations of evolution without it. I don''t have that block, so I''m able to receive the messages he''s relaying. I think Nathan does, too." "Who?" She gives me a confused look. "Nathan Normar," I answer. "Am I the only person who calls him by his first name?" "Yes," a quiet voice says behind me, and I sigh. He''s already gone. I suppose he''s just passing through on his way to do something? Or was he checking me out because of my new status as an Ascended? I''ll probably never know. "So you were?" I ask her, and she gives me another confused look. "Trying to get me to go on a date with you." "Yes," she blushes deeply. "I was." "Oh," I say. "Sorry for being so dense. Um¡­ I''d like to, except¡­ Big C said I''m getting a teammate soon, someone new to the Boundary. I''ll probably need to show them the ropes and stuff for awhile." Kylie looks pretty depressed. Does she think I''m rejecting her? "I''m not saying no," I tell her. "After he gets settled in and the ropes shown, we can definitely go on a date." "Alright," she smiles, her mood brightening up. "Thanks, Zack! Crap! Speaking of dates, I lost Samantha!" "She''s talking with her brother," I snort as she spins around. "They went into the Trading Post, probably to talk with the pervert. Anyway, I need to head off, I want to commission some new gear." "I heard you have, like, four sets of armor and weapons," she says. "How many more do you need?" "As many as it will take to kill the Shadow of Life," I answer. "See you around, Kylie." I leave as she bids me farewell, and a few minutes later, I enter Jackson''s shop. He''s got a line of people, and is in the middle of telling them they''d be better off going to Erica. I''m guessing she''s one of the Master Blacksmiths who came to Maelnor to do work. Several of the forges on this street have become active. The man he''s speaking with leaves, and I walk up to the counter, ignoring the line. Normally, I''d wait my turn, but I''ve got something that might not wait. "Jackson," I say. "Before you serve this next customer, I wanted to say something. Nik and I were talking, and he compiled a list of people he thinks could benefit from gear forged with Primordial Essence and is worthy of actually having gear made with it. I had him working on it while I was gone. I''d be willing to give you twenty of it up-front, so long as I get paid for it when they make the commission for the gear. This way, you won''t have to come to me every time you need it."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Nik told me you had him doing that," Jackson nods. "One of them''s in the line, actually." "Oh, cool," I look down the line, reading the names until I spot a woman, a Champion of Light name Isabelle. "Hi, Isabelle. Nik spoke highly of you. Is it true you hunt wyverns in the mountains to the east?" "It is," she smiles. "I have some scales here I''d like forged into gear. So you''re the kid I''ve been hearing about." "Yep!" I grin at her, then turn back to Jackson. "You can protect the essence from thieves, right?" "I think hearing what you did to the last thief will be a deterrent from others," Jackson snorts. "Besides, anyone who steals Primordial Essence or objects made with it is now considered Bounty-worthy, according to the Crystals." "Really?" I ask. Yep! Big Flame responds, and I hear one of the other people in line snort. He must be a Dark Knight, then. Set that to your Primary Class, boy. "So we''ve got a deal?" I ask Jackson. "We do," he says. "I already have a few orders waiting for the essence." "Oh, cool," I say. "Guess Nik figured it''d be good to get this started. At least we don''t need to be all secret-like about it. There is the possibility of someone killing the owner and taking it, but I''m sure that the very thought of me gutting them and hanging them by their entrails will put a stop to that." "Thanks for that thought," Jackson mutters. "You''re welcome!" I say, then start pulling twenty jars of Primordial Essence out of my Inventory and set them on the counter. "Here''s the twenty jars. You know where to contact me if you need more, though do remember that my supply is limited." "Nik mentioned you had a fair few," he says. "Beyond the five you obtained from the Platinum Present. How many do you have?" "Enough to last a few sets?" I shrug. "Once you''re done with the line, I need to commission something, too, by the way." "Understood," he says, taking the jars and sending them into his Inventory. "I''ll get you the money that was set aside already." I nod, then head to the back of the line and wait my turn, glad that I flipped the sign to Closed on my way in. I don''t think anyone''s noticed. If they have, no one''s said anything. "So," Jackson says once I reach the counter. "What''s so secret that you thought you subtly closed my shop?" "Can we head to the private room?" I ask. Jackson leads me back there and triggers the privacy enchantment, and I pull out first a jar of Primordial Essence, then a jar of Crystal Essence, then a Primordial Ingot, then a Crystal Ingot. Silently, he picks up each of the three new items and examines them, looking more and more amazed with each item. "Do you think you can make me something good with these?" I ask. "Yes," he answers. "Should I ask how you obtained these? I''ve never even heard of them before." "Big S said they''re just as rare as Primordial Essence," I answer. "But with other obtainment methods. Ascending rewards them as well ¨C that''s how I acquired them. I''ve no clue how to obtain them normally, so I just have the five I received from Ascending." "Are you wanting just a sword and knife, then?" He asks. "No," I answer. "I want a full set of armor. It doesn''t need to be done until the battle, but no later than the estimated arrival. I want to use it for that. That should give you enough time to figure out how to work those, right?" "Correct," he nods. "I''d need two of each, likely. Possibly three." "I''ll give you all five," I tell him. "As long as you promise to give me that which isn''t used." "Understood," he says. "Anything special you want with them?" "Yes," I answer as I pull out the required materials, in addition to the Blood Ingots and Shadow Ingots I have remaining. "Can you make them black and red, to go with the rest of my gear? These should work for it." "Eight ingots?" He asks. "I won''t need that many of those for it." "I know," I say. "I also want to commission something on a rush. True Dark Knight equipment, made solely of Blood Ingot and Shadow Ingot." "How soon do you want them done?" He asks. "A week?" I ask. "Can you do it in that time?" "If I rearrange my forging schedule," he nods. "Alright," I say. "I''ll give you a Primordial Essence just for that, Jackson. Or whatever it was you had people paying for them." "I''ve been charging a thousand platinum," he says. "Since I know that''s what you said, with the Druid." "Okay," I say, setting out the remaining five Mystic Crystals from my Inventory. "These are my last Mystic Crystals. Can you use them for the rush armor?" "Sure," he says. "So it''ll be a standard set of Dark Armor, tailored to you. Will that be all?" "Yes, sir," I respond. "Okay," he says. "Wait here." He sends everything into his Inventory, then leaves. I''m glad he''s trustworthy, or I''d have a hard time just giving him all of this stuff on faith. But Nik trusts him and he''s proven trustworthy before, and his thoughts have shown him to be. So I trust him. I kind of feel bad, though. He probably feels a lot of anxiety about having so much in terms of valuable materials on him. Especially since all of it will pretty much be too small for me eventually. That just means I need to obtain more of the materials so he can reforge them into larger pieces. Or I could pass them on to someone else? I dunno. I don''t think I''d like that, especially since most of it ends up named to me. I''ll figure that out eventually. Jackson returns carrying a rather large wooden box, then sets it down. "Eight were already requested," he says. "So there''s seven thousand platinum in here. I took out the thousand you said I could have for the rush job." "Alright," I say, opening the chest. I stare at all the money for a few moments before sending the coins into my Inventory. There''s definitely a prideful grin on my face. "This is so cool." Jackson laughs. "Hey, Jackson?" I ask. "Yes?" "When I outgrow everything," I say. "Can you reforge it if you have more of the ingots used?" "I could," he nods. "Though it would likely be weaker, as only a perfect match would work, and that can only happen with the original set. If you had more Temporal Ore, however, I''d be able to make equipment that grew with you." "Really?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "I wasn''t able to draw that out with your last sets, since there was enough going on already and I was using it for other things, but with these commissions, I''d be able to do it." I pull out five Temporal Ingots. "Did these come from the same source as the Primordial Essence?" That was a fast assumption. "Yes." "Of course," he shakes his head. "Will you ever reveal the source?" "If I feel there''s something powerful enough to obtain them, yes," I answer. "The only reason I was able to do it was Zack''s Holiday. Without those, I''d have died within a minute." "The thing you saved Gold from?" He asks. "Yes," I answer. "Though don''t tell anyone. I would have died without Zack''s Holiday. And quickly. I doubt Nik''s team could take it on without equipment just as powerful." "Understood," he says. "I won''t. Was that all?" "No," I pull out all of my Christmas Ingots, both red and green. I''ve eight of each. "You can have these. Consider them payment?" Jackson laughs. "Don''t want them?" He asks. "I don''t even know what they can be used for!" I exclaims. "I don''t have a use for them!" Jackson accepts the ingots, telling me he knows a few things they can be used for when winter comes back around. I''m about to tell him to have a good day when I remember something and give him eight Spook Ingots. Just in case he can work them into the equipment without lowering the quality, since I like the fact that my gear draws magic away. He agrees to try his best for that, telling me that it''s likely he''ll be able to. Since my business is now completed, I wish Jackson a good day and leave. From now until Luca arrives, I''m going to train with the Dark Knights, prepare for Luca''s arrival, and attempt to figure out who the heck the secret Dark Knight is. With that in mind, I make my way to the Dark Temple, where Gold''s apparently hiding from me. I manage to locate him after two hours, and when I do, he seems pretty scared, and his thoughts are too scrambled to figure out what''s going on. "Nik," I say when the Dark Knight locates us in the training yard. "Why does Gold seem terrified that I''m mad at him?" "Oh, that?" Nik laughs. "Gold apparently convinced Blaine ¨C who claims the boy didn''t speak a word to him ¨C to figure out a potion to counter the ill effects of Spook Treats using part of the Spook Treat you''d given him. Then, he gave his brother part of the Spook Treat during the day." Gold communicated with someone other than Nathan, Aurum, or me? That''s impressive! And he did it to play a prank on his brother! "Did Blaine figure it out?" I ask. "Yes, actually," Nik snorts. "Blaine''s had suspicions for a few years, and had already been trying to figure out a cure for the illness, so he whipped one up for Gold, who gave it to his brother after a few minutes, then the rest of the Spook Treat that night." "Well," I look at Gold, who''s hanging his head low, his tail between his legs, ears drooping. He''s really frightened and ashamed of himself. "I think that was an awesome prank, Gold! So. Did you complete my secret mission for you while I was gone?" He shakes his head. "Aw," I say. "Well, it can''t be helped. They''re doing their best to make sure I don''t get told who the secret Dark Knight is. Let''s go take a bath, Gold! I''m all sweaty from Talorn, and since you''re living here now, we won''t get to hang out as much unless I''m free." Gold perks up at that, and I''m glad he''s realized he''s not in trouble for what he did to his brother. I''m sure his brother being upset at him was punishment enough, even if Aurum realized it was just a friendly prank between brothers. I bet he''s plotting revenge. Maybe I can help him with his plan while I''m waiting for Luca''s arrival? Chapter 0073 (Luca) I open my eyes to find myself lying beside a tree. My brother''s lying beside me as well. I remembered him, when I was talking to the big Crystal. The Crystal of Light of Air, he called himself. I didn''t remember things, just him, and that he''s my brother. And that my name is Luca and I am ten. We both sit up and look at each other. We''re wearing plain white tunics with plain brown pants and boots. I don''t think they''re very comfortable. "Hey, Luca," my brother says. Braden. Right. That''s his name. Braden. "Are you okay?" I nod, and he helps me to my feet as he stands. "Let''s figure out what to do," he says. "There''s got to be a place for newbies." I nod, then follow him, holding onto the back of his tunic as he walks. This place is kind of cold. There''s a lot of melting snow around. As we walk, I play around with thoughts to see what triggers the System''s stuff. Crystal of Light of Air told me a few commands, so after playing around with things he didn''t tell me, but that I feel are logical, I pull up my status.
Character Information Light of Air
Name: Luca Primary Class: None
Level: 0 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 10/10 Mana: 40/40
Strength: 1 Intellect: 6
Endurance: 1 Willpower: 10
Vitality: 1 Wisdom: 4
Agility: 1 Perception: 1
I think most of my stats are bad. The Crystal of Light of Air said that Strength affects how strong I am, Endurance affects how tough my body is, Vitality affects how much Health I have and how quickly I regenerate it, Agility affects my speed and dexterity, Intellect affects my magical power (but not how intelligent I am) and how quickly I can learn new Skills, Willpower affects how resilient to magic I am, Wisdom affects how much Mana I have and how fast I regenerate it, and Perception affects how much I can notice and how strong my senses are. I don''t know how I can work on most of those while walking through town with Braden, but I can probably work on Perception, right? Looking around, I start observing everything around me. There aren''t any people where we are now, but there are lots of old buildings. Most of them seem unoccupied, and judging by the grass levels, I''d say it''s been awhile. Some of the buildings even have vines or ivy or something growing up their walls. The road itself doesn''t look all that used, either. Pieces of stone put together with grass and flowers growing between. We draw near a stone bridge over a creek that runs through town, and once we''re past the sparkling clear water, I start seeing people. Most of them are wearing fancy equipment. Or maybe it''s normal equipment for here? Most of it''s shiny, though a few people have damage to it. A ding here, a cut here. One person''s wearing long, billowing robes as he walks swiftly through town. I think he''s a magician of some sort. Some people make comments about ''more kids'' when they see us, and it sounds like they''re not happy. Is it because we''re kids? I''m sorry I''m a kid. I can''t help it. Give me a few years, please. Then I''ll be big and strong and not a scaredy-cat. What''s that mean? Oh, well. It''s probably something from before I died. Before I know it, we''re at a building called the Trading Post and are entering it. "What do you mean, there''s two?" Someone angrily asks, and I hide behind Braden, holding myself tightly against him as I peek over his shoulder. "You''re wrong!" I think he''s our age, maybe a little older. His back''s turned to us, though, so I can''t be sure. He''s got medium-brown hair with golden highlights, and he''s dressed in black and red clothes with black and red armor, even a sword strapped across his back. He''s scary, but the guy behind the counter is creepy. He''s got black hair and green eyes, and he''s dressed in tight leather. "As I said, Zacky-" the creepy guy starts to say in a high-pitched, girly voice. "Shut the fuck up, Pervert!" The younger guy says, then freezes, slowly turning and spotting us. He looks really, really angry and really, really scary. Those blue eyes are so bright and knowing. It''s like he''s looking into me, and that''s scary. Suddenly, his gaze softens. "Luca, Braden," his voice is suddenly a lot nicer. This is scary. "Welcome to the Boundary." How does he know our names? "How do you know our names?" Braden asks, shifting to the side a little and blocking my view. "It''s a Skill called Appraisal," the scary guy answers. "It lets you see basic information for adventurers and monsters up to five Levels above your own. Let me guess, Pervert ¨C their names are Braden and Luca?" "Yes, Zacky!" Creeper says, and I think the scary guy wants to gut him. He doesn''t like being called that, does he? "Dammit," Zack grunts, turning back to face the creeper. "I don''t want to deal with both of them." "Why would you have to deal with us?" Braden asks. "Because you showed up on my property," the scary guy turns back around, glaring at my brother. "Which means you''re part of my team, unless you want to buy a new property of your own. Can you afford that? No, you can''t, because you''re new here and it''s expensive as fuck. So that means you''re on my team until you can get your own fucking place." "Well, we don''t have to talk to each other, do we?" Braden asks. "I like you as much as you like me!" "Glad to know the feeling''s mutual!" The scary guy exclaims, then turns to the creepy guy. "I didn''t plan for two. Get Braden a change of clothes and a basic¡­ whatever for whatever it is he wants to be. I already have a staff for Luca." He has a staff for me? Why does he have a staff for me? Did he know I was coming? "You were ready for us?" Braden asks. "No," Zack glares at him. "I was ready for Luca, because Big C told me he was coming. So I got him some clothes and a staff." "Why''d you get him a staff?" Braden asks. "You aren''t going to let him pick his own Class? You''re going to force it on him? Who do you think you are?" "The incarnation of hell itself," the scary guy growls low in his throat, and I shrink down a little behind my brother. "Luca wants to be a healer, doesn''t he? He doesn''t want to fight, he''d rather stay behind or heal others, I''m sure of it." "As if you''d know!" Braden exclaims, and I tug on the back of his shirt. The scary guy knew what I''d picked. I''d rather not fight, but I wanna support my brother. That means healing, right? "What?" Braden looks at me, and I nod. "You¡­ do?" I nod again, and he sighs. "Alright." He turns back to the scary guy. "So they told you that he was coming, but not me?" "I guess you''re just not as important as Luca," the scary guy grunts. "What do you want to be? I suppose I''ll help you obtain that Class, too. I already know what''s needed for Novice, the first step for Priest, and I know a bit about the other Classes." Maybe he''s just angry because there are two of us instead of the one that the Crystal of Light of Air apparently told him would be here? But why didn''t he say there''d be two of us instead of one? Did he think that Braden would decline when he told the scary guy about me? "What options are there?" Braden''s glaring.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "What''s your stat build like?" The scary guy asks. "Focused on Intellect, Willpower, Vitality, and Wisdom," Braden answers. "Four on the first two, two on the others. One on the rest." He''s got a lot less starting stats than me. "Fucking hell," the scary guy mutters. "He''s got higher starting stats. Fuck you, Big C!" His right ear twitches, and then he mutters a string of curses. "Anyway," he looks at Braden. "Your stats are good for a magic build. You can be a healer, like your brother with his annoying amount of starting Mana, or-" "Annoying amount?" "He has 4 Wisdom!" The scary guy exclaims. "I hate starting at one for everything! Anyway, you can be a healer like Luca, or a magician. If you want to ignore what you''re set for, you can also pick a physical Class, but since you''re ten, I think magic would be better for you." "You aren''t that much older!" Braden exclaims. "I''m thirteen, and I''m a lot more experienced than you," the scary guy states. "I''ve already been here awhile, and I''ve had a master swordsman train me! Plus, I had some skill in it from reality." "And how do you know that I don''t?" Braden crosses his arms over his chest. "You''re skinny as fuck," the scary guy rolls his eyes. "You''ve got almost no meat on that body of yours, and what is there isn''t muscle." Braden glares at him. "What magic-type Classes are there?" "Wanna throw the elements around?" The scary guy asks. "Novice Elementalist requires learning a single elemental spell of Tier 1. Or you can be a generalist when it comes to magic and learn Magic Bolt for your first spell." "You can also-" "No one asked you, Pervert!" The scary guy snaps, and the creepy guy giggles. "Ignore the pervert, he''s just faking." What does that mean? "Why should I trust you?" Braden asks. "How do I know you''re not going to be a bad leader?" "You''re still alive, aren''t you?" The scary guy asks. "You can trust Zack," a voice says from behind us, and I jump, moving off to the side and accidentally pulling my brother with me. It''s an old man in blue and white robes, a staff in one hand. He looks at us intently, then nods. "Zack may be rough around the edges," he tells us. "But every diamond is until it''s cut and polished." "I''m a lot more polished than you!" The scary guy sticks his tongue out at the old man. Is he a priest? "And the fuck you doing here, Adrian? Please tell me that Big C didn''t send you to help or something!" "No," the old man chuckles. "I came to speak with Jesse about something." "Oh, okay," the scary guy says. "Wanna spar? I really want to fight an Archpriest and see how hard it''d be, since they can heal and buff themselves constantly." That''s a fast change. The scary guy is really scary. And does he really think fighting a healer is a good idea? Wouldn''t he just beat the crap out of him? "If you want to fight someone like that," the old man tells him. "Track down Travis and spar with him. I''m sure he''d be happy to test his skills against you." "We already did that," the scary guy grins. "It was hella fun! Anyway, Braden, pick. Are you going the magic route?" "Fine," Braden grunts. "Staff," the scary guy looks at the creepy guy as the old man walks to the counter. "And give me some food, too. I have two more bellies to feed instead of one more." "Buy your own food!" The creepy guy exclaims as he pulls a staff out of nowhere. That is so cool! Wait, is that the Inventory? "Don''t you have a lot of it, anyway?" "Do I need to piss in your potions again?" "You haven''t done that yet," the creepy guy rolls his eyes, and the scary guy grins at him. "Now shoo, Zacky. Go teach your team what to do." "Lesson number one," the scary guy walks towards us. "Never, ever attack a Certified Assessor while they''re working. It costs you money and temporarily reduces your stats. Attack them after they get off work." He thrusts Braden''s staff into my brother, who grunts, grabbing it and glaring at the scary guy. "And my name is Zack," the scary guy states, grabbing my chin and looking into my eyes as a strange feeling flows through me for a moment. Not terror, though that definitely went through me, too. Oh, good, I didn''t wet myself. He''d probably be mad at me for that. "Never call me ''Zacky''. That''s lesson number two." He lets go of me and looks at my brother again. "For lesson number three: always do what I say. If you do that, you will not die. Do not leave the City without me giving permission. Do not fight something without my permission. Do not attempt to prove you''re strong without permission." It seems like that was intentionally aimed at Braden. Why does he not like my brother?
(Zack) I can''t believe Braden''s here! Nothing indicated he was coming! None of the visions, and none of the Crystals! I''m so pissed at that! Everything showed me it was just Luca! My visions and Luca returning to life after dying in reality. The only explanation I can think of for that, since they died at the same time, is that Braden dies without reaching Ascension. For Luca''s sake, I need to keep that from happening. It destroyed him in reality, and the only reason he was still functional was because he had me to lean on. But he knew me in reality already. Here, I''m just ''the scary guy''. He knows Braden''s his brother and still possesses the feelings he had for him, since they''re brothers who came together. That created a bond between them already. It will destroy him if Braden dies. Fucking hell, why did Braden have to show up? I hate his guts. But what''s done is done and he''s here, so I need to protect him. And I''m strong enough to. I''m Ascended. That horde that chased Bryce and me, if something like that showed up again, I''d own it. I''d rip its guts out of it and spread them across the battlefield, impale it on its own weapons, and completely decimate every last member of it. I''d terrify its troops so completely they''d scatter or freeze up. They wouldn''t manage to fight. They''d- I''m scaring Luca again. Letting out a sigh, I pull my thoughts out of what happened to Bryce and back to what I''m going to do with Braden. He''s not sure which path of magic he wants to take, and I told him he has to decide by the time we reach the house. Hopefully, Braden listens to me. He''s strong and willful, just like me, and that means there''s a good chance he''s going to try to prove himself to be ''strong'' and ''able to take care of Luca''. That can be disastrous. If only-never mind. No use wishing for what isn''t. All I can do is pray to the Crystals and my father that Braden does not do something stupid and actually listens to me. Thank fuck it''s morning. I woke up, ate breakfast, collected my gear from Jackson, then went to Jesse for¡­ I don''t remember what for, actually. The twins showing up made me forget. I''ll probably remember at some point. That leaves most of the day to work on getting them their Classes. Thankfully, all they need to do is learn a single spell each. So if they''re as intelligent as they proved themselves to be in reality, then this shouldn''t be an issue. Mental note: they''re going to Level slower than me. Keep that in mind and don''t get frustrated with how slow they are. We reach my ¨C our ¨C house, and I show them to the rooms upstairs. "What''s with the bed stuff selection?" Braden asks. "I stole it from the Dark Temple," I say. "It''s better than the straw mattresses and crappy blankets that came with the place." "You¡­ stole from a place that calls itself the ''Dark Temple''?" He looks at me in horror, and I laugh. "What if-" "The Dark Temple," I say. "Is where Dark Knights train, and most live there. I''m a Dark Knight, and Nik, my mentor, is one of their leaders. And I was slowly stealing them over several months, and I''m pretty sure he knows it, too, considering he''s told me to stop that because having to replace stuff every time I show up is annoying." I don''t actually steal every time I show up, just the times I''m in a room. Their blankets and pillows are comfy. "It''s not very warm in here," Braden shivers. "We just have the blankets?" "It''ll warm up soon," I tell him. "Another month or so, probably. I''ve got some stuff to warm the room, but we should probably save them. The blankets should be enough for what''s left of winter unless the temps drop again. As long as Nathan doesn''t accidentally bring another Ice Lord into the area, though, we should be fine." "Another what?" Braden asks. "Ice Lord," I wave a hand dismissively. "Don''t worry about it, I killed it. I mean, he helped me, but it''s dead. Anyway, did you decide, Braden?" He thinks for a few moments, then nods. Didn''t I tell him to decide by the time we arrived? Why did he have to think again? Calm down, Zack. You''re scaring Luca, and Braden''s only ten. He needs time to adjust, unlike you. "Novice Elementalist," he tells me. "Being able to play with the elements sounds fun." "Alright," I say. "When you check your Status, what does it say in the top-right box?" "Dark of Air," he answers. "Why?" "That''s what your elemental alignment is," I explain. "That means that you''ll learn air magics easier. A basic, Tier 1 Skill for your Class would be something like Wind Spike or Wind Blade, though the former would probably be easier to learn." It''s been ten days since my vision, and I''ve spent it preparing for Luca''s arrival ¨C and the arrival of the rest of my team, for whenever they come. I studied at the library and talked with a lot of adventurers to find out the requirements for a lot of Classes. I''m glad I did, since I''d have to go and research for Braden, otherwise. "Once we head back downstairs," I say. "I''ll teach you how to cast it, then you can get practicing. It costs 20 Mana, so it''s within your abilities. You guys can pick which beds you want." The twins look at the beds, and I see Luca''s gaze go to the top bunk of the bed to the left when we enter the room. "Except that one," I tilt his head down. "That''s my bed." I get top bunk. Since there''s more team here and they''re probably not going to like sleeping in front of the fire like I do and Gold did when he stayed here, I''m moving into the actual rooms. Luca walks over to the bunk under mine and sits on it, looking at his brother. "Alright," Braden says. "I''ll take the other bottom bunk, Luca." He then looks at me, and I know what he''s going to ask. "Yes, I''ve got food," I say, pulling the clothes I''d had made for Luca out of my Inventory. They''re white and blue, like normal priest garb. "Here''s the clothes I bought for Luca. You can borrow his clothes, but don''t mess them up. I had them made specially for Luca. We''ll have to get you some later. And here''s Luca''s staff." I pull the staff out of my Inventory. It''s a little taller than him and is made of a pale wood that''s been stripped of the bark. A white leather grip was fixed onto it at just the right spot for him. While it looks pretty simple, it''s heavily enchanted to ensure it''s durable, and the wielder''s magic is augmented a little bit while using it. I negotiated hard to have it made without spending any money. I even went so far as to find the perfect tree for it. The craftsman accepted the rest of the tree as the cost. He wanted a platinum for this staff. Kind of makes sense, though, considering how powerful the staff probably is, comparatively, for what it''s made out of. It is wood, at the end of the day. And not from an Enchanted Tree. Better than my equipment. Jackson decided ¨C without consulting me ¨C to use one of the Primordial Essences I left for others to buy in my Dark Armor, and it ended up as Primordial Dark Armor. It was supposed to be normal armor, for crying out loud! Then again, most armor doesn''t grow as the user does and absorb any spell thrown at it¡­ Whatever. "Get changed," I tell the twins. "Then meet me downstairs. I''ll get started on lunch, then we can work on you two learning magic." Chapter 0074 Chapter Seventy-Four. (Luca) The scary guy''s a good cook. This food is really delicious. I don''t want to stop eating, but my stomach''s so full. He starts cleaning up the dishes, taking them to a pump in the kitchen and washing them there, before drying them with a towel and putting them into the cabinets. He looks sad about something. I didn''t think he could be sad. He''s always got that glare on his face. Other than now. Well, and when we were eating. He looked happy as we ate. He''s weird. Scary, but weird. And he''s nice, I guess. Just a little bit. These clothes are super comfortable. "We''ll start with you first," the scary guy walks out and looks at Braden. "It takes sixteen minutes, forty seconds to return to full from empty on Health and Mana, though if you hit 0 Health, you''re dead, so there''s no coming back from that unless you know an Angel with the appropriate Skill. And there aren''t any Angels around. And that''s why you''re staying here and doing as I say, because I will ensure you two don''t die, as long as you stick with me and do what I say. "Now," the scary guy says. "One way to increase your recovery rate is by being on your property. For you two, that''s here. It doubles it automatically while here, meaning that if you train here, you''ll recover in only eight minutes and twenty seconds." Okay? What does that mean? "So," the scary guy says. "Visualize a spike of wind swirling around, like this." The scary guy waves a hand, and purple wind appears in front of his hand in the form of a spike, swirling around. That is so cool. I watch as Braden tries a few times, the scary guy giving him a few tips, then eventually telling Braden to try generating it at the tip of his staff. He stands behind Braden and moves my brother into a stance, holding his arms and positioning his hand on the staff. He seems really annoyed and is kind of rough with my brother. Despite that, he spends an hour working with Braden until my brother manages to cast Wind Spike. His is just air, and I can barely see it. Guess I need more than 2 Perception. Gotta work on that. "Yes!" Braden exclaims, pumping a fist into the air. "Good job," the scary guy says. "Now do pushups, situps, and planks while you''re waiting for your Mana to recover." "Why?" Braden glares at him. "To toughen your body," the scary guy states. "You might be a magician, but what if something gets past the team and hits you? You''ll need to be able to take a hit." "This is Strength training!" "You''re weak," the scary guy states. "You have little meat on your bones. Training your body for strength while pushing it to its limits will affect your Endurance. The other option is I beat the crap out of you, and I''d be more than happy to do that, if you''d like." Braden hesitates, then nods, asking what a plank is. The scary guy removes his chest and arm armor, then his tunic, setting them on the table before dropping onto the ground, holding himself up using just his forearms and feet, his back perfectly straight and aligned with his legs, angling down towards his feet. His body''s muscular. Not big and massive like some of the knights we saw, but in a lean and really defined way. I don''t think he has any fat on him at all. I wish I had a body that cool. Will doing his workouts make me like that, too? He demonstrates that and a couple of other types of planks, then shows what a pushup and pullup is, though I think he''s doing that just to treat Braden like my brother''s stupid. Braden reluctantly gets to work on the exercises, and the scary guy sits at the table, lifting up one arm and biting into it. I stare at him in horror when I realize that he actually bit through his skin. His canines are sharp. And a little bit long. "Luca," he holds out his bleeding arm. "Come here. Put your hands over the wound and focus on healing. Reach into yourself and push for the healing powers to draw out." I''m scared, but walk over to him and do as he says. It takes me several minutes to be able to acquire the Skill, and the scary guy''s voice gently guides me the entire way.
New Skill!
Heal Active
Mend wounds.
Healing Factor: 100% of your Intellect
Cost: 15 Mana (reduces by 1 per Level of this Skill)
6 Health has been restored to your target!
"Good job," he smiles at me. "Once you have another 8 Mana, you can do it again, okay? I''ll need to keep hurting myself, though, since my regeneration''s high enough that I''ll probably heal all the way naturally. Just to let you know." I nod, not sure I want to see him keep getting hurt. Seeing the blood makes my stomach feel funny. Carefully, I remove my tunic and fold it up before setting it on the table. The air is chilly as I start doing pushups. It''s not easy. I can only do one. Same with situps. I can''t do planks for very long, either. I''m really weak.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The scary guy is encouraging, though. Encouraging me. He doesn''t seem to care much to encourage Braden. When I give up and just lie here until my Mana''s recovered, too exhausted to do much else, my brother does the same, collapsing beside me. I sit up when I hit 23 Mana, since that''s what I need for Heal, and go to use it on the scary guy. "Wait," he says. "Take on Novice if you really want to go the healing route. It''ll provide an immediate bonus to your Intellect and Willpower, and using Heal should net you some Experience. Braden, you didn''t take on Novice Elementalist, did you?" Braden huffs as I take on Novice, acquiring 1 Intellect and 2 Willpower. The scary guy bites himself again, and I use Heal on him, restoring 7 Health to him this time. He wants us to do more exercising, but I don''t think I can, so I watch his injury heal. It takes it less than a minute to heal all the way. His last one lasted for a lot longer, though! How badly did he hurt himself the first time? The scary guy has us practicing every time our Mana has restored enough, and makes us exercise whenever we recover enough. It''s not fun, but I do gain a point of Strength and another of Endurance, so I guess it''s alright? I''m still scared, though. When it''s time for dinner, the scary guy lets us rest as he cooks. He sets a deck of playing cards on the table, teaching us a game where we guess what numbers the others have. I''m not very good at it. I don''t like talking, especially not around him. He''s scary and scares me. After dinner, he tells us to stay here and keep playing, and that he''ll back. We''re not, under any circumstances, to leave here. I relax a lot after he''s gone, and Braden does, too. Braden and I keep playing until the scary guy returns after an hour, and when he does, he hands Braden a bunch of clothes. "Those are for you," he says. "You two need a bath. Come with me." He leads Braden and me to the house''s bath, showing us how to use it and stuff. It''s really simple, but I''m scared. I don''t want to bathe around him. "Make sure you''re both clean and dry," the scary guy glares at Braden. "If Luca catches a cold, I''m holding you responsible. Use the towels there to dry off, then hang them back on that rod so they can dry. I''ll take a bath after you two finish." He leaves the bath, and I let out a sigh of relief. We''re alone, not bathing with him. That''s a big relief. "Come on," Braden pats my back. "At least he''s giving us privacy for this."
(Zack) "Jesse told me about their arrival," Nik says. I grunt in response, and he snorts. "The Crystals didn''t tell me his brother was coming, too." "Really?" Nik asks. "That''s surprising. Maybe they didn''t know?" "I think they did," I hesitate for a moment, then tell him my suspicions about Braden and my plans. "Good luck," he tells me. "Where are they now?" "Bed," I answer. "They''re upstairs. Braden''s already ended up in Luca''s bed because of his brothers'' anxiety. I''ll probably go to bed once they''re asleep." "What are you planning?" He asks. "What do you mean?" "For Braden," he responds. "Oh," I say. "To make him as strong as he can be. As long as he does what I say, he should be fine." I take another swig from the bottle of wine, then offer it to Nik, who gives me an appraising eyebrow. He knows I don''t need him to say it to know what he''s asking. There''s something on my mind. "I was showing them how to check their Personal Information," I tell him. "Instead of their status. Nik¡­ my information changed. I figured that my Species had switched to Demigod, and it''s true, but¡­ my Type is different, now." "It is?" He asks. "What is it?" I pull up my Personal Information, staring at it for a few moments.
Name: Zack Age: 13 years
Sex: Male Crystal Alignment Dark of Fire
Species: Demigod Type: Dragon of Existence
Height: 4''11" Weight: 99lbs
I send the information to Nik, who stares at it for a few moments, too, nodding as he does. "Dragon of Existence," he says. "I assume this has to do with your father? Normar''s information says his Type is Holy." "Probably," I shrug. "It explains why a Dragon is my alternate form." "So what, exactly, is your father a god of?" "It''s complicated," I shrug, and he snorts. "You''re heavy," he says. "A hundred pounds? Shouldn''t you be around ten lighter?" "It''s all muscle," I smack my stomach. "These abs aren''t light, even if they aren''t big." Nik chuckles in response. "So," he says. "I take it you lied the other day, then, when you told me you''d checked your status and it said Demigod for your Species?" "Yeah," I scratch the back of my head. "I just assumed that my Personal Information had updated when it became obvious what it was. Big Flame told me that Big S had intentionally hidden it from me to keep me from knowing before I found out." "You asked Big Flame about it?" He asks. "I can''t believe I''m calling him that." Yeah, well, I like it! "We know you do," I giggle. "Hey, Big Flame." Hey, Zack! I gotta go, Intellect''s poking me again. "Bye," I say, and his presence fades from my mind. I sigh. "I should''ve checked my Personal Information after we found out I could turn into a Dragon. I mostly don''t like looking at it ''cause it shows how short I am, so I didn''t." Nik laughs, ruffling my hair, and I pull away from him. "You have a good night," he tells me. "Thanks," I tell him. "Tell Gold I said to have a good night, too." "Will do," he says, then leaves. I lean back and stare up at the stars while I wait for the signs that the twins are asleep, then I make my way upstairs and into bed, drifting off into sleep and my dream visions. When morning comes, I wake the twins up and tell them that I''m going to make breakfast, then I head downstairs and make breakfast. The twins join me after a few minutes, and I can tell they''re eager to eat the bacon I bought. They both loved bacon before they died, so I expected that. After breakfast, it''s back to training for them. I am not letting them out into the field until I''m confident they''ll be fine. I want Braden to have at least 20 Intellect and 10 Mana, first. Wind Spike only uses twenty percent of one''s Intellect per Level of the Skill for the power within it, so I also want him to have it up to Level 2 before we go out as well. "But I''m so sore," Braden complains when I tell him to do the physical exercises. "I know," I tell him. "But your body will adjust. You''ll be sore for a couple of days, so do the sprints I told you to do. Once you both have a little more Strength, I''ll teach you some basic self-defense with your staffs and with your fists and feet." "But I''m a magician and Luca''s a healer!" He protests. "What if you''re out of Mana and something comes close?" I ask. "Luca won''t be able to defend himself, and you won''t be able to cast any spells. If you get separated from your staff, you''ll need to be able to fight without it. It''s nothing intense, just basic stuff. Now do the sprints. We''ll work you up to full runs around the neighborhood to work on your Agility." He groans, but does the sprints across the yard, which Luca already started on. Two weeks. I want them battle-ready in two weeks. Chapter 0075 Chapter Seventy-Five. (Zack) "That''s a Slime?" Braden asks. "Yes," I roll my eyes. "It''s a Level 1 Slime. The most basic of the basic. You should be able to kill it, since it only has 10 Health. Based on its Health and Mana, it shouldn''t have more than a Willpower or two. You should have enough Mana to kill it, so long as all of your attacks hit." "And if they don''t?" "Then you need to work on your aim." He lets out a frustrated grunt, then summons a Wind Spike, managing to nail the Slime. It took out 2 Health, so the thing has 2 Willpower, probably. Braden hasn''t managed to Level the Skill at all, but at least my training''s yielded results for their stats. I knew playing certain games with them, like Go Fish and marbles, would work. Just as long as we did a lot of it. Plus some chess. They''re both bad at it. I think it''s funny that things unrelated to the actual effect from Intellect are able to increase it. Intellect is purely for magical power and how quickly one learns new Skills and spells, sort of like with video games back in reality. I think Big S used mortals'' terminology a bit too loosely there. It should''ve been Magic or something. Speaking of Big S, he''s still napping, apparently. He''s really exhausted. I want to go on a murder spree and wipe out tons of monsters to help boost his recovery, but I''ve got two guys to take care of and no desire to bring them into Talorn. Braden nails the Slime with another Wind Spike, and I''m about to say something about him being so slow, but catch myself. I went into battle mindset, and had mentally sped myself up, making everything feel slower. He spent about two seconds between casts, which is decent. Returning my mental state to a normal speed, I watch as Braden carefully aims and strikes. Four seconds. A bit long. We''ll need to work on his ability to quickly adjust his aim at a moving target. He releases his fourth Wind Strike, which nails the thing, then adjusts his aim as it continues to bounce away. That strike misses. "Now take your staff and go smack it," I tell him, and he stares at me with horror in his eyes. "What? Do it right in the center on the core. A good whack or two should kill it, it probably has no Endurance at all, or just a point. Might want to get a move on, though, before it gets to reinforcements." Braden hesitates, then takes off, swinging his staff when he reaches the Slime. A second strike ends the thing, and he makes a horrified face as the slime oozes around. I giggle, leading Luca over to him. "How come there aren''t many monsters around here?" Braden asks as he wipes his staff off on the ground. "I heard that the fields are usually full of Slimes and Rats." "I killed almost all of them," I answer, and he gives me an incredulous look. "What? It was just this field. Most people who work the fields to keep them at least relatively free of monsters for the weaker adventurers coming out to do some grinding while waiting for the big battle ignore this particular field." "Why?" He asks. "And big battle?" Oops. "In a way, this field''s claimed by me," I explain. "I tend to do some training out here, and¡­ people generally don''t like being around a Dark Knight who''s training." "Why?" He gives me a suspicious look. "Cover your ears," I tell the twins. "And stand behind me. Keep an eye on the Slimes that are bouncing up and down." They do as I instruct, and I take a deep breath, then let out a massive bellow with my Demonic Voice mixed with Roar of Darkness. All of the Slimes that were bouncing freeze up and drop to the ground, and I turn to the twins, both of whom are pale and stiff, their eyes wide with terror. "Nathan, if you would?" A moment later, the twins let out breaths of relief, then look around in confusion. "He''s hiding," I tell the twins. "You won''t be able to see him due to an excellent concealment Skill. I had a feeling he had a Skill that could release you from the terror effects. You felt that? You were behind me when I did it, and several feet away." And now that I notice it, they wet themselves. Crap. "Let''s head back into town," I tell them. "No one''s in this part of it, so you won''t be seen." I bring the twins home, making sure no one sees us on the way, and they quickly move to the bath. As soon as they''re naked, I take their clothes and make sure they have replacements, then I get to work washing them. With the vast difference in power between my teammates, present and future, and myself, I should definitely hold back. A lot. "Sorry," I tell the twins when they finish their bath. "I didn''t¡­ mean to do that to you. I didn''t realize that would happen. I''d thought that maybe if you were a bit behind me and with your ears covered, it wouldn''t be as bad." "What was that?" Braden asks. "The fuck you think?" I ask. "I told you what I was doing. It was me demonstrating part of why people leave that area alone. Being around a training Dark Knight isn''t something people really want to be. My Skill set involves intimidation, leeching from others, and growing stronger the less Health I have and the angrier I am. Dark Knights usually only have teams consisting of Dark Knights and healers, and just getting a healer is rare enough, and stuff like that is why. One wrong thing, and we can accidentally cripple our own team.Stolen story; please report. "Now," I smile at them. "Let''s head back to the field. Your Mana''s back to full, so we can go back to getting you some Levels. It normally takes more than a year to reach Level 2 from where you are in theory, but I want to move that schedule up for you two. I think it''s possible to go way faster. They say three months is one of the super-fast things. I say even that is too long for someone who does what''s needed." "What''s this big battle?" He asks. "You you mentioned it earlier." "Oh, that," I say. Why did he go back to that? That was said forever ago. "It''s a giant battle that will involve a horde of more than a million monsters and a Dragon attacking Maelnor. We have a few months before it." "And you think you can get us strong enough to work that?" He snorts. "What are you, delusional?" "What are you, stupid?" I ask. "You and Luca are staying in the City during it. It''s doubtful you''d be able to fight against it until you train in Talorn for awhile, but you''ll need to be at least twice as strong as you are now for even its weakest monsters." "Talorn?" He asks. "A Fallen City at the north of the valley," I explain. "I''ve been training there this year. Was there when I got word that Luca was coming soon, actually." Throwing a small tantrum, but they don''t need to know that. If I can get them a little bit stronger for another week or two, I might pawn them off on the local guilds for their Classes for a week so I can return and do a bit more cleaning up there. If I take out enough monsters, it''ll start to be a safer place. I''ll be able to take my team there and have them work on lone monsters that we track down. The only thing we have to worry about are the Fallen Adventurers, but I should be able to handle at least a few of them if I put on my good gear and take them on one-on-one, especially if I''m using the Demon Form. All I need to do is increase Demon Form''s Level again and increase my Mana, and I should be fine against the weaker ones. I''ll probably contact the Fallen Hunters, too, and see if they''d be willing to help me out. I''d rather not, though, so I can Level my Subclass. If I stick to the ones nearest the City''s entrance that I use, then it''ll create a safe zone as long as Alexander doesn''t interfere. He''s still out from my attack on him. "Once you two are stronger," I continue what I was saying. "I''ll take you there to train a little. It should help you with Experience, Braden. Since Luca''s Class advances by using holy magic, it doesn''t matter too much where he trains. Let''s get going." Braden huffs, but follows me, Luca clinging to the back of his tunic for the walk. We reach the fields and I point out another weak Slime for Braden to attack, then bite my arm and have Luca heal me while we''re waiting. "What if I get hurt?" Braden asks. "I can use Heal, too," I say. "And mine''s a lot more powerful than Luca''s." "But I thought you said that Dark Knights-" "I''m an exception." "Why are you different?" "Because I am," I state. "Now attack the fucking slime, Braden. Or do you want to be weak forever, eternally unable to protect your brother?" He glares at me, but attacks the Slime. Good. Train, Braden, so you can get stronger, too. I know that the big motivating factor for you is protecting Luca. "And Luca," I say quietly. "Don''t heal your brother if he gets hurt, use up all your Mana on me." Luca starts getting upset. "It''ll help him build up Vitality so he can take more damage," I tell Luca. "Recovering Health on your own without magic or potions and stuff helps build Vitality faster. So does taking damage." "THIS THING IS SHOOTING BACK!" "You have a staff!" I exclaim. "Just block it with that! Or dodge! It''s ten feet away, you should be able to move." "But-" Braden protests as he moves to the side, narrowly avoiding another blast of water. "No buts, Braden," I say. "Except the ones that are also called asses. How can you expect to get Experience if everything''s easy? The difficulty you face does affect how much Experience you acquire. And it''s good for your physical abilities as well, your actual skills." Luca focuses on healing my arm, though I can tell he''s distracted by his brother''s fight with the Water Slime. I''m keeping an eye on Braden''s Health, though, so he''ll be fine. He only has 20 Health, while my Heal will restore more than 300. There''s no way he''ll die as long as I pay attention. Heck, Luca''s Heal would be enough if he''s only halfway down. And in the absolute worst-case scenario, Nathan''s still lurking around.
(Luca) The scary guy isn''t as mean as I thought he was. He''s got a weird logic to stuff. I just wish he''d be nicer. Do we really need to get real experience right now? I''d rather curl up with a nice stuffed animal all day. But Braden wants to train. I tried talking him out of it, saying that we could probably go somewhere else, and he rejected it, saying that he needed to be strong enough for both of us, and that meant training now. I guess the scary guy really cares about us. I knew he''d left for around four hours last night, but I didn''t realize he was cleaning the field here of monsters until he said that. That must have been a lot of work for him. He scared me earlier, when he did that freaky roar. It didn''t feel like something any human should be able to do. But he seemed genuinely upset that he scared us and that we wet ourselves. I''m so embarrassed just thinking about that. I couldn''t help it, it just happened! The scary guy suddenly puts a hand on my head, as if he knows what I''m thinking. His gaze is soft this time, then he glares at Braden and yells for him to stop fooling around and kill the Slime. I watch my brother as he finishes off the Slime, then rests. The scary guy works him to the bone until lunch, making me heal him anytime my Mana has enough to do it. It''s to increase my Wisdom and my Heal Level, he said. Well, in addition to my Experience, but that''s not really advancing much. For lunch, he pulls sandwiches out of his Inventory. His Inventory''s weird compared to ours, but he told Braden that it''s because it''s a special kind, when my brother asked. After lunch, it''s back to training again, then we return home for dinner. Braden and I take a bath together while the scary guy cooks, then we join him. It''s turkey tonight. Yesterday was ham. While we eat, the scary guy mutters something about increasing his Wisdom, then pulls out a funny-looking token. It''s made of wood, I think. I can''t get a good look at it. He taps it, then taps something in front of it, then again. He repeats that fourteen times, then nods, muttering something about needing to do some Mana training, himself. After dinner, he plays marbles with us for a bit, then switches to cards. He''s really good at cards, no matter what game it is we play. He''s also really good at marbles, and doesn''t play with Braden and me anymore, because it was pissing Braden off that he kept winning. Now Braden''s pissed that he won''t play marbles with us while making us play. I think my brother''s conflicted. "Before we go to bed," the scary guy pulls out two pale orange disks. They look like food. "Try these. They''re delicious, I promise." "What are they?" Braden asks. "Something I''m offering to you," the scary guy says. "And consider yourself lucky to get them, since they''re expensive as fuck and out-of-season. It''s called a Spook Treat. Now take it and enjoy it, because it''s delicious as fuck." Braden takes both of them and hands me one, before taking a bite of his own. His eyes widen, his face lighting up with how much he enjoys it. It must be really good. I take a bite of it, and realize why he liked it. This is really good. It''s the best thing I remember eating, and with how scarily good the scary guy''s cooking is, that''s good. Chapter 0076 Chapter Seventy-Six. (Luca) "Whoo!" Braden dances in a circle. "Wind Spike: Level up!" The Slime he was fighting slams into my brother''s back, sending him crashing into the ground. That''s pretty funny, but I''m worried for him. I start to climb off the rock I''m sitting on, but the scary guy grabs my hand. "He''s got enough Health left to deal with it," the scary guy tells me. "He''ll be fine. Besides, you''re out of Mana and you can''t fight." But I want to make sure my brother''s okay! I guess he has a point, though. I can''t help my brother, so I can only wait for him to finish with the Slime. Braden wiggles, throwing the Slime off of him as he strikes out with his staff, impacting the core of the Slime, which dies. The scary guy tells my brother to not let something good distract him during a fight. Why can''t he just compliment Braden? He''s so mean. And scary. He''s also nice. But not really that nice to Braden. When Braden complains about how mean he is, the scary guy just says that he needs to be tough to help him get stronger. They argue a lot. Something catches the scary guy''s attention, and I look in the direction he''s looking in. There''s a small glow in the air about a dozen yards away. It expands a bit, wiggling as it does, until it''s taken on the rough shape of a Slime. The glow fades, revealing a dark brown Slime in its place that''s almost impossible to see through. Actually, I can''t see through it, but I''m pretty sure it can be. My Perception''s not high enough. That doesn''t look like a Stone Slime, those things are a lighter brown. "By the way," the scary guy says. "That is what it looks like when a Slime spawns on its own. Looks like it''s a Chocolate Slime." I focus my gaze on it, trying to gain Appraisal again. I''ve been trying hard over the last two and a half weeks, but it hasn''t come yet. Braden says he hasn''t gotten it yet, either.
New Skill!
Appraisal Active/Passive
Reveals information about items when used, and on Adventurers and Monsters actively, showing information on them up to five Levels above your own.
Oh, cool! Finally got it! I look at the Slime, checking out its information.
Chocolate Slime Level 1
Health: 34 Mana: 187
That''s a lot more Mana than the scary guy says Slimes have. Though I think the Snow Slimes have a lot, too. They keep making snowballs and throwing them at us if we get too close, and the scary guy said to ignore them. It''s weird. They''re not like other Slimes, which will pursue us once they start attacking. I guess that''s why the scary guy leaves them alone. He said that there''s lots of them that are stronger because he didn''t bother culling those. Looking around, I spot a few more Level 1 Slimes. Their Health is in the range the scary guy''s been giving us, and their Mana''s around thirty to forty. "Guess it''s almost time for the Love Lord to show up," the scary guy says. "They said it''s about a week before it that these fuckers start spawning. What do they give?" The next thing I know, the scary guy''s by the Slime, his sword stabbed through it and into the ground. He pulls his sword out, grinning. "It gives chocolate!" That. Was. AWESOME! How did he move so fast? What Skill did he use to do that? How fast is he really? How can I get that fast? Did he do that from running so much? Is that why he''s got us sprinting every other day? So we can obtain a Skill for that? THAT IS SO AWESOME! A chocolate bar appears in the scary guy''s hand, and he takes a bite of it. "This is some damn good chocolate," he grins, taking another bite. "If you want some, Braden, you''ll have to kill a Chocolate Slime on your own. Be forewarned, though, that they''re going to be harder to kill than the regular Slimes and elemental ones you''ve been fighting so far." "You killed it in an instant!" "Any Adventurer who''s been around a bit can," the scary guy snorts. "There are dozens of mages in town who could wipe out dozens of stronger Slimes with a single spell." That sounds strong. Like, really strong. I walk over to Braden and tug on his arm. He gives me a curious look, moving his right ear so it''s by my mouth. "I bet you can do that one day." He pulls back and grins at me. "Definitely," he says, giving me a hug. "Let me get my Mana back up, and I''ll kill some more for you, okay?" I nod, then return to the rocks that the scary guy had me sitting on. Braden does the exercises the scary guy makes him do as the scary guy sits back beside me. As soon as he can, my brother attacks a nearby Slime that I think was eyeing him like he was lunch. That kind of bothered me.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Here," the scary guy says, and I look at him to find him holding out a piece of chocolate. "It''s delicious." I take the piece and pop it into my mouth. It really is delicious. Why did he give me some instead of Braden? Braden''s doing all the work. "You get some because you can''t fight," the scary guy tells me. "You just heal, so that removes your ability to obtain loot. Thus, you get the chocolate." He pats me on the head. I don''t like it when he does that. Braden continues training against the Slimes, and the scary guy makes me continue to heal him when he bites himself. Why doesn''t he ever look like he''s in pain? He''s biting hard enough to draw blood, and repeatedly. Shouldn''t his skin be tender or something? After awhile, I realize that the scary guy''s started to have Braden attack stronger Slimes, but didn''t say that he was. In fact, he''s still saying they''re Level 1 Slimes. He''s lying to my brother. I don''t like that. I don''t think Braden''s realized, though. The scary guy just sits here for the most part, though he does suddenly shift a few times. I don''t know why. He looks tired, too. Maybe he should stop disappearing for a few hours every night? When he''s done tormenting my brother for the day, the scary guy leads us home, and Braden and I go to the bath. "That was exhausting!" Braden exclaims as we sink into the bath, the hot water relaxing my body. I''m sore from the physical training the scary guy puts us through every morning. "I feel like the monsters got harder, I was so exhausted!" "They did," I quietly tell him. "What?" He looks at me. "After lunch," I say. "He had you fighting mostly Level 2 Slimes. The ones you really struggled with were Level 3 Slimes." Braden stares at me for several moments. "Aaargh!" He flails in frustration.
(Zack) That''s the most I''ve heard Luca speak since they arrived in the Boundary. The fact that he noticed the Levels of the Slimes tells me he finally obtained Appraisal. I know the twins have been trying to obtain it, and I''m happy he finally managed. I''m impressed Braden didn''t realize I was lying to him about the Levels of the Slimes. If I''d told him what they really were, he''d have probably hesitated a bit more when attacking. At least he doesn''t hesitate as much, even though it''s only been a few days since my practical training for him began. I''ve theorized that part of why people take so long to Level up is because they work in teams. I was absurdly fast at their Level, and I doubt it was entirely because of my natural affinity for rapid growth. When I mentioned this to Nik yesterday, he said it''s been considered as well, but never put to the test because it''s hard to judge something like that. Everyone has their own growth rates, and even the weakest monsters can wear out a new adventurer. An example of that is Braden. He''s exhausted his Mana after just one kill, though now that Wind Spike is Level 2, he can probably handle two kills of the weaker Slimes. If he does all the work, then all the Experience goes to him, no distribution involved. And now that Wind Spike is Level 2, he can start working on harder Slimes, too. I continue working on dinner as I wait for the twins to finish their bath, then we eat. After dinner, I clean up while setting them to play marbles again. Braden doesn''t like playing it, but he does it for his brother, because Luca enjoys it. Though I think Luca''s also happy that I don''t play with them. When it''s a game involving me, it becomes a game of ''which twin will have more marbles than the other'' anyway because I end up with most of the marbles. It''s not really fair when someone with many times their Strength is playing, since I can just hit the marbles hard enough to send most of them out of the circle. The twins relax for a bit before bed, then I wait for them to fall asleep, then climb up onto my bed, relaxing and falling asleep. A little after midnight, I wake up and slip out of bed, changing back into my combat outfit, but leaving behind my coat as I slip down to the yard. There, I pull on my equipment, then leave, making my way out of the City. In the fields where we train, I get to work wiping out any Rats that spawned and any Slimes that grew past my allowed Levels, leaving only a few stronger ones and half of the Level 1''s. It''s a long and tedious thing, but it ensures that there''s a minimal risk of anything happening if I take my gaze off the twins for even a moment for whatever reason. I want to make absolute sure that nothing happens to them. In addition to decreasing the threat to the twins, it also helps me train Braden and test my theory about solo-killing. If I push him hard all day against monsters, then I''m sure he''ll reach a higher Level soon. And having fewer monsters around makes it easier to select which ones he''s facing off again. Once I finish my work, I return home and clean up, soaking in the bath for half an hour before drying off, pulling on my night tunic, and heading to bed to catch a few more hours of sleep. When morning comes, I run the twins through my usual physical training exercises, which involves a mix of pushups, situps, planks, sprints, a jog up and down the street, and some martial arts and staff combat training. Then, we eat breakfast before making our way out into the fields so I can train Braden against the Slimes and Luca in healing. "Luca?" I say while Braden''s busy running from a Slime that''s shooting jets of water at him, and the quiet twin jumps, a spike of panic going through his head. "Jumpy much?" Embarrassment washes over him, and I immediately regret saying that. I didn''t mean to make him upset. "Anyway," I say. "What percent is your Class at?" He shifts uncomfortably. "You don''t need to talk," I say. "You can just-" "Two," he says quietly. So he will talk to me here. That makes me happy. "Only two?" I ask, and he nods as he suddenly feels awful and unworthy and useless. I ruffle his hair. "Don''t look down, Luca. I was just surprised. Everyone grows at their own rate." But from what Adrian told me a few nights ago, with as much as Luca''s been healing me, he should be up to at least ten percent by now. Priests apparently do Level quickly compared to other Classes, which may be partly because of their fully supportive role. They gain Experience while healing, not after a kill, and a healing isn''t shared, even if multiple people are healing the same target. Even Braden''s already at twelve percent of the way to Level 2 from my training ¨C which tells me I''m right with my theory on Leveling. Getting him to tell me that on the way here was a pain in the ass, though. The rest of the day passes with only some light level of amusement at Braden''s struggles, but I know that it''s helping him. Next time we''re out here, I''m going to set him against duos to see how he deals. But not with Flame Slimes or Heal Slimes. Those will continue to be purged at every opportunity, just like any Rats that spawn. A few times, I have to leave to kill those, but the twins aren''t aware of that. From what I can tell, they don''t even see me if I move at my full speed, so if I kill something and return to where I was, it just looks like I quickly shift my position. We return home and go through our usual routine up through dinner. "Hey," I say to the twins after I finish cleaning up from dinner. "I have to head into town to grab a few things. Stay here, okay? Don''t leave the property, or I''m pushing you even harder tomorrow. Got it?" They both nod, but I can tell Braden''s not happy. They ignored me when I went shopping for more food a week ago, and I pushed them harder. Braden''s still trying to figure out how I knew. First, my Perception''s good enough I could smell that they''d left it. Second, Aurum''s been peeking at them from across the street, though they haven''t noticed him yet. I make my way into town, purchasing more food before making my way to the temple. I need to make some arrangements. My timetable on this is moving up. Chapter 0077 Chapter Seventy-Seven. (Luca) "No," Braden crosses his arms over his chest. "Yes," the scary guy states. "Now get your ass in there, Braden." The scary guy wants to split us up. It''s only for a few days, but I''m not comfortable with it. He said it''s for additional training while he''s off doing something out of the City. I think he just wants to separate us. "No," Braden remains firm. "You are not separating me from my brother. Luca''s-" "Going to be just fine," the scary guy states. "Now get your ass in there, Braden. You''ll see him again in a few days. Luca''s having a hard time gaining Experience, and he needs some more in-depth training, which I can''t provide. However, what he''s going to be doing, you can''t join him for, so I found a suitable teacher for you." "How is an alchemist a teacher for magic?" Braden exclaims. I''m wondering that, too. We''re outside of an alchemy shop that the scary guy led us to before delivering the news that we''re being split up. I don''t want to be split up from Braden! "Blaine is one of the most powerful mages in the Boundary," the scary guy states. "He works as an alchemist to help others prepare for the war. He agreed to help you with training while I''m in Talorn." "You''re going back to Talorn?" Braden asks. "Yes," the scary guy states. "The reasons for it will be clear to you eventually. Just do as I say, Braden. It''s for your own training." "So what''s Luca doing, then?" He asks. "Going to the temple to heal people who come in needing it?" "No," the scary guy snorts. "Their healing is mostly stuff that the passive regen doesn''t work on ¨C status effects, severed limbs, and so on. Luca''s joining a Paladin heading to the front for a few days." The front? "The front?" Braden asks. "There''s a camp at the other side of the forest," the scary guy says. "Close to Kaelmar. They''re keeping the woods around there clean, as well as the fields, while keeping an eye on things. They''re all powerful adventurers, so he won''t be in any danger, so don''t glare at me like that. Now get your ass in there, Blaine''s waiting for you." Braden glares at the scary guy, but the scary guy''s intense, and Braden gives in, entering the alchemist''s shop. I want to follow him in, but the scary guy keeps a firm grip on my shoulder, glaring at my brother''s back. As soon as Braden''s inside and talking with the old man at the counter, the scary guy turns and starts walking, telling me to follow him. He leads me to the western gates, where a tall man in shiny armor stands. He must be the Paladin. Why isn''t he wearing armor on his chest? He''s not even wearing a tunic! That''s a lot of muscle. "Travis," the scary guy says. "This is Luca. Take good care of him, or I''m kicking your ass. If he gets so much as a scratch-" "He won''t," Travis snorts. "I promise, Zack. You''re supposed to be meeting Nik, aren''t you?" "Yeah," the scary guy says. "Make sure he''s safe. Or else." The scary guy leaves, and the Paladin kneels down in front of me so that we''re eye-to-eye. He''s really tall. "Hello, Luca," he smiles at me, his smile full of warmth and kindness. "I''m Travis. Zack told me last night that you were having trouble gaining some Experience, so we''ll be going out to the fields and working on it a bit. I''m going to teach you a new spell that should help you a little." A new spell? Something the scary guy can''t teach me? What is it? A pair of golden wings stretch out of Travis''s back, and I stare at them. They''re so pretty. "I''m going to pick you up," he says. "Don''t move much while we''re flying." Flying? What? The next thing I know, he''s lifting me up into the air. I freeze up, terrified at the sudden contact, and then suddenly, we''re up in the air with a whoosh. We ascend quickly until we''re higher than the City Walls, then we''re flying over the fields. The view from up here is so cool. There are lots more monsters in the field we''re flying over than the one that the scary guy brings us to. Why is that? There are so many monsters. And a lot of larger Slimes. And a bunch of what look like rats¡­ That''s what he''s doing at night, isn''t it? He''s killing the monsters from the field so there''s not as many around. He''s still scary and mean, but that makes him better, doesn''t it? Why''s he so weird? Travis flies super fast, and we''re past the fields in only half a minute, then flying past the trees. They''re all bare of leaves because it''s still winter, and there''s still snow around. There are paths through the melting snow, probably the way that monsters travel, though we''re flying mostly along a path that goes straight through the forest.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Probably where everyone passed through on their way to the front. After several minutes, I dunno how long, exactly, damage comes into view. It''s like the forest was blown apart, with logs and stuff everywhere. Trees have fallen over or been thrown into each other and the ground pushed up to create hills, and as we draw even nearer, I realize that it''s almost perfectly circular. The damage, I mean. It''s a crater. There''s a massive crater here, and it even extends up to the walls of the City in the distance. Something impacted the area here and destroyed it, throwing everything away. I spot the camp in the crater. It''s a series of tents and wooden buildings that were probably made from the destroyed trees. It''s erected near the edge of the crater closest to the forest. The whole camp is level, as if someone cut out part of the crater to make it even. That''s cool. "Do you see all this damage?" Travis asks as we land on the edge of the crater. The walls of the Fallen City were even destroyed by it, but the land past its border is untouched, even though a lot of the buildings were taken out as well. "Wh-what happened here?" I manage to ask. "Zack," he answers, and I give him a confused look, because I''m confused. What does the scary guy have to do with this. "The Shadow of Life, our greatest enemy, killed Zack''s brother and nearly killed Zack here. Zack''s patron, the Crystal of Dark of Fire, personally intervened to save him. I was part of the team that investigated the meteor here, since Nik''s Zack''s mentor. Your leader was in a coma for a few weeks after the incident." Miles and miles of damage¡­ how big was the meteor? Zack had a brother? Is that why he''s so mad all the time? Does me and Braden being here make him remember his brother and what happened? "Come on," Travis pulls a tunic from his Inventory. It looks more normal, like the rest of ours. A glow that takes on the form of the item, then fades to reveal the item. Not like the scary guy''s Inventory, where the item simply appears. "Let''s go to the tent we''ll be staying in." Travis leads me into a tent as he pulls on the tunic, showing me the pair of hammocks set up in it. One of them''s lower than the other, which I think is mine. "That one''s yours," he gestures to the lower hammock. "If you need space for stuff you obtain here that won''t fit in your Inventory, you can stick it in the chest over there." He gestures to one of two wooden chests resting against the walls of the tent, though they''re just a little away from the wall. Why did they stick a gap there? The leather of the walls are pulled taut. Now that he''s showed me the tent, Travis takes me out of the tent. I stick close to him. There are so many people here, and it''s scary. He talks with a few people about the activity in the Fallen City. Something about Corrupted Monsters? Now that I think about it, the scary guy said that if we are ever separated from him, to immediately focus on the sense that tells us where our home is. I can''t sense it from here, probably because we''re too far away from it. He said that if we ever end up at Kaelmar, to find an option other than entering it. Something to do with Corrupted Monsters. It''s almost lunch when something tackles me from behind. "Luca!" Braden! I wiggle in my brother''s grip, turning and facing him so I can hug him back. We''re back together! What''s he doing here, though? "So this is where you are!" He exclaims, and I nod. "Blaine told me that we were coming to the front at lunch, and staying a few days because of something or other. I was really mad, ''cause it meant I''d be even further from you, but you''re here, too!" "Yes, he is," Travis says. "Blaine''s come out to resupply them with potions, and is staying a few days to help with some magic they''re performing. You two will see each other, and probably be able to eat meals together, but for the most part, we''ll be separate." I don''t care! I''m not that far from Braden anymore! I''m so happy! ___________________________________________________________________________________ (Zack) "That was pretty mean," Nik says as I watch Travis fly off with Luca. "It was Travis''s idea," I say, and Nik gives me a puzzled look. I shrug. "I hadn''t realized it, but the twins being near each other, but separated, would upset them. I was going to give the twins to Travis and Blaine together, and let them split the boys up for the training. "Travis told me," I continue. "That if I did that, they''d both be mad the entire time, and that it would affect their ability to focus on what they''re doing. He mentioned that they already view me as a bad person, so if I split them up and have the twins separated before arrival, they''d just think it''s me being an ass again. "Then," I continue. "When they find out they''ll be near each other through this, their moods would lift and they''d be happier about the situation, possibly even losing the anger and sulkiness because of it." Travis is smart. I wish I''d thought of that, but I hadn''t. It makes sense, though. Let me continue to be the bad guy, while their ''other'' mentors do their work. There''s only one thing that concerns me about the situation. "The twins will be back before the attempt, won''t they?" I ask. "Yes," Nik answers. "The twins will be back. Travis is leading the operation, and he''s promised to not begin it until after the twins have returned here." "Good," I let out a sigh. "I don''t want them caught up in it." "They won''t be," Nik laughs, fussing with my hair. "No one there would be willing to take the kids into a Fallen City with Corrupted Monsters." When I went to Nik last night to see about how I could contact Travis, he revealed to me about Travis and Blaine heading to the crater I made when Bryce died. After what I said happened there, about the Shadow of Life having a weaker avatar there, it seems investigations have been done from outside of the City. With Alexander himself in the coma ¨C which Big Flame has confirmed is still going on ¨C they think they can take it out. Apparently, at the same time I attacked Alexander, the avatar''s actions changed. It no longer guards the altar at nearly all hours, but wanders around the Fallen City. So they''re assembling a big-ass team with some powerful-ass pre-made magics. They''re going to enter Kaelmar and attempt to kill the avatar while it''s in the weakened state of not being controlled by Alexander directly. A team of nearly two hundred adventurers is being assembled for it, all of whom are at least Level 150 and possessing at least two Mastered Classes. There are going to be forty healers there, including Nathan Normar. I volunteered for it as soon as I found out, but Nik told me that I should stick with my original plan. I''m powerful, but I don''t have the decades of experience the rest of the people there do. No one there is under seventy years of age, and all of them have been fighting here since no later than the age of twenty. Five decades or more of experience in combat that I simply don''t have. So I accepted that. "Come on," Nik stretches out his wings. "Let''s get going. You have a party to catch up to." I walk up to him and he straps me to him with Binding Darkness, before taking off out of the City, flying north, to Talorn. He lands outside the City, in a group of ten. Six Dark Knights, four Paladins. The Fallen Hunters. "I''m off to join Kaelmar''s raiding party," Nik tells us. "You all have fun." Chapter 0078 Chapter Seventy-Eight. (Zack) "So I know Kayla," I indicate the female Dark Knight I know. "But I''ve never actually met the rest of you." "You can see our names, can''t you?" One of the Dark Knights grins at me. "Yeah," I grin at him. "And even though you can''t see mine, you know who I am. But still, let''s introduce ourselves! I''m Zack!" Everyone else starts introducing themselves. In addition to Kayla, the Dark Knights of the Fallen Hunters consists of Eric, Sam, Maddie, Jade, and Jake. The Paladins are Liam, Louise, Nicholas, and Fredrick. "So do you go by Fredrick, Fred, Rick, or Dick?" I ask. "Told you he''d ask that!" Kayla laughs as the Paladin chuckles. "Fredrick," he answers. "Got it!" I say, then pull out the map I made of the Fallen City. "Here''s the current layout of Talorn, to the best of my ability. I made most of it from memory from when Nik was flying me over it so he could drop me off or take me home, but it should be usable. "The red circles," I say. "Indicate zones that Fallen Adventurers travel through. Since the Shadow of Life is in a coma, they''ve moved back to the surface and into their zones, according to Nik. They''re labeled by the Class of Fallen Adventurer." Class 1 are regular people ¨C non-adventurers who turned into Fallen Adventurers. There are seven of those on the map. Then there are Class 2, which are people who had yet to reach Tier 4 of a Class before turning into a Fallen Adventurer. The one I fought fell into this category, though on the weaker end. Class 3 indicates someone who had reached Tier 4 of a Class before turning into a Fallen Adventurer. A Class 4 Fallen Adventurer had either Mastered at least one Class or was at least Level 80 when they died. They''re extremely tough, and will take the entire team of Fallen Hunters to take on. Finally, Class 5 Fallen Adventurers are any Adventurers who reached Level 120 before they died. Generally, this means at least one Mastered Class and another that''s close to being Mastered or also Mastered. Even the entire team of Fallen Hunters can''t take them on, and they''d all become Class 5 Fallen Adventurers. Thankfully, there''s only one in Talorn. Most people who''d become Class 4 or 5 Fallen Adventurers are usually retrieved the moment they die. The ones who aren''t generally die in groups. Talorn doesn''t have any of the latter, but it does posses eight Class 4 Fallen Adventurers. The main purpose of this trip is to take those out and attempt to take out the Class 5. That''s where I come in. The Fallen Hunters are going to split into their two parties ¨C three Dark Knights and two Paladins each ¨C and work on the Class 3 Fallen Adventurers. I''m going to handle some of the Class 1''s while they''re doing that. They''re weaker, but still tough, but shouldn''t be as hard as the others. Killing them will raise my Fallen Hunter Subclass, which will make me more effective. Then, I''ll take on another weaker Class 2 before meeting up with some of the Fallen Hunters to work on the rest of the Class 2''s. Once all of the Class 1''s, 2''s, and 3''s are taken out, the Class 4''s will be tackled by all of us. Apparently, Fallen Hunter isn''t like others where there''s a limit to how many can fight the monster and earn a Level Up. Normally, they require either a solo kill or a kill with no more than five fighters. But Fallen Hunter attributes anyone who helped in the fight to kill it, which means that all eleven of us will acquire the Levels. Well, okay, I will acquire the Levels. They all have the Subclass Mastered already. I won''t be able to Master it by the time we leave here, but that doesn''t matter. It''ll be ¨C hopefully ¨C Level 10 or higher when we go to face off against the Class 5 Fallen Adventurer. The reason I come into play for this is because of my Ascended Status and my gear. I''m the most powerful Adventurer in the Boundary when combining my high stats with my gear forged of some of the rarest of resources. When Jackson finishes my latest request, it''ll be pretty much impossible for anyone to exceed my gear, too. But what I''ve got now should be fine. Mixing my stats, my gear, and Fallen Hunter together will make me a powerful foe. Then there''s the matter of using Demon Form. It''s at Level 2 right now, but if I bump it up to Level 3, or even Level 4, before fighting the Class 5, then with the buffs from the Paladins, we might be able to kill it. It would be the first time anyone has ever killed a Class 5 Fallen Adventurer. The boost to their stats is just too great of a difference. Theoretically, it should be impossible until several Ascensions to take on strong Fallen Adventurers, since they supposedly receive a boost of ten times to their stats, but the Fallen Hunters think it''s different.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. They think that''s only the boost to Vitality and Wisdom. Anything at Class 4 or above would have thousands in each stat, otherwise. They still receive massive boosts, just not ten times to everything. Looking at the Fallen Hunters, I realize that everyone here would be a Class 5 Fallen Adventurer. They''re all Level 150 or higher with at least two Level 40-plus Classes. There are no known Class 6, but anyone over Level 175 would probably turn into one if not cremated in the seventy-two hours. Or Resurrected. What would I be, if I died? Or Nathan? Or Nik? Or the rest of their team of Level 200-plus adventurers? Shaking my head, I return to the focus of today. The Fallen Adventurers, and where they''re located on the map. I''m matching up with Kayla''s team, which consists of her, Eric, Sam, Liam, and Louise. They''re only going to step in if I''m in serious danger, though I tell them to not heal me unless I''m about to die from an attack, not just because my Health is low. "We know," Louise laughs. "Zack, we fight with Dark Knights. We know about Dark Vengeance. Unlike most healers and Paladins, you''ll find that we''re adept and knowing the difference between planned low Health and actual rescue needed." "For your six Dark Knights," I point out. "I''m an outside factor. And a quick thing ¨C when I take on Demon Form, my stats increase. This means my Maximum Health does as well. You healing me won''t steal my Experience, so if you guys can, I''d appreciate being healed as soon as I take on Demon Form. It''ll last for two minutes, but it''d take me nearly three minutes to reach that, and Dark Vengeance only works with damage taken. If I can get up to full Health in Demon Form and my Health drops low, that''s an extra sixteen hundred damage I can deal with it." "We''ll do that," she says. "What happens if Demon Form ends and your Health is above your actual maximum?" "My Health drops over time until it reaches the maximum," I answer. "At the rate of half of my regeneration of it. I usually just hurt myself to speed it up. I feel weird as fuck until it''s back to the actual limit." I also bleed a lot from injuries inflicted. And I don''t just mean Bleed, but actual blood, as if my body''s containing way too much and needing to get rid of it. And then I feel faint after because of the blood loss. It''s not fun. "Okay," Kayla says. "What are the areas outlined in green?" "Those are where Bounty Beasts are," I answer. "I''ve marked down what type of beast they are, as you can see ¨C they''re species and Class. This is based on observations from both Nik and me, so it should be accurate." "And the black regions?" She touches the four black-outlined areas. "Don''t enter them," I say. "At any cost. Those are Bounty Beasts that are probably as powerful as ¨C if not more so ¨C than a Class 5 Fallen Adventurer. Nik and Jesse attempted to take on the one here," I tap the spot around the Dark Temple. "And barely survived." "Nik and Jesse?" Liam asks. "Two of the strongest Dark Knights in the Boundary could barely survive against it?" "Fuck," Kayla mutters. "So it''s Jesse!" I exclaim, earning confused looks from the Paladins. "The Dark Order''s been hiding from me who the ''secret'' Dark Knight was, since there''s been one around I didn''t know the identity of! I''m amazed that Jesse''s a Dark Knight, though. I thought he was rogue all the way." "He was a Dark Knight first," Kayla tells me. "Considering that Nik and Jesse ¨C by themselves ¨C once wounded a Class 5 and got away with minimal injuries, it probably is best if we stay out of the black zones." "I have a question," Fredrick looks at me, and I raise an eyebrow. "You said that part of why you want to get rid of the tough foes here is so you can train your team here?" "Yeah," I nod. "Bounty Beasts aren''t constricted to the zones they''re in," he says. "They just usually stay in them. What will happen if your team comes across-" "Unlike other Bounty Beasts," I say. "These four don''t actually leave their zones. When the Shadow of Life had all of the Bounty Beasts and Fallen Adventurers move underground so I couldn''t farm them without risking my life ¨C which he knows I don''t do except in extreme situations ¨C those four stayed. I tried provoking the Goblin Giant into chasing me, but it gave up when I reached the edge of the zone. For some reason, they won''t leave them. So as long as my team listens to me and stays out of those zones, there''d be no issue." "Two of them," Kayla taps the zone for A''Lutar and for the Goblin Shaman''s black zone. "Are spellcasters." "I didn''t dare go against A''Lutar," I say. "The Chieftain at the Dark Temple. The Goblin Shaman seemed to lose interest in attempting to attack you if you pass this zone here." I tap on the pale blue line around his black zone, which creates a zone around twenty yards thick all the way around his zone. "I know his spells can hit further," I say. "As he cast a fireball at me when I was here," I tap a spot in the blue zone. "And it hit a building here," I tap a spot outside of the blue zone. "And he was here," I tap a spot in the black zone. "I think his spells can reach up to fifty yards? I''m not sure, though, I didn''t want to test it too hard. I actually went into his zone by accident¡­ anyway, they seem to have an ''interest'' range." It''s weird. Bounty Beasts aren''t restricted to certain zones ¨C unless certain levels of power then binds them into it? But Fallen Adventurers will live their zones, too, they just usually stay where they died. That''s why I''m a bit confused by these four. Are they guarding something? The altar itself is guarded by the Class 5 Fallen Adventurer ¨C he''s the only one of them who won''t leave the plaza. The others will wander the area around it. The plan to deal with the half-dozen guarding it involves luring them out and taking them on one at a time. Most of them are Class 4, with three Class 3''s as well. It''s the most dangerous zone here, and is marked with a dotted line of red and black to indicate this. "What''s the plan with the Bounty Beasts?" Nicholas asks. "We''re leaving most alone," I say. "Only the ones with stars in their zones are getting eliminated. When I''m with my team, I''ll help them kill the others, for the large amounts of Experience they''d get." Kayla stares at me for a few moments, then snorts. "And I take it you''re taking out a few Bounty Beasts while we''re here, too?" "Fuck yeah!" I exclaim. "I''m not letting you do all the work! Talorn is mine!" The Fallen Hunters start laughing, and I realize how childish that probably was. Who cares? I''m a child! "Let''s go kick some Fallen Ass!" Chapter 0079 Chapter Seventy-Nine. (Zack) Our team comes across a Class 3 first, as it walks down the street several hundred yards away. Immediately, I scale a building as they prepare for combat, and I sneak around on the roofs to move closer as they do. I don''t draw too close, though, in case their fight spreads out. That might be dangerous. As they sneak towards the Fallen Adventurer, keeping to the shadows of buildings and moving silently, I find a high vantage point, then strip off my chest armor and tunic, sending them into my Inventory. I''m already wearing Zack''s Blood. Luca and Braden aren''t observant enough to notice that I was wearing something different, so I felt it alright to wear it today rather than changing once I split with the twins. With those in my Inventory, I shift my sword to my hip. It''s not as comfortable for me, but I don''t like having it strapped across my back and chest without a tunic on and it''ll be in the way of the wings if worn on my back, which is the reason for removing my tunic and chest armor in the first place. The quintet reaches the Fallen Adventurer, Kayla using a Binding Darkness on it before Sam and Eric charge forward, Liam and Louise casting buffs on the Dark Knights, whose swords clash against the Barrier erected by the Fallen Adventurer. It''s dressed like a warrior, completely with armor and a sword, much like the first one I fought. Looks like this one had a magical Class as well. Kayla''s Binding Darkness suddenly shifts, a tentacle lifting up and moving into its mouth. "Thirty-eight seconds!" She calls out. Is that how long it''ll take for- Something''s moving around here, and it sounds humanoid. Goblin? No, it''s larger. Goblin Giant? Shrinking down into the corner I''ve wedged myself in, I slow my heart and breathing. Looks like the nearby Class 1 decided to move out of its usual zone, it''s a few blocks from the border. This one''s a spellcaster, though I don''t think it came from a Class. Nik said that Fallen Adventurers seem to be able to learn things, even if they don''t grow stronger. Nearly all Fallen Adventurers have a small set of Skills, even if they had none when they died. It shuffles around the street for several minutes, and I keep my eyes closed, focusing on what I can hear and feel while tuning out the battle from the Fallen Hunters. Does it know I''m here? I could''ve sworn I was concealing myself. Maybe I should''ve used Conceal? Nearly ten minutes pass before the Fallen Adventurer shuffles away, and as soon as I''m sure I''m clear, I let out a sigh of relief. That was close. Slowly, I stand as I open my eyes, fixing my gaze in the direction of the fight. They''re on a roof not far from me, Kayla blocking an attack with her sword as the other two Dark Knights move in. All three of them have blood on them, but their Health is back to full, so I''m guess the Paladins had to do some emergency healing from the roof they''re standing on. Suddenly, Kayla pushes with her sword, causing the Fallen Adventurer''s blade to shift away from her, and she spins, her sword turning into a glow as it enters her Inventory. What''s she doing? As she swings back around, a new sword appears in her hands, the glow fading just before it connects with the Fallen Adventurer''s sword from above. That¡­ was so fucking cool. She sent her first sword into her Inventory so she could change her grip quickly in combat while also changing her stance, and pulled out another sword at the same time. That is so fucking cool. Her new sword even cut into the other''s one''s blade a bit. As the Fallen Adventurer attempts to recover, Eric and Sam run it through with their blades and a pair of golden missiles of magic pierce into its head, the Paladins throwing around some holy attacks. The Fallen freezes up, then crumbles away, much like the one I''d fought did. I guess that''s a normal thing for them. The five of them then start looking around, searching, and after a few seconds, I realize they''re searching for me. Carefully, I move off the roof, and they spot me as I move from roof to roof to reach them. "Where were you?" Kayla asks. "On the building over there," I gesture to my hiding spot. "I was mostly concealed, though I think I got detected for a few minutes." "By what?" She asks. "The Class 1 we''re going for next," I answer. "It may have come off to investigate the fight? But it didn''t participate, so¡­ I dunno." "Why''d you take off your armor?" Sam asks. "What happens if you manifest your wings without taking off your tunic and armor?" I ask. "The tunic likely rips up," he answers. "And the armor generally either breaks off or breaks the wings ¨C usually both ¨C from what I''ve heard." "My Demon Form has wings," I say. "And I''d rather not have them break, especially since, unlike Demon Wings, they manifest and unmanifest automatically, rather than by choice. Which means I won''t be able to keep them out until they heal from the breaks, and I don''t want to test to see if they''ll still be broken when I switch back." "That''s logical," Kayla says.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "By the way," I say. "I think the Class 1 Fallen Adventurer we were going to next decided to investigate the sounds of battle." "Why?" She asks. "Something sounding like a person moving around," I tell her. "Was here while you guys were fighting. I hid myself while they passed, but I''m pretty sure it''s the Class 1. It favors spells, though that shouldn''t be an issue for me." "Why not?" Louise asks. "All of his armor is forged with a little Spook Ore by a Master Blacksmith," Kayla explains. "And a touch of Primordial Essence, allowing the full property to be drawn out. His armor draws magic into it and dissipates it, which is useless when you''re bare-chested." "My sword has that, too," I tap the weapon on my hip. "And once we approach the thing, I''m going Demon Form to bolster myself. I''ve killed a Class 1 before, and that was without Demon Form. With it, I should both have an easier time and gain more Experience." I think part of the reason I''m gaining an abysmal amount of Experience is because most of my killing? Has been done without using Demon Form, which is really my only Demon-specific Skill right now. Well, there is that one, but it''ll take awhile to Level it, and I''m pretty sure it takes more than just having it active to acquire Experience. I could always try for Demonic Aura, but that one induces a bloodlust into everyone in its range, and I''m not sure I''d want to risk getting these guys involved in that. I mean, they''d probably be safe since it only affects those with a lower Willpower than a certain percent of my own, but that''s kind of irrelevant. I just don''t want to try using it in a new situation, and certainly not against a Fallen Adventurer, not without knowing its full effects from experience. "You ready to go after it?" Kayla asks, and I nod. "Alright, let''s track it down." "I''ll sniff the way." They laugh, but we head off in the direction the Fallen Adventurer had traveled. All of us can smell it ¨C our Perceptions are high enough, after all. It only takes us around five minutes to find the thing, which is hanging around an alley. Probably intentionally. "We''ll make sure nothing interferes," Kayla tells me. "Do you want to challenge it in the alley?" "It''s not ideal," I shrug. "But I can handle it. We''ll probably end up out of the alley, anyway." "Are you sure?" She asks. "The alley will make it harder to avoid spells." I stare at her. "Kayla, I''m not just a kid," I remind her. "I''m a Dark Knight with combat experience and a decent Level. I know I can jump over the spells." "Are you going to?" "Probably not," I shrug. "I''m going in." I walk over to the alley and began walking down it, the Fallen Adventurer turning to face me. He''s pale, like all Fallen Adventurers, and his eyes are just as black as the others'', though this one''s hair is a matted brown, and he''s dressed in a tattered tunic and pair of pants. Barefoot. There are a few wounds on his body, all of them trickling a steady stream of darkness that dissipates once it falls off of him. "Demon Form," I trigger the Skill, feeling my body change, the wings extending out of my back. "Magic Bolt," the Fallen Adventurer lifts a hand, a bolt of blue magic flying at me, slamming into my chest.
-7 Health!
Damn, that hurt! Not! I lunge forward as it throws several more Magic Bolts at me, and draw my sword when I''m about to reach it. The Fallen Adventurer erects a barrier, which my blade cuts through, slicing through the front of its tunic and sending a spray of darkness into the air. "Acid Blood," the Fallen Adventurer taps its chest, then flings its hand forward, throwing that darkness at me. I jump, flapping with my wings, which barely fit into the alley. I''m not sure how powerful that attack is, but I''d rather not risk getting struck by it. The ''blood'' actually retains form as it flies out, and starts to eat away at the stones of the alley and the buildings around it. The Fallen Adventurer looks up at me, and I soar down, swiping at it with my sword. This time, it casts three Barriers while jumping backwards. My blade, naturally, cuts through it ¨C they''re magic, after all, and my sword neutralizes magic. It does miss the Fallen Adventurer, though. As soon as I land, I lunge forward, my sword cutting into the Fallen Adventurer''s side. I slice upwards as it casts several Fireballs at me, which impact against my torso as it howls in pain. They barely do more damage than the Magic Bolts, so it''s not that bad. The light burns heal as I spin to reorient myself, then I thrust forward again as it attempts to stop me with a mix of Magic Bolts and Fireballs. Unfortunately for it, my blade passing through its neck is the final straw for its third life, and the Fallen Adventurer crumbles into dust. I sheathe my sword, then grin. That fight net me nine percent of the Experience needed for Demon Level 2. Depending on how things go, I might reach the second Tier of Demon here. Demon Form is still active, since the fight took less than a minute, and I exit the alley and look around. The Fallen Hunters are gathering up, staring at me. "You look kind of intimidating," Sam says. "I know, right?" I grin. "I see a few weaker beasties, give me just a second, and I''ll be back. I have only another minute before this ends." I flap my wings, taking off into the sky, and soar towards the group of Goblins that came to investigate the sound of fighting. They start running, but they''re too slow. When I reach them, I rip through the things as if their bodies are made of clay that''s still soft, tearing them to pieces. Eager to get as much Demon Experience as possible, I charge down a street branching off of this one to kill a Goblin Chieftain. It''s only a regular one, so punching through its barriers and ripping its head off of its shoulders is relatively easy. Well, the latter part does take some effort for me, but it''s not much. I then butcher the goblins with it and move on to some Goblin Knights walking down the street, ripping through their armor and pulling out their hearts while sending them flying. My Demon Form fades, and I swiftly draw my sword and cut off the last goblins'' heads, then look at the Fallen Hunters, who are looking at me cautiously. "Does going into Demon Form make you stupid?" Kayla asks. "No," I huff, flicking my sword so the blood slides off faster, then sheathe it. "I didn''t go stupid, Kayla. Using Demon-related Skills is pretty much the only way for me to actually gain Experience for this Class, and I wasn''t going to let my Demon Form only get half-used." "And if you''d run into a stronger Fallen Adventurer?" She asks. "The only Fallen Adventurers near us right now," I say. "Unless one''s moved here, are Class 1 Fallen Adventurers. I knew you guys were following me and would step in if I were in danger. There are no Bounty Beasts near here that I can''t handle outside of Demon Form, and all regular monsters in Talorn are easy for me outside of it. And before you say ''you don''t know that'', consider my stats and Level. Then consider the reason I was able to Ascend was because Alexander had an army of over a thousand Goblins attack me. Attack me while I was alone. I slaughtered them, the only one giving me any trouble being the one that could create zombie goblins." I guess I went on a bit of a rant there? It''s not like they know I try to assess situations and act only if I''m sure of survival. Only in accidents, unexpected situations, and scenarios where I''m saving someone else do I typically find myself with any real danger to me. "That wasn''t stupidity," I tell the Fallen Hunters. "That was just me being me. Now, I''ve got about nine more minutes before my Mana''s restored enough to take on Demon Form again. I''ll wait a couple of more minutes past that before going after the next Fallen Adventurer, just in case I need to use Skills for it." Chapter 0080 Chapter Eighty. (Luca) I''m so happy that we''re not so far apart. Braden and I can''t actually hang out, but since we''re both here for lunch, we''re eating lunch together. He''s sitting by me, devouring his food while grumbling about how mean the scary guy is. I can tell he''s happy to be with me again, though. It felt so weird, being separated from him. Like part of me was missing. After we finish eating the sandwiches prepared for lunch, Travis has me follow him around as he talks with others. I''m not comfortable being separated from Braden again, but at least I know he''s nearby. A few hours of stuff I can''t understand later, Travis takes me off the flat area. He explains that they did, indeed, use magicians to level off the area. Now, we''re on the curved slope down, and my feet are unsteady. I keep sliding around, and right now, we''re just walking. At least, until my legs give out. The scary guy carries me a lot because I''m not that strong. I mean, I''m strong, but not that strong. If that makes sense? My body gets tired easily. "Are you alright?" Travis asks, and I nod. I just need to rest for a bit. "I suppose this is as good a spot as any. Not as far from the town as I was hoping, but this will work." For what? Travis holds up a hand, aiming somewhere in the distance. "Holy Arrow," he says. An arrow of light appears in his hand. It''s just the shaft and the pointed tip, none of the feathers on the end, but it''s there. The arrow flies off into the distance, disappearing into the crater. "Holy Arrow," he sits next to me. "Is one of the few offensive Skills for Priests. Yes, you can learn many of the regular combat Skills, but since most pure Priests focus on support, they usually don''t. In addition, this is one of the rare Skills that are locked into a Class ¨C only those of the line of Priest can learn it." Why do Priests have the ability to learn an attack Skill? "It''s costly," he says. "But it''s also more potent than a regular, basic spell Skill. Your brother''s Wind Spike is weaker at base as a result. However, the spell only affects creatures weak to the light, such as undead and Fallen Adventurers. According to Zack, you have nearly 200 Mana, is that correct?" I have 190 Mana, so that''s correct. "The Skill costs 100 Mana," Travis tells me. "Try to visualize a bolt of light, imbued with the power of holiness. Draw on your connection to your center, to the Crystals." I don''t really know how to do that, but I do know I''ve got a holy power. I use it while snuggling Braden, because he gets all bruised up during the scary guy''s training. It''s a golden glow around me, but there''s no Skill that accompanies it. But I''m pretty sure it''s holy, and it heals Braden, slowly. I imagine that light as I hold up my hands, willing the light to form and shape into the Holy Arrow. It takes me several minutes, but I manage to make the glow form around my hands, and it then spreads out between my palms, taking on the form of the arrow of golden light.
New Skill!
Holy Arrow Active
Fire an arrow of holy light at the target; only affects things weak to light.
Damage: 20% of combined Intellect and Willpower per Level of this Skill
Cost: 100 Mana
It launches as soon as I will it to, which I did because if I remember correctly from the scary guy''s lessons with Braden, spells dissipate if they aren''t used immediately or constantly fueled with magic. The arrow travels a few feet before fading away. "Good job," Travis ruffles my hair, startling me. "That was an odd way of doing it, I''ve never seen a glow like that before, not for this." Yeah, I noticed you didn''t have that glow, too. Maybe I just have a holy glow? That''s cool. I have something the scary guy doesn''t have, I''m sure of it. There''s no way he''s got holy anything. And he can''t even learn this Skill, since it''s locked to Priests and he''s not one, even if he can learn Skills he shouldn''t be able to because of what Classes he does have. "Once you have regenerated enough Mana to cast it again," Travis tells me. "Cast it again. Keep doing that every time you''re at 100 Mana. Constantly draining your Mana is one way of increasing your Wisdom, and thus, your amount of Mana. At 250 Mana, there''s another Skill that will be useful. I want you to try to get to at least 500 Mana before I teach it to you. If you don''t manage that by the time we''re getting ready to leave but you''re at the necessary amount of Mana, I''ll teach it to you, okay?" I use Holy Arrow again. This time, there''s no glow around my hands, the arrow just forms and shoots off. That''s probably because I used the Skill to cast it. "Alright," Travis says. "I want you to practice that until you''re exhausted, okay? I know it''s mindless, but can you do that for me?" I lean my staff against my shoulder and wait for my Mana to regenerate. If the other Skill he''s going to teach me will help me help my brother, then I want to learn it. I''ll exhaust myself if that''s what it takes. Maybe I''ll do it for the scary guy, too.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I exhaust myself casting the spell, which I know because the next thing I know, I wake up in my hammock at the camp, staring into the face of a boy with a collar around his neck. He''s my age, and is wearing just a loincloth, and he¡­ Is that a tail? It''s like a monkey''s. He has sun-tanned skin and sandy-blond hair, his tail the same color as his hair. Other than that, he looks like a normal person. He''s really dirty, and has a few bruises on him. As soon as I look him in his brown eyes, he stands and quickly leaves the room, moving swiftly. Did I imagine that? A few minutes later, Travis enters the tent, asking me how I feel. Okay, I guess. Just a bit exhausted, but I think I''m fine. I guess I was practicing too hard. But hey, my Wisdom went up by two! So that''s good! Travis takes me out, and I realize it''s already past sundown. He leads me over to the dinner tables, where only a few people are left. I don''t see monkey-boy anywhere. Did I hallucinate that? The scary guy hasn''t mentioned any monkey-people to us.
(Zack) The second Fallen Adventurer I''m to face here wears some light armor. It won''t really be a problem for me, since my sword can cut right through it. The only thing I have some worry about is its strength, since this was clearly a knight. That, and Louise apparently knew him in life, judging by the gasp she just let out. I''d have put him around seventeen in life. "You knew him?" I ask. "Yes," she answers. "He was the son of a friend of mine, before the fall of Talorn. He''d yet to take on Squire because he wanted to work on increasing his Stats without a Class, first." Not an uncommon thing, apparently, for those freshly thirteen, freshly able to acquire full Access. I don''t understand the logic behind it, but there''s apparently a little bit. Whatever, that doesn''t really matter. "So his skill comes from actual training?" I ask. "From before he died?" "Correct," she nods. "He might be closer to a Class 2 Fallen Adventurer than a Class 1, though without having had a Class, he won''t have retained as much of his ability with the sword." I don''t think that really matters, here¡­ "Well, that''s okay!" I say. "I''ll kill him anyway! Time to go in! Demon Form!" I feel my body shift, and I give myself the two-minute countdown before taking off with a burst of speed. The Fallen Adventurer was facing off to the side, walking, but as I draw near, he swiftly turns, bringing his sword up to block mine. Our blades clash as he strikes the flat of mine, and his strength is enough to push mine back. Bastard. You should''ve let the edge of my sword cut through yours, rather than deflect my blade on the flat. I let myself grow furious at that, allowing my Rage to increase my Strength. My next attack isn''t blocked so easily. Snarling at the Fallen Adventurer as he blocks my sword again, I send it back into my Inventory, resulting in me falling forward as I pull out my Zack''s Blood knife, swiftly cutting through the bastard''s sword. Doesn''t look like this fucker has Counterstrike. I send my knife back into my Inventory as I reach forward and rip through his armor, though he manages to lunge back, my claws dripping with his black blood, which dissipates into nothing after only a few moments. By that point, however, I''m already moving again. With my Rage-fueled Demon Form, the Fallen Adventurer and I seem to be around the same Strength, but I''m just a little bit faster. I grab his left arm with my right hand and push against his body with my left, letting my rage power my might as I pull and push, his arm ripping off. It starts to dissolve away as the thing howls in pain, its blood of darkness fading as it leaks out. As the thing howls, I swiftly step behind it and thrust both hands through its chest, ripping out its heart and acquiring my Experience. This one was too easy. But I need to get a little more practice in before I fight a Class 2 again. A few goblins came to investigate the brief sound of combat, so I slaughter them, then spot some Chocolate Slimes and kill the trio, before promptly biting into one of the chocolates I got as a reward. This stuff is delicious. "That''s terrifying," Sam says. "Chocolate Slimes?" I ask. "What, you''re scared of chocolate, Sam?" "No," he answers. "The fact that a demonic-looking thing is just cheerfully eating chocolate. That is what''s terrifying." "I still have around a minute before it''s over," I shrug. "And you guys freaked out when I just went on a rampage. Plus, there''s a Class 3 that lives right over there, and according to the goblins, he''s on his way and is planning on ripping us to shreds." "What do you mean, ''according to the goblins''?" Eric asks. "I mean," I point at one of the corpses, a rather well-fed goblin. "Chunky Green Guy cackled as he said that before I ripped his heart out." "You can¡­ understand the goblins?" Liam asked. "Ooooh!" I exclaim as I remember something. "Right, you guys weren''t around for that. Like, all of the natives to Maelnor already know I can understand the beasties. Word kind of went around about how I knew where the Spook Master would be. Pretty fast, too. I''m pretty sure Jesse intentionally let it leak out, since he and Bryce were the only ones who knew." "Who?" Liam asks. "My brother," I answer as my form reverts. I pull my sword out of my Inventory, cutting through the air a few times, before spinning and throwing it through the air. "Who was killed by the bastard you''re planning to kill in Kaelmar in a few days." Tch. My sword only got the thing in the shoulder. Oh, well. Zack''s Blood has a powerful Bleed effect. "Guess there''s no easy Experience there," I shrug as the Class 3 Fallen Adventurer lands, snarling as he starts to pull my sword out of his shoulder. It''s a knight, based on its rusty equipment. "Might want to avoid that sword, guys, I had it blessed by a god so that it damages the unliving just by touch, and anyone crazy enough to fight Fallen Adventurers can''t possibly be alive." "What?" They ask in unison. The Fallen Adventurer''s grip on my sword, then howls, ripping my sword out and tossing it to the side. "Tag, you''re it!" I jump back and let them attack the thing as I retrieve my sword, flicking it a few times to quicken the stuff sliding off of it. With my sword safely back in its sheath, I jump up onto a building. Yeah, totally knew the thing would git rid of the weapon as soon as it heard me. With the wound bleeding abnormally, it would assume I was being honest, even if its undead brain was able to determine I was only teasing the hunters. I watch as they work as a team once more. The Paladins provide support and ranged attacks, while the Dark Knights attack up-close. The Paladins use those golden missiles again. What makes them special as opposed to a regular Magic Missile? Those things are using up more Mana than a Magic Missile should. Some sort of anti-Fallen spell? A few times, I watch as a shimmering golden barrier is summoned to stop an attack from the Fallen Adventurer. They only seem to summon those when the thing is going to pass through ¨C its weapon is unaffected by it, and the Dark Knights pass through them easily, too. The Fallen Adventurer seems to burn in contact with the barriers, jumping back almost as soon as it comes into contact with one. After almost ten minutes, they slay the thing. I wish I could be more helpful, but I nearly gave that thing a powerful weapon that would''ve caused the team to be slaughtered. Just a little more to my Fallen Adventurer Level, just a few more Levels, and I shouldn''t be so useless against the stronger ones. Not for the first time, I wish I''d thought a bit more decisively when picking my next Class. If I''d taken on a Rank 1 Class, I could''ve probably already been Level 10 twice over by now. Sighing, I sit on the roof as I dismiss the notice that Fallen Hunter went up a Level. I can''t change the past, only work towards reaching Level 25 Demon so that I can take on something that will boost my stats faster. Chapter 0081 (Zack) After evicting some monsters, the team and I made camp in one of the abandoned buildings. I proudly show the Paladins that I can use the purification rune, which does impress them. It''s not limited to Class, so what''s impressing them is the fact that I, a kid with little training in runic magic, could perform it. It''s a really basic rune, and my father is literally existence itself. Being able to perform it that quickly did not surprise me. And now that we have fresh water here, the adults are making dinner, a nice, hearty stew that''s going to need an hour or two to cook. "Hey, Liam," I plop myself onto the bench next to him. He, Kayla, and Louise are playing poker. "During the fights today, you guys used these golden missiles and barriers." I killed two more Class 1''s before the day ended, and they took care of a few as well, along with three Class 2''s and another Class 3. Damn, these guys are awesome. "Arrows," he corrects. "Those were arrows." "Yeah, yeah, whatever," I say. "How come you used those? Your Mana was going down a lot more than normal ¨C are you unable to use-" "No," he shakes his head. "Those spells are holy spells, which means they do extra damage to unholy things, such as Fallen Adventurers. We have a more powerful version of Holy Arrow as well, though we''ll use that against the stronger ones, it''s most costly, and has a stunning effect." "Oh, cool," I say, then look at Kayla. "That''s a neat trick with your swords, how you swap them out in battle." "I noticed you mimic it a couple of times," she smiles, and I grin at her. "Items take just over a second to send in or pull out of the Inventory, so part of it requires a lot of timing, or a move might be off a bit. It''s useful for making an opponent stumble when blades are crossed. If our Inventories were like your special one, where it''s instant, there''d be less of an issue with that." "Yeah, but you do it better," I shrug. "I nearly got skewered on that last Class 1." "Your timing was off," she told me. "It''ll come with practice." "Speaking of practice," I say. "Can we? I want to try some stuff." "Go out in the street," Eric and Sam say in unison. "And several blocks away," Louise adds. "Sure," Kayla answers. She and I go across the street, so that we aren''t too far. After clearing out the monsters from here, we face each other in the yard. "Any rules or limitations?" She asks. "No spell Skills," I say. "Nothing overwhelmingly powerful. I want to improve my combat abilities, not get a raw beatdown. My stats are only lowers than yours by a small margin, and only because of my lack of time to raise them." That, and her higher base stats, resulting in some decent increases for a few of them. I''m betting that Health of hers probably comes from a naturally-high Vitality. "Alright," she says. "And don''t do any weapon-shifts," I tell her. "Most things I fight won''t do that." "Alright!" She laughs. I sheathe Zack''s Blood and draw my Spook Sword. It''s more of the power level hers is at, so there''s not as much risk to damaging her weapon. I might accidentally cut through her sword with Zack''s Blood. As soon as we''re ready, Kayla charges at me, forcing me onto the defensive. I manage to block every attack, though she manages to make me to move back or to the side every few strikes, causing us to do a sort of dance around the courtyard. My arms start to feel tired and heavy, like they''re filled with lead. This is no doubt a result of resisting such strong attacks for so long, I''m not used to being pushed like this, apart from my training with Nik, and our fight''s starting to go longer than practice sparring sessions with him. No matter what I do, I can''t find a way to switch to the offensive, and I even end up using my knife with one hand for extra defense. Until a thought fills me. It''s one I wanted to try out in secret, but never found the opportunity to. Not yet, anyway¡­ But maybe here¡­ I let Zack''s Blood, the knife, return to my Inventory as I throw out my hand while she''s coming back for another swing. A few dozen marbles fly out of my Inventory, scattering around as they bounce off of her or fly past her. Kayla''s left slightly confused and stunned, her blade hesitating for a moment, and I jump back, careful to look down to make sure I land safely. She takes a step forward as I land, and I push forward with my feet, using Dash to fly at her as I swing my sword.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Our blades clash together and Kayla stumbles back, slipping on a marble. I take advantage of that moment to disarm her, her sword dropping to the ground, and she quickly recovers, using the fall to her advantage as I send her sword flying. Her other hand grabs my wrist, and she pulls me down with her, flipping me over and putting me into a lock as my sword flies across the yard as well. She has my arms pinned behind me back, holding me face-down on the ground from above, her mouth by my ear. "Marbles?" She asks. "And what happened to ''no weapon-shifts''?" "I said ''don''t do any''," I remind her. "Never said it was a limitation for both of us. Also, I''m still shirtless from earlier, and you''re pressing against my back." "I''m not into little kids," she tells me. My rage flares up. "That''s not what I was implying!" I snap. "And I''m not a little kid! Demon Form!" Kayla''s thrown off me by my wings spreading out from my back. I flip over and fly up to her as she twists to recover. "Barrier!" She calls out, landing on the shimmering Barrier that formed just as I catch up to her. "Whoa, Zack-" "No!" I soar forward, punching out with my fists. "I was just going to throw you with the shift, but you! Called! Me! Little!" My fist connects with her chest, throwing her backwards, and I fly behind her, kicking out with my foot, throwing her forwards. Then, I fly under her and kick her up, then above her and heel-drop her. When she lands on the ground, I fly down, grab her, and throw her. As I go after her again, the others jump in, helping her restrain me until my Demon Form ends. It reached Level 3 during my fourth Fallen Adventurer battle earlier, so I have a full three minutes of struggling against their buffed Strength and binds, minus what was spent throwing Kayla around. "Jeez," Kayla says as I sulk on the bench in the yard of the house we''re using for the night, a few minutes after my Demon Form ends. Her teammates quickly healed her once they ''calmed me down''. "I would''ve expected you to get angry over ''kid'', not ''little''." "I am a kid!" I snap. "And I am not short! I just haven''t had too many growth spurts yet!" Liam puts a bowl of stew in front of me, and I dig into it, using a piece of bread to sop up the juices. After dinner, I walk over to the other yard and start picking up the marbles, sending them back into my Inventory. While it only partially-worked against Kayla, I''m sure that against a monster, something like that would probably be a lot more useful. It''s not why I''ve been collecting the marbles, but still. Looking over at the Fallen Hunters, I notice them whispering to each other. If I bothered, I could listen in, but I decide not to, plopping myself down now that all of my marbles have been recovered and staring up at the night sky. How are the twins doing right now? What would Bryce and I be doing right now, if he were still here? Feeling tears starting to well up, I pull out a bottle of the Neburis White Wine from my Inventory and jump up onto the partially-collapsed roof of the house whose yard I''m in. Popping open the bottle, I take a nice swig of it. Are the Fates real? Are they trying to screw with me? I lose my brother before even finding out he''s my brother. My first-ever friend? Then Gold shows up. We become friends¡­ and then Aurum showed up. Gold now lives at the Dark Temple, but I know he still hangs out with Aurum, I can hear them yipping and yapping when they play around. Sometimes, I see Nathan smacking them with his staff when they''re getting too noisy at night. Then the twins showed up¡­ Luca and Braden. I hate the punk, but¡­ he wasn''t in my visions. Why? Why wasn''t he in my visions? To screw with me even more? Or¡­ is he going to leave, too? But why would he leave? Braden would never abandon Luca. Ever. He probably just forms his own team, separate from me. We don''t get along, so it would make sense. Once Luca trusts me more and they''re used to not being around each other, I can see that happening. So the brothers would still hang out, just like Gold and Aurum. If the Fates exist, they''re fucking with me. There''s no question of that, none at all. I''m being taunted over my brother''s death, as if it''s impossible for me to ever have a chance of being really happy. Hell, even in my visions, I wasn''t happy. I was serious, calm, whatever, but not happy. I didn''t look happy. My visions can go two ways: either they come true, or they don''t. But it''s only when I try to force a vision that there''s a chance it''s wrong. In all other cases, I have to do something drastic to stop them from coming true, to change the course of fate. Yeah, the Fates exist. And they hate me, because of my power. I''m sure of it. Why else would they make me suffer like this? The only reason I can think of is because I have the power to defy them, I have the power to change fate. To change how things are supposed to be. My father is literally existence itself. The Boundaries exist outside of time, created by another brother of mine. The Fates are within time, but our father is outside of it. That lets us see time in a different state. I''m nowhere near Big S in power or magical genius, but there''s enough there to piss off the Fates. To make them harass me. When I got to take another swig, I realize the bottle''s empty, then hurl it across the street. It smashes into another building, shattering. Someone lands beside me. Kayla. "It''s not good to get drunk at your age-" "Ever seen Nathan get drunk?" "Who?" She asks. "Nathan Normar, little healer, is on the most powerful team in the Boundary?" "Normar can''t get drunk," she says. "He''s a demigod with a high attunement to the Crystals." To his Sacred Crystal. For the same reason he can''t age, he''s immune to illness and thinkg like drunkenness. I still age, but I''m also immune to illness and drunkenness. Hell, I was before ever coming to the Boundary. I''ve never been sick, and my family was rich. My first taste of alcohol wasn''t here. Plus, I''d even stolen some beer in reality. It was disgusting. I didn''t like it. Didn''t stop me from trying to get drunk, but whatever. "Nathan''s not the only demigod around," I tell her. "You''re a demigod?" She asks. "How do you think I have my psychic visions?" I snort. "It''s a power from my father. I''d rather have brothers who aren''t attacked by Alexander, but that''s a different matter entirely." Tears are streaming down my cheeks, I realize. Bryce¡­ and Big S. Both of my brothers were attacked by the Shadow of Life. Big S sacrificed himself as a mere child to create a powerful seal over the traitor, while Bryce was turned into a Fallen Adventurer. "Is your father the reason you can lay on snow while bare-chested and not seem bothered at all?" Oh, right. There''s a layer of snow on this roof. Guess I should be shivering, shouldn''t I? "That probably comes from my attunement to my Sacred Crystal," I sit up, rubbing my eyes with my arm. "I''m going home." "What?" She gives me a stunned look. "I''m too depressed to think right," I tell her. "And it''s going to take me more than a night to get over this. I''ll only fuck things up for you guys. Just¡­ don''t go after the Class 5, okay? I can''t take more death among my friends and allies. Demon Form." Chapter 0082 Chapter Eighty-Two. (Zack) Using Demon Form, I was able to arrive home much faster than the normal¡­ however long it should take for me to have walked. Three minutes of quick flight, a bunch of minutes of recovering my Mana while running, then another three minutes of flight¡­ repeating that a few times, and I was home. Rather than stopping at home, though, I do my best to dry my eyes as I enter the Dark Temple, where I know Nik is hanging out before heading to the front. He wanted to be here when I returned I know. It doesn''t take me long to locate him, he''s in his room, dressed in black pajama pants. "Zack?" He asks when he opens his door. "What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be in Talorn? Why are your eyes red?" Instead of answering, I just break down crying, wrapping my arms around him. Why are the Fates teasing me? Why me? Why can''t it go after someone like Alexander? I''m not really sure what happens after I start sobbing into Nik, just that the next thing I know, I''m in my usual room in the Dark Temple, my arms wrapped around Kulkul, and someone else spooning me. I can smell Gold and it''s his breathing I''m hearing, so I''m pretty sure it''s him snuggling against me. His thoughts only confirm it. He wants to make sure I''m okay and happy. As soon as he notices I''m awake, his thoughts shift into happy things, like eating, cooking, and playing with Aurum. I know the message he''s trying to send me, though he''s mixing it up a bit. The feelings of happiness impressed with those images help a bit, too, though I can also sense his concern. "Can you let go of me now?" Kulkul asks, and I squeeze him even tighter. "Eeeek!" I let go of him, and he quickly leaves the room. I love that little demon bear. Once Kulkul''s been gone for a few minutes, I convince Gold to release me. He''s still worried that I''m really upset, and I kind of am. Thinking about him brings back why I returned early. As soon as I start thinking that, Gold senses it and starts worrying that he''s screwing up and being a bad boy. "You''re not a bad boy," I wriggle out of his grip, then sit up on the bed and scratch behind his ears. "I promise, Gold. I''m just¡­ there''s just¡­ a lot. Let''s go find Nik." He nods, then we explore the Dark Temple. It''s pretty empty, and we manage to locate Nik in the Altar Chamber. For some reason, Gold isn''t able to enter it, so I enter alone. Nik''s praying at the Dark Altar, though he stops once I draw near. "How are you feeling?" He asks, and I hesitate to answer. "Why did you come home early, crying, Zack?" Nik''s more of a father to me than my step-father ever was. Other than Gold and Aurum and the twins, he''s really the only person I trust and find comfort in. Well, I guess there''s Kylie, too, but that''s¡­ different. Coming to a decision, I tell Nik about what started going through my head last night. I leave out the part about Big S being my brother, but I guess I forget to reduce ''brothers'' down to ''brother'', because he asks what I mean by ''brothers'' when I say that mine were all attacked by Alexander. "Erm," I say. "Remember Big Flame''s story? About the nine boys attacked by the Shadow of Life, then sealed away by the last of them, who used their life forces to create a powerful seal on him, one connecting him to the Boundaries?" "Yes," Nik nodded, then frowned. "The ninth was another Child of Existence?" "According to Big S," I nod. "That''s two brothers that I know of, and both have been killed or nearly killed by the Shadow of Life. And he''s come after me, too¡­ but he''s failed to kill me. Every time. It''s like I''m meant to live, while my family isn''t. And then Gold and his brother show up, and the twins, and¡­ why? Why me, Nik? Resurrection won''t work this far out, and I''m not close to being able to learn it, anyway, ''cause I fucked up when picking my classes and went for Demon instead of Priest or Paladin! And now I''m being forced to deal with pairs of brothers, and-" It isn''t for us to question what the fate has in store for us, Big Flame speaks into my head, though I''m sure Nik can hear his voice, too. It is a powerful and mysterious force, Zack. It is not sentient, it is not conscious. It simply is. It does not have a plan for us, but rather, is nothing more than an idea. There is no outside force, Big Flame continues. That is putting these brothers near you, other than chance itself. You can call it fate if you wish, or destiny. It is simply how luck and chance work. You asked for Luca to be put with you, do not forget. We knew that Braden and Luca being separated would be a bad idea, so Braden came with him. Do not forget that, either, Zack. "But Gold and Aurum-" That was us, he says. We manipulated things so that Aurum would arrive in Maelnor, Zack, but only so that he arrived sooner than expected. His master would have come to the City before the battle anyway, but a word from Courage brought them sooner. "Courage?" Nik mutters. "Probably Big W." "Who?" He asks. "Light of Stone," I answer. That is correct, Big Flame says. You already have a nickname for him? "I tried talking to him," I say. "Therefore, he has a nickname. But, Big Flame, is it really just coincidence? Two pairs of brothers arrive at my home seems a lot more than just coincidence." It was, he says. There was no greater plan behind Braden being there, as you had asked for Luca. We had no plan for Aurum, other than to reunite him with his brother sooner to help cheer him up, and thus, you. "Me?" We knew how Gold''s mood affected you, Big Flame explains. And that if he cheered up, you would, too. Nik, why don''t you show Zack the mines? The Ilkamis Chambers would be a good place.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "Yes, Lord-Big Flame," Nik salutes with a fist to his chest, giving a bow. Big Flame doesn''t talk further, so Nik leads me to the dining hall, where we eat breakfast. I think over what Big Flame said. He seemed very serious this time, just like when he told us his own tale. Because of that, I trust his words. The Fates aren''t real, and it was just coincidence. But it''s still depressing. It''s like coincidence is throwing in my face about how I lost my brother. And I can''t shake a feeling that''s arisen about Braden. Why wasn''t he in any of my visions? I know that it''s Luca I see. And Braden didn''t return during my trip in reality. That doesn''t mean anything, though, considering one out of¡­ well, only two out of gajillions ever managed to reach Ascension from those who came from reality. A total of eighty-eight out of gajillions. One for every several gajillion. That just means he never made it to Level 250 in his life. But this bad feeling is running down my spine. After lunch, Nik asks me to take on my Demon Form while he''s holding one of those measuring tapes used for fabric and measuring the sizes of a person. The little fabric ones that are flexible. "Why?" I ask. "You want to compare wing sizes?" "No," he clears his throat. "Jackson asked me to when you returned. He said he and the other smith working on your armor want to test something, since you wear light armor that doesn''t actually cover much of your back." A rogue''s armor, mostly. I pull the breastplate for Zack''s Blood out of my Inventory and examine it. When worn, it covers my just my chest and a little underneath, not even reaching my diaphragm, though it does cover my back and shoulders a little bit. That''s for the front part. For the back part, it''s a couple of leather straps with a smaller piece of metal that cover the upper part of my back. Test something that requires measurements while I''m in my Demon Form? "You''re measuring where my wings are located, aren''t you?" I ask, and Nik nods. "Jackson wants to try forging armor I can wear that I can use while in my Demon Form." "It''s never been a thing before," Nik tells me. "Since wings are usually used for flight, not combat. They require Mana to maintain, and we generally want to spend that on Skills rather than flying out of reach. There are other ways to avoid an attack or gain an aerial advantage." "But since Demon Form gives me wings and is for combat," I finish for him. "Not having armor in it can be problematic. He wants to create a piece of armor that still gives me some protection." "Correct," Nik confirms. "And for that, we need to know where your wings are located on your back." I nod, then take on my Demon Form. Nik uses the measuring tape to first note my current sizes, then to measure the distance between my wings and each other, my sides, my shoulders, everything. When he finishes, he reviews the paper, then we walk to the front of the Dark Temple and wait for the form to end as I think about Big Flame''s words earlier. "Why does he want you to show me the mines?" I ask. "Big Flame, I mean." "Killing monsters cheers you up," Nik says. "And you''re still pretty obviously depressed. The caverns he mentioned have a tendency to fill with monsters quickly ¨C not respawns, they come from deeper within, though we''ve never actually figured out why ¨C we can''t go past the caverns." "Why not?" I ask. "Too many monsters?" "No," he laughs. "There are only around a couple hundred in one at a time. If you can take on a horde of Goblin Knights, including some Bounties and Elites, you can handle this. They consist of four caverns connected from the sides, each with a tunnel out the back leading into a larger cavern, the same one. The bigger cavern has another Kobold King in it. There can only be one King Monster at a time, but-" "What?" I ask. "Only one King Monster at a time? What do you mean by that? I thought it was just a powerful variation?" "It is," he says. "King Monsters¡­ there''s only one of each type of monster at a time. One Goblin King, one Kobold King, one Wolf King, one Slime King, and so on. They''re the most powerful of their species of monster. Demon Variants are much stronger versions of them." Demon Variants are-but why would they- "That''s why you guys went after it!" I realize. "There''s going to be a King Monster at the battle, won''t there?" "Yes," he nods. "In each battle for a City in my life, there were two absolute facts. The first was that a Dragon would show up and destroy the City Barrier, then leave. The second was that two King Monsters would show their faces." "Two?" I ask as my Demon Form fades away. "Yes," he nods. "Two. The Goblin King and the Wolf King. The former is a goblin almost forty feet in height, taller than any other. Slow, but powerful, capable of casting potent spells. The latter is a black wolf roughly fifteen feet in height. Swift, and able to meld into shadows while empowering other monsters with its howl." I pull on a tunic, but Nik stops me when I pull out my armor. "You''ll probably want to not put that on," he tells me. "Knowing you, you''ll just remove it at the mines so you can take on Demon Form for the Experience." I look at the armor, then nod. I definitely would. "Alright," I send it back. "So you guys wanted to see how you''d fare against the Demon Kobold King? But if there can only be one of each type-" "Demon variants are an exception," he tells me. "They''re classed as demonic monsters rather than monsters, allowing for a second King of that ''monster'' to exist. Problem is, they''re a lot more powerful than the regular version." "How come you wanted to test against him and not the one in these caverns?" "First," Nik says. "No one''s ever fought the Monster Kings at the battles and survived. They usually show up towards the end of the battle, and they''re only halfway through the horde. Anyone who fights them is exhausted. "Second," he continues. "It''s stronger than the Kobold King by a fair margin. The Wolf King and Goblin King work together, which makes it even more difficult to get a hit in." The tank and the rogue, a powerful combination. All they need is a healer, and they''re set. "Which means it''d give more practical experience for the big battle," I say, and Nik nods. "But you guys failed ¨C you nearly lost everyone. I still think you should''ve fought the Kobold King first." "The chamber it''s in," he says. "Isn''t an ideal place for a force of more than ten or fifteen soldiers, even if you manage to slaughter the kobolds with it. We expect to need at least twenty or twenty-five to kill it." "And since Demon Monsters are stronger," I conclude. "You thought around thirty-five to forty would be enough for the Demon Kobold King." "Correct," he says. "Thirty-five to forty of the Boundary''s strongest thousand Adventurers, with a lot of rest." And they lost. "But the loss," I remember. "That was because Fallen Adventurers showed up." "Exactly," he says. "Fallen Adventurers showed up, or we would have won. Should have won. Which means that, for the first time, there''s tangible hope at killing the leaders of the horde. We''re stronger than when Praevar fell, stronger than when we lost Talorn. All we need to do is separate the two Kings, and we''ll be set for sure, even after battling through the army of monsters and reaching them." "Leave that to me," I tell him. "What makes you think you can separate them?" "Nik," I say. "I am the most distracting fucker you know. Trust me, I''ll find a way to separate them. Without risk to my life. And I''m aiming to be a lot stronger, if possible, by the time the war comes. Strong enough that there isn''t another in the Boundary who can match my stats." "Alright," he ruffles my hair, and I pull away and fix it. "Let''s go drop your measurements off at Jackson''s, then I''ll fly us to the mines." We exit the Dark Temple, only to find the sigil on the ground glowing crimson. "Uh, Nik?" I ask. "Someone''s coming," he says. "The only ones we were expecting were tonight." A moment later, a pair of Dark Knights, a man and a woman, appear, surrounded by around twenty beastborn of varying ages and all four types. Monkey, wolf, dog, and cat. The monkeys are blond, and their tails match it, though it''s a sandy blond, not like the demigod healers'' white-blondness. The beastborn are dressed how beastborn normally are: either in a loincloth (with their chest wrapped if female) or nothing at all. "Huh," Nik says. "They''re early." "Uh, Nik," I say. "Does this have anything to do with your ''I have an idea'' in regards to the beastborn? That you said¡­ forever ago?" "Yeah," he answers. "It does." Chapter 0083 (Zack) "Kulkul," Nik summons his familiar. "Go fetch Gold, would you?" The demonic bear grumbles something about needing his beauty sleep before walking into the Dark Temple, and I look at the assorted beastborn. There are three monkeys, two cats, six wolves, and nine dogs. They''re all looking around in curiosity while giving Nik, the other two Dark Knights, and me nervous looks. But they all seem¡­ hopeful. Of something? Why did he bring a bunch of slaves here? Or¡­ wait. They''re not wearing the collars. And none of them have tan marks showing the signs of them in the past¡­ These were free beastborn. Nik''s idea was in reference to the free ones who were uneasy, who were potentially going to cause a rebellion. Before I know it, a familiar beastborn''s mind appears behind me, and a few moments later, Gold bursts out of the Dark Temple, nearly tackling me. Actually, he does, and I know it''s on purpose, too, because he sent me an impression and memory of him doing so about half a second before he did. Not ''thought about'', but sent me. He warned me he was going to. "Gold!" I groan, wrestling him off of me, looking into his happy eyes, a grin on his face. I can hear his tail swishing back and forth. "Why did you do that?" He giggles, sending me an image of the other beastborn here, and I quickly register their thoughts. Shock. Concern for Gold, but confusion at the fact that he''s not being beaten or something. "Alright, Gold," I shove him off of me, then stand up. "You''re looking fancy, aren''t you?" He''s dressed in a new tunic, red with some black trim, some black pants, and a black leather belt with red metal beaten into the form of a flame for the buckle. He''s still wearing that hat of his, though. He looks adorable in it, even if he''s trying to look more professional. My comment makes his chest swell with happiness, and he stands a little straighter, wagging his tail even more excitedly. "Sooooooooooooo, Nik," I look at the Dark Knight. "I take it you aren''t giving them all permission to enter the Dark Temple? And since they don''t have Access to the System, they can''t become Dark Knights." "Welcome," Nik steps forward, towards the beastborn, who all instinctively flinch back, a few doing their best to not show fear towards him. Gold steps up beside me and pokes me in the ribs with excitement. "Of all the beastborn, you were the ones who decided to see if our words were honest, the words we sent into your networks and hidey-holes. For that, I thank you." He did what? When? Why? What does this have to do with beastborn not having Access? That''s what we were talking about, how they were probably so resentful because of how they were treated partly because of their lack of Access. "A promise made is a promise kept," Nik says. "When given by a Dark Knight, and I promised a better life, to those who would entrust theirs to the Dark Order. The twenty of you chose to try your hands as being the servants of the Order." Servants? Wait, that means they''re¡­ working for us? But isn''t that just a paid, friendlier version of what they don''t want to do? What they hate? How do you expect that to work? The beastborn are all uneasy, and I can tell they aren''t too sure about their decision. The only reason they decided to trust it originally was because it came from Dark Knights, who were the only force who didn''t really do harsh treatment in the rare occasions a rare member of the Order had a beastborn slave. "As you can see," Nik gestures to Gold, whose tail is trying to start its own wind storm, his grin preparing to break his face. "Gold here is happy working for us. His brother, Aurum, works for a member of my team, and I''m sure you can ask Gold how much the two of them enjoy their new lives." Gold nods vigorously, and I can sense him already telling them about how much fun he has and how free he is. He''s telling them about living with me and how the Dark Knights treat him like a normal person, and how the town''s long-term residents are even starting to accept him. And how I killed a man to protect him. I don''t think Nik''s realized the beastborn aren''t paying all that much attention to him, especially after Gold says that. I start getting looks of curiosity at that. "We''ll feed you," Nik says. "Clothe you, and give you a place to stay. As you aren''t Dark Knights, and we aren''t going to give you permission to enter every few minutes, we''ll house you in the homes here. The Dark Order has bought up the surrounding buildings specially for all of you to stay in. Gold here acts as our chef and our main cleaner, so you won''t have to worry about that. "For the most part," Nik says as they catch my name from Gold, then all start looking at me. They recognize the name of ''Zack'', the kid Dark Knight. I''m apparently a hero to some of them? "Your jobs will be taking care of the homes we bought. We''ll supply you with the food you need to eat, and clothes as well. Occasionally, we''ll grant one of you permission to enter the Dark Temple, so that you can perform other duties. We''ll also call upon you as messengers and errand boys and girls." They''re not paying attention, Nik. Gold''s going into some pretty decent detail over how I protected him from the Nian, which is apparently what makes me a hero to them. Not me killing someone to protect him, but putting my life on the line to save his. A person who nearly died to protect a beastborn. That went around the beastborn underworld, and from what I''m catching, a few of them heard of me from slaves.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "In five years," Nik says. "The Crystal of the System will select one beastborn from all those who serve the Order, one who has proven himself loyal to the Crystals and an alley to their Adventurers, and he will grant them Access." In five years? Wait, has this been agreed upon already? When did Nik talk with Big S? Or did he talk with Big Flame, and Big Flame said ''yeah, say that, I''ll make sure System knows''. It''s probably the latter, since this has been since Big S went to sleep. "This will be a recurring thing," Nik said. "With possibility for more. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of power for him to do such a thing, or there would be a guarantee for more, and he''ll soon do it on another beastborn, much like he did Gold." I project to Gold, letting him know what Nik just said, and the other beastborn stare at me with wide eyes. I chuckle as Gold quickly tells them that I can communicate with them just fine. The gist of the reason he gives is ''because he''s awesome like that''. That''s not what he says, exactly, but that is the gist of it. "And-" Nik cuts off as he realizes the beastborn are paying attention to me and Gold. "Zack, what''s going on?" "Gold''s telling them how much fun it is to be a Dark Knight and have Access to the System." "¡­so why are they all staring at you?" "Because I''m awesome." "Here, Gold," I hold out my Spook Knife as some of the beastborn question whether or not he really has Access to the System. Gold giggles, then pulls out the knife I had forged for him. I send my knife back into my Inventory as Gold happily tells the others how I had it forged just for him as a celebration. Then, he slices a shallow wound in his arm, letting them watch as it heals rapidly, a benefit of having Access. "Gold," Nik clears his throat as the beastborn start to crowd around Gold to inspect his arm. "Did you make sure the homes were prepared?" Gold''s too occupied with telling them how his claws, when he uses them in battle, are even stronger, now. And something about being able to inflict Bleed with them. "Wait?" I ask Gold, who gives me a shy look. "You can do what with your claws?" He gives me a shy smile in response. "That''s pretty cool," I clap him on the back, then ruffle his hair through his hat. "I''m impressed, Gold." He puffs out his chest with pride, beaming at my compliment, something the other beastborn take heavy note of. "Nik asked if you had the homes prepared?" Gold''s eyes widen as he makes an ''O'' with his mouth, then takes off towards the homes, telling the others to follow, and they do. "What was that about?" Nik asks. "Gold told them they smell," I say. "And that the baths are amazing and proper, and they can use hot water. Did you talk with Big Flame about that?" "Yeah," he nods. "He said that he''d talk with the Crystal of the System, as that should be enough time for him to recover enough power to do it again. Most beastborn alive today will be dead before there are a dozen more granted Access, but if the theory that the children of beastborn with Access will have Access turns out true, then it won''t be an issue." "Because beastborn," I conclude. "Would realize that it pays to work for the Crystals and start doing so as word spreads, and they''d even start mating with those who have Access to ensure their children did, if possible." It would take many generations, but eventually, most or all beastborn would have Access, if the children of the ones who do end up with Access as well. "Yes," Nik nods. "The main concern is that it won''t be ''fast enough'' for some of the factions of beastborn, meaning a resistance or rebellion would happen anyway." "And that''s why you''ve decided to hire beastborn as servants," I say. "Feeding them, clothing them, and treating them like people." "Correct," he nods. "Rather than using beastborn as slaves, the Dark Order will treat them as servants, much as we would human servants. Those not within our employ will hear about it, and as word spreads, it''ll help calm some, even encourage more to work for the Dark Order." "Even if they later spread out to other bosses," I say. "It would help to relieve more of the tension, as they''d know they have allies among us." "Exactly," Nik says. "Now-" Gold comes running out of the house, butt-naked and soaking wet. He jumps up and down in front of me, his mind much too fast at the moment for me to make things out. "Gold," I say. "One, you forgot to wrap yourself with a towel, two, you''re thinking too fast for me to keep up." Gold shrugs, but slows his thoughts down. The shrug was for the towel comment. Once a beastborn, always a beastborn, in that respect. "Ah, okay," I pull out two decks of cards and hand them to him. "They''re not waterproof, though, so no playing them in the bath." He nods seriously, then runs back into the house. "What was that about?" Nik asks. "He wants to teach them numbers," I answer. "So he''s going to teach them how to play Go Fish." "Doesn''t he still have issues with a couple of numbers?" "They''ll get corrected," I chuckle. "He can count just fine, too, so I''m sure some of the older ones will catch on quickly after he shows them that each card has the corresponding number in icons as well. Come on, Nik, let''s go give Jackson that paper." Nik and I start walking, and I can sense that he''s feeling a little better about something. It isn''t until we''re almost to the more-populated part of Maelnor that I ask him about it. "You''re doing better than you were last night and when we first met this morning," he tells me. "For that, I''m happy, Zack." "I''m still depressed," I say. "I lost my brother before even finding out we were related, then I end up dealing with two more pairs of brothers. I know Big Flame said the Fates don''t exist, but still¡­" I shake my head. "Anyway," I say. "I guess there''s nothing I can do about it, and interacting with Gold usually cheers me up. Thanks, Nik." "You''re welcome," he says. "I''m willing to bet Big Flame is the reason they showed up sooner, he probably figured it''d help cheer you up, too." I most certainly did not tell them that there was no reason to delay until tonight and that the beastborn would get to see their hero sooner if they showed up then! "Hero?" Nik asks. "Big Flame, you just confirmed that you did." Did not! "Did too." Did not! "Did too!" Did not! "Did too!" Did not! "Did too!" "Children!" Nik explodes, causing Big Flame and I to laugh as the Dark Knight blushes. "Sorry, Lord-Big Flame. I-" That was funny! Big Flame giggles before his presence fades from our minds. "Don''t be so uptight with him," I tell Nik. "Remember, he''s a lot more flexible than others. Haven''t you learned that in your seventy centuries? "You know how old I am," he smacks me in the back of the head. "What did he mean by ''their hero''? I know he was talking about you." "The Nian," I say, and he understands immediately. "That apparently got to beastborn elsewhere." "I wonder how?" He asks. "Not many knew about it, and I doubt Gold would''ve told other beastborn in town? Unless he''s interacted with them without us realizing, but-" "He probably has," I shrug. "It was why they were all staring at me. He seemed to get into that incident pretty fast. Come on, let''s turn in the measurements, then you can show me the Chambers of Endless Monsters." Chapter 0084 (Zack) Praevar is just as big as the other two Cities I''ve been in, as expected, though some of its buildings are in better condition, mostly towards the back of it. There''s a gap around a hundred feet between the City''s southern gate and the entrance to the mines, and there''s where the encampment is set up. Dozens of sturdy tents and wooden buildings, erected to act as the homes of those who stay out here. Nik chose to take the Dark Temple path, then flew us the rest of the small distance. I got my first look at kobolds as we flew over the Fallen City. I mean, I saw them in some of my visions, which were pretty realistic, but this is my first time seeing the doglike creatures for myself. Humanoid doglike creatures, and if I''m not mistaken, those are abs under that dark brown fur. They walk on their hind legs, just like in my vision, and while their feet are more doglike, even if extended like a person''s foot, their hands are pretty human-like, able to grip weapons. Covered in fur and tipped with short claws, but still roughly humanoid. The beasts give us curious looks as we fly over, and a few even try throwing rocks at us, but nothing comes close, Nik''s flying too high. An arrow does make it closer, and I''m impressed by their aim. Then again, goblins have decent aim, too, if it''s a Goblin Archer. Nik lands at the entrance to the mines, talking with a few of the guards there about random stuff while introducing me. I haven''t seen most of these Adventurers before, but it feels¡­ empty. Like there are people missing. Now that I think about it, so did Maelnor. "Nik?" "Yeah?" "Where is everyone?" I ask, and he gives me a curious look. "There are more tents here than people, and you told me that there are usually around forty people in the camp itself at all times. I''ve only seen and sensed around half of that. And Maelnor had a lot less people than it should''ve. Where''s everyone going?" "We decided," he tells me. "That it would be better to have more there than less." "Where?" I ask before realizing. "Kaelmar. Most of Maelnor is going to Kaelmar." "Correct," he nods. "After your ''three-day period'' ends and the twins come back to Maelnor, there won''t be a single combatant over Level 150 in the city, save for you. The rest of us will be heading to Kaelmar." "In other words," I say. "You guys are confident you can at least hurt the thing." "Correct," he says. "Despite how weak you were, you were able to injure the Shadow of Life''s avatar according to Big Flame. With our greater strength, decent weapons, powerful weapons, and buffs, we should be able to manage to deal some pretty devastating attacks. The more of us there, the easier it should be. They''re practicing a few drills already; we''ll attack in rotations, no individual attacking more than five minutes at a time so they can rest and recover." "Got it," I say. That sounds like a decent plan. Not only will it keep shifting the fighting style the avatar is fighting, but it gives everyone time to recover before their next attack. They could probably draw the battle out a long time, especially with hundreds of high-powered Adventurers. Especially with the ones wielding gear forged with Primordial Essence. I didn''t ask Jackson about that, about how many had some, how much more had been used. There was something like five or so left after the initial run, if I remember correctly. Has he used them up? He didn''t mention it, if so. Wait a second¡­ Just how much more powerful are Alexander''s avatars than the Demon King Kobold? They''re sending hundreds after it. Or are they just being careful, since the Fallen City of Kaelmar is filled with Corrupted Monsters and Fallen Adventurers as well? That would make sense. If forty-ish failed against the Demon Kobold King and a bunch of Fallen Adventurers, then they''d definitely want to have as much power in their attacking force as possible. It''s possible only half of them are going after the avatar, while the other half are keeping the enemies at bay. "Come on," Nik gestures for me to follow, and I do. The walls of the mines have crystals hanging every few feet, illuminating it, and are moist as well. It''s¡­ actually a little unnerving. As we walk, I look around, watching the various tunnels, but no monsters come out. After almost an hour, I ask Nik about that, just as we are descending down a hole through a wooden platform. An elevator that uses gears and cranking to work. "The first level of the mines almost never has monsters," he explains. "They take around three days to spawn there, and we have a patrol regularly walking through to clear any that do. The second level takes around two days, and are much more vast. A day for the third level, and it continues to decrease until we get to where the Demon Kobold King lives." "Ah," I say. "That''s several floors down, right?" He nods. "How come it''s not, like, super-massive? It''s only marginally bigger than the Kobolds, compared to the Goblin King." Nik gives me a confused look. "The vision that warned me you were going to lose, remember?" "Right," he remembers. "We think it has to do with forming in the mines, same with the Kobold King. No doubt that had it lived outside of the mines, it''d been much, much larger." "Ah, okay," I say.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Nik leads me through the second Level, and we eventually reach a tunnel with four more branching off of it, which Nik tells me leads into the four chambers. He calls them by their proper names. I like my name for them better. "This one," he gestures to one of the four. "Leads into a chamber that houses nothing but kobolds ¨C no specialties. There''s sometimes Bounty Beast versions, and all of the kobolds are Level 10." "All of them?" I ask. "Even though they''re cleared out regularly?" "As I said," he says. "The monsters come from further within. We aren''t sure where or how. Anyway, while you can slaughter them, I want you to know some stuff about the kobolds, first." "Okay," I say. "They''re faster than goblins," he tells me. "With tougher hides and stronger senses. They also have a higher affinity for magic. They''re the next thing up from goblins, in essence." "Got it," I say. "They''re also just a little bit more intelligent," he tells me, and I nod. "And while there are only kobolds in these chambers here, the mines have both kobolds and goblins, as well as spiders and in some locations, bats." "Got it," I say. "Anything else I should know?" "This is the first chamber, coming from this way," he says. "The next one has Kobold Grunts, which wield crude clubs and axes. The next chamber after that has Kobold Warriors, who wield axes and shields, and sometimes swords. The one after that are the Kobold Mages, who wield magic. It takes around an hour before more come in from beyond." In other words, if I don''t clear it out within an hour, more of that variety will enter to replace those slain. "Got it," I say. "You coming to watch?" "Of course," he says as I remove my tunic. "Just in case the Kobold King decides he wants to come play." I nod, then send my tunic into my Inventory and walk down the tunnel it twists and turns a few times, and then we''re in a large chamber illuminated by the crystals that hang in the tunnels, only this time, they''re not cut, but raw, embedded in the walls. Among the three hundred or so kobolds, I don''t see a single weapon. They could have them, of course, but since Nik said this is a regular kobold things, I''m assuming it''s normal for them to not. The kobolds themselves stand around four feet in height, so just a little bit shorter than me, like most regular goblins. "Hi," I grin at the kobolds who are starting to make their way towards me. "Demon Form!" My body shifts, and I flap my wings before lunging forward. As usual, my hands easily pass through the hides of the monsters. I rip a path through them until I''m in the center, where I know I''m far enough from Nik that this won''t affect them. As I continue to rip through the kobolds, which fail to flee, I focus on my power, on learning this Skill unique to the Demon Class. Something tells me there''s more to these chambers than Nik let on. Will I need to use a Skill to make them flee? It''s not normal for weak monsters to continue to attack when they''re being slaughtered. Well, I guess in the battles for Cities, they are, but this isn''t one of those. I continue fighting until I reach 2,000 Mana, which the informational window about the Skill I want says is the cost to use it without the Skill. As soon as I reach that, I begin to attempt to unlock it. I only have around forty-five seconds before Demon Form is up, now. Reaching, I draw on my demonic side, the darkness within me, and unleash a bloodcurdling roar, feeling the power of demons radiating out of me. Immediately, the monsters around me go berserk as a notice appears in my vision.
New Skill!
Demonic Aura Active
Radiate with demonic power, affecting all within your range neither you nor of angelic power, sending them into a killing frenzy while empowering them. All effects are doubled while in Demon Form.
Range: 5 yards per Level of this Skill
Boost: +1% Strength, Speed per Level of this Skill
Kill Experience: 3% of the affected''s per Level of this Skill
Duration: 30 seconds per Level of this Skill
Cost: 2,000 Mana
Got it! And the information page didn''t mention that their kills while under its influence affected my own Experience! This is fucking awesome! Howling with delight, I let the kobolds near me battle each other, and I attack only the ones that attack me. My aura is awesome! I mean, I doubt these things killing each other gives me much Experience, since they''re weak and I need a ton, but still, it''s so awesome, watching them go inside and kill each other! They''re clawing at each other, punching each other, and biting each other! It''s so awesome to watch! As my aura fades away, just a few seconds before Demon Form ends, something catches my attention. Something that sends me into a fury. It''s nothing in here, nothing that anyone else would have noticed. But it makes my blood boil and rage rise to an unholy level. Nothing in here is going to live, and I am going to kill all of the other monsters in these chambers as well, then come back and kill more. I. Am. Pissed.
(Luca) Braden and I have some free time, so instead of practicing casting a spell to raise my Mana, we spar each other. Blaine and Travis are in some sort of war council right now, and we weren''t invited. We want to keep up with our training for the scary guy, because we know he''ll probably be upset if we don''t. I don''t want to spar, if I''m honest. I just want to curl up and nap right now. But Braden wants to keep up his training, and he told me that I should, too, because we won''t be around the scary guy forever, and I''ll need to defend myself. So I train with him, if only so that we can do that. Braden strikes at me with his staff again, and I block it, then try to strike him. "You''re not swinging with enough force," he tells me. "I''m bumping you a lot, Luca. Come on, swing with more force." But I don''t want to hurt you! I try to swing at him harder, and he easily pushes my staff away. He swings at me, and I block it, though his staff bumps my side anyway. We keep going like this, with Braden sometimes telling me to use more force in my swings. Then his staff strikes me in the cheek with a lot more force than he probably intended.
-1 Health!
"I''m sorry!" He exclaims, dropping his staff and rushing to right in front of me, grabbing my face and turning it so he can check the spot. "Does it hurt? I''m so sorry, Luca, I didn''t meant to hit you that hard!" I''m fine, Braden. It hurts a bit, but the pain''s already fading. He has tears in his eyes, I trust that he really didn''t mean to hurt me. I bet the scary guy would''ve hurt me on purpose, if he''d actually spar against me. But he refuses to, saying he doesn''t want to hurt me. He has no problem hurting Braden, saying it''s to build up his Vitality. I think he just wants to hurt Braden, to be honest. I mean, he won''t hurt me to build up my Vitality, so it''s still at minimum. Of course, the scary guy also seems really protective of me, like he doesn''t want me to get hurt. Maybe we can work on my Vitality while we''re separated? Chapter 0085 (Zack) "Morning, Zack," Nik greets me, and I give him a curious look. "Why did you come out to my house?" I ask suspiciously. "Have you calmed down?" After my rampage in the mines yesterday? Yeah, a bit. Level 10 Kobolds are nothing against me. According to Nik, they actually have higher Level caps further down. Those will give me more Experience, but for now, I''m waiting for Luca and Braden to return. It''ll probably be awhile before I return to the mines, especially since I need to train my team, especially the ones currently here. Travis and Blaine promised to bring them directly to me once they return from their individual training, and I''m holding them to that. "Zack?" Nik asks. "I''ve calmed down," I tell him. "A little." "What set you off?" He asks. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself, then¡­ you went berserk. I could tell you were in control, but still. What happened?" "It''s fine," I tell him, then give him a smile. "Don''t worry about it, Nik. I promise. I just¡­ got really mad, and there were lots of easy targets to take it out on around." And it net me four Levels and another Demon Form Level. Nik accepts that, then leaves, and I return to relaxing up here on the roof, up until I sense someone lying down next to me. "Are you really going to be invisible when you know I know you''re there?" I look at him, and Nathan appears in my view a moment later, laying the same way I am: hands behind his head, feet sticking straight down. "Hi, Nathan." He nods, staring up at the sky, and I return to staring at the sky. After a few minutes, I open up another bottle of wine, take a drink, and offer him some. Nathan takes a drink, then holds it. I take it from him a few minutes and take another drink. We repeat this, taking it from the other after a few minutes to take a drink, until the bottle''s empty. Then Nathan puts it into his Inventory. And the cork. I''m not sure why he does, but he does. A few more minutes pass after that, and I pull out one of the three boxes of candy canes I received from the Santa Boss''s sack. I place it on his stomach. "I don''t like candy canes," I tell him, and he chuckles. "You''re a healer, and a son of the god of healing and holy things. I was wondering¡­ if you had issues Leveling Priest, when you first took it on?" Nathan gives me a curious look, then nods. "Luca is, too," I tell him. "I find that¡­ weird. I''m pretty sure he was still at only two percent of the way to Level 2 when I left him with Travis, but logic said he should''ve had more. He''d been healing me all the time ever since he first learned Heal, and-" "Healing you?" Nathan asks. "Hey, you''re actually talking," I grin at him, and he blushes. "Yeah, he''s been healing me. I''ve been hurting myself so that he has someone to heal. He wants to heal his brother, but¡­ I want Braden to increase his Endurance and Vitality, and the latter won''t increase as much if Luca''s healing him." Nathan''s silent for a few moments. "It''s because he''s healing you that he''s taking so long." "What?" I sit up with a jolt, staring at Nathan in shock. He was completely honest. "What do you mean?" Nathan grabs the box of candy canes and sits up, inspecting the item for a few moments, before looking at me. "You''re too much more powerful than him," he says. "He needs to heal people closer to him in power and Health. Because he''s healing a tiny fraction of a percent of your maximum Health, it''s as if he''s failing." And because it''s like he''s failing in his healing, even though he''s not, it''s causing him to gain less Experience than he should. "So I should let him heal Braden?" I ask, and he shrugs. "But Braden''s a combatant, and he''ll be in more danger than Luca. He needs more Vitality." "Monsters target the healers," he tells me. "They would target Luca before Braden in a serious fight." "I''ll not let them," I shake my head. "I don''t want Luca to get hurt." If Luca gets hurt in front of me, my rampage yesterday would probably be considered calm. Gold¡­ and Bryce. Both were hurt in front of me, and both times, something serious went down. Something far more serious than just me slaughtering monsters. All I did was rip out their hearts or rip off their heads. I obliterated a horde. I shredded a powerful Adventurer. "He needs to heal people closer to him in power and Health," Nathan tells me, interrupting my dark, depressing thoughts about the past. "It will register as more successful, as he''s healing a higher percent of theirs and it''s comparable to his own. And Zack, better to hurt Luca yourself, than to let someone else hurt him, yes?" "But-" "If you hurt him, Zack," Nathan says. "You can control how he''s hurt while still helping him grow stronger. What if something happens, and he receives more damage than he has Health, all because you don''t want him to get hurt?"A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I cast my gaze down. He''s right, that could happen. I don''t want it to, and I refuse to accept the situation where it could, but¡­ he''s right. I need to build up Luca''s Endurance and Vitality, and the only way to do that is to hurt him. And if I want him to grow stronger as well, he needs to use his Heal on Braden, which would slow down Braden''s own growth in Vitality. That doesn''t make me happy. "Can''t I wait until the next member of my team shows up?" I ask. "Or¡­ or Gold? I''m sure Gold would happily let me hurt him if it meant helping Luca. They''re close in power and Health." "Does Braden trust you?" "No." "Do you think not allowing his brother to heal him helps with that?" No, it doesn''t. Not at all. But Braden needs to improve his Vitality, he needs to increase it. The way he is¡­ he''s rash, and even though he''s like me in a lot of respects, he''s not as careful, not as calculating with the risks. One day, he''s going to pick a fight with something that can do a lot of damage, and I want him prepared for that, at least Health-wise. Maybe I should¡­? No, I shouldn''t. It''s better for Luca. "Alright," I sigh. "But not immediately. In a week. I''ll see if Gold would be willing to act as healing practice for Luca. Or maybe Kylie? I mean, she''s definitely a bit stronger than him, but she''d be close enough, right?" Nathan sighs. "You really want Braden''s Vitality to increase, don''t you?" He asks. "Yeah." "Did you use the Stat Tokens?" "Yes." He shrugs, and I realize why. He was thinking I could''ve used them for Braden. That would be an additional 150 Health for him. "Oh," I say. "I used them to increase my Wisdom. I need a lot of Mana, since I have some pretty potent Skills, but they all have immense Mana requirements, comparatively." I sigh. I should''ve let Braden use them, but I didn''t think about that. Maybe I can alternate how I do it? Luca doesn''t heal him in the mornings, only the afternoons? That would still slow down Braden''s Vitality gains, though. Nathan thinks for several minutes, then sets the box of candy canes on his lap and pulls out a small wooden box, roughly the same size as the one with the candy canes in it. Then, he hands it to me. It looks like the ones with the candy canes, only the red and green coloration is faded. "Um, Nathan?" I ask, and he looks at me expectantly. I open the box and find a bunch of chocolate in it, the same kind of chocolate¡­ that the Chocolate Slimes drop. "Chocolate?" "I don''t like it," he says. "You eat chocolate, right?" "Yeah," I smile. "Thanks, Nathan." He nods, then we lie back down, setting our boxes on our stomachs. He puts the chocolate in an old box, rather than selling it? Or was he planning on selling it? It''s full now, so probably. The chocolate doesn''t seem bad, either, so has he been collecting it only since the start of their appearances? It''s only been a couple of days. Where did he go that he killed so many? "Zack," Nathan says after almost half an hour of silence. "Yes?" "I was in a place, in a Fallen City," he tells me. "And I found the full prophecy." "The full¡­ prophecy?" I remember as I ask about the prophecy that I first decided I''d be the child of, then realized I was the child of. "You know it?" "When a Child of Existence walks the Boundaries once more, "Defying death itself many times over, refusing to be claimed away, "The tides of war will change when trouble sires three; "When he first Ascends, then restores the power of the Cities, "And in the end, forges a new path and Class for others to use, "The Shadow of Life will fall soon after, his eternal life ended, "The brothers who died twice each possess the power to do the deed, "By realization or the blade, the darkness will be felled." He stops talking, leaving me to mull over that. The first half of the prophecy is only what shows the sign of the end of the war against Alexander, not a sign of who it is who will be the one to kill him. It references brothers who died twice. Does that mean someone like Luca and Braden? Together, they''ve died twice. Technically, Luca''s died twice, though so far in his life, he hasn''t, since he hasn''t reached the Ascension Trial yet. I''ve died twice, but so far, I''ve no brother who has. Big S is still alive, even if he ''died'', and Bryce is dead-dead. He''s not coming back ¨C he can''t come back. Resurrection won''t work if his soul''s passed on, and all Fallen Adventurers'' souls pass on once their bodies change. So who are the brothers who''ve each died twice? Or could it be my initial thought, and it''s a pair of brothers who''ve died twice when their deaths are combined ¨C like Luca and Braden? And what does it mean by ''by realization or the blade''? The blade seems pretty obvious ¨C he''s killed. But realization? Does that mean that Alexander may, by one of the brothers, find his way into reality, his goal realized? If that''s the case, then his darkness won''t shroud the Boundaries anymore, is that what it means? That can be a way of felling the darkness. The prophecy¡­ it''s pretty specific about what the sign is that the end of the war against Alexander is near, but it couldn''t be more helpful about who kills him? My mind travels to the part that shows the signs. So far, I''ve only met one of them. Nathan''s getting close to Level 250. He''ll reach it soon, I''m sure. It''s very possible he''ll manage it during the massive battle. He''s also probably studied the Enchanted Altars before. If his father were Existence, then I''d say it could possibly be him. But it specifically states a Child of Existence as the harbinger, as the sign. I''ve certainly defied death ¨C three times. First to come into the Boundary, again when Alexander tried to kill me and nearly succeeded, and again when I returned to the Boundary. That''s two parts of the sign. Now all I have to do is ''restore the power of the Cities'', which is obviously a reference to the Enchanted Altars, and to forge a new path and Class. I''ve an idea for that last one, but I can''t do it until I reach my second Ascension. The important thing is finding out who those brothers are. I know Big Flame would''ve told me if I had another brother around, so it can''t be me, and I don''t like unknowns, not when it comes to something so serious. If one brother will help Alexander achieve his goals, we need to ensure the other one succeeds in killing him. I try to exert my power of sight to see the truth, but it fails. I can''t see who the prophecy''s chosen ones are. There''s no sign, no indication. Does that mean they don''t exist yet? I''m a lot more powerful than I was before, this should be within my domain. Crunching catches my attention, and I look over to find Nathan with a candy-cane sticking out of his mouth. He''s looking at me with red cheeks. Several seconds pass, then he slowly resumes chewing, sucking the candy cane in a little more at a time with every bite. He doesn''t seem concerned by the prophecy, but I know he must be as well. Has he told his team yet? Or does he want to wait until there''s more information available? Sighing, I close my eyes and rest. Better to relax now and come back to this when there''s more information available. I can worry about it later, once we''re at the point of the turning of the tide. The full turning of the tide. Chapter 0086 (Luca) When Braden and I reach our home, the scary guy''s reading a really, really big book. It''s like he doesn''t even notice us. It''s not the one he''s usually making notes in and stuff, that one''s for Goblins. We only make it a few feet in before the scary guy is suddenly in front of us. No way he''s moving fast, he''s definitely teleporting. He looks extremely concerned, and his hands are all over me. "Are you okay?" They''re poking my cheeks. "What happened?" Now they''re feeling my ribs. "How did you get hurt?" How did he know about me getting hurt? Shouldn''t he know how if someone told him? "We were training," Braden crosses his arms. "How did you know Luca got hurt?" "Because his Health is at 20 instead of 10, dumbass," the scary guy snaps. "And since Novice doesn''t increase Health, that''s a clear sign that he''s been hurt, even if he''d managed to gain a Level, which he didn''t. And you weren''t supposed to train like that while you were gone." "Oh, like you wouldn''t have yelled at us for not keeping up with your training if we didn''t!" Braden snaps back. "I wouldn''t have!" The scary guy exclaims. "The whole purpose of the individual training was so that you two could do more with your Classes and learn new things! Not to keep up with the physical training that I have in addition to your Classes! Please tell me you at least learned something and trained with your magic!" "I killed two goblins," Braden puffs his chest out. "And I learned a new Skill! And Luca learned two more Skills!" "Really?" The scary guy gives me a curious look. "Has your Experience raised at all?" I look down, and I guess that''s all the answer he needs. Suddenly, I hear Braden yelping. "What was that for?" "Luca, heal Braden." I stare at the scary guy in shock. Why did he just tell me to heal my broth-did he stab my brother? With what looks like a basic training knife? "Heal him, before he heals naturally," the scary guy tells me, so I hold my hands over Braden''s wound and use Heal. "Good job. I found out that it''s perfectly normal for someone with your unique circumstances to take awhile to Level, Luca. However, I found out other information regarding your slow going. Healing me won''t actually do much for your Experience. From now on, you''ll use Heal on me to train your Mana in the mornings, and on Braden in the afternoons to try for Experience. Also, I''ll try to talk a friend into coming as well. The more people you''re healing who are closer to you, the easier it''ll be for you to start growing your Experience." I''m confused. "Did you learn anything?" Braden asks. "Or was this training not for you, too?" "It was," the scary says as his knife vanishes. The one in his hand, not the one on his hip. "My training got cut short, though." "Why?" Stop being a brat, Braden. He already doesn''t like you. "You can cut yours short, but we can''t cut ours short?" "I''m a Dark Knight," the scary guy states. "Training for us puts our lives on the line, and¡­ something happened that put my life in actual danger. Due to that, my training had to be cut short." I know he''s putting on a tough-guy act, but I can tell there''s something that''s making him sad. What happened? Did someone die? Why does talking about his life being in danger this time make him sad? "What is it, Aurum?" Huh? What does that mean? I''ve never heard ''aurum'' before, what''s that? I realize that the scary guy''s looking behind us, and turn to face¡­ a boy around the scary guy''s age, who has golden hair¡­ and golden dog ears and a fluffy, golden dog tail. He has blue eyes, and is dressed in blue and white, and is barefoot. He''s wearing a pair of white and blue gloves, and has a cool hat on his head. It has holes for his ears. He''s like the monkey boy I saw! Only he''s a dog boy instead! I wasn''t hallucinating! "You''re thinking too fast," the scary guy tells the dog boy. "I can''t understand you¡­ oh. Well, remind Nathan that you need to eat. Also, I''m pretty sure he''ll let you visit your brother, he''s a bit busy right now. Just¡­ stare longingly at the stove? That''s what Gold did, though it was more like intently, and because he was trying to figure out how he was supposed to cook without food. No, he just wanted to make breakfast. Anyway, I think Gold and them are¡­ cooking." The way the scary guy says that¡­ do I want to know what he means? The dog boy grins, then nods, pulls off his gloves, tucks them into his belt, then takes off, running on his hands and feet. "That''s Aurum," the scary guy tells us. "He lives across the street. I''m surprised he showed himself, he''s usually shy, just like his master, WHO NEEDS TO REMEMBER TO BUY FOOD FOR HIS SERVANT, ESPECIALLY BEFORE HE LEAVES TO GO HELP THE OTHERS WITH THE FIGHT IN KAELMAR!" Why did the scary guy raise his voice while staring down the street? "There we go," the scary guy says, then looks at us as we turn back to him. "You two can go take your baths, you stink. I''ll get started on dinner." "What¡­ was with his ears and tail?" Braden asks. "I haven''t seen someone like him before." I have. The monkey boy. "Aurum''s a beastborn," the scary guy tells us. "Of the dog variety. There are four types: dog, wolf, monkey, and cat. Other than Gold, Aurum''s brother, they don''t have Access to the System." "Why?" Braden asks. "It''s a long story," the scary guy answers. "And the reason Gold has Access is because I negotiated with Big S for him to be connected to it. He''s a Dark Knight, and he helps out here sometimes, so you''ll probably see him from time to time. He''s currently¡­ doing other stuff, so it might be awhile before you meet him." He''s a Dark Knight, too? Is he as scary as you, then? "Now go take a bath, you two," the scary guy makes a face. "You really do stink." Braden glares at him, but leads me to the bath. We strip down and scrub, then soak in the bath. Once we can smell the scary guy''s cooking, we get out and dry off, then quickly dress because it''s cold out here. We sit at the table just as the scary guy''s putting the food down. There''s a turkey, a salad, some rolls, what he calls a fruit pizza, and a pumpkin pie. The fruit pizza has some sort of chocolate sauce drizzled over it. After dinner, the scary guy has Braden and me play with marbles a bit while he does the dishes, then he makes Braden and me play Go Fish. I beat Braden five out of five games, then the scary guy collects our cards and sends us to bed. In the morning, the scary guy wakes us as usual, then runs us through our exercises. As usual, I get exhausted after a bit and need to rest. He doesn''t let Braden rest unless my brother really can''t continue, and the scary guy always knows when he''s lying about it, too. The scary guy is really, really scary. Everything feels like normal until lunchtime. We''re out in the fields with the scary guy killing all the Chocolate Slimes that spawn while we''re here while making Braden kill Level 2 and Level 3 Slimes. Braden is protesting, saying he''s a big boy and can handle goblins, that he managed to kill two of them, but the scary guy refuses, saying he won''t let Braden kill them until my brother''s at least Level 5. They argue a lot, but Braden does what the scary guy says anyway. Then, after lunch, the scary guy starts concentrating hard on something while staring up at the sky, his gaze distant¡­ then violet. His eyes turn purple. They''re only that way for a few moments, but when it fades¡­ he''s panicking. "Braden, Luca!" He says, suddenly holding the two of us.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Before we can protest, everything''s a blur. What''s going on? Are we under attack? The colors are changing, but I can''t really make it out. Within a couple of minutes, it all ends, and I find us at our home, Zack looking panicked. "You guys stay here," he drops us onto the ground. "Under no circumstances are you to leave the house! Stay here!" He turns and disappears. What¡­ what just happened? Why did he look so scared? "Who does he think he is?" Braden demands to know.
(Zack) I reach the Dark Temple in record time. There are a few weaker Dark Knights there, ones who don''t meet the Level 150 minimum for the battle in Kaelmar. I locate one of the guys. "You have wings, right?" I ask. "Yeah," he answers. "Why?" "Strip your tunic and summon them," I order. "Strap me to you with Binding Darkness so I don''t fidget myself off of you, then get flying! We need to get to Kaelmar! Now!" "What''s going on?" He asks. "NOW!" I yell, startling him and the other two Dark Knights in here. "Just¡­ we have to get going, okay?" He nods, then does as I say, the two of us heading outside before he uses Binding Darkness to strap me to him, the way Nik does. Not exactly the same, but I''m guess it''s his first time. I''d use Demon Form for that, but that''s costly in Mana for just a few minutes. He''ll fly slower than me, probably, but also be able to fly for longer without having to stop. We''ll reach Kaelmar faster this way. Within half an hour, we''re at Kaelmar''s ruined gate. The encampment is empty save the weaker adventurers who stayed behind and their beastborn slaves. The Dark Knight lands us just outside, though we can hear the sounds of battle going on within. I move my sword to my hip as I shed my chestplate and tunic. "What are you-" "Demon Form!" I trigger it, feeling my body shift. Immediately, I take off flying. It doesn''t take me long to find the scene of the battle. Over six hundred Adventurers, and they''re down to half. And I don''t just mean because of wounded, the Avatar has killed hundreds of them already. There are a few who are trying to create an opening so everyone else can escape, but the Avatar manages to get into their way, ripping through several of the shields, though a few manage to hold. "NATHAN! BUFF ME!" I yell.
Nathan Normar has Blessed you with the Blessing of the Crystal!
+200% to All Stats -20% to all damage taken
Duration: 1 minute 40 seconds
I use that extra speed to the fullest because the avatar immediately changes targets to me, leaping into the air. I twist out of the way, everything moving so much slower around me than I''m used to. I''m three times as fast as my normal use of Demon Form, which is already forty percent faster than my normal speed. The avatar soars past me, and I fly forward. It twists around, reaching out for me, and I grab its arm, throwing it. The avatar is as fast as I am currently. I swoop down, grateful my expectation worked. I have a little more than three minutes left in Demon Form, which went up a Level during my rampage yesterday. That should be enough time for them to evacuate. The avatar waits for my attack, and at the last moment, I twist, flying to the side. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" I yell. There isn''t a chance in hell I''m winning in this fight, something that''s confirmed when the avatar manages to grab my leg before I can evade it. The thing spins me around, slamming me into a building.
-374 Health
Yeah, I''m not beating this thing. But I''m definitely escaping. I let out a bellow, a Rage-fueled Roar of Darkness imbued with Intimidate. The avatar falters for a moment, and I kick its hand, freeing myself from its grip. It recovers quickly, and I fly out of its reach again. Some of the Adventurers are trying to recover bodies during my ''distraction'', but they''re not going to have enough time. "GIVE ME YOUR FUCKING MANA POTIONS AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! I''LL MANAGE TO ESCAPE! JUST TRUST ME!" I twist around, kicking the avatar as it claws my arm. No Blood Scar. He must have hit someone else with it, then. Unless he doesn''t need the restriction, or needs Alexander to be awake. I sense a familiar Sacred Crystal beside me, and Nathan shimmers into existence, holding out a bunch of Mana Potions. Either these are his, or he can steal from Inventories. "Thanks," I take them and send them into my Inventory. "Can you use Teleport?" He nods. "Mind sticking around longer?" He nods. "Thanks for that book," I tell him, and he nods. "You know the big spell?" His eyes light up as he realizes my plan, just in time for us to need to separate to avoid the avatar''s next leap. It''s focused on me, because I''m the biggest threat in the eyes of Alexander. In the eyes of its true self, the Shadow of Life. Above all of those Adventurers, I possess the ability to mark the beginning of Alexander''s end. My very existence can be a harbinger of the end of the war, and I already meet one of the three criteria necessary for the arrival of the two of who can bring about the end in favor or against. I play a game of chase with the avatar, which manages to wound me a few more times. Nathan rebuffs me when his Blessing is close to ending. How much Mana does that cost him? Is there a restriction on how many times he can use it? I didn''t have time to figure this out. When it''s nearly time for my Demon Form to end, I chug a bunch of Mana Potions, enough that I can cast it again almost immediately. The distraction''s working, almost everyone''s gone and the avatar hasn''t realized what Nathan''s doing. I could do it, too, since I remember the spell, but Nathan has a higher maximum Mana than me, which means he''ll recover it faster, even if he''s been using a ton for the battle. He''ll need less interruptions for Mana Potions as a result. "RAGING INFERNO!" Nathan suddenly hollers, and I soar straight up, grabbing onto him as the dozens of runes glowing in a ring around him turn from white to crimson. Then, they explode outwards and downwards, and the avatar roars in rage. Nathan accepts the three last Mana Potions I have from the collection he''d given me, then drains them. The avatar jumps at us, but it''s too late, Nathan''s already used Teleport, and we''re back in Maelnor, in Teleport Plaza. A lot of people gasp. Some of the others were teleported back as well, but I guess none are as frightening as someone who looks like a demon? Nathan pokes my stomach, and I swat his hand away. "I still have a few seconds left on that Blessing," I tell him. "That''s pretty powerful." He grins at me, then pokes me in the side again before realizing we''re surrounded by a lot of people and he''s shirtless so that he could fly around with his wings. His face turns crimson, then he vanishes from sight as he runs away. "Well, that happened," I shrug, then look at the crowd. "Give me another minute and a half, and this Skill will fade away." Then, I chase after Nathan, catching him at his house seconds after Demon Form ends. Boy do I stumble when that ends, my speed slowing back down to its norm. But I catch myself and reach him. "Nathan, we need to get back to the others." Next thing I know, I''m being lifted up into the air by a still-invisible healer. Fifteen minutes later, we reach the crater, where the others, the ones who fled on foot, are gathered. There are around two hundred of them, and several are arguing with the Dark Knights. Something about how we shouldn''t have trusted the obvious monster. "Hey!" I exclaim as Nathan sets me down. "I''m not a monster! I''m just a kid!" "That''s debatable," Nik sighs as he looks at me. "I thought we told you-" "Yeah, yeah," I roll my eyes. "You guys were getting your asses kicked, Nik. That thing was a lot more powerful than we expected. If it weren''t for Demon Form and Nathan''s Blessing, you guys would still be dying as it blocked off your escape." "What was that fire?" Nik asks. "We saw it a few minutes ago, it seemed to just erupt out of nowhere. Before we could fly high enough to investigate, it was gone." "Runic magic," I answer. "Nathan''s found some ancient texts on his journey further in, and one of them contained a spell called ''Raging Inferno''. He used his runes and a ton of Mana Potions to use it." "Why?" Someone asks. Looks like a regular knight. "What would that do?" "What was it you guys were trying to do?" I ask. "Back when I kept yelling at you to leave?" "Wait," he says. "That was you?" "You don''t know me yet, do you?" I ask. "The bodies," Nik says. "You guys incinerated them." "The avatar may have rescued some," I shrug. "But Raging Inferno will have destroyed most. I would''ve cast it myself, since I have a higher affinity for fire than Nathan, but the avatar wanted me dead more than anything. I''m still recovering my Health from its-thanks, Nathan. Anyway, there should be minimum Fallen Adventurers." "How did you know there were massive losses?" The knight from before asks. "How do we know you don''t work for the Shadow of Life?" "That fucker killed my brother and hit me with the Blood Scar," I growl at him. "There isn''t a chance in the Boundary that I''m going to ever work for him. I''ve never seen you before, how do we know you don''t work for him?" "Calm, Zack," Nik tells me. "You had a vision?" "I forced one," I pull my tunic out of my Inventory and pull it on. "To see how you guys were doing. Was planning on just watching from afar while training my team, but¡­ it became clear fast how underpowered you guys were when I saw him ripping someone''s head off. I knew that Demon Form would put me stronger than you guys without buffs, and that if I was able to get the same buffs or better, I''d probably be able to at least distract him long enough for you guys to flee." "And you expected Nathan would burn the bodies?" "I mean, I would''ve done it, too," I shrug. "It just would''ve taken me a lot more Mana Potions and damage. I barely even damaged that thing with Nathan''s buffs, which were actually a lot more potent than I''d expected. This was a failure, and the bastard''s probably going to be happy when he wakes up from his little nap. We just lost three hundred powerful Adventurers. If I remember correctly, there are only around a thousand total Adventurers that powerful. We just lost thirty percent of them." "Yeah," Nik''s expression turns grim. "Our attempt at potentially making things easier for us just crippled us. Badly." "Yeah," I nod. "I still claim Talorn as my training grounds, but Praevar and the mines are fine, and from what I''ve heard, the mines even have tougher monsters later on. I think it''s best if we start getting weaker people out here and training in those two places. With supervision, of course, so they don''t get in over their heads." "Will somebody tell me what''s going on?" The knight snaps. "Nik, why is he so arrogant he thinks he can interrupt the people the Crystals have literally sanctioned?" "I''ll handle him," Nik tells me. "Where''s Luca and Braden?" "Back home, if they listened," I tell him. "I''m going to head back with the shy munchkin who''s slowly sneaking away behind me, I just wanted to make sure you were okay and that you knew we''d taken care of all the bodies we could." "Thanks," Nik says. "Normar, we''ll need to talk about something later. War preparations that need changing due to this incident." Nathan''s standing right behind me now, still invisible, and I feel his arms around me, then we''re lifting up. "He says ''yeah, whatever''," I tell Nik. "See you later." Chapter 0087 (Zack) "Do you two want to see something really cool?" I ask the twins, who stare at me uneasily. They''re still a bit shocked by the sudden movement the other day, when I picked them up and ran home before taking off to the Dark Temple. Things have been quiet in Maelnor since that incident, word''s already returned about what happened. That, and most of the people out there. Meanwhile, I''ve kept the twins training out in the fields. They''re slowly getting better, though Braden''s still pretty hard-headed and he keeps insisting on fighting goblins. The more he does that, the more I want to delay him in it. If he goes against goblins eager to prove himself, he''s going to wind up in a bad spot. Plus, I want him to be at 500 Mana before even trying to kill a weak goblin. A Level 1 Goblin. He might manage to do some decent damage to one before running out of Mana, but I want him ready to actually kill one. At least we seem to be coming to an understanding, after our talk last night. Luca''s not aware of it, I don''t think, but Braden and I had a small discussion that I think is helping him to not hate me so much. I still won''t let him fight goblins, though, because I still don''t think he''s ready for it. That said, tonight, I''ve got a present for the twins, but before then, there''s other stuff I want to do, such as the something really cool I want to show them. "It''s nothing dangerous," I tell them. "You two just sit on some rocks and watch. Come on!" I lead them out of town through the southern gate. The river that flows through Maelnor exits a little to the west of the gate, flowing southwest into the lake, Lake Naelmar. Or Naelmar Lake. Can''t bother to remember which. We walk a little to the southwest, near to where a path connects the road from Maelnor to Kaelmar and the road from Maelnor to Praevar. Around a hundred yards from that road, only a few feet from the river that cuts it in two, is a cupid. A baby-like ''angel'' made of what looks like white marble, wearing nothing but rose petals around its waist. In one hand, he wields a bow made of thorns, an arrow with a crimson, heart-shaped tip already nocked. "This," I introduce the twins to the creature, which is looking at us with interest. "Is the Love Lord."
Love Lord Level 25
Health: 43,972 Mana: 78,931
"Go sit on those rocks over there," I gesture to the rocks as I draw my sword. It''s my Primordial Dark Sword, I doubt I''d need something potent to kill this thing, based on my track record and current stats. I''m not going to bother using my ''terrifying'' Skills, either. Stuff like Dark Vengeance would probably freak those two out. Plus, it requires me getting hurt a lot to really do anything, which I''d rather not do in front of my team. The twins move to the rocks and sit down, and I watch the Love Lord. It has two modes, and the bonus comes from moving it into the Chocolate Love Lord mode, which shouldn''t be too difficult. Based on my research, the Love Lord, like most Holiday Bosses, has a limited amount of attacks. The arrows are dangerous, and there are two types, and it''s not possible to know which they are until they hit. The first type induces a Bleed that lasts for ten minutes, draining one percent of the Adventurer''s current Health per minute during it. It can''t be cured, so they have to wait that out before it ends. The second arrow effect that is possible is a five-minute period of a drunken state. The latter can be resisted with a high enough Willpower, but one''s Endurance doesn''t work, even if it does against alcohol. In addition to the arrows, the Love Lord can summon roses and thorns while also shooting petals. The latter is typically used to obscure the vision of the Adventurers and affect their attacks. The former can be used to trip them up or bind them. The Love Lord also possesses the power of flight, which it''s using right now to float where it is, its wings flapping every few moments, though I doubt it actually needs to flap them. Finally, it can summon Chocolate Slimes and Wine Slimes. I''ve seen a few of the latter, though they haven''t dropped any wine for me. They come in red and white wines. The summoned slimes are at Level 5 when they manifest, and if there are twenty Level 5 Chocolate Slimes around, the Love Lord can draw them into it to turn into the Chocolate Love Lord. The problem is, it only summons one every three minutes. That means it will take a minimum of an hour to switch it into the Chocolate Love Lord form, but could also take three hours or more. Thankfully, the summoned slimes stay within a certain range of the Love Lord, so as long as no one tries to steal from me, everything should go well. Once it''s in the Chocolate Love Lord form, its Health and Mana are restored to full, and a third arrow is added to its arsenal: one that inflicts a Chocolate Curse. It''s a curse that creates a layer of extremely tough chocolate around the impact site, and is often used to target joints and anything touching the ground, to keep it from moving. Anyone afflicted by it is stuck there until it wears off twenty minutes later. When the curse wears off, it turns to liquid chocolate, which is still pretty thick and apparently pretty goopy.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The advanced form also has greater Endurance as well, meaning it takes less damage from attacks. Thankfully, I''m strong enough I could probably take it out easily. According to Nik, most Dark Knights at Level 150 or higher can solo the Love Lord or take it out in a team of five or less. Which might be why this one''s got an alternate form for the reward, rather than the five-or-less reward. Most people probably wouldn''t be patient enough to wait for it to summon twenty Chocolate Slimes, especially if it has to summon more because they or someone else killed them. Should I let Braden get half of the reward for this? It would be a decent boost to his stats I''m sure, since he''d do no damage to it. Coming to a decision, I sheathe my sword and pull a bag out of my Inventory and fill it with marbles, then walk over to the rocks, where the twins are watching me in confusion. "Braden," I hold out the bag. "Reach in there and pull out a single marble. If it''s the red marble, I''ll let you share in the kill." "Share in the kill?" He asks in confusion. "Holiday Bosses," I say. "Are a type of Special Monster, and as a result, they give bonus rewards for anyone who participated in the fight. Normally, I solo them, but I''m considering letting you share in the rewards and the Experience." He gives me an annoyed look. "You won''t just let me?" He asks. "It''ll help me get stronger!" "If you pull out the red marble," I tell him. "Then I''ll consider it a sign that you should get that bonus Experience. As it is, I don''t think you''re worthy of getting Experience you didn''t actually work for." "What will keep me from trying to get some?" He crosses his arms over his chest. Luca seems annoyed, based on his emotions, but it seems directed at his brother. This is the norm, when Braden''s being a brat. "I will," I answer. "Your magic doesn''t travel that far yet, so you''d need to get a lot closer. The moment I see you getting off the rock or preparing to cast a spell, I''ll interfere and plant your ass right back on the rocks. If you think I''m not serious, ask the guy who lost a hand when he tried stealing my reward. Now, draw a marble and see if you get part of the reward." Braden huffs, then reaches into the bag, feels around, then pulls out a marble. It''s blue. "You probably didn''t even put a red marble in there!" He exclaims, throwing the marble at me. I catch it and send it back into my Inventory. "I bet you just like harassing me!" Well, yeah, I do. I look at Luca, who''s bouncing impatiently, like he wants to draw a marble. "Sorry, Luca," I say. "But you won''t get to share." He reaches out for the bag, and I realize he just wants to give it a shot, so I hold the bag out. Luca reaches into the bag, his face tensing up in concentration, then he pulls out a marble, grinning. It''s a red one. "There were ten red ones in there," I tell Braden, then look at Luca, holding my hand out. "The marble, please." He hands it to me, and I send everything back into my Inventory as I look past the twins. "If you want to entertain yourselves," I say. "I left the Snow Slimes alive, as usual, and today''s a nice, chilly day with a decent amount of snow on the ground." "You''ve never let me attack the Snow Slimes," Braden pouts. "I bet you''re going to just-" "Tell you that you''re free to have a snowball fight with them?" I suggest. "The Snow Slimes aren''t hostile unless you attack, and they''re more than happy to let people participate in their snowball fights. They''re a rare type of monster in that respect. If you two want to watch me fight, you can, if you don''t, you can play with the Snow Slimes. "That said," I say. "Attacking the Wine Slimes that the Love Lord will summon won''t count as participating in the attack." "But you said-" "And now," I interrupt. "I''m saying that, once the Love Lord turns into the Chocolate Love Lord ¨C and yes, you''ll notice a difference since it''ll become brown ¨C you can attack the slimes it summons. They''ll be Level 1, and it will summon two of each type every minute." Switching into swarm tactics. According to Nik, it''s one way some powerful Adventurers help newer ones train. The stronger ones keep the Chocolate Love Lord busy while the weaker ones fight against the weak slimes that spawn every minute. "Now," I say. "You''ve seen me fight against the Chocolate Slimes before, but what you''ve seen is them just die. They do have attacks. Think of them like Stone Slimes. As for the Wine Slimes, you haven''t seen those because they don''t spawn in empty fields ¨C think of them like Water Slimes." "You want me to fight six at a time?" Braden asks. "No, moron," I say. "Just fight one or two at a time. You''re still Level 1, but battling multiple of these at a time should help boost you to Level 2. Depending on how much attitude you give, I''ll delay killing the Chocolate Love Lord until you''ve reached Level 3 or Level 4, even. Special-type monsters give more Experience than regular, but they''re tougher, too." "Won''t I run out of Mana fast?" He asks, and I look at Luca. The little healer then pulls a Mana Potion out of his Inventory, and Braden gives him a confused look. "I stocked him up earlier," I say. "While you were using the bathroom. He has twenty Mana Potions, and they''ll restore 100 Mana each. I''ve also given him nine Health Potions." It''s not like I''ll be using them anytime soon. Giving Luca the potions was a feat by itself. He was terrified almost shitless in the literal sense when I walked over to him while Braden was busy relieving himself, and it took me a solid minute to tell him that I was just giving him potions to give to Braden if his brother needed them today. "Now," I say. "If you can behave, you''ll get to acquire those Levels. If not, it''ll be back to the regular, hard training when we finish here. Understand?" "Yeah," Braden grumbles, and Luca sends the potion back into his Inventory. "What if I can''t kill them fast enough to-" "Have I let you be truly overwhelmed?" I ask. "Or have you always been able to handle what I let near you?" "I''ve always been able to handle it," he admits. "The same will happen here," I tell him. "I analyze. I calculate. I determine. Allowing you to fight special-type monsters, such as the Chocolate Slimes and Wine Slimes, will boost your Skills and Levels faster, but also result in you receiving less practical experience. That''s why I haven''t let you before." "But aren''t they stronger than other slimes, too?" He asks. "They are," I confirm. "So you''re going to be pushed a little harder, too. You can handle a Level 1 of these things, I''m sure. But you''d gain marginally more practical experience fighting them than you would a regular one. It''s essentially a form of power leveling. "What it results in," I continue. "Is you finding yourself stronger, but not having enough experience to tackle the challenges you think you can because of your strength. So I need you to swear, Braden, that you will not go off trying to kill something I haven''t given approval for after this, if I let you. Swear it, Braden, or your ass is staying on those rocks." "I swear it," he grumbles. "Good," I say, then draw my sword. "Keep that promise in mind, Braden. You''re a lot like me, only without the calculating aspect. If you go off on your own, there''s a very, very good chance that you will die. Now, it''s time to get this thing started." Chapter 0088 (Zack) I advance towards the Love Lord, which watches me, bow raised. Once I''m within fifty feet, it draws the bow and fires its arrow. I deflect it with my sword, sending the arrow crashing into the ground. Game''s begun. Slowly circling, I make sure the twins aren''t in its range of fire as it shoots off another arrow, which I deflect again. It fires off several more arrows, which I deflect easily, before it reaches out with one hand. Sensing the ground shift, I bolt to the side, just in time to avoid the rose thorns that broke through the ground, attempting to tangle me. The Love Lord shoots more arrows at me before trying with its vines again. It''s testing me. After three minutes pass, a glow appears, then a Level 5 Red Wine Slime drops onto the ground a few feet to the side of the Love Lord. I bolt forward, cutting through the slime''s core as I charge behind the Love Lord, which rapidly fires off several arrows, which I deflect as I read the notification.
+1 Red Wine!
Another thing about the monsters summoned by the Love Lord: they all drop rewards. I don''t know if the ones summoned by the Chocolate Love Lord drop a reward every kill, but the ones by the regular version do. The next slime summoned is a Chocolate Slime, as is the next, and the one after is another Red Wine Slime. We continue to play this dance, the Love Lord picking up speed with its attacks, doing its best to predict where I''ll be, even throwing petals to obscure my vision and attempt to overload my ability to track with my Perception. Almost two and a half hours pass before there are twenty Level 5 Chocolate Slimes here. Forty-eight total summons, with sixteen Red Wine Slimes and twelve White Wine Slimes. The Love Lord, once the twentieth Chocolate Slime is summoned, strikes a pose with its arms by its sides, head tilted back as if roaring, back arched just a little. Its eyes glow as the Chocolate Slimes it summoned bounce towards it, then circle it. They begin to glow as well, then suddenly suck into it. The white of the Love Lord turns to the rich, chocolaty brown of its summons'' treats, and it releases that pose. I deflect the first arrow, noting when it strikes into the ground that chocolate quickly spreads around. Considering that was aimed at my foot, I''m guessing it wanted to disable me immediately, prevent me from being able to move around as much. I wait until it summons more Slimes, and as soon as it does, I kill one of each type, then throw the others towards the rocks Braden and Luca are watching from. They jump, startled, then Braden immediately gets to work. I watch them as I continue my dance with the Love Lord. Judging by the attacks, he''s barely taking out 3 or 4 Health per hit. That''s going to drain him fast, since he can only cast seven Wind Spikes before running out of Mana, which isn''t actually enough to kill the things. Please, kid, use your brain and make sure to damage each with a Wind Spike before switching to your staff. He doesn''t, using up all of his Mana on one before striking at it with his staff. That thing needs replacing soon, the slimes'' ooze having done a number on it. I''ve got one being carved for him, though. When Braden runs out of Mana, Luca just smacks himself in the head, then after Braden manages to kill the first slime, throws his staff at his brother. Braden looks at it in confusion, then thanks the little healer before using it against the other two Slimes, before taking a Mana Potion from Luca. "Moron," Luca mutters, which I can hear due to my Perception. "What?" Braden asks. "Did you get any Experience?" "From the first one," Braden nods. "But I didn''t have enough Mana after it to-" Luca stares down his brother, who stops talking as he realizes what he did. "Oh," Braden blushes. "I should''ve hit all of them, so that Novice would get some Experience from each." "Duh!" Luca exclaims. I''ve already killed all of the second wave of the slimes, since Braden took more than a minute to kill them, and it''s almost time for the third. As soon as they''re summoned, I do the same as last time, and Braden thankfully uses Wind Spike on each of the slimes before killing them. When he finishes the fourth wave I send his way, I notice an increase in his Mana, though right now, it''s not enough to make much of a difference. Two more waves, and he manages to gain a Level. Take that, goblins! Two of them didn''t even put him to forty-percent Experience, and that''s with what he already had. Then again, these are probably tougher fights he''s having to deal with on his own, save for Luca using Heal on him between rounds. After acquiring another Level, Braden''s doing another two points of damage to the monsters, but only through the second monster of the seventh total round. Then, it jumps up another five points. Wind Spike went up a Level. I can see how happy he is at the sudden increase in damage. The more damage he does to them using magic, the more Experience his Class will acquire. By the time he''s used up all twenty of the Mana Potions, Braden''s reached Level 3, increased Wind Spike by two Levels, and increased his Intellect twice and Wisdom three times. I think he''s also increased his Willpower and Strength once each, and his Vitality went up another point as well. Now that he''s out of Mana Potions to use and has gained some decent Levels, I turn my attention fully to the Love Lord, before bursting through its petal storm, my sword cutting part of the way into the beast. I draw it out, then deliver another swift strike, ramming my sword through its chest before withdrawing it. Then, I cut off the arm holding the bow, then the other as it tries to catch the bow. I sheer off its wings, then behead it. Health means nothing when the head is severed, after all. I flick my sword a few times, then sheathe it as the corpse of the Holiday Boss fades away, two notifications in my vision.
Love Lord Slain!
+500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +5 Love Ingots, +5 Chocolate Boxes
Love Lord Slain in Chocolate Love Lord form!
+500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +15 Love Ingots, +15 Chocolate Boxes
I dismiss the notifications, then walk over to the twins. Luca returns to me all nine Health Potions, since Braden never needed them.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Congrats on your Levels," I clap Braden on his back. "But remember: this just means you can do more damage. It doesn''t mean you''re actually more capable." "What about you?" He asks. "Haven''t you only been here a few months? You''re already a badass." "I had skill already when arriving here in the Boundary," I shake my head. "That means I''d already trained with swords, knives, and martial arts before dying. I was a badass before the System. And there are things far beyond my ability to kill. Come on, let''s head back into town and celebrate your new Levels. Tomorrow, we''ll move on to Level 4 and Level 5 Slimes, and possibly even throw in some tougher ones, like Elite Slimes." Braden doesn''t look too pleased about that, but we head back to Maelnor. "How come no one else came to fight that thing?" Braden asks. "It drops special stuff, doesn''t it? You said that." "Yeah," I nod. "There were actually four spawned in the valley, and another in the pass on the other side of here. It''s a Holiday Boss, a special type of Special Boss monster. They appear for a specific day when they show up. The others going after them went to the other four in the area so that you two wouldn''t have to travel too far. Luca''s building up stamina, but he can''t travel that far without getting exhausted, and it would take hours to reach them, anyway." "Oh," Braden says. "What did it drop?" "Bonus Experience for a regular Class and a Sublcass, Love Ingots, and Chocolate Boxes." "What?" He looks confused. "Bonus Experience," I explain. "Can be used for any Class or Subclass someone chooses. Love Ingots are a type of smithing component ¨C like steel or gold or whatever. Chocolate Boxes are boxes filled with chocolate." "Oh," he says. "So you can use that Experience to advance yourself?" "Yes," I nod. "Normally, a team fights a Holiday Monster, so the amount given is split between all who participated, but since I solo''d it, I got the full amount. Unfortunately, using it all at once isn''t generally a good idea because of Power Jump. It''s a condition that knocks you out for awhile and occurs if you gain a ton of Levels in a short period of time. The lower your Level, the fewer needed in a short timeframe before you get knocked out. It''s not a fun experience." "You''ve felt it?" He asks. "I know people who have," I tell him as we reach the gates to the City. "Come on, I''m going to go sell some stuff to Jackson." The twins follow me through the mostly-empty streets. Everyone''s either out hunting the Love Lords or back in the mines, getting stronger. We reach Jackson''s forge, and I notice a woman I don''t recognize at the counter, dealing with the line. No Jackson. "Where''s Jackson?" I ask once it''s my turn. "Busy," she answers. "He''s smithing in the back. I''m handling all sales and-" "Tell him his favorite kid''s here," I tell her. "He''ll come out." "I handle all-" "You haven''t heard of this town''s resident child Dark Knight, have you?" "No," she answers. "And just because your father-" "My father," I say. "Has nothing to do with this. Now, either get Jackson, or I holler at the top of my lungs for Jackson. Trust me, I can shout pretty loud. It will let Jackson know his favorite kid''s here." "Sorry, kid," she says. "But-" "JACKSON!" I let my voice boom through the shop, startling the woman. I held it back so that my team wouldn''t wet themselves again, though a glance lets me know they were still affected by it a little. I turn back to the woman, who''s glaring me. "Just who do you-" "-think I am?" I finish her question for her. "I''m Zack Noruva, most powerful kid in the Boundary, resident kid Dark Knight, renamer of Big Flame, and the incarnation of hell itself. I''ve got lots of other titles and roles if you want. Just because I''m a kid doesn''t mean I''m not a badass super warrior. Plus, not all kids are kids. Ever heard of Nathan Normar?" "There are less than a dozen," she says. "Adventurers in the entire Boundary who have the appearance of children who are locked into that state, such as Normar himself. You do not match any of their descriptions, Zack." "That''s because I am a kid." "One who doesn''t have access to the System yet." "Ever heard of Appraisal Resistance?" I ask. "It''s a real Skill you know." "And you have it at Level 8?" "Yes," actually, Level 6. I never bothered working on it past that because most don''t have past Level 5 Appraisal. "Now, Jackson''s almost to the door to figure out why I''m yelling his name. You''re about to find him interacting with his favorite kid. And you''ll get scolded, too." Jackson enters through the back door, giving me an amused look. "She wouldn''t call you for me," I tell him. "So I decided to call you myself. I have some stuff to sell, and wanted to check on the status of the essences." "Twenty?" He asks. "Yeah," I nod. "They sell for twenty gold apiece," he informs me. "So that''s four diamonds. I''ll grab that while grabbing the payment for the essences. All of the remaining ones are going to be used. As per our last set of negotiations, you''ll receive a thousand each, minus the three thousand for your various commissions." "Okay," I say. "Also, I''m selling all of my Turkey Ingots to you, so that''s another four diamond, minus the forty from the two I already sold you." "Got it," he says. "And the essences?" "How much of that was lost during the battle?" "None," he answers. "Either everyone who already had theirs survived thanks to you and Normar, or I hadn''t made it yet, apart from two sets whose owners survived." "Okay," I say. "And you think there are more worthy of something like this?" "Yes," he answers. "The Fallen Hunters are all asking for commissions with it, as are many of the Dark Knights." "Okay," I say. "Yeah, they''re worth it. I''ll give you twenty more. Same price. How''s my gear coming along?" "Haven''t started yet," he answers. "I want to get a few things done before working on it. I''ll probably grab your measurements again when I''m about to start working on it, in case you grow before then." "Got it," I say. "Give me just a minute," he says, then heads into the back, and I stick my tongue out at the worker. "What was that about?" She asks. "Business," I tell her. "If you think that''s shocking, then you need to prepare yourself. I''m the one who gave Jackson all that Primordial Essence." She snorts in disbelief, and Jackson returns with my money. Ten thousand platinum and eight diamond, with a statement that the extra forty gold are for an increase in the price of the ore with how long it''s been. I then pull out the Love Ingots, Turkey Ingots, and twenty more Primordial Essences out of my Inventory. The woman''s eyes widen when she sees them. "Those are-" she starts. "How did you-" "Have you been under a rock?" Jackson asks. "I know you just got here today, but I''m pretty sure word about Zack having Primordial Essence isn''t new news. Thanks, Zack." We swap items, then he asks if I want to sell any of my Frost Ingots. "I have thirty of them," I say. "But can you afford to buy them off of me? I know you set that money aside from the-" "Yes," he says. "I have some extra that I haven''t set into a more secure place yet. A few of the Adventurers use frost-based Skills, and I can use some Frost Ingots for that." "How many do you need?" I ask. "Ten," he answers. "If you''d be willing." "Alright," I pull out the ten frosty-looking ingots and set them on the counter. "Ten Frost Ingots." "Three hundred platinum," Jackson sets it down on the counter, then we swap items. "Anything else?" "No," I answer. "Now we''re off to do some other stuff. Braden gained a couple of Levels fighting the Chocolate Love Lord''s summons, so we''re going to do a little celebration. I need to pick up something first, though." "Alright," he chuckles. "Good luck, and enjoy the rest of your day, Zack." "Good luck with the forging," I dip my head to him. "How-how did you get all this stuff?" The woman asks. "You can''t possibly-" "Jackson will explain," I tell her, then lead the twins out of the shop. Chapter 0089 (Zack) I lead the twins to another shop, but tell them to wait outside while I go in. They can''t see inside unless they peak in through the door, so I''m not too worried. The shop is empty, so I''m able to walk straight up to the counter. "Hello, Zack," the woman on the other side smiles. "Here for the package?" "Yes, ma''am," I respond, and she heads into the back, returning after a few minutes with something wrapped in brown paper tied with twine. She sets it down, and I open it up in such a way that I can wrap it and tie it back up with the same paper and twin. I pull out the item and examine it. It''s a black robe with white and grey swirls. The magic rune for air shimmers in silver thread on the back of it, and a silver clasp will hold the robe closed when worn.
Braden''s Robe of Air
This robe improves the effects of all air-based magics while improving resistances against the same and has a high resistance to physical damage. It was woven for Braden Normar.
Air Magic Boost: +100%
Air Magic Resistance: +100%
Damage Resistance: 100 plus the wearer''s Endurance
Appraisal is now Level 9!
Unlike Luca, Braden''s in combat all the time. Using this robe, he''ll be able to do more damage to the monsters, allowing him to challenge stronger of the weaker monsters, and once he''s Level 5, which may only take him a week or two, now, I''ll let him go after Goblins. Not only will his damage increase, but the fact that the robe itself has a quality resistance to it means that he can take a hit, too. He''ll probably still feel pain and get bruised up, but a goblin''s rusty sword won''t cut through it. It wasn''t a cheap robe to make, and I drop a diamond in the clerk''s hand, before folding the robe back up and rewrapping it. I''ll eventually have something strong made for Luca, but since he''s always with me in combat scenarios, I won''t for now. With the robe rewrapped, I send it into my Inventory, then thank the clerk and leave, meeting the twins outside. I take them home and send them off for a bath as I start working on dinner. When I finish, the twins join me at the table to eat. Dinner is silent, and when we finish, Nik shows up. I set the twins to cleaning the table as I walk over to the property''s entrance. "What''s up?" I ask. "War meeting," he answers. "There''s a big one on the temple''s front involving most every person of power or influence in Maelnor; the heads of all of the different orders and organizations will be there. It''ll go pretty late, then in the morning, the individual organizations will have their own war meetings." "And I''m to be there?" I ask. "You''re an influential Dark Knight," he nods, then hesitates for a moment. He doesn''t agree with the other reason, does he? "And I hate to say it, but you might be able to see something we can''t. They want to know if you''ll try and see the horde so we can get an advance estimate. I''d rather we not use you like that, but¡­" "I understand," I nod. "The horde''s numbers won''t be so obvious until much closer. I can try, but I make no guarantees, and it only shows me the most likely outcome when I force it, which isn''t always the actual outcome." "I know," he says. "Will you come?" "Yes," I nod. "I suppose that means staying the night." I look at the twins, who are arguing over who washes and who dries. Luca''s winning the argument about getting to wash the dishes. "It would," Nik nods when I look back to him. "I know how you are about the boys." "I want to say ''nothing ever happens at night''," I tell him. "But that''s exactly the kind of statement that challenges the universe. I leave them alone, something will happen, but everyone I trust, I assume will be there?" "What about Aurum?" "I trust Aurum," I say. "But I meant trust who has a fair bit of power." "In that case, yes," he answers. "Even Samantha and her students will be there, and her students technically don''t qualify. The only reason we don''t want the twins there-" "Is because it''d probably frighten Luca too much," I finish, and he nods. "I understand. I''ll trust them to behave, then. They''d probably enjoy having a night to themselves. Are the shops staying open?" "Yeah," he nods. "Most of them don''t matter for the preparations, though a few of the craftsmen will be there, like Jackson. And Zack ¨C part of this is so you can be seen by those who don''t know you yet." Which can help decrease incidents like what happened earlier, even if people like that clerk won''t be there. "Okay," I say. "How long?" "An hour." "See you then," I tell him, and he leaves. I watch the twins as they do the dishes, and once everything is washed, dried, and put away, I call them over. "Luca," I say. "You already have the fancy robe I gave you, so I''ll have another one made for you at some other time. Braden, I wasn''t expecting you, so I didn''t commission anything good, and you''ve had basic stuff. What I was doing after Jackson''s shop earlier was picking up the robe I had made for you. It''s a gift, from me to you."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I pull out the package and hand it to Braden, who opens it, his eyes widening as he sees the robe. He lets the paper and twine fall to the ground as he examines the robe, which he promptly pulls on, grinning at Luca. I''m glad he likes it. Hopefully, that, combed with our talk last night, helps him see that even when I seem like an ass, there''s a good side to me, too. I do have to wonder if he told Luca about our talk, though. Braden actually said I''m not as much of an ass as I seem, and he was being genuine about it. I''d caught Braden sneaking down to the bath after he thought I was asleep, and that prompted a talk between us. Maybe tonight, he''ll tell Luca what we talked about. Hm¡­ maybe I could do a little more to boost the trust Braden has for me, so that he''s not as hard-headed when I tell him not to do something? "Also," I pull out two gold coins. "Each of you gets one gold. I''m needed for a war council, and I won''t be back until sometime tomorrow morning, okay? You can spend this gold however you want, it''s yours. "In addition," I look at Braden. "You are permitted to go into the fields around Maelnor tomorrow, before I return. I''ll find you if you''re out there. There will be Slimes and Rats around, and if you go into the northern part, where we normally train, there won''t be any too far beyond your power. That robe boasts some decent defense of its own, and it improves the strength of all of your air-based Skills, doubling their power. Don''t go up against any Elites or Bounties until I''ve assessed how you are with it now, and if you fight any groups of slimes that have a Heal Slime make sure to kill those first. Don''t go after Goblins, I want you to wait on those until you''re Level 5 and have a bit more stats, okay?" "Yeah, whatever," he says. "This robe is cool. It feels nice, too." "Thanks," I smile at him. "Anyway, I need to get going for the war council. I''ll see you two tomorrow." As I leave my property, a chill runs down my spine. A feeling that something''s going to happen. Maybe I should stay behind? But I''m kind of needed for the war council. Shaking my head, I dismiss the feeling as me just being paranoid. It is the first time I''m really leaving them alone, after all, so it''s probably just nerves and my constant fear that Braden''s going to die on me, since he wasn''t in my visions and didn''t Ascend.
(Luca) The scary guy leaves, and Braden continues to marvel at the robe. I didn''t know the scary guy liked my brother that much. An idea crosses Braden''s face at the same time annoyance does, and I don''t like that. "Come on, Luca," Braden says. "Why?" I ask. "Let''s go shopping for supplies." "The scary guy has plenty." "Maybe," Braden says. "But he doesn''t have potions, and he gave us enough gold to get some. I need a new staff, too." "You''re going to go fight more slimes?" I ask. "No," he grins at me. "Without Zack around to stop me, we can go fight goblins. He''s talked a bit about training in Talorn, I bet he just doesn''t want us there so we don''t risk getting stronger than him." This is a bad idea, Braden. A really, really bad idea. Unfortunately, he''s very stubborn and goes through with this stupid, stupid plan, so I follow him. He says we''ll go for two days, so our first stop is the general store for some food. He spends almost four silver on food, then another two to buy us two thick blankets to use on the road. I think we should get a tent, too, but find it hard to talk around others. With those purchased, Braden takes me to a shop that sells staffs, where he examines a few, deciding on a really nice one that takes up the rest of his money. Braden barely manages to haggle the guy down so he can spend just what he has left. He''s going to make me spend mine on the potions for him. I don''t want to help him do this. We get to the potions shop, and I shake my head. Braden doesn''t let up until I give him the gold, though. He uses it to buy twenty Mana Potions and ten Health Potions, leaving me with sixteen silver remaining. This doesn''t make me happy at all. This is a bad idea, Braden. Let''s not do it. The scary guy doesn''t want us going there for a reason. I don''t think the scary guy wants us to avoid Talorn to prevent us from getting stronger. I''m pretty sure he''s stronger than we could ever be. That wasn''t some Skill he used to get us back to Maelnor the other day, he was running. I''m sure of it. Now that we''re resupplied, Braden leads me out of town. We walk for almost an hour before I have to sit down and rest, and twenty minutes later, we''re walking again. I''m really tired. At some point, it''s dark and I find myself on Braden''s back. Why did he want to leave so late into the day instead of waiting until morning? I ask him that. He says it''s because the trip''s a long one, and he wants as much time as possible to fight goblins in Talorn before the scary guy shows up to interfere. As long as we stick to the road, we should be fine. According to the scary guy, the roads have a sort of innate protection, and as long as we stay on them between Cities, we should be fine if we''re under Level 10. That protection disappears if we step off, and won''t return until we enter and exit a City again. Because of that, Braden suggests we sleep for a few hours at a time. That helps restore our stamina, but burns away about five hours, since we take turns doing it before walking some more. By the time we finally reach the crumbled walls of Talorn, my legs are burning and I''m exhausted. It''s also morning. We nap for a couple of hours, then enter the Fallen City. Almost immediately, we''re greeted by a goblin, which Braden kills with just two Wind Spikes. He grins at me, then continues walking through the streets. That was a Level 1 Goblin. There aren''t many monsters around, though we do come across a few large Rats and some goblins. The stronger goblins take Braden three to five hits to kill. He manages to reach Level 5 by the time he uses up ten of the Mana Potions, and I''m really, really nervous, now. Something is really, really wrong. Braden tells me it''s just nerves because I''m a scaredy-cat, that everything here is easy. So far, yeah. But we''ve only faced regular goblins and some weaker soldier-type ones. Nothing at Level 5 yet, and no magical ones. My bad feeling keeps rising. I feel like something or someone is keeping the monsters at bay. Did the Shadow of Life wake up? Is he leading us into a trap? I know that Travis said he''s sleeping right now because of an injury the most powerful Adventurer in the Boundary gave him, but did he wake? I''m scared. I want the scary guy here. He''d protect us. Eventually, Braden sees the Dark Temple, and starts making his way towards it. I don''t know why, probably because it''s considered a ''safe'' and ''scared'' place, and we want to rest? When we get there, however, there''s a really, really large monster just after we turn the corner. A goblin bigger than any I''ve seen before, holding a staff. Braden freezes up, and the goblin swings its staff, which slams into Braden. My brother tumbles across the street as I stare in horror at what just happened. It was so fast, I didn''t even see the staff move until it stopped. The thing just¡­ threw my brother across the street, and Braden''s not breathing. The goblin walks over to Braden, poking him with the staff, then laughs, before looking at me. But Braden''s not breathing. Does that mean he''s dead? He can''t be dead, he can''t be! "HEAL!" I throw my hands out, hoping I can heal him. I can heal him, right? Even if I''m too far away? Even if I''m not right by him? But the thing''s coming closer. "HEAL!" It doesn''t work. Maybe the golden light? The thing''s walking over casually, I need to heal him so we can get out of here. I draw on my golden light. "HEAL!" The world goes golden, and when it fades away, I feel myself starting to drop. Too exhausted. Going to die, too, just like Braden. The goblin''s stopped around twenty feet away. I hit the ground and look up at the big goblin, which has thrown a ball of fire at me. The next thing I know, there''s a familiar sword in front of me, the fireball slamming into it, disappearing. That''s weird. Am I hallucinating? That''s not the scary guy holding his sword, that''s a demon. No, I can''t die. Can''t be killed by a demon. Have to tell the scary guy¡­ tried to stop him¡­ Everything goes black. Chapter 0090 (Zack) Ugh. I hate war councils. Hopefully, they won''t ask me to be at one again anytime soon. I did get a few visions, but none showed me a potential horde size. I did manage to confirm the two known King Monsters would be showing up in the most likely outcome, though. Now, I''m heading home to see if the twins are there or out in the fields. Either way, we''re eating lunch, then I''m taking another nap, because I barely slept last night. When I get home, something seems off. Scanning the area with my senses, I determine that the twins haven''t been here since last night. I look across the street, where Aurum would normally be. He was hanging out with the other servant beastborn last I checked, so he wouldn''t know where the twins are. I make my way out of town, but I can''t track their scent, the wind''s blown it away. I don''t even know which gate they''d left through, and I''m not seeing them in the fields. Dammit, Braden! You weren''t supposed to enter the woods! Closing my eyes, I reach for my sense of Luca and frown. Why is he in that direction? It''s pretty distant, based on how weakly I can sense¡­ Talorn. They''re in Talorn. "Fuck!" I swear, then take off running, tapping my chestplate to send it into my Inventory, then the same for my tunic and sword. "Demon Form!" I take off flying, pushing my speed to the maximum. It takes me a few ''rests'' of running to reach Talorn, arriving in my Demon Form. I can sense Luca''s presence even stronger, now, and before I can start working on narrowing it down, a familiar gold light flashes through the air by the Dark Temple. That was Luca''s light, and please don''t tell me they''re in A''Lutar''s territory! I fly straight there, spotting Luca as he collapses to the ground. Braden''s already out, and he''s not moving. He''s dead. I should''ve listened to my gut! Luca''s still alive, though, but not for long. A''Lutar, the giant, ugly goblin that he is, throws a fireball at Luca as I assess the battlefield. I swoop down, pulling my sword out of my Inventory and unsheathing it, stopping the fireball as I land. A''Lutar looks stunned for a moment, and I look at Braden. I want to grab him, but A''Lutar is too powerful, too quick for me. He''ll stop me. I sheathe my sword and send it back into my Inventory, then grab Luca, slinging my unconscious healer over my shoulder and taking off, avoiding a few more fireballs and two bolts of lightning. Thankfully, A''Lutar sticks to his area. He was already at the border of it. Looking back, I find my vision blurring with tears. I want to retrieve Braden''s body, but I can''t. I''m too weak and pathetic to do such a thing. Looking forward, I flap my wings again, soaring as far as I can before landing. After adjusting my grip on Luca, I continue running, switching between the two modes to return to Maelnor. I don''t stop once I''m inside, though, and head straight for the holy temple. At this point, I''m back in human form. Demon Form, human form, but no fucking dragon form! Why can''t I turn into a dragon at will? If I could, then A''Lutar would be nothing but ash, and I''d have been able to retrieve Braden, incinerate him, and give his ashes a proper funeral. Why did he go and do that? It was the damn robe! I bet he thought he could handle stronger things! I should''ve waited to give him the robe until after the meetings, so I could make sure he was ready first. Maybe taken him to Talorn after giving it to him. I''m so stupid! "Zack?" Travis approaches. "What''s wrong? Why are you crying? Why''s Luca in Zero Down?" "I don''t-I can''t-they-" I break down, sobbing. Eventually, he manages to get what I know out of me, then takes Luca for recovery. I stick with him, watching as he puts Luca in a room all by himself. That''s how he is now, isn''t it? All by himself. He''s got me, though, but here, he''s scared of me. Very scared of me. Even calls me ''the scary guy''. "I think he''ll be in Zero Down," Travis tells me. "For around ten days, Zack." "It''s all my fault," I sob. "I shouldn''t have given Braden that robe until after the war council. I could''ve taken him to Talorn, made sure they didn''t go anywhere dangerous. I should''ve been there to protect him. I had a feeling something bad would happen!" I break down crying again, and the next thing I know, I''m in my room at the Dark Temple again, Gold curled up next to me. For awhile, I just lie here, quietly crying to myself and into gold''s tunic. Why did I ignore my gut? Why did I give Braden that robe before going to the war council? I should''ve waited on it! I should''ve waited! Eventually, Gold wakes up, and he feels the back of his tunic, before sitting up and stripping it off, looking at the wet spot. A moment later, his tunic is sent into his Inventory, then he''s pulling a fresh one out. "It''s all my fault," I tell Gold. "I gave him something too strong for him too early. I should''ve known he would''ve snuck out and gone after something strong. I should''ve known! I should''ve been there when they went for stronger monsters, to ensure they survived!" Gold wraps his arms around me, hugging me as I cry into him again. Nik checks on us a few minutes after I stop. "The Fallen Hunters, my team, and I went after his body," Nik tells me, and I look at him in hope. "A''Lutar moved it, and we don''t know where he put it. I''m sorry, Zack. Even the fifteen of us were barely able to hurt the beast."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. He''s going to become a Fallen Adventurer. I need to purge him once he does, if he doesn''t hide near A''Lutar. I need to get stronger. I need to make sure my team never, ever goes through such a thing again. "What are you doing now?" Nik asks as I climb out of bed and start changing. "Going to Talorn." "You can''t fight A''Lutar," he says. "He''s-" "I''m not going to fight him," I say. "I''m going to get stronger killing the other monsters there." "Zack-" "I''m not suicidal," I tell Nik. "Don''t think my judgment''s cloudy just because-" "You''re charging right in to where-" "Travis said," I interrupt him. "He thinks Luca will be out for around ten days. I''ll be back every night to check on him. If he wakes while I''m gone, I expect someone will track me down and let me know. I''m not going to go up against something I know is going to kill me, Nik. I''m going so I can get stronger to ensure I don''t ever lose someone else on my team." I''m done changing, so I pull on Zack''s Blood, then send my other armor ¨C which was sitting on the ground ¨C into my Inventory. I scratch Gold behind his ears, then leave, speeding my way to Talorn. My first stop is the Goblin Giant Bounty Beast that''s troublesome. It isn''t actually something that''s a full threat to me ¨C I can quickly avoid it. Fighting it will help boost my Endurance and Vitality. The Goblin Giant is as big and ugly as the last couple of times I saw it, and as soon as I''m within its range, it swings that massive club at me. I stop it with my sword, sliding a few feet as I summon my Demon Form. As soon as the transformation completes, I bolt forward, stabbing into the monster''s gut. It''s not enough to kill the thing, unfortunately, but it does damage. I jump back, avoiding its attempt at crushing me, then lunge forward again. It might be big, but it''s also got some speed, and I have to dodge away before I can strike it again, then block another swing of its club. We continue this dance, with me only managing one strike every few attempts, and when Demon Form Ends, I jump out of the beast''s range of travel, then quickly move out of its range of attack. That thing loves throwing stuff at people outside of its zone. Once I''m a safe distance away, I start cutting up monsters, waiting until my Mana''s back to full before switching back into Demon Form. I stop my slaughtering only for lunch, then return to it. At the end of the day, I return to Maelnor and visit Luca in the temple. He''s still unconscious, but his Mana has increased, the one positive side to Zero Down. "I''m sorry, Luca," I whisper to him. "I should''ve known better. I promise, when you wake up, I''ll be strong enough that you won''t ever lose anyone again. I promise." I curl up next to him on the bed. Tomorrow, and the day after, and every day after until you wake, Luca, I''m going to train as hard as I can, get as strong and powerful as I can. I promise.
(???) Master mad! Me no why. At all. Master mad. Master hurt me. Again. Normal. Plan no well. Now Maelnor. Big City. Few people. Saw beastborn! No slave! Me wish same! Me hear rumor. Beastborn-Hero here. Also hear he sad. Five days ago, friend die. Or six? Free-Beastborn no sure. They weird. "Stay here," Master shove ground. Me no grunt hit ground. Just sit. Beastborn come by. Free-Beastborn. He give curious look. Greet me. Leave. Bye-bye! Think bruise butt. No first time. Master shove ground all time. And wall. Sometime table. Sometime, Master take knife me. Hurt bad. No cry out, hurt worse. Scary presence. Look around, spot scary guy. He covered blood. No tunic or shirt. Me think¡­ my age? Brown hair, blue eyes. Black-red armor. Warm flame inside. Sad flame inside. Scary boy walk by. Stop. Walk back. Look me. Hi, scary guy? Oooh! Dark Knight! He be Dark Knight! Young Dark Knight! Hi! Dark Knight always good. Friendly. They free Slave-Beastborn. Pay Free-Beastorn, me hear. Scary Boy kneel front me. Stare intently. Not angry. Me see sad. And sense it. Then him! Scary Boy head! Weird. Hi, Scary Boy! "Zack," he mutter. Tilt head side. What? "No, that''s my name. Zack. You¡­ are him." Me is me! No him! Me! "Where is your master?" Scary Boy ask. "Zack," he say. "My name is Zack!" "Hey!" Master return. "Why are you talking to my slave?" "You''re his master?" Scary Boy stand. Look Master. "I''d like to buy him from you." "Hah!" Master laugh. It no funny. Scary Boy real. "I''d never sell my slave to some kid who thinks he can be a hero! Did your daddy buy that armor for you? Is that the blood of Rats covering you?" "Tell me," Scary Boy voice demonic. "Do you serve the Crystals? Or is that darkness in your heart I sense a loyalty to the Shadow of Life?" Scary Boy know? Cool! Oops. Tail waggy-waggy. Tail, stop! No work. Usually no work. Oh, well. Master beat more later. No new. "You''re not getting beaten," Dark Knight Boy say. "Yes, Finneas, I can tell you serve the Shadow of Life. Let''s make a deal. You sell him to me, and I let you leave Maelnor in one piece. You have five seconds to answer, or I take your life." Oooh! Scary Dark Boy threaten Master! Wait! Dark Knight Boy want me! Me want be Dark Knight slave. Much better no Dark Knight Slave. Nitwit headpats all time! Me want headpats! Me jealous Nitwit! "You have no evidence," Master say. "Of what you claim, child. And you clearly aren''t a Dark Knight, as much as you wish to pretend." "You haven''t heard of Zack Noruva, have you?" Dark Scary Boy ask. Zack Noruva? He Beastborn-Hero! Where he? Master laugh. Something ridiculous? What? "Time''s up," Scary Knight Boy say. Master head fall ground. Then body. "I will never," Dark Knight Boy growl at Master head. Former Master Head? He new master! "Forgive anyone who serves the Shadow of Life. I''ll enjoy collecting your bounty especially. Nik, I know you''re there." Bigger Dark Knight appear. That so cool! He also warm flame. Nice and cozy. Concerned flame. "I take it this is him?" Bigger Dark Knight ask. "Yes," Scary Dark Boy say, then look at me. "It''s Zack, you dolt! My name is Zack! Stop changing what you call me every half-second!" Okay! "Anyway," New Master say. He new master, right? He kill old master, he new master. Yeah! That how work! "Finneas here served the Shadow of Life, there''s a bounty on him of five thousand diamond. I''ll take¡­ the beastborn home." "You''re not going to go visit Luca?" Big Dark Knight ask. New Master sigh, rub head. "It''s been five days, Nik," New Master say. "And he''ll probably be out for another five. I''ve got a new teammate to take care of. Big Flame told me to come by this way, he probably planned on this. He''s been¡­ arguing with me about my new version of training." "I have, too," Big Dark Knight say. He Master-Master? "Zack, are you sure you''re ready for this?" "No," New Master say. Wait. New Master Zack? New Master Zack Noruva? "Yes," New Master look me. "I''m Zack Noruva, and don''t call me ''Master''! You''re not my slave." Collar say otherwise. New Master sigh, kneel front me. Pull out knife. Cut off collar. "See?" Master say. "You''re not a slave anymore, and if you want, you can be on my team." Me on team? Oooh! Me team slave! "No!" Master exclaim. "As a full member of-never mind, we can talk more at the house. Nik, I''m going to take him home. Make sure I''m alerted the moment there''s a change in Luca. I''ll probably take my new teammate to visit him tomorrow. If you want to be a part of my team, come with me." Me Master slave! Me come! "You''re not a slave anymore!" Chapter 0091 (Zack) I didn''t receive a vision warning me of his coming. Does it only happen for those outside the Boundary who will be on my team? Will I receive visions of my other two teammates, before we''re all assembled? The beastborn showing up was probably a sign, despite what the Crystals tell me. I probably was losing myself into the training. Fighting, killing, gaining what little Experience and what Skill Levels I could, attempting and failing to trigger my ability to shapeshift into a dragon¡­ that won''t bring Braden back. It won''t bring Bryce back, either. Braden''s Fallen Adventurer form didn''t make an appearance, so I''m sure it''s hiding for now. If it''s on its own, I could purge it, but I can''t. Not right now. Once I''m strong enough, though, I promise that I''ll release your body from that horrid curse, Braden. Sighing, I look at my new teammate, who''s following me dutifully. He still thinks he''s a slave. "Here''s the house," I stop outside it, and he looks at it. "Come on, let me show you the bath, you need one." Like most slaves, he probably had minimal washing. My newest teammate follows me to the bath, and I strip down. "Ever taken a bath before?" I ask, and his face lights up as his tail wags in happiness. I''m pretty sure the answer''s ''no'', he''s just excited at the idea of helping his new master. "Okay, then. You''re taking a bath, not helping me. But you can scrub my back if you really want to." He does, and I pretty much have to wrestle him to get him to wash himself, though I do scrub his back, which confuses him a bit. "I''m not your master," I tell him. "I''m your teammate." That still seems to confuse him. Once we''re both clean, we soak in the bath, though he seems nervous. "Okay," I say after several minutes of his unease and tenseness filling my mind. "You''ve got to stop that. You aren''t my slave, you''re my teammate. You''re a member of my-oh, for goodness''s sake! Big Flame! Wake Big S up!" But he''s so cute when he''s sleeping! "He''s napped long enough," I tell him. "He only needs to wake long enough to connect my teammate to the System." My teammate gives me a bewildered look, his mind filling with confusion. He''s heard the myth that a beastborn has Access, but like most, he doesn''t believe it. He needs a name. "He already has one, it''s ''Big S''." No, the beastborn. He needs a name before he can be connected. I look at my teammate, who''s looking at me in even greater confusion. "I''m talking to Big Flame," I tell him. "Who you probably know of as the Crystal of Dark of Fire." He can hear me, that''s probably part of where his confusion is coming from. I am a disembodied voice. You do not see me, you do not smell me, you do not- "Wake him up, Big Flame." Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine! His presence disappears from my mind, and I hope he actually does wake up Big S. "Max," I point at my teammate. "How does that sound for a name?" He''s not sure why he''s getting a name. "Do you like that for a name?" I ask him. "Max?" He decides that if that''s what I want to call him, then he''s not going to question his new master. "I''m not your master!" I tell him, and he gives me a bewildered look again. "I can understand beastborn-talk, even though I''m not one." His face lights up in realization and amazement. Did he really just now figure out that I could? He could already sense my mind as I try to interpret his thoughts. "Now," I say. "Do you want to go by ''Max''?" He nods happily, and I can tell his tail''s flicking under the water, even if most of it is pressed between his back and the walls of the bath. Just the tip''s flicking, creating a minicurrent. "Well, then," I say. "Welcome to my team, Max." Just as I say that, his Status appears in my vision.
Max Level 0
Health: 10 Mana: 30
Max yelps, jumping into the air. Nice timing, Big S. He said he did it, Big Flame tells me. Then passed right back out and said to wake him up in a hundred years. "He''ll wake up sooner than that," I roll my eyes. "Welcome to the System, too, Max." He also said you owe him big-time for this. "Yeah, yeah," I wave a hand dismissively. "Stop drawing on him." Big Flame''s presence stills for a moment, then disappears entirely, and I snort. "Now," I smile, leaning forward. "You can talk, right?" He tilts his head to the side. "Like humans do," I say. "You can talk, right?" He nods, looking scared. "No need to be scared," I say. "Can you talk for me?" "Yes, Master!" "And don''t call me Master!" "Yes, Boss!" Sighing, I lean back and stare at the sky. I suppose that will do for now. "Alright, Max," I say. "So here''s the deal. You can be a part of my team, or do whatever you want. Does that sound good to you?" "Me Boss slave! Boss master!" "No," I say. "I''m not your master. "If you''re on my team, I''ll be your leader, but not your master. You won''t have to clean my clothes or cook my food or anything like that. You''ll eat with the rest of the team, and share in the chores with the rest of the team. Everyone participates. "If you team up with me," I continue. "You''ll be allowed to hunt monsters, obtain your own loot, own your own property, and so on. You''re free, Max. Free. And I''m welcoming you into my team, if you wish it. Do you?" Max nods. "Can you say that with your words?" "Me serve Boss!" "You''re not serving me," I say. "You''ll be a part of my team! You-oh, for the love of the Crystals. AURUM! GET YOUR SCRAWNY BUTT OVER HERE! I NEED YOUR HELP WITH SOMETHING!"Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Max gives me a confused look, but shifts his gaze to the entrance of the bath when Aurum shows up. "Nice clothes!" Max exclaims, pointing at Aurum, his eyes wide with amazement. "Like Free-Beastborn!" "Yes!" I say. "Like free beastborn! Because you''re among them! Aurum, Max is having a hard time understanding he''s not my slave. Can you¡­ I don''t know¡­ help somehow?" Aurum tilts his head to the side. "Yes, you can join us in the bath." His tail wagging in happiness, Aurum quickly strips down, washes, then joins us in the bath to soak. He talks with Max through the normal means for beastborn, and I just sit here and relax, hoping that Max finally gets it. Just as Max finally starts to understand ¨C I think ¨C Aurum decides he''s done chatting and wants to play, and I hastily leave the bath, rinsing off, drying off, dressing, and vacating the room barely in time for the massive splashing to begin. I need to remind Gold that his brother enjoys horsing around in the bath and is essentially by himself when Nathan isn''t around ¨C which is most of the time. Actually, I''ll do that now. While I''m at it, I''ll tell him he doesn''t need to keep Luca and me company at night anymore, though I know he''ll probably continue visiting Luca. I''d like to visit Luca as well, and continue to sleep in the room with him while he recovers, but with Max here now, I need to focus on someone else. Make sure Max can handle himself. When I return, I''ll figure out what Max wants to be as an adventurer. When I reach the homes where the free beastborn are living, I learn from them as they play a game of cards that Gold''s in the Dark Temple, so I head up the steps and enter. Inside, I locate Gold trying to pry open the doors to the Altar Hall. He''s never been able to enter that room, which frustrates him. When he hears me coming, he gives me pitiful eyes. "Big Flame," I say. "How come Gold can''t enter there?" Oh, uh, only someone whose alignment is towards me can, Big Flame explains. Since Gold is aligned to Light of Air ¨C Big C ¨C he can''t. While he might be able to work on shifting his alignment to fire from air, moving from light to dark is a tad more difficult. "Why''s that restriction in place?" I ask. It''s not one I put in place, Big Flame tells me. It''s simply how they are because of that room''s properties. It''s sacred to me with a deep connection. That''s what causes the block. The only way for someone not aligned with me is a theory, and that''s to have such a great merging into the inner Crystal that alignment doesn''t matter. Even you aren''t at that point yet, we think. "Alright," I say, then place my hand on Gold''s head. "Sorry, bud. Maybe one day, right?" His tail and ears droop. "By the way," I tell him. "My beastborn teammate showed up. Aurum''s playing with him right now. Or at least, they were when I left. If you want to meet Max, he''s back at my place. Also, your brother kind of misses hanging out with you, don''t forget to keep him company, too, okay?" Gold nods, then follows me as I leave. Nik''s entering the Dark Temple as we reach the doors, and I grin at him. "Max speaks," I stick my tongue out. "Stop by in the morning and I''ll prove that beastborn can!" Gold giggles. "Unless Gold here wants to prove it, too," I say, and the beastborn beside me blushes and hides behind me. "That''s what I thought." Nik rolls his eyes, then asks how I''m feeling. "Sad," I answer. "Depressed. Horrible. Terrible. Frustrated that I can''t just turn into a dragon and burn A''Lutar to nothing. But I need to train up my newest teammate so that something like that won''t happen again. Anyway, I need to get going. I''m starving, Gold''s starving, Aurum''s starving, and Max probably hasn''t had a proper meal before in his life." Gold''s tail starts wagging at the thought of getting to cook for me again, and I groan. The idea is that I do the cooking so that Max can see that I won''t treat him like a slave. We leave and head home, where Max and Aurum are still horsing around in the bath. I tell Gold to join them, and ask if Max can borrow a change of his clothes once they''re out. He nods and runs to the bath, and I get to work on cooking dinner. Tonight, I cook a ham with a honey glaze, some rolls, mashed potatoes, some gravy, and mix up a salad, then set out a bowl of berries. "Dinner!" I call out, and it takes almost five minutes for them to show up. Based on their thoughts, Gold and Aurum had to convince Max it really was okay for him to wear ''people clothes''. They were both wearing them. Getting him out of the slave mindset will probably take a little bit more time. Hopefully by the end of the day. The brothers¡­ I start to feel myself tearing up when I think that, and force it back. The brothers sit at the table, while Max looks scared. "Oh, sit your ass down and eat," I tell Max. "You''re a part of my team, remember? That means you eat with the team if we''re having a group meal. Or guests, in the case of Gold and Aurum. So sit your ass down and join us." Max nods, then sits. Gold and I have to practically fill his plate with food so that he''ll eat, but after a few minutes of nervously picking at it, Max digs in with gusto. The three beastborn converse in their way, so I just sit here and enjoy my food. After dinner, Gold and Aurum play rock-paper-scissors to decide who washes the dishes and who dries, and Max tries to join them. "No, Max," I say. "I want to check some stuff, okay? You''ve got Access to the System now. And Max? That''s a sure sign you aren''t a slave. You have the System. If you don''t believe me, well, you got a message saying you were. Anyway. Think or say ''status'' to pull up your window, then focus on letting me see it." Max thinks for a few moments, then his Status appears in my vision.
Character Information Dark of Fire
Name: Max Primary Class: None
Level: 0 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 10/10 Mana: 30/30
Strength: 2 Intellect: 10
Endurance: 1 Willpower: 2
Vitality: 1 Wisdom: 3
Agility: 6 Perception: 5
That equals 30 Stat Points, yet the maximum known possible for base is 25 Stat Points. Either Beastborn have a higher cap, or Max already has an additional 5 Stat Points. I look over at Gold and remember that he had Adventurer when he acquired Access. That meant he''d already had an Original Class, too. Max clearly doesn''t have Adventurer, since two of his Stats are at 1 Stat Point, unless both of those started at zero and his base equals 17 Stat Points. He has an Original Class. Thinking about what he''s like, I''m guessing it''s Original Ruffian. "Max," I say. "Can you pull up Subclasses?" He thinks for a moment, then nods. "Is there something in there?" I ask, and he nods. "What''s it called? With your words, please, I couldn''t understand that." "Ruffian, Boss!" He answers, and I notice the two dog beastborn give him startled and amazed looks. Did they not believe me? "Is that it?" I ask, and he nods. "Cool. Just so you know, that''s a very rare, very special Subclass. Not just anyone can acquire it." His face lights up and I can hear his tail swishing even harder at the thought of having something special. Then he thinks that I''m lying, and a moment later, I sense Gold telling him it''s true. "As far as we know," I say. "Only the three of us have it. Gold and I have another extra-special Subclass, which is even more difficult to obtain. It''s called Adventurer. Do you want to try and acquire it?" "Me special?" He asks. "Max," I say. "The proper way to say that would be ''I am special?'' or ''Am I special?'', okay?" "Okay, Boss!" He says. "Me special!" We''ll work on that. "Yes, you''re special," I tell him. "You''re one of two Beastborn in all the Boundary with Access to the System. It''s something that''s extremely exhausting for Big S, the Crystal of the System, to do, or he''d work on connecting all of you. Do you want to go for this super-hard-to-obtain Subclass?" I ask. He nods happily. "With your words, Max," I tell him. "I solemnly swear on delicious things that you''re free to speak. Don''t be a jerk, and there won''t be a problem. Just speak your mind and be friendly, okay?" "Yes, Boss!" He cheerfully responds, then looks at Gold and Aurum. "You speak!" They both shake their heads. "Why no?" "Why not," I correct. "Why not!" That wasn''t a question, Max, that was an exclamation. I guess he''s just happy to get to try out talking while supposedly not getting into trouble. "They don''t want to," I tell him. "So, want to try to obtain this super-special Subclass?" "Yes, Boss!" "Cool," I say. "Then whatever you do, do not take on a Class until you obtain it, okay? If you do that, I guarantee you''ll obtain it." I''m basing this off the assumption that he''s pretty close to 100 Total Skill Levels. Gold was already there when he obtained Access, so Max likely won''t be that far out, either. "Got that, Max?" I ask. "Yes, Boss!" "Good," I say. "Now, what Class do you want to take on?" "Me Class?" "Yes," I say. "You can take on a Class. If you tell me what you want to be, I can tell you what you need to do to meet the requirements, okay?" Max nods, then starts thinking. I can tell he''s trying to decide between being a Dark Knight because apparently, we''re pretty awesome ¨C something I totally agree with him on ¨C and being a magician. He knows Dark Knights use fire, but he wants to use fire. He also likes the idea of using knives, then remembers that all Dark Knights he''s seen have used knives. "Max," I say. "Once you reach Level 5 of the third Tier of the Class, you can take on a second Class. So, what do you want more: to be a fire magician, or a Dark Knight?" He lets out a huge sigh as he tries to figure out which he wants to be more. I guess it''s a pretty big decision for him. "Novice Elementalist is easier to learn," I tell him. "It requires only a single Skill, while Dark Squire requires three. You might be able to get Intimidate and Swords Mastery easily, but do you think you can get Rage? In other words, how easily do you think you can get yourself angry?" His tail swishes from side to side. He''s pretty happy right now over acquiring Access to the System and meeting Beastborn-Hero. It might take him awhile before he can go into a proper rage, the kind that awakens the required Skill. "Magic!" He tells me. "Alright," I say. "And you want to learn fire, right?" He nods. "Cool," I smile at him. "After dinner, I''m going to introduce you to the pervert and we''ll get you a staff and knife, then you can learn how to make fireballs." "FIREBALLS!" He exclaims in excitement, then blushes and covers his mouth while giving me an apologetic look. "Hey," I smile at him. "There''s nothing to worry about, Max. You''re excited, you can exclaim if you want." "Okay, Boss!" Chapter 0092 (Zack) "Hey, Pervert!" I greet Jesse as I enter the Trading Post. "Oh, hey, Nik." "Zack," Nik greets me, and I feel a wave of disturbed feelings coming from Max. "Hello again, Max." "Hey, Pervert," I lead Max up to the counter. "Meet my newest teammate, Max. Max, this is the pervert. Pervert, Max wants to be a Novice Elementalist, so we need a staff and a knife." "Elementalists don''t use knives!" Jesse exclaims. "Don''t listen to him," I tell Max. "He doesn''t understand our kind." "No one but your kind does," Nik chuckles. "Knife and staff for my new teammate," I tell Jesse. "Make it pronto, Pervert!" "One beginner weapon at a time!" Jesse protests. "You know the rules!" "Okay, then give him a staff. Once he has it, give him the knife." "You know what I mean!" "You like playing this game with him, don''t you?" Nik asks Jesse. "Hey," Jesse grins. "It''s good to see Zack back to how he was, rather than that sulky, moody, depressed boy he''s been the last few days!" Max gives me a confused look. "Later, Max," I tell him, then direct my gaze back to Jesse. "And I''m still depressed, Jesse. But I have another teammate to train, now. I can''t focus on my own training while I have to worry about someone else''s. So. Staff and knife, Pervert." He rolls his eyes, but pulls out a basic wooden staff and a basic training knife and hands them to Max. When I see the staff in his hands, I flash back to Braden, and when he received his from Jesse. When I taught him how to perform Wind Spike. A strong hand grips my shoulder, and I look up to Nik, who''s giving me a concerned look. "If you need more time, Zack-" "I''m fine," I shake my head. "I''ll be fine, Nik. It''s just¡­ Bryce, and now Braden. But I''ll be fine, and the Shadow of Life is going to go down. Just ask Nathan, he''s found the full prophecy." "He''s found it?" Nik asks. "Yeah," I nod. "And it''s pretty clear that a Child of Existence is the sign that the tides will change. I''m not sure about the way to tell how the war ends, but maybe you''ll have more insight on that. And I''m going to make damn sure I meet the other two criteria to show the tide is changing. Once I meet them, all we have to do is let the rest of the war play out, because it will end. Come on, Max. Let''s head to our next stop." Max follows me out, and I can tell he''s a bit confused and scared to ask. "Bryce was my brother," I tell him as we walk. "The Shadow of Life concocted a plan to kill the two of us so that we couldn''t be a sign of the changing tides of war. It killed Bryce, but failed to kill me. Recently, I acquired two new teammates, a set of identical twins named Luca and Braden. A few days ago, Braden talked Luca into going to a dangerous area while I was busy with stuff and unable to keep an eye on them. I''d¡­ made a mistake in an action, hadn''t thought of something. It resulted in Braden dying. The last few days, I''ve been killing monsters like crazy, trying to gain Levels and practical experience." Max does a mental ''oh'', and I can tell he wants to hug me and reassure me. Instead of commenting on that, though, I just lead him to the temple, to Luca''s room. Max gives Luca a curious look when we enter. "This is Luca," I say. "You could probably smell him back at the house, his scent still lingers in the rooms. He''s in Zero Down right now, and we think it''ll be another five days before he wakes." Max walks over to Luca and looks at him with concern, before turning those bright blue eyes of his to me. "Yes, Max," I say. "He''s my teammate, too, just like you. Luca''s the healer on my team. Don''t worry, though, I can heal, too. Come on, let''s head home." Max follows me home, and Gold and Aurum are gone. I don''t sense them across the street, so they''re probably hanging out with the other servants over by the Dark Temple. Now that we''re home, I have Max work on managing to cast a Fireball. It costs 20 Mana, so he''s got enough for it. "Max," I say. "Imagine I''m a goblin that''s here to kill you, and the only way you can kill me is to cast a Fireball at me."If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He immediately fills with fear. "Max no attack Boss!" "Max," I say. "There isn''t a single thing you can do to injure me, I promise. My Endurance is stronger than your Strength, and my Willpower is stronger than your Intellect. You don''t have the ability to hurt me." He still looks unsure, but I manage to succeed in talking him into trying to attack me like I''m a goblin. After a few attempts, he manages to make a Fireball. I hold out my hand so the Fireball hits my palm, and it disappears, used up. "See?" I ask as Max looks at my hand in awe. "No injury." "Boss cool!" "Thanks," I smile at him. "You''re pretty cool, too. While we wait for you to have enough Mana to cast that again, let''s play a game." "Game?" He tilts his head to the side. "Yeah," I hold out my hand, summoning the basic training knife I keep in my Inventory. "A game. I''ll attack you, and you avoid it." I hold out my other hand and a jar of candy appears, which I then set on the table. "If you manage," I face Max again. "To avoid being struck until you have enough Mana to cast Fireball again, you can claim one piece of candy from the jar." This was a game I''d come up with for training Braden, but because of my stupidity, I never got to utilize it. It would be with our staffs, though, rather than with knives. Or I''d alternate between the two. Maybe I''ll alternate between the two for Max, so he can use the staff some, though I think that''s mostly for casting, for him. "We''ll play the game," I tell Max, whose tail is wagging as he does his best to not drool or look at the candy, the former out of desire, the latter out of fear. "Until either you get five pieces of candy, or you''ve cast Fireball twenty times." By my math, that would take around three and a half hours, or a little more. I''m sure Max will pass out before then, especially with all the ''excitement'' of today. "Alright, Max?" I ask, and he nods. "With your words, Max." "Yes, Boss!" He looks nervous. "Max bad?" "No," I take a stance, then mentally restrain myself so that I can fight at only a little more than his own strength and speed. "You weren''t bad, Max, this is training, okay?" "Max hurt?" "Yes," I say. "You''ll probably get hurt during this training, but that''s part of it. The training will help to boost your Vitality, which increases your Health, which helps you survive many types of attacks. It will also increase your Strength, Speed, Endurance, and your natural reflexes. It will also improve your Knife Mastery Skill. We can also do martial arts for that Skill, and a staff for that one. This will benefit you both as a magician and when you become a Dark Knight, as Dark Knights use their Health for attacks and take a lot of damage to deal powerful, devastating blows, okay? So are you ready?" "Max bad?" "No," I shake my head as I try not to laugh. "You''re not in trouble, Max! This is training! Trust me, Nik''s hurt me even worse when we train than what I will do to you. So do what you can to avoid the attacks. If you manage to do that until you cast Fireball again, you''ll get a piece of candy from the jar." He nods hesitantly, and I lunge at him. Max barely manages to evade the slash with my knife. "Try to block my knife as well," I tell Max, before slicing at him again, and he ducks under it. "If you can." Max continues to avoid my attacks as best he can, though I manage to strike him a few times. Never with the edge of the blade, only the flat, so he just whimpers briefly before avoiding the next one if possible. Once he''s recovered enough Mana, I have him fire another Fireball at me, which I let strike my hand before I attack Max again. We spar until halfway through the recovery after his fourteenth Fireball, which is when he passes out from exhaustion. I''m impressed with his stamina, he''s got a lot of it. I guess I should''ve assumed that, since both Gold and Aurum have an immense amount of stamina, too. I pick up his knife and send it into my Inventory with mine, then send the jar of candy there as well. Then, I pick up Max and carry him upstairs and lay him on a bed, tucking him in. He''ll probably freak out when he wakes up because of the ''scary'' situation of being in a person''s bed. Shaking my head, I head downstairs and slip into the bath to soak. Today was a tiring day, for sure, but it''s probably a sign to me. I wasn''t reckless, I kept myself from getting into true danger, but it probably wasn''t the best way to train. Sighing, I close my eyes and lean my head back, then do my best to relax.
(Max) Max happy! Master put Max bed! No! No Master! Boss! Boss put Max bed! No Master do that! Boss no Master! Max happy! Max no slave! Boss awake. Max think. Boss no bed. Yes. Boss awake. Hm. Where Boss? Max leave bed? Max no leave bed? Hm¡­ Max leave bed, go downstairs. Boss cooking. Max cook! No Boss cook! Bad Boss! Bad, bad, bad! Max job! "Max," Boss look Max. "Sit down and relax, it''s not your job to cook." Max job! Max slave, not Boss! "You''re not a slave," Boss say. "No!" Max say. "Max slave!" "Oh," Boss say. "You''re saying you''re a former slave, so you know how to cook, so it''s your job?" "Yes, Boss!" "Yeah, well, I''m the team leader," Boss say. "I say that you don''t have to cook if you don''t want to cook. Do you want to cook?" "No, Boss!" Max say. "Max job cook!" "If you don''t want to cook," Boss say. "Then it''s not your job to cook, Max. You cook if you want to cook, not because you can. I usually do the cooking here, since¡­ the others couldn''t really cook that well. If you want to be helpful, though, you can put the dishes on the table. We''ll need plates, cups, forks, and knives. They''re in the cabinets there and the drawers there." "Okay, Boss!" Max up, walk cabinets Boss point. Max pull two plates, two cups, two forks, two knives. Then, Max put table. Max good! Boss candy? "I''m not giving you candy for doing something that''s expected of my team," Boss say. "When the rest of my team arrives, they''ll be expected to do stuff like this." "Yes, Boss!" Max confused. Wait! Max stare Boss intently. "What, Max?" Boss turn look Max. "Nothing!" Max know Boss secret! Hehehehehe. Boss roll eyes, return cooking. Then, Boss finish cooking. Food delicious. Breakfast finish, Max clean dishes! Max happy! Max good boy! Dishes clean, Boss train Max! Max want candy! Max train hard! Chapter 0093 (Zack) Max is so fun to train. He''s eager to please me and to get the candy, which makes this really fun. I spent most of the morning training him, and he''s acquired Knife Mastery, I''m pretty sure. He also definitely had Martial Arts Mastery before, and now has Staff Mastery as well. I''m contemplating training him with a sword in our next session. He learns fast, just like Gold and Aurum. Is it something with all beastborn? Or just the ones I take under my wing? Well, the two I did, and Aurum. The ones I regularly interact with. Will need further testing, though I know the servants are at least learning the games I taught Gold quickly. The older ones figured out that Gold still mixed-up his numbers, too, and are working with him on that. Right now, Max is napping, and I''m resisting the urge to draw on his face. He''ll probably wake in the next few minutes, anyway. Not that I wouldn''t be able to do a lot of ''damage'' with my quill in that time. Sighing, I look up at the sky. It''s snowing again, just a little. Things are so sad lately, and I feel guilty for having fun while Luca''s incapacitated, after his brother''s been killed. But¡­ having fun''s the only way I can cope. The other option, I already did that. I dove deeper into my training, pushed myself harder. The only way I can really get stronger quickly is to fight a lot of powerful monsters, things that will push me. The only way to do that would be to go deep into the mines or into Kaelmar, and I can''t handle the avatar of the Shadow of Life, so the latter''s out of the question. There''s also the option of going deeper into the Lost Territory, like Nathan does, but I can''t do that with my team forming and here. I need to get stronger, though. For them. For everyone. Choking back some tears, I force myself to sleep. Max will probably find something to occupy himself while I do. The dream vision starts almost immediately, and it''s not like the others. I''ve seen each member of my full team before, but never all at once. We''re standing at the gates of a Fallen City, chatting. There''s me, Luca, Max, and the other two, whose names I don''t know. They''re both my age, though we''re all a little older than I am now. Maybe fourteen or fifteen? One of the other two is a little on the taller side, with a bit of muscle and brown hair and eyes, dressed in armor with a sword at his hip. He''s a knight for sure. The other is shorter, like me, with shaggy brown hair and bright green eyes, and is dressed in a cloak. A rogue of some sort. Luca is subtly playing with Max''s tail, which is flicking from side to side, and I''m saying something to the two I don''t know while Max thinks hard about something. Suddenly, all five of us snap our heads to face the same direction. Luca uses that same, black-and-white staff I''ve seen him wield before, while I''m using that black-and-white sword from the past visions. Ever since my Ascension, they''ve alternated between that sword and another, which resembles the typical Dark Swords of the order, though I know it''s anything but. Max doesn''t have a weapon, though I can tell he''s ready to cast a spell on a moment''s notice, while the knight has his sword and shield at the ready, the rogue with his elegant bow in hand, a magical arrow already nocked, the string pulled back. Shifting my gaze, I turn to face the threat, only to be pulled out of this vision before seeing it. An endless plain in all directions¡­ then me. Or is it Bryce? No, it''s both of us. Then me again. I''m Ascending? The vision flashes to when I did, to the notices I received. Then I''m back in the endless plains. Or was I always there? Was the Altar of the Elements always there, too? The ones contained with the Enchanted Halls of the Cities? I''m standing by it, doing something to it. The walls of a Fallen City rise up around me as I do. The altar begins to glow with a violet light, a light that then radiates out, rushing through the plains and reaching the walls, which reform to whole, a shimmering barrier forming above before fading from sight. The altar and the walls fade away, leaving me alone in the endless plains once more. But I''m doing something. I then begin to make the Class of my dreams, the one I want to make, by merging together the powers of two Classes. I forge a new Class. The moment I succeed, I nod, then find myself standing as I face an army, another at my back. The one before me is an endless horde of monsters, the one behind me, a small army of Adventurers. They don''t back down, don''t show a trace of fear, and attack without hesitation. They slaughter the monsters with minimal losses, the tide of war changed. I''m beside Bryce again. Then I''m hit by a car to protect Noah and Bryce is stabbed to protect a little girl. Then he''s killed by the Shadow of Life and I''m infected with the Blood Scar. Just as soon as we''re killed the second time, we''re okay. Healed, unharmed. We''re standing before Alexander, who opens his mouth to talk, only for Bryce to run him through with his sword, a sword of translucent, dark grey metal with a glowing orange core. The scene resets, and I step forward, look the Shadow of Life in the eye.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "I have realized what I need to do," I say. "To bring a permanent end to this war." The vision ends, and I wake with a start, sitting up with a jolt and a smack, sending Max stumbling back. "Ow," Max rubs his forehead. "Boss okay? Boss no wake! No, no, no! Boss not wake! Boss not wake! Max worried!" "Yeah, I''m-I''m fine," I rub my forehead as I stand up. Did my vision get hijacked? By¡­ another vision? By the prophecy¡­ The person who spoke the prophecy, they weren''t prophesying, they were speaking what they''d seen. My visions generally show the most likely outcome of a situation. That''s why the prophecy has two branches two it ¨C they''d seen two outcomes. They weren''t giving a prophecy, but stating their visions. There is not prophecy, just a recording of what will likely be. That explains why it''s the only known prophecy. It''s not one, and if it''s anything like my visions, it''s possible it won''t happen. I''m hoping it does¡­ I guess? I''m not sure the ending of it all that well. Me and Bryce were the ones in the vision, but it''s likely it was using that because I know Bryce, and we''re brothers. Because it was my vision. Bryce is dead, though, and has been for months, so he can''t be one of the brothers, which means I''m not, either. I mean, it even showed Bryce using the Spook Sword I had forged for him. So it was using what I knew for the brothers deal. Two brothers that met death twice where death wasn''t simply a part of a process they had agreed to. Ascension. The vision showed me Ascending, though. And it showed me forging the Class I want to make. Does that mean I will? That I am the harbinger? Or was it using that because it''s me, again? Did the person who had the vision of the end see them and their brother? Did¡­ "-disembodied voice," Big Flame''s chatter to Max catches my attention, and I realize that his presence was there when I woke. "Big Flame," I say. "There is no Big Flame here, only disembodied voices." "Stop messing with Max for a second," I tell him. "The person who originally spoke the prophecy of the end¡­ were they a brother of mine? I know you said-" "That you''re the first of your kind," he says. "Big S told us not to tell you the truth of the prophecy''s origins. But what you saw was the same vision as back then. The exact same." "So that means that Bryce or I?" I say. "We''re the ones who-" "Bryce is dead," Big Flame says. "Permanently. His soul''s already moved on to the afterlife, so it can''t return. Yet that was Bryce in the vision. Big Breeze doesn''t understand it, Big C doesn''t understand it, Big S doesn''t¡­ none of us do. It literally can''t be the two of you." "I have a theory," Big Breeze''s voice enters my head, and I suddenly find myself standing in his chamber, facing him. Thankfully, it''s an empty version of it, rather than the one filled with all the dead Boundary people waiting for the afterlife. "See, I think what''s happening is that you and Bryce being here ''hijacks'' visions. Any and all visions that were received back then but took place in or after this time? You two appeared in." "And since we''re brothers," I say. "The visions use the two of us in place of the actual brothers?" "Correct," he nods. "We honestly have no idea who the brothers are. When we realized that Luca and Braden were going to arrive, we thought maybe it would be them. But just like you and Bryce¡­ one of the two has received permanent death. There''s no escaping death twice for either of the pairs we''ve thought it could be." "Me and Bryce, Luca and Braden," I say, and he nods. "Am I really the first Child of Existence since Big S?" "Yes," he answers. "Which is why he doesn''t want you to know the actual source of the prophecy, the one who had the vision in the past." "It was him?" "No," Big Breeze shakes his head. "It wasn''t. It''s a complicated situation, but there are others who can hold the power of sight, not just Children of Existence. They''re rare, though. I know he''s going to be mad, but I''m telling you anyway. "A long, long time ago," Big Breeze tells me. "There was a demigod who died in reality and found his way into the Boundary, just like most demigods. He was particularly powerful. Despite how weak magic is outside the Boundaries, he''d had visions regularly, just like you. "Seal," Big Breeze says. "Or System, or the Crystal of the System, or Big S, or any of the many other titles and names he''s had, infused a small portion of his essence into the seer, who had been trying to find out how the war would end. A small bit of his own power of sight, to augment the demigod''s. The next time the seer tried to see the end of the war¡­ he had that vision you had. Seal can''t utilize his sight like that, and had hoped for a clear answer. We didn''t know when the vision took place, though. The endless fields gave nothing away, and we didn''t recognize the Fallen City whose altar you restored." "That was Talorn," I say. "We know that now," he huffs. "We all believed the moment we saw you in the flesh that you would be the harbinger. But we have no clue who the actual brothers are for the prophecy. Children of Existence¡­ there''s never been two alive at a time before. Eternities pass before the next is born, and by then¡­ we don''t really know, to be honest. Seal is the only one we know for sure before you." "And two of us living at once," I say. "Has affected existence in such a way that even visions are affected." "Correct," he nods. "I''m sorry, Zack. If we knew who the brothers were, we''d let you know, even if Seal doesn''t want us to." Big S wanted to hide the truth of the prophecy''s origins from me¡­ but also doesn''t want me to know who the brothers are? But if they don''t know who the brothers are, why would he say that? Unless he knows. But why doesn''t he want me to know who they are? "Alright," I smile at Big Breeze. "It''s alright, it''s not like you know something." "Sorry," he apologizes again. "We want this war to end as much as you. If we knew, we''d be keeping an eye on them as well, especially since the person you were in the place of didn''t actually kill him, just said he''d realized what was needed to end the war for good. That can go either way, just like the prophecy." "Yeah," I nod, then shrug. "I guess if you guys can''t figure it out, there''s no use worrying about it. I probably will, though, but I''ve got other things to focus on. Like a beastborn who''s probably confused or freaking out because you suddenly pulled me out of the Boundary to speak with me in-person." "Oh," he blushes. "Sorry! I guess we''re done, so I''ll send you back." When I reappear where I''d disappeared from, Max is definitely freaking out, thinking that his head-bop caused me to just vanish after the disembodied voices started talking. "You didn''t head-bop me," I say, startling the beastborn whose eyes are filled with tears. "I head-butted you. Wrong way around, and you didn''t make me disappear, one of the Sacred Crystals pulled me away from here to talk with me about what Big Flame and I were discussing. And they''re not disembodied voices, they''re the Sacred Crystals." "We''re disembodied voices." "That''s Big Flame," I tell Max. "The Crystal of Dark of Fire. He''s a prankster, and he''s just messing with you." "Am not!" "Are too!" "Am not!" "Are too!" Chapter 0094 (Zack) Luca still looks weak as he sleeps, though I can tell his Mana''s gone up. It does so steadily, though it''s slowing down, since it''s getting higher. I know I''m going to end up with a monstrous amount of Mana, but I think he will in his life, too. Hm. That actually brings up a good question. A very good question. "Checking on him again?" Adrian asks, giving Max a suspicious look as the beastborn stares at Luca intently, willing him to wake up so I stop being sad. That''s not how it works, Max. "Yeah," I say. "What''s on your mind?" "Who will reach Nathan''s current amount of Mana first, me or Luca." "How much Mana does Normar have?" He asks. "There are six digits to it," I answer, and his eyes widen. Nathan''s got a high enough Appraisal Resistance that no one I know of can actually see his stats, but he showed it to me. "Yeah, he''s a monster when it comes to Mana." And he''s not even at Level 250 yet. He''s used quite a lot of Mana in his life, even Blaine and Adrian don''t have more than 50,000 or so. "Anyway," I kiss Luca on the forehead. "We''ll be back, bud. Just a few more days before we think you''ll wake up. Gold''s got someone keeping an eye on you at all times so I can be alerted immediately." I look at the monkey beastborn sitting in the corner, watching Max intently. He''s jealous, but also in awe. He also wants to know if I can give him a fist-bump, but is too scared to ask. I walk over to the monkey boy and hold out my fist. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him," I say, and his face brightens as he gives me a fist-bump, his mind becoming a scramble of¡­ well, their communication. "I''ll see you around. Max, come on. I''ve got more training for you." "Yay!" Max exclaims, hurrying over to me as I walk to the door. "Max get candy!" I can sense the other beastborn''s amusement at Adrian''s shock. Instead of taking Max home, I lead him to Jackson''s forge, where a new person, someone I don''t recognize, is manning the till. She looks to be around forty, and is just as beefy as the smith. I bet she''s a cousin or something. She''s got a line, too. "Hey, Zack," she says as I start to walk up to her. Yes! Someone I don''t know who doesn''t try to stop me immediately, but knows me instead! Wooo! "Hello, Madam," I grin at her. "Is Jackson busy?" "Always," she answers. "I can fetch him after I finish with this customer." "Thanks!" I say, and she finishes up taking the party''s orders. They leave, then the clerk tells the customers to hold on a minute, then she heads into the back. Around five minutes later, she returns with Jackson, who''s carrying a small box. Payday again? You shouldn''t have. "Can we talk in private?" I ask him. "Sure," he answers. "Come on back." I lead Max to the back, to the private room where we do our business. He hands the box, which contains five thousand platinum''s worth of coins. "You''ve gone through just five?" I ask. "Yes," he answers. "More of the ''trustworthy worthy folk'' will probably come by in the next week or two. I''m also raising the price up from one thousand to two." "Why?" I ask. "Because you have a limited supply," he answers. "And anyone who''s worthy can afford it. In addition to that, I''m sure that there are more of those you''d be okay with getting it buying it than the amount of it you have." I think on it. He has fifteen left, and I have¡­ twenty-six, plus the five left from what I gave him before. So then there are forty-six of them, with up to five unavailable for use. "You''re not doing this for greed, are you?" I ask. "No," he answers. "It will help decrease how quickly we go through it so that we don''t run out or miss out. There are still quite a few who could use it who are deeper in or who live around here who haven''t come to me yet. If there''s someone who could really use it who''s ''worthy'', as you''d call it, but they can''t afford it, then we''ll work something out. Then there''s the Dark Order and the Fallen Hunters." "Yeah," I nod, thinking more on it. Shame it''s so rare, or I''d just have the entire Dark Order''s more powerful members get gear made with it. "Alright," I say. "I guess we can do that, if you think it''s best." "Then I will," he says. "What did you want to talk about?" "Can you teach Max how to properly care for his blade?" I ask. "With all my orders?" He asks. "I''m sure you could use the rest," I answer, and he chuckles. "You know how to do it." "I know," I grin at him. "But it''ll help me with Max, too." "Boss need help?" Max asks, and Jackson jumps a little. "Told you they can talk!" I laugh.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "I need to finish this sword," Jackson tells me. "Then I can take a break to teach him how to properly care for his knife''s edge." "Speaking of that," I say. "All of mine are fantastic, Jackson. Thanks for blades that don''t ding." "Thanks for letting me work with such potent resources," he says. "Speaking of, I have an idea for the special set you ordered." "An idea?" I ask. "Mixing and merging many Holiday and Special Ores," he says. "When utilizing Primordial Essence, allows me to make especially potent metals. I can do that with elemental and Special Ores, too. A standard set of Dark Armor uses Blood and Shadow, for example." "And then you added in Temporal and Primordial," I add. "Making it a set of equipment that grows as I do while bolstering its power. It''s not as ridiculous as using a mix of Holiday and Special Ores, but still potent." "Indeed," he says. "There is, naturally, elemental ores, such as Fire Ore." "So you want to make a Flame Armor?" I ask. "I''m not really interested in-" "No," he shakes his head. "I''ve been doing small experiments using that extra special ore and essence you brought me, trying to figure out the best combination for your equipment." The Crystal Essences and Crystal Ingots. "Using that," he says. "While mixing in some of the Primordial, allows me to ''upgrade'' an ore so that it''s just as strong and durable as any Holiday or Special Ore I''ve ever worked with." "In other words," I say. "You can make Flame Ore a type of Special Ore while it''s still Flame Ore. All the strength and power of Holiday and Special Ores, yet with the element of fire rather than the unique properties." "Exactly." "So it''d just be a really, really powerful Flame Armor." "No," he laughs. "You''ve brought me ores worth gold and ores worth platinum. There are ores worth diamond as well." "Like the Frost Ingots," I say. "I don''t understand ¨C why are those worth more than Holiday and Special Ores?" "Because they''re special, in a way," he says. "They''re not actually Elemental Ores, they''re in a classification above that, but below the ultimate ones you''ve found. Dragon Ore fits into this category as well, as does Blood. "A Flame Ore," he says. "Is just fire. It can heat up, it can ignite, it can absorb heat, but that''s it. There are no ''other'' properties to it unless it''s mixed. Frost Ore is a type of mixed ore that we can''t make ourselves. It uses a mix of air and water, and has a wide variety of uses. Sure, it can turn cold, it can freeze things that come into contact with it, and it can absorb the cold, but it''s also extremely durable on its own and can be honed, by itself, into a fine edge. Flame Ore isn''t much more than an elemental steel." The more I think about this, the more I''m confused by the Holiday and Special Ores'' pricing. They''re actually rather cheap? Or is that simply because of how ''common'' they are, even if they''re only available once a year? Actually, that makes sense. The Frost Lord was a pain in the ass to kill, even with Nathan''s help, and was how I obtained the Frost Ingots, something that can only be obtained in frigid, hostile environments if not from something that difficult. I was easily killing Holiday Bosses at that time, too, and there are thousands of those throughout the Boundary. Okay, so that''s why something that ''rare'' and ''powerful'' is so cheap ¨C it''s actually rather common compared to some of the other things, even if I bet their price spikes months later. Then there are things like Frost Ore and Dragon Ore, the latter of which seems to be important to this conversation. "You mentioned Dragon Ore," I say. "You''ve mentioned it in the past, too." "Yes," he nods. "If you are willing to pay me a few platinum, I can send some people to try to harvest it." "Harvest?" I ask. "You mean fight a Dragon? But no one can kill a Dragon." Yet. "No," he shakes his head. "There are certain ores that can be harvested in addition to the ''normal'' way of acquiring. There are a few mountains with very powerful monsters on it and in it. Dragon Ore can be harvested there, but not easily." Big S mentioned something similar, that the ores and essences I obtained through Ascending can be obtained through other methods as well. That makes sense, though, especially since Primordial Essence has been obtained through kills and the Santa Gifts. Still don''t know how to get the rest of the rewards, but there''s got to be a way. But I thought things like Dragon Ores can only be obtained by killing Dragons? Well, that shows how much I noticed that little nugget of information. People had in-depth knowledge of them. There''s no way they could if that was the only way to acquire them. "Alright," I say. "So you want to try to make what, Dragon Armor for me?" "Not quite," he says. "But that''s one possibility if the experiment fails. Is he okay?" I look at Max, who is twisted around, looking down with a frown on his face. "Yeah, he''s fine," I tell the blacksmith. "He''s zoned out on our conversation and is currently wondering if he should wear shorter tunics so that it doesn''t look funny when his tail isn''t pointed straight down. Just ignore him for now, he''ll figure it out on his own." "Okay," Jackson says. "I would need ten platinum to arrange for parties to harvest the ores and bring them to me in time to perform the experiments and then create the equipment for you. Even if the experiment I want to do fails, it would be the most powerful set of equipment ever forged in the Boundary. In fact, I could make that right now just using the Primordial and Crystal Ingots and Essence. But the thing I have in mind could be just as powerful, if not more so, if it succeeds." "Then go ahead," I pull out a ten-plat coin and hand it to him. "Money!" Max exclaims. "Max money?" "Yes," I answer. "You''ll make money on your own, Max." "Yippee!" "It sounded like he was asking if that was his money," Jackson says as Max beams at me, his tail wagging. "No," I shake my head. "He was asking if he was going to make his own money. He knows that''s my money and that I earned it. Anyway, get the ores and try to make the armor, Jackson. I''ll pay the cost, you know I can and will." "Okay," he nods. "Let me finish the sword, then I can teach Max how to care for his blades." "Thank you," I say, and he stands, then starts to leave. "Stay here a minute, Max." I follow Jackson out into the forge, taking a look at the sword he''s working on. It''s a rapier, and based on the bluish tint to it, I can guess who it''s for. "You wanted something else?" He asks, and I hold out another ten-platinum coin. "I want four knives made. Nothing special with the elements or features, but they need to be sharp, rarely need caring for if ever, and durable. I don''t care if you tap into some of what you''re using for my armor, I''m sure you''ve got enough for that." "For Max and Luca?" He asks. "And the last two members of my team," I nod. "Who haven''t shown up yet. One for each of them. I won''t tell them there''s anything special about them, so they won''t be tempted to¡­ do a Braden. But I''d feel more comfortable knowing they had such weapons." "Alright," he says. "Do you want me to use some Spook Ore for that extra-special ability?" "Yeah," I nod. "Could you?" "I will," he says. "How are you holding up?" "Better than I was," I shrug. "Max''s arrival has helped me a lot. Reminded me to be cheerful and goofy again, even if I''m mourning. Once the team''s assembled and gotten a few Levels, we''re going to Talorn, and I''m having them work together in taking out monsters. I''m going to focus on getting powered up, too, so that I can kick A''Lutar''s ass, find Fallen Braden, and put him to rest." "Good luck," he says. "And if your team ever needs equipment, just send them to me." "I will," I nod. "But they''re going to have to buy it themselves. I learned from my mistake with Braden. Just gifting it to them far before they''re ready is a bad idea. They need to work hard, learn to buy it themselves. Equip themselves. Only once they''ve learned to handle what they can and know to calculate and determine will I gift them something strong." "Other than the knives." "That''s for my own safety of mind," I shake my head. "That''s different." "Alright," he says. "Do you want me to wait on the last two until they''re here, so I can imprint their names on them? Or do you want all four blank on that front?" Their names? Hm. If they''re identical knives, then the names might be a good idea, but I don''t know their names. I feel a surge of my psychic power, and somehow, I know their names. "I know their names," I shake my head as I feel my body start to tremble. "Gavin¡­ and Braden." "Braden?" He asks. "But he''s-" "Not that Braden," I shake my head. "I-I''m getting another teammate named Braden." Chapter 0095 (Max) Boss sad! Very, very sad! Talk blacksmith private, get sad! Max no talk blacksmith private. Ever. Not get sad. He bad, make Boss sad. Max try talk Boss, make feel good, no work. Max no candy. Happy Boss stay training. Max not good sharpen knives. Calm patient, sad. When finished, Boss take Max home. Max happy! Boss sad. Max make food! Max happy! Max food make Boss happy, Max confident! Max make burgers. Max like burgers! Boss said ''make whatever'', so Max make burgers! Max never choose food before! Max always told make specific food, never ''whatever''! Max very happy! Cheer Boss up, Max hope! When food finish, Max put front Boss. Then walk away, only then Max ground, staring sky. What happened? "Max," Boss say. "You forgot to lace up your boots and tripped over your laces." Max look at boots. Oh. Unlaced! Max sit up, lace boots. Know how, Master made Max lace boots. Not Max boots, Max never have boots now. Boss so nice! Now boots laced, Max take own seat. Max eat people! "Max," Zack says. "You are people, too." Right! Max people, too! "It okay," I tell Boss. "Max," Boss dry tears with sleeve. "It''s okay. Not ''it'' okay, okay?" "It''s?" Max ask. "Yes," Boss nod. "It''s, it''s short for ''it is'', in this case. What you''re saying is ''it is okay'', so it would be it ''it''s okay'', okay?" "Okay, Boss!" "Okay," Boss smile. Max know hard smile Boss. "Max, why don''t we work on your grammar some? You leave out words a lot." "Max do?" "Does," Boss say. "It would be ''Max does''." "Oh," Max say. "Max does?" "Yes," Boss nod. "And I know you''re very intelligent and learn quickly, so it shouldn''t be too hard to fix. Now, let''s go with ''Max do'' ¨C it should''ve actually been ''I do'', not ''Max do''. Since you said your name, it''s ''Max does''. Thing is, you use the name when it''s someone else, not you. For you, it''s ''I'', ''me'', ''my'', and such, okay?" "Okay, Boss!" Max say. "Now say ''I laced my boots''." "Boss laced boots!" Boss smack forehead. Boss okay? He check temperature? Max good temperature-guesser! Max put hand Boss forehead, Boss chuckle. Boss feel fine. "Boss fine!" Max say. "There''s one," Boss chuckle. "It would be ''Boss feels fine'', Max. Can you say that?" "Boss feels fine!" "Yep," Boss smile. "I wasn''t checking my temperature, Max, so don''t worry about, it okay?" "Yes, Boss!" Max nod. "Now," Boss say. "Say ''I laced up my boots''. "Boss laced boots!"
(Zack) That was exhausting. I think Max learns to speak properly faster by listening to people talking than actually being taught it, since he picked up on a couple of things I wasn''t trying to teach him. It took most of the day, though, and now he''s happily sleeping in his bed. Well, my bed. The brat wants to snuggle a lot at night, probably from the wolf side of him. Wolves tend to sleep in their packs. After asking Aurum to keep an eye on Max ¨C and making sure he knows to let the other beastborn sleep ¨C I head to the temple to check on Luca. We''re finishing up day six of this, and have possibly another four. I want to introduce him to Max before taking Max out into the fields for more practical training. Sitting by Luca''s bed, I watch the sleeping healer. After a few minutes, I kiss his forehead. If my sight is right, and I''m inclined to believe it, then one of the other two members of our team is named Braden, too. That can''t be coincidence. The Crystals are bringing us another Braden on purpose, aren''t they? Why, though? Is it to try to help us heal by forcing us to face the situation? I''m going to deal with the situation, Crystals, I don''t need your help. Maybe a little, but seriously? Giving us someone with his name for a teammate? Why do that? "Everything is going to be okay," I whisper to Luca. "I promise. I''ve lost Bryce and Braden, and I''m going to make sure I never lose another teammate. I know I failed in that promise the first time, but it''s not going to happen again. We''ll get through everything. "We have a new teammate already," I tell him. "He''s a beastborn I rescued from an evil master. He''s happy and cheerful and eager to have fun. I''m sure you''ll enjoy his presence. I brought him here earlier, even if you couldn''t see him. His name is Max, and he''s a wolf beastborn. He''s going to be an elementalist, too, just like Braden, but he''s going to be a fire-based one instead. Hurry and finish recovering and paying off your mana debt, okay? I want to introduce you to him soon. "I''m going home, now," I tell Luca. "But I''ll be back in the morning, okay?" I kiss him on the forehead, then leave. Instead of going home, though, I find myself at the steps to the Dark Temple. Taking a deep breath, I enter, tracking down Gold in one of the training areas, the same one where Nik first had me fight the golems. He''s sparring against four of them, and losing badly, letting out yelps every time one smacks him with its training blade. Gold ducks under one blade only to be struck in the back by another, and he yelps as he stumbles forward. "Need help?" I offer, and receive a mental impression of me obliterating the dummies. That''s a ''yes''. I turn off the training program, and the dummies return to their spots on the walls. Gold gives me an embarrassed look as he remembers that that''s a thing. I grab a wooden training sword, then walk towards Gold, beginning to spar against him, helping him improve his technique until he''s too exhausted to continue. Then, he moves to a spot on the sidelines to watch while I trigger the training program on a tough difficulty, pull out one of my actual swords to begin sparring with the magical training dummies. This is one way to improve my skills while not going too far away from my team, but it doesn''t net me Experience, and my Skills are already high enough that this won''t work for those. It''s all about the practical experience, for now.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Once I''m exhausted, Gold and I hit the bath, and I watch as he plays with his little wooden dog, doing his usual routine of woofs and barks with it. When we finish, we dry off and start to get dressed. Right after I pull on my pants, he gives me a hug before taking off to his room. Smiling a little, I step into my boots, pull on my lower armor and equip my sword and knife to my hip, before slinging my tunic over my shoulder and holding it there as I leave the temple, feeling the cold air biting at my skin. There''s a light snow again. According to Nik, we can expect snow until the end of winter. If that''s the same as on Earth, then it''ll be almost the end of their ''March''. He says that around a month after the Love Lord''s appearance, which sounds about right. A month and a week, though with the Boundary''s wonky time, that could be a week or two off in either direction. Then around a week after the last freeze, the Candy Rabbit arrives. That''s going to be fun, I think. Chuckling at the thought of fighting a rabbit that actually shoots eggs out of its ass, I almost miss her. Well, I noticed her, but didn''t pay much attention since there wasn''t hostility. Then I registered who it was, so I stop walking and turn around. "Hey, Kylie," I greet my friend, who''s wearing a cloak over her usual garb. "Hey," her face flushes. "Aren''t you cold?" "No," I answer. "I can feel the cold, but a perk of being me is a little bit of an immunity to it. I was just heading home. What about you?" "I-I-you-I-nice abs." "Huh?" I look down, then back at her and smile, before pulling on my tunic. She lets out a small breath of relief. "Sorry, I just had a bath with Gold at the Dark Temple, and decided to let the cold air bite me as I went home. There''s usually no one on this path. You were waiting for me, to see how I''m doing?" She nods, looking a bit embarrassed to admit that. "It''s okay," I tell her. "I know you like me, Kylie, so you being concerned¡­ it makes sense." "Okay," she smiles a little hesitantly. "I heard you''ve a beastborn on your team, now. Other than Gold, I mean." "Max," I nod. "He''s a bundle of fun. If you stop by in the morning, I can introduce you two. Be forewarned: he talks." "So it''s true?" She asks. "Those weren''t just rumors people were spreading?" "It''s true," I nod. She squirms uncomfortably, and it takes everything I have to not push further into her mind. I can sense she''s uncomfortable, but also anxious about something. "Do you need a hug?" She asks. "I-I know you said-" I interrupt her by moving to her at max speed, wrapping my arms around her and pressing my face against her shoulder. A hug would be nice. Kylie wraps her arms around me, and we just hug for a few minutes. "Do you," she says once I release her. "Do you maybe want to go somewhere and talk for a bit? I know you said you''d rather focus on your team than dating, so it wouldn''t be that. You made it clear you weren''t interested then, and even if you were, after what happened to Luca-" "I am interested," I interrupt her. "But¡­ I''ve a team, Kylie. And they''re all complete novices. I do promise that once things calm down, if we''re still friends and still like each other, we can definitely give it a try. But that''ll probably be after the big battle for sure." "Alright," she smiles. "Where were you thinking?" I ask. "Just¡­ maybe somewhere to eat?" She asks. "Or we could head to where we''re staying. I mean, me and my fellow apprentices. And we could just talk." "No offense," I say. "But I don''t trust the others not to eavesdrop." "The hideout''s guarded against stuff like that," she smiles. "So we''d have privacy. Plus, I think they''d be too scared of you to try to eavesdrop on a private conversation involving you." "Maybe," I shrug. "There''s a tavern that''s pretty nice, come on." I lead Kylie to the tavern, and we take a seat. I hold up two fingers to one of the waitresses, who nods, then resumes her work. "Samantha never lets us come here," Kylie tells me. "We always have to eat at one of two restaurants or at the hideout. No actual taverns." "You didn''t protest," I say. "I probably won''t get into trouble," she smiles. "Since I''m here with you. Is it okay if I ask how he''s doing?" "He''s doing fine," I answer. "We think he''ll be out for around ten days, so probably another four. It''s all my fault." "You can''t say that," she says. "But it is," I tell her. "I had a special, powerful robe made just for Braden. It greatly augmented his magic and magical defense. I then went to a meeting. I shouldn''t have left him alone after giving it to him, I knew he was wanting to prove himself to me. I should''ve realized that if I gave that to him and given him plenty of time, he''d¡­ he''d try to prove himself against something tough, just to show he could handle it. Because of that, he walked straight to one of the most powerful Bounty Beasts in the entire valley. Possibly the most powerful one, outside of Kaelmar. And now he''s dead, and Luca went into Zero Down." "I don''t understand that part," she frowns. "What did¡­ what did he do? If he''d tried using Heal, it wouldn''t have worked, since there was no ''target'' for it to latch onto." "It''s¡­" I try to figure out how to word it. "You know how there''s runic magic?" "Yes," she nods. "Luca knows some?" "No," I answer. "But it''s without Skills, right?" She nods. "How do you learn Skills?" "You train," she answers. "You focus your inner powers and shape it into the force you want. If you succeed, you acquire the Skill." "That''s because you''ve used the Skill," I tell her. "You acquire Skills upon using them the first time. But that means you''re using a Skill without a Skill. It''s possible to use Skills without them even after obtaining the Skill or with runes, you just have to focus on not using the System for it. "That''s what Luca did," I say. "He expended all of his magical power, and then some, in a heightened emotional state to perform a healing spell to try to heal his brother''s body." "Oh," she says. "But even then, it wouldn''t have-" "The Skills require a target," I say. "For healing magics. Using them by themselves doesn''t, and Luca wasn''t using ''Heal'', but something far more potent. And it worked. Braden''s body was healed. The spell wasn''t resurrection, though, which means that while Braden''s body was healed, there was no return of his soul. Luca''s heightened emotional state and the potent power he used allowed him to borrow power from the future, which led to him being in Zero Down. "It really is all my fault," I say as the waitress arrives with two plates of brisket and potatoes and two mugs of ale. "If I hadn''t given him the stupid cloak, none of this would''ve happened." "You can''t change the past," she tells me. "Just look forward to the future and to do a better job, and to learn from your mistakes." "I know," I rub my temples. "I tried finding him, after." "Braden?" She asks. "When I lost myself into training in Talorn," I nod. "I tried finding him. A''Lutar definitely hid him away so that he''d become a Fallen Adventurer. I¡­ I wanted to put him down, before Luca woke up. Wanted him to know his brother was at peace and his body wasn''t defiled any further." She drums her fingers on the table, and I start eating. After a few minutes, she does as well, and the rest of our meal is in silence. "Do you still want to do that?" She asks. "To purge the Fallen Adventurer?" "It''s useless," I shrug. "He''s probably being guarded and hidden by A''Lutar, who I can''t fight." "Not alone," she says. "But I heard from Samantha that you did damage to the Avatar of the Shadow of Life, that you fought it ¨C barely ¨C with your Demon Form and a Blessing from Normar. If the Avatars are more powerful than a Level 25 Bounty Beast Goblin¡­" Then I might be able to kill A''Lutar with Nathan''s help. "Maybe," I say. "But I have Max to take care of and train, now. Once my full team is assembled and at least Level 5 each, then I''ll take them into Talorn for greater training. Maybe I''ll ask Nathan to come along." "I have the next couple of days off," she tells me. "Samantha''s doing¡­ something, so we don''t have training. I heard you''d been training him with a knife. I could teach him a bit more, if you wanted." "You''d have communication issues," I snort at the thought of her trying to talk with Max. "It''s easy to misunderstand him. Plus, he''s actually going for Novice Elementalist. Once Luca wakes, I''ll take them out of town so Max can get some practical training. I''d probably trust Max more with Blaine than anyone." "The alchemist?" "And magician," I add. "Or I could leave him with the servants at the Dark Temple. They''re all beastborn, so they''d have no issues communicating with him, and I know they''re fascinated by him, since they knew in advance that Big S was going to grant another Access, and already knew which it would be." "Yes," she frowns. "About that ¨C why is the Crystal of the System so selective with it? Why not just start granting Access?" "Several reasons," I answer. "The first of which is that there are plenty who''d use it to start killing humans. Train up in secret so they could get strong without being noticed, then just eradicate Cities at a time. Then there''s the fact that it exhausts him. He runs the entire System by himself, and it requires a lot of energy. Manually connecting someone into the System tires him out and it takes awhile to recover from that. Can take years, actually." "Oh," she says. "I didn''t know that." "The ones acting as servants do," I tell her. "That''s why they''re patient and eager to prove themselves as not being in the former category, but in the category that will serve the Crystals just like those who choose to come here, in most cases." I put some money on the table, then stand lead her out of the tavern. "Let''s go back to the hideout," she tells me. "We can talk more there." "Yeah," I grab her hand. "Thanks, Kylie." She''s making me feel better, in a way different from Max. He cheers me up, and she''s making me feel better. Maybe I should figure out something to do with Max for a few days? So that I can see if Nathan will go with me¡­ I do want to put Braden to rest for Luca. By the time we reach the hideout, I''ve made up my mind. I''m going to wait for Luca to wake up, so that I''m not leaving anyone behind. So that he can be there when his brother''s corpse is finally put to rest. Chapter 0096 (Zack) "Aaawoooooo!" Max howls, then giggles at whatever it is that''s got him amused, besides his random howls. Chuckling, I shake my head, then focus on the book in front of me. Another one of the tomes that Nathan''s pilfered from within Lost Territory. According to him, all of the Fallen Cities he passed by had Corrupted Monsters in them, which means they all had avatars of the Shadow of Life in them. Only someone like Nathan could get in and out without being killed, I''m sure. Alone, anyway. He''s fast and he''s a mana monster. He''s managed to retrieve a few ancient texts, ones older than those in our own libraries. Most, he can''t read, but since I can read, well, any language, apparently, he''s let me borrow some. They''re all on runic magics. He''s figured out what the runes themselves mean for several of the books, but that''s around the limits of his abilities. According to him, though, deciphering the runes'' meanings and adjusting formulas to make new spells helped bolster his Intellect and Wisdom. That''s something that still confuses me. It doesn''t actually increase our intellect or wisdom, yet things that can be attributed to boosting them can increase the stats named after them. They''re more like Magic Power and Mana Strength, or something like that. And Willpower is Magic Defense. Hell, even their descriptions make that obvious. It''s definitely some oddity on Big S''s end. He probably mixed things up because of how tired he is all the time, sort of like with the forgotten placeholder in the Ascension messages. Max lets out another howl, then giggles again, and I roll my eyes, close the tome, and send it into my Inventory. We''re hoping Luca wakes up tomorrow, since it''ll have been a week and a half. If not tomorrow, then on the eleventh day of his Zero Down. As I go to tell Max to stop howling, a vision hits me. The taller boy from my team listens to Big C as the offer is made. He''s quiet, nodding every now and then as the giant Crystal speaks, and when Big C finishes, he nods once as he accepts the offer. After Big C thanks him for the assistance, he appears beside the tree, dressed in a simple tunic and pants and pair of leather boots. The vision fades away, and I sigh. Ten days from now, if the pattern with Luca and Bryce holds. In ten days, the knight from my team appears. "Boss okay!" "Is Boss okay?" I correct Max. "And yes, I''m fine, Max. We''ll be receiving a new member to our team in ten days." "Yippee!" Max exclaims, giving me a hug. "Luca-friend wake?" "No," I say. "Luca should wake before then, I meant someone else. We hope Luca wakes up tomorrow or the day after." "Yippee!" Max exclaims. "More party!" "Yeah," I smile at him. "More members of our party. Do you think you can calm down, Max? It''s time for bed." "Bedtime!" He races inside and up to our room, and I roll my eyes, then look across the street. "Almost time," I say. "Just another day or two." I know Nathan''s worried about Luca, too, and is waiting impatiently for his ''rival'' to wake up. I''m not sure why he sees Luca as his rival, but he does. Now that I''ve reminded Nathan of that, I head upstairs and change into my night clothes. Max is¡­ naked. Again. Dammit, Max. Stop stripping naked for bed, especially since I know you''re going to try to do your beastborn-night-snuggle with me. Again. "Max, put on some pants, and do not climb into my bed tonight." "Yes, Boss!" He climbs onto his own bed, but doesn''t put on pants. Well, one out of two isn''t bad, especially since it was the important one. As I fall asleep, a vision comes to me, as usual. I can''t sleep without them, after all. Luca floats on his back on a pond, a waterfall crashing down into it. He looks peaceful, content, and just floats there, staring up at the sky. Then there''s a whooping, and Max comes crashing into the water beside the little healer, who splutters, then starts wrestling Max, trying to dunk him. He''s smaller, though, and weaker. Then the knight from my team joins in, helping him to dunk Max as I watch in amusement from the camp we''ve set up nearby. The ranger on my team is missing, but he arrives after a few minutes, several rabbits strung up, and he gets to work on making dinner as the other three continue to wrestle around in the pond. The me of the vision looks around. I''d put us at around fourteen or fifteen in this vision, which means that Luca is around eleven or twelve. Springtime, maybe early summer? When I finish looking around, I stand and tell the ranger to keep an eye on everyone, then I leave. Without hesitation, I follow the vision-me away from the camp. At this point, my team clearly knows I''m powerful, considering my gear. That I''m a terrifying being in a human form. Drawing my sword, the dream-me looks around, then frowns, before looking right at me and waving a hand, the vision ending. Opening my eyes, I rub my temple. I''m able to sense myself predicting those scenes, which is annoying, since I keep dismissing myself from the visions. How many of them will actually come to pass, though? And how I do forcibly dismiss the visions like that? All things to figure out, I suppose. Morning''s here, so I change, then make my way downstairs and begin breakfast. I''m not even done before Max is racing down here, dressed in pants, to sit at the table. At least he''s got pants on this time. Once he started relaxing, he''s really started to relax and realize he won''t be in trouble over every little thing. "Tunic, too, Max," I say. He''s probably ignoring the cold in favor of food. "Right, Boss!" He pulls a tunic out of his Inventory and pulls it on. "Thank, Boss!" "Thanks," I say. "And you''re welcome." I finish frying the bacon and cooking the eggs, then serve them with some milk. Max and I eat, then he washes the dishes before I run him through a few drills. It took him a day to start increasing his physical stats, but he''s doing so now. His Vitality''s gone up from 1 to 3 in the last few days, as much as I try to not hit him too hard.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He seems to take the training beatings in stride, though, and differentiates between them and the punishments from the master that used to own him. For that, I''m happy. After two hours of training, I take Max to the temple so we can check on Luca. I want to be here most of the day, so when we arrive, I just sit at the edge of the bed and watch Luca. Max entertains himself by pulling out the deck of cards I got him and starting a game of Go Fish with the wolf beastborn who was watching Luca. He learned their values quickly, so it''s fun playing with him, especially since he doesn''t get discouraged if he loses every time.
(Luca) There''s a warmth by me. A gentle, kind warmth that feels¡­ comforting. Comforting, even though Braden''s dead. Gone, for good. I told him he shouldn''t have done that, but he didn''t listen. I tried to heal him, but I failed. And now he''s gone for good, to never return. I want to cry. But the warmth makes me feel better about myself. Cracking open an eye, I realize that the warmth is coming from the scary guy. He''s napping on the chair beside my bed, his head resting on his arms on the bed. I''m in the temple, I think, not at home. Looking around, I spot a pair of wolf boys playing cards in the corner. They''re dressed nicely. They aren''t slaves, and they look¡­ happy. Turning my gaze back to the warmth, I find the scary guy looking at me, his blue eyes filled with concern. "If you need a hug," he says softly. "You can get one from me at any time, okay?" Sitting up, I scoot over to him and give him a hug. He''s scary, but he''s nice. Now I know why he wanted to keep Braden from going off on his own, from going against stronger monsters. He was right, it was stupid and foolish. I should''ve been more insistent, should''ve been stubborn and stayed home. "It''s not your fault," he tells me, rubbing my back and I sniffle into his shoulder. "It''s mine, Luca. I shouldn''t have given him that robe and then left him alone. I gave it to him before he was ready. It was my fault, not yours. I''m sorry, Luca. It''s my fault that Braden died." It''s not your fault. It''s mine. I should''ve been more stubborn on not going. Braden wouldn''t have gone if I''d refused to go. But I''m so weak, I just do what he says. Did what he said, like always. And now he''s dead. Someone hugs me from behind, and I realize that it''s one of the beastborn. He''s our age, and I can see a Status on him. I didn''t notice it before.
Max Level 0
Health: 30 Mana: 70
He''s like Gold. He has Status. Access. I haven''t met Gold, but I''ve heard about him. The first-ever beastborn to have Access to the System. "Luca," Mr. Zack releases me, pulling Max off of me and making the beastborn stand beside him. "This is Max, the newest member of our team. He joined a few days ago, after I killed his former owner and set him free. I promise I''m not trying to replace Braden-" I know. He''s another member of the team. It''s okay, Mr. Zack. I know you''re just taking our team as it goes. Plus, he''s got a tail. That''s nice. Braden never had a tail, so Max can''t be a replacement for him. "I''ve been washing you," Mr. Zack tells me. "But I don''t think it''s enough to qualify as a ''bath''. If you''re ready to go home, you can take a bath while I make dinner." As long as Max takes a bath with me. "Come on," Mr. Zack lets me climb onto his back so he can carry me home, and Max follows us out. We''re stopped almost at the entrance to the temple by the priest. The big one here. Um. The high one? Priest Adrian. "He''s awake," Priest Adrian says. "Duh," Mr. Zack says. "Now if you don''t mind, he wants to take an actual bath rather than getting sponged down while unconscious. And he''s been unconscious for a week and a half, so he''s probably starving, too." "I think it''s best if he stays here-" "It''s just Zero Down," Mr. Zack sounds annoyed. "Luca wants to go home, Adrian, so he''s going home. Goodbye." Without waiting for Priest Adrian to respond, Mr. Zack continues leaving, and I think Max blows a raspberry at the priest. I like him. Mr. Zack takes me home and only lets me down once we''re in the bath. "Max bath!" Max says. He talks! "Yes," Mr. Zack says. "You can take a bath with Luca, but be gentle, okay? He doesn''t like horsing around yet." Yet? As if I''d ever like to horse around, especially without Braden. Mr. Zack leaves, and Max gives me a curious look before stripping. He''s got nice muscles. I look at myself. I don''t have nice muscles. I''m jealous. There. I said it. I''m jealous of muscles. Especially Mr. Zack''s. If I follow Mr. Zack''s workout plan, will I have nice muscles, too? Max helps me scrub, he does my back. So I do his back, and pretend to accidentally brush his tail. "Luca-friend wash tail!" Max says. Huh? I didn''t wash his tail. I finish scrubbing his back, and as I rinse it off, he gives me a curious look. "Luca-friend no wash tail?" I don''t understand you. I don''t have a tail, and I didn''t wash your tail. I finish rinsing myself off, then climb into the bath. "Aw," Max''s ears and tail droop, and he starts washing his own tail. What would it be like to have a tail? I saw a monkey boy and a dog boy and a wolf boy, now. They all had tails. Do they have cat boys, too? I want to touch Max''s tail again, but he''d probably get upset and bite me for it. He''s got fangs, even if they''re small. And he''s part-wolf. Or I''d try and feel his tail. It felt nice, even if it was wet. What do his ears feel like? When I smell dinner, I climb out of the bath and shiver a little. It''s warm in here, but the cold of winter still manages to reach the doorway a little. I quickly dry off and bundle up in clean clothes, Max doing the same. Mr. Zack''s putting dinner down as we arrive. There are three steaks, mashed potatoes, grilled veggies, fruit cocktail, and some rolls. "To celebrate Max''s arrival," Mr. Zack holds up his cup. "And Luca recovering from Zero Down. May our adventures as a team be fun, and may the last two members of our team work well with us, when they arrive." Do you know when they''re coming yet? Max holds up his cup and happily clinks it against Mr. Zack''s, so I clink mine against it as well, then we drink. "Keeek!" I exclaim. It''s wine! Mr. Zack cracks up laughing at my reaction while Max happily drinks all of his, his tail wagging from his excitement. "Taste good!" Max tells Mr. Zack. "More, Boss!" "No," Mr. Zack refills his own cup. "You can have water, Max. Oh, but I do have a treat for you after dinner." "Max treat!" Max bounces excitedly in his seat. "After dinner," Mr. Zack tells him. "It''ll be dark enough then." Ooooh! He''s giving Max one of those treats! "It''ll be his first time, Luca," Mr. Zack tells me. "So he won''t be having more than you. I do have a box of chocolates if you want." I nod, happy that he''s that nice. He''s always been nice, hasn''t he? In his own way. He''s always just been trying to help us, that''s why he was so mean to Braden. He didn''t want my brother doing something stupid like that. "Luca," Mr. Zack says, and I look at him, realizing there are tears in my eyes. "Everything''s going to be okay. One day, soon, I''m going to take you to Talorn so that you can see me kill the bastard who killed your brother. I''m going to get Nathan to buff me up. If Nik and the pervert can damage that thing as a pair, then I can do it, too." He looks uncomfortable as he says that, though. Is there something else? Just how powerful is he, if he can handle that thing with Normar''s help? Or is Normar''s help just that strong? After dinner, Max cleans up the dishes and Mr. Zack gives me a box of chocolates. They''re delicious. I watch as he gives Max one of those special Spook Treats, and the wolf boy''s face fills with excitement. "Spooky-spooky!" He exclaims, taking a giant bite out of it. "Yummy!" He runs around the yard a bit. Is he okay? After we finish our candy, the three of us go up to our room and change into our night clothes. Mr. Zack climbs into his bed and shoves Max off, telling Max to put on pants and get in his own bed. Max just climbs onto another bed instead. I try to sleep on my bed, but every time I close my eyes, I get scared and see the big goblin killing my brother and the demon who arrived. Why did the demon protect me? It had a tail, too, but that one wasn''t furry or fuzzy. At some point, I find myself¡­ no longer alone. Mr. Zack''s climbed off the top bunk and joined me on mine. I snuggle into him, grateful he''s my leader. He''s so nice and warm, and his warmth makes me feel comfortable. I cry into his tunic, doing my best to be quiet so we don''t wake Max, who''s snoozing on Braden''s bed. Eventually, I fall asleep. Chapter 0097 (Luca) "Oof! Boss! Whyyyy?" Mr. Zack chuckles in my ear, then starts tickling me before I can figure out what happened that woke me up. I do my best to struggle against Mr. Zack, but his hands are too expert and he finds all my ticklish spots so I can''t hide them. Once we calm down, he kisses me on the forehead. "Glad to see you smiling," he tells me with a small smile, himself. "I know it''s going to be hard, Luca, but I''m here for you, okay? Anytime you want to talk, just let me know. Or Max. He might not look like he''s paying attention, but he''ll do his best. He just likes expressing his happiness, since he''s never really been allowed to before, okay?" I nod. "And another thing," he says. "You don''t have to smile for anyone, especially after what happened, okay? So don''t feel like you have to. That said, I like it when you smile. You''re even more adorable." My ears burn at his compliment. He''s saying that just to make me uncomfortable, isn''t he? "Now," he climbs out of bed and starts changing into his day clothes. "I''m going to go make breakfast, Luca. We''re doing bacon and eggs." "Woo!" Max exclaims, then scrambles to get dressed. "Max make breakfast, Boss!" Max hurries out of the room and he pulls on his tunic. "Or¡­ Max can make breakfast," Mr. Zack chuckles, then looks at me. "Anyway, Luca, I like it when you smile, but don''t feel forced to, okay? I know you''re going through a rough time, I''ve been there, too." Because of Bryce. "Yeah," he nods, reminding me that he''s totally psychic and able to read everyone''s minds and probably crush us with his- "No, I can''t," he laughs. "You''re letting your imagination get away from you again, but that''s a good thing. It means you''re still my Luca. Now that you''re recovered, I was wondering if you''d go out to the fields with Max and me. He hasn''t had practical training yet, just against me, so he''s got no Experience." Or Class. "Well, yeah," Mr. Zack nods. "If you reach a combined Skill Level of 50 without any Classes, you obtain a rare Class that has a total of 10 Levels to it. The original Classes of the System. Max and I both have Ruffian. If you manage to reach a combined Skill Level of 100 without any Classes other than the original Class obtained at 50 Total Skill Levels, then you obtain an even greater Class called Adventurer. Max was less than 10 Total Skill Levels away from it when he gained Access due to Skills he had that carried over from being a beastborn slave. Gold has it, too. I would''ve offered it to you and Braden, only for normal people, that would take months or years, and I didn''t want to delay you two." That''s okay, you just want what''s best for us. "M-mr. Zack?" I say, and he gives me a curious look. "I-I won''t do it. I promise." "I know," he smiles sadly, ruffling my hair. He thinks for a moment, then pulls a staff out of his Inventory, holding it out to me. "I had this made for your brother, but it didn''t arrive in time for¡­ you know." I take the staff. It''s simple and elegant, and a little taller than me. There''s a pure-white crystal on the tip of it, and white runes up and down its pale shaft, a few traces of silver here and there. "It''s a powerful staff," he tells me. "It¡­ was meant to be your brother''s as part of a gift set with the robe. It just took longer to have made. I can trust you not to try to use it against too-tough foes." I nod, then realize he wasn''t asking me that, but stating it. He''s right. I wouldn''t, especially not after what happened when my brother did. "Come on," he ruffles my hair as I lean the staff against the wall. "Let''s go see how Max is doing with breakfast." I nod, then follow him downstairs, where Max is making bacon and eggs. Crispy, but not burnt. When we eat, they''re delicious, and Mr. Zack makes sure we each eat an orange, each. After breakfast, he runs us through some physical drills. Pushups, pullups, situps, and a jog around the neighborhood, in addition to some martial arts training. For the martial arts training, he changes how he does it with me. For the first time, he actually hits me, but he tells me before that he''s going to, that he''s going to help me build up my Endurance and Vitality. So after several hard hits and me hitting the ground hard a few times, I''m at 5 Health, and Mr. Zack stops there, as if afraid of putting me too close to 0 Health. I don''t blame him. He''s scared of losing another member of the team. He''s holding back hard, too. It was like he was scared to hit me, and he even apologized a few times. When we finish, I give him a hug so he knows it''s okay. I know he''d only hurt me to help me, and that he''s hurting just seeing me hurt. "Use Heal on yourself," he tells me. "It''ll help you, uh, acquire Experience and Level the Skill. Using it on me apparently doesn''t do much because of the difference in my maximum Health and your ability." I nod, then cast Heal on myself.
+14 Health!
"Max, if you''re done trying to do as many pushups as possible," Mr. Zack says. "We''re heading out to the fields so you can kill some slimes." "Yay!" Max exclaims, hopping up from where he was doing pushups and running over to us. "Max kill slime!" "Yes," Mr. Zack smiles a little. "You''ll get to kill some slimes. Come on, you two." Mr. Zack leads Max and me out of town and through the gate that Braden and I took. I don''t want to go through it, when we get near, I start flashing back to¡­ to¡­ that. To us leaving, and Braden dying, and Mr. Zack has me climb onto his back, and I hug him tightly, doing my best to not cry.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. How is he so strong? He''s lost his own brother, and now he''s lost Braden, and he''s still so strong. We reach the fields, and Mr. Zack sets me on one of the rocks, then points at a slime.
Slime Level 1
Health: 9 Mana: 7
"Max, that''s a slime," he says. "Kill it using Fireball." "Fireball Fury!" Max exclaims, shooting three Fireballs at it. His attack reduces it to 3 Health, and Max tilts his head in confusion. He''s not that strong, but what was that Skill? It drained 60 Mana. "Boss no kill Slimy!" Max whines to Mr. Zack. What? Mr. Zack wasn''t the one who was supposed to kill it, you were! "Max," Mr. Zack chuckles. "You don''t have enough Mana and Intellect to kill even the weakest Slimes yet with a Level 1 Fireball, and it''ll take you around seven minutes to have enough Mana to kill it with Fireball. Why don''t you, I don''t know, avoid being attacked while waiting for that?" "What?" Max tilts his head to the other side, right before the slime slams into him. "Bad slime!" "No attacking it!" Mr. Zack exclaims as Max goes to swat the thing with his staff. "Wait until you can cast Fireball again!" "Yes, Boss!" Max shoves the slime off of him, then runs around, avoiding being struck by the Slime. When he reaches 20 Mana, he casts Fireball at the Slime again, though he calls out Fireball Fury. Why? Is that a weird form of Fireball that expends all the Mana it can on Fireballs? You only said it once, and you''re not like me, I don''t think. I can use Skills without speaking them, but you obviously have to, like most people. The next time Max can use Fireball Fury, he does, killing the Slime. With it dead, Max collapses onto the ground. "No fun, Boss!" Max gasps. "Bad slime! Fireball 2!" "Congrats," Mr. Zack says. "Now, you should be able to do a little bit more damage before running out of Mana. Once you''re back to full on Mana, attack another Slime." I look around, and realize that all of the Slimes here are Level 1 again, and none of the special ones are around. I can see some Snow Slimes in the distance, but they''re far enough away that Max probably won''t go after them and get his butt kicked by snowball fight-loving slimes. I wish Braden and I could''ve had some snowball fights with them, Mr. Zack always made it sound like that was fun to do, as long as we didn''t actually attack them and just did the snowball fights. "Luca," Mr. Zack says. "Heal Max, please. It''ll help you boost your Skill and Experience, don''t forget." I nod, then use Heal on Max. "What?" Max exclaims, sitting up with a start and looking around. "Health restored! Who that?" "That was Luca," Mr. Zack snorts. "He just used Heal on you, Max." "Ooooh!" Max giggles, then lies back down. "Luca-friend cool!" Luca-friend? We''re friends? But we only just met? I''m confused. "Hey, Max?" Mr. Zack says. "When you go to attack the next slime, before you do, taunt it, okay?" "Taunty-taunt?" Max asks. What? "Yes," Mr. Zack nods. "Taunt the slime, okay? It''ll get you the Taunt Skill if you do it right, which is something you need for Dark Squire, once you''re ready for that." "Yes, Boss!" When Max''s Mana is back to full, he drops to all fours as he approaches another slime. "You ugly!" He exclaims. "And puny! And no cool! Ugly Slimy! Stupid Slimy! You stupid! Stupid, stupid, stup-Skill!" What? "Now kill it!" Mr. Zack calls out. Oh, Max got the Skill. "Fireball Fury!" Max unleashes three Fireballs upon the slime, killing it. "Dead Slimy, dead Slimy, dead, dead, dead!" He giggles, then charges another slime, somehow getting out of his boots as he does. "DIIIIE!" Max swipes his hands at the slime, and I realize that he''s got claws now. That''s scary, and Mr. Zack puts a hand on my shoulder. "It''s okay, Luca," he tells me. "Max is on our side, and he''s just excited to get to kill monsters. Max, once you''re done slicing that one up, put your claws away, clean off your hands, and put your boots back on! Then, keep killing slimes until you gain two more Skill Levels, okay?" "Yes, Boss!" Max finishes off the slime, then pulls out a bag of water and cleans his hands of the slime, before pulling his boots back on. "Fun Boss!" Yes, Mr. Zack is fun, I guess? "No," Mr. Zack whispers to me. "He was saying he''s having fun. He''s¡­ not quite able to use proper sentences yet. Beastborn communicate partly in words, partly in thoughts, impressions, images, and emotions. When he was taunting the slime, he was also projecting images of him showing off his muscles and his ability to play cards. Max! After your next kill, we''re eating lunch!" "Lunch!" Max exclaims, then starts running around. He has a lot of energy. After Max''s next kill, we eat lunch, then he returns to¡­ I guess he''s exercising in his own way? Between his kills, he does that, and after a few hours, he runs up to Mr. Zack. "Adventurer!" "Congrats," Mr. Zack tells him, ruffling his hair. Ooh! Do me! Mr. Zack ruffles my hair. Yay! "Now take on Novice Elementalist, Max." "Yes, Boss!" Novice Elementalist? Like¡­ Braden? "Yes," Mr. Zack gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "He''s a fire elementalist, though, not an air elementalist. It''s okay, Luca." I know. Thanks, Mr. Zack. "Alright, Max!" Mr. Zack flicks Max on the forehead. "Time to kill more shit. We''re staying out here until dinner." "Yes, Boss!" As Max continues training, I realize that Mr. Zack starts having him attack stronger Slimes. Level 2''s. Max always uses Fireball Fury, rather than just Fireball. Is that why? "He''s just excited," Mr. Zack tells me. "Give it a few days, and he''ll start being a little more reasonable and just using what''s needed to kill the monster¡­ most of the time."
(Zack) That was¡­ interesting. Max gets way too excited right now, but I suppose it''s normal. He is a kid, after all, and even though he went through trauma, that''s ''in the past'' for him, and ''just how things were''. For him, things ''got better''. For Luca and me¡­ we''ve been through trauma, and it wasn''t ''normal'' for us. Plus, I''m sure Luca will be like him sometimes, even if quieter. I know I get excited and hyper at times, too. I am a kid, after all. Now, they''re in the bath, with Luca ''accidentally'' touching Max''s tail and Max trying to ask Luca to wash it, but failing. Just like yesterday. Max is talking excitedly, so it''s easier to hear. As they do that, I cook, making a small feast for the three of us. I can smell Aurum cooking across the street, so I guess Nathan''s home tonight. The boys finish their bath as I''m finishing dinner, as usual, and we eat in mostly-silence. Max is chattering away, but through beastborn-speak, so Luca doesn''t catch most of it. I barely understand half of it, considering he''s at his full, rapid-fire pace. I guess it''s a good thing he''s talking to Aurum across the street and not me. After dinner, I make sure the boys are in bed, promising Luca I''ll be there in a bit, then head outside and jump up onto the roof. A moment later, I hear a thump from my room. "Hey!" Max exclaims. Guess he tried snuggling Luca to make him feel better. Probably got shoved off the bed for not wearing pants. Staring up at the sky, I watch the stars twinkling. Until the knight of my team arrives, there''s not much we''ll be doing, other than training. How long after he arrives will our ranger? Probably not long, based on how soon after Luca arrived Max did, and how much sooner after that the knight will, if the pattern holds. Once the full team is here, and I''ve trained them a bit, we''re going to make several trips to Talorn and the mines. My team will defy the norm when it comes to Levels. They aren''t going to work solely as a team, but claim individual kills and get pushed hard to acquire that Experience. They won''t claim a small portion of Experience from harder monsters that someone stronger, such as me, killed just for the purpose of acquiring Experience from something tough. Like the stars in the night sky, there are many types of people, in all shapes and sizes and experiences. I doubt the Crystals would send me Adventurers who take too long to Level. They''re starting far behind me, and would fall even further behind if- Stars? What the fuck? The Boundaries are realms unto themselves! Why do we have stars? Chapter 0098 (Luca) Mr. Zack told Max and me that he had business to attend to and asked us to stay in the City. I promised him I would, and Max did, too. I know he''s stressing himself out and upsetting himself and worrying himself over this. He doesn''t want to leave us alone, he''s scared that what happened to Braden will happen to us. I overheard him and Nik talking, though, even though they probably thought I was asleep. Nik thinks that it would help Mr. Zack to be separated from us temporarily, even if only a few hours. I think Mr. Zack only agreed because he suspects that Nik will have someone follow us. The sneak is pretty subtle, but I noticed him. I''m not sure what Max is doing, since he took off after Mr. Zack left, but I''m definitely being followed by a sneak. I think she''s a Dark Knight, but I''m not sure. Maybe she''s a Blood Priest? She''s dressed in black and reds, with a cloak that brushes the ground. For now, I''m just walking the city, letting my feet take me where they go. Away from people, though, I do make sure my feet does that, so I stay in the part of the City that''s mostly uninhabited. I know that we live over here, and Jackson, and some rogue man, and Normar and Aurum. I think one other person does, too, but I''m not sure. After an hour of walking, I realize that I''m passing over the same bridge again, and stop. I approach the edge of the bridge and look into the water, watching as it run over the stones and down the creek. The water''s really clear, and it''s a little higher than normal, I think, because snow''s been melting the last couple of days. It''s not quite time for spring to come, but we''ll alternate between some gentle thaws and more snowfall until the end. For almost an hour, I watch the creek, listening to the sound of the water and the wind in the trees. There''s a bird chirping somewhere. When I decide to try to find it, I realize I can''t. It''s hiding somewhere out of sight. Shrugging, I allow my feet to take me where they will again, and do that for another hour before something catches my attention. A golden sparkle, just floating in the air. Since Maelnor isn''t fallen, that can''t be hostile, right? If it is, the person Nik has following me will probably take care of it. Or would''ve, right? So I approach the sparkles, realizing that they form a sort of trail. A gentle, glimmering, golden trail. My feet took me to the sparkles, so I follow them through twists and turns, past ruins of houses that haven''t been looked after in probably decades, even through a small park, its trees devoid of leaves until spring returns. I keep one hand in the trail of sparkles as I walk alongside it. It feels¡­ strange. Not bad, just strange. Interesting. Curious. I can''t really describe it, but it feels nice, too. Eventually, I find myself at what can only be a hidden area. Without the sparkles, I don''t think I would have found it. It''s within another small forest within Maelnor. I think the City has four of them in its parks, though this one had walls surrounding it, rather than resting in a park. The walls are all crumbly, but still standing tall. The sparkles help me navigate through the small woods. When I reach where the sparkles end in the wooded area, I''m stunned by what I see.
(Max) Boss seem weird when leave earlier. Max think Boss-Boss made him do stuff. Errands, maybe? Max wanted do errands for Boss! But Boss make Max take afternoon to self, so Max left when Boss Did. Now, Max walking through City! Lots of fun. Max no have money, so just walking around. Eventually, see Boss leaving Jackson''s place. Max no happy ''bout that. Jackson make Boss sad! Boss look sad, too. When Boss out sight, Max march into Jackson shop! Glare at woman behind counter. No customers here, but Max no care! Jackson make Boss sad again! "Where mean man?" Max demand. "Mean man make Boss sad!" "Boss?" Woman ask. "Are you talking about Zack?" "That what Max said!" Max tell her. "Where mean man? Max make him stop make Boss sad! Bring him!" "He''s on a rest right now," woman chuckle. "Give me just a minute to see if he''ll come talk to you." "Mean man better!" Max tell her. "Or Max march back there and talk him anyway!" The woman go into the back, return with mean man. Mean man look amuse. "You think funny?" Max ask. "You make Boss sad again! You no funny! You mean!" "Max," Mean Man say. "Zack was in here picking up a weapon order he placed. All I did was discuss the order with him and give it to him. He was sad on his own." "You lie!" Max call out lie. "You talk Boss, Boss get sad! Twice! You make Boss sad! Stop it!" "Zack likes weapons," Mean Man tell Max. "Getting them makes him happy. He has a lot, actually, all forged by me. If I made him sad, do you think he''d keep coming here." "You evil man, too!" Max tell Mean Man. No! Max tell Evil Man! "You force Boss come! Make Boss sad! Max not let you win! You wait!" Max leave the mean man''s shop, almost walk into group of beastborn. They''re clean and healthy. Got meat on bones. Not much, but not slave-little. They be the ones work for Dark Knights, Max guess. They wear black and red, so probably. Max chat with free-beastborn. Get funny looks from others. Maybe because Max talk with words while free-beastborn don''t? Oh, well! Free-beastborn be on way buy sticky buns. Max want sticky-buns, but no have. Tail wag anyway. Free-beastborn invite Max along, so Max join free-beastborn on way market. There, free-beastborn give Max money buy sticky buns. Max count beastborn. There be eight of them. Nine! Max beastborn, too! And get one! They buy Max sticky bun! "Nine sticky bun, please!" Max say to woman at the stall. Woman look Max shock. Max hold out coins. Free-beastborn say sticky bun cost five copper each, give Max forty-five. That be enough, right? Max no say please? "Please!" Max say in case forgot. Woman give Max and free-beastborn sticky buns, then Max and free-beastborn go to fountain and sit on benches and fountain. Max eat sticky-bun. It''s sweet! And delicious! And sticky! Max tail smacks water in Max''s excitement! After Max and free-beastborn lick fingers clean, we rest at fountain, talk. Free-beastborn like work Dark Knights. Dark Knights cool. Boss cool, too. Free-beastborn want know everything about work with hero. Max tell free-beastborn that hero not Max''s master, but Boss. And awesome. And that Max no slave, but friend and teammate. Free-beastborn like that! Max ask if named, and free-beastborn tell Max that Gold tell free-beastborn pick own names! Gold both beastborn and Dark Knight! He awesome. Max one day be Dark Knight, too, but for now, be magician! After Max talk with free-beastborn, free-beastborn go park with Max, play tag.
(Zack) Nik convinced me into separating from my team for a few hours, even though he knew it''d stress me out. He promised to have two Dark Knights stalking them to make sure they don''t leave or get into trouble. So here I am, heading to Jackson''s forge by myself. He told me this morning that he''d finished the knives. I guess he put a small priority on it, since it''s only been five days since my vision of the knight''s arrival, so I think that means five or six days since I commissioned them? I can''t remember when, exactly, I did, just that I did.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Maybe it was longer than that? Whatever, they''re done. In his shop, I find the lady who didn''t give me attitude standing there, arms folded across her chest as she stares at a man with an intense stare. Her name''s Veronica, and she''s Jackson''s niece, or something like that. I didn''t pay too much attention to what he was saying, Max was a bit too hyper this morning and it was upsetting Luca. "Zack," she smiles, favoring dealing with me over this guy. "Jackson''s in the middle of something, but I''ll let him know you''re ready. Do you want to wait in the private room for him?" He must have more, then. "Sure," I say, and she leads me into the back after giving the customer another stern glare. "The rest of the Primordial Essence has been bought," she informs me. "So you have another 30,000 platinum to pick up, in addition to your order. He wants to know if he can borrow the Primordial Dark Armor he forged for you and take your measurements?" "He can adjust it to accommodate the wings?" I ask. "Yes," she nods. "As long as it hasn''t been used too much, a Master Blacksmith can convert equipment forged by a blacksmith back into its components or make adjustments to it without affecting set pieces." "It''s not part of a set," I tell her. "I mean, it is, but it''s not. There''s no bonus or anything." "Really?" She asked. "Dark Armor usually has some sort of bonus." "To Bleed or Health Regeneration," I nod. "Rather than a set bonus, my Primordial Dark Armor¡­ does some funky stuff." "Funky stuff?" "Ask Jackson about it." There''s totally a set bonus. If I''m wearing the full set, blood- and shadow-based Skills have their effects halved. She didn''t even question my comment about what''s the normal bonus. Mine is the normal bonus. "Veronica," Jackson enters the room. "Zack''s screwing with you, and I think you''ve dealt with a few too many customers without some rest. Why don''t you close up shop for awhile and take a break?" She nods and leaves, and Jackson sits, setting down a box with money. I quickly count out my earnings from the Primordial Essence, then send them into my Inventory. "You went through that fast," I tell him. "There was a small lull?" "The Fallen Hunters stopped by last night," he explains. "Ah." It''s about time, too. I was beginning to wonder if they weren''t going to go after ultimate gear. "I don''t have much left," I tell him. "And there''s not another Nian around for me to farm it off of." Unless I manage to find the sleepy hole of the one in the pass between Maelnar and the next town. Since the Nian are obviously not something that spawns, but something that''s around all year, that''s entirely possible. The question I have is if it''ll still yield rewards out of season or not. "That''s okay," he tells me. "If you give it to me or not is up to you, Zack. I know you''re likely wanting to save some for future gear for you and your team." It won''t be right away, I''ve learned not to do that with Braden, but I''m going to, in the future, once they''re strong and powerful. My team is going to be the greatest in any Boundary, and they''re going to have the ultimate equipment. "I am," I nod. "Sorry if it comes across as selfish, but-" "Zack," he snorts. "You''ve given what, forty of them for me to use for others? If anyone calls you selfish, they''re idiots. Let''s get you measured, then I''ll give you the knives." "Okay," I remove my sword from my back and set it against the table, then remove my armor and tunic. "The form lasts five minutes." "That''s enough for me," he tells me, pulling out a notepad, quill, and measuring cloth. "Ready?" "Demon Form," I trigger it. Jackson takes a moment to collect himself after seeing my form, then gets to work measuring my torso and the locations of my wings. Once he''s taken down the necessary data, he sits down, and I only have a minute left. I slide the armor across to him. "Do you need just the breastplate?" I ask. "Veronica said you only needed that one." "I can use just that one," he nods. "However, I''d like the full set, if that''s alright by you." "It is," I remove the rest of the gear and give it to him, finishing just as my form reverts back to human. I pull on my tunic and fix my sword to my back once more. "Thanks, Jackson." "You''re welcome," he responds, before pulling a box out of his Inventory and setting it down. "I figure that it''s better than you having to remove your armor every time you enter Demon Form, and the Fallen Hunters said that you''ve begun using your Inventory to quickly remove stuff without actually taking it off." "Which means that I can just send my tunic into it," I grin at him. "Yeah." "These are basic knives," he taps the box. "Forged with potent resources, of course. I used one Spook Ingot, one Primordial Essence, one Primordial Ingot, one Crystal Ingot, and one Crystal Essence to forge them. I know you asked for four, but I had enough of the metal to make a fifth, so there''s one for you as well. "As with anything forged of Spook Ore," he continues. "They''ll absorb magic sent their way, and draw hostile magics to them. As knives, the range isn''t that good." Made mostly for cutting through a spell or barrier rather than fighting a full magician. "They''re durable," he continues. "And sharp. It is likely they will never need sharpening, and their edges can cut through nigh anything. It is unlikely they will ever be damaged, even against the strongest of monsters. I can''t fathom a more powerful set of materials to work with than what you''ve given me." "Thanks," I open up the box and examine the five blades, each resting beside a matching sheath. They''re dark grey, with blades around six inches long and a slight shine. They look pretty basic, but Appraisal doesn''t yield any results for me, which is an indication of their quality. It''s at Level 9, after all. Each of the knives and their matching sheaths have a small set of runes etched into them, our names. On the sheaths, it''s just below the part where the blade slides in, and on the blades, it''s right at the base, just above the handle. The runes aren''t that big, but are on both sides. I sheathe each knife, then send them all into my Inventory. They''ll be given out once my full team is assembled. With everyone having one and me being even more careful of what happens to them, I''ll feel a lot more comfortable. "Thanks," I tell Jackson. "You''re welcome," he says. "I''ll drop your armor off when I finish. It''ll be either tonight, or if it''s too late, first thing in the morning." "Thanks," I repeat. "Have a good day." "I will," he nods, then I leave. Hopefully, it takes my team awhile to realize how potent their knives are, so that they don''t try running off and doing something stupid, like Braden did. The first Braden, not the one that''s apparently going to be joining my team. I guess the Crystals are sending him to us to help Luca and me ''heal'' from what happened, but that would happen over time, anyway. It can''t just be because he''ll be a little above the norm, which he must be, if he''s going to be a part of my team. For a couple of hours, I wander around the City. At some point, I spot Max playing tag with a bunch of other beastborn in a park while receiving uneasy looks from a few Adventurers, and at another, I find Luca wandering around the abandoned area, and I''m pretty sure he''s just aimlessly walking around. I don''t blame him, he needs time to think about things, to process things. He''s always been a quiet, thoughtful one, and after the events that have happened¡­ he needs to process things. The walk will help him with that. He stops walking on a bridge and starts staring at the water, and I feel uncomfortable and head home, making my way to the bath. After stripping down, I take a good, long soak, closing my eyes and resting. When it''s time for dinner, I climb out of the bath, dry off, dress, then get started on dinner. I''m just finishing up when Max returns, and he immediately starts setting the table. "No Luca-friend?" He asks, head tilted to the side. "He''s nearby," I tell Max. "Okay!" He nods, then finishes setting the table with his tail wagging. Luca arrives, and he looks somber. I have to resist the urge to not enter his head, I''m getting better at controlling that. His thoughts right now should be his own, after whatever he''s processed on his walk. He walks right up to me and gives me a hug, which overrides my ability to resist entering heads and sensing minds, and I know why he seems so somber. He found it. He found a place that shouldn''t be easy to find. I wrap and arm around him and give him a light squeeze. "Let''s eat dinner," I tell him, and he nods. The three of us sit and eat, then the two of them clean up the table and dishes before taking a bath. Jackson stops by while they''re in there and hands me my armor, looking a little amused. "Max stopped by," he tells me. "Oh?" I ask. "He doesn''t have the money to commission anything, much less something from you." "He saw you leaving, looking upset," Jackson chuckles. "He now thinks I''m evil and am forcing you to come to me, and that I make you sad. I think he threatened me over it. He said ''Max not let you win. You wait.''" "Maybe," I shrug. "That does sound like a threat, though I wouldn''t worry about it. It''s not you that''s making me sad." "I don''t think he understood that," he says. "Max is Max," I shrug. "He''s more like a thirteen-year-old than I am." "He''s more like a little kid than Luca is," Jackson snorts. "The physical and emotional abuse he received as a slave stunted his mental growth," I shrug. "He''s gotten some maturity quickly, though. Thanks again, Jackson." "You''re welcome," he tells me. "If the armor isn''t right, drop it off in the morning, okay?" "Will do." "Have a good night." "You as well," I tell him, and he leaves. Luca and Max will be awhile yet, so I pull on the armor and send my sword and tunic into my Inventory, before triggering Demon Form. My wings stretch out without a problem. If there was one, I''d head across the street and convince Nathan to heal me. Turning, I face his property and wave, and his head appears, peeking at me from over the wall surrounding his property, and he waves back before vanishing again. Yeah, he was watching me to see how it worked. When Demon Form ends, I remove my armor to put my tunic back on, then strap my sword onto my back once more before taking a seat and resting. After dinner, I have Luca and Max play marbles and chess, then they head to bed. I join them, changing into nightclothes and snuggling Luca. He''s not comfortable sleeping alone, and if I don''t, Max tries, which only upsets the little guy. Max has claimed my bed as his ''while Boss no sleep it'', as a way to ensuring no one else steals it from me. He promises to let me have it back once Luca''s feeling better. When sleep comes, so do the visions, as always. The final member of my team, the ranger, stands before Big C, listening to the offer of assisting in the Boundary and the fight against the Shadow of Life. When the Crystal finishes, the ranger accepts the offer, then appears beside the tree in my yard, dressed in a simple tunic and pair of pants, plus a pair of simple leather boots. The team is complete. Chapter 0099 Chapter Ninety-Nine. (Gavin) When my surroundings change, taking me to my new home, I don''t have time to assess my surroundings. Instead, I''m greeting with the sight of someone sitting on a chair, facing me, as if expecting my arrival. "So the other one''s Braden," he stands as I take a good look at him. He''s around thirteen, I''d say, with slightly-curled brown hair that''s around a medium-short length, his blue eyes deep and entrancing, a sort of wisdom and intelligence in them that unnerves me. That, and mischief, though the rest of his face is serious. He''s dressed in a tunic, pants, and boots, all of it black and red, with black and red armor, a sword strapped across his back and a knife at his hip. He''s a little on the shorter side, I guess. "And if you ever vocalize your thought that I''m short," his eyes narrow dangerously. "I will beat the crap out of you, Gavin." "How do you know my name?" I ask, making it clear with my tone his threat annoys me. "Appraisal," he answers. "It''s a Skill. It allows you to see the name, Level, Health, and Mana of anyone up to fifteen Levels above your own, as long as their Appraisal Resistance isn''t a higher Level than your Appraisal. My name is Zack, and I''m the party leader of those who live on this property. I''m also a Dark Knight." "That doesn''t sound trustworthy," at all. "We are," he smiles broadly. "We''re actually favored by the Crystals, and Big S ¨C that''s the Crystal of the System, for the uninitiated ¨C actually sent out a message not that long ago, before the others arrived, saying that people needed to stop giving us shit and that we were the most devoted to the cause out of all other Classes and orders in the Boundary. You won''t find a single Dark Knight serving the Shadow of Life. We are faithful to Big Flame, who absolutely no longer wishes to be called anything but that." "And Big Flame is¡­?" "He''s dark, and he''s fiery." "Lord Dark of Fire?" I guess. "Oi!" A childish voice, though not Lord Light of Air''s, enters my head, sounding annoyed. "Zack just told you to call me ''Big Flame''!" "Told you," Zack chuckles. "Big C, the one more commonly called ''Lord Light of Air'', sent you to be a part of my team. If you reject it, you can either find another place to stay at, though you won''t receive the passive bonus unless you buy the property or are accepted as part of the team by someone who owns the property, or you can stay at whichever training grounds you choose. Based on your sturdier build, I''d guess you wish to be a knight?" "I don''t know," I look around. The house is an L-shape, and aside from this tree, there''s a well pump, an outdoor firepit, and a table. The walls of this house have some ivy or something growing up them. Or is it down them? The walls surrounding the property aren''t in the best condition, but there''s something about this property that makes it feel¡­ like home. I don''t know why, though. There''s a layer of snow on the ground outside, but it''s missing from the yard here other than a list dusting, no doubt from the snow that''s begun to fall now. It must have started after Zack sat down, as the only disturbance in it is a strange circle of it around where he had sat. "What passive bonus?" I ask. "Health and Mana recovery rate is doubled while on your own property," he explains. "As you were placed here by the Crystals, this is your property until either someone buys it or you find a new home. Since I was the first to arrive here, I am the only person with the ability to buy it, though I''m waiting until the full team is assembled before doing so." "How many are there?" "Right now," he answers. "There are four of us, yourself included. There''s one more coming." Is that the Braden you mentioned? "Yes," he answers, and I feel my eyes widen. "You''re close enough to me physically that I''m easily able to read your mental state and can make accurate guesses as to what it is you''re thinking. If you get close enough to me mentally and emotionally, I''ll even be able to directly read your mind." "Where are the other members?" I ask. His right ear twitches, as if listening to something, then he snorts and shakes his head in amusement. "Supposed to be getting to sleep," he indicates the night sky. "You showed up at night. I just sent them to bed half an hour ago. Since I''m not up there, Max is trying to cuddle Luca, who has a hard time sleeping alone. Luca isn''t having it, mostly because Max sleeps naked, but Max isn''t quite understanding that and trying to insist on it. This is a normal thing between them." He holds out his hands, and a set of clothes appear. "Here are some night clothes," he tells me. "They should fit you, I asked Big C for your sizes so I could have them ready." "It''s Lord Light of Air," I correct him. "Be respectful to the Crystals, they saved us." "Perhaps," he shrugs. "Big C and I don''t get along." I wonder why. "So," he smiles. "You''ve died. If you''d like to take a bath before bed, it''s through that doorway. The bath''s always warm and ready, so don''t worry about that. The bedrooms are upstairs. There are three of them, though we all sleep at the one furthest from the stairs. In the morning, I can give you the grand tour of Maelnor and get your Class decided on." I don''t know what to make of him. He seems disrespectful to the Crystals, though one does seem to prefer to be called by the nickname he uses. But that dangerous glare he gave me, and the mischief in his eyes¡­ should I trust him? "Whatever you decide," he says. "Go ahead. If you don''t want to be a part of my team, I''ll help you find a place tomorrow." He makes his way to the stairs that lead up to the second level, disappearing into the door on the second floor. I look down at the clothes he handed me. When did I accept them? I don''t recall taking them from him. Deciding to at least spend the night here, I make my way to the door he showed me and find myself in a room with a bath. It''s more like an open space, though, because there''s no roof. What do they do when it rains? I know the snow is melting in the steam from the bath and evaporating away pretty much immediately, but the rain won''t do that, will it? I strip down as I figure out how the bath works. There''s a part for scrubbing myself, where I have to fill a wooden bucket with water first, then after I rinse off, I can soak in the bath. The water itself smells nice, and there are some bubbles floating around, along with a wooden dog. After cleaning myself and soaking for awhile, I climb out of the bath and dry off with one of the towels resting on a shelf. I drop the towel in a wooden crate containing a few other used towels, then dress in the night clothes Zack gave me. They''re lighter in feel and texture than the ones Lord Light of Air gave me when I arrived here. "Thank you, Lord Light of Air, for putting clothes on me when sending me here, rather than not or having them given to me after arrival," I send a prayer up to him. I don''t think I would have been comfortable appearing butt-naked in front of Zack. It was already uncomfortable enough to be in the presence of Lord Light of Air like that, but I would never voice that. My body isn''t lean, like Zack''s seemed to be, but a little on the more muscular side. Maybe I did a lot of training before dying? How did I die? And why? I''m pretty sure someone with a body like mine isn''t normally someone who would just die, even if I can''t remember my old world. Dressed, I make my way upstairs and go to the room Zack mentioned, just to check it out. On the top bunk to the left of the door is a boy with¡­ I can''t really make it out, it''s dark in here. It looks odd, though. On the bottom bunk of that bed is Zack, snuggling against a smaller form. A little kid?This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. When I think about how dark it is in here, I decide to sleep with them rather than in a room on my own. It''s not that I''m scared of the dark, it''s just that there is safety in numbers. That''s right. Safety in numbers. I climb onto the bottom bunk of the other bed, and quickly fall asleep, waking when something impacts on my chest. "Max!" A voice exclaims as I gasp, instinctively shoving whatever it was off of me. "No jumping on the new guy!" "Yes, Boss!" A cheerful voice responds. "Gavin-friend awake!" "Because you jumped on him!" I look at the others. The boy who was on the upper bed¡­ has the ears and tail of a wolf, and if I''m not mistaken, his canines are a little bit sharper than I think they should be. His blue eyes are full of energy, and he is giving me a happy look. "Max!" He exclaims. "That''s Max," Zack says. He''s the one who scolded Max. "He''s a beastborn, they''re native to the Boundary. Normally, they don''t have Access to the System, but Max and one other, a dog beastborn named Gold, do. Big S is going to start connecting them over the years, whenever he has enough magical power to. It consumes a lot, so he has to rest between them. Max is a magician-rogue hybrid who''ll become a Dark Knight later on. His magical specialty is fire magic." Zack is wearing just a pair of pants similar to the ones he wore when he greeted me last night, though he''s barefoot and not wearing his armor. His sword and knife are resting against his bed, though. He''s kneeling in front of another boy, angled so that I''m looking at their sides, and I can see his muscles. He doesn''t have as many muscles as me, but they''re probably a lot stronger. He''s really well-defined, his muscles tight beneath his skin. He even has a six-pack set of abs. Where did that phrase come from? I suppose it stems from my past life and missing memories. Lord Light of Air mentioned that I will sometimes use phrases from there, though they will become less and less as I adjust to the Boundary. I''m kind of jealous at his lean definition. I''m still growing, though. The third boy looks around eight, though he may just be a short nine or ten. He has blond hair and light blue eyes, and is giving me an uneasy look as Zack pulls the boy''s tunic on him. "Arms, Luca," Zack says, and the boy works his arms into the tunic. "This is Luca, Gavin. He''s the party''s healer. Don''t let his age of ten years deceive you, he''s got quite the Mana pool, so even though his Heal spell isn''t all that powerful yet, he can use it quite a lot." Zack fixes Luca''s belt around the boy''s waist, then picks up an elegant wooden staff from where it was resting against the wall and hands it to the boy. "And you''ve met me," he pulls a red tunic with black detailing out of thin air, then pulls it on. "Zack, the party leader and Dark Knight. I''ve been here several months longer than Luca, who was the second to arrive, so I''m a little bit stronger than the rest of you. For awhile after everyone arrives, we''ll work on getting all of you up-to-strength in your respective Classes, if you wish to remain with us." By the time he''s finished talking, Zack has equipped armor he''s also pulled out of thin air, the same armor he wore last night, and equipped his sword and knife as well. Maybe I can stay around for a little while. I doubt everyone here would be as willing to help teach a kid as he seems to be, and I don''t trust him with the little one. I sense a lot of mischief in him, and the younger boy seems to be sensitive, even if he''s now half-hiding behind Zack. A strange situation, for sure. "Do you know what kind of Class you want?" Zack asks. "You don''t have to answer that now, as you can take your time to assess your options." I should be a counter to him. "Is there a good version of what you do?" I ask. "A sort of holy knight?" "Yes," he nods. "The Paladin. I would recommend becoming a regular Squire first, as it requires less than Holy Squire. Those are the first stages to the Class. Dark Squire is Dark Knight''s. It will also be easier to Level the Knight Class than the Paladin Class for a starter. Once you reach a total Level of 25 in a Class, or Tier 3 Level 5, you can take on another Class. At that point would be where most would recommend taking on Paladin." He explains how the Class system works, and the five Tiers to each. He also mentions that these are Rank 1 Classes, and that Rank 2 Classes require reaching Tier 5 of specific Classes to unlock. He also mentions that the higher a Class''s Rank, the harder it is to acquire Experience for it, and the same goes for the higher an Adventurer''s Level is. "Are there Rank 3 Classes?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "However, only one person in history has ever attained them ¨C it requires a special feat called Ascension to unlock the ability to take on Rank 3 Classes. Ascension requires reaching Level 250 overall for your Classes, then completing an Ascension Trial. Eighty-something in history have reached it, so that should tell you how rare it is to even manage such a high Level." "Okay," I say. "If you''re a Dark Knight, then you''ve already reach Level 25 of Knight?" "I went straight for Dark Knight," he shook his head. "Attaining the Skills aren''t exactly difficult, so I went right for them. I wasn''t daunted by the fact that it takes more to earn Experience for than Knight and should normally delay me in Levels if I take it as my first class. "Speaking of taking on Classes," he adds. "Without a special Subclass called Adventurer, which requires a total sum of Skill Levels equal to one hundred without taking on a Class, you can''t take on both a holy and a cursed Class, which means that if you go Paladin or Priest, you''ll be incapable of taking on Dark Knight and Blood Priest." "That''s fine by me," I tell him. "I would like to become a Knight, then a Paladin. If someone more official says the same thing as you. Otherwise, I would like to become a Paladin first." "Okay," he shrugs. "After breakfast, we can head down to the Trading Post. You can get an opinion there. Max is probably almost done cooking." I look around, only now noticing that Max is gone. "Before we head down for breakfast," he says. "Can you pull up your Status and show it to me? Just think or say ''Status'' with the intent to pull it up, then focus on me and will me the ability to see it." "Status," I pull up my Status, then wish him to see it.
Character Information Light of Stone
Name: Gavin Primary Class: None
Level: 0 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 30/30 Mana: 20/20
Strength: 6 Intellect: 4
Endurance: 4 Willpower: 4
Vitality: 3 Wisdom: 2
Agility: 1 Perception: 1
"Those are some decent stats," he looks annoyed. "Why is it that every fucking member of my fucking team starts with twenty-five fucking Stat Points already?" What? "Sorry," he gives me an annoyed look. "Someone just acquiring Access will have anywhere from eight to twenty-five Stat Points already allocated. Those are your ''base'' values, which are part of what determines how many you acquire every fifth Overall Level, which is the displayed Level in your Status. You can also have an additional zero to eight allocated on top of those every fifth Overall Level. I received the full value of my base, which is one in each Stat, but no additional points allocated each Level. With my luck, you''ll also receive eight additional allocated each proc." I don''t fully understand that.
(Zack) Gavin didn''t fully understand everything, but I guess that should be normal. He''ll understand with time and experience. Instead of explaining further, I led him downstairs, where Max had finished making pancakes for breakfast. Now, we''re entering the Trading Post, and I''m watching Gavin''s reaction as he enters before me. Max is giggling as he anticipates Gavin''s response to meeting Jesse, and Luca''s clinging to the back of my tunic, hiding behind me. There''s someone blocking the view, a female Paladin I don''t recognize, though she does look familiar. She shifts a little when we enter, and Gavin gets a look at Jesse, freezing in his tracks. Max explodes into laughter. "Zacky!" Jesse exclaims. I will drown you in a sea of blood. "''Sup, Pervert?" I skip to the counter, Luca quickly following behind as Max races to the counter and waves. "I''ve got a new teammate, and hey, there''s someone here who could probably give him the same advice I did and be trusted better!" I look at the paladin. "You look familiar," I say. "Do I know you and have somehow forgotten?" "No," she smiles. "I''m Nina, Travis''s daughter." "Travis has one of those?" I ask, causing her to laugh. "Hey, so Gavin here wants to be a Paladin, but he doesn''t trust me when I told him that he should go Knight first." "He''s right," she looks at Gavin, who''s approaching hesitantly as he gives Jesse an uneasy look. "It is rare for someone to go straight for Dark Knight or Paladin instead of taking on Knight first. Having Knight first give a good foundation which enables you to handle the more intense things that those two Classes provide and require easier. Cases like Zack here are rare and extreme." "See?" I look at Gavin. "Advice from a Paladin." She gives me an amused look. "My father told me what you''re doing," she says, and I grin at her. "Good luck, Zack." She looks back to Jesse. "Anyway," she says. "Can you keep an eye out for that?" "I will!" Jesse responds in that high-pitched voice of his. "See you around, Nina! Tell your daddy ''hi'' for me!" Pretty sure you talk with Travis every day. "See you," she chuckles, then leaves. "Alright, Pervert!" I say. "Gavin wants to be a Knight, so we need a sword and a knife for him." "You know the rules, Zacky!" I will boil your entrails and feed your liver to a goblin. "Fine," I say. "Give him a sword. Then, after he''s accepted the sword, give him the knife." "That''s not how it works!" He says. "We went over this with Max!" "Yes," I say. "So one would think you''d know by now. Also, we need some bread, jerky, and-" "No!" He squeals. "Zacky! You already have food! Lots of it!" I will dunk you in an acid bath. "Sword and knife, Pervert," I say. "Or do you want a kind, gentle, devoted fan of Big C to be weaponless and defenseless when all he wants to is to help fight against the monsters and the Shadow of Life? He comes from a sad background, having already died once." Chapter 0100 (Gavin) It isn''t until we''re back at the house that I realize that Zack and the creepy guy weren''t serious with their argument. They were just giving each other a hard time, and the creepy guy was going to give me the stuff anyway, even though it''s not normal. According to Zack, we can acquire an unlimited amount of ''training equipment'' from the Trading Post, but only one at a time. The creepy guy apparently has some way to know if we genuinely lost it if we approach without the old. The tradeoff is that training equipment is weak and doesn''t last long, especially against Stone Slimes. According to Max, Stone Slimes are ''spike-happy'', so I think it is safe to assume that they throw spikes, probably ones made of stone. I don''t understand why Zack doesn''t just buy us some basic equipment so that it lasts longer. If he''s buying the property we''re living on, then why can''t he supply his team until we can supply ourselves? There''s no way he didn''t buy the staff that Luca''s holding, I really doubt the healer, who''s only been here a month or two from what I was able to get out of them, has been able to afford that. It looks to be of the same quality as the others I''ve seen on Adventurers as we walked through town. Not like Max''s, which looks cheap and isn''t completely smooth or anything. He''s bopped Luca on the head with a few times. I really do not like Zack. "Alright," Zack looks at me. "We delayed it until now, but I run Max and Luca through some exercises in the mornings, a training program to help them augment their skills. Either you can try training on your own, or you can follow the program." "How does this ''program'' work?" I ask. "You do various exercises I tell you to," he says. "And practice the combat moves I show you and tell you to. Sometimes, you spar." "Spar?" "Fight against someone," he says. "Luca and Max can''t use swords, so you''ll spar against me for that. You only need Sword Mastery to be able to take on Squire?" "What about Paladin?" I ask. "You said Holy Squire?" "Yes," he nods. "Holy Squire requires Sword Mastery, Heal, and Light Orb." Heal sounds like a basic healing spell. Is Light Orb exactly what it sounds like? "Light Orb?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "It''s an orb of light generated above the palm of your hand. Dark Knights have something similar, though instead of being golden, it''s crimson, and ours is more than just a way to see in the dark, it''s-Luca! Seriously?" I look at Luca, who''s blushing as an orb of pure-white light hovers between his hands. Zack lets out a sigh, shaking his head. "You just had to try, didn''t you?" Zack asks, and Luca gives him a shy smile. "Well, congratulations, bud. You''re now at two of the three you need for Holy Squire, but why don''t you wait on Sword Mastery for a bit? You''re a bit too timid for combat." Luca gives him a serious nod, and Zack shakes his head in amusement as he looks at me. "Don''t take Luca as a standard for learning holy or light magics," he tells me. "Luca possesses an insane affinity for them, and I do mean insane affinity for them. Now, let''s get working. Luca, Max, you know the drills. Gavin, we''re going to see what your limits are." Zack has me do a series of pushups, situps, planks, and sprints to see what I can do. I''m not too happy with him bossing me around, but do them anyway. He has the experience, and Lord Light of Air did tell me while I was in his sacred chamber that the party leader I was being sent to knew his stuff and would do his best to help me survive. I don''t trust Zack, but I do trust Lord Light of Air.
(Luca) I''m disappointed. It really is just a ball of light. It''s the size of a cantaloupe, and the only reason I know what that is comes from Mr. Zack showing up with one yesterday, plopping it down, cutting it open, and feeding it to us. Deliciousness. Sighing, I read the description of my new Skill again as Mr. Zack continues drilling Gavin in sword combat.
New Skill!
Light Orb Active/Passive
Generates an orb of light to illuminate your surroundings.
Cost: 20 Mana/second (reduces by 1 Mana/second per Level of this Skill)
I suppose that this Skill is part of the reason why it''s recommended waiting until at least the second Class to take on Holy Squire. This Skill alone is costly, and I''m sure others are as well. According to Sir Travis, I would need the Blessing of [Stat] Skill, along with other Blessings, to advance Paladin. In addition to being an offensive Class, it deals with a lot of buffs for teammates, unlike Priests, who just heal and cure. So taking on something that requires a lot less Mana for its Skills before taking on something that requires a lot makes sense. I think he said something about a solid foundation for combat before worrying about extra stuff during combat. Max seems to like the Light Orbs I summon. That, or he doesn''t like them. But he''s attacking them with a grin on his face, his tail wagging, so I think he likes them and is just playing. It didn''t take me long to figure out how to move the orb around, though Mr. Zack''s amused look told me that moving the Light Orbs probably isn''t a normal thing. I can only sustain the orbs for around fifty seconds, which kind of makes me curious what it''s normally used for. Maybe a Paladin generally has a much higher amount of Mana than me? And the time does get higher as the Skill Level goes up. It takes me almost an hour of playing with Max, alternating with the exercises Mr. Zack has us do and sparring, for me to realize that I''m actually getting more time out of it. Duh. I regenerate Mana, too. So a higher Level Light Orb and a decent Mana Pool actually increases that greatly. I wonder how long Mr. Zack could sustain it for. "Four minutes and forty-five seconds," he tells me. "Before factoring in regeneration. Someone like Travis regenerates more each second than it costs, so they''d be able to sustain it until exhausted or something." Cool. Mr. Zack is awesome. "Thanks," he ruffles my hair. "Starting out, it''s pretty useless, as you noticed. It''s like many Skills ¨C you need a higher Level of the Skill, and sometimes better stuff, to make real use of it. A Holy Squire might use it to see for a few moments while grabbing something out of a bag while a Holy Knight might use it to send signals to allies in the distance, but a Champion of Light or a Holy One might use it to light the path as they walk with their party through the night or in a cave." That is cool. "Boooss!" Max does a whine-whimper thing as he clutches his stomach and looks pitiful. "Max huuuungryyyy!" "Alright," Mr. Zack chuckles, patting Max on the head. "You three get some rest, I''ll make lunch." Mr. Zack heads into the kitchen to start cooking, and an exhausted, sweaty Gavin walks over and sits on the bench.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Is he always like that?" "Boss awesome!" Max nod. "Is training all he has us do?" "No!" Max shakes his head. "Boss kill fields!" "Huh?" Gavin gives Max a bewildered look. "I take them out so Max can kill stuff in the fields," Mr. Zack calls from the kitchen. "You''ll be joining us if you want some practical experience. Instead of the slimes, though, you''ll be against some rats." Mr. Zack must have left some of those when he snuck out last night. Why did Gavin tense up a bit when Mr. Zack said that? "R-rats?" Gavin asks. "Yes," Mr. Zack responds, looking at us. "Slimes will degrade the edge of your blade faster, and it''s better for magicians like Max to fight them. A rat is better for a beginner warrior like you. Once the full team is assembled and each of you are competent, we''ll start working on goblins." Mr. Zack gives me a look that tells me he''ll make sure I''m okay, and I nod back to him so he knows I understood. He returns to cooking, and I pull out a deck of cards. Max hops onto the bench on the other side of the table, and I shuffle the deck, then deal them out. "What''s this?" Gavin asks. "Go Fish," I answer, finishing dealing seven cards to each. "Person to the left of the dealer goes first," Mr. Zack calls from the kitchen. Is he cooking a turkey in there? This is lunch! "They guess if someone has a specific card. If the person does, they hand the card to the guesser, who goes again. If they don''t, the guesser draws a card from the center pile. If it''s the card they guessed, they get to go again. If not, it''s the turn of the person to their left. If you get a pair of cards, set them down in front of you. Whoever has the most pairs when the game ends wins. If you get three pairs in a row in the same turn, your turn ends. You can only call a card you have in your hand." With three people, it''s a lot harder to tie. Not impossible, but harder. With two people, it''s possible for each to end up with thirteen pairs of cards. That''s why I usually cheat and stack the deck when I shuffle. Max never notices, and since Mr. Zack doesn''t play, he probably doesn''t know, either. Then again, Mr. Zack knows everything, so he probably knew I would stack the deck before I began to. Maybe that''s why he doesn''t play with me? "Luca, I have an identical deck," Mr. Zack''s voice enters my head, causing me to jump. "And can read minds. I can just¡­ swap out my cards to match the ones you have." "Are you okay?" Gavin asks as I feel my face heat up. I forgot Mr. Zack can project thoughts, it''s part of how he communicates with the beastborn. "Gavin!" Max says before I can muster up a response for Gavin. "Two!" "Um," Gavin looks at his deck. "Yeah. I have a two." He hands it to Max. I wasn''t expecting that. I didn''t stack the deck this time, just to play a three-way game without cheating. Mostly. It looks like Max had a pair of nines, while I had a pair of fives and another of eights. Gavin had a pair of Queens. I kind of knew all of that. Even though I didn''t stack the deck, I did keep a mental count of which cards were where. "Luca!" Max says. "Ten!" "Fishy!" I respond. "Nooo!" Max fake-wails as he draws a card. "Um," Gavin looks at me. "King? Luca?" "Fishy!" "Huh?" "That''s how he tells you ''Go Fish''," Zack responds. "Pick up a card from the center." Yeah, moron. You have a ten, and Max asked me if I had one. You should''ve asked him if he had a ten so you could claim it and another turn. Gavin draws a card, and I look at Max. "Six." "Nooo!" Max fake-wails as he hands me his six. He''s just goofing, he''s grinning and his tail''s wagging. "Ace!" I say to Max. "Nooo!" He fake-wails again as he hands me his Ace. Hrm. Neither of them have a nine. Let''s see¡­ "Nine!" I look at Max. "Goooo fishing!" He tells me, and I draw a card. Four. Gavin has a four. "Gavin! Ten!" "Yeah," Gavin hands him the ten. "How did you know I had it?" Max has a tendency to call failures over and over. "Gavin!" Max ignores the question. "King!" "Yeah," Gavin hands him the King. Max''s last remaining card is a three, which no one has, and then he''ll draw an Ace. "Gavin!" Max says. "Three!" "I don''t have that." "Huh?" Max tilts his head to the side. "Go fish!" Mr. Zack hollers from the kitchen. "Okay, Boss!" Max happily takes a card from the deck. Gavin looks between Max and me as he tries to decide who to ask. Don''t ask me for a four, don''t ask me for a four, don''t- "Queen?" He asks me. "Fishy!" He draws a card, and I grin at him. "Four!" He gives it to me, leaving me with the nine, which I ask Max for. Naturally, I end up having to draw again, so no one had it. Now, Max is going to ask me for the three, since he asked Gavin it last time, and then he''s going to draw a three. It plays out exactly as I expected. After that, he asks Gavin for an Ace, gets rejected, and draws. Gavin asks Max for a Queen has to draw, then I ask Max for a nine, drawing a Jack. Max is going to draw one on his turn. He asks me for an Ace and gets rejected, then Gavin asks Max for a ten and has to draw. I think I understand Gavin''s playstyle, now. He asks for the highest card he has from each player. He''ll probably change if he knows someone else has a card, once he adjusts to the game. "Jack," I ask Max. "Nooo!" He fake-wails and gives me his Jack. "King!" I ask him. "Go fishing!" I draw a King, then ask Max for a nine, drawing a four. Max asks Gavin for an Ace and draws a Jack, then Gavin asks me for a ten and draws a seven, putting it down with his other seven. He finally got a second pair. Hehe. He''s already ask for all the tens, and he ''knows'' I don''t have one, so he probably won''t ask me for it again on his next turn, and after Max rejects my nine again, I draw a ten. Max asks Gavin for a Jack, then draws a two. Gavin asks me for an eight, which I reject, and since Max has moved on to the Jack, that means Gavin has a chance to show he''s learned, since he drew an Ace. "Ten," I look at Gavin, who gives me his ten. "Nine." "Go fish," he tells me, and I draw a six. Max asks him for a Jack, gets rejected, and draws a six, which I''ll claim on my next turn. Gavin then asks Max for his Ace, receiving it. Gavin then asks Max for an eight and draws a four after getting rejected. "Six!" I look at Max, who gives me another fake-wail as he hands it over. I look at Gavin. "Four!" He hands me his four, then I ask him for a nine, since it''s my only remaining card. Sadly, Gavin''s drawing the next nine, which means I''ll probably lose it. As a consolation prize, I might get to keep the three I just drew, if he asks Max for it first. Max asks me for Jack, then draws a seven, then Gavin asks Max for a three. Yes! Wait, that means he drew the nine, and it''s my turn. Moron! "Three," I ask Gavin, who gives it to me. "Nine." Gavin also reluctantly hands me that one. I''ve already won, at twelve pairs. There''s no way either of them can catch me. "So Luca''s out of cards," Gavin frowns. "Do Max and I just keep playing?" "Luca draws five more," Mr. Zack tells him, still in the kitchen. "And if there aren''t five left, then he draws all of the remaining cards." Sadly, because that means that there''s a good chance they''ll both ask me for cards I have, since other than Max''s Jack, I hold all of the cards they''re needing pairs to. Gavin looks between Max and me. He''s already asked for both of his cards, the Queen and the eight, so he''ll probably ask for the Queen again on his next turn and is trying to decide that now. He''ll probably ask Max, though, if my gut''s right. I think there''s a pattern there, too. "Queen?" He asks Max. Uh, it''s still my turn. He did do what I expected, though. "Go fishing!" Max exclaims, then looks at me. "Luca! Two!" "It''s my turn, Max," I quietly say. "Two?" "NOOOO!" Max actually wails. "Bad, Max! Bad, bad, bad!" He gives me the two, and I look at Gavin. I can ensure he doesn''t claim another card, as long as Max asks him for the Jack instead of me. "Queen!" Gavin hands it to me. "Eight!" Gavin hands it to me. Hehe. They let me take five turns instead of only three. Suckers! I expected that of Max, but was sure Gavin would''ve caught that I took three more turns after drawing the two. Max looks between us, then asks me for the five, which I give him, then he asks for the seven, which I do the same for, before he asks Gavin for the Jack, then starts separating his pairs out so he can count them, now that all the cards are paired up. "I have¡­ three pairs," Gavin eyes my pile. "You win, Luca." Of course I won. Because I''m awesome. "Eight pairs!" Max proudly exclaims. "Fifteen." Gavin sighs as Max takes the deck and starts shuffling. I don''t think Gavin wants to play another game of it after that crushing defeat. Maybe I should have gone easy on the new guy? But then how can he learn what it''s like to be beaten by a priest? Consider yourself lucky you didn''t play against Mr. Zack. Not only can he read our minds to know what we have, but he can also use his psychic vision to see what will come and he''s got that freaky speed that lets him change the cards in the deck and his hand at will. Before factoring in his special Inventory that lets him switch things without anyone noticing. He''s the real cheater. Even if I have no actual proof of it. He did say he cheats, though. Or at least, that he can. Is that proof? But no one else heard it. How often does he do that? Max deals, and we start the next game. Gavin manages to score four pairs this time, while the gap between Max and me is a little lower. He had eight pairs again, but since Gavin had another, I only had fourteen. "How do you do that?" Gavin asks me in astonishment as I reclaim my deck and start shuffling. "You''re extremely good at guessing!" It wasn''t guessing at all. I shuffled slowly enough that I could keep track of where all of my cards where, and Max isn''t a good shuffler, so it''s easy with him. I''ve found that this helps train my Intellect and Perception, so I''m going to continue doing it. I give Mr. Zack an uneasy glance. He''s still cooking. Maybe I''ll not do it with him. He''s scary, and he would probably have some stern words for me if I did it with him. Chapter 0101 (Gavin) After a lunch of turkey, salad, and fruit, Zack takes us out to the fields, where Max takes off to start killing Slimes. After Luca climbs off his back and sits on some rocks, Zack pulls me aside. "By the way," he says. "I noticed you tensing up when I mentioned rats." I feel myself tense up again. I don''t know why, but something about rats makes me uneasy. Just hearing that word makes me uneasy. "I''m not scared of them," I tell him. "It''s not bad to be scared of things," he runs his fingers through his hair. "Even I''m scared of things. Even the most badass people in the Boundary are scared of things." "I find it difficult to believe that you could be scared of something," I tell him. "Maybe," he shrugs. "But I am. Now, the rats you''ll be fighting are hiding in the rocks. There aren''t many, and they''ll all be Level 1, though there might be a Level 2 here or there. They''re large for a rat, being monsters, and will fight back. There should only be plain rats around." "I don''t have Swords Mastery," I tell him. "And I''m sore from that workout." "If you''re suddenly ambushed by monsters," he tells me. "While out on a hunt, they won''t care if you''re sore or exhausted. They''ll attack, and they''ll take advantage of any weakness or moment they can. If you''re hurt badly, Luca or I will heal you. We''ll only do that if your Health drops too low, otherwise, your Vitality will increase slower." It sounds like you just want to see me get hurt, especially since you''re a Dark Knight. "Now get fighting," he tells me. "If you want to get better, this is one of the ways to do it, and once you have Squire, this is how you''ll acquire Experience before you can handle goblins. There are off days, of course, and you can rest and relax in the evenings." He walks over to the rocks with Luca, and I glare at him. I know I agreed to serve for this, but all of this fighting and training, now that it is time, feels a bit uncomfortable for me. I send a prayer to Lord Light of Air, asking for strength as I look for the first cluster of rocks. The one Zack and Luca are on probably doesn''t have any rats hiding in it.
(Zack) Max picked up on Gavin''s fear of rats, and is currently sneaking up with a dead one in his mouth. Just before Max reaches him, Gavin senses him and turns around, then screams and starts running, and Max chases after him. I should probably stop Max, but this is hilarious to watch and no one''s in danger at the moment. Since I killed almost everything in the fields, anything they come across won''t be too strong and Max will handle them. Unless they leave this area of the fields, but I doubt it. Max knows the boundaries, I made sure he learned them over the last few days because of stuff like this. Training him for that was actually pretty easy, he began memorizing the boundaries as soon as he started finding himself flying back after reaching a certain point. Okay, maybe I could''ve done it some other way, but watching him tumble through the air, then land on all fours and growl with his tail sticking straight up was fun. He''d always stop once he realized it was me who sent him flying and not ''evil beasties''. After letting Max have his fun for a few minutes, I nod at Luca, who aims his staff at the beastborn''s path, then throws it. A few moments later, it meets its target, slamming into Max''s side and sending him tumbling, the rat dropping out of his mouth as he catches himself. "Max!" I holler. "Back to killing slimes!" "Yes, Boss!" Max grabs the rat and starts eating it as he takes off to kill more slimes. "I''ll fetch your staff," I tell Luca, then walk over to it. Gavin''s looking pissed. "Relax, Gavin, Max was just having fun." "That wasn''t funny!" "Consider it a lesson in honesty," I tell him as I pick up the staff, then throw it back to Luca. "You lied to me, so I let him do it after he realized you were scared of rats and wanted to chase you. Among beastborn, stuff like that''s actually quite normal." "Harassing others?" "Forcing them to face their fears," I state. "It''s something you''ll have to do. In the end, that''s the only way to overcome them." "You said you have fears," he looks unhappy. "Do you face them?" "Every time I take my gaze off a teammate," I answer. "Every time I let one near danger. Every time one of you is near a monster, even if you can fight it. Every time one of you is near someone I don''t know without me around. My greatest fear is losing another of you. Now get to training, Gavin. I expect you to have Sword Mastery by the time we''re done here." I turn and return to Luca, then watch as Gavin hesitantly approaches some rocks and does his best to attack the rat that launches itself at him. The warrior screams, striking out blindly with his sword. He does manage to kill the thing, and the next one, but it takes him almost five rats and two rock clusters to not freak out and blindly attack. Unfortunately, it looks like he still has a ways to go before he calms down, and once he stops to catch his breath, he stares at the blood, then starts puking. I suppose it''s not normal to be able to manage seeing the blood and gore, and once he began to collect himself, he noticed. I have to give him credit, though ¨C he returns to hunting rats in no time, even if he does puke again after a few more kills. At some point, Luca tugs on my sleeve, and I give him a curious look. "Are you not killing the slimes that spawn while we''re here?" He asks. "You noticed?" I ask. "You usually do," he says. "Small shifts in how you''re sitting." "Nah," I point at Max, who''s currently chasing a Fire Slime while hollering that it needs to stop absorbing his fire in his broken speech. "Max is having fun, and fresh slimes are just as much a source of Experience as any other Level 1 Slime, even if only minor." "Oh," he looks thoughtful for a few moments. "What''s special about a Copper Slime? What''s it do?" "A what?" I''ve never heard of that kind of slime before. "That kind of slime," he points at a slime around thirty feet away. It''s copper in color, and is hopping up and down. Looking around, it''s not the only one, there are two others. They weren''t here last time I looked at everything, which was a couple of hours ago¡­ and I haven''t killed any such slimes. Or heard of them. But the next Holiday Monster is the one for Easter, and they''re not Candy Slimes.
Copper Slime Level 1
Health: 89 Mana: 27
Interesting¡­ I quickly kill it.
+1 copper!
It gave me a copper? But why would it¡­ unless¡­ "Stay here," I return to Luca, then dash to a nearby tree and jump to its top, landing on the highest branch I can and looking out across the fields. There''s Max, scolding a Water Slime for not taking much damage from his Fireballs. There''s Gavin, wrestling with his fears while taking damage, Luca healing him when his Health drops too low. And there are these new slimes. I count eighty-seven of the Copper Slimes. They sure spawned in abundance. I also count a Silver Slime. I''m curious if they all drop money related to their type, or if it''s just a chance of it. As I scan the fields to see if there are any other types of these special monsters, a winged figure flies towards us from Maelnor. I wave to it, then hop out of the tree, and Nik lands in front of me. "I take it you were looking at the new monsters?" He asks. "Yes," I nod. "No one''s mentioned any such type of slime to me before."If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "That''s because they''re rare," he looks around. "They always drop money of their type equal to their Level. For every one hundred of the Copper Slimes, you might find one Silver Slime, and so on, just like our currency." "So them spawning here is a rarity?" I ask. "An extreme one," he nods. "They only appear in nine places across the entire Boundary. There''s another rare type, the Clover Slime. It''s green in color and drops an item called the Lucky Charm." That makes me hungry. "The Lucky Charm?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "A bracelet. Its effect lasts seven days, though the item itself lasts forever, as long as it isn''t destroyed." "Is it edible?" "Uh, no," he gives me a funny look. "Had to ask." "Why?" He asks. "Wait, never mind. It''s you." "What''s it do?" "Increases drop rate from all solo kills," he answers. "And grants one copper per Level of a monster with solo kills, provided it''s not a ''starter'' monster like a rat or slime." I let out an appreciative whistle at that. It sounds like a useful item. Fuck. "That means a lot of people are coming out here, doesn''t it?" I dart over and kill a nearby Copper Slime. "Fuck." "No," he answers. "Maelnor is under a special order. Only those participating in the battle or preparations for it may come out here now. This was decided on both by the council that''s now running the City and the king. Prince Joseph is backing this as well. So the only people who might come out here for it are those who would be coming out here anyway." "What''s the boss monster?" "Why do you think there''s a boss-never mind," he shakes his head. "Just so you know, the slimes aren''t the only new monster that comes with this. There''s the Lucky Goblin, which is just as lucky as its name sounds. They''re quick, tricky things. Tricksters, a bit like you sometimes. They drop the Lucky Clover, a four-leaf clover token that awards a random amount of money between one and five and of a random type." Damn, that sounds awesome. It probably as a higher chance for a lower type, so copper is probably the most common reward. "Any others?" I ask. "Or are you going to tell me about the boss?" Nick scratches his head, frowning a little. "What?" "The boss," he says. "Is an Ultimate Monster. No one''s ever slain one before. All we know, once these things appear, is that in around a month or so, it appears. There will be one in each of the nine areas these things spawned in, and only one. "It''s called the Greed Lord," he tells me. "And is a type of goblin. When it appears, a rainbow forms, showing its location, which rests at the end of the rainbow." "With a pot of gold?" He sighs. "This is something from your world, isn''t it?" "Most are," I shrug. "It''s a myth, a legend, not reality, not there." "Figures," he sighs. "It has a pot of gold with it, which is what the rainbow actually stops on. The Greed Lord is a trickster with high speed and a tough hide. It uses magic and illusions to deceive and wound its foes, though it also uses physical attacks." "And no one''s ever slain one?" "Correct," he nods. "Unlike normal Holiday Bosses, it''s not around for just a day, but for three days." Sounds like the Nian. Did that count as an Ultimate Boss? If so, there''s no Subclass or Title for it. "It''s powerful," he says. "According to Normar, the best option is to just avoid getting within a hundred yards of it. We do know it always spawns in an open space, even though it would seem like something like woods would be better for it." I nod, thinking this over. Normar''s encountered them before, and he, someone who damaged a Nian a fair bit, advises to flee from it. "In addition," Nik says. "Something that''s been known for thousands of years, based on comments from the Crystals, is that there''s something special about when it''s killed." "Something special?" I ask. "Yes," he shrugs. "We don''t actually know what it is, as according to them, they don''t know." "We don''t!" Big Flame tells me. "Only System knows, and he''s never told us. We''ve never really asked, he''s just mentioned it in passing a few times." "Is the Nian an Ultimate Boss?" I ask. "No," he answers. "Though it does come close. Ultimate Bosses are rare. Some are seasonal, like your St. Patrick''s beast that''s coming up, and some are all-seasons or special times. The Nian Lord would be the Ultimate Boss of the Nians, but it''s even more difficult to beat than the Greed Lord. I would not recommend trying to fight it until at least your second Ascension. With probably a few others who have hit that as well." "And the Greed Lord?" "I dunno," he responds. "I do know that System mentioned that it drops a ton of powerful resources. We think he means things like Primordial Essences and such, but we aren''t sure." "Alright," I focus my power. He said they''ve never asked Big S before, so it''s possible he''ll answer when asked. Mustering what I can of my power, I push my thoughts to Big S. "WAKEY WAKEY!" "Jeez!" Big S exclaims. "Can''t a guy nap? Oh, hey, Zack." He yawns in my head, probably to make a point. "Hey, Big S," I say, and Nik raises an eyebrow. "So the Greed Lord seems to be spawning in Naelmar Valley in a month or so." "Ouch," he comments. "That thing is powerful. It''s an Ultimate Boss, so if it''s killed, it''ll drop a ton of powerful resources." "Like Primordial Essences?" "And more," that''s confirmation. "Big S," I say. "Big Flame told me that you mentioned there''s something special about when it dies?" "Oh, that?" He asks. "Yeah, unlike most monsters, Ultimate Monsters, when killed, do not divide the reward between the slayers. Instead, those who had full participation in it receive the full rewards. They aren''t meant to be slain except by beings at or near the first Ascension¡­ or beyond. And in groups. The kind of people who need powerful resources." "Wait," I say. "What do you mean by ''full participation''?" "Those who fully participate in the fight," he explains. "A healer who just gives one buff won''t get anything, but a healer who constantly heals and supports the attackers will. Someone who attacks for a share of the rewards won''t, but someone who constantly fights and does their best to slay it will. Sadly, no one''s ever managed to kill an Ultimate Boss before, though there are currently enough powerful Adventurers that, with powerful enough gear, it might be possible. "Now if you don''t mind," he yawns again. "I''m still exhausted, so I''m going back to sleep." His presence fades from my mind as my thoughts are forced out of his domain, and I look at Nik, then relay what Big S said. "Understood," he says. "With the armor and weapons forged with your Primordial Essence, it might be possible to kill it, then." Most who had something forged only had a weapon or piece of equipment forged. Primordial Essence can be stretched, but not that far. Even still, there are more powerful Adventurers than the Boundary has ever had before¡­ If one ignores the numbers before the Kaelmar Avatar Massacre, as it''s now called. The only reason I can see people holding back against this thing is if they''re nervous of another event like that. I''m sure Nik and his crew would come to assist me, and the Fallen Hunters might join in, too. That might be enough. "Yes," I nod. "If you see Normar before tonight, tell him I want to speak with him." "Will do," he nods. "I''ll see how many people would be willing to give killing it a try. They may be hesitant to with how impossible it''s always seemed, especially after the massacre." "I was thinking the same thing," I nod. "If things get dire enough, those of us who go will probably have a way out." "Indeed," he smiles a little. "I''ll see you later, Zack. I just wanted to let you know, as I knew you''d probably be curious. And yes, the slimes do have a high spawn rate, and no, most probably won''t come out this way since it''s your training grounds. You''ve earned yourself a reputation, and they have the entire valley to farm." I grin at Nik, who takes off back towards Maelnar. I return to sitting beside Luca, who looks annoyed. "What?" I ask. "Gavin got hurt ''cause Max chased a Wind Slime towards him." "Was it intentional?" I ask. "No," he still seems upset. "Then it was an accident," I say. "Did Max apologize?" "He went ''Sorry Gavin-friend'' and took off after the slime." "That''s just how Max is," I ruffle his hair. "He didn''t mean for Gavin to get hurt. I take it you healed him?" Luca nods. "Good job," I pull him in for a hug. "It''s okay, Luca. Max cares about the rest of the team as well. He doesn''t call just anyone ''friend'', you know." "Yeah," he shrugs. We return to watching the pair train, occasionally healing them if needed, then I take them back home and send them to the bath as I start dinner. I''m halfway through when I sense Nathan behind me. I can hear him doing something, and turn to find him setting stuff on the counter. Boxes of chocolate, bottles of wine, piles of platinum, marbles¡­ "Nathan?" I ask. "Why did you just put five thousand platinum on the counter?" "Is this enough?" He gestures to the loot he''s set out. "For what?" "Two Primordial Essences?" "Just the money will do," I tell him. "And¡­ that''s a bit more than Jackson and I were charging." He looks at the whole pile of loot and frowns. "What about the rest?" "You were hoping to pay for Primordial Essence with chocolate?" "Yes?" "Cute," I pull out two jars of the essence and hand it to him, taking two thousand platinum from the pile. "You can keep the rest, Nathan." "Oh," he starts sending everything back into his Inventory, though he leaves the marbles. "You can have those. Nik said you wanted to talk with me?" "Yes," I say. "Are you going to help with the Greed Lord?" "Definitely," he nods. "Lots of powerful resources¡­ that will help us, especially if the reward isn''t divided between the victors, like normal." "Okay," I say. "You''re close to Ascension. Think you''ll make it before the thing spawns?" "That''s only a month," he shrugs. "I could if I killed a Special Monster that gave Bonus Experience, but that would mean heading back into Fallen Territory for a bit." "Alright," I say. "I wouldn''t recommend taking on Angel right away if there''s something else you want to go for ¨C since it''s a Rank 3 Class, it requires a crapton of Experience. I''m only at Level 6 of Demon, and you know how rapidly I Level." "Alright," he nods. "I''ll get this stuff commissioned, then I''ll try to get the last few Levels." Nathan leaves, and I resume cooking. With an Ascended Nathan, plus me, both of us wielding ultimate-class gear, the Greed Lord doesn''t stand a chance. Others will only make it easier for us to kill the thing, but if I take on Demon Form and have Nathan''s Blessing of the Crystal, then we''ll succeed in killing it over a long, drawn-out fight. What to do with my team during that time? I don''t want them to see my full power, my true power. How terrifying I really am, as a Dark Knight and one of the most powerful Adventurers in all the Boundaries. I should probably go deep into the mines for some advanced training, too, to gain a few extra Levels. Hm¡­ Stuff to figure out. I''ll sort this once my team''s here and competent enough. For now, I''m going to finish dinner. Chapter 0102 (Zack) Gavin''s fallen asleep, Max is snoozing peacefully, and Luca has finally drifted off. It''s been five days since Gavin arrived, and things have progressed well. Max reached Level 2 of Novice Elementalist, Luca''s grumpy that he''s yet to reach Level 2 of Novice, and Gavin''s steadily gaining Experience. I think I''m starting to get a good estimate of how their Experience is. My team''s newest warrior seems to be overcoming his fear of rats, allowing him to fight a little bit better. He''s earned some money by selling the tails of the rats, twelve whole copper, now. Max has earned¡­ I think three silver. He''s been killing a lot of the new type of slimes, mostly because they have a high spawn rate and are overtaking other things. Luca seems a bit annoyed by the fact that he can''t really earn money, since he''s not a fighter. With his Mana, it wouldn''t be an issue to teach him a basic attack spell, but he refuses to learn. I think he flashes back to Braden''s death every time I bring the subject up, so I''m letting it go for now. I told the others during dinner that our final member''s arriving while they sleep tonight, which caused Gavin to question how I knew that. Max told him, though I don''t think the warrior quite understood the magician. Whatever. Now that they''re all asleep, I slip out of bed and make my way downstairs, grabbing a chair from one of the rooms and bringing it over to where I waited to greet Gavin. I set the chair down and sit on it, then wait. Earlier, I pulled Luca aside and told him about our final team member''s name. He was clearly unhappy about it, and I could tell the flashbacks were starting, but I managed to calm him down. Hopefully, I told him about it enough in advanced. I''m about to doze off when I sense a shift in the air, and I open my eyes. A moment later, he appears. Much like Luca, Max, and me, he''s rather small for his age. Much like Max, Gavin, and me, he''s thirteen. Brown hair and green eyes, dressed in plain clothes, the standard outfit of those who accept the offer of the Crystals. "Hello, Braden," I smile. "How do you know my name?" He frowns, speaking quietly. "I have a Skill called Appraisal," I inform him as his gaze wanders around, taking in everything. Observant. Gavin only noticed what was immediate, but I can tell that Braden is taking in far more. "It allows me to see the name, Level, Health, and Mana of anyone up to fifteen Levels above me and with the same or lower Level of Appraisal Resistance as my Appraisal." "Okay," he says. "Lord Light of Air said my party leader would be greeting me." "That''s me," I say. "But I call him ''Big C'' because ''Lord Light of Air'' is a mouthful." He frowns a little, but nods. At least he doesn''t seem as offended as Gavin by that comment. It''s only been five days, so I guess it should be considered normal for him to get upset at me still, if that''s how he starts off. "I''m Zack," I introduce himself, standing and approaching Braden, holding out my hand. "Braden," he takes my hand. He''s got a firm grip, despite being quiet and having wandering eyes. "Are you tired?" I ask. "No." "Figured," I say. "Most people are fully awake when they arrive. Since you just died, do you want to take a bath? I know some people feel icky when they first arrive because of that, even without memories of what happened." He nods. "Come on," I tell him, then lead him to the bath. "Here''s our bath. Once you''re finished, if you want to rest, everyone''s upstairs, sleeping. We''re in the furthest room from the stairs, though you can use any you want. If you aren''t wanting to rest, you can do whatever, though please try not to wake the others. Max is grumpy and has a tendency to bite if he''s woken during the night and Luca needs his sleep." "Are they the other members?" He asks. "And Gavin," I nod. "Luca''s our healer, and has been here the second-longest of us. Max is our magician, and arrived after Luca. Gavin''s the newest, before you, and arrived only five days ago. Max is the only Boundary-native." "Okay." "Good night," I dip my head to him, then leave the bath. Almost immediately, I feel waves of fear and panic radiating out of Braden, and he softly calls my name out. That was definitely fear. "Yes?" I return to the bath, and he starts calming down, though I can tell he''s trembling and shaking. "I-I''m sorry," he looks down. "I-I panicked." "It''s okay," I smile. "Not everyone likes being alone, and it is night. I''ll bathe with you." He nods, then I strip down and wash. Braden does the same, and I scrub his back. After I do, he scrubs mine, then we soak in the bath. He frowns a little at the floating dog toy. "That belonged to a former resident here," I tell him. "His name is Gold. When he moved into the Dark Temple, he left that behind and got a new one." "Was he a kid?" "We''re all kids." "A little kid?" "No," I answer. "Though he can seem a bit childish at times, just like Max. He''s not as ''grown up'' as some of us." Even though he has every reason to be, after his abuse as a slave. Braden nods, and we return to soaking. Another few minutes pass, and I sense Luca''s mind down here. I watch as he enters the bath, then strips and cleans himself before joining us, sitting beside me and watching Braden with wary eyes. His breathing increases a little as he forces himself to stay calm. "Did something wake you?" I ask, and immediately sense that it was being alone which woke up. "Sorry, Luca. I intended on going back up, but thought Braden could use some company. You know how it is when you first arrive ¨C you''re pretty awake. Gavin fell asleep pretty fast after a bath, so Braden might as well." Luca nods without taking his gaze off of Braden. "Which one is this?" Braden asks. Does he always talk so softly? "This is Luca," I put a hand on Luca''s head. "Our healer. He might not look it, but he''s good. Do you see these developing muscles?" I pinch Luca''s arm as I hold it up, so that Braden can see the muscle. "He''s not a fighter, but he''s competent with martial arts. I''d pit him against a Fluffy Monavar any day." Luca gives me a bewildered look. "What''s a Fluffy Monavar?" Braden asks, interested. "It''s a fluffy monster," I explain. "Around three feet tall. Due to its fluff, it''s hard to actually damage it with blunt attacks. The fluff itself is resilient to magic as well, though fire magic is its bane ¨C it doesn''t just damage it, but counts as a ''vital strike'' or ''critical hit'', which means it does three times damage. Blades can cut through the fluff, but its hide is tough, so it''ll take a sharp blade, a lot of Strength, or both, to get through. "It''s typically pink with some white in color," I continue. "And is absolutely covered in fluff. Its eyes are black, and it has a roughly bear-like build, though there''s probably some ram in there, too. So a mix between a bear and a ram, I guess. It has a ram''s curled horns for sure. "Killing it isn''t easy," I tell him as Luca sighs and rolls his eyes. "Because of that. A strong enough warrior could do it for sure, but a starter warrior? No chance, Lance. As I said, though, I''d pit Luca against a Fluffy Monavar any day." "Where does it live?" He asks. "Are they around here?" "No," I answer. "The Fluffy Monavar only dwells in mountainous areas. While we''re surrounded by mountains, this place isn''t mountainous in the requirements. It also likes some light woods and some cliffs. The best part about the Fluffy Monavar is after you kill it ¨C its fluff is a rare resource that can fetch a lot of money before it''s even spun into thread, and since it''s a Special Monster, it has an automatic drop as well. Automatic drops are rare, usually, but they go straight into your Inventory if there''s space. The drop is a barrel of cotton candy." Luca snorts. "Don''t believe me," I look at Luca. "But I''d still pit you against one any day. Its horns are also a good alchemy reagent, by the way, but I''d avoid being rammed with them if you do fight one." Braden nods while Luca continues to give me that disbelieving stare.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "How long have you been here?" Braden asks. "It''s hard to gauge accurately," I answer. "Five months? Six months? It''s easy to lose track of time. Luca''s only been here a month, month and a half. Time between events and the length of years are also not consistent." "So you''re strong?" He asks. "Stronger than the rest of the team," I nod. "That''s why I''m helping all of you with some training. I do still go for my own training from time to time." Luca nods at that, turning his gaze back to Braden. I can sense his anxiety starting to alleviate. That''s faster than I expected, and I''m happy for him. He''s seeing the differences and acknowledging that this Braden isn''t his brother. "For example," I say. "After discussing things with Nik ¨C he''s the head of the Dark Knights, the type of Adventurer that I am ¨C it''s been decided that the five of us are splitting up in the morning for individual training with professionals. You''ll go with a trainer of your Class, Gavin will work with some knights, Max will be helped with magic fire, I will train with Nik, and Luca¡­ will be Luca." Luca puffs out his chest in pride at that. He''s actually not going to be far from me ¨C Travis is taking him into the mines to work on his Holy Arrow spell. There are apparently some undead creatures down there other than Fallen Adventurers, but not many. Nik and I will be further down into the mines, so that I can face off against some tougher monsters. Braden''s going to go with Brandon, the rogue I met way back when I first arrived here. I already know Braden''s going the hunter route, and Brandon agreed to train him. For Gavin, he''ll be training with Peter Herasid, the paladin whose mama''s a bear. Well, Druid, but close enough. She turns into a bear. As for Max¡­ Nik and I debated long and hard over what to do for Max''s training. Blaine had to go deeper into the territory for something, Nathan''s disappeared off into Lost Territory again to raise his Level up to 250 at last, and most of the Dark Knights who know more than just Fireball are unavailable for one reason or another. Plus, we want Max to know more than just fire magics. Some monsters ¨C like slimes ¨C will absorb their elements instead of taking damage, especially if it''s a stronger one or a more powerful one. A Level 1 Slime can absorb Max''s Fireballs almost completely. A Level 2 one can absorb them entirely. While people are starting to accept beastborn, at least here, asking someone to put up with one for a few days as a person and Adventurer isn''t right, and it wouldn''t work out, especially with Max''s communication issues. Really, only I and other beastborn can properly communicate with him right now. We discussed having one of the older beastborn act as a translator, but nixed that idea. There are now fifty servants of the Dark Knights, and one of the female monkey beastborn seems to be able to communicate normally. Complete sentences, no attempts to use mental thoughts, and all that. We think she trained in it for the last few years, though haven''t asked. When talking to beastborn, she slips right back into the normal way for them. There''s an older wolf beastborn who is starting to speak with words as well, though his speech is also moderately better than Max''s. In the end, we decided that I''ll just tell Max to bring Fireball as high as he can while also learning Wind Spike, Waterball, and Stone Spike and bringing them all up to Level 3. He''ll also be tasked with attempting to reach Level 5 of Novice Elementalist. As an incentive beyond just doing what I say, I''m going to offer him a full gold as a reward. Even though he''ll be earning more than that in his training, no doubt, it won''t be from Boss, which means that even a smaller amount can act as a higher incentive. Personally, I am uncomfortable with the idea of splitting us up so soon after everyone meets, but Nik said it''s also good for everyone to have their own space for a little while and every now and then. It''ll also supposedly be better for everyone to have trainers of their own type, too, rather than being taught by me. Admittedly, that''s a good point. I just don''t like the idea of splitting us up, especially since¡­ never mind. I can worry about that later. Max is the one I worry about the most with this, but Nik promised to have at least two Dark Knights watching him at all times. Gavin and Braden will both be with trusted, powerful Adventurers, and not only will Luca be with one, but he''ll be nearby to me, too. "What are the Classes?" Braden pulls me out of my thoughts. "The basics," I say. "Are knights, magicians, rogues, hunters, and healers. Luca is a Novice, on his way to Priest. They''re healers and provide support to teammates. Pretty much everything they do is healing, buffs are other Classes. Max is a Novice Elementalist, a type of magician who specializes in using elemental magics. Gavin is a Squire, on his way to be a Knight, which is the most basic of knight Classes. I''m a Dark Knight, we''re a more specialized version of Knight, and one of the two more powerful versions of it for the Rank 1 Classes. Our opposite is the Paladin." "What do Dark Knights do?" He asks. "We fight using blood, fire, and darkness," I explain. "We use the basic Fireball spell, we can use our own Health to fuel certain Skills, we can increase our damage based on how much Health we''re missing, and we can even use certain Skills that grow stronger the more Health we''re missing or we''ve lost in the last few seconds. We can manipulate and use shadows and darkness, as well as instill fear in opponents or taunt them into a frenzy. "We aren''t evil, though," I say, sensing his unease. "We''re actually the only order of Class where every member is liked by the Crystal they worship and serve. We all have similar personalities, which is actually often pretty normal among those with the same Crystal alignment. Ours is Dark of Fire, meaning we align best with Big Flame, who is the one we worship, same as Blood Priests. Even though we aren''t the guards of the various Cities, we also act as interrogators of certain types of prisoners, hunters of those who serve the Shadow of Life, and we don''t take nonsense. We''re also the worst type of person to anger. Invoking the wrath of a Dark Knight can result in pain and even death. "Max is a beastborn," I continue. "Something native to the Boundaries. According to the Crystals, they don''t exist anywhere else." "Boundaries?" Oops. He''s a sharp one. "The various regions of the Boundary," I shrug. "There are quite a few of them, and a lot of them have natural barriers, such as the mountains that surround us here in Naelmar Valley. We''re the final frontier, by the way. The Shadow of Life''s forces have been overtaking the Boundary little by little, and in the next few months, there''s going to be a massive battle. If they fall this City, the rest of the Boundary will soon follow, despite its immense size. That''s part of why we''re all about training and not fun right now." "Oh," he says, but doesn''t ask about the possibility of him ¨C a kid ¨C going deeper into the territory to avoid the fight. That''s likely part of why the Crystals thought to send him here. He won''t back down, just like me. "Back to the beastborn," I say. "Despite being native to the Boundary, they don''t have Access to the System, which means no Levels, no Class, no Skills, no Stats, nothing. They also dream, which is something no human does." "You do," Luca mutters. "Those aren''t dreams," I remind him, bopping him on the top of his head. "Those are visions. I see possible future events. That''s different from a dream." "Right," he mutters. "As a result," I look at Braden. "Of the mentioned things with beastborn, they aren''t seen as people and treated like crap. Most are slaves, though the Dark Order is working to change that and is offering spots as servants rather than slaves. No collars, clothes if they want it, food, bed, training, and so on. "As slaves," I continue. "They''re treated terribly. When I first met Max, he was a nameless, beaten, malnourished slave. As with most beastborn, he didn''t even have a loincloth ¨C from what I can tell, he lost it a few weeks before we met because he peed without his master''s permission. His master served the Shadow of Life. I knew Max would be on my team because of my visions, and when I saw him, a rage fueled me. His master is now dead. Gold is another beastborn, you''ll see him and his brother, Aurum, around from time to time. Gold was the first to have Access, while Max is the second. "Before Luca came to the Boundary," I say. "Gold was threatened. Wounded. Someone was trying to steal from me, and they wanted to use Gold and a friend of mine named Kylie against me. He had a knife to Gold''s throat. I didn''t just kill him, I lost myself into a rage so bad, he was scattered across the street." Braden looks nervous and scared, and I can sense that coming from him, too. "When Luca''s twin brother Braden," I say, and Luca grabs my arm, pulling himself against me as he starts to shake, and I wrap an arm around his shoulders, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Was killed by a monster in Talorn, a Fallen City, I went on a pseudo-rampage there. I killed a lot of monsters while fueled by the power of my Rage Skill, which increases my Strength the higher my rage is. "I''m just a kid," I tell him. "And there''s an entire order of us, the Dark Order. We aren''t people to be crossed, as even a kid can be so damaging and dangerous. I know that what I said makes you even more uneasy, Braden, but you are not my enemy, and it takes something truly awful to spark that rage. "If you want to see the kind side of us," I continue. "Just look at Luca. He clings to me for comfort and reassurance. You can ask the beastborn. If one of them will talk to you ¨C so far, only three talk to people ¨C they''ll sing the praises of the Dark Order almost literally. Talk to any powerful team, and they''ll tell you that while they''re uncomfortable with us, they more than likely either have or want a Dark Knight on their team. I, like all Dark Knights, protect our own." I stand and exit the bath, and Luca follows. We dry off and pull on our night clothes again, then head up to bed, leaving Braden to think. Better that he knows than doesn''t. Gavin already butts heads with me, so telling him the full truth would probably make him leave, and I''d rather not have him leave. He needs to get to know me first. But for Braden¡­ something told me I should tell him, so I did.
(Braden) For what feels like forever, I just sit here in the bath, thinking over what Zack said. He really didn''t sound like someone I''d want to be with, but Luca was clinging to him, especially once his brother was mentioned. It sounded like his brother shared my name. Not sure what to make of my potential leader, I climb out of the bath, dry off, and dress again, then take a walk. I don''t know why I do, it just feels right, like something that helps clear my head. Should I stay with Zack? Or should I try to do something else, on my own? I''m so confused, I don''t even know what to think. My head just swirls and swirls, and¡­ He has dog ears. I stop walking and stare at the kid standing only a few yards in front of me. He has dog ears. Something tells me that''s not right, but he does. He also has a dog''s tail. They and his hair are golden in color. Maybe that something is my old self? Lord Light of Air said that we''d get senses like that from time to time, even without our memories. Is this a beastborn, then? The beastborn tilts his head to the side, his ears sticking up, and his tail swishes from side to side a little. He''s dressed in a pair of black pants, a red tunic with black trim, and a black belt with a crimson buckle shaped like flames. In his arms is a basket filled with what look like some sort of buns coated with a sticky substance. He doesn''t have any weapons, so I guess he''s not a fighter. One of the Dark Knights'' servants, then? Are those sticky buns for the Dark Knights? "H-hi?" I offer a greeting. He approaches, and I remember what Zack said about only three beastborn actually talking to people. He wasn''t serious with that, was he? Are they not able to? Are only some capable of it? This one looks like a dog one. Is he one of the ones who can? The beastborn sniffs at me. "You smell like Hero Zack," he comments. "Same soap Hero Zack uses." Hero Zack? Is he talking about Zack? Why is he calling him ''Hero'', too? "My current party leader is named Zack," I tell him, and his face lights up. "But I might leave." "Why?" He tilts his head to the side again, his ears no longer sticking up, though his tail still swishes, even if the movement''s only slight. His eyes are blue, I realize. "Hero Zack good. Friendly. Fun. Awesome." "He''s a Dark Knight," I say. "And he made him sound scary." "Hero Zack scary," he nods. "But also good. Better than most. Hero Zack be a Dark Knight. They be the best." "But¡­ he also goes on rampages," I say. "He sounds frightening." The beastborn thinks for a few moments. "Come," he tells me. "Me tell you stuff. Hero Zack be scary, but also be good. We beastborn worship Hero Zack. He do great deeds. Me tell you about them. You be see after, Hero Zack not evil, only good, even when scary. He be very good." Chapter 0103 (Braden) "During Red Walls," the beastborn tells me as we sit on the edge of a bridge, our feet hanging over the edge, his basket of sticky buns between us. I''m munching on one, and it''s delicious. "Me go out, fight monsters. Try get stronger so no need to rely on Hero Zack for safety. Me think it possible to avoid Nian, a big, scary beastie. Me failed, and Hero Zack came to save me. People don''t normally try to save beastborn, since we not people. We just beastborn. Even have ''beast'' in name. Hero Zack not care for stuff like that, he call us people, too. Treat us as people. Hero Zack find out me not in City during Red Walls, come look for me. "Me nearly died," he kicks his feet a little. "Hero Zack showed up, me injured badly. Hero Zack distracted Nian while me flee and get help. Told me he would be fine. Me not sure on that, but obey anyway. Hero Zack nearly died so me could escape. "Hero Zack may be scary," he continues. "But he also be kind. Very protective. Not let anyone hurt those he care about, and he even puts self at risk to save us. Without Hero Zack save me, me not be here anymore. Hero Zack take that risk to own life to save others." He gives me a very intense look. "Hero Zack save you, too," he tells me. "If he call you a teammate, he do anything to keep you safe. He the strongest, lots of strong friends. Even Great Normar his friend. Not many tame Great Normar." Who? The beastborn kicks his feet again as he looks at the water flowing out from under the bridge. "You need be scared," he tells me. "You be Hero Zack''s ally, not enemy. You accepted offer. Big Crystals don''t send everyone who accept, only send those who mean it. Hero Zack know this, even if not say it. Big Flame said so. You here, so you meant it. Hero Zack know you want fight, so he know you be serious." I finish the sticky bun, then lick my fingers as I think about the beastborn''s comments. If I''m understanding him right, then Zack''s a hero to him. He mentioned on the way here that Zack was a hero to all beastborn, and that he''d tell me why. Is Zack saving him why? Zack mentioned that beastborn are treated as slaves and beaten and starved, and this beastborn said that Zack put himself in danger just to save him. But Zack also made himself sound terrifying, and that scares me. At the same time, this beastborn seems to revere him, to worship him. Every time he says Zack''s name, it''s with respect and admiration. "Zack told me," I tell him. "About him killing people. About ripping someone to pieces. About going on a rampage against monsters." "Hero Zack be that way," the beastborn nods. "But only to enemies. You not be enemy, Braden. You be here by choice, you want fight Shadow of Life. Hero Zack know that, let you on team." "How did you know my name?" I ask. "Appraisal." "Appraisal?" I ask. "But that''s-you''re Gold, aren''t you? The beastborn he said he killed someone to protect." "Me be Gold," he puffs out his chest, his tail wagging happily as his ears point up rather than resting on his head like normal. "Me first beastborn with System! Dark Knight, too! Admire Hero Zack, became Dark Knight." "So you saw him kill that person?" I ask. "The one he said he cut to pieces?" "Yes," Gold nods. "Me saw that, me awake, not sleeping. Hero Zack save me. He let no harm come to me, not outside of training. Hero Zack hit hard." He rubs the back of his head, as if remembering a whack to it. "Me Level 4!" He exclaims proudly. "Kill goblins! Hero Zack so proud, he give me candy and headpats, and even scratch behind ears! Sadly, Max probably overtake me. Me servant, not warrior. Max warrior, not servant. Me work for Dark Knights, help keep Dark Temple clean. Sometimes go to forest and fight. Want hit Level 55 soon." "Why?" I ask. "Ask Hero Zack," he grins at me. "He explain better. Me know not all good at human-speak method. Better with mind. Most beastborn talk mind-mind, not mouth-mouth." Is that what Zack meant when he said they don''t normally talk to Adventurers? That they usually talk with their minds instead? Does that mean the way beastborn talk normally can''t be understood by adventurers? "Oh," Gold''s grin widens. "Hero Zack super-special. He speak beastborn-speak! Know thoughts! Read minds! Awesome man! Hero Zack be really special. No tell him we know, but beastborn know who his daddy be." "His dad?" I ask. "Yes," Gold looks around, then leans in conspiratorially and drops his voice to a whisper. "Hero Zack''s daddy be existence!" I have no idea what that means or how I should interpret that. I guess he wasn''t lying when he said that he''s not that good at the way humans speak. "Oh, okay," I say. Maybe I should say something else? I don''t know, I''ve never been good at stuff like this. I haven''t? I suppose that it''s true, since that was an instinctive thought, which means it came from before my memories disappeared. One of those ''habit phrases'' that Lord Light of Air said will happen until I grow accustomed to here. "I think you talk good," I tell Gold. "Thank you!" He smiles and his tail wags happily. "Me do what can to speak better, surprise Hero Zack with how good me be! Best Max when speak, too! Aurum say Max still behind, me have headstart on him! Max may be getting bigger Levels, but me going be better speaker first!" "Who''s Aurum?" "Me twin," Gold tells me. "He live across from Hero Zack. And you. Servant of Great Normar." "And the Great Normar is¡­?" "The Great Normar!" He answers happily. "He be greatest healer in Boundary. Secretly heal hurt beastborn when nearby. Rarely show self. Rarely talk. Sometimes pat heads. Likes Hero Zack. Has wifey! She be mage. Me met Lady Normar two years ago. Nice lady. Not like most Adventurer. Not like Hero Zack, but close." So Normar secretly healed beastborn who''d been abused, but didn''t really let others know it was him, and Zack put his life at risk to save them. Maybe Zack isn''t all that bad, but I''m still a bit nervous after his explanation of his volatile side and how dangerous the Dark Knights are and what they do. They literally use their own Health to wound others. They¡­ literally sacrifice themselves for others. They take damage so that others don''t, don''t they? That kind of sacrifice¡­ no wonder they''re so powerful. I guess it makes sense that some degree of self-sacrifice would be necessary to attain that strength, and instead of doing it for evil reasons, they do it to protect others. Zack didn''t mention taking Health from others. Maybe there''s something that does, and that''s used by evil people? "No worry, Braden," Gold puts a hand on my shoulder. "Hero Zack nice guy. You be Hero Zack''s friend, so he be treat you right." He thinks for a few more moments, then indicates the treats. "Eat at night, taste good," he says. "If that happen, you be his friend for sure. If eat at day, you be sick and invisible. Either he upset, or he play prank."If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "Sticky buns?" I ask. "No," he gives me a mischievous grin. "You be find out soon, me sure. Want another?"
(Luca) Mr. Zack really does find this amusing, doesn''t he? He''s making sure that Braden is entering the Trading Post first, and his glare made Gavin not say a word. Max, as usual, can''t contain his excitement. I look at Braden again. I didn''t expect him to return after Mr. Zack and I watched him leave, but when I woke up this morning, he was sleeping on the bed above Gavin. I guess he decided that Mr. Zack wasn''t as scary as he made himself sound. I didn''t know that stuff about Mr. Zack, that was the first time I''d heard it, and I''m pretty sure he was being honest. As soon as Braden sees the creepy guy, he jumps and lets out a small squeak, before freezing in place. "Come on," Mr. Zack gently pushes him forward so the rest of us can enter. "We don''t have all day, you know." We kind of do. All you have to do is be yourself, and everything else will align for you. If you want to wait until tomorrow to do something, you wait until tomorrow. I''m pretty sure that if the horde came and you weren''t ready for it, you could hold up a hand, say ''come back tomorrow'', and the horde would turn around and come back the next day. Hm. Maybe that''s a way to help delay the horde? Just have Mr. Zack tell it he''s not ready yet? He could also probably just yell at it, that made me-no thinking about that! Mr. Zack gets Braden up to the counter, and the rest of us kind of hide behind them. As usual, I find myself holding onto the back of Mr. Zack''s tunic and peeking at the creepy guy from behind him. "Hey, Pervert!" Mr. Zack grins at the creepy guy. "We''ve got a new teammate! We talked it over this morning, and he''s going to be a hunter. Get him a bow and a knife, and if you refuse or call me ''Zacky'', well, I know how to enter the back without a penalty. And I have a barrel of goblin piss." Why do you have a barrel of goblin piss, how did you get a barrel of goblin piss, and why did mentioning you have one get the creepy guy to pull out a bow and a knife without the usual banter? "Thanks, Pervert!" Mr. Zack waves to the creepy guy, then leads us out of the Trading Post and has us stand in front of him in a semi-circle. "Alright, I told you all that we are going our separate ways for a week for additional training. I want you each to know: I absolutely trust the person you''re going to be with, and they''re among the most powerful of the Boundary. Luca, you''re with Travis again." Yes! Awesome! "And you''re going into the mines." Not so awesome. "Because he thinks it would be a good place for you to find some weaker undead creatures so you can train that horrid Skill of yours." "Horrid Skill?" Gavin asks as I stick my tongue out at Mr. Zack. He''s just jealous that I have an attack that''s extra-effective against undead things and he doesn''t! "You''ll probably get it at some point if you become a Priest," Mr. Zack says. "Travis is here, Luca." I turn and look at the giant Paladin, who beckons for me to follow him, so I do after giving Mr. Zack a hug. I don''t know why I do, I just did. It just happened on its own. "Training with me again," Travis tells me. "I know you''re probably a little worried about training in the mines, but there are some monsters that are weak enough for you to handle. In addition, Zack will be in the mines from time to time as well." Why are we walking in the direction of the Dark Temple and not the South Gate? Mr. Zack''s going to be there? Cool. He''s probably doing ''advanced training'' rather than just training, since he''s stronger than us. I thought he was slowing his own training down to help us instead? Did Nik talk to him again? "We''ll be heading out with some Dark Knights," Travis informs me. "And after some preparation today, we''ll camp out there, then head into the mines tomorrow and start your training. We''ll be camping in the mines." Scary. But Mr. Zack will be nearby, he said, so I feel safe.
(Zack) "Alright," I say. "Now that Luca''s gone, it''s time to locate your trainer, Gavin." "Who is my trainer?" Gavin asks suspiciously. "And why do you think-" "He''s a Paladin," I answer. "An old one, though like many of the most powerful, he ages slower than normal, so he looks pretty young. You''ll be staying with him for the week of training, rather than at our place." "Why?" Gavin asks with irritation in his voice as he glares at me. "Because his mama''s a bear and insisted on it," I answer. "And because it''ll make it easier for you to get trained if you''re with the person training you. Come on." I lead the three of them through Maelnor, until we reach Peter''s home. His mama''s out front, sitting on a rocking chair as she watches us. She''s a lot more accepting of beastborn, now. I think she''s spent some time with the Dark Knights'' beastborn and come to accept them. "Heya, Mama Bear!" I wave to her. "Hello, Zack!" She laughs. "Peter had to leave for a few minutes, he should be here soon." "That''s fine," I say. "I need to get going for stuff, but this is Gavin," I grab Gavin''s arm and pull him forward, he''s not looking happy. "The young knight who''s going to be training with your son. I trust you not to eat him." "Eat me?" Gavin jerks away, looking at me in horror. "I don''t eat children!" Mama Bear laughs. "Stop teasing the poor boy, Zack." "Oh, right," I smirk at her. "You eat men, not boys." "Zack!" She exclaims, and I stick my tongue out at her. "See you in a week," I tell Gavin. "You can learn all about being a knight from Peter. I think he''s a Paladin, Knight, and some other form of knight. He knows a lot of combat techniques that might help you." "Fine," Gavin grumbles. "But only because Lord Light of Air just told me to follow this." Really? Big C told him to chill out on his resistance to me? That''s pretty nice, shows that even Big C can use that wisdom he supposedly has sometimes. "Alright," I clap him on the back. "Bye! Come on, Braden, Max." I lead Braden and Max into the abandoned section of town, way past our place. Our place. After Luca fell asleep and Braden returned and fell asleep, I slipped out and made my way down to the Trading Post and officially acquired ownership of it. Now, I and my party are permanent residents there, and all members receive the recovery bonus. As a beastborn who had to be connected into the System, Max didn''t. Speaking of beastborn, I''m curious what Braden and Gold did last night. They definitely hugged before parting ways, based on how much I could smell the guy on Braden. Does Braden know who he talked to? Gold doesn''t speak, it''s just Max, a monkey beastborn, and a female wolf beastborn who''s also an adult. It''s likely Braden doesn''t realize he spoke to the first beastborn with Access to the System. It takes us awhile to reach my target, which is Brandon''s home. It looks much like mine, complete with cracked walls, ivy, and a general ''home'' feeling to it. "Here''s your stop, Braden," I say. "I''m not sure where Brandon is, though. He''s not home." "I thought you said hunters can use an ability to conceal themselves?" He asks. "I have a way of detecting people that isn''t fooled by it," I shrug. "It''s not early enough for a run, so he''s probably picking something up for your training." "And you''re just leaving me here?" Braden asks. He really does talk so softly, I guess. "No," I look around. "I think he''s coming. I don''t just abandon my team, Braden. I''m staying until he shows up." "Okay." We wait another ten minutes before Brandon arrives. He''s wearing a cloak, as usual, and dips his head to me. "Alright, you two soft-talkers," I say. "Enjoy your training! Max, come on." "Yes, Boss!" Max follows me home, where he tilts his head in confusion. "Boss? We home, not with trainer?" "I''m going to be training with Nik," I tell Max. "And you are going to be training alone." "Alone?" Max asks, worried. "Yes," I say. "As you know, most people don''t want to deal with beastborn like people, which means it would be very hard to find someone to train you." His ears and tail droop, and he hangs his head. "In addition," I put a hand on his head. "It would be hard to find someone who could just talk with you and teach you things. Since you''re just casting spells, I decided that, to save us both trouble, I''m simply going to assign you a task. "What I want you to do over the next week," I tell him. "Is to bring Fireball up to Level 4, Novice Elementalist up to Level 4, and learn Wind Spike, Stone Spike, and Waterball, and bring each of them up to Level 2. If you manage to do all of that, Max, I will pay you one full gold." His eyes widen in excitement as he looks up at me, just as I knew would happen. I told him less than I want, because I know he''ll reach what I want in an attempt to impress me. Even though everyone says it should be impossible, it won''t be as long as Max focuses on the Special Slimes. Those will give him more Experience, and he''s a talented young man, just like me and Luca, and no doubt Gavin and Braden. "Wait, Boss!" Max suddenly exclaims. "Max no use Waterball! Fireball cooler! Waterball splashy!" "Yes," I nod. "Waterball seems rather useless. It''s a spell that''s almost exclusively used against certain types of monster. Fire Slimes are one of them, so if you can find Fire Slimes, you can train Waterball up a Level or two." "Yes, Boss!" He says, then tilts head and frowns. "Why use Waterball? Max like Fireball better!" "Stronger Fire Slimes absorbs your flames, do they not?" I ask, and he nods. "Which means you can''t use Fireball on them, right?" "Right," his tail and ears droop again. "Waterball will let you kill them, though," I ruffle his hair. "So try to find some among all of these money-giving Slimes and get that Waterball up to Level 2, okay?" "Okay, Boss!" He stands a little taller, prouder. "Max do! Max go up!" "Good," I smile at him. "Remember, we''ll be separated for a week, so you have a week to do all of that. Can you do that for me?" "Yes, Boss!" "Also," I lean in conspiratorially, giving a ''nervous'' look around to make sure no one''s eavesdropping. It has the desired effect, and Max leans in as well. "I also have a secret mission for you. You can''t tell anyone about it." Chapter 0104 (Max) Slimies! Everywhere! Max happy! No, no, no! Me happy! Me happy! Boss tell Max ''kill Slimies, no hold back'', so Max be free to kill lots and lots of Slimies! First, though, me need find Gold-rival, want make a competition between us! See who get more kills! Loser buy winner food! Yes! Max like that idea! Got from Boss, me did! Now, me be waiting at Dark Temple for Gold-rival. No be able enter, since not Dark Knight. Not yet. Feel tail wagging at excitement of Max one day be Dark Knight like Boss and Gold-rival! Need stop tail. Adult wolfies no wag tails. Me be kid, so it be okay, me know. Not that me care much. Me think it be why Luca-friend sometimes try touch it. Me be sad Luca-friend no touch more. Me like when he does. One day, Max will get Luca-friend to wash Max''s tail! One day. One day for sure! Me know it! "Max!" Boss exclaims. Me look at him. He on sigil. "What are you doing here?" "Training!" Me answer. Tail waggy-waggy again. Bad tail! "You''re training at the Dark Temple?" Boss ask. "No!" Max shake head. "Me gonna challenge Gold-rival! He take long time show up, though. Me be calling for few minutes, he not show up." "Gold''s not home," Boss snorts. "He''s doing errands in town. He has a job, Max. One that pays him for doing it. Remember?" "Riiiight!" Max now remember. "Me ask Gold later if he want challenge! Bye, Boss!" Me then leave and make way to fields, where lots and lots of Slimies are! Time to fight! "Fire-!" Max stop self. Almost cast all Fireballs possible again. No good. Not training like that! Max need be lots more serious if me wants gold from Boss! Deep breaths, Max! Only enough Fireballs kill Slimes! Hm. How much Health Slimy have?
Copper Slime Level 2
Health: 193 Mana: 51
Hm. Max no be able kill that. Not yet. Fireball only take out 13 Health if no Willpower. Slimies have Willpower. Max-Fireball do maybe 5 Health away? Hm. What be what Boss say here? "Find something weaker, you dolt!" Yes! Max find something weaker! Look around, find Level 1 Copper Slime!
Copper Slime Level 1
Health: 82 Mana: 23
That be weaker! Max think Max do 9 Health away. Max be able cast eight Fireballs! Real proud of that! Max not know math, though. What be Boss say there? "You would take out around 70-75 Health from it." Right! That be why Max always use knife kill Copper Slimies! Knife need replace lots, though. Slimies do lots damage to knife. Max have money! Maybe Max get better knife, come back? Last longer? Max need Mana, too. How long be it take cast Fireball if no Mana? What be what Boss say? "It would take you two minutes and five seconds to generate the full amount of Mana needed to cast a single Fireball." Yes, that be right. Two minute sound right. Boss very smart. Max need only one more kill of special Slimies to reach Level 2, me think. Then, Max have 17 Wisdom, so 170 Mana! Only ten more. Hm. Then it be take one minute and fifty-eight seconds? Yes, that be what Boss would say, and Boss always be right, so it definitely be right.
+1 Intellect!
Ooh! Max gain more magic power! Me be happy! Now me need figure out what me will do. Yeah, Max do that, now. Slimy decides first. It attack. Jump at Max. Me swat it away and scold it, then hit with Fireball and staff. "Bad Slimy!" Me say. "Max not gonna kill you yet, but now will! Bad!" Me smack with staff again, then attack with more Fireballs. Kill Slimy! Yay! Max also got 1 copper from it. Now have four silver and twenty-two copper. Not enough for more than four Mana Potions, but that not restore much Mana, no it don''t. Since Max now need rest and recover Mana, me sit in tree and wait. Am now Level 2 Novice Elementalist! Woo! Oooh! Me just thought up game! Slimy get close, then me attack with Fireball! Need wait until Mana back up and Slimy get close. Both need be together, or game will no work. What be what Boss say? "Patience is a virtue, Max. Learn to wait and stalk your target. Then, at the last moment, pounce and kill. If it dies too easily, in too few hits, it''s too weak to earn you Experience." Boss be very wise. That be good advice. Hm. Max just notice, but Boss use ''to'' a lot. Where that go in sentence? I dunno. Will figure out later. For now, stare at Slimy and hope it get close enough kill. Oooh! To kill! That be what Boss would say, right? "Wait until the opponent is close enough to kill, then do so, so long as you know you can kill it and not die in the process." Yes! That be how it used! That be right! Okay. So now wait for Slimy get close enough to kill. Now Max wait. Not very patient, but need wait. To wait. Need to wait. As soon Slimy close by, Max hold up hands. "Fireball fury!" Max unleash all Fireballs possible, one after other, and they all hit Slimy. Or it be the Slimy? Which be it? What be what Boss say? "All of the Fireballs hit the Slime, Max, but you didn''t kill it. Now, it''s running away. If you want the Experience and the loot, you need to go and finish it off." "Yes, Boss!" Max salute, then hop out of tree and attack Slimy with staff, kill Slimy. "Woo!" Max jump back into tree, wait until Mana back full. Back to full. To! To full! Bad Max! Back to full! There me go! Back to full! Back Max''s Mana be back to full, me fight another Slimy! Me keep doing so, until lunch. Last kill before lunch, Fireball go up a Level! Yay! But time eat. To eat. Time to eat. Yes, it be time to eat, so me no know how much damage it do. What be what Boss say?If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "It does twenty percent of your Intellect as damage per Level of the Skill, so it would do eighty percent. You have 24 Intellect, so it will take out 19 Health before factoring in their Willpower resistance." Oooh! Boss so smart! Yes, that be what happen, then, if Boss say it be! So Max take out 19 Health if they be have no Willpower! Max also able to cast eight Fireballs, and¡­ Oh. Max not very efficient. Max always cast all Fireballs at once. Me think¡­ that maybe wrong? Slimy need only five, maybe six, to die? Level 1 Copper Slimy, anyway. Me think over that as me eat sandwiches. Boss made them for Max! Me no like Boss work for Max, but think maybe Boss be Boss, not Master, and Boss just be Boss. Yeah. That make lots of sense. He always say we be team. Maybe teams make food for each other, even if they be the team Boss? That makes more sense, now Max think about it! Okay! Max no longer upset Boss try cook! Boss be part of team, too, even if he be team Boss! When me finish eating, me look at Slimy on ground. Silver Slime!
Silver Slime Level 1
Health: 221 Mana: 43
Those be a little harder to kill than Copper Slimies. Level 2¡­ Max no fight one before. Only Level 1 Silver Slimies. Level 1 Silver Slimies resist 10 Damage from Fireballs! Max not be able to kill Silver Slimies yet. Must wait for it to be gone, then go back kill Copper Slimies! So me wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. It takes forever for the Silver Slimy to leave. Twenty minutes! Me not like that. Not at all. But it be gone, now, so me need wait more for another Slimy to arrive. It be a few more minutes before a Level 1 Copper Slime be in range. It be having 86 Health. If me Fireballs take 15 Health each, then that be six attacks! That be leave Max with two more Fireballs, so me able to recover faster. That be good! "Fireball fury!" Max exclaim, shooting Fireballs. Oops. Shot all. Nooo! Need wait again. No be excited, Max! Bad! Bad! Bad! Now need wait until Mana full again! No, that not be right! Now need wait until¡­ how much Mana be six attacks? What be what Boss say? "It costs 20 Mana per Fireball, and you can kill it with six as long as its Health is less than 90, you get a direct hit, and its willpower doesn''t negate more than four damage. It takes 120 Mana to cast six Fireballs, so it would take you twelve and a half minutes to recover enough Mana from empty to the required a mount. It would be best to have an additional Fireball just in case you didn''t hit it well enough, so that would be 140 Mana. It would take you fourteen minutes and thirty-five seconds to recover that much Mana." "Okay, Boss!" Max say, then look at Mana bar. "Oh! Me think Boss wrongly! Sorry, Boss! Max have 170 Mana, not 160!" What be what Boss say how long it takes? "At 170 Mana as your max, that means you would recover zero-point-one-seven Mana per second instead of zero-point-one-six. Instead of fourteen minutes and thirty-five seconds, it would take you approximately thirteen minutes and forty-four to recover enough Mana from empty to enough to cast seven Fireballs. Since you have 10 Mana leftover from your Fireball fury that depleted you entirely, it will take you approximately twelve minutes and forty-five seconds from when you finished casting." "Okay, Boss!" Me continue to wait, only jump out of tree after Mana high enough. No want wait too long, and if me wait in tree for Slimies to come, then it be take much longer. That be for sure. So now hunt Level 1 Copper Slimies! When Mana empty, me decide to kill rats with knife, that way, me get Ruffian Experience, too! Plus, rats are yummy! Me hope Gavin get no scared of them soon! Then, we eat rat feast! Hunt rats together! Me like that idea. Hm. Did Boss hunt rats in old life? Before he die and come to Boundary? To the Boundary? That be question to ask. Yes, definitely ask. Maybe not? He not talk about old life, only new. Me shake me head, then stalk towards rocks. Me sense prey! Oh, but me maybe get blood on tunic! Boss not happy when Max do that with the rat me chased Gavin with. Boss made Max scrub blood out of tunic. It took forever to do! Me no like that! So me stand and pull off tunic, then send into Inventory. There! No tunic on, just chest! Me get blood on chest, easy scrub in bath! Now that tunic no get blood on it if me kill rats, me return to stalking toward rocks. No use Skills require Mana, or won''t be able use against Slimies soon. That leaves¡­ what be left? Hm. Intimidate and taunt both work. Ooh! And howl! "Arwoooo!" Me howl, then hear rats scampering. Four big rats climb out of rocks, run in different directions. A chase! Max love this game! Max pull out knife, chase after closest rat. It squeals as me attack, cutting into its back. Woo! Dead rat! Now chase after another! Where be-there! Chaaaarge! Me chase after second rat, jumping into air and landing over it, knife in back of neck! This one be dead, too! Yay! Sneak attack! After me kill other two rats, me go back to hunting for more! Rats love play chase with Max! Always die, they not good at chase. When Mana restored to 140 Mana, Max look for nearest Level 1 Copper Slimy. 83 Health. Perfect! "Fireball fu-" me start, but stop and shake head. No do that. Be calm. Boss want me be calm, me sure. "Fireball!" Yeah, be careful when casting. First Fireball hits Slimy. "Fireball!" Me cast second Fireball, and it be hit Slimy, too. "Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!" All six Fireballs hit Slimy, which tried running. Max need adjust aim. Not as fun as shooting all Fireballs at once. No way, fey! Time return hunting rats until able cast Fireball seven times again! Two hour and half after lunch, Max reach Novice Level 3! Super happy! Boss say it probably slow down more, even with Max be kill special Slimies. Maybe only reach Level 4 before Boss return. But Max want hit Level 5, just so me can say ''look, Boss! Did more!'' and maybe earn ear-scratches for being better than goal! Think of goal, Max need learn others, too. Boss say Level 2, Max aim for Level 3! Max need beat Boss goal. He said Level 4 Novice Elementalist, Level 4 Fireball, and Level 2 Waterball, Stone Spike, and Wind Spike. If Max manage beat that, Boss maybe pat head and give ear scratches! By time that me stop for dinner, Max hungry. Really hungry. So me return to Maelnor, but at gates, me think. No one like bloody Max, me think. Max know many adventurer come into Cities covered in blood of the monsters they be kill before and need clean and polishing. But maybe that only works for non-beastborn? Maybe beastborn better not come in bloody? So Max pull on tunic, so that me not look as bloody as Max be. There! Still bloody, but-nooo! Max got blood on tunic! Bad Max! Oh, well. Me need scrub clean tonight, then. With big sigh, Max enter Maelnor, walk home. Not see much on way. This part of Maelnor be abandoned, most be live in center or be live near the south gate. Oh. Max need not put tunic on to hide blood. Max so stupid. Max need do best to get smarter. Yes, Max do. When Max get home, Max go straight to laundry room and pull off clothes, then start scrubbing with soap Boss put here. Boss said it be for everyone to use, not just him, so it be okay. He said it be the team''s soap, not his. After lots of scrubbing, no more blood be on clothes, so Max hang clothes to dry, then go to bath and scrub self clean. After me clean, Max sit in bath and relax. It be no fun without Luca or Boss here. Luca always be trying touch Max tail, though he seem to forget that he be trying. That make Max sad. Boss like talk with Max during bath, too. Bath be boring without Boss and Luca, so Max climb out after forever, dry off, and dress in clean, dry clothes. Not clothes drying, but clothes in Inventory. Well, they used be in Inventory, not they be on Max! Now that Max be clean and dry, me go to kitchen and make dinner. No big meal, since it just be me. Aurum be across street, but he be by self. Boss said Great Normar left for additional training, too. Even he need train at times! After thinking long and hard, Max make burgers! Me like burgers, so make them! Max make two burgers, both for Max! Buns, big patties, and cheese! Boss also like eat onion and pickles on his burgers, but Max no be rabbit! Vegetables are blech! Only eat when Boss put on plate! Me eat dinner, then clean dishes. After dinner, time to initiate Secret Mission! Very easy to tell it be time, since Max smell the pies! So me sneak across the street, use Stealth so not be seen by Aurum. The pies be sitting on counter in kitchen. Aurum''s back be turned to it, he be cleaning dishes over by well pump. So Max sneak into Great Normar''s property. Boss say Great Normar want me do this, so it be okay. Aurum looks over, but Max using Stealth and hiding in room as soon as he be looking. Max be fast, because of System! Faster than Aurum! Even if not by much! It be enough, yes it be! As soon as Max know Aurum back to cleaning dishes, me sneak rest of the way into kitchen, swipe pie, then quickly leave. Return home across street and hide in room upstairs. Yes! Pie stolen, Aurum no see me! Mission completed, Boss! Wait, no, only part! Boss said so! Secret mission be steal one pie every time Aurum make pies, no get caught. Then, eat whole pie! After that, clean pie bowl, dry, and return to Aurum, but no get caught that, either! Make it seem like pies be eat self, maybe? No sure why Boss want Max do that, but Max do it because Boss said he and Great Normar both want Max to! Hm. How to return pie dish without be caught? Max need ponder more. Must do by midnight, Boss said. Max definitely need ponder more on this. Chapter 0105 (Braden) "You look like you have a question," Brandon says after Zack leaves, the two of us having not moved for a bit. I was waiting for him to tell me to do something, I''m not sure what he was waiting for me to do. "You can ask." "Why are you helping me?" I ask. "I''m just a kid you don''t know." "One," he answers. "Because you''re a kid who wants to train. Two, because Zack asked me to." "You''d help me just because Zack asked me to?" "Zack," he says. "Is a boy of many sides. You''ve only barely begun to know him." I think back to what Zack told me last night, and then what Gold told me. If what they both said is true, then I''ve heard of at least two sides and have encountered a third ¨C the side that would seek out trainers for his team to help them grow. "Is it true he''s a killer?" I ask. "Yes," Brandon nods. "Zack kills when necessary. He is a Dark Knight, and they do not take slights likely. Nor do they approve of those who serve the Shadow of Life or attempt to interfere in the war. Eliminating threats is their specialty, and anyone who tries to help the Shadow of Life win is a threat. They are the worst enemies to have while simultaneously being the best allies one can hope for. To those who have lived in Maelnor, Zack is a shining beacon of hope." "A beacon of hope?" I frown. "How? He''s just a kid." "He is a reminder," Brandon says. "That anyone, even a child, can make a difference in the war. Before any of you is awake, he''s already awake and training. He has faced an Avatar of the Shadow of Life and lived, even when he should have died. Zack, like all Dark Knights, faces death head-on, without fear." It looks like he wants to say more, but doesn''t. Is someone as frightening as Zack really seen as a beacon of hope? I know I decided to stay with Zack for now, since Gold seemed to be telling the truth and genuinely respect Zack, but I''m still not completely sure I want to. "Let me show you the room you''ll be staying in," Brandon tells me. "While you''re here. Zack asked that I have you stay here until the week of training ends." "Okay," I say, and he leads me upstairs, showing me the room second from the stairs. His room is the one by the stairs, and both of them have a single bed, rather than bunks, like at Zack''s place. I put the clothes Zack gave me while we were waiting for Brandon to arrive into the chest in my room, then Brandon takes me downstairs and has me hold my bow. He corrects my stance and grip a few times, then nods. This feels natural to me, did I use a bow a lot before I died? "Before you pull the string back," he says. "Be warned: never dry fire your bow. Ever. If you ever pull the string back without an arrow, return the string to the neutral position before releasing. Dry firing, or firing without an arrow, increases the risk of snapping the string or breaking the bow." I nod. "Now," he says, gesturing to a large, round target. It''s around three feet in diameter, with six rings in it, and looks to be made of straw packed into fabric. "Aim at the target, then visualize an arrow forming." I examine the bow. While we were discussing Classes earlier, Zack said to not worry about needing to spend years of training to become a master archer. According to him, all I''ll need to do is acquire the Archery Mastery Skill. It seems that the Combat Mastery Skills grant some knowledge and help augment the Skill already possessed. That makes it a lot easier to use a bow and increase my skill with it. Taking a deep breath, I focus, then shake my head and look at Brandon. "Do I need an arm thingy, too?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow. "You have one on your arm. Well, both, but do I?" He smiles, then holds out his hand. An item glows above it for a second before taking on the form of a pair of the smaller leather arm thingies. "It''s a bracer," he tells me. "And yes, it''s a good idea to, even once your Endurance reaches a high amount. It helps protect the inside of your arm from the string as it snaps forward." I nod and accept the bracers, putting them on. I don''t have Endurance, but I''m not sure if I should mention that. I didn''t tell Zack about it. When I checked my Status on the way here, to see what I had, Endurance didn''t have any. It''s 0 Endurance. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. I don''t think that''s a good thing, as according to the System, Endurance is resistance to physical damage, how much of an enemy''s Strength is neutralized in combat. That means I need to find a way to build it up, but I don''t like the idea of taking damage. "Magic Arrow takes 10 Mana," Brandon tells me. "Just relax, clear your mind, and channel your magic. You should be able to sense it, even if lightly." I nod, then obey, drawing the string of the bow. Immediately, a message appears in my vision.
New Skill!
Archery Mastery Passive
The ability to use bows and arrows.
The Level of this Skill has been adjusted to match prior experience. It is now Level 4.
So I did do archery before! That''s why holding the bow feels natural to me. I guess holding the bow wasn''t enough for the Skill, I needed to draw it, too? Taking a steady breath, I aim at the target, visualizing an arrow of magic to form in the bow. Even though I haven''t seen an arrow nocked before, I''m still able to visualize how it would be. That must come from before I died, too, even if I don''t remember it. As I shape the energies within me, using my Mana to craft the arrow, it forms, an arrow of green light. Another message appears in my vision. Two messages.
New Skill!
Magical Archery Mastery Passive
The ability to use bows and arrows made of magic rather than mundane materials.
New Skill!
Magic Arrow Active
Summon an arrow of magic to pierce your foes.
Damage: 10% of Intellect per Level of this Skill
Cost: 10 Mana
Right, now that I have Archery Mastery or Magical Archery Mastery, I can take on the Archer Class. I do so, and my Wisdom and Perception increase by one and two respectively. Zack said that those are the ''base'' Stats for Archer, since we need our senses to know where to shoot and our Mana to cast all of the Skills that make a bow useful in the Boundary. The other Stat increase will be Intellect, but he said that won''t show up until I''m a Hunter, the Second Tier of Archer. "Good job," Brandon tells me. "Now fire." I aim at the target, then the arrow loose. It strikes dead-center of the target, the green arrow remaining.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Good job," Brandon claps my shoulder. "I take it you have some Skill in Archery?" "Yes," I nod. "But wasn''t that magical archery?" "Yes and no," he answers. "You were using a magical arrow, but a mundane bow. Because of that, it required both Skills." Oh, that makes sense. The arrow fades away. Five seconds after impact. "Now," he says. "Since your Intellect is likely low, your arrows won''t do anything until the Skill itself is higher, so just focus on casting the Magic Arrow and using it." "But Zack said that I''d need to use it on a monster or person to Level it." "That''s true," he nods. "But since you''re using magic, it will help train your Intellect and Wisdom, which will help you when it''s time to actually hunt." Makes sense. I create another Magic Arrow and shoot it, then do that again. According to Zack, one of the best ways to increase Mana is to use it as soon as I''m able to, so that it''s constantly depleted. He said that doing so will cause it to rise faster as long as my WIS isn''t too high because it''s seen as a ''need'' and I adjust for it. Max happily agreed and Luca nodded, so it''s probably right, especially since Brandon seems to support the idea of using it as much as possible right now. I summon and fire a third arrow, then Brandon has me spar with him with martial arts, beating me down with his superior skills until I have enough Mana for another Magic Arrow, then he has me fire it from where we are, so I do. I''m a little off, but have no time to worry about that because he attacks me again, putting me back on the defensive while giving me tips and correcting my form. We train like this until lunch, where he fixes us both a salad with strips of grilled¡­ something. White meat, so probably a bird? That''s what my instincts are telling me. I poke at it. "Something wrong?" Brandon asks. "Where did the meat come from?" "A turkey," he answers. "I hunted it out in the pass. All of my food, I either hunt, find as a loot drop, or purchase from the System." "From the System?" "Yes," he nods. "The System can generate food, in exchange for money. The more people a City has, the better you can buy. We can also buy farm-raised-" "No," I interrupt him before realizing it. "S-sorry. I don''t¡­ I don''t know why. I don''t like that." "I don''t, either," he says. We eat in silence, then he washes the dishes as I train a little more. After he finishes, he hands me a leather quiver with twenty-four elegant wooden arrows in it. "These are the only ones I will supply you with," he tells me. "I will also teach you how to make them. Prepare, for after, you hunt." "Hunt?" I ask. "Yes," he says. "With arrows, not magic. This will help you." I pull on the quiver, fixing it onto my back, then adjusting it until it feels natural to draw an arrow from. I practice doing that a few times, nocking them immediately, then returning them into the quiver. Then, I nod and follow Brandon out of Maelnor. He leads me into the woods to the west, and I look at all of the Slimes. He explains that they''re a special type of slime that shows up rarely, and that we will ignore them for now, but if I do well enough, he will let me hunt them, too. As we sneak through the woods, hiding in the shadows and moving quietly, I obtain a new Skill.
New Skill!
Sneak Active/Passive
Quiet your sounds, allowing you to move even more silently than normal; activates automatically while moving silently and deactivates once noisy.
Muffling: 10% per Level of this Skill
Oh! New Skill! This one seems cool, too! No need to spend Mana on it, it triggers automatically if I''m being silent. I think I usually am, so it works well for me. That explains how Brandon''s so silent. Not like Luca, who I''m pretty sure intentionally tries to crunch snow, considering how much he was doing it. Thinking of snow, there''s lots of it here, even if it''s melting heavily based on what everything looks like. We''re walking along a path that''s pretty clear of it, but the path is obvious because the snow that''s still around, about two feet''s worth, is completely clear for the path. "What made these paths?" I ask as I look around. "Goblins," Brandon answers. "That''s what we''re here to hunt." "Zack said that normally, most people should be Level 5 to Level 10 before trying to hunt goblins." "He said ''most''?" Brandon asks, and I nod. He raises an eyebrow. "Not all?" "Oh," I realize. "Hunters aren''t?" "It depends," he answers. "The rogue-type Classes take advantage of this the most, though Zack figured it out quickly. There are spots where you deal more damage. In all honesty, Strength is most useful as a pure physical attack, no weapons. A variety of things affect how much damage you do. I have more Strength than you have Health. A punch from me can kill you. A stab into your arm? Would do only a few points of damage, at most. The same is true for most monsters. "However," he says. "That doesn''t mean it''s bad. If you strike in critical spots, you likely deal three times damage, and can possibly perform an assassination, or a one-strike kill, regardless of your Strength. All it takes is being able to get through their Endurance." "I don''t think I have enough Strength to do that," I admit. "For archers," he says. "It''s based on several things when using regular arrows instead of magical. However, there is one spot that is guaranteed to kill nearly anything, should you be able to hit it." "A spot?" I ask. "Yes," he smiles. "As I said, Zack figured it out early on, and we suspect it''s how he killed a powerful Bounty Beast when he was still new. He changes the story quite often, but the most common version is something along the lines of how it decided that its nap should become an eternal one." "Um?" I frown. "The eyes," he points at his eyes. "If you can put an arrow through a goblin''s eye with enough force, you can kill it in one shot. All you need is the strength to draw your bow and an arrow to fire. Critical kill, or kills performed in such a manner, have increased Experience awards for rogue-type classes." "Oh," I say, then realize what he wants me to do. "So you want me to kill a goblin by shooting it through the eye?" "Yes," he nods. "It''s not as easy as it sounds while they''re moving around, but we should be able to find one that''s still. With your skill, you should be able to succeed. After that, simply try to kill the goblins. Don''t worry about your Strength for this, rely on your bow and arrows." I nod, then we continue moving along the path, though how are we supposed to sneak up on goblins if we''re just moving normally? My question is answered only twenty minutes later, when we come across four of them that are seated around a campfire, chatting in some guttural language as they eat some sort of stew. Brandon nods to me, and I nock an arrow and draw the string as silently as I can, taking aim at the goblin facing in my direction, the only one I can aim at the eyes of. Taking a breath, I release the arrow, and it zips through the air, piercing the goblin''s left eye.
Critical Kill!
Oh, cool! I nock another arrow and aim as the other three goblins stare in confusion, pointing my arrow at the one furthest right. As soon as they turn to look in the direction the arrow had flown from, I adjust my aim and fire, another arrow nocked before the second is even halfway to its target.
Critical Kill!
My third arrow is already flying, towards the goblin furthest left, and a fourth arrow shortly follows on its way to the final goblin.
Critical Kill!
Critical Kill!
"Good job," Brandon smiles. "Not all hunts will go that easy. The more critical kills you have from archery in succession, the more Experience you''ll earn as well. Be warned, Archer can go up very easily, but once you start increasing its Tier, it''ll take longer to increase it." Oh, so it isn''t normal to obtain a Level just from four kills, then.
Archer is now Level 2!
+1 Wisdom +2 Perception
"And remember," Brandon tells me. "You won''t always be able to kill them that easily, so don''t let this go to your head, okay?" I nod, and he leads me to their camp. Their stew smells awful. Ew. He has me search my kills for loot, and I find some marbles, some tainted copper coins, a wooden token, and one of them has a bone necklace with fourteen bones, including a fang of some sort, hanging from it. "If you can collect twenty marbles," Brandon tells me. "You can exchange them at the Trading Post for one copper. The necklace is probably worth three or four, and the tainted copper coins¡­ not really worth it. If you want, you can take your knife and cut off their ears and nails." I feel sick at the thought of that. "It''s not required," he tells me. "Just something you can do to make money. I wouldn''t expect you to be able to." I nod, then get to work retrieving the arrows, checking them, and cleaning them with the snow. Once they''re clean and dry, I return them to my quiver. "Let''s go look for more goblins," Brandon tells me. Chapter 0106 (Gavin) "Are you really a bear?" I ask, and the old woman laughs. "No!" She answers. "I am a Druid, and one of our abilities is the power to take on the form of animals. Zack just likes calling me ''Mama Bear'' and telling people I''m a bear, because that''s my animal form. You can call me Mama Bear, too, Gavin." "Okay." I shift my weight a little, uncertain. "I sense discomfort in you," she stands. "Come." She leads me inside and has me sit at the table, then prepares tea and serves it, sitting across from me. "What bothers you?" She asks. "Zack," I answer. "Ah," she smiles. "The bane of sanity himself. Yes, from what he''s said of you, I can see why you two would clash a little. Zack is hyper, goofy, and mischievous. He is a Dark Knight through and through." "He is annoying," I say. "And disrespectful to the Sacred Crystals which granted us this chance, this offer to serve them to protect the world we''ve left behind us. He is rude, and arrogant, and-" "That is not arrogance you find in him," she tells me. "But absolute confidence in his abilities and knowledge. If he were truly arrogant, he would not have let you train under my son, believing himself to be qualified enough to teach you everything you need to know. Zack acknowledges his faults and carefully assesses every situation, even when it seems he is being reckless for no reason. "As for his disrespect to the Crystals," she muses over something for almost a minute before continuing. "Zack is a Dark Knight to the core. He is absolutely loyal to the one now known as ''Big Flame''. One thing to know about the Dark Knights is that their respect is often shown in a different form than others'', which can make it difficult to understand when they are being respectful." "He literally does what he can to annoy Lord Light of Air," I tell her. "He is trying to have fun," she says. "And wishes that Lord Light of Air would ease up on the stiffness, as it were. That might seem disrespectful to you or I, but Lord Light of Air, according to Lord Light of Earth, whom the Paladins worship more, was one of the first in the System''s Sacred Temple when it was needed to wake him to send a message to everyone because of treatment Zack and the Dark Knights were receiving here in Malenor because of Zack''s actions, actions that were a result of his Dark Knight nature. It was a message that made it clear to all the Boundary that such actions were unacceptable, and marked the start of bounties against humans who served the Shadow of Life and attempted to interfere with the war efforts." "Lord Light of Air," I frown. "Did something to protect someone who is disrespectful to him? To all of them? He nicknames them, he talks to them casually and acts as if he can simply talk to them at will-" "He can," she tells me. "And there are rumors that he has even been in the Sacred Chambers of at least two others, including Big Flame''s. And were you to ask a Dark Knight what Zack does before the rest of you wake up, you will no doubt find yourself with the answer of ''train''. But you will also no doubt find yourself speaking to one who has seen him praying at the altar in the most sacred chamber of the Dark Temple." "Zack?" I snort. "Praying?" "My daughter," she says. "Is a Dark Knight, and she has mentioned to me that she often enters the chamber to perform a morning prayer, only to find Zack deep in one already. It isn''t every day he does it, but it''s often enough to show true respect. Your party''s leader has a deep connection with Big Flame, Gavin. There are rumors¡­" She trails off, her gaze going distant. What kind of rumors? "I don''t think he cares about us," I say. "He''s bossy, and he does what he wants. He doesn''t consult us on anything, just expects us to do it. He has all this money, yet doesn''t spend it on gear for us." "Finish your tea," she tells me. "Then, we shall go for a walk. Peter will understand. I will show you something, and only then will you likely understand Zack." I finish my tea, and she pulls on a green and brown cloak, before she picks up a knobbly wooden staff and leaves the house. I follow her, and she leads me through town, to the west gate. She continues to walk, keeping to the path, and I follow, somewhat nervous of this but unwilling to defy someone who is obviously more powerful than me. Why did she take me out of Maelnor? Where are we going? For probably five or six hours, we walk. My feet are sore and I am tired, and we only took a break long enough to eat lunch. She won''t tell me where we''re going, and she kills every goblin that draws near, ending them with a spike of stone that pierces through their chest, leaving a hole behind. Finally, we find ourselves in a part of the forest where the trees are destroyed, as if something large rammed them with great force. I can see dried blood in some spots, where no rain succeeded in washing it off. "What-what happened here?" I ask, shivering. Something terrible happened here. Something bad, and dark. I can feel it in the air. "A great battle," she answers as she walks to one of the trees, placing a hand on it and closing her eyes, inhaling deeply. "You are a member of Zack''s team, Gavin. He cares for you." "No, he doesn''t," I snort. "The moment he allowed you to stay," she turns her head to look at me. "You became unable to leave. He sees you as his, and will not let you go unless you do something drastic to change that. This is evidence of that." "You''re telling me that Zack destroyed these trees?" I ask. "And what does that have to do with-" "Not Zack," she tells me, patting the tree and looking back to it before turning to face me. "A beast that only comes out for around a week every year. A beast that eats everyone who ventures out of the Cities. No one had ever seen one and lived before, all we know is to remain in the Cities while it is out. "A beastborn," she continues. "Named Gold, whom you''ve likely heard of, knew of the Nian. He thought he could avoid it and train during that time. Instead, the beast chased him up a tree. Zack, fearing for Gold''s safety, ran out here. He sacrificed himself so that Gold could escape." "Sacrificed himself?" I ask. "But he escaped, too, obviously." "He didn''t escape," she tells me. "He played cards and rolled the dice, hoping for the lucky hand and land. Gold was able to deliver the message in time, and the person was able to understand it despite not a word being said. Rescue was able to be sent, and only barely in time. Had help been even one or two seconds later, Zack would not be here today." I look around at the massive tree trunks, only now realizing just how large and thick they are. What was the Nian, and how powerful was it? "I find it hard to believe that Zack would sacrifice himself for someone else," I say. "And I still think he''s arrogant."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "You will see," she tells me. "In time, that Zack''s seeming arrogance is nothing more than absolute confidence due to his assessment, experiences, and knowledge. The only time he will ever willingly enter a fight where he is not absolutely sure of victory is when it is to save someone he has claimed as a friend. When their lives are in danger¡­" She gestures all around us. "He will put his own at risk to save them," she tells me. "Even when it means violating the rules he holds close, because the one closest to him is ''protect what is mine''. And you, Gavin, are his teammate. He allowed you to spend the night after arriving. You have been branded as a friend of his, and you will find it hard to change that now." "If I''m his friend," I say. "Then why does he refuse to equip us better? He clearly has the money for it. I''ve already had to replace my training sword, and better gear would last longer and let me do more." "Zack is as Zack is," she says. "And his reasons¡­ are his reasons. Even the Crystals can only hazard a guess at what goes through his head sometimes. If you really want to know for sure, ask Luca." "Luca?" I frown. "Why would he know? Luca has better gear!" "Because Luca was there for what changed things," she tells me. "He would know best of all why Zack chose not to give the rest of you better gear. He is also the one who would be most able to change Zack''s mind and convince him otherwise." Luca¡­ has that much power over Zack? "I see doubt and disbelief," she smiles. "Luca holds much power over Zack, even if they are each unaware of it. Zack will do absolutely anything for Luca, and if Luca suggested that he have better equipment made for all of you, Zack would likely do it, even if with complaint. So if you want to know for sure why Zack won''t, ask Luca." I frown again. I only stayed because of Luca, and not trusting Zack with him, but Mama Bear now tells me that Luca has power over Zack? And that he would know best what goes through Zack''s head? "Remember," Mama Bear tells me. "Not everyone is as they seem on the outside. To those who are of the Boundary, or have been here long enough, Zack''s actions here, against the Nian? They are something not only expected of a Dark Knight, but considered a natural response. They will sacrifice their own health and safety to protect those dear to them. Come, let us return to Maelnor." She begins walking, and I follow. This time, we make no stops on the way back to the City, and my feet feel like they are ready to explode from the pain, while I am tired, exhausted. When we finally arrive back at her house, there''s a man inside of it, who she introduces to me as Peter. He''s in the middle of cooking some sort of stew, and it smells nice. "I heard you took him out of town," Peter says as I collapse onto a chair at the table. "I took him to the site of the Nian incident," she says as she removes and hangs up her cloak. "He needed a lesson on why Zack is not always as he seems. Now, he has much to think about." Peter frowns a little, probably disapproving. What does he think of Zack? He accepted training me, was that because he likes Zack, or because he doesn''t trust his training? "Did you know the beastborn call him ''Hero Zack'' for that?" Peter asks. "The monkey boy and wolf girl who talk mentioned that." Mama Bear starts chuckling as she takes over in the kitchen, pushing him away and tasting the stew. "You are still helpless," she smacks him with her staff. "I swear your papa and I taught you better, Peter." "Zack likes my cooking just fine," he says as he sits down across from me. "He said it was very filling, and couldn''t eat more than a bowl." "Zack was putting it into his Inventory, and he later dumped it in the woods." Peter''s shocked face is awesome, and I snort at it. "Damn him and that special Inventory of his!" Peter exclaims, causing his mother to laugh. "Special Inventory?" I ask. "Yes," Peter nods. "Some people in the Boundary are demigods, or the children of gods. As the gods cannot enter the Boundary, they all come from outside of it. They''re always special as well, though also quite rare. "Nathan Normar," he continues. "One of the most powerful people of the Boundary and the most powerful healer of them all is the most famous demigod. You''ll notice that he has pure-white light for his holy magics. That isn''t normal, as they''re normally a yellow-white. Being a demigod often affects things like that." "Luca''s healing magic is white," I say. "Yes," he nods. "We believe that Normar and Luca are brothers through the same godly father. Zack is another demigod, and he has three famous quirks." "Three?" I ask. "Magic," he says. "Is ordinarily blue or the natural color of the item. His flames are purple, his generated wind has a purple tint to them, and we''re sure that if he were to use a Skill that''s some sort of force, such as Barrier or Magic Arrow, they would be purple as well. Normally, those Skills are blue. Barrier." He holds his hand out, and a shimmering, translucent blue barrier forms to the side. "See?" He asks as it fades away. "Blue. We are sure that Zack''s will be purple, however, because of his color quirk for flames and tinting of air." "You said he has other famous quirks?" I say. "Yes," he nods. "Apparently, it was noticed fast, but he was ignorant of it until Bryce arrived. Zack has two Inventories. You''ve seen what happens when you put something into yours, yes?" I nod, then realize what he''s referring to. There''s always a glow, and about a second''s delay before an item enters or exits the Inventory. I''ve seen this with Luca and Max, too. But Zack doesn''t have the glow, nor is there a delay. He touches it, and it goes in. He wants it, and it''s there. "You''ve realized it," he smiles, and I realize I''m frowning. "The Inventory he uses is special, different from the rest of ours in many ways. Rumor has it, it contains unlimited storage space, unlike the normal one, which is small and only increases marginally as our Levels go up." "And he uses it to hide the fact that he doesn''t eat food he doesn''t like!" Mama Bear adds with a laugh. Peter taps his fingers on the table, thinking about something, then nods. "Something to know about demigods," he says. "Is that their thought process, while similar to a human''s, isn''t quite. They have a way of seeing things ¨C including patterns ¨C that is vastly different. And in Zack''s case, this can be even literally. Have you ever seen his eyes turn violet?" "No," I frown. "Seeing things? I think I remember him mentioning something about seeing the future, which is-" "Absolutely true," he says. "That is Zack''s third famous quirk. Zack possesses the power of insight. It isn''t completely accurate, but it can grant him limited knowledge. This isn''t a secret, as he''s used it to warn others of danger before and it was displayed in a war council recently as he tried to see the size of the incoming horde to let us know what we could probably expect." He can do that? "Enough of this talk," Mama Bear smiles as she serves us stew. "I did what I could to rescue my son''s cooking. Eat, you''ll need it and all the rest you can get tonight, because Peter will begin drilling you hard over the next few days." I nod, then eat the stew. It''s good, but¡­ I guess Zack''s cooking is better. Is Zack really that special? A demigod, someone who would sacrifice his own life to save others, possesses deep devotion to the Sacred Crystals ¨C or at least, one in particular ¨C and has actually been in the Sacred Chambers of more than Lord Light of Air? There are rumors I heard while wandering town and making inquiries about him that Lord Dark of Fire- You''ve been told to call me ''Big Flame''! I yelp, jumping at the sudden exclamation in my head. "Everything alright?" Mama Bear and Peter ask together. "Um," I frown. "I think that Lord Da-Big Flame can hear my thoughts." "That''s odd," Peter says. "Big Flame rarely tunes into the thoughts of anyone outside of his Order. Ah. Hello, Big Flame." They just talked, didn''t they? "He says," Peter tells me. "That all the talk about Zack made him curious what you were thinking." "Oh," I hesitate for a moment. "Is-is it true that you saved Zack''s life?" No response, but Peter gives me a curious look. "I heard rumors," I say. "That Lord Da-Big Flame saved his life once." "There are also rumors," Mama Bear says. "That Zack saved Big Flame. No one knows the full story of what happened, or if there is any merit to them. What everyone knows, however, is that Zack is absolutely loyal to him, and that the pair of them possess an unbreakable bond." Oh. Does one of the Sacred Crystals really view Zack that highly? I finish eating, then Peter shows me where the bath is and the room I''ll be using. After soaking in the bath, I go to my temporary room and lie down, sending a prayer up before thinking about things. How much of what I heard is true? And how much is false? Is Zack really the kind of person who would sacrifice himself? He''s so disrespectful to the Sacred Crystals, and he''s rude and obnoxious. Luca does seem to cling to him, though. Eventually, I realize it''s morning. I''m sure I slept, but I don''t remember falling asleep or waking up, just that it''s no longer dark outside, light streaming in through the window. When I get dressed and head downstairs, Peter takes me outside and helps me work on my moves. Sword Mastery helps some, but the best way to improve the Skill''s Level and acquire further boosts is not just to use a sword in combat, but to improve my own techniques. "If I feel you''ve improved enough," he tells me. "I''ll take you into the woods to hunt goblins, before Zack returns." I nod, then return to swinging my sword, correcting it the way he tells me to. By the time Mama Bear calls us in for breakfast, my arms and legs are sore and tired. Is he really going to make me do this all day? He''s even more of a drill instructor than Zack! Chapter 0107 (Luca) Whoooaaaa! This place is cool! We left Mr. Zack behind awhile ago, though I think he''s probably already deeper in the mines than us, he''s gonna be killing lots of stuff. We''re on the third lower level of the mines, where Sir Travis said there are some undead creatures I can try my hand at. He''s promised to make sure I don''t get into danger. "Eek!" I exclaim as I''m suddenly lifted into the air, and when I look down, I find myself over a hole in the ground. "Watch where you''re stepping," Sir Travis tells me as he finishes walking by the hole, then sets me back down. "Sorry!" "You''re very observant," he says. "But be more observant of the ground, too." I usually am. How else am I supposed to crunch uncrunched snow? Sir Travis and I continue walking, and we find ourselves in a small cavern with crystals protruding out of it, along with the stalathingamobs that hang from the ceiling and rise from the ground. I can hear skittering. Rats? "Here we are," Sir Travis says in a low voice. "Remember, use Holy Arrow to kill them, but make sure they''re undead first." I nod, gripping my staff tightly and looking around. The skittering sounds like it''s coming from all directions. Focusing, I try to pick out the closest skittering as I slowly move through the chamber, until I find myself face-to-face with a rat with bits of itself falling off.
Dead Rat Level 1
Health: 19 Mana: 3
Eek! It''s ugly! But A''Lutar is uglier and meaner! Holy Arrow! An arrow of pure-white magic shoots out of my hand, slamming into the rat''s side.
Target -5 Health!
Oh, good! Holy Arrow! I cast three more Holy Arrows as the Dead Rat tries to scamper away, and the four attacks kill it. Whoo. That was scary. I wish Mr. Zack was here, he''d just glare everything into pieces. Lemme check my Experience. Yay! It went up! Not by much, though. Priests are healers and purifiers. We can''t even gain Experience from buffing someone. But we can from ''purifying'' the undead by way of using holy Skills to kill them. That''s awesome! But at the same time¡­ I''m not that big of a fan of it. What if that had killed me? A good clomp of its jaws, and I''d probably be gone by now. Not Mr. Zack. He''d just stare at it as the rat tried to bite through his skin. I bet Mr. Zack is immortal and invincible. Focus, Luca! You need to get stronger so that you can support him better! What if he''s not immortal? Then you''d definitely need to be able to heal him. Oh, and not invincible, too. And your weak Heals aren''t enough right now. With everyone else training, you need to up yourself, too, but you can''t just rely on using Heal to do that! So I find another Dead Rat and kill it, then Sir Travis and I back out of the cave. My Experience didn''t go up again, but I probably did acquire some. It just wasn''t enough to equal a full percent. Once my Mana is back up to full, we reenter the cave, and I kill two more of the Dead Rats, then hurry back out to rest. My third trip in, I face something new. It''s a rat, but it''s made entirely out of bones.
Skeleton Rat Level 2
Health: 43 Mana: 5
I don''t think I can kill that with all my Mana. Holy Arrow! The arrow strikes it.
Target -4 Health!
Yep, I''m not going to do enough, but I cast all of my Holy Arrows I can at it, taking it down to only 3 Health. Then, I charge forward and smash its head in with my staff. There we go! "Yeah," Sir Travis says. "I can see Zack''s influence in your training." What does that mean? Whatever. It takes me a few hours to kill all of the Level 1 and Level 2 Dead Rats and Skeleton Rats in here, and Sir Travis protects me from the stronger ones. Well, I can also kill the Level 3 Dead Rats, they average around 38 Health, it seems.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Rawr! I''m fearsome! Hehe. Once I finish all of that and return to the tunnel, since that rats seem content to stay in that big chamber of theirs, I assess my stuff.
Character Information Light of Air
Name: Luca Primary Class: Novice
Level: 1 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 40/40 Mana: 19/1,100
Strength: 6 Intellect: 18
Endurance: 7 Willpower: 14
Vitality: 4 Wisdom: 110
Agility: 7 Perception: 13
I''ve gone up 1 Willpower, 1 Wisdom, and 1 Intellect during the fighting.
Primary Class:
(T1) Novice 1 14%
I''ve gone up a total of 4% of Experience. I guess I don''t gain much here, either. I killed lots of the horrid rats. But it''s still improvement, and it''s more than I normally get in a day, so yay!
Active Skills:
(T1) Heal 3 (T1) Holy Arrow 2
(T1) Blessing of [Stat] 1
And Holy Arrow went up a Level, right after this last kill, so now, it does twice the damage! Instead of 6 Health it''ll take, it''ll take 12 Health! Or maybe 13 Health? How does rounding work? Most importantly, whatever happened to that demon? Yeah, yeah, totally unrelated, but it''s been on my mind. Did he save me, back when A''Lutar tried to kill me? Does Mr. Zack know him? Is that why he had Mr. Zack''s sword and armor? Why did he save me? Aren''t demons scary monsters who kill everything and hate everyone? I don''t know why I think that, but I do. I definitely do. Is that something from when I was in reality? "What are you thinking about?" Sir Travis asks. "Demons." "Demons?" He asks. "There aren''t any such creatures." "One saved me." "Ah," he says. "That. Demon is a Rank 3 Class, and one of its Skills is the ability to take on a demon''s form. The person who saved you back then¡­ is the only person so far who''s ever achieved Ascension and acquired the ability to take on a Rank 3 Class." Mr. Zack knows the highest-Level Adventurer? Who is it? Why were they wearing his armor and using his sword? They must''ve been a midget. A pretty fit midget, ''cause the demon was very fit, just like Mr. Zack. Sir Travis pulls out some sandwiches, and we eat them as I try to figure out who that could have been. I don''t know anyone who it could have been. I mean, realistically, it probably could''ve only been Mr. Zack, since he matches the size of Mr. Zack, and was wearing his- Armor. "Mr. Zack''s Ascended?" I ask, and Sir Travis gives me a surprised look. "He¡­ he''s the strongest in the Boundary?" "Among the strongest," Sir Travis sighs. "He doesn''t want the rest of you to know, because he fears it might hinder your training. While he''s not the strongest yet, we''re sure he''ll reach that before the battle comes. Zack adapts and adjusts easily, which has given him a higher rate of acquiring Experience. Finish eating, I''ll show you where he''s training." I finish eating, curious to see how Mr. Zack trains when he''s not with the rest of us. My party leader is the strongest there is. I did not see that coming. I knew he was powerful, but not that powerful. And he can turn into a demon. But he wasn''t strong enough to kill A''Lutar and recover my brother''s body. Becoming stronger¡­ he agreed to this training not just for us, but for him, too. He wanted to become stronger as well. So that he can protect all of us, no matter what. Sir Travis leads me through the tunnels, and I realize that we''re going back the way we came. Mr. Zack didn''t go past us? Eventually, we come to a chamber with hundreds of dead kobolds, maybe even thousands of them. I can hear the sound of a sword clashing against something else, coming from the tunnel at the other end of the chamber. So many dead kobolds¡­ Mr. Zack did all of this? They''re ugly. Sir Travis leads me down the tunnel at the other end of the chamber, where the big daddy of all giant, ugly, stinky kobolds is fighting¡­ the demon from before. Sir Nik is here, too, and he walks over to us, inquiry on his face. "Luca figured out that Zack can turn into a demon and is one of the strongest in the Boundary," Sir Travis tells him. "I figured that I should probably show him." The demon is flying around ¨C literally flying, with wings! He soars up and around, his tail flicking out. That looks so cool. He''s wearing his armor this time, including his chestplate, but he''s not wearing a tunic, probably because of the wings. Those would probably put holes in it. At least I know why the modification to the back of his armor was made. It must have been impossible to stretch those wings with their spots covered by metal. I want wings. I''m not sure why, but I feel like angels are the holy version of demons. Maybe if I became one of those, I could have wings? Oh, but people who aren''t Angels or Demons have wings, if Mr. Zack''s the only one who can be a Rank 3 Class and those are Rank 3 Classes. So I just need to be able to get wings, however that''s done. Will Mr. Zack let me fly with him? I think that would be cool. Mr. Zack reverts back to his normal form. Why did he do that? He still looks cool, but¡­ oh, he''s got lots of blood on him. And in his hair. He lands on the ground and is immediately sprinting, deflecting attacks from the big daddy of the ugly, stinky kobolds faster than I can see. I only get to see him for a moment, hear the sound of metal on metal, and he''s gone again. "Luca?" I realize that Sir Nik is trying to talk to me, so I look at him. "Please don''t tell anyone else about this. Zack wants to avoid frightening the team or making them feel inadequate, and such." I nod. Mr. Zack can have his secrets, he''ll tell us in time, when it''s important. Chapter 0108 (Zack) "Are you ready for this?" Nik asks as I stretch. "I''m slaughtering a bunch of kobolds," I snort, touching my tunic and sending it into my Inventory. We''ve already verified that I can move freely in Demon Form with the altered Primordial Dark Armor. "And then going to try my hand at killing the Kobold King." We''re mostly seeing how much damage I can actually deal to it. If I can take out even half of its Health without any buffs and just my own Skills and weapons, then we know we can handle two King Monsters in the upcoming horde. Three, even. The trick will be the Dragon, and Nik and I both agree that if I can get to Level 25 of Demon before the horde and take on another Class and start raising it decently, then I can possibly distract the beast long enough for those below to change the tide down there. That''s my purpose for the battle. I''m not fighting on the ground with everyone else, I''m being me: an irritating distraction. My job will be, quite literally, to distract and annoy the Dragon, to keep it from attacking Maelnor. But for now, we need to see how I can fare against the Kobold King. How I do in this fight, before going for more Levels, will determine the overall training strategy for everyone making true preparations for the upcoming battle. It affect even low-Level Adventurers like my team. So this is not a fight for Experience, but a fight for knowledge. "If you''re ready," Nik says. "Then let''s move." I nod, then we approach the end of the tunnel. "Demon Form," I say, feeling my body shift, my wings and tail form as if they had always been there. I have horns, too, though I can''t move them. I do feel if something touches them, though. "Ready to die, you insignificant little beasts?" The kobolds stare at me in terror, and I charge forward, cutting through them with my sword. It only takes me a few minutes to slaughter every last one of them as a Demon, then Nik and I wait until my Mana returns to full as we begin heading down the tunnel leading to the Kobold King itself. We encounter several kobolds moving to reinforce the chamber, but kill them on our way. When my Mana is full, we step into the chamber, Nik moving to the wall to watch and possibly act as an emergency rescue. There are fifty kobolds of varying types. Club-wielders, sword-wielders, archers, and magicians. Then, there is the biggest, baddest one of them all, the Kobold King. Standing at a little more than twenty feet in height, the giant dogish person wields a large sword, its black eyes staring at me, its dark brown fur carefully brushed and cared for. Because apparently, it cares for its appearance. The chamber itself is around fifty feet in diameter, but I can see why they''d only want to put ten or fifteen Adventurers in here, total. Even with all this space, and the corpses that will soon arrive, it would be cramped to fight in. "Smells like wet dog," I say as the Kobold King snarls. "You''ve got a lot of Health there, buddy. But I''ve felled bigger and badder than you before, do you really think you can stand a chance against death incarnate? Demon Form!" I feel my form shift once more, then let out a cruel smile, thoroughly intimidating the small fry. Drawing my sword, I charge forward, my Agility allowing me to move faster than any of the beasts. Even the Kobold King has a hard time attacking me. It is powerful, though.
Kobold King Level Null
Health: 18,974,093 Mana: 47,889
That''s a lot of Health, and a strange Level. I guess the King Monsters lose their Levels at some point, and simply become bastions of badassary? But guess what? I am the most badass monster in this room! It takes me less than a minute to kill all of the kobolds as I avoid attacks by the Kobold King, which swings that heavy sword as if it''s light. It must have a lot of Strength. Once the weaker creatures are defeated, I focus on the Kobold King, just in time to have its sword slam into me from the side. I barely managed to block it with my own sword, but the impact alone did some damage to me.
-117 Health!
Bastard! I''ll get you for that! I soar straight up into the air, summoning my Shroud of Darkness around me as I use Strike of Darkness. Instead of piercing the enemy, however, I find my attack deflected. "Ooh, you''ve got some skill, then!" I compliment it as I release my Shroud of Darkness to preserve Mana. "But in the end, you''re still just an oversized dog-man!" The Kobold King roars, swinging its sword up at me, and I fly to the side, before launching myself at it, my sword cutting into its arm. A lot of resistance, feels like the Nian once it was halfway dead. Maybe I should change swords? No, not yet. Zack''s Blood isn''t that much more penetrating than the Primordial Dark Sword. That means this thing has a pretty high Endurance. As I fly around to the side, I spot Luca and Travis in here. What the fuck are they doing here? Luca''s not supposed to know about this! He''s watching me, and I can tell by his thoughts and gaze that he knows it''s me. He figured it out on his own. Travis confirms that to Nik a minute later, and I continue avoiding swings of that sword. Hm. The Kobold King loses Mana every time it swings that sword. Is it using some sort of Skill, then? Without words? Could it be a passive one like Sneak? That might explain its ability to wield that massive sword. Then again, this is the Boundary, the rules of reality don''t necessarily exist. So it''s probably using some Skill to improve the power of its attacks, similar to my arsenal of Skills. "Strike of Darkness, Dark Slash!" A wave of shadows erupts from my sword, a blade that soars at the Kobold King.
Target -1,142 Health!
Oh, right, I forgot that I''m empowering myself with Rage. I need to enrage myself even more, though I also need to-there it is, Demon Form''s over. I land on the ground and run around the big oaf, blocking its attacks with my own sword, jumping and flipping over the corpses of its fallen allies. Jeez, this thing hits hard! I really am taking damage just from the shock of it, and a few times, I''m even thrown back as I block it in midair. I''d like to use Counterstrike against this thing, but its reach is too far for me. So I''m left with just physical attacks. Yeah, it''s time to pull out Zack''s Blood and duel-wield.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. My second sword is withdrawn just in time to use both to block a strike from the Kobold King''s, though I''m still pushed back. No damage from that. Take that, fucker! "Your momma was a hamster!" I tell it as I jump over the next attack, spinning in the air and throwing the Primordial Dark Sword with all my Strength. The Kobold King snarls and swats at the sword, but I threw it so that the blade was flat, not vertical, so when its ugly paw hits the sword, the blade cuts into it instead of flying to the side. I follow that up with the Zack''s Blood sword. Damn, I wish I could do Barriers, but this is no time to be trying to learn a new Skill! I reach the peak of my jump, hitting the wall, and immediately jump off, aiming so that my peak will be over the Kobold King''s head. In all, my movements only take a couple of seconds, and for a moment, I''m hovering in the air. Then, I''m dropping down. "Impact Drop!" I whip out the Zack''s Blood spear and throw it down at the Kobold King, though I''m following close after. The Kobold King, which had been trying to remove my swords from its paw and arm, attempts to block that. Like a moron, it simply holds up a paw, causing the spear to pierce into its hand. My Skill isn''t activated yet, even if I''ve triggered it. But I land on the spear a moment later, which triggers the requirement for the Skill, and in an explosion of blood and gore, the Kobold King''s paw is destroyed by the amplified impact. I grab my spear and aim at one of its eyes, throwing it as I land on its other arm and withdraw my swords, allowing my rage at the Shadow of Life to build up before I thrust them back in, flipping to the beast''s head and pulling my blades out again. As aimed, I land on the spear, which had been speared into the Kobold King''s left eye, and drive it in further. The beast is wailing. It''s lost its hand, and has a spear messing with its brain. How much more fucking damage can this thing take? Jeez, I didn''t realize kobolds didn''t really need their brains! With a touch of my hand, I send my spear back into my Inventory, then jump off of the Kobold King. My swords can''t go into its eyes, and it''s already moving its wounded paw to swipe at me. I''ll need to find another opportunity to send the spear back into its brain. Or¡­ I could do this! "Tag, you''re it!" I jump behind Nik and push on his back. "What?" He looks at me. "My spear to the eye and blowing up its hand," I gesture to the Kobold King. "Took out quite a lot of damage, and I''m having a hard time actually doing stuff to it other than those two. So your turn! You and Travis can kill it. I''ll jump back in if you haven''t finished by the time I''ve recovered my Mana." He chuckles, and I sheathe the Primordial Dark Sword while cleaning blood off my hip so I can fix the sheath for the Zack''s Blood sword there, then do that and sheathe that blade as well. Nik and Travis move forward, walking towards the Kobold King without a word. No doubt their years of experience working together lets them know what to do, even without speaking. They draw their swords, and Luca tugs on my sleeve. I look at him, sensing his question. "I''ve taken out around a quarter of its Health," I inform Luca. "The plan was to see how much I could manage before having to retreat, as it affects the battle plans and training of everyone who will participate in the battle. I don''t need to retreat, and could probably do more damage, but I can only do a few thousand at a time at most, maybe five thousand, if I build up my Rage and let my Health drop pretty low over time. Nik and Travis both have a higher Strength than me, a lot more Experience, and Travis can buff the two of them pretty well, so they''ll be able to probably do more damage, especially now that I''ve inflicted a pretty severe Bleed on the Kobold King and taken out one of its eyes. We don''t actually expect to be able to kill it." He frowns, wondering why we''re fighting something we don''t expect to be able to kill. "A King Monster," I explain. "Is the most powerful of that type of monster. That means this is the most powerful Kobold in the entire Boundary. When the battle comes, there will be a Goblin King and a Wolf King there. If I can take out a ton of this thing''s Health unbuffed and alone, then the combined might of the Boundary''s strongest can definitely kill the Goblin King and the Wolf King when working together." He furrows his eyebrows, and I smile. "I''ll be doing something else," I pat him on the head. "Oops, just got blood there." He shrugs, so I ruffle his hair. "I''m needed for something else," I tell him. "It''s a secret, though." Don''t want to scare him by telling him I''m going to be annoying the hell out of a Dragon. "Anyway," I say. "Even though the Kobold King is probably weaker than either of those two, it''s still a good gauge. And once Normar returns from his own training and several key people are a few Levels higher, we''re going to test ourselves against the Demon Kobold King, a stronger, demonic variant of the Kobold King." This time, with the Fallen Hunters working with us. And me, the only current Demon. But we agree it''s best that I''m Level 25 and have another Class, first. Once I''ve recovered my Mana, I trigger Demon Form, drawing my swords and charging forward, joining the battle once more. Travis continues to hack at the beast''s legs as Nik deals with its sword, which the Kobold King had picked up with its wounded arm. It''s bleeding all over, and is nearing half-Health, now. "Shroud of Darkness!" I call out as I jump into the air. "Aura of Darkness! Strike of Darkness!" I reach the Kobold King''s neck, exposed by is efforts to stop the others, and my attack slices into it¡­ its arm. The damn thing moved its arm with the missing hand into the path, but that still did a lot of damage, anyway, since it wasn''t just a strike, but a cut through, and even if Strike of Darkness only worked on the initial piercing, there was still plenty of damage as I cut through it. Leveraging myself with my sword, I land on its arm, then jump onto the Kobold King''s head, my two aura Skills still active as I allow my Rage to reach its peak. With a roar that shakes the cavern, I plunge both swords down as far as they will go. Its skull hinders me, and I snarl as I pull my blades back out, then jump backwards. "Good job!" Nik hollers. "Blessing of Might!" Travis calls out, aiming a hand at me.
Travis Solvar has granted you the Blessing of Might!
+100% to all Physical Stats
Duration: 5 minutes
"Switch with me!" Nik calls, and I run over to him, my Strength, Endurance, Vitality, and Speed bolstered even further with that Blessing. Nik''s boosted by it, too, which I know because I heard Travis boost him. I attack at the Kobold King''s paw as Nik run behind the beast, and as I work on cutting off the flailing limb, the thing just keep flailing. I guess my attack did some pretty bad damage to it, causing it to lose its ability to continue the fight. King Monsters are tough fuckers, aren''t they? It''s had its brain pierced by three weapons, and it''s still able to battle on. Is it going to heal from that, too? Just another difference between them and normal monsters? In a flash between the Kobold King''s legs, I see Nik''s Health, and frown. It''s a lot lower than it should be, considering he''s not taking any- He''s hurting himself. He''s about to use a Dark Vengeance, isn''t he? The Kobold King lifts its arm up, and I realize possibly too late that it''s about to attack me with its bleeding stump. "Your momma wasn''t just a hamster, she was a hamster who smelt of elderberries!" Its annoyed pause gives me enough time to sidestep the bloody stump and stab into it, and Travis jumps over to me, bringing his gold-and-white sword down into the arm, causing the Kobold King to roar. "Looks like it''s recovering from brain damage," I tell him, then we jump to the side as it brings that sword down towards us. "That was aimed at me! Kill him! He''s had more experience fighting than me!" Oooh! The handle! I just realized something that can help us! I Dash forward and strike with both of my swords, successfully cutting through both the finger thingies on its paws and the very wooden handle of the sword. The Kobold King howls, stumbling back, and I catch sight of Nik jumping backwards to avoid being stepped on. His Health is almost empty. "Nik!" I holler, throwing Zack''s Blood at him. He looks over, spotting the flying sword, and allows it to cut through his left shoulder. That takes out almost all of what Health he has remaining, and he grits through the pain, jumping at the back of the Kobold King''s neck. "Dark Vengeance!" He strikes into the back of the beast''s neck, and for a moment, all goes still. Then, the beast''s body goes limp, the last of its life removed with the powerful attack combed with the sheer Strength Nik has before Travis''s buffing and the critical strike. Nik pulls his sword out and pushes off the beast with his legs to jump out of its path as it falls backwards, my mentor''s injuries healed from the successful Dark Vengeance. As the beast falls, a notification appears in my vision, and no doubt theirs, too.
Kobold King Slain!
Subclass King Slayer now Available! Title Kingslayer Awarded! You will now permanently take 10% less damage from all Kobolds!
+1 King''s Bounty +1 King''s Blessing +1 Zack Norvua Kingslayer Sword
At the same time that appears in my vision, a sleepy, violet-sounding voice exclaims in my head. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?" Chapter 0109 (Zack) "You guys killed a King Monster!" Big S exclaims. "That woke you up?" I ask as Travis and Nik look amused and Luca looks confused. "Uh, yeah!" He responds. "Do you have any idea how much power flowed into me? A King Monster''s death is a lot of energy, Zack! Of course I woke up when I got flooded with so much power! Between you three doing that and Normar doing¡­ I''m not even sure what he''s doing, but it''s involving a lot of death, that''s a lot of energy!" "Is he, perchance, wiping out hordes of monsters?" Nik asks. "Even if small hordes?" "Yeah. He''s taken out two over the last few days. He looks both angry and determined." "Big S," I say, and Luca''s confusion disappears as he realizes who we''re talking to. "He''s probably doing his best to help the war efforts by wiping out parts of the giant horde that''s going to come after us before they can finish assembling." "Oooooh! Right, I knew that," he says. "So you three killed a King Monster, and Nik did the final blow! That was cool. Wish I''d been awake for that. Man, that''s refreshing! I''m probably going back to sleep soon, though I''m sure Normar''s about to try to Ascend, he''s almost there. Hm. That actually worries me." "And me," Nik says. "If we lose him-" "He''ll make the decision to come here," I say with absolute confidence, and everyone stares at me. "Just trust me on this." That knowledge comes from reality. While I was grounded during my Ascension Trial, I did a little bit of looking into Luca''s family. I wanted to make sure that no one else could take Luca away from me, and once I returned here, my memories restored, I realized something. Nathan had to have come from reality, since he''s a demigod. And he and the twins have the same last name. And Luca''s great-grandpa had a brother¡­ named Nathan. A boy who died when he was only ten years old, a few weeks after surviving what should have been a fatal accident. The only thing I can conclude is that this Nathan is that Nathan, and that he was undergoing the Ascension Trial. Which means that he absolutely will return to us, no chance against it. "Well, okay," Big S says. "So you three killed a King Monster. By yourselves. That''s awesome, guys. Next thing you know, Zack''s gonna solo the Demon Kobold King, then wipe out the Goblin King and the Wolf King with a single hit!" "Uh, highly doubt that," I tell Big S. "Like, highly, highly doubt that." "That epic gear you three have probably helped a lot," he says. "Big Flame''s now telling me all about the battle. So. Yeah. King Monsters can survive even with a fair bit of their brain destroyed, and they''ll start to heal from that. But, uh, that combo-kill you guys did? That sounds cool. Wish I''d been awake for it. Nik nearly beheaded it from behind, Zack completely blinded one eye and scrambled its brain after destroying its hand, and Travis¡­ you did good with those strikes. Wait, why am I wearing a tutu? CHAOS! I''m going to go punish Chaos and whoever helped him put this on me, then return to napping. Good job, you three, and thanks for that boost." His presence fades from our minds, and I look at Nik and Travis. "I really, really doubt," I say. "That I will be doing what he said. His imagination got away from him, I guess. Luca does that a lot, too." Luca gives me an irritated glare. "You think I''m immortal!" He tilts his head to the side in confusion. "Luca, just because I keep defying death, doesn''t mean I''m immortal." He shrugs. "And I think the fact that I keep taking damage means I''m not invincible." He shrugs again. "Alright," I pat him on the head. "I think it''s time for you to go back to training. I need to, too. This¡­ was supposed to be an experiment." One that went exceptionally well. No one had Nathan''s powerful Blessing of the Crystal buffing them, and we killed a King Monster. The Goblin King and Wolf King are probably stronger than the dead beastie here, but that doesn''t matter, not now that we''ve killed it. The difference high-power gear makes¡­ we can kill them. Well, they can kill them. Meanwhile, I''ll be playing Tag with a Dragon. Hm. Is there a chance I can figure out how to turn myself into a Dragon before then? I know Big Flame says it''ll take a lot more Mana than I currently have, but I''ve done it before. I did black out for awhile, but I did it. And with a lot less Mana. Travis and Nik talk for a minute, then Travis leads Luca out, and I look at the body of the Kobold King, which is crumbling away. I didn''t want Luca to see that, it looks kind of gross. I look at Nik. "So what was the reward you got for killing it?" I ask. "Its heart," he answers. "Was the main one. I''ll be offering it to Big Flame when we return." "Good," I nod. "And the rest?" "A Hero''s Bounty," he tells me. "I suppose that''s greater than the King''s Bounty I got for the participation reward." "Speaking of that," I pull it out of my Inventory to inspect it. It''s a small wooden box. "Looks like it''s a touch-access thing, like with the Santa Boss''s sack thingy."
King''s Bounty
When used, awards 10,000 platinum, 1 crate of Neburis White Wine, 10 of a random ultimate ingot, and 10 of a random ultimate essence. The more of an ultimate ingot or essence you have, the less likely you are to acquire it.
That¡­ sounds really fucking useful, but I''m going to save it for now. Something may happen where I''ll want to use those ingots and essences, and whatever they are, if I get them now, I may be tempted to use them up immediately. More Primordial, Temporal, or Crystal Ingots and Primordial or Crystal Essences would be fucking awesome. But also fucking tempting. The King''s Blessing is a 100% Experience Boost for a single battle, which I can use at any time. It''s actually a golden coin with a crown on it and "King''s Blessing" on the back in runes that are probably from before the Boundaries existed. As for the Zack Noruva Kingslayer Sword, it''s similar to my Zack''s Blood sword, only white and gold instead of black and red, and it''s pretty much a decorative sword. The description even says that. Nik checks his Kingslayer sword, and learns the same thing. I put that away, then stretch again as I look at the passage leading into the area beyond this chamber, then the passages leading into this one, including the one we entered through. Then, I look back through the other one. "Wanna find out what''s past there?"If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Yes," Nik rolls his eyes. "Okay!" I say. "Oh, but give me the heart." "Why?" He asks. "Because my Inventory puts things into stasis," I remind him. "It''ll keep it ''fresh'' while we''re in here. Then, once we''re gone and back in Maelnor, I''ll give it to you." Nik nods and hands it to me, then we start making our way through the passage, which twists and winds for a little while. We do have to kill a few kobolds, but other than that, nothing exciting happens. At least, not until we can see the chamber beyond. Illuminated by crystals in the walls, ceiling, and floor, it''s larger than several football fields and packed with kobolds. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand or two. There are bats high up as well, and I can see six large, glowing stones that have to be at least ten feet in height and two in width, with obelisk-like designs. They''re glowing a pale teal, and their light creeps me out. "Looks like a monster''s den," Nik comments as excitement rises in me. "Zack, hold up!" Too late, I''m inside, and a message appears in my vision as I do, before I can even draw my sword.
Monsters'' Den (Kobold/Bat) Entered:
The Spawn Stones generate either a kobold or a bat every 60 seconds; they will be of a random level and type; they can leave this den to enter another area of the mines where their Level is not forbidden; destroy all Spawn Stones to neutralize the spawning grounds.
Oh? That means they can teleport, right? They just warp right to a place in this Dungeon where they can be because of their Level. So the higher-Level ones I see can''t go up to, like, the first or second floor or something. "Nik! Nik! Nik!" I exclaim. "Big news!" "What?" He asks as he enters. "Fuck." "It''s a fucking Experience farm!" "Fuck," he says. "Zack, don''t-" Too late! I''m already charging into the horde of monsters, slicing them up. "Demon Form!" I switch forms, then snarl at the lesser creatures before continuing my rampage. Several of the stronger kobolds prove a little problematic for me. Most of those are Level 40 and above, though, and man are they tough! But they''re no Kobold King. Side-stepping as a Level 42 Kobold brings its club down towards me, I pivot and cut into its side, before jumping up and ramming my sword through its left eye, killing it. Twisting, I flick my sword, which then stabs into the stomach of a Level 43 Kobold Knight. It wails as I push off a Level 12 Kobold with both of my feet, which doesn''t survive the force of the kick, its head flying off. Reaching my sword, I grab it and plant my left foot on the beast, pushing as I pull on my sword, yanking it out. Landing on the ground, I cut upwards, killing the Level 21 Bat that attempted to fly at me. Pesky things with their sonic attacks! Fear me! I am the incarnation of hell itself! Oof! Okay! Which of you fuckers hit me? Looking around, I find the Level 53 Bat that attacked me. I jump up and kick off the Level 43 Kobold Knight. "I''ll finish you off once I finish this fucker!" I promise it as I fly towards the bat, which attacks me with more sonic attacks. Striking out with my sword, I slice through them. Its ability to cut through magic works here, causing them to dispel. The fucker hit me in the back of the head. It figured out that my armor was drawing magical attacks down to it and somehow aimed one that would not hit my armor, but my head, even with that. My blade cuts through its wing, and it shrieks, letting out another sonic attack that slams into me. Even with my armor absorbing most of the magic, it''s pretty powerful, and I grab onto the flying mammal''s free wing as it falls, quickly sheathing my sword and drawing my Primordial Dark Knife, which I ram into the bat several times, killing it. Then, I kick off of it, sending it flying into a group of kobolds as I perform a flip, sheathing my knife and drawing my sword once more. The Level 43 Kobold Knight from before, which is still wounded by my attack to its stomach, serves as the perfect landing pad for both me and my blade, dying as my sword cuts down through its open mouth, piercing out the back of its neck. A fireball slams into my back, causing me to stumble. That one was pretty strong, enough that even my Primordial Dark Armor wasn''t able to absorb all of it. Then again, part of it hit my wings. Oh, I suppose I can flap those and fly around, huh? I turn my head and look for the Kobold Mage that attacked me. When I fix my gaze on Level 59 beast, I give it my most terrifying glare, and the thing howls in fright. I howl in delight, turning the rest of my body around and flapping my wings, soaring towards the beast. It continues to cast fireball after fireball, and I Deflect them with my sword. With the Skill for it that I obtain forever ago, back before I even had Dark Knight, I''m able to completely deflect all of the impact, absorbing none of the shock as I divert its attacks into other kobolds. They scramble out of the way, and I reach the one aiming at me, cutting through its staff before plunging my sword into its chest. That''s a fair bit of resistance. Pulling my blade out, I charge behind it, cutting into the back of its legs to take out even more Health, and as it drops, I plunge my knife into its back several times. Then I''m moving again, cutting down more of the low-Level beasts here. Even the Level 30''s are a quick kill for me. A swarm of bats fly at me, and I hold out a hand, several violet Fireballs forming. They don''t react in time, and the scent of burnt bat fills the air, mixing in with the smell of blood and burnt kobold flesh. Much like Luca and the beastborn, I have no need of actually saying Skill names. I''m not sure why some people don''t need to, but it''s definitely not a Skill that allows this. It allows me to multiattack with certain Skills, like with Fireball. Speaking of Skills, Demon Form''s six minutes are nearly up. I should probably return to just slaughtering without using Mana-costing Skills so I can recover my Mana and activate it again. Simply butchering, intimidating, terrorizing, and scaring monsters will net me Experience for Demon, even if not as much as while in Demon Form or using Demonic Aura. The fun part is that I gained 3 Levels from the Kobold King, and several Skills, including Demon Form, went up, so while I''m in Demon Form, I''m even stronger than ever! "FEAR ME, LESSER BEASTIES!" I holler as I feel my form revert back to human, stopping in my attacks so I don''t stumble around from the sudden drop in my Agility. "FOR I AM DEATH INCARNATE! AND I WILL ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE YOU GIVE ME!" "You''re having far too much fun!" I hear Nik yell from the entrance to the cavern as most of the weaker kobolds and bats freeze up. I let out a happy whoop, then attack a Level 64 Kobold Knight, our blades clashing. Mine''s sharper, and it cuts through the kobold''s. The beastie then attacks with its fists, and I block with my sword, cutting at its arm before swinging my sword down into its shoulder. That''s a nice bite! Lifting my blade up and swinging it a little away from the kobold, I swing it back towards it, cutting into its neck and sending blood pulsing out. I pull out my sword and swing again, this time hitting its other paw, which it raised to stop my attack. "You''re gonna lose, you ugly fucker!" I exclaim as I bring my sword up and drive it down, cutting through its wrist and sending its paw to the ground. "Ha! Take that, loser!" "Will you switch back to Zack''s Blood already?" Nik hollers. "It''s sharper and will kill things easier!" "But then I won''t get as much Experience!" I call back as I take a step back, then Dash forward, plunging my sword through the monster''s rusty iron armor. It howls from the pain, and I pull my sword out as I dodge to the side, avoiding the club a kobold threw at me. Hah! You missed! Stepping behind the knight I was fighting, I swing my sword into the back of its neck, this attack finishing it off. "Woo-hoo!" I yell. "Tier 2 Demon, here I am!" "Fuck," I hear Nik mutter, and realize I''m near the entrance. "Hey, Nik!" I exclaim, then charge back into battle. As I fight some more, I notice some of the stronger kobolds gathering together. All of them are Level 50 and above. Sweet! Gonna have to fight something strong! Well, already have been, but it''ll be more of a struggle than before! "Y''all are gonna have to wait until I can go back to Demon Form!" I tell that group of monsters, which looks confused as I run my sword through a Level 2 Kobold. "Take that, fucker!" Then I behead another kobold with a swift, strong swing, before shoving my sword through the eye of another. Sure, their skull and skin gave a fair bit of resistance, but who the fuck cares? It worked! The beastie died, and I got Experience! I continue battling my way through the kobolds until it''s time to fight the stronger ones. It''s not like I decided to, they simply decided to stop being patient, but I''m almost to full Mana, anyway. "Demon Form!" I switch back into it as I drop to the ground to avoid the trio of fireballs thrown at me. I charge at the ten strong beasties, and my blade clashes with a club, a fireball hits my arm, a spike of stone tries to cut through my leg, breaking against my armor. I punch a kobold that tries to come at me from the side, then flap my wings, and I''m up in the air! Tucking my wings in, I let myself fall down, my sword clashing against another. I twist as I fall to the ground, avoiding a burst of energy that was shot at me, then I cut through a slash of wind. Our Skills collide as I pull from my arsenal. Dash for extra oomph, Dark Slash, Strike of Darkness, Blood Burst, Absorb, Demonic Aura, and more. The kobolds manage to whittle away at my Health, too, even in this form, but despite that and these ten being able to resist Demonic Aura because of their high Willpowers, I''m winning, and their damage to me isn''t concerning. I leave plenty of Mana for Drain Life and Heal, and Absorb helps to cover that cost. The spellcasters have enough Mana. The lower my Health goes, the higher my Blood Frenzy bonus becomes. At Level 10, which is what it''s at now, every 0.1% of my Health that I''m missing, my Strength increases by 0.4%. That puts me at thousands of Strength and increasing with every Health that I lose. By the time Demon Form runs out, I''m covered in cuts, bruises, burns, acid marks, and various other wounds, but the ten powerful ones that ganged up to kill me are dead. The kobolds around me are all dead, too. The ones that weren''t caught in my Demonic Aura are keeping their distance. I probably look a terrifying sight. Based on the howls and whimpers of fear when I grin at the kobolds in my direct line of sight, the way some freeze and others tremble, I know that to be true. "Come here, juicy Experience!" Chapter 0110 (Gavin) "So that''s a goblin?" I ask. "Yes," Peter answers, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Remember, your goal is not to kill it as quickly as possible, Gavin. It''s Level 1, but it''s still a monster stronger than the rats you''ve fought so far." "Okay," I nod. "You have two options," he says. "The first is that you can try to sneak up on it, while the second is to simply approach. As a warrior, either option works." Zack would probably just charge right in. "If you''re thinking about what Zack would do," Peter says. "He''s strong enough to kill weaker monsters like goblins with ease. He''s light on his feet, he has reflexes that were honed before he came to the Boundary, and he has raw battle Experience. When he needs to be for a better advantage, he''s able to become as silent and stealthy as any rogue." The thought of Zack, who is extremely noisy and obnoxious, being stealthy and silent makes me snort. "It is believed," Peter gives me an amused look. "That Zack''s Sneak and Conceal Skills are close to Level 10. Sneak can only be obtained by being silent as you move around, and triggers actively to muffle your sound. Conceal helps you fade from notice. It doesn''t turn you invisible, it simply makes it so that people are more likely to view you as part of the background; unimportant and uninteresting. Zack is a boy of many talents and sides, Gavin. Now, try to kill the goblin." I nod, slowly drawing my sword and approaching the goblin. I really, really doubt Zack could ever be sneaky. My foot snaps a twig, and the goblin turns its head to face me. Giving up all attempts at sneaking up behind the goblin, I rush forward, swinging down with my sword. The goblin dodges to the side, and my sword hits the ground. I pull it out as the goblin punches me in the arm. "Ow!" I yelp. That hurt! I twist, swinging my blade at the goblin''s side, and manage to cut into its arm, which got in the way. It wails, swinging its fists at me wildly, and I do my best to stop them with my sword as it continues its attack. The random attack is making it hard for me to do anything, and my Health keeps dropping, even if only by a point or two, every time its fists connect. "H-Heal!" I use the Skill Peter taught my yesterday.
+4 Health!
I can only barely cast it once, and it doesn''t help me much yet. Peter''s made me work on increasing my Wisdom and Intellect, but it isn''t that easy. I manage to land another strike on the goblin, in its shoulder, but that''s it as it continues to attack. This is hard! No wonder he wanted me to wait until I was at least Level 5. Is that even going to let me be high enough? Just as I''m about to ask Peter to rescue me, there''s a sharp whistle through the air, and the goblin stumbles back, an arrow of green magic sticking out of its right eye.
+17% Squire Experience!
Right, we gain Experience even if we aren''t the one who killed it, based on contribution to the kill, our current Level, and how hard the fight was for us, among other things. I guess getting my butt kicked helped me acquire more Experience? But who killed it? And so easily? "Are you okay?" A quiet voice asks from behind me, and I jump, turning to find Braden standing there, looking at me with concern in his eyes. "Y-yeah," I answer. "Where did you come from?" "I was hunting," he answers quietly. "Saw you by yourself, losing. You''re only Level 1, you shouldn''t be fighting goblins yet." "You know my Level?" I ask, and he nods. "I have Appraisal," he informs me, looking around, then letting out what sounds like a bird''s call. "I wasn''t alone," I look around, then gesture to the bushes that Peter and I were hiding behind. "My trainer''s over there." Based on the direction the arrow came from, and the direction Braden''s looking in, he probably didn''t see Peter. "Oh," he looks back to me. "Sorry." "How are you already strong enough to hunt goblins?" I look at the bow in his hands. "I''m not," he answers, then points to his eyes. "But few creatures can live once you pierce their brain, and nearly all monsters and people have a common weak spot. As an Archer, I can take advantage of that easily." "Oh," I look down at my sword, then pull out a cloth and start wiping it off. "Peter¡­ brought me out here because I wanted to fight goblins, not rats. He said I''d see why he was waiting until I reached Level 5, if I did during our training. He said I probably won''t." If Braden''s able to hunt goblins, and we''re already four days into the seven, what Level is he now? "You likely won''t," Peter says, and I look over to find him approaching us. "Most people take months to years to reach that. You boys on Zack''s team are special, though, so it might only take you a few weeks of good training. Ordinarily, by the time someone is Level 5, they''re strong enough on their own to handle an unarmed, Level 1 goblin." "I¡­ apologize for snapping at you," I tell him. "You are forgiven," he smiles. "And Gavin? It was Zack who asked me to let you hunt goblins, if you reached Level 5 during the training." "Zack?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "Zack. I wouldn''t have done it until you advanced to the next Tier of your Class. Was that Brandon I heard responding?" "Yes," Braden nodded. "I need to get going. Sorry for interrupting, I didn''t know it was part of his training." "It''s okay," Peter smiles. "I was about to step in, myself." Braden nods, and then he''s taking off, moving silently over the forest floor and out of sight, disappearing behind bushes and snow and not reappearing. "Responding?" I ask. "The bird calls," Peter tells me. "Unless you know what to listen for, you won''t know what you''re hearing. That boy has already mastered the art of imitating birds, it seems. Do you understand why we''re waiting on having you fight goblins, now?" "Yes," I sheathe my sword, then look at the dead monster. "I''m¡­ not strong enough to."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I''m glad you understand," he smiles. "Let''s return home, we can work on your style, and we can discuss the fight on the way." I nod, then we start walking. He asks what I did wrong, but I''m not sure. He recommends that the next time, I either switch to martial arts, which I still lack the Skill for, or I step back from the attacks and try to circle around. Sometimes, it is better to avoid fighting face-to-face and attack from behind. He tells me it''s not dishonorable, especially against monsters. From in front, they can block and avoid easier. From behind, they have a harder time doing so. I''m not sure I want to do that, but he promises me it''s okay.
(Braden) "I accidentally interrupted his training," I tell Brandon. "They said it was fine," he tells me. "I still feel bad." "I know," he says. "Did you decide which one you want to learn?" Even though I''m currently Level 6 due to the high amount of goblins I''ve killed over the last few days, Brandon wants me to learn the Skill I''ll need for Tier 2 now, so that I can work on getting more Experience by using it and on Leveling it. The Ranger Class is either-or pretty much all the way. Just like I needed either Archery Mastery or Magic Archery Mastery to take on the Archer Class, there are two Skills I can pick from for Hunter. The first option is Piercing Strike, which can ignore up to 5% per Level of an opponents defense for magical arrows. The other option is Power Shot, which increases the damage of the shot by 5% per Level. Both take 5 Mana to use, but I think Power Shot might be the better option. When it''s a magical arrow, the damage is increased by both Intellect and Strength, which actually makes it do more damage. Though Brandon is only teaching me one right now, he said it won''t be an issue for me to take on both. "Power Shot," I tell him. "Okay," he says. "Let''s return home, and I''ll teach it to you." I nod, then the two of us journey through the woods, killing any goblins we come across. There are a few stronger threats, like wolves and giant spiders, but Brandon takes care of those. When we reach the fields, we can see Max training. He seems to have a lot of fun, even if a huge portion of what he does is just chase the slimes around. At least, that''s most of what I see, the few times we''ve seen him so far. A pang of envy hits me. Envy at Max''s abilities and Level. He doesn''t need to couple multiple boosts to Experience to go up quickly. He''s got the skills required for it, and an array of magical abilities, from what I''ve seen. He''s simply strong. And he can take physical hits, too. Brandon said he''s talked with Lord Dark of Water, patron of rogues, and that arriving without a defense stat isn''t unheard of. According to him, the only way for us to acquire Endurance or Willpower is either through a Class that grants it, or something massive happening. Massive enough I''d probably die from the damage with no chance at survival. That depresses me, so I return my attention back to the ground as I make my way to the City with Brandon. Best not to look at Max, or my envy and jealousy will just keep rising. "Oooh!" I hear Max call out. "Braden-friend! Come here!" Against my will, I look over at Max, who''s standing upright, eyes wide and filled with energy, his tail wagging. There are about twenty of the special Holiday Slimes gathered around him, along with a Flame Slime that keeps hitting him with bursts of fire. Um¡­ I''d rather not. "Come here!" He calls again, waving a hand. Why is he bare-chested? Is it so he doesn''t ruin his tunics? I shake my head. How is he able to take that much damage? Those things keep hitting him, but his Health isn''t even changing. There''s no way his Endurance or Willpower or whatever it is that''s used to resist the attacks of slimes is high enough for that. Right? "Bad slimies!" Max scolds the slimes. "Me try talk to Braden-friend! Go away!" Then, he launches into punches and kicks, with bits of Fireballs and what I''m pretty sure is a Waterball or two thrown in, and the slimes all either die or scatter. As soon as that happens, Max drops down and runs on all fours until he reaches us. "Why you no come talk?" He pouts as he stands back up. "Max want talk with Braden-friend!" "Because you were surrounded by monsters, Max," Brandon says, and Max pouts even more. "Do you have some sort of defensive potion active?" Max grins, his tail wagging even more. "I suppose you have enough money for that," Brandon chuckles. "With how much of these money slimes you''ve been killing." Oh, a defensive potion. That must have increased his Endurance and Willpower temporarily. That would explain how he was taking all of those hits. I guess he''s had an unfair advantage, hunting the money slimes. "Max train more, now!" Max exclaims, then takes off. He''s too hyper for me. Maybe Zack has a way of controlling his energy? Because otherwise, I can''t see a way for Max to really work on a team. What did he want to talk about? "Come on," Brandon tells me. "Let''s finish heading back. If you want to give up hunting goblins for a day, we can come out here on your last day and have you hunt money slimes for some money. You''ll need a bit more Intellect first, though." "Okay," I say.
(Luca) Yes! Finally! We are doooooooone being in those dark, cramped mines. Seven days felt like forever. Even knowing that Mr. Zack was somewhere nearby, I was still nervous and scared. I did see him a few times, though. We had dinner or breakfast with Mr. Zack and Sir Nik a couple of times. And finally, Sir Travis has led me out of those very confusing mines. Now, he''s flying me back home, and as I look below, I think the snow''s melted a bit more. Looking up to the sky, I see it''s filled with dark grey storm clouds. We''ll probably get more snow tonight or sometime in the next few days. Will it be the last snow of the season? Or will we get another before winter finally leaves us for spring? Before I know it, we''re back in Maelnor, and Sir Travis takes me to my house, where the others are all sitting. They''ve all gained at least two Levels. Mr. Zack''s not here, but I think I overheard him talking with Sir Nik about doing something before coming home, so he might be a little bit longer. Gavin''s Level 3, now, while Braden is Level 11. He''s advanced his Tier. I''m jealous, I''m only Level 2. Max is Max. As always. Level 8, but I''m pretty sure he''s pretty strong, considering what his Health and Mana are. Just how much damage did he take while we were gone to raise it that high? Goofball. "Yay!" Max exclaims. "Everyone be here!" "Zack''s not here," Gavin says, and he sounds annoyed. "Boss be by earlier," Max nods. "Said he be do something important. No tell Max what. Give Max reward for complete quest!" Mr. Zack already came by? How did he get here faster? "Reward?" Gavin asks. "Yes!" Max nods. "Ooh! Boss say ''give others reward, too!'' Then Boss gave Max knives!" Knives? Max pulls out four knives that are identical, other than runes etched just above their hilts. "This one be for Luca-friend!" Max hands me one of the knives and its sheath. "This one be for Braden-friend!" He hands Braden one of them. "And this one be for Gavin-friend!" He gives Gavin a knife. "This one be Max''s!" Max holds up the last knife happily, before fixing it to his belt. "Boss say ''good job'' and give lots of headpats!" Max''s tail is wagging. I want to touch it. "And scratch Max ears! Max''s ears! Then he leave!" Oh, right, Mr. Zack probably warped through the Dark Temple''s sigil. Sir Travis flew me back because I asked him to. I wanted to fly through the sky. I can''t wait until I''m a high enough Level to obtain wings. I inspect the knife. It looks like a normal knife, but this is Mr. Zack we''re talking about. He wouldn''t give us normal knives with our names etched into them as a reward for something. They have a strange, metallic grey color to them, too, rather than simply being silvery or steelish. Hm. Thinking about Mr. Zack, I figure out what these knives are. The others probably don''t know because of their newness and what''s happened, and Mr. Zack probably doesn''t want to tell them, because of Braden. My brother, not our new Braden. Giving us these knives ¨C no, having them made for us ¨C tells me that Mr. Zack is starting to heal, just a little, from what happened. Maybe. He''s protective, and the knives are here for us, for when he isn''t around. "So we finish our training, and get knives?" Gavin asks in annoyance as Braden quietly fixes his knife to his belt and checks it a few times. "I''ve not even been trained with one!" "Boss be good!" Max nods happily, either unaware of or ignoring Gavin''s angry attitude. "Luca''s a healer!" Gavin gestures to me. "What''s he going to do with a knife?" Poke things. I might even poke you, you continue to be mad about Mr. Zack. He is the greatest thing to ever exist, and he would do anything to help his teammates and any friends and allies of his. And he bears a burden and a weight heavier than any you could ever dream of carrying. Shaking my head, I come to a decision as Gavin continues to argue with Max. They need to know this. I need to show them this. I tap the butt of my staff into the ground, getting everyone''s attention. "Come with me." I turn and start walking, and hear Max following me, asking where we''re going and if we need a picnic. Braden and Gavin follow, too. I lead them through town, wanting to show them something. The sparkles aren''t there this time, but I remember the way to that hidden park, to the hidden section of woods in Maelnor. When we reach it, the trees have already budded, with pink and blue and purple buds. It looks almost majestic, now. Showing them this is important, especially for Gavin. Chapter 0111 (Braden) I''m not sure why Luca is taking us into some random woods, but Gavin seems to be really angry. I guess I can see things from his point of view, though Luca actually looked happy to have the knife, even if he''s not a combatant. It''s confusing. As we walk through the woods, on some trail only Luca knows, the sound of running water catches my ears. We must be near one of the streams running through the City. Eventually, we reach a small clearing, where the stream cuts through it. Shallow, clear, and running over rocks, there''s enough space above it for the waters to increase, even with the melting snow. Enough space that it would really need to flood to reach¡­ what looks like grave markers. There are four of them. Two large ones in the back, and two smaller ones in the front. Etched into the top of each is a crude diamond shape, probably meant to represent the Crystals. The larger marker in the back-right looks older than two of the markers, and has runes etched into it. For all those who died against the Demon Kobold King in the Naelmar Mines by Praevar. Underneath that are the runes for twenty-five different names. Each of them also has a Class listed beside it, their Primary Class, or the one they favor they most. The other big one is a lot newer, fresher. For all those who died against the Avatar of the Shadow of Life, Dark Knight Variant, in Kaelmar City. There are 347 names underneath that, each with a Class beside it as well. Of the two in the front, the one on the left looks newer, but it''s a lot more simple. For Braden, ten years old, who died against A''Lutar in Talorn. Braden? Who was that? He had my name, but it says he was only ten. The other one is simple as well, but looks old, maybe as old as the older big one. For Bryce, thirteen years old, slain by the Avatar of the Shadow of Life, Dark Knight Variant, in Kaelmar City, after being chased there by an ambush of monsters set by the Shadow of Life in an attempt to kill us both and divert the prophecy. future. ''Prophecy'' looks like it was etched-out recently, with ''future'' added on to the end at the same time. Each of the graves has a bundle of black, mourning flowers in front of them, and they look and smell fresh. Where did the flowers come from? Who put them here? "What is this?" Gavin asks. "Chills," Max shivers. He''s right, this place gives me a slight chill, too, even before I read the grave markers. Who did this? What is this place? When I look at Luca for answers, there are tears in his eyes, though they''ve yet to start to roll down his cheeks. "This," Luca gestures at the memorial. "Is Mr. Zack feeling guilty," he points at the older large grave marker with his staff. "Mr. Zack can predict the future through visions. When his eyes turn violet, he''s having one, and it shows him a likely possibility of what will happen. That event¡­ he warned them not to do it. He had a vision of them dying. He feels guilty for not pushing harder, for not warning them not to even more than he had. He knows, rationally, that he didn''t have a say in it. Orders were given, and the Adventurers obeyed." Luca points at the other big grave marker with his staff. That''s a lot of talking. From what Brandon told me, Luca almost never says anything. Ever. Just a few words at a time, maybe a day. Yet he''s given a full explanation for something. Can Zack really predict the future? And what does that have to do with these grave stones? "That one," he says. "Was more recent. It happened not long before Gavin arrived. We were training out in the fields, and¡­ Mr. Zack decided to see how the fight was going. He feels guilty because he didn''t try to have a vision of its turnout. If he had, then maybe he would have seen what would have happened. If he had, then he''d have told them not to do it. Dark Knights have a lot of sway, and those in charge know to trust Mr. Zack''s visions." "Are you saying," Gavin says. "That Zack did these?" "Yes," Luca''s voice cracks. "Mr. Zack made all of these. He feels guilty, and so he bought this park and these stones. He carved in every name himself. He dug down the stream so that it wouldn''t flood unless things got heavy." Zack did all of this? "The only reason we can even enter this space," Luca says. "Without a heavy penalty to our stats while we''re present is because we''re on Mr. Zack''s team. It''s considered a Private Memorial. I looked it up." His tears are starting to roll down his cheeks, and he points at the recent smaller marker. "He feels really guilty for Braden''s death," Luca''s voice is completely shattered, now. "Braden was my twin brother. Identical. He was a Novice Elemnetalist, like Max, but he liked wind magics. This staff," he taps the butt of his staff to the ground. "Was carved for Braden. It''s a wind mage''s staff. Mr. Zack had it made for my brother, along with a cloak. The cloak finished early, and Mr. Zack gave it to Braden. "He wanted to prove himself," Luca sobs. "He wanted to prove to Mr. Zack that he could handle goblins, even though he was a low Level. Mr. Zack was strict with our training, and only let him fight rats and slimes. "Mr. Zack blames himself for giving Braden the cloak!" He cries out. "Because the cloak boosted his magical defenses and magical power for wind magics! But it''s not Mr. Zack''s fault! He didn''t know Braden would run off that night, when we knew Mr. Zack was going to be gone until at least noon the next day because of the war meeting! Mr. Zack isn''t responsible for it! It''s my fault! And Braden''s! I should''ve put my foot down! I knew Braden was going to get hurt, but I went anyway! If I''d stayed behind, then Braden would''ve, too! But I went with him, so he went! If I''d stayed home, Braden would''ve worried about me and come back before even leaving Maelnor! Instead, I went with him, and we ended up in Talorn! Mr. Zack blames himself for that, for having the cloak made! For not being able to rescue my brother''s body! But it''s all Braden''s fault! My stupid brother wanted to prove himself, that he was stronger than Mr. Zack said he was! But he wasn''t! Mr. Zack knew what he was talking about!" Luca cries for a few minutes, and when he collects himself, he looks at Gavin. "This staff finished after Braden died," Luca tells him. "I was unconscious. I nearly died, too. A''Lutar only failed to kill me because Mr. Zack had the strongest, most powerful person in all the Boundary come rescue me as soon as he realized we''d left. But he feels guilty about what happened. That''s why he won''t equip us with better gear. He gave me Braden''s staff when it finished, and feels guilty that he couldn''t-couldn''t retrieve my brother''s body. Now, Braden''s a Fallen Adventurer, hiding somewhere near the Dark Temple in Maelnor." Luca takes a few shaky breaths as we process all of that. This is a lot more to Zack than I realized I didn''t know. A whole other side to him, too.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Gavin looks at the final grave marker. "Who¡­ is that?" He''s a lot less angry, now. "Bryce," Luca sniffles. "Was Mr. Zack''s brother. And according to an ancient prophecy that may have been just a vision of what was to come¡­ one of those two will mark the changing of the tide of war. One of those two were destined to perform three actions, and once they were completed, the end of the war against the Shadow of Life would soon come. "And so," Luca meets Gavin''s gaze. "The Shadow of Life sent a horde of monsters after them. One big enough to guarantee their death. They were chased to Kaelmar, where the first time anyone encountered the Avatar of the Shadow of Life which killed anyone who entered and survived occurred. They ran into the Fallen City, and it killed Bryce and nearly killed Mr. Zack, too. "The only reason Mr. Zack is even alive right now," Luca says. "Is because he was able to resist the Blood Scar, an always-lethal Skill unless someone with the appropriate Skill from a specific Rank 3 Class, which no one has ever obtained, uses that Skill on them. Mr. Zack defied death and resisted the curse. That alone wasn''t enough to save him, though. He had barely managed to get out of Kaelmar with that Blood Scar rather than dying. The horde was still there. Do you know what Zero Down is?" We all nod. It''s when someone enters into an emotionally-charged state and draws on Mana they don''t have, resulting in them going unconscious for awhile, usually until they''ve ''regenerated'' enough Mana to pay back what they used past what they had and are back to full. Whatever they cast that sends them into Zero Down, it''s almost always something that is many, many times more powerful than what they could ordinarily cast. A spell or Skill that borrows not just extra Mana, but extra power as well. "Mr. Zack," he tells us, tears still in his eyes. "Entered into Zero Down upon seeing his brother die. In his rage, fury, and grief, Mr. Zack tapped into the power of the Sacred Crystal within each of us and summoned a Meteor to leave a crater more than a mile across. And that was when he was a lot weaker than he is now. Only by virtue of those two things is he still alive. "And this," Luca gestures to the grave markers. "Is him feeling guilty. For not being strong enough to protect others, for not being stubborn enough to stop others, for not checking things before others did something, and for trying to help someone, only to result in them dying." We all look at the graves again, and this time, I know I''m doing it with a different view. Zack¡­ blames himself for stuff. Listening to what Luca says, none of it was Zack''s fault. He''s the one who brought those flowers, didn''t he? Did he stop by here before visiting Max, then? The beastborn call him their hero, because of what he did for Gold. Does Zack accept that view of theirs? Does he acknowledge that he''s strong enough to help people? Where is he now, if he''s done training and has stuff to do? He''s not here, and my senses tell me it''s been awhile since he was. Since the flowers were placed down. At least a couple of hours before I returned to the place that''s now my home. I almost didn''t come back. I almost decided to try to find a new place, but now¡­ maybe it''s for the best that I stay with Zack and his team. Hearing all of this¡­ something in me wants to stay for sure. Gavin looks a lot more subdued than he was before. What little I''ve seen of the team dynamic, he definitely disliked Zack the most, and probably clashed with him a lot. Brandon told me that Gavin didn''t like Zack much and that they argued a lot, so I guess that''s true. "What about the knives?" He asks Luca, a small hint of that annoyance still there. "Max," Luca looks at Max, who tilts his head to the side in curiosity. Based on the beastborn''s expression, I don''t think he knew about this. "Make a Fireball and hold it." "Okay?" Max does without speaking the Skill name. Luca pulls out his regular knife from his Inventory, the one he swapped for the knife Zack had Max give us. Then, he cuts it through the fire. Nothing happens. He sheathes it and sends it back into his Inventory, then quickly draws the knife Zack had Max give us and cuts it through the fire. Which disappears. "Eek!" Max exclaims. "What happened?" "These knives," Luca holds us his knife. "Are not normal knives. They can draw away and absorb magic. Not much, but it can make a difference. Mr. Zack won''t admit that the knives are special. He doesn''t want us to know, because of what happened to Braden after being given something special. But you can bet your life on these knives, Gavin. They are sharp, and durable, and will likely rarely ever need sharpening. Mr. Zack did not spare an expense on these knives, just as he did not for the cloak and staff made for Braden. "Despite what you think," there are tears rolling down his cheeks again. "Mr. Zack cares for us. Deeply. And he wants to make sure we''re safe. I told you he can see the future, right? He knew you were coming. And Braden. That''s why he was able to have clothes ready for you, when you arrived. He had these knives made before either of you were here. He knew your names already, your looks, your heights, all that stuff. He knew what Classes you would take, even before you did. Mr. Zack could have told Lord Light of Air to send you to someone else, to another home but his. But he didn''t. He let you come to his home, be a part of his team. "Despite what you might think, Gavin," Luca says."Mr. Zack cares for us. And he''d do anything if it meant keeping us safe, even if it made us unhappy. The knives were never meant to be a reward for our training, he just didn''t want to give them to us right before we all separated. He''s going to be gone awhile, which is why he had Max give them to us. Because it makes him more comfortable for us to have them, even ignorant of their full abilities and stats."
(Gavin) After Luca''s¡­ thing, I feel kind of bad. I still think Zack is a jerk, but not as much of one as I used to. He feels guilty for stuff that''s not his fault, based on what Luca said. He has a lot of money, but he''s scared to use it because he''s scared of what happened to Luca''s brother happening to us. But he still uses that money for things that aren''t selfish. He created memorials for those who died for things he feels responsible for, despite not being. How much did all of this cost him? How did he buy an entire forest, even if it''s just some small woods in the City? Peter told me about Private Memorials, and public ones, while giving me some education about the Boundary. They''re a huge difference from just memorials. People''s stats are ''removed'' while they''re in them, as if they don''t have Access to the System. As if they''re normal people. Private Memorials require having permission from the owner to enter. Otherwise, the Boundary itself conceals it and protects it. Being on their team acts as permission, unless they revoke it, so Zack might not have even been aware we can enter. From what I know, he doesn''t really care about the various things of the Boundary so much as he does killing monsters and getting stronger. And protecting his team, now I know. For a plot of land to be considered a Memorial, either private or public, it has to meet several requirements. It has to be made with the true intent of being a memorial of some sort. Memorials for the dead are more likely to meet the requirement than other things. Same for tragedies. Zack''s memorial meets both of those. Dead people and tragedies. Another requirement is that the eight Sacred Crystals, exempting the Crystal of the System, must each approve of it as a memorial. It is not something that can be applied for, but something they decide, either together or individually. The approval must be unanimous, though. If this is Zack''s place, and it really is a Private Memorial, then he really does have the attention and favor of the Crystals, even Lord Light of Air, despite his attitude towards them. Looking at Luca, being here is upsetting him, probably making him flash back to when his brother died, but he brought us here because of me. Because of my attitude regarding Zack and his actions. I know that Luca has stamina issues, and he''s probably ready to drop after walking all this way. I approach him and turn around. "Climb on," I tell him. "I''ll carry you." "Max carry staff," Max says seriously. "Max be protect it. Promise. No lose it." Luca gives Max the staff that Zack had made for his brother, something I''m not sure I''d have been able to do, in Luca''s shoes. Knowing the story behind the staff¡­ no wonder I never see it far from Luca. After our party''s healer climbs onto my back, we leave, returning to our home. There, Max gets to work on lunch while the rest of us sit at the table and play cards. I''m not sure how Luca does it, but he manages to win every game, usually by a lot. It doesn''t matter who shuffles, but he does. Then we eat, and Max cleans up the dishes before the four of us relax until dinner, which Max makes. I help clean the dishes after, then the four of us head to the bath. Luca sits by Max, probably to ''accidentally'' brush his tail a few times. Does Luca realize that Max is intentionally moving his tail close to him so that he can? Max likes having his tail played with as much as he likes having his ears scratched. After the bath, we all go up to the room and play cards again, and Luca wins every time. By the time we all go to bed, Zack still hasn''t returned. What is he doing? Braden goes up on his bed, and Max tries to climb into the bed that Luca and Zack share, only to get shoved off because he''s naked. Luca tells him to put on pants or sleep on his own bed, so Max climbs up onto his bed and goes to bed. The three of them fall asleep a lot easier than I do, and I have to keep from tossing and turning as I think about things. About myself, and Zack. I was a jerk, I guess, but Zack doesn''t make it easy to be nice to him, with the way he acts. At some point, I''m aware that someone''s in the room as I hear the rustling of something. Opening my eyes while doing my best to pretend I''m asleep, I look at them, and find Zack crouching by his bed. He''s putting some sort of cloth over Luca, and I can only barely make it out in the moonlight. It''s black, with grey and white swirls, and some sort of silvery rune is on it, too. "It''s okay, Luca," he whispers, and I can hear the sadness in his voice. "Everything is going to be just fine. I promise." He stands and leaves, and I look at the item he put on Luca. What is that? And why did he sound so sad? Chapter 0112 (Zack) "Alright," I say once I meet up with Nik. "I took care of my business. Let''s go do this." "Are you sure you want to?" He asks. A shudder goes through me, but not because of the question, or what we''re going to do. No, the Crystals are doing something to the Boundary. They did it a couple of days ago, too, and I felt it then. A ''gift'' from my psychic abilities and existential heritage, no doubt. Whatever they are doing, it must be to prepare for the coming battle. This battle is the one that decides the fate of all, after all. Should Maelnor fall, this Boundary will soon after. Only this pass prevents the monsters from being able to easily pass through from the Lost Territory into the rest of the Boundary, and they have grown powerful enough and numerous enough that they can ignore the Cities and what effort Adventurers come up with to stop them. Not only that, but if Maelnor falls, then both Maelnor and Kaelmar will no longer block monsters from passing through. "Yes," I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "I need to do this, Nik. I absolutely need to do this." Using the Experience Farm up until the last day of training, when we destroyed it, I was able to reach Level 25 of Demon. The moment I did, I took on Priest and began working on Leveling up the three Skills necessary for it. We felt confident I''d be fine, so I used some of my Bonus Experience, adding a total of 30 Levels to it. Using Cure Bleed, Cure Poison, and Heal on Nik, the stronger monsters, and me net me a lot of Experience. We used some poison that Nik brought with him, just in case I did reach a high enough Level. So I''m officially a Level 50 Archpriest, in addition to a Level 26 Demon. Combined with my every-five boosts from both normal boosts and Adventurer, my stats have gone up a lot. Using Demon Form and a bunch of Skills constantly, while also taking a lot of damage from all the stronger monsters, also raised my Vitality and Wisdom. Naturally, my Endurance has increased as a result, too. If I''m not ready now, then the only thing that would make me ready is either another Ascension or Nathan''s Blessing of the Crystal. "Okay," Nik stretches out his wings, then straps me to him with Binding Darkness, and we''re off into the sky, soaring over the fields and towards Talorn. When we arrive, we rest for a little while, and he handles killing the small-fry that come at us on our way to the Dark Temple. He''ll let me do the fight unless it looks like I need help. A''Lutar is no King Monster. When we reach his territory, he is nowhere to be found. At least, not in initially, but we know he knows we''re here. No goblins approach us and we only spot rats and slimes on our way to the Dark Temple. As it draws into view, I see him standing atop the steps to the Dark Temple, that crooked, decorated staff of his in his right hand. He''s looking down at us, and the cold rage that has been building in me increases. This is the bastard that made Luca cry.
A''Lutar Level 250
Health: 11,917,088 Mana: 7,035,561
Yes. He is no King Monster. I hear Nik taking several steps back as A''Lutar and I stare at each other. This is not some foolish, clich¨¦ or trope of ''whoever moves first dies''. No, this is us establishing mental dominance over the other. He wants me to know he is the king of this area, and I want him to know that he does not scare me. Not in the slightest. He will die here. We stare at each other for hours, only moving when we cramp, and only enough to stop that. No more than necessary. My body is sore from standing so still for so long, but I can sense A''Lutar''s frustration growing at my lack of fear. My defiance of his territory and power. He knows I intend on killing him, on exacting vengeance for what he did to my teammates, and his attempt at cowing me has failed. Finally, as the sun begins to set, the Goblin Chieftain moves. A tap of his staff to the ground, and a fireball explodes from the top, soaring at me. "Demon Form," I shift, batting the spell away with my right hand before I reach for my sword, drawing it in one swift motion. The fireball slams into the ground to the side, and I rush forward. Several more fireballs are shot at me, and I stop them with my sword, allowing its potent use of the Spook Ore and Primordial Essence and Primordial Ore to simply absorb the monster''s spells. It can''t absorb it all, but what''s left isn''t enough to even singe my hair. A''Lutar sends a cloud of toxic gas at me, and I hear him jumping into the air. His necklaces and feathers on his headdress and loincloth make enough noise to know that. Flapping my wings, I soar up over the green cloud, soaring forward and blocking attacks with my sword or allowing them to slam into my armor. His spells aren''t potent enough to hurt me, not with Zack''s Blood neutralizing most of it and my 1,154 Willpower in a Level 8 Demon Form taking care of the rest. Maybe without Zack''s Blood, I''d actually take damage from these weak attacks. But with my much, much higher Level now than when he killed Braden and made Luca cry, what''s leftover isn''t more than an annoyance. He''ll need to increase the strength of his spells if he wants to hurt me. When I feel a stronger heat and power in a fireball, I know he''s finally begun doing that, and this time, I dodge to the side. No point in taking damage when I don''t need to. Weaving to the side and below and above his spells, I manage to get close to A''Lutar. My flight speed is greater than his, since the flight spell uses my normal Agility value with a much higher speed per Agility than that. Even if the difference between our two flight speeds is not by much, it''s enough that I can catch up easily. I swing my sword, and he blocks with his staff. His mistake. This isn''t my Primordial Dark Sword, it''s Zack''s Blood. I''m fighting seriously here. And attacking with the edge of my blade. Your staff, despite how powerful it is, cannot resist something so sharp as this weapon, A''Lutar. The moment they connect, my sword cuts through the staff. A''Lutar''s eyes widen, and I flick out my left hand.Stolen story; please report. I''m fighting seriously¡­ as a rogue-based Dark Knight The Zack''s Blood knife and Zack''s Holiday knife both embed themselves into the monster''s eyes, right and left respectively. A''Lutar screams as he falls to the ground. The blades were long enough to cut into his brain, even if only a little bit. I soar down, ramming my sword into the bastard''s stomach and carving upwards. As we impact the ground, I yank out my blade and ram it straight into the beast''s skull, just to make sure it''s dead. Fighting cleanly doesn''t always win a fight. Sometimes, you have to play a little bit dirty, and there aren''t many that can fight with two knives cutting into their brain via their eyes. He was no King Monster. I pull out my weapons and let the blood slide off of them, then I sheathe them and send the Zack''s Holiday knife back into my Inventory, before pulling out the Kobold King''s Heart and giving it to Nik. "I''m going to burn his corpse," I tell him. "You go do your thing. I''ll say my prayers when I''m finished." Nik nods, then heads into the Dark Temple to reactivate it. It was his idea to use the heart, even though we normally need a corpse. When he found out I wanted to come here and kill A''Lutar, and hearing my strategy for doing it, he asked Big Flame, who said a King Monster''s heart would be enough of a sacrifice, as long as it was fresh. Since my Inventory puts things into stasis, it''s still fresh. Summoning up my power over fire through my connection to my Sacred Crystal, I manifest flames. Pure, raw, violet flames of my magic, which I send into the corpse. It begins to burn, the flames turning to normal orange and yellow ones as they do. Once the fire is started, I just watch. He''s finally avenged, Luca. A''Lutar is dead, and he won''t be killing anyone else ever again. Your brother is finally avenged. "Wind¡­ Spike," a gravely, yet all-too-familiar voice says, and I hear the attack fly through the air, only to be absorbed by my armor. "Wind¡­ Spike." I turn around and face him. His skin has turned ashen, but he''s not bleeding darkness, and otherwise looks like the same Braden I knew. His Health and Mana aren''t all that high, since he wasn''t all that powerful when he turned into a Fallen Adventurer. His clothes are dirtier, and the cloak I gave him has some dirt and blood on it, but that''s it. Nothing a little elbow grease and the right soap can''t get out, even though it''s set in. As his attack strikes me, I walk towards him. He casts it again, and when that one impacts my armor and dissipates, he casts another. He doesn''t move at all, other than to cast the spell, his hands outstretched. His staff must have been lost or destroyed. When I reach him, I slide my hands under his cloak and wrap my arms around him, and he puts his hands against my back. "Wind¡­ Spike," he casts the spell again, but it simply hits my skin. Even if I weren''t still in Demon Form, it wouldn''t do anything to me. "Wind¡­ Spike." I start crying as he tries to kill me. I know he''s not really Braden, and I know that despite what the Crystals say, there''s no way this can be comfortable for his soul. For him in the afterlife. It just can''t be. Fallen Braden continues to try to hurt me, until his Mana runs out, then he claws at my back, bites at my neck. I just keep crying. I can''t save him, I can''t bring him back. All that I can do is put him to rest. Let his body finally be at peace. "I''m sorry, Braden," I whisper, feeling the tears against my cheeks, made colder by the chilly wind. "I''m so sorry, Braden. It''s all my fault you died." I feel the first snowflake on my cheek, hear them in the air, and with a sniffle, I squeeze. It doesn''t take much, his body''s weak enough that even if I weren''t in Demon Form still, it would kill him. Braden crumbles away, like most Fallen Adventurers do, and I catch his cloak as the tears start pouring down my cheeks even more heavily. I fold it over one arm as I pick up his clothes and boots, then I carry those over to where A''Lutar still burns and toss them onto it, keeping the cloak. Nothing elbow grease and the right soap can''t get out. "Be at peace, Braden," I whisper, before breaking down entirely, crouching and putting my head between my knees, hugging myself and the cloak as I sob. Why did I have to give him this stupid cloak? When I finally calm down as much as I can under the circumstances, I make my way inside, feeling my form revert as I walk to the chamber with the Altar of Darkness in it. I can feel Big Flame''s presence active here, and it feels almost giddy. Nik''s finished. Big Flame wouldn''t be so giddy with his energy in here if he weren''t. The altar is burning, and Nik is kneeling in front of it. I kneel beside him and start praying as well, thanking the Crystals and Big Flame especially. Praying that things will continue to get better, and that I will continue to get stronger so I can protect my team. When we finish, Nik and I head out front and stand on the flame sigil, which Nik then uses to warp us back to the Dark Temple in Maelnor. We head inside, and I go to the laundry rooms and start cleaning the cloak, carefully getting every last speck of dirt, blood, and whatever else off of it. "What are you going to do with that?" Nik asks. "Give it to Luca," I answer, and he raises an eyebrow. "He won''t do the same thing as his brother did. Luca¡­ knows what happens from going above what you know you can handle. He learned it with Braden." Nik nods, then leaves, and I finish cleaning the cloak, then pull a Heat Pebble out of my Inventory and gently roll it across the cloak after activating it, to help dry it. Once it''s dry, I send it into my Inventory, clean my armor and send that into my Inventory, then head to the baths to wash up. As soon as I finish scrubbing and rinsing, I join Nik in the cafeteria for a really late dinner. A few of the Dark Knights come over and put their hands on my shoulder for a few moments. Or my head, or my back. It''s both to comfort me and congratulate me, and I appreciate it. After I finish eating, I walk home. The snow''s getting a little heavier, now. This is the last major snowfall of the season, and we''ll only get a few inches. I may have cheated and used my sight to know this, but that''s okay. Everything''s okay, now. When I get home, the others are all asleep. I don''t bother checking their minds, I can tell just by looking at them. I crouch by Luca and pull the cloak out of my Inventory, draping it onto him. Then, I kiss him on the forehead. "It''s okay, Luca," I whisper. "Everything''s going to be just fine. I promise." I leave and make my way across the street, where Aurum''s awake and moving about. He saw me come by and is pacing around. When I approach, he comes up to me and starts furiously waving his arms about as he rapidly talks in the beastborn way. I get him to slow down so I can understand him, then smile. "Sorry," I apologize. "I should have warned you, Aurum. I didn''t tell Max you were making a pie for him every day. I might have gotten a little mischievous when I went to tell him, and sort of told him that he had to sneak one out, eat it, and then sneak clean dish back in, all without getting caught, every day you made at least two pies. Sorry." Aurum calms down, and I put a hand on his head, scratching behind his ears. He smiles a little, and I can sense his happiness and enjoyment of it. Then he notices the tears welling up in my eyes, and how I''m red around the eyes, with a little puffiness. "I''m okay, Aurum," I smile at him as I stop scratching his head. "Everything''s going to be fine from now on. Thanks for making the pies for Max. You can keep whatever money you didn''t spend on the stuff for them." His expression tells me that I''m overpaying by a lot. I don''t even need to sense his mind to know that. "I did that on purpose," I tell him. "I have something else to do tonight, Aurum, and it''s late. Get some sleep." He nods, then heads inside his home, and I make my way down to the Trading Post. The usual night worker is in there, but so is Jesse, looking sleepy, but serious. Nik must have woken him up and said I''d probably be by. I haven''t actually cashed in on Bounties in awhile, but this is one that I want to cash in on. That I need to. Not for the money, though. For finalization. Walking over to the wall of Bounties, I pull off the one for A''Lutar and bring it up to the counter. The night worker gives it a curious look, but Jesse performs the confirmation with me, smiling. "Congratulations," he says in his normal, deep voice, which causes the other worker to jump. Guess he''s never heard it before. That, or didn''t expect it. "Thanks," I smile. Jesse pulls the reward from the System''s thing that gives it to them, and sets it on the counter. "Five thousand platinum," he says. "The reward for killing A''Lutar." A reward so high, around since he became a threat, because of how powerful he was. This completion and reward is indisputable proof that A''Lutar is no more. I accept the reward, then return home and climb up onto the roof, pulling out my first bottle of wine for the night. Chapter 0113 (Luca) When I wake up, there''s an extra blanket over me. I wasn''t that cold, was I? I didn''t think it was that cold last night. Was I really shivering that badly that someone gave me another blanket? It was probably Max. I sigh, only realizing as I do that it smells like the laundry soap that Mr. Zack always smells like if he''s wearing something he washed at the Dark Temple. Did he come back during the night? Did he steal another blanket from the Dark Temple? Opening my eyes, I shift a little so I can look at the blanket, and find myself freezing. That''s not a blanket, that''s¡­ that''s Braden''s robe. My brother''s robe, that he wore when¡­ when¡­ when he decided to to be a stupid, stupid dumbass and go to Talorn. But what is doing here? And why does it look clean? And smell like¡­ Like Mr. Zack''s clothes if they''ve been washed at the Dark Temple. Sitting up, I grab the robe and press it to my nose, inhaling deeply. This is definitely that smell, and it''s clean. How is it here? It was on¡­ on my brother. Mr. Zack is back, and I know what he was doing. Why he only stopped by briefly. He¡­ he went to Talorn. He looked for Braden, for my brother, and he put him to rest, didn''t he? And if he did that¡­ does that mean that A''Lutar is gone, too? Did Mr. Zack kill A''Lutar? I look around my room. Mr. Zack''s stuff isn''t in here. Where is he? Our new Braden''s already out of here, and I can smell food, so Max is probably cooking, too. Gavin''s pulling on his boots, though he''s shirtless right now. He''s got muscle. Not like Mr. Zack, where it''s nice and lean, but the kind of someone who definitely uses them for power. They''re not that big yet, but I bet that when he''s trained up more, he''ll be muscular pretty well. Hm. Yeah, I think I want Mr. Zack''s kind of muscle better. Lean, dense, and quick. That''s how I want to be. Not big, strong, and buff. Mr. Zack is cooler. Scarier, and nicer. And just pure awesomeness. Still sitting on my bed, I start getting changed. Mr. Zack isn''t here to help me, so I have to be careful. I have a tendency to fall over or hit my head while trying to change, which is why he helps me. I try not to, but it''s hard. I think I''m clumsy, sometimes? After I''m dressed, managing it with only two head-bumps and one knee-bump, I pull on Braden''s robe over my outfit, then grab my staff and walk with Gavin downstairs. I look around, but don''t spot Mr. Zack. "He''s on the roof," Gavin whispers to me, and I take a few steps further away from the house and look up. Mr. Zack is sleeping up there, and he looks wet. Did he sleep up there while it was snowing? Did the snow melt on him? He''s got to be freezing up there! "Is that¡­ the cloak you talked about yesterday?" Gavin whispers to me, and I nod. "Sh!" Max quietly shushes us from the kitchen, a finger pressed to his lips. "Boss be sleepy!" "I''m awake," Mr. Zack says, and I look over to find him standing right here. It''s scary how fast he can be, and even scarier how he can step on two inches of snow without making a sound. There is a light redness in and around his eyes, making it obvious he was crying. That''s all I need to know for sure. "Sorry, Boss!" Max exclaims. "Me no try wake you, Gavin-friend and Luca-friend do it!" "I was already awake," Mr. Zack waves his right hand dismissively. "I didn''t actually sleep." Then why did you let the snow melt all over you? "Because I didn''t bother brushing it off," he answers, putting a hand on my head. "When Braden returns from his run, we''re all going to talk. And Luca? Everything will be fine." I know. Just looking at you, and feeling this robe around me, I know that to be true. I still want to confirm, even though everything already says it''s true. "He''s dead, isn''t he?" I manage to ask Mr. Zack. "Yes," he smiles, dropping his hand back to his side. "He''s dead, Luca. I burned every last bit of his body so there was nothing left but ash." "Braden went for a run?" Gavin asks. "Around twenty minutes ago," Mr. Zack nods. "He started before Max got back from his." Oh, right, I haven''t done my morning run yet. Mr. Zack always has me do them with him, because it helps me build up my stamina, he said. He usually ends up carrying me after a minute or two. Sometimes three. I''m proud of those days. "We''re doing a break from training," Mr. Zack tells me. "You guys just spent a week doing it, and can use a day off." You''re going for a run anyway, aren''t you? "No," Mr. Zack pats my head. "Max is almost done with breakfast, Braden''s almost back, and we''re all going to talk for a few minutes before we sort out what we''re doing for today, okay?" Okay. Mr. Zack and I move to the table, and we play chess while Gavin watches. Braden returns and sits next to us, and then Max finishes our breakfast of pancakes, sausage links, bacon, and eggs. Max really likes the bacon and sausage, because he made an entire plate for himself. I guess since he''s part-wolf, that makes sense. Watching him devour it is funny, because he shoves as much of it into his mouth at a time as he can, which causes his cheeks to puff out.
(Gavin) "Before you start whatever it is," I tell Zack after the dishes are cleared, cleaned, and put away. "I want to apologize to you." I was the one who took care of the dishes, while Zack and Braden played chess on the table and Max and Luca played marbles on the ground. The others look at me after my apology, and I know they probably know it''s because of Luca''s fit yesterday. "For what?" He looks confused. "For arguing with you so much about the training," I answer. "I barely even noticed it," he tells me. "Don''t worry about it, Gavin." "No," I shake my head. "Please listen, Zack. I did not like you at all, but the last week has taught me a lot about you that I did not expect could be. I was frustrated with you for not allowing me to fight goblins, stronger monsters that would let me earn more Experience. Peter took me to fight one a few days ago, and I was unable to do anything against it, despite it being only Level 1. "In addition to that," I continue before he can say something. "I do not agree with how you treat the Sacred Crystals. They have given us a second chance at life, and a chance to protect what we left behind. "However," I say without letting him voice whatever it was he was about to. "I have also come to understand that what you do is your own form of respect, as much as it might annoy Lord Light of Air. This does not mean I approve of it, nor will agree with you on it, but I promise that I will attempt to control my temper towards you over it, and will do the same regarding my training. You have experience and knowledge that I do not, and can make better judgments on what to do for training than me." Zack is silent for a few moments, thinking, and I try to decide if I should bring up that Luca showed me his Private Memorial. Seeing that, and knowing about these knives that he gave us being special despite not being advertised as such, has made me realize that I was acting inappropriately. Childishly. I am a child, in some ways, considering I am only thirteen, but that was still inexcusable of me. Before I can speak, however, Zack turns his gaze to the entrance of the property. "Hey, Kylie," he waves. There''s a girl our age there, with pale blue eyes and long, brown hair tied back in a ponytail with a black band. Right now, she''s dressed in a black and dark blue, dappled cloak. When she waves, I see that she''s wearing dark blue, light leather armor over an all-black outfit, with various pouches and knives strapped to her belt, fingerless gloves on her hands. As with everyone but Zack, her face is pale with touches of red on her cheeks, due to the cold.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. She is pretty. "Hey, Zack," she greets him back. "Can I enter?" "Sure," he says, and she approaches. "Guys, this is Kylie, she''s grown up deeper in the Boundary, and is currently a student of an assassin named Samantha, who was trained by the pervert at the Trading Post. She''s a talented rogue." She was trained by Jesse''s student? Jesse''s a rogue? I thought he was just some creep who works at the Trading Post? "Hello, everyone," she smiles at us as she steps up next to Zack. "Jesse told Samantha, and I was in the room. How are you holding up?" Is she talking about whatever he did to acquire the robe that he''d made for Luca''s brother? Which¡­ was apparently guarded by an extremely powerful monster? "I''m doing okay, thanks," he smiles at her, but I can tell it does not reach his eyes. "A''Lutar is dead, so there are only two or three real threats in Talorn now, and the only true one is that Fallen Adventurer guarding the Enchanted Altar. It probably won''t be a threat for much longer, once Nathan returns." "Alright," she responds. "I wanted to stop by before we did more training today, to see how you were doing, so I should be heading back." "Thanks," Zack tells her, and she gives him a hug, which he returns. "Good luck, and don''t let Samantha beat you up too much." Oh. They''re together, aren''t they? Did she meet his ''kind'' side before the obnoxious one? I shake my head. Why am I feeling jealous? I''ve only just met her, and it was really just her greeting us as she talked with Zack. But she is pretty, though, and the way she talked makes her seem pretty nice, too. "I''ll try!" Kylie laughs, and they separate. "See you around." She leaves, and Zack gives me an amused look. "Kylie and I aren''t dating," he tells me. "I can see that jealousy on your face. You went from hating me to being jealous of me real fast." "But the hug-" "Kylie and I are close," he says. "And¡­ she helped me out at a time when I was not doing so good." "Boss likey Kylie-friend!" Luca giggles at Max''s random comment. "That''s irrelevant!" Zack hastily exclaims as he glares at Max. "Kylie and I do like each other, but I have to take care of you guys and make sure you''re ready for anything the Shadow of Life throws your way, and she''s undergoing a lot of training to prepare for the war!" Sounds like excuses to me. Zack rolls his eyes. "Anyway," he emphasizes that. "Everyone, gather around and sit down." Max, Luca, and I join Zack and Braden at the table, Zack''s expression serious. Whatever this is, it must be big. "The five of you," he says. "Just finished your first week of training with professionals. This may happen again, maybe multiple times. Winter is almost done, and not long after it finishes, the battle for this valley will begin." He closes his eyes for several moments, before fixing his gaze on each of us. "It will not be an easy fight," he tells us. "It will not be a quick fight. Last night, I managed to glimpse what the horde will look like, even with Nathan''s efforts at dealing with them before they can form. There will be millions of monsters ¨C tens of millions. There will be goblins, kobolds, wolves, spiders, and more on the ground, with several bird-types in the sky. "The monsters coming," he continues. "Will be stronger than those you have faced here. Luca saw a glimpse of what they can be while we were doing our extra training. Luca, Travis told me about the demon kobold you two encountered. Do you remember it?" Demon kobold? I look at Luca, who nods. "Can you describe how powerful it was?" "Powerful," he says softly. "Level 20. It would have killed me in a single attack. Probably killed Max in a single attack." "He''s right," Zack nods. "The Level 20 demon kobold would have killed Max in a single attack, and he currently has 170 Health. There will be monsters at that Level, and many more at higher Levels. As you are now, none of you will manage to survive the horde." "But aren''t we training for that?" I ask. "Yes and no," he frowns a little. "Theoretically, you could only kill the weak monsters in the horde, as there will be plenty of those as well. The problem with that is that they''ll be intermixed with the stronger monsters. Yes, the first waves will all be weaker monsters, but it will be things such as Level 1''s through Level 10''s mixed together, and not all monsters are equal." I understand what he mans by that. "Level 1 rats and Level 1 goblins are two vastly different sets of power," I say, and he nods. "Even among monsters of the same Level," he adds. "They aren''t necessarily equal. You can fight two Level 1 goblins, but come across two different amounts of each stat in them. In addition to that, it won''t be simple fights, or even like what the fields are with the money slimes right now. It will be dense with monsters. Even strong, powerful warriors will start to be weakened by the time the King Monsters show up. "And that," he says. "Is why Option One exists. Option One is the four of you stay here in Maelnor while we fight, and-" "Wait," I say. "You get to go out and fight? But not us? That doesn''t seem fair." "Let me clarify," he says. "My job is to piss off and distract something during the battle, not to actually fight in it. I won''t actually be near actual danger. My training this week composed partly of preparing for that, partly in helping Nik and others gauge certain things for the upcoming battle. Truthfully? I''ll probably earn the least amount of Experience, Skill Levels, and Class Levels of anyone who participates." "If you''re stronger than us," I say. "But not that much stronger than us, what can you do?" "I''m a Dark Knight," he smiles, and it''s a smile that sends a chill down my spine. "We have several Skills that stack on each other. I can use that to easily boost my attacks to potentially ten times my current Strength. I''ll also have a buff on me that greatly enhances all of my stats." "What are you distracting?" Braden asks quietly. "A dragon," Luca responds just as quietly, and I feel my eyes widen. "I''m annoying enough," Zack''s smile widens, turning from cruel to amused as it does. "And distracting enough that it will work. Regardless of if you go with Option One or Option Two, I will be undergoing a training program to increase my stats further and to prepare for Operation Annoy a Dragon. Nik and I discussed this over the week of training, but it won''t seem much different. It will all occur while you guys are in training separately rather than together." "Why are you distracting a Dragon?" I ask. "Everything I''ve heard about them so far puts them as the strongest monsters known to the Boundary." "They are," Zack confirms. "Dragons are in a class of their own, above even the Ultimate Monsters. There is no expectation I will even hurt the dragon. We are relying on my Agility, and hoping it goes high enough to allow me to easily evade its attacks. The Dragon will go after me if I annoy it. That is the most important part of the entire battle." "How?" I frown. "There''s no way you could survive against a Dragon! Peter said that even the Avatar of the Shadow of Life couldn''t be anywhere near one in power! Hundreds died against it!" "That''s true," Zack nods. "That is how powerful Dragons are. However, preparations are being made. I will have an arsenal of weapons and bombs at my disposal for it. There are¡­ unique circumstances involved in this." Luca snorts, and I give him a look. He obviously knows something more than what Zack is telling us. "What aren''t you telling us?" I ask. "Nothing you need to worry about," Zack shakes his head. "I promise, this is not something that would happen if I were to die. The risks and odds have been calculated. I have used my Sight to see what will come of it, and I will survive. The most likely scenario is that I end up in a temporary coma after. However, Maelnor will be undamaged by the Dragon. "Without the Dragon destroying the City Barrier," he continues. "Monsters will not be able to pass Maelnor into the rest of the Boundary. For the rest of the horde to succeed in destroying the City Barrier and the City Walls would require the assistance of the Monster Kings that are coming, and they will be handled by powerful Adventurers. It has already been confirmed that they can be slain by the power that exists now." Peter told me about that a little. The part about monsters not being able to pass into the rest of the Boundary. He also told me that according to the Crystals, if both Maelnor and Kaelmar are Fallen Cities, then there will be no hindrance of passage out, resulting in hordes of monsters flooding the rest of the Boundary. Destroying it within maybe a year or two and giving the Shadow of Life his victory. I can see the determination in Zack''s eyes, and the confidence. "You''re willing," Braden speaks softly. "To risk yourself for others. You''re going to distract the Dragon no matter what, because it will let the more powerful Adventurers deal with the horde." "Essentially," Zack nods as Luca snorts, and he gives the healer a glare. "Stop that, Luca. You know why we can''t give them full details. You weren''t supposed to know everything." Luca knows what it is Zack isn''t telling us? Luca shrugs, then gives Zack a look, and Zack shakes his head. The healer shrugs and returns to looking at the table. "So that is Option One," Zack says. "The four of you will be safe here in Maelnor." "Max fight hordes!" Max exclaims, thumping his chest. "Get stronger!" "I''ll heal anyone of the team who goes out to fight," Luca adds quietly. "Which brings us to Option Two," Zack clears his throat. "It involves a mixture of individual training, like what we did over this last week, and intense team training. For at least a week or two starting tomorrow, Max, Gavin, and Braden, you three will be fighting the money slimes. Luca will act as healer, and I will be the emergency aid and rescue while giving tips and continuing your physical training here. Then, we will go to Talorn for a week. "Because Nik and I restored the Dark Temple''s power there," he continues. "We can easily warp between it and the one here using the flame sigil out front of them. This will give you training against stronger monsters. We''ll return then and do another final week of training, before I and several others go off to fight the Greed Lord. "Once you four are stronger," he continues. "We''ll go into the mines for more advanced training. The actual training program depends on how high your Levels reach and how quickly they do so. If you pick Option Two, I will not allow any of you to leave the City during the battles unless each of you have reached Level 50. You have two, maybe three months to do that. Am I clear on this, everyone?" We all nod, then he asks us which option we want to go with. He adds that the vote for the second choice between the four of us must be unanimous, so if even one of us says Option One, that is what we will go with. Max and Luca both pick the battle option, and Braden accepts that as well after only a moment''s thought. I''m not sure if we can get ready in that time, though. The goblin was too strong for me, and there will be many, many stronger ones by far in the battle. From what it sounds like, and what I heard from Peter and his mother and Peter''s team¡­ Could we really manage to fight such a thing, even if we meet Zack''s minimum Level for us to do so? Mama Bear did tell me that Zack only makes decisions without calculations on the spur of the moment, when his emotions are heightened and those he cares about are in danger. He seems so calm right now. Did he put a lot of thought into this? How much did he think this over? If he really is as protective as he''s proven to everyone else he is, then he wouldn''t let us fight unless he was absolutely sure we would survive. "Option Two," I decide. "Okay," Zack says. "Then starting tomorrow, we''ll begin the training." He vanishes. Chapter 0114 (Zack) As soon as Gavin decides and I respond, I find myself in Big S''s chamber. He''s sitting, his tail stretching out to the side, curving here and there. As with the last two times I found myself in here, his Crystal''s light is comforting and familiar to me. Makes me feel like I am among family, and that everything will be okay. Safe. "Hi." "Hello," he responds. "I wanted to see you in the tutu." "I burned it." I laugh. "Why did you summon me?" I ask. "I was having a serious conversation with my team." "It was done, though," he responds. "I waited specifically until you finished with it." "Oh," I look at the miniature crystals. Two are illuminated fully, and a third is almost full. "Is that from the King Monster?" "No," he answers. "Not all of it, anyway. Some of it came from your small rampage, more from the tens of thousands of monsters you''ve killed over the last week, while more is coming from Nathan Normar''s battles against the hordes. The Kobold King fully restored a full crystal''s worth of energy and power, though." "So I take it," I say. "That when the two die in the battle, you''ll be filled back up?" "Correct," he nods. "The same will go for any Ultimate Monster or Dragon kill, though those will grant me even more, the latter depending on how old and powerful the Dragon is." "So," I say. "Are you done sleeping?" "Only for a little while," he shakes his head. "I can stay up longer now that I have more of my energy returned, but until all four are bright, I''ll need the extra sleep." And you''ll still need to sleep once they''re full, too. You''ve put such a big burden on yourself. "Why did you bring me here?" I ask. "Our father," he responds. "Was here." Existence? A god entered a Boundary-locked place? "How is that possible?" I ask. "He is Existence," Big S tells me. "He can be anywhere he wants. I was not aware he could come here." "What did he want?" I ask. "To say ''hello''," he answers. "That was¡­ pretty much it." He shuffles his front feet a little, and I sense discomfort in him. "Big S?" I ask. "What is it? That''s not really why you pulled me here, is it?" "No," he admits. "I¡­ there is information you should know. About Alexander, the Shadow of Life." "Does it have to do," I say. "With Alexander''s three allies." He looks confused for a moment, then nods. "I forgot Chaos told you about our origins," Big S admits. "As you are now, Zack, you are nearly powerful enough to defeat the weakest of them." "Nearly?" I ask. "Yes," he answers. "Nearly. "When you reach your Second Ascension, you will definitely be powerful enough to kill him and near the ability to kill the second-weakest, possibly even actually kill the second-weakest. "And so," he says. "I have a request for you, Zack. Will you allow me, once you are strong enough, to send you into their prisons? It would be a one-on-one fight for each. We estimate that Alexander has two months before he wakes from the stasis he placed himself into, and I was hoping-" "That I would," I say as his tail shifts around in his obvious discomfort at asking this of me. "Have killed all three before then." "Yes," he nods. "You would need to do it alone, due to the way I designed their prisons, so it would truly be a solo fight. If you kill them before Alexander wakes, then-" "Then he might not make proper choices," I say. "Might act rashly, even send the horde sooner than he should because of Nathan''s attacks." "Correct," Big S nods. "Would you¡­ would you be willing to do this?" "Yes," I answer. "I would be more than willing to do this, Big S. These are the bastards who tried to steal your powers and kill you. They wanted to rule above all, the way I heard it. I will do what I can do put an end to this." "Thank you," he looks relieved. "Then¡­ then I can tell you something else. I have already expended a full crystal''s worth of energy in the last few days." "Doing what?" I frown. "Releasing a Boundary." I find my body stiffening at that. He released a Boundary? Is that what I sensed? But¡­ I sensed two shifts in this Boundary? What was that? And isn''t releasing Boundaries bad, since while it does allow them to focus more on what remains, it also grants him more control over what happens in them? "I see you are confused," he lies down, closing his eyes. "You probably sensed me working on that. The war is soon coming to an end. Alexander will focus his efforts on the Boundary you live in specifically because of your presence. He knows that as long as you or any other brother or sister of yours who opposes him lives in a Boundary, he is doomed to fail. And so he must focus on where a Child of Existence who will fight against him lives." "But aren''t you also allowing him to have more power and control in the ones that exist?" I ask. "Yes," he sighs. "But right now, he is in stasis. I am hoping that, with your efforts, Nathan Normar''s, and the discovery of the Monster Dens and people training in them, I will have enough power to release all others save this one before he wakes." "Why?" I ask. "Several reasons," he answers. "The first¡­ is to finally put to rest all those people who live in the Boundaries who should have moved on. I had Wisdom and Intellect release their souls, and the souls of all others within those Boundaries. As soon as the last one had left, we undid the Boundary. Each of us expended a full crystal of power to do so. In order to continue feeding us necessary energy, I had the others spread words about where to find Monster Dens, and not just in the mines. They aren''t easy to locate, even if few are guarded by a King Monster. That¡­ was purely coincidental, actually." And with groups of strong Adventurers battling all of the monsters in there, that''s tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of monster kills a day just from that. Well, assuming there are maybe five to ten that are raided every day. Millions, if we factor in other Boundaries, too. And since the monsters are far stronger than what can normally be found in claimed territory, that probably gives a lot more power than the billions of kills every day outside of the Monster Dens. "And the other reasons?" I ask. "I know you remember," he says. "When you earned that burning scar hidden within your arm." I look at my arm and trace my finger along the sensitive spot. Even though no mark exists visibly, I still know where it is and it still causes a physical response in my body. A slight shiver and shudder of that area, a tensing up with the urge to pull away. It''s as if my skin is flinching while my body is not. I''ve been extremely careful with how Luca and I sleep so that he doesn''t brush it by accident, I don''t want to jerk away because of it, that might frighten him or give him the wrong impression, tell him that I don''t like him and he can''t be comforted at night, when I know his loneliness and fears are at their peaks.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Big S is telling me that they want to avoid situations like that again. An entire Class of Adventurers, an entire set of followers of one of the Crystals, killed because of how spread out the Crystals'' focus was and their inability to deal with the situation properly as a result. They probably realized only after the fact that they should have sent out messages to everyone. Is that why they all rushed to Big S, to have him send out that message when stuff was going down because I was just being a Dark Knight in personality? They might be omniscient when it comes to the Boundaries, but there are still limits to what they can do and to their knowledge and personalities. They were children when they died, after all, and the situation was new to them. "You want to be able to focus on just one Boundary," I say. Big S lifts his head up and nods for a moment. "Yours is the one closest to falling," he says. "And because of your presence in it and status as his eternal enemy, it is also the one Alexander will focus on. Therefore, we, too, can focus on it. Most of his influence will be in the Lost Territory, but with the current training plan¡­" "There will be enough powerful Adventurers on the front lines to handle what he sends." "Correct," he nods again. "It won''t be too much, because his influence increases the more monsters there are, and there really isn''t all that many in the claimed territory as there are in Lost Territory. Chances are, it would matter most for anyone going into the Lost Territory. Because there is so much of it, and such heavy monster populations in it, your Boundary is the one where he''d have the least influence in claimed territory, too." "Okay," I say. "So you''re sacrificing a stronger seal for greater power in it, but in exchange, you won''t have to deal with a tragedy like what happened in the other one and will also have more power available to you. In addition, you know he''ll focus on this Boundary because of my presence in it." "Correct," he nods once more, then shifts a little and returns to a sitting position. "And there is more. Father told me¡­ he said that within a year of the Battle for Naelmar Valley, the war against the Shadow of Life will be over." So the ones who are destined to actually end the war are already here? That''s the only explanation I can think of for that. That they''re already here, and possibly already powerful. "He came before you began the process, didn''t he?" I ask. "Yes," he admits. "Father told me that no matter what I did, no matter what we did, the war would be over within a year. That is why we talked about it, and then agreed to begin doing this." He sighs, looking down, depressed. "Long ago," he tells me. "We had a more active role in the Boundaries. We''ve begun to again, but as we spread ourselves out, we had to pull back. The Boundaries themselves are massive, and there are so many. More than ten million arrive between all Boundaries every day. Or¡­ did. We now simply allow everyone to pass on, because the war is coming to an end, and it won''t make a difference." That makes sense, I guess. But speaking of passing on¡­ "What about all the people in the Boundaries?" I ask. "Especially the ones who were born there? You''re sending them to the afterlife?" Gold, Aurum, and Max are all still kids. If he releases my Boundary within a year, they''d lose their first life early. What would happen to them? They''d be in the afterlife, but have they even lived long enough for the scales? Done enough for it? What about all those who''ve fought? "The same as if they died," he answers. "The scales of karma are weighed, and what happens to them is chosen based on that. Some will even have options." "But-" I start, then stop, remembering something he said, back during my Ascension Trial. "I have the option to reincarnate because I was willing to sacrifice myself. Would that mean-" "That those whom you are concerned about would?" He asks, and I nod. He nods in response. "Yes, Zack. Gold and Max have both earned reincarnation, so long as they continue on the paths they are on. Aurum will have a good afterlife, and though it won''t involve reincarnation, all options available to him will make him happy.. As I said, the scales of karma are weighed. Rightly, no one born in the Boundaries should even exist, so they are lucky to have souls to be judged." That subdues the anger that was starting to build up in me. He''s right. The people I''m worried about¡­ wouldn''t exist without the Boundaries, without them making them for the purposes of sealing away Alexander and his allies. When the Boundaries have served their purpose, there is no reason to keep them around. The Crystals will need their rest, too. It takes them a lot of effort and power to sustain them, after all, and short of making it impossible for anyone to procreate in the Boundaries, they would have to keep sustaining them forever because of children being born. At least this way, everyone who is passed on to the afterlife because of this has a peaceful passage, and not a brutal or ugly one. "Okay," I take a few breaths. "Big S, what happened to Bryce, when he died? I get the feeling that the souls of those who become Fallen Adventurers¡­ don''t have as peaceful of rests as we''re led to believe." He thinks on something for several long minutes, which confirms it to me. "You are correct," he tells me. "Intellect has a¡­ special instance of his temple for those who are Fallen Adventurers. Their souls can move on to the afterlife, but it''s not a comfortable passage for them, and they remain uncomfortable through it until their bodies are put to rest. So he created this special instance to put them in a stasis as well. Your brother, Bryce, was immune to the stasis." "So he''s suffering that disgusting feel of his body being worn by a curse?" I shudder at the thought. "No," he shakes his head, then pauses. "Well, yes. But also no. Bryce decided to pass on to the afterlife directly. According to Intellect, he''s moved on to the heavens, where he''s waiting for you." He''s waiting for me in the heavens¡­ I know it''s probably not a case of wanting me to die already, but simply waiting until that happens comes. Since Big S is releasing the Boundaries, that will be within the next year. "Well," I smile at Big S, walking forward and placing a hand on his head. "Big S, I feel confident in saying that, when all of this is done and the nine of you can finally rest, you will each have earned the best possible afterlife lives possible. Reincarnation as an option, and whatever other rewards you can pick from." "Thanks," he gives me a tired, but happy smile. "It will be nice, to finally, truly rest. Before I send you back, there are a few more things." "What?" I ask. "First," he says. "I never finished my prior thing. Long ago, we had a more active role in the Boundaries. Were we willing to continue this, we would resume creating Quests for people. That was something we did, back when we had less to manage and support. They were fun to issue, and often helped new Adventurers get a good start." "I can see why you''d want to continue that," I smile. "With only one Boundary to focus on, you''d be able to do it better. But you need your rest, Big S. All of you do, and you all deserve it. And whatever rewards you want." "What I would like more than anything," he smiles again. "Is to remain as a Crystal, but without the need to support everything. To be someone others can come to and speak with, imparting ancient wisdom, knowledge, and abilities upon others. To interact with the living once more as a quest-giver and so much more. But my entire existence now is to support the Boundaries and the System itself." So some of the benefits of reincarnation, but as a Crystal. I don''t think that''s something that''s possible, especially since he''s not of reality. Wait¡­ how would everyone passing on work, with them being from the Boundaries and not reality? "Don''t worry about the heavens ordeal," Big S smiles at me. "I can see the question your face. Father''s power allows those from the Boundaries to reach the heavens and underworld. The passages into them grants a sort of alteration to allow them to exist there." "Oh," I say, then we''re silent for a few moments. "You said there were a few things?" "Yeah," he nods. "Second, in order to actually kill Alexander''s allies, who are immortal in a sense, you will need a weapon forged with two specific materials." "A weapon of two specific materials?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "Essence of Life and Essence of Death. They are both Ultimate Resources, and they can only be obtained in a single manner. Not even your King''s Bounty can grant it." "How?" I ask. "Each has a different method," he answers. "The Essence of Death can be obtained through killing. Lots and lots of killing. It has to be in a short timespan. For the Essence of Life, it is through healing. A lot of it, and in a short timespan, and by a single being. Imagine everything you killed in what you call the ''Experience farm'' since entering it the first time. Imagine doing that in a day. With that, you might just manage to acquire one. As for Essence of Life¡­ well, I''m sure you have an idea of just how much healing you''d need to do that." "Nathan has some, doesn''t he?" He''s fought in the previous battles for Cities, which means he''s done a fuckton of healing, and he is the most powerful healer in the Boundary. That means that he has likely met the requirements to potentially earn it. "He has three pieces of it, and no idea what to do with it." I frown. "These are Ultimate Resources that are literally essences of life and death," Big S tells me. "It''s only natural he''d be hesitant to try to figure out something to do with them." "Right," I say. "And speaking of life and death," he narrows his gaze at me. "When you take on Angel and decide to prove that Resurrection exists, please don''t snap someone''s neck to do it. Just use it on a fucking corpse, okay? You''ll traumatize people." "Is that confirmation it exists?" I grin. "Since you said ''traumatize'' and not ''kill''?" "Yes," he answers. "That''s confirmation that Resurrection exists. It''s listed in the Skills you can acquire due to a Rank 3 Class once you take on Angel." "Got it," I flash him a grin. "Now," he says. "I''m sending you back. Your team is¡­ reacting interestingly to your sudden disappearance." I find myself seated at the table once more. Max and Luca are playing chess, while Gavina nd Braden are both stressed out. Max quickly tells me that Gavin and Braden both freaked out and ran off to get Nik because of my sudden disappearance. Gavin tells me that Nik said it''s normal for that to happen, though I usually don''t do it when others are around, but wouldn''t elaborate. "Max kept saying he didn''t bop you that time," Luca whispers to me, and I laugh. "Max," I tell him. "I told you back then, you bopping me had nothing to do with that. Gavin, Braden, I was summoned into the temple for Big S. He and I were discussing some stuff." "Lord Crystal of the System summoned you?" Gavin asks. "The Crystals do it from time to time," I shrug. "I''m one of the rare people who can enter their temples directly without issue at any time, not just in special circumstances. As a result, they use me as a messenger sometimes." Not quite the full truth, but it''s enough for now. "Anyway," I smile. "Let''s just relax the rest of the day. Tomorrow, your training will become even more intense." Chapter 0115 (Zack) "Alright, boys!" I clap my hands together, startling everyone on my team but Luca, who was staring at me intently. "Training time!" We just finished the morning exercises, which included martial arts and knives for everyone, with staff training for Luca and Max and sword training for Gavin, extra martial arts and knife training for Braden. "Before we go, however," I open up my Inventory and pull out a basic steel sword sheathed in a simple, hard leather scabbard. "Gavin, this is for you." "A new sword?" He looks at it skeptically. "Money slimes," I say. "Are a type of Special Monster. They''re more difficult to kill, and will wear through your training swords much, much faster than regular slimes or rats, especially since they have the same effect as any Stone Slimes. That said, if you see a Stone Slime-" "Boss Kill!" Max exclaims. "What?" Gavin looks at Max. "He said to let me kill it," I say. "I have a certain grudge against Stone Slimes. Anyway, Stone Slimes and money slimes have a tendency to wear at metals, so this increases the acidic effect they have on metal weapons. This sword is enchanted for stronger durability, but other than that, it''s a basic sword. I know Peter made sure you know how to properly care for a sword, in addition to my own training of you in that. This should last you more than a day or two. You''re the only person here who would lose your weapon within a kill or two, so this is a necessary upgrade." "Oh," he accepts the sword, then switches the training one for it. "Thank you." "You''re welcome," I say. "You can leave the training sword wherever, I know it won''t fit in your Inventory." He walks over to the storage room and puts it in there, then rejoins us. "Now," I say. "As you all know, money slimes leave money equal to their Level and type. So a Level 1 Copper Slime gives you 1 copper, a Level 5 Copper Slime gives you 5 copper, a Level 1 Silver Slime gives you 1 silver, and so on. Max can fight Silver Slimes, but Gavin, Braden, you two will be attacking Copper Slimes. Luca will act as healer and buffer-" Luca puffs out his chest, mostly because of the ''buffer'' part. He wasn''t aware I knew about his Blessing of [Stat]. "And he will remember," I continue. "That it only lasts for five seconds at its current Level, and takes up nearly a quarter of his Mana to cast. So only do it if and when they need it, Luca. You aren''t being supplied with Mana Potions." Luca nods, but keeps his chest puffed out, looking proud of the fact that he can help his team in that way, too. I want to add something else on to the rest of this, but Nik told me to tell them after we finish, because it would stick better. "Finally," I look at Gavin again. "Which element do you think would be most effective against Stone Slimes and Money Slimes?" "Boss! Boss!" Max raises a hand and hops up and down as he waves it, tail wagging. "Hush, Max," I say. "Let Gavin answer the question. You''re an Elementalist, so it''s natural you''d know." "Max know!" Max continues hopping up and down. "Pick Max! Pick Max! Max! Max!" Luca whacks him on the head with his staff. "Ow!" Max rubs his head. "Thank you, Luca," I say, and Luca nods. "So, Gavin?" "Fire and water are opposites," Gavin says. "And earth and air are opposites. I remember you teaching that. So it would be air." "Correct," I say. "Ice is also somewhat effective, but air is better. And so, I am going to teach you a new Skill once we leave. This will help you fight the Money Slimes." "A new Skill?" He asks. "One which will help me against the Money Slimes?" "Yes," I nod. "Max is a magician, which means he uses magic, and he has a decent Intellect, allowing him to deal some decent damage. Luca, well, he''s not a fighter. Braden uses magical arrows. Magic is more effective on slimes than physical attacks, even though Slimes technically have no Endurance in their ooze, since physical attacks don''t actually damage the ooze. This attack works with swords while allowing you to damage magic-based creatures like slimes. "Alright!" I say. "Let''s move out!" As we leave, Aurum joins us, and I give him a curious look. He tells me that he has food for our lunch, since Nathan isn''t back yet and he''s been getting bored and wants to help. Part of it''s that he has a lot of money leftover from when I gave him the money to make the pies for Max, and he didn''t really know what to do it with. But he also has a staff, and a magician''s staff at that. So I talk with him fully in the beastborn way, though a bit slower, and find out that he doesn''t want to get left behind when the battle begins. It seems he found out from his brother that the ones serving the Dark Knights have all been training, and that even though they won''t be too much use against things with the System, they''re still going to give it their all. It''s not so much a case of ''they''re doing it, so should I'', but a case of ''I found out others are, and that made me realize I want to, too''. He didn''t think that those without Access to the System could actually make a difference in the battle against monsters with Levels and Skills. He says that he practiced this morning to learn Wind Spike as the spell itself just for this. Since he doesn''t have Access to the System, he has to actually train the spell, rather than using it as a Skill over and over against monsters. I wish him luck on that, and he nods seriously. The group of us exit the City through the north gate, as usual, and I lead the team into the fields, Aurum going off on his own as we walk further out. Aurum will be fine, he has several other beastborn secretly stalking him to make sure he''ll not come to harm, and he hasn''t noticed them. "Alright, Gavin," I say. "The Skill I''m going to teach you falls under the Skills of the Mystic Knights. Their Skills focus on adding effects to their attacks. Dark Strike, a Dark Knight Skill, can be considered one, though it''s not something they can learn. "This Skill," I grip the hilt of my sword. "Is Wind Blade!" I spin, slashing with my sword into a Level 4 Gold Slime that was hopping towards us, and cut it in half, the ooze melting away as its core drops to the ground, cut cleanly into two pieces, then I hold my sword out in front of me so that my team can see the wind swirling around it. Since my wind magics possess a purplish tinge due to my heritage as a Child of Existence, they can actually see it without a high Perception.
New Skill!
Wind Blade Active
Enchant your sword with the power of wind, sheathing your blade in it for several seconds.
Air Damage: 5% of your Intellect per Level of this Skill
Duration: 20 seconds per Level of this Skill
Cost: 50 Mana
I probably didn''t need to actually acquire the Skill, and could have just walked him through it, but I will be taking on Mystic Knight when I reach Ascension 2, so why not start working on some of its things now? Or at least, just whenever I end up using them? "Luckily for you," I tell Gavin. "You''ll be able to cast it once per full Mana until you raise your Wisdom some more. The four base elemental Blade Attacks only cost 50 Mana. However, they last for 20 seconds." "Does this require Intellect?" He asks. "Yes," I nod. "Five percent of your Intellect per Level of the Skill becomes the air damage."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "I only have 4 Intellect." "Wind Blade," I reactivate the Skill and hold my sword up again. "Look along the edges of the blade. What do you see?" He looks at the edges of the blade, where a thin layer of purple wind coats the sharpness of it. "That purple layer," I say. "Is the actual enchantment. This means that your physical attack is imbued with it. The Air Damage from the wind flowing around the blade is additional damage. You have 16 Strength, yes?" "I do," he confirms. "That means," I say. "You will do up to 16 Air Damage from the physical attack. This damage will only matter if you strike the core. The additional Air Damage from the wind around it works for the ooze." "Oh," he says. "But I can only use this once every sixteen to seventeen minutes?" "For now," I nod. "But it lasts for twenty seconds. That should be enough for you to kill a Level 1 Copper Slime. However, it does mean you''ll need to strike it around six or seven times while the Skill is active." Gavin nods thoughtfully, then frowns. "But," he says. "Couldn''t I just strike them normally?" "You could," I say. "But without an elemental addition to your attack, it won''t be as effective. The actual slime part of a slime is viscous, so it slows physical attacks. By adding on the elemental factor, it won''t do it as much. That means you can actually place more power into the attack. Otherwise, your damage would actually be reduced." "Oh," he says. "Okay. That makes more sense." "Good luck," I tell him. "Good luck to all of you. Luca and I will be around for emergency healing."
(Luca) I watch as the others go to start their training, Mr. Zack helping Gavin learn how to use the Wind Strike. He doesn''t realize I know, does he? That he took on Holy Squire last night. I saw him leaving during the night again, as usual, which is probably why most of the Slimes here are only Level 1 or Level 2 Copper Slimes. But Mr. Light of Air told me that Mr. Zack was training himself. His Skills for the holy Class of Paladin. I am super jealous of him as his ability to learn so easily, to Level so well. Mr. Light of Air told me that Mr. Zack maxed-out Light Orb, Holy Shield, and Blessing of [Stat] last night. That only took him around four hours, Mr. Light of Air said. I know it''s really unfair to compare myself to him, since Mr. Zack probably has eight or nine thousand Mana, so he can just burn it on lesser Skills for hours, and because he''s a Dark Knight, he''s able to use his holy Skills on monsters and gain Experience for them. But it means that Mr. Zack only needs, like, one or two more Skills just to hit the third Tier. All he''s really waiting on right now is Experience, though Mr. Light of Air also said that Mr. Zack managed to acquire a lot last night. Even though Paladin is a Rank 1 Class, shouldn''t it have taken Mr. Zack awhile? What did he do last night that let him gain so much Experience for it? It couldn''t have all come from supporting his ''allies'', could it? "I wasn''t just in the fields," Mr. Zack whispers to me as he rejoins me after Gavin learns the Skill. "I was doing other stuff, too. Luca, I want to try experimenting something, okay?" I give him an inquisitive look. I like that word. Inquisitive. It''s a big word for a small boy like me. "Don''t heal any of them," he tells me, and I frown. "I want to see if maybe you''ll acquire more Experience by healing them all together. Also, I want you to use Blessing of Intellect on Max and Braden and Blessing of Endurance on Gavin when I give the signal." I''m about to protest because that probably won''t be very efficient, then realize that Mr. Zack''s eyes are that beautiful violet they take on when he uses his psychic magic. He knows something, doesn''t he? "Now," he says. "In that order." I hold up my hands and use Blessing of Intellect on Max, then cast it again on Braden, then switch to Blessing of Endurance for Gavin. Max is probably the only one who actually benefited from that, but before the last Blessing wears off¡­
Blessing of [Stat] is now Level 2!
I also gained twenty-seven Experience from that! That''s a lot of Experience! I didn''t think that could happen for me! "Good job," Mr. Zack gently ruffles my hair. "Now wait for my command, then use Heal on each of them, okay? And on yourself." On myself? But I''m not taking any damage, and I know you wouldn''t- "Oof!" I grunt as something slams into the back of my head.
-23 Health!
I stumble forward as Mr. Zack chuckles, cutting through the Level 2 Copper Slime that had tackled me from behind. "Now!" He tells me. "Max, Gavin, Braden, yourself!" I nod, then do as he commands, making sure to heal them back up to full before moving on to the next. As I do, I take more damage from another slime that Mr. Zack then kills. Even though my Health is almost empty, I keep to Mr. Zack''s instructions. He won''t let me die. I bet he told the slimes to attack me. By the time I have healed myself back up to full Health, I have gained a total of twelve percent more Experience! Whoa! That is awesome! "I can see the smile," he ruffles my hair again. "I had a feeling that doing mass Heals and group Blessings might help you. Plus, Nik told me that Travis told him it might work, since you were gaining so little doing it individually. Apparently, it''s rare, but there are some people who benefit in the holy areas more by doing groups rather than solo." Mr. Zack scratches the back of his head for a moment, looking a little sheepish. "I seem to fall into that category, too," he admits. "It''s possible this is true of most demigods, but not for those who aren''t. That would explain why it''s a rare thing. Nathan probably deals with it as well, they said that he used to take awhile to Level when he was new, too, but eventually turned into the beast that he is." Normar did? That is awesome.
(Gavin) "Wind Blade!" I call out as a Level 1 Copper Slime hops into the air in front of me. I swing my sword from the side, cutting into it and striking the core, the force of the attack pushing the slime to the side. Before my Skill fades, I pull my sword back and up, and cut down, striking into its core again. My third attack misses the core and cuts into the ground, but I manage to strike it again as it hops back up, then I slash upwards for a fifth connecting strike. I need to be fast, or the Skill will fade and my damage will drop again. Taking a step to the side, I strike the slime again, then step forward for a final strike, bringing my sword down and cutting into the core a final time. When I do, the ooze falls off of the core, which falls to the ground. There are seven cuts from my attacks in it, and I take a moment to catch my breath.
+1 copper!
More money. At least we already knew it would grant us money for killing and that it is not normal for that. I send a prayer to the Crystals, thanking them for my survival again. Then I give a silent thanks to Luca for his healing, though I know that Zack was probably the reason it was delayed so long. I was confident I was going to die, but that Heal came just before the slime attacked me. This has happened several times in the last couple of hours. And now, I''m exhausted and want to take a break. So far, I have killed eight Level 1 Copper Slimes, seven of which were successfully killed with the assistance of Wind Blade. It''s net me around sixty percent of the Experience needed for Level 4, though. I''ve been struggling a lot, especially at the beginning, which might be why. This kill definitely earned me less than the previous ones by several percent. Zack explained that even though this is technically a Mystic Knight Skill, all sword Skills will affect the regular Knight Class''s Experience gains with a small increase for using them. So I''m grateful for that. I just wish we could take a break, but the money slimes have a high spawn rate and Zack seems inclined on having us wear ourselves to the point of exhaustion against what amounts to a horde of slimes that we cannot hope to defeat. Just as I ready for another slime, Zack suddenly appears between me and it, kicking the thing to the side. Literally. It flies hundreds of feet before landing, and Zack shakes off his boots before looking at me. "Break time," he says. "Join Luca at the rocks, everyone''s taking sixteen to rest up before returning to training. I''ve made sure the monsters will stay clear of it." I nod, then walk with him back to the rocks, Max and Braden already on their way over. I''m not sure I want to know how he ensured the monsters will leave us alone during our break, but it''s useful.
+1 Intellect
Another Stat gain! I already increased my Willpower, probably because of the attacks from the money slimes, and my Wisdom, no doubt from using so much Mana. My Intellect increasing was only a matter of time. Did Zack know this training would be more beneficial than the training we had individually? "That training," Zack tells me, and I remember that he can apparently read the minds of those standing close to him. "Was not intended on gaining Levels, but developing your natural abilities and skills. Essentially, granting you a better foundation to this training. It was Nik''s idea." "Oh," I say. "Are you always reading minds? Or do you have to actively do it?" "It''s¡­ complicated," he frowns. "The closer someone is to me emotionally, the easier it is for me to accidentally end up in their head. For you, I need you to be within a few feet, but Luca and Max? I could still sense their thoughts when I went to you. I can shut it off, but it takes a lot of effort and mental concentration on my part. It''s something I''m still adjusting to, but it''s a power I''ve had pretty much all my life." I know he probably doesn''t mean ''all my life'' in the literal sense, since he cannot remember before the Boundary, but I know what he means. That probably isn''t even a force of habit from before he died and came to the Boundary, but something that stems from the fact that the Boundary is all his life, as far as he can remember. As far as any of us can remember. "Do you really think," I say. "That this training, for only a week or two, would enable us to fight not just goblins, but goblins in a Fallen City? Peter told me that they are considered Dungeon Monsters, and are thus more powerful than the ones of the same Level outside of them." "That is true," Zack nods. "I believe that, no more than two weeks from now, each of you will be powerful enough to handle a goblin in a Fallen City either individually or as a team. I will handle anything beyond your normal abilities. The purpose of that training will be to push you even harder as warriors, because that will give you more Experience and help increase your Skills better." "Oh," I say as we reach the rocks. "Okay." "Alright!" Zack claps his hands together. "Break time! Rest up, because you''re going right back to it, and we won''t be breaking until lunch unless it''s absolutely needed for something!" Chapter 0116 (Zack) "Why are you in here?" Big W asks. "You''re Gavin''s affiliation," I say. "And the one who the Dark Knights follow, Big W. I had a question for you." "How many others know you can do this?" He asks. "All of them," I answer. "Big Breeze, Big C, Big Flame, and Big S have all known for awhile. I''ve entered all but Big S''s on my own at least once. You''re the last one I''ve come to for this." He sighs, running his hand through his brown hair. Big W took on his avatar as soon as I appeared in here, and he''s just as adorable as the other Crystals. How could Alexander want to hurt them? They all look so innocent. Well, other than Big S. He''s a fucking dragon. While I might find that adorable, I can see why others might be more than a little intimidated. Then again, Alexander did try to kill him when he was a kid, and he was younger than the rest. He probably had the same type of adorable that Luca has now. "I had a question for you," I say. "I''m asking all of the Crystals this, since Big S told me what you guys were doing and has asked me to help with things." "A question?" He gives me a curious look. "Just one? Because of this?" "Yes," I nod. "Once all is said and done, and the Boundaries are released, what are your desires? What kind of life would you like to have? Or, well, afterlife." Big W plops himself onto the steps leading up to his, well, his actual body. After sighing, he looks at me. "I''d like to go back to how we were," he tells me. "Back to being children?" I ask. "No," he shakes his head. "Before we had to split our focus in a massive way. But I''d also not like to be outside of everything. I''d rather be there with everyone as I impart upon them quests and knowledge." Nine. For. Nine. Do they all seriously dream of this? "Why do you inquire?" Big W asks. "Just curious," I shrug. "The nine of you have been keeping a terrible evil at bay for, well, countless years. You''ve watched everyone you care for die, most of them against him. You were killed by him and his allies. I knew you all must have had dreams and hopes, and decided I''d listen to them, even if it''s not really something I can help you with. Truthfully, I was expecting a response like ''finally get to rest and be at peace'' or something." "Oh," he says, then shrugs. "Maybe one day, I would have liked that, but right now, I wish I wasn''t so distanced from everyone. I want to interact with people, to give them quests and knowledge once more. Mortals. It''s not really something we can do in the afterlife, though. Maybe I''ll rest for awhile, then reincarnate. Or just reincarnate." "Alright," I say. "Well, good luck, Big. W." "What did the others answer?" He asks. "I''m not sharing," I say. "You guys are free to share your own wishes with each other, but I''m not going to." "Okay," he says. "Goodbye, Big W," I say. "I''m heading back, now." "Goodbye, Zack," he says, and I bring myself back to my house. Going this way is much faster than going to the Dark Temples and warping that way. Luca just thinks I''m heading into the fields, but I''m really heading to the mines to obliterate monsters in another Monster Den several levels lower than the first one. My main focus was training my Skills up, though I did acquire a few more Levels. So did my team, through the training I put them through in the last week. Braden reached Level 6 of Hunter, the Tier 2 Ranger Class. He had a slight advantage, though, since he had trained his Mana and Intellect during the week of training in a pretty heavy way. He killed a lot of Slimes using Power Shot. Max reached Level 1 of Adept Elementalist, placing him as the second-highest Level of the four. He would be higher, but his hyperactivity and tendency to just run around and goof around hindered him. Honestly, he probably could have made it to Tier 3 if put in the actual effort and stopped doing Fireball fury so much. If you can kill something with two hits, don''t do fifteen. Gavin made it to Level 8 Holy Squire, and with a Level 3 Wind Blade and 31 Strength, he can manage to kill a Level 1 Copper Slime in only one or two hits, so he worked on Level 2 and Level 3. He somehow figured out how to tell their Levels without Appraisal, which is impressive for someone with only 5 Perception. Luca finally reached Level 5 Novice yesterday, which is still advanced. Having him do group and spam healing and buffs really did work wonders for his Experience, though it did, naturally, slow down, as do all things. Because everyone has reached Level 5, I will be taking them to Talorn tomorrow to begin their heavier training. Today, however, they will be shopping for new gear. Since they began hunting the slimes, I prevented them from using the money dropped. It''s more than most people where they are would earn in a week before factoring in costs such as food and other necessities. Before all of that, though, I''m hungry. First, I check on the others by expanding out my mind, and sense them all still asleep. Then, I pull that back in, partly because I think Max is dreaming about chasing rats and Luca''s dreams are¡­ well, it''s Luca, so I''m not sure what they are. Pushing that from my mind, I walk into the kitchen and begin preparing breakfast. I can''t actually see their dreams yet ¨C I''m not sure how to work that part of my psychic powers ¨C but I can tell what their dreams are doing to them emotionally, much in the same way I can tell someone''s emotions normally. Not that this power will be useful in a year from now, since the war will end. Who are the brothers of the vision? As the stove heats up, I try to see them again. Bryce and I are training against each other in the yard of the house, and I try to push that away to see who the brothers really are, I''m taken to Kaelmar. There, I see Bryce as a Fallen Adventurer, dressed in the same black-and-red armor he was in before, only¡­ his skin isn''t ashen. No, he''s not a Fallen Adventurer, he''s- Fucking hell! Psychic powers, will you work properly for this? Please? Let me know who the fuck the brothers are! Bryce is dead. D-E-A-D! Dead, dead, dead! He''s dead, and it''s far too late for Resurrection to be used on him! He isn''t in that safe space of Big Breeze''s anymore! He''s gone on to the heavens! He can''t be brought back, so stop using him and me because we interfere! Why can''t I be powerful enough to overrule my own interference? Is it really not meant for me to know who the brothers of the prophecy are? Letting out a frustrated groan, I cancel my power and start frying the bacon and cooking the eggs and sausages. Max makes it down here first, and I have to throw him out of the kitchen because he''s drooling so much. He takes a seat at the table and starts playing cards with Luca, who uses his usual cheat method. It''s pretty efficient against Max and Gavin, though Braden makes it a little harder for Luca to cheat properly, since Braden seems to randomly pick his cards. And that''s coming from the person who has literally read Braden''s thoughts as the boy played. Three nights in a row. He really does seem to pick cards are random to call out. And targets. When I finish breakfast, I set it out and we all eat. Gavin and Max wash the dishes and put them away when we finish, then I have everyone gather. They''ve already figured out today is different, since they woke to breakfast. "Alright, everyone," I say. "Today, I have some business. What I want you four to do is upgrade your equipment today. You have all day to do this, but there are some ground rules. No leaving Maelnor to grind out more money, you''re only buying what you can afford right now. It will be better than most your ages and Levels and time in the Boundary can afford. "No giving Luca money because he didn''t earn any from kills or something," I continue, and the aforementioned brat pouts. "He''ll try to act pitiful and pathetic to get some, but he''s just scamming you. He actually has more money than you, Gavin. No shopping together, this is a solo exercise. No buying food or clothes or other such supplies for the trip, I''m already stocked, and have already made sure the clothes I bought have been laundered."Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The beastborn who serve the Dark Knights were excited to wash them for me, and it was something I hadn''t intended on. I was going to do it myself and made the mistake of mentioning it to Gold, who mentioned it to the others, who pushed him to let me let them do it. "No buying potions," I continue. "If you actually need any while we''re out, then the training is wrong and we''ll be leaving. Using potions decreases the rate at which you gain Vitality and Wisdom, as you don''t recover the associated resources on your own that way. If emergency healing is needed, I can perform it. Same with emergency Mana recovery." "How?" Gavin frowns. "Through the Transfer Mana Skill," I answer. "So again, don''t buy any potions. Luca''s healing should be enough, and I''ll deal with what isn''t. And again, Luca has money, so don''t give in to the pitiful looks he''ll probably give all of you." If my estimates are correct, he still has sixteen silver left from when I gave him and his brother a gold each, based on what he said they bought. That''s around what Gavin and Braden have, each. All three are substantially lower than Max on funds, but I don''t think Max really realizes it. Or will use his money wisely. "While you guys are taking care of that," I say. "There are a few things I''ll be handling as well, so don''t worry if I''m not home when you return." After making sure they are absolutely aware not to give Luca any money, I send them off, then make my way to the rogues'' place. Samantha is overseeing the training of her students, but I don''t see Kylie here, so I walk over to the trainer herself. "She hit her first period during the night," Samantha tells me, and I frown, not sure what that has to do with training. "Her cramps are bad, and she can''t train during it right now. She''s resting in her room with a warming stone to help soothe the cramps." "Oh," I guess it''s not like the movies, where they can just power through the cramps and still do everything normally. "Is there something special about the first period?" "They''re often worse than they usually will be," she tells me. "Oh," I say. "I''m going to go check on her." She nods and returns to instructing her students in proper knife techniques as I make my way to the bedrooms. Kylie''s in hers, resting on her bed with a cylindrical rock enchanted for warmth clutched to her stomach. Hm. Must be something used for this purpose, since that''s not one of the standard warming rocks. Would it work for drying clothes faster? "Hey, Zack," she looks at me. "Hey, Kylie," I pull out a box of chocolates and set them beside her. "Here''s a box of chocolate." "Is that from when you fought the Love Lord?" "Yeah." She snorts. "Feel better," I tell her. "Thanks," she smiles. "How are you?" "I''m okay," I answer. "I just wanted to let you know that the team and I are heading to Talorn tomorrow, and we''ll be there for a week. So if you stop by, we won''t be there." "Got it," she tells me. "Thanks, Zack." "You''re welcome," I tell her. "I''m heading out, I''ve got some pre-trip prep to do. See you when we get back." "See you," she says. I leave, making my way to the Dark Temple. There, I use the sigil to travel to Talorn. Both of the remaining powerful Bounty Beasts are dead, slayed over the last week. I did a little bit of cleanup, to prepare for this trip. There are no more Bounty Beasts, and no more Elite Monsters. Only a Class 5 Fallen Adventurer remains of the high-powered beasts within this land. From the Dark Temple, I make sure my equipped weapons are Zack''s Blood weapons and not the Primordial Holy weapons I had forged for when I''m a paladin. With that verified, I send my tunic into my inventory and make my way towards the center of the Fallen City, where the last remaining Fallen Adventurer awaits. She was probably in her twenties, maybe thirties, in appearance when she died, and she wields a sword, dirty, but decent, armor on her. Only a single wound is on her form, a light cut on the inside of her right arm. "Demon Form," I trigger it, feeling my tail sprout out from above my ass, my wings forming in the gaps designed for them in my armor. "Blessing of Might." "Lightning Blade," her gravely voice is oddly melodic for a Fallen Adventurer. "Dash." She soars towards me, her blade coated in lightning, and I step out of the way with a Dash of my own, bringing Zack''s Blood up to block her strike. Sparks dance off her blade as our swords connect, and I feel myself pushed back a little. She spins, her sword still charged with the power of lightning as she aims at my neck. "Counterstrike!" Our swords clash and I feel my body move with the Skill''s effect, allowing me to jab at the unprotected section of her arm. The Fallen Adventurer deflects my blade with her knife and I growl and active my Aura of Darkness, striking at her with the spade-like tip of my tail, triggering another Skill available to Demons, one I''ve avoided using so far. "Strike of Darkness! Demon Sting!" My tail pierces between two pieces of her arm guard, a trio of notices popping up as it does, the last of them confirming it took effect while the first is just a damage notification, which I dismiss quickly so I can glance at the other two.
New Skill!
Demon Sting Active
Using your Demon Tail, infect an enemy with a demonic blight with double effect to any unholy creature.
Damage: 0.001% Maximum Health per second per Level of this Skill
Regeneration Reduction: 10% per Level of this Skill
Cost: 2,500 Mana
You have struck a target with a Demon Sting. They better find a fucking Angel!
I don''t have time to do much more than dismiss those messages, as she attempts to cut off my tail, so I pull it back. I''m definitely not inclined to let that happen! As my tail pulls back, I slash with my sword again, and she deflects the attack. "Venom Blade," she says. Instead of the effect taking hold on her sword, it coats her knife in a sickly green hue. "Sorry, bitch!" I flap my wings, flying back and up, dropping marbles as I go and stop my Aura of Darkness. With my flight speed, I''m far faster than her, and am out of her reach in moments. She tries throwing her knife at me, and while it''s fast, my Blessing of Might has increased my Agility enough that I can easily slap it aside with my own sword, them I''m too far out of reach for her, on my way back to the Dark Temple. I land on the flame sigil out front and sheathe my sword, then roll my shoulders before walking into the Dark Temple as I hear a series of explosions. No reason to head back yet. I feel a shudder in the fabric of the Boundaries, alerting me that this one has become stronger and more stable, that another is gone. How many are left? How many Boundaries are there, total? As I wait for Demon Form to end, I ponder on that, then once it''s over, I take off my armor to pull my tunic back on. I pull my armor back on, then make my way out front and step onto the sigil. With the marbles that blew up, her Health probably dropped a little bit more, so she will ¨C hopefully ¨C be dead by the time I bring my team here tomorrow morning. If not, it won''t be too much of a hassle. I doubt she''ll come out to where we''ll be camping to take revenge on me, and if she does, well, it''s nothing I won''t be able to handle. From what the Available Demon Skills information said, Demon Sting stacks. Additively, but it still stacks. What''s more, it isn''t just something that leeches away Health while affecting regeneration ¨C normally, that regen nerf wouldn''t really matter, as they would still heal more per second than it does ¨C but it also affects the actual body. It causes it to blister, burn, and decay. And Demon Sting can only be cured by a specific Skill from an Angel. So even though they''re technically healing at all times¡­ they aren''t. Technically, the Skill grows over time, adding on other afflictions as well. And what''s more, it''s regeneration effect becomes the effect of any other regeneration effect added onto the pierce if the other effect is stronger. In other words, using a Level 10 Strike of Darkness with it meant that the actual Regeneration Reduction was not 10%, but 100%. She won''t be healing at all. Unless she has a way to recover her Health such as through potions, she will be dead in less than twenty-eighty hours. Hopefully even fewer, if the Fallen Adventurer didn''t realize the marbles were anything but marbles. The Strike of Darkness did a decent bit of damage, too. Wait! Fallen Adventurers are unholy creatures, right? If so, then she''ll be dead in less than fourteen hours, since it does double to unholy things. So I''ll know today if everything worked as explained. I''d let Big S know to change that description of it to mention the full information, but with the unlikelihood anyone else will obtain the Skill before the end, I won''t bother with it. Unless¡­ nah, if what I think is true is true, then it won''t matter anyway. He''s smart enough to figure things out on his own. With everything here taken care of, I head back to Maelnor, then make my way to my house. The team is still out, so I just relax and play marbles with Aurum, a bit bummed that I used up around fifty on the Fallen Adventurer. Getting the enchanted for explosions wasn''t easy, either. Well, they weren''t exactly enchanted, it was more like they were coated in a liquid that hardened around them. An incredibly volatile potion, it was only because of my special Inventory that I was able to transport them. They would''ve expired in my Inventory if I used the regular one. Once it hardens, it only has a few minutes before it explodes. It took me an hour to talk Blaine into making it once I realized it would work for my plan. Cleaning the equipment after making it is apparently a giant pain in the ass. Whatever. It worked. Hopefully. When my team finally returns, it''s evening, and I assess their purchases. Max just snacked all day, eating as many sweets as he could. That¡­ doesn''t actually surprise me. Luca bought himself a white leather vest to go over his tunic and a pair of white leather bracers for his wrists, along with a pair of white gloves with blue trim. Gavin bought himself a breastplate and some metal bracers to go with it, which took up nearly all of his money. Braden bought himself some light, leather rogues'' armor. Rather than for maximum protection, they protect certain vital areas while providing full range of movement and mobility. Like my own armor. I''m so proud of my team. Is this how Nik feels whenever I get a lot better out of nowhere? Chapter 0117 (Luca) Warp time! Okay, not quite yet, everyone else is still checking their gear to make sure they''re ready. Mr. Zack told us that there is a good chance we will be fighting soon after arriving in Talorn, so he wants to make sure we are all ready. Right now, we''re standing on the flame sigil in front of the Dark Temple in Maelnor, and there''s a crowd of beastborn at the bottom of the steps. They''ve multiplied. There are, like, fifty of them now, and they''re all waving to Mr. Zack. They really, really like him, and he''s just being cool about it. That, or thinking about Kylie. I bet he''s doing the latter and being Mr. Oblivious instead of Mr. Zack. I yelp when something whacks the back of my head. "I''m not being oblivious," Mr. Zack tells me, and I smile at him. "Stop being a goof, Luca. But don''t change." That makes no sense. Mr. Zack smiles back. "Everyone ready?" He asks the others, and they all nod. "Then let''s be off. Gold! Can you tell the crowd that they don''t need to see me off every time I leave?" I look around for Gold, who suddenly appears in front of the group, giving Mr. Zack two thumbs up. And Mr. Zack called me the goof. "Alright!" Mr. Zack says. "Let''s go!" A moment later, we''re standing in the ruins of Talorn, and when I look down the steps up to us, I find a section of the ground charred. A really, really big section of the ground. I find myself clutch Mr. Zack''s jacket and pulling myself against him. This is where A''Lutar killed my brother, and that scorch mark¡­ that was him, wasn''t it? "What was that?" Gavin points at the scorch marks. "The death of the beast that killed Luca''s brother," Mr. Zack answers. "Its corpse was burned with powerful fires. The damage will be repaired when the City Barrier is restored." "How will that happen?" Gavin asks. "Peter said that no one knows how to do that." "I have a theory," Mr. Zack scratches the back of his head. "But I can wait to test it until after you guys get some training in here. It''ll cause the monsters to weaken, and they won''t be able to spawn here anymore. Since recovering the Fallen Cities isn''t too important, it won''t matter much, anyway. So I''m not going to put it to the test just yet." "I think," Gavin says. "That everyone, including the Crystals, would differ in opinions with you on that." "Actually," Mr. Zack says. "Preparing for the upcoming battle for Talorn and for Naelmar Valley is more important. So no, it''s not all that important." There''s some other reason, isn''t there? "There," Mr. Zack points at a Level 1 goblin that just wandered into the plaza the temple rests at the edge of. "Is a Level 1 Dungeon-type goblin. Max, Gavin, you two attack it. Max, remember to only casts Fireballs one at a time. No Fireball Fury. Keep calm. These are stronger than the slimes you''ve been fighting until now." "Yes, Boss!" Max salutes. "And work with Gavin." "Yes, Boss!" Gavin draws his sword, then assesses the situation while Max looks between the goblin and Gavin, confusion clear on his face. "How be work with Gavin-friend?" Max looks at Mr. Zack. "Gavin will attack with his sword," Mr. Zack says. "As you attack the goblin. Use more than just Fireballs if necessary, Max, and only use your spells, okay?" "Yes, Boss!" Max exclaims, his tail wagging as he looks at Gavin. "Gavin-friend, Max distract!" Max leaps off the steps, doing a flip in the air. "Waterball!" I don''t think that''s what Mr. Zack meant, Max. The ball of water splashes the goblin, which starts chattering at Max angrily. Max chatters something unintelligible back, shooting a Fireball at the creature. The fireball impacts, sending the thing staggering with some burnt flesh on its face and the arm it raised to block the attack. As the goblin is distracted by Max, Gavin charges down the steps, jumping when he draws near and bringing his sword down on the goblin, which barely manages to raise an arm in time to stop the attack. Gavin''s sword still cuts into the arm a little bit, and I realize that Mr. Zack is saying something to Braden, who nods, then raises his bow, but doesn''t pull the string. I want to see those cool arrows of his! The goblin punches at Gavin, who steps back to avoid it, Max attacking with a Stone Spike that pierces into the goblin''s leg a little. The goblin says something angrily and stops its foot, and the Stone Spike falls out. "Piercing Shot," I hear Braden say softly, then I hear the twang of his bowstring releasing. A green arrow flies through the air really fast, but the goblin somehow manages to avoid letting it pierce its left eye, the arrow grazing its head, causing it to bleed a little. Max hits the goblin with a trio of fireballs as he runs to the side, and Gavin slashes at the goblin from the side, cutting into it. The goblin twists and punches at Gavin, and I realize it''s trying to claw at his arms. I should probably be closer, shouldn''t I? Just in case they need healing? Gavin takes damage, and I start making my way down the steps. Mr. Zack doesn''t stop me, so I assume it''s okay and get into range so that I can use Heal as soon as necessary. As Gavin attacks with his sword again, the goblin pulls out a knife from¡­ I''m not sure where, actually, and ducks under the sword, coming up close and stabbing Gavin in a gap in his armor on his right leg, taking out a fair bit of his Health. "Bad gobby!" Max exclaims. "Fireball Fury!" The goblin lurches out of the way, and Gavin rolls out of the way of the attack, groaning as he agitates the wound. Heal! Heal! Heal!
+30 Health to your Target!
+30 Health to your Target!
+30 Health to your Target!
Gavin groans a bit as he yanks the knife out, and I heal him again as the goblin does its best to avoid Max''s Fireball Fury while trying to get them to hit Gavin instead. I want to get mad at Max for not being careful, only to realize that his attacks are missing Gavin, even when the warrior stops moving because of the knife wound. I use Heal again, and the wound closes up.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Thanks!" He tells me. "Max! Stop wasting your Mana!" "Bad gobby!" Max stops casting Fireball Fury, but that''s only natural, since he ran out of Mana. Bad Max! As Gavin prepares to charge the goblin again, it lunges for its knife, and an arrow of green magic strikes its hand, another quickly striking the knife and sending it spinning. Max races after the knife and kicks it further away, before kicking the goblin in the stomach, his hands on the ground. Gavin attacks the goblin, his sword cutting into its side before it can evade it again, and he draws a little more blood.
(Gavin) Once the goblin is dead, I lean forward, resting my hands on my knees as I catch my breath, unable to even clean my sword and sheathe it because of the exhaustion and pain I''m in.
+30 Health!
+30 Health!
"Thanks," I look over at Luca, who just nods and begins using Heal on Max. Once we recover, we gather at the base of the steps, where Zack and Braden were waiting for us. Even Braden couldn''t get a critical hit on the goblin here. Is this really the difference between a slime, a goblin, and a Dungeon-type goblin? Zack told us it was only Level 1, too, and he said I could probably handle Level 1 goblins on my own. "Are we," I say to him. "Going to be facing stuff that hard the entire time we''re here?" "No," he answers. "There are slimes and rats as well, and most of the monsters here are tougher than that. Fortunately for all of you, there isn''t a single Fallen Adventurer, Elite Monster, or Bounty Beast left in Talorn at the moment. They were cleared out over the last week, while we were training. The ones remaining, at any rate. The Fallen Hunters, a team of powerful Dark Knights and Paladins who specifically hunt Fallen Adventurers, came through before you guys showed up to kill all of the Fallen Adventurers here except the strongest. That was attacked by someone else yesterday, who inflicted a curse upon it that killed it over time. It died yesterday afternoon." "Okay," I say. "That fight was tough. Do you seriously expect us to be able to manage to train here if it''s probably one of the weaker things we''ll encounter? You can''t expect us to believe we''ll be able to avoid goblins." "You won''t," Zack confirms. "But that''s the point. To grow stronger more rapidly than before, you will need more powerful foes. I will ensure that you only face things that you actually have a chance against, even if it pushes you." "But-" "How much Experience did you acquire for Squire?" He asks. "Seventy-five percent," I answer. "But-" "Exactly," he says. "From a single Level 1 Goblin, you acquired three-quarters of the Experience needed to reach Level 9 from Level 8. How many of the money slimes would that have taken you, working alone?" "Probably fifty to one hundred," I admit. "Exactly," he says. "Exactly, exactly, exactly." "But if that''s what is weak," I say. "Then how do you expect us to manage?" "Because," he says. "I will ensure you aren''t faced with anything that the four of you, combined, cannot handle. I am strong enough for that." "How do we know that?" I ask. "You''ve said you''re stronger than us, and we know that, but we don''t know how much stronger you really are, even if others respect your strength, Zack. How can we trust that you can actually protect us in this unknown area with monsters where among the weakest of them, without any form of Class or additional Level, can push us badly enough we''re exhausted just killing one of them? I want to trust you, Zack, and I know everyone says you assess the situation against your and our abilities, but-" "But you don''t have proof of that," Zack says. "You have never seen it before. You have faith in the Crystals, yes?" "I have been in the presence of one of them," I tell him. "And could feel his otherworldly power, his sacredness. I can sense without a doubt that they are what they are. That is something I know for sure in my soul." Zack thinks for a few moments, then nods. "Come with me," he says. "There''s a nest of Spook Goblins living near here." "Spook Goblins?" I ask. "Yes," he begins walking. "They''re a Special-Type monster that appears later in the year, preceding the arrival of the Spook Master, a powerful monster that is actually rather easy to kill if you get lucky and know the trick." If you get lucky makes it obvious it''s not that easy to kill, Zack. He leads us a few blocks away, and as he does, I realize that, despite the word that this Fallen City is teeming with monsters, we aren''t really seeing any. Then we reach another plaza, where around twenty goblins wearing black and orange masks are. Several of them have staffs, and several have swords or knives. Zack produces a thick book from his Inventory. "Luca," Zack hands it to the little healer, who struggles with its weight, so I take it. "Show them the page on these things." Zack walks forward, stretching. Luca opens the book up, and I realize that it''s a journal on the different types of goblins, their strengths, weaknesses, and habits. The Spook Goblins are watching Zack, who''s stopped walking, but is still stretching, as if he''s not facing twenty Dungeon-type goblins all at once. Luca reaches the page on Spook Goblins (Dungeon), and I nearly drop the book at the listed estimated stats of them. I don''t think I would be able to put enough power into a strike to hurt even the magic-based ones at Level 1. Maybe with another Level or two, but definitely not right now. Zack cracks his neck simply by snapping it to either side without even using his hands, then he moves his right foot back, only his toes touching the ground, his knees bent and body tilted forward. A moment later, and he''s lunging forward. One of the casters creates a Barrier as two others throw Fireballs at him, and Zack just ignores the Fireballs, allowing them to strike his armor, which absorbs them. He punches the Barrier, breaking it, and I stare at that in shock. According to this manual, a Level 1 Spook Goblin caster''s Barrier would have a resistance of around one-fifty or so. Zack reaches the first goblin, and instead of using his sword or knife, he just punches it, sending it flying across the plaza with the force of the attack. He kicks out with his right foot, catching another Spook Goblin, and one of the casters does something with its staff, sending tendrils of darkness at Zack. He ignores them, even as they wrap around his boots. The manual reveals that to be Binding Darkness, also a Skill used by Dark Knights and Blood Priests, and it''s meant to bind the target in place. Based on the tendrils reaching up to his thighs before being absorbed by his armor, that caster was at least Level 3. Two of the sword-wielding Spook Goblins charge Zack from behind, but he just spins, punching both in their guts, their necks, their heads, before stepping between them and snapping their necks. The rest of the fight goes similarly easily, and when he finishes, all twenty or so goblins dead, he just casually starts looting them. We approach him as Braden and I look at the information in the book again. He easily killed things that are decently stronger than us by far. "The first time I fought a Spook Goblin," Zack tells us as he loots the corpses. "I was Level 5, it was a regular one, all it had was a club, and it was Level 1. I am sure you could handle one of those, Gavin. Did you check out the pages on these?" "Y-yes," I hand him the tome back, and he returns it to his Inventory. "Just how strong are you? What''s your Strength? You punched through that Barrier like it was nothing, so you have at least 150 Strength, maybe even 200." "It''s a little bit higher than that," he tells me. "Even a Level 10 Goblin Chieftain or Level 10 Special-Type goblin wouldn''t be a problem for me here. It would take a decent-sized group of those to make me struggle, and they won''t gather like that. It''s not in their nature." "Oh," I say. "So," he says. "Do you see now why I am confident I can prevent you guys from facing anything you truly cannot beat?" "Yes," I answer. "I apologize for doubting you." "It''s understandable," he smiles, then whoops. "Five marbles!" What is his obsession with marbles? He adds them to his Inventory, then moves on to the next goblin. "By the way," he says. "If you missed it in the tome, goblin masks are actually a part of them, so if you try to remove them, it comes off bloody. You''re basically cutting off a part of their face." Gross. "But," he gives me an amused look. "You can sell them for a few copper." Not worth it. Zack finishes looting the goblins, then stands and looks at us. "So," he says. "Do you trust me on this now?" "Yes," I say, and Braden nods. "Max always trust Boss!" Max happily informs him, though the question probably wasn''t aimed at him or Luca, who also trusts Zack unconditionally. "Okay," Zack says. "Then let''s get moving to avoid the goblins incoming. I do want to leave stronger ones around for you guys once you''ve taken care of weaker beasties here and gained a few more Levels." He turns and walks away, and we follow as I think over what he would need to reach that much Strength. To reach that, he definitely has at least two Classes, maybe even three. He favors the sword from what I can see and is definitely warrior-based, so he probably has, in addition to Dark Knight, Knight and one other warrior Class. I do remember mention of a spear being forged for him, so maybe Spearman, or whatever it is? That would put him at no less than Level 50, but he''s probably closer to Level 70 or Level 80 if he has ''a bit'' more than 200 Strength. Just how much training has he done in the six months or so since he arrived to reach such a high Level? Chapter 0118 (Braden) As Zack leads us to where we will be setting up camp for our stay here, I keep my eyes alert for any threats. Zack is being extremely subtle about deterring most things from coming our way, but following up from the rear while paying attention, I notice the glares he''s giving out. He''s using Intimidate on all the monsters drawing near us so we can reach our temporary place of stay and set up early. It''s subtle, and I think that only Luca might have caught on so far out of the other three. Gavin is a lot more oblivious than he thinks, and Max is Max. "Boss!" Max whines a few more minutes into the walk. "Stop scare all rats away! Me want play and eat!" Oh, so Max noticed. "How is Zack scaring everything away?" Gavin asks in confusion. Yeah. Oblivious. "Boss be glare!" Max nods. "Give monsters look that say ''go away!'' Then, monsters be go away, because Boss be use Intimidate. Using. Stronger Willpower than beasties, so beasties get scared and go away ''cause they be scared by Boss Intimidate. Boss''s. That be right, right?" "Yes," Zack says. "It''s ''Boss''s''. And if you call me ''Zack'' like I tell you to, it would be ''Zack''s''." "Boss name be ''Zack''," Max tells Zack pointedly. "But Boss be Boss, so Max be call Boss ''Boss''. Calling. Max hungry, Boss! Stop scare all rats away! Me want chase and catch and eat!" "We''re almost there," Zack gives Max an amused look. "You can eat something proper when we arrive." Max pouts, then pulls a dead rat out of his Inventory and starts munching on it. He keeps a few of them in there just in case, but prefers them fresh. I suppose he really was hungry. Just as Max finsihes the rat, tossing the last of the bones to the side and licking his hands clean, Zack walks into the yard of a house that looks like it might still have a roof. There are a few goblins in the yard, and several more inside the building. "I''ve already set up the purification runes on all of the water sources," he informs us, reaching behind him and gripping the hilt of the sword. "So we won''t have to worry about that. That said¡­ IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIVES, LITTLE SHITS, YOU WILL LEAVE THIS PROPERTY AT ONCE!" He yelled that in a frightening, deep voice, and just hearing it has frozen me still. All of the goblins on the property are frozen as well, then they start scrambling out of the property. Luca lets out a sigh of relief, and I manage to free myself from that paralysis.
+1 Willpower!
Oh, cool. "Last time Mr. Zack used that near me," Luca whispers to us. "It wasn''t that gentle, and he wasn''t trying to scare us." "I''m sorry about that," Zack gives Luca an apologetic look. "I didn''t realize that it would affect you that badly from behind, or I wouldn''t have put as much power into that." "I forgave you already," Luca tells him. "Just please don''t do that again. You made me pee myself." "I did?" Zack sniffs while looking down, then shakes his head and meets Luca''s gaze again. "You meant back then. Again, Luca, I''m sorry." "And again," Luca responds. "I forgave you for that." Zack can do it frighteningly enough to make people pee themselves? Just what was that voice? "Alright!" Zack claps his hands. "Anything you don''t want goblins stealing while we''re not here, keep in your Inventories or give to me to put into mine. They''ll leave us alone at night. If they don''t, I''ll handle them unless it''s something you can handle. Max, Gavin, you two make lunch. Braden, Luca, you two make sure the goblins took their crap with them. If they didn''t, just toss it out or keep it in your Inventory." "What are you going to do?" Gavin asks as Zack sits at the table in the yard. Some of these houses still have the tables, which I find impressive. Did Zack bring this one here, or was it already at this house when he found it? "I''m going to meditate, talk with the Crystals, and look at some stuff," he answers, his eyes turning violet. "Don''t bother me." "Come on," I tell Luca, who nods and follows me into the house. We check the rooms, and find a few things that very obviously belonged to the goblins, such as wooden clubs, rusty weapons, and rusty shields. A few loincloths, too. We take everything a few houses down and drop them off there, aware that Zack is keeping an eye on us. "Luca," I say as we make the last trip with the goblins'' stuff, and he gives me a curious look. "Did Zack really make you pee with that voice?" "Yes," he blushes. "He did it to prove a point to my brother and me." The original Braden. How does Luca feel about having another Braden here, after his brother of the same name died? "A point?" I ask. "My brother was probably worse than Gavin when it came to Mr. Zack," Luca nods. "Mr. Zack just wanted to help him grow and be tough, and my brother kept butting heads with him. It only made Mr. Zack like him less." He grips his staff tighter and grabs the front of his robe with his free hand, the knuckles on both turning white as he looks down, tears welling up in his eyes. "My brother," he continues. "He wanted to know why no one would bother us in those fields. Did you notice that?" "I did," I nod. No one ever comes out there. Well, some of the Dark Knights do from time to time, probably to watch us since that''s all they do, but other than that, we''re left alone. "It''s because they''re where a Dark Knight trains," Luca tells me. "My brother wouldn''t take that as an answer, so Mr. Zack, he-he roared using that voice. We were behind him, and the power of it made us both pee ourselves while freezing up. Mr. Normar did something to free us from the paralysis, it was so strong. We were still shaken up by it that night. What he did here¡­ that was nothing. I think-I think Mr. Zack might be able to actually kill with that voice." Death by fear. Or as they say, ''scared to death''. As they say? Where did that come from? Probably from before I died, I suppose. Is that something that can happen? Maybe, I guess. I should ask Luca the question I really want to know. Not doing it is making it hard for me to think clearly. "Luca," I say. "Are you¡­ okay with me?" "Mr. Zack trusts you," he nods, his grip loosening. "N-no," I say. "I mean¡­ with me. I have the same name as your brother, and so I was wondering¡­" I trail off, and Luca looks away from me, but I can see his grip tightening again, his knuckles turning white once more. "Every time I hear your name," his voice is barely above a whisper. "Every time someone calls it, I think for a moment ''he''s here?'' Then I get reminded that he''s not. It''s awful. Mr. Zack¡­ he almost kicked you out because of that. He doesn''t want me being upset. I talked him out of it." Zack would have kicked me out to keep Luca happy? I guess that makes sense, after what Luca revealed to us about Zack feeling guilty. Why does he feel like the weight of the Boundary is on his shoulders, though? I sense something nearby and quickly have my bow in my hands, ready to fire an arrow. It seems I reacted just in time, as I''m able to jump in front of Luca and smack the spike out of the way with my bow.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. That did not look like stone, and the slime is a Level 3 Chocolate Slime. Another Specialty Slime, it looks like. I fire several Piercing Shot arrows at it as it launches more of those¡­ chocolate spikes at me. While I manage to avoid four of its shots, another succeeds in piercing my leg.
-43 Health!
+30 Health!
"Thanks, Luca," I fire off two more arrows, one of which misses, the other of which strikes the core of the slime. I''m not dealing any damage to this thing. My Magic Arrow only takes out 7 Health at the moment, before factoring in their Willpower, which negates it completely. Why has Zack not come to the rescue yet?
(Max) Me want to go help Braden-friend and Luca-friend, but Boss tell Gavin-friend and Max stay here and not. So we be stay here for now, even though Max not think Braden-friend can kill it. Luca-friend definitely not able to kill Chocy Slimy. Max stomach rumble at thought of chocolate. Me be hungry. Give Boss pleading look. "You''re already eating," Boss say. "Keep going. They''ll be fine." Max not that sure. Braden no have enough magic hurt something like Chocy Slimy. It be too strong. Max be able to, me think. They keep going, but not be able hurt it. Why Boss be so mean to them? Luca-friend nearly run out of Mana. Max want go help them. Boooooss! "Gavin," Boss say. "Go help them." Gavin-friend jump to feet, then charge out of the yard and down the street to their aid. "Max," Boss look at me. Looks at me. He be looking at me. "That was to help Luca power up a little. As you noticed, he took a little bit of damage, as did Braden. Both of them will gain some Vitality, and Luca will no doubt acquire some more Endurance and Intellect from that." Max give Boss stern look. Gavin-friend not be strong enough help, either. "I know," Boss takes bite of steak. "You aren''t, either, unless Luca buffs you, and you''d only take out 1 Health or so per hit. It''s a Level 3 Chocolate Slime, after all." Boss make Max stay behind, so me eat instead. Makes. Boss makes Max stay behind. But me really want go help. Me be able to, Boss! When Gavin-friend start be exhausted, too, Boss tell Max that me be able to go and help the others, so me scamper off the bench and out of the yard to go help.
(Zack) I watch as the team tries to kill the Chocolate Slime, even though they know they cannot. They could all just come back here, but they''re trying anyway. At least they''re surviving, I want this to be a lesson to them. The slime was watching Braden and Luca for almost five minutes before Braden turned to face it. Observe surroundings is the first lesson, and while Braden is good, when he focuses on something, he seems to lower his awareness of his surroundings. The other lesson for this is to get the fuck away from it if you can''t kill it and can escape. Seriously. I''m not training morons here, but they aren''t using their brains for this. Sure, the thing can fire at them, but have they fought a slime so far that could chase them as fast as they can run? No. No, they have not. Why? Because Slimes have what amounts to around 5 Agility. They. Are. Slow. Well, there are some faster, but those are higher-Level, and only in the normal slimes. Any Special-Type slime will be locked into lower Agility amounts, sort of as a balance to their power. Not everything has that, but slimes are weaker monsters. Among the weakest of them all. Surprisingly, the quartet manage to last for half an hour before I have to step in and actually kill the thing, all of them in critical Health levels. So I summon a Fireball and toss it over, incinerating the thing instantly. Gavin checks on Luca after giving me a glare, and I approach them while Braden pokes Max a few times. "You can all recover your Health normally," I say. "Gavin, Luca, neither of you are to use Heal. Braden, Max, don''t try to learn it to recover once you have the Mana. It''ll take less than twenty minutes for your Health to restore to full, even if the injuries themselves remain behind without fully healing yet. "We were getting our butts kicked," Gavin glares at me again. "Why did you just watch us instead of help?" "I stepped in once you all needed the help," I say. "But like morons, none of you bothered attempting a retreat. Why didn''t you use your practical experience against the money slimes to think about whether or not that would work?" Luca and Braden both blush at that, averting their gaze, Gavin clenches his jaw, and Max makes an ''O'' with his mouth as he the thought of it crosses his mind. Then the thought of him strangling himself for being a moron. That''s¡­ an interesting way of handling that feeling, Max. "Come on," I say. "The food''s probably a little cold, but that''s what you get for not thinking about running from something significantly slower than you." "I only have 5 Agility," Gavin points out. "And who doesn''t actually put effort into running in the mornings?" I ask. "There''s a Skill called ''Dash'', I''m sure you''ve been told about it, Gavin. It costs 10 Mana. In addition, you have teammates who could have helped you escape, delaying the slime while you took off." "I would never abandon my team!" "It''s not abandoning if they''re creating an opening, then fleeing themselves without actual danger to themselves," I point out. "There is a large difference between abandoning your team and taking advantage of them allowing you to escape so you can survive because you''re the weakest link for escape in the situation. You can keep your morals and values, and hold to them, but at the same time still seem to violate them. This is one of those situations. You can''t help anyone if you''re dead. Braden could delay it, and Max could ¨C barely ¨C damage it if he had Luca''s Blessing of Intellect. That should have been all that was needed for you to return here, then they could have returned with Luca. Am I clear, everyone?" They all reluctantly accept that, then return with me to the house we''re temporarily staying at. "And remember," I tell them. "We don''t own this property, so our Health and Mana restore at the normal rate, not the accelerated one. Eat up, and don''t make a damn complaint about the food having gone cold. Consider it punishment for being idiots. I''ve trained you better than this, and mistakes like that can cost you your lives in a serious fight. You all want to participate in the big battle, yeah? Make use of your training while training. Let thinking like Adventurers become habit, not something you need to actively do. Am I clear?" They all nod. "Good," I tell them. "Now start eating." They begin eating the now-cold steaks Max and Gavin prepared, along with the now-cold rolls. The fruit was already cold, but it also wasn''t cooked. Hopefully, the next time they''re in such a situation, they think better. Otherwise, the Experience and Skill Levels they all got from that ''tough fight'' will have been earned for nothing, too. Please, Crystals and Big FD, please, please, please let them actually learn from this. That is part of why I''ve taken them here, to Talorn. I want them to think like they are in danger, even if they know they will be saved. Sitting back and watching my team eat, I think about my Paladin Class. It''s still only Holy Knight at the moment. Should I burn the Experience to boost it up to max Level? I was wanting to do that for Holy One, though. It takes 1,800% for a full Tier, since they start at Level 1 as soon as I hit them. Speaking of Experience¡­ it feels to me like my team is Leveling a little faster than they should, even with the difficulty increase here. Did the Crystals grant everyone in the Boundary an Experience Boost as preparation for this battle? If the war is ending within a year, then it would make sense they want to help guarantee the final battle is fought. Big Flame is being mysterious about something, but also giddy, and I know he has something planned. Then there is the secret project all of the Master Blacksmiths in Maelnor suddenly began working on today¡­ after several more came into the City over the last few days. I know one of the Crystals is behind that, too, considering my sight is blocked from seeing it. Something to ask them about, but probably not receive an answer for. I decide to project my thoughts about it to Big Flame, anyway. "Big Flame," I send my thoughts into his Sacred Temple, rather than entering it myself or speaking to him verbally. Hopefully, this works. "Can you hear me?" Yes, he responds. ''Sup? "Is there an Experience boost granted to all Adventurers in the Boundary?" I ask. "My team seems to be gaining a little bit of extra Experience than I expected them to be." Your team already gains at an advanced rate, he tells me. Which you already suspected to be the case. They all learn decently well, even for children, so their Experience is bolstered by that. Then you''re pitting them against much stronger foes they''ve dealt with before, and- "I''m the one who killed that one, Big Flame." "I wasn''t done," he sounds miffed by the interruption. "And part of the way Experience is designed is by how much struggle went into the fight plus how long it went for. If multiple people are participating heavily, and they are all struggling hard or barely doing anything to it, and the fight is extended, then even if someone else one-shots it, they''ll be boosted massively. Even for someone like Gavin and Braden, who could only knock it back rather than damage it. They gained no Class Experience, but they did raise a Skill or two up. The length of time thing is why you gained a significant amount of Demon Experience for killing the Class 5, actually." "It is?" I did notice that I earned more Experience for it than I had thought I would. "Correct," he answers. "Because the System counted the fact that it took hours for her to die from your attack, an active Skill you used on her that continued to affect her through the Skill itself, as it being a struggle, even though you''d stopped fighting hours before. It''s¡­ honestly one of the flaws in the System. You should''ve really just gained a much lower amount of Experience from that, but it was counted as hours of fighting. It should''ve been the same as if you''d cut off someone''s arm and they died from bleeding out." Bleed damage doesn''t count as part of the actual struggle or battle, and it makes sense that the Demon Sting''s effect shouldn''t have, either. I suppose that since it''s a ''rare'' Skill that''s never actually been used before, it would make sense there might be a glitch in the System. "I''m guessing Big S isn''t going to bother fixing that, considering what he told me?" He already has, actually, Big Flame informs me. Since Nik is probably going to Ascend soon, too. Hopefully. I know his ''hopefully'' is about him accepting the offer and not actually reaching Level 250. He''s pretty close, so if all else fails, he will hit it by the battle for the valley. "Got it," I tell Big Flame. "Thanks." No problem. Good luck with training them! "Thanks," I tell him, then look at my team. "After you finish eating, we''ll rest for a few minutes, then check your gear and prepare for another fight. We''ll be heading out in fifteen minutes." "Understood," Gavin says as Luca and Braden nod. "Yes, Boss!" Max happily salutes to me, then shoves another roll into his mouth. Chapter 0119 (Gavin) "Deflect!" I swing my sword, striking the Fireball. At Level 2 of Deflect, I still feel most of the force of the attack, so my sword is pushed back, but the goblin''s Fireball is thrown off into another direction. "You okay, Luca?" I ask while keeping my gaze on the goblin.
+38 Health!
I''ll take that as a ''yes'', then. "Max!" I call as the Goblin Shaman throws two more Fireballs at me in succession. I can''t stop both, and no matter which side I dodge to, one will hit me at the rate they''re flying. A pair of Waterballs come from my right, striking the Fireballs. While the attack didn''t completely neutralize them, it did weaken them enough I''m able to take the brunt of one with my arm, Luca remaining behind me as we move. I only lost a few points of Health to that. "Thanks!" "Bad gobby!" Max yells. "You no use Fireballs! That be my spell! Fireball!" At least he isn''t burning through his Mana and using Fireball Fury again. After that incident last night, he''s been a little more careful. The Goblin Shaman aims its staff at me again, now that I''m protecting Luca. It figured out that Luca was healing everyone and began targeting our healer. "Heal Slimes incoming," Braden''s voice reaches me from behind, but I don''t focus on it. He''s already moved on to another spot. I see him briefly passing by Max, probably alerting him as well, then the ranger raises his bow. "Magic Arrow, Piercing Shot, Multishot." A shimmering green arrow forms as he draws his bow, and when he fires, it splits into two. The Goblin Shaman turns, blocking the arrows with its staff, and Max takes the opportunity to throw a Fireball at it. "Spikes, Max!" I yell to him. "Use spikes, not balls! More penetration power!" Fireballs are better when impact damage over penetrating, and we need to disable its arms or legs, which makes Stone Spike or Wind Spike a better option. If we can cut through its muscles, it''ll help us greatly. "Rawr!" Max makes a face at me as the Goblin Shaman shifts its staff to point at the Fireball, a blue Barrier forming in its path. Braden, wherever he''s ended up, shoots another pair of arrows at the goblin, which turns its attention to stopping those as I charge forward. Max''s Fireball slams into the Barrier, which doesn''t waver in the slightest, and the Goblin Shaman turns its attention to me, using its staff to block my jab. One of Braden''s arrows skims its back, while the other slams into its arm. Braden can barely take out a few of its Health, but that''s the same for all of us. We''re relatively evenly-matched against this thing. But those Heal Slimes Braden alerted us to the arrival of, those will be a problem. I watch as Braden scrambles up the side of a building behind the Goblin Shaman, whose attention is still on me. I''ll need to move back in a moment, but for now, I have its attention. As long as it doesn''t hit me with another poison cloud, I should be fine. Our weapons locked together, the Goblin Shaman and I stare at each other as we try to overpower the other. Luca could give me another Blessing of Strength, but I know he''s saving his Mana for Heals and Cure Poisons right now. Even as I keep my attention on the Goblin Shaman, I spot the Heal Slimes, coming from a road to the right. White-gold, and not all that large. Level 3, maybe Level 4. I''m not looking over to see their information. Whichever they are, they''re definitely going to have enough Intellect to heal half of the Goblin Shaman''s Health with only a few restorations. "Me on it!" Max calls out before I can say something. Braden focuses on attacking the Heal Slimes as well, leaving me to deal with the Goblin Shaman. I should be able to manage a minute, maybe two by myself, so I''m not upset. The Heal Slimes are a priority for Adventurers, just as healers are for monsters. Zack would not have let the pair of them come here if he thought we would not be capable of handling them with this, so we should be fine, as long as we don''t screw up. "Gavin!" Luca calls out, and I realize the Goblin Shaman''s summoning another cloud of toxic gas. I did get distracted. Lord Light of Stone, please grant me strength, as I don''t have enough time to get away. What would Zack do? Probably just rip its head off with his bare hands. I can''t do that. An idea forms, and I put my right foot back, then push forward. "Dash!" The extra force causes the Goblin Shaman to stumble back a step, and as my momentum from the Dash carries me forward, I move to the side, so that I pass by the toxic cloud of gas.
You have been poisoned
-4 Health per second
Thank goodness it''s not much more than that, Luca can only cure poison effects up to 5 Health per second at the moment. I wasn''t hit by enough of the fog to do much more than that. Had it been more, he would have needed to use that Skill multiple times to keep reducing the Poison Damage. The last time I was poisoned, it even affected my regeneration.
You have been cured of poison.
"Thanks!" I call back as I pivot, swinging my sword at the goblin''s legs while it''s off-balanced. My blade cuts into the back of its legs only a little, taking out a little bit more of its Health. A moment later, a large chunk of its Health is restored. "BAD SLIMY!" Max yells. "FIREBALL FURY!" Too late to stop him, but at least it should take out one of the Slimes, and he isn''t just a magician. He''ll switch to using his knife now. The Goblin Shaman moves forward and turns back to face me, swinging its staff with a Fireball accompanying it. I start to react, but know I''m too slow and late on that. Before the Fireball impacts, however, a Barrier of pure-white magic appears in front of me, and the Fireball impacts it. The barrier breaks, but the Fireball isn''t powerful enough to keep going at the rate it had been, and I''m able to move out of its path. Since when are Barriers pure-white? Who cast that? As I run around to make my way back to Luca, I notice him looking exhausted. That''s right, his Heals use a pure-white glow instead of the golden-white of most people. Did he just cast a Barrier? When did he learn how to do them? Maybe that''s why he looks so exhausted. I return to in front of Luca, hoping those two finish fast. This fight has already gotten a lot longer just from that one successful heal they managed. How exhausted are we going to be after we finish this? Luca needs to conserve his Mana, so he can''t heal us every time our Health drops below what he can restore at full power. That really affects things, too, because it meas that we''re essentially on a timer. If Luca runs out of Mana, we have to wait for him to recover it, and that means time we could end up dead, even if it''s only a few seconds. For poisonings? Even worse. So he''s letting us run at under half of our Health to conserve his Mana. Enough for a few stronger hits from the Goblin Shaman. This one hasn''t done it yet, but the weaker one we fought yesterday could throw lightning. Just as I think that, sparks start dancing on the tip of this one''s staff. Lord Light of Stone, please let us win this soon. And please let us manage to survive that without too much damage. "Luca, get behind me and take several steps!" I command, basing my timing off the lightning of yesterday''s Goblin Shaman.
(Luca) When I wake up, we''re inside a one-story house with part of its roof missing. Max is brushing his tail, Braden is rubbing his bow with a cloth, and Gavin is carefully checking his armor. Mr. Zack isn''t in here, but I can sense him nearby. Lately, I can feel his warmth more and more. It''s strong, like a raging inferno being contained in a little package, yet gentle, like a clear spring morning. I don''t remember any springs, but I''m pretty sure that''s how gentle it is. "What happened?" I ask. "We killed the Goblin Shaman," Gavin looks at me. "And you passed out shortly after. According to Zack, we all did. We all woke up in here, so he probably moved us here." "Me woke up first," Max nods. "Me had lots of notifications. Stuff went up." I nod. I have a few notifications as well. I gained two Levels to Novice, and since I have Cure Bleed and my Heal is at Level 7, I more than qualify for advancing my Class, so I do and become an Acolyte. Now I need to learn another Cure and do enough healing for the Experience, and I''ll be able to become a Priest. Mr. Zack would probably recommend Cure Bleed, and that''s the only other one I know of. What other ones are there?" "Cure Burn," Mr. Zack''s thoughts enter my head. So he''s listening. "Yes, I am. Many fire-based spells can cause burn damage, which is similar to bleed and poison in that it negates regeneration, but its actual damage-over-time is nonexistent. It is painful, though. It takes 200 Intellect for fire spells to start doing that." I nod, then remember that he doesn''t have the ability to see me. "It''s fine!" He laughs. Wow, hearing a laugh in someone else''s thoughts is so weird. "You''ll get used to it, Luca. Lightning spells can cause burn damage at only 150 Intellect. Then there''s Cure Stun, which is what Nathan used on you when I accidentally terrified you and your brother with that roar. Nathan assures me that if the caster can do silent casting, then it can be cast even when the caster is stunned."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I want to learn that one. Mr. Zack laughs into my head again. What''s he doing right now? "I had to pee," he tells me, and there''s a weird sound in my head, like zzzt, which is just weird. I''ve never heard something like it before. "I''m not that far, I promise." I know. "By the way, Gavin''s talking to you." He is? I look at Gavin, who''s looking at me with concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" He asks. "You zoned out, and you did hit your head a few times while we were up against the shaman." "I''m fine," I nod. "Mr. Zack was telling me something." Gavin groans. He doesn''t like it when Mr. Zack uses his telepathy to talk to us, he finds it creepy. I think Braden does, too, I''m not sure. Max gets excited over it, but that''s because he''s Max. He gets excited if Mr. Zack pulls out fruit. Or milk. Or meat. Or rolls. Ooh, rolls. I''m hungry. Gavin gets an annoyed look. Mr. Zack just talked to him telepathically didn''t he. "Zack said to eat and rest," Gavin tells the rest of us. "He''s keeping watch outside." "Yay!" Max quietly exclaims. "Me want to play cards." "Let''s just eat," Braden says, and I nod. We pull bread and jerky out of our Inventories, Mr. Zack gave them to us after we had breakfast this morning. As we eat, Gavin makes sure we''re each okay and ready to return to fighting, since we all know Mr. Zack will be making us fight again after this. It''s even possible he''s going to let something attack us while we''re eating. He did that yesterday, during dinner. He led a Level 2 Goblin Knight straight to us. I can sense him nearby, though, so I doubt he''s doing that this time.
(Braden) As soon as we finished eating, resting, and checking our gear, Zack informed us that we were to travel back to camp, where he would be waiting for us. Then, he left, and his presence simply vanished. I didn''t know he could warp around. I suppose he probably took off with that great speed of his, but with how suddenly his presence disappeared, I''m not entirely sure. Our job is to return to camp without fighting anything we cannot handle, which means being careful as we travel. If we come across something weaker and can kill it, then we are to do so, but only so long as we are sure it will not attract stronger monsters. Right now, I''m moving from building to building, jumping and running along the ruins of their walls and roofs, scouting the area. We aren''t the same kids we were a few days ago, and can handle some tougher monsters now because of Zack''s intense, thoroughly-exhausting training here, but we still need to be careful. Which is why I''m scouting ahead, looking out for monsters, then signaling to the team once I''ve cleared the area. The rest of them are hiding within buildings or behind rubble, moving only at my signal. After nearly an hour of painstakingly slow travel, I assess a duo of goblins that are in the path we need to go down. We could continue going forward, but when we passed by that way earlier, there was a Goblin Chieftain that had made the plaza ahead its home. So turning down this street would be optimal according to my mental map. We could go another route, which would involve backtracking and taking more time. As it is, I''m sure we''ll only reach camp closer to sundown. We did take a late lunch, and Zack somehow got us pretty far across Talorn without too much issue. There''s no way we can avoid fighting entirely, either, which will only add on time. Let''s see¡­ They''re both regular goblins, it looks like, and one of them has a club, while the other is unarmed.
Goblin Level 2
Health: 104 Mana: 32
Goblin Level 1
Health: 94 Mana: 27
We haven''t faced goblins in pairs here yet. Can we do that, or should we turn back? We can probably handle them, as long as nothing else shows up, so I scout around briefly, checking to make sure nothing else is around. After confirming only the presence of a few Snow Slimes, I return and make an assessment. While those things could be killed based on our pure damage abilities, we have to factor in their Willpowers and Endurances. My arrows will doubtlessly do only a few damage to them, while Gavin might be able to take out around 10 Health per attack. Max might be able to do more, if his attacks connect. Mostly, Max tries to distract things or neutralize the spells of the monsters. I bet he could probably take both of those on his own if he actually went all-out. Yeah, we can handle this. I carefully back away from the edge of the building, moving along the broken wall, then jump across from this building through the window of its adjacent. Moving through that building, I jump out of another window and into the next. These are from the ''populated'' sections of the Fallen City''s layout, so they''re spaced closer together, allowing me to do this. We live in ¨C and are staying in here ¨C an ''unpopulated'' section, which means fewer people live there, but it''s also places that have more space on the properties themselves for training. After landing in the next building, I scale the wall and pull myself through the opening onto its roof, before running across that and jumping down into the next building, landing in a roll on the ground. Quickly returning to my feet, I hop over the ruins of the front wall and join the team behind the rubble they''re crouched behind. "There are two goblins in the path," I inform them. "We can handle them so long as nothing shows up, and I didn''t see anything that might pose a problem. Gavin, one of them has a club, so you handle that. Max, you take care of the other, okay? I''ll act as backup."
(Zack) "So you don''t know what''s going on?" I ask as I watch my team sneak their way down the street. "No," Nik answers. "Jackson and the smiths are keeping silent on whatever it is. He did mention he''ll have your gear ready for the Greed Lord, though." "Did he say which set?" I ask. "He was making two of them." My team turns around the corner, and Gavin immediately charges the goblin with a club as Max fires off a pair of Wind Spikes, the first aimed at tripping up Gavin''s goblin, the second aimed at the unarmed Goblin''s chest. "The one he sent out a quest for the ingredients for," Nik nodded as the goblin with the club tripped, a severe gash in its leg. The other goblin wails as the Wind Spike pierces into his chest, taking out a quarter of its Health. "He told me that he was about to work on it when that project came up. Adrian informed me that Lord Light of Air mentioned that Normar was on his way back as well, since the Greed Lord should be here in anywhere from a week to a week and a half." Which means Essence of Life. Did he acquire Essence of Death while he was on his little rampage? I''m still trying to sort out how I can acquire it, as it seems beyond my abilities right now. "Alright," I nod as Gavin''s sword blocks the goblin''s club with ease, then the warrior quickly changes to slashing at the monster from the side. "By the way, I''ve been wondering ¨C do you know if Nathan has the Druid Class?" "He does," Nik confirms. "How did you guess?" "I figured out," I grin at him as Max fires off two Fireballs at his goblin, Braden using Multishot to add extra distractions of the monsters. "How he gets past Kaelmar." "You did?" Nik asks. "How?" "The Druid Class," I answer. "Monsters of certain types can pass through the mountains, right? The Ice Lord followed Nathan, after all." "Yes," Nik nods, then snorts. "He turns into his animal form and moves through the mountain. Since the animal is commonly found in mountains, that would enable him to pass through." "What''s his form?" I ask as Gavin uses Wind Strike for extra damage, successfully cutting deep into the goblin''s shoulder. "Snow leopard," he answers. "I bet he''s cute, cuddly, fluffy, and snuggly," I grin, and Nik snorts again. "Speaking of cuddly things, when I can cuddle Kulkul next? You haven''t let me near him in months, other than the rare occasion I''m beaten badly enough he''s tending to me, and even then, Gold''s pretty much taken over." "You''ve traumatized him." "It''s his own fault for being snuggly," I shrug as Gavin avoids being smacked by the goblin''s club. "I was actually mostly thinking for Luca, I think he''d be delighted at getting to snuggle something so soft as Kulkul." Nik shakes his head in amusement. "They''ve gotten decent," he tells me. "To handle a pair of Dungeon-Class goblins, even at only Level 1 or 2, already? What did you do to them? Didn''t you say that when you arrived a few days ago, they could barely do a thing to a Level 1 goblin?" "Yeah," I gesture to my team. "I''ve been putting them through hell, pitting them against the absolute most they can handle starting nearly as soon as they''ve finished breakfast and ending shortly before bed. "In addition to running as stealthily as they can," I say. "As we move through Talorn to a new training spot, they''ve been fighting decently tough monsters. I''ve made sure that everything is within their abilities, even if only barely, with a ninety-percent efficiency in their combat. So as long as they don''t waste ten percent of everything, they''re fine." Mana, Health, energy ¨C as long as they don''t have too much waste for foolish moves, they will be fine with everything they do. Like right now, as Gavin manages to kill the goblin with a final strike to its neck, Max''s already falling to the ground from two Stone Spikes, a Wind Spike, and a quartet of Fireballs that struck it in the span of about five seconds. Okay, maybe Max went overboard, but he got excited, so I''m not going to blame him. "Individually," I say. "They never would have gotten this strong this fast. Only because they''re fighting something that much above them as a team and struggling are they able to advance as quickly as they can. It''s not like with me, where I simply learn and grow at a nigh-impossible rate. This is what''s needed to force them into rapid growth. "It''s dangerous," I say. "And without someone like me watching over them, someone able to step in immediately and heal them while simultaneously dealing with the threat, it would never be possible to do. The risk of dying would be too great, especially without the ability to do the combat calculations I can do." The ability to determine if the team''s able to handle things or not. Even the slightest misjudgment can prove cataclysmic and deadly, and that''s why I''m watching them as they travel, close enough to step in should it be needed. The fact that there are three other Dark Knights and four Priests here may also help. Nik stopped by last night to see if there was anything I needed and just to make sure we were doing okay, and I told him I wanted to do this, but didn''t because it would be just me. So he offered to bring a few more of the Dark Order and a few healers, all of them able to use a Level 10 Conceal and who could mask their presences. Luca''s annoying in that he can sense presences of people with strong affinities. It''s not the same as my ability to sense people''s inner Crystals, but it does derive from something similar. My theory is that after expending that much of his own inner divine power with A''Lutar when Braden died, Luca acquired the ability to sense presences as a result of that holy power. For the purpose of this stage of their training, they need to think they''re not being watched. Luca''s looking and acting nervous because he is nervous, and that''s told the others that I''m not hiding. They realized quickly after we arrived here that he can sense my presence, and the lack of it terrifies him. But this is needed for all of them. "I just hope they aren''t too cautious," I admit to Nik. "Braden''s judgment is getting better, but they will need to fight some stronger things to grow stronger. If they don''t go up against things they''ll struggle against on their journey home when they could, I''m going to put them through even more hell the next few days." "Sometimes, I wonder if you''re sadistic," Nik says. "Not to my team," I shake my head. "Just concerned for their abilities while wanting to help them grow. They agreed to be put through harsh training, and that means being exhausted, beaten, and bruised. They want to participate in the big battle, they need to get stronger." "You told them Level 50," he says. "Officially, we aren''t allowing anyone under Level 100. Even a Level 75 Adventurer would be at too much risk with how many monsters will be there, and even most of the Level 100''s to Level 125''s will probably die." "About that," I say. "I intend on reaching Angel before the battle, and I''m sure Nathan will try, as well. And Resurrection is a Skill available to Angels. As long as it''s within three days and the body isn''t too badly damaged, it can be used on them." "You keep saying-" "Big S told me." "Ah," he says. "What are your plans, after returning to Maelnor?" "Train my team a little more," I answer. "Battle the Greed Lord with the assembled Adventurers, take my team back here once or twice, to the mines at least once, and to do my own intense training, in addition to individual trainings. My goal is to reach my Second Ascension before the big battle." I think for a moment. "And I think I know how to restore the City Barriers," I add. "But I''ll wait on that a little bit longer." "Alright," he says, and we start moving to follow my team again. "Do you need anything else?" "No," I answer. "Thanks for bringing everyone out here. I know that Big Stone was assembling warriors, not just Druids and such, for the mines. Do you know how big the force that''s going to attempt to subdue those Fallen Adventurers caused by the previous attempt on the Demon Kobold King will be?" "No," he answers. "Speaking of the Crystals, we thought that ''Big S'' was ''Big System'', and ''Big C'' was ''Big Crystal'', but Big Flame mentioned that you call Lord Light of Stone ''Big W'', so¡­ what do they really mean?" "He''s ''Big Weirdo''." "I''m not even going to go there," Nik mutters as we locate my team with our eyes again as they sneak past a corner. "And ''Big C''?" "He''s just a Big Child." Am not! Big Flame laughs at Big C''s response, and Nik snorts. "And ''Big S''?" "He''s the Big Shit!" Chapter 0120 (Luca) "Alright, everyone," Mr. Zack says when we are all awake and finished with breakfast. "Today, we''re doing things just a little bit differently." "How so?" Gavin asks. Why do you always have to ask before Mr. Zack explains? Just shut up and let him talk, Gavin. "Today," Mr. Zack tells us. "I will be splitting the four of you into two teams. You and Luca will be one team, while Braden and Max will be the other. Over the last five days, the five of us and some help have cleared out a decent number of monsters in this area. "So last night," Mr. Zack continues. "I had borders painted. Those borders represent the boundaries of today''s training. Your job is to collect five banners. Team Luca has to collect red banners, and Team Max will collect black ones. These banners have the sigil of the Dark Order on them in the opposite color, and the borders are painted with black lines." "Back up," Gavin looks annoyed. "You''ve been leaving us at night?" I''m more curious about this ''help'' Mr. Zack mentioned. "Yes," Mr. Zack looks amused. "But only last night and the night before, Gavin, and I wasn''t too far away the night before. Last night, you weren''t unprotected." Mr. Zack snaps, and Sir Nik and Sir Travis approach. "Nik and Travis," Mr. Zack gestures to the two powerful, ancient warriors who definitely don''t look ancient. "And a few other members of the Dark Order and the Holy Order are here. Nik and Travis directly watched you while I was placing the banners, and the others were creating the borders. They were actually watching a couple of days ago, during the mission of you returning back here without me, in case they were needed." Mr. Zack''s expression turns extremely serious. "I''m not going to leave you unprotected," he says. "If you seriously thought you were alone, then you don''t know me as well as you think." They were watching us? But I couldn''t sense anyone! Actually, I can''t sense Sir Nik or Sir Travis right now, either. Strange. "Now," he continues, his tone lightening up a little. "They are working in pairs, and there are twelve of them. One Dark Knight and one Paladin watches each banner. You will not see them, you will not sense them. One Dark Knight and one Paladin will watch each pair. You will not see them, you will not sense them. "You will all," Mr. Zack tells us. "Be judged on how you are doing. They are also there to step in if you absolutely need rescuing during this challenge. The twelve observers are all high-ranking members of their respective orders. Once you have finished, they will report to Nik and Travis, and a discussion on your abilities will occur. "If you''re wondering why," Zack trails off for a few moments, then shakes his head. "It''s because while I have a decent amount of experience and ability to assess things, they have more. We are here for two more days, and I want a more expert opinion than mine on what should be done in order to ensure the four of you are ready for what will be your greatest challenge. You don''t have the ridiculous weapons that I do, which means your stats truly matter a lot more." "Just how ridiculous are your weapons?" Braden asks, his voice as soft as always. Not going to lie here, I''ve been wondering that, too. "Due to a series of lucky coincidences," Mr. Zack tells us. "I was able to acquire rare ores. As you have all noticed, I have never sharpened my blades. They do not wear as easil, nor damage as easily as yours, and they hold a sharper edge quite easily. Because of the sharper edges, they''re able to pierce with less Strength required behind the attack." Mr. Zack walks over to the tree and picks up a thick branch that fell during the windstorm we had last night. That was scary, and Max and I ended up clinging tightly to Mr. Zack. Max even made sure to put on pants before joining us so that he wouldn''t be kicked off before even getting on the bed. That was a relief. Mr. Zack walks back over with the branch and holds it up. "Strike this with your sword." "But-" Gavin begins. "Just do it," Mr. Zack tells him. "One time won''t be too bad, and you''ll need to tend to your sword after the challenge today anyway." Gavin obeys, drawing his sword and swinging down, striking the branch. His sword only travels a quarter of the way into it, then he has to wiggle it out. Mr. Zack releases the branch with one hand and pulls a sword out of his Inventory. It''s a white-blue sword with a frostlike pattern to it, and I get a chill just looking at it. "This is a Frost Sword," Mr. Zack holds it out to Gavin, who accepts it, drawing the sword. "Forged early in my time here in the Boundary, though no my first weapon of a rare ore. I nearly died against the monster I obtained the Frost Ingots from, and would have had Nathan Normar not shown up and healed me. Nathan then helped me kill it, but since I''d participated, I acquired part of the reward. As I said, lucky coincidences. Try cutting the branch with that sword." Gavin nods as Mr. Zack holds the branch the way he did for the first strike, then performs the same strike as he did before. This time, the sword cuts clean through it, splitting the branch in two. For a moment, Gavin just stares, then he looks at the sword, then to Mr. Zack. "That''s what I mean," Mr. Zack says as Gavin sheathes the sword and returns it to Mr. Zack, who sends it back into his Inventory. "My weapons are a bit ridiculous because of lucky coincidences. Since you guys are wielding weapons you earn the funds and resources for, your stats matter a lot more for penetration, especially you, Gavin. That''s why we''re running this challenge. "It is training," Mr. Zack says. "In addition to being a challenge. You will all no doubt acquire Experience from it, possibly even acquire another Level. Do not expect the observers to step in just because you got hurt. They will only step in at the last moment. Do not attempt to abuse this, or you will fail the training, and none of you will be allowed to participate in the battle, regardless of Levels. "As an incentive to finish fast," Mr. Zack continues. "I have a special reward prepared for the team which collects all five banners and returns here with them all first. The team that returns second will undergo four hours of nonstop training. If any team returns after sunset, they will undergo four hours of nonstop training, regardless of if they''re first back or not. Are there any questions?" "Let me try to make sure I have this," Gavin says. "Luca and I will be attempting to retrieve five red banners with black flame sigils, and Max and Braden will be attempting to retrieve five black banners with red flame sigils. We have until sunset to do so or we receive a punishment. The first team to return with all five receives a reward, the team that returns second receives a punishment." "That is correct," Mr. Zack pulls a pair of folded sheets out from his belt. Hm. I noticed those when we woke up, but thought it was Mr. Zack just being himself. "These are maps of Talorn. On them, I have marked three of the banner locations."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. He hands me one map and Max the other. "Where the other two are," he tells us. "Is for you to figure out on your own." Mr. Zack pulls four picnic baskets out of his Inventory, and hands them to each of us. "These," he tells us. "Contains food. It should be all you need for lunch and dinner, each. I will be leaving Talorn while you four are doing this challenge, you will be in more danger than I''ve been letting you in, and the temptation to step in and stop it will be too much if I''m around, as will the temptation to personally watch you." Mr. Zack isn''t going to be here? But-but-but- "The challenge starts now!" Mr. Zack exclaims, then disappears. No! Don''t leave Talorn! I''m scared!
(Gavin) It took me almost twenty minutes to calm Luca down enough for him to give me the map so I could examine it, and even now, he still hasn''t calmed down from Zack''s departure. Luca really is attached to and reliant on Zack extremely strongly to panic this much. So right now, I''m carrying him on my back as we walk through the ruins of Talorn. Zack usually carried him when Luca''s stamina ran out, though I did carry him two days ago, on the trip back to base without Zack. Thankfully, he''s not wailing anymore, calming him down enough for that stop wasn''t easy. Otherwise, he''d be attracting every monster around us. Zack didn''t mention it, but I know he intentionally informed us he wouldn''t be around because of Luca. If he''s as everyone says and as I''ve seen, then he''d want Luca to stop being as dependent on him. And that would mean forcing the bud to deal with him not being anywhere near him. "Are you comfortable?" I ask as Luca sniffles again. I know my armor probably isn''t the most comfortable thing to be resting against, but I should be wearing it anyway, just in case. "Slimes," he mutters. "What?" I ask, then realize what he''s talking about when he releases me with his right arm and holds it out to the side, a shimmering white Barrier appearing, stopping two jets of fire and a jet of water coming from that direction. "I''m setting you down." Luca climbs off my back, his Barrier fading away, and I draw my sword, spotting the trio of slimes. I should have been more observant. Before I can do something, Luca''s bolted forward, his staff swinging. I reach out to catch him, but he has nearly double my Agility. That''s a look of annoyance and fear on his face. His staff strikes one of the Flame Slimes, passing through it and connecting with its core, sending it flying to the side. I charge forward as the other Flame Slime shoots another jet of flames at him, yet they seem to just splash off of that robe. That''s right, Luca has a powerful robe. But I thought its resistance was for air magics? I reach the slimes and bring my sword down on the Flame Slime that attacked him from behind, cutting into its core, and Luca spins, striking the Water Slime''s core with the butt of his staff. He begins smashing his staff down on it, and I realize our little healer killed the first Flame Slime with one strike. When he finishes beating the dead core, Luca just stands there, breathing heavily. "Are you alright, Luca?" I ask. "That''s not like you?" "Why did Mr. Zack have to leave?" He wails again. "Sh!" I drop my sword, putting a hand over his mouth and holding his head with my other. "No wailing, Luca!" Luca stops, nodding, though tears are still flowing down his cheeks. "It''s okay," I carefully remove my hands from him, then pick up my sword and look around. "Luca, try not to be too noisy, or you''ll attract every monster around to us." "Why did he abandon me?" Luca whisper-wails. "He didn''t," I pat his head a few times, then let my hand rest there, hoping this reassures him a little. "And I''m here for you, Luca. And he has a Dark Knight and a Paladin watching us, too, to make sure we''re safe, even while he''s gone." "Mr. Zack abandoned me!" Luca''s breathing is uneven as he attempts not to wail hysterically again. "He didn''t abandon you," I tell Luca. "I think Zack just wants you to adjust to him not being around, Luca," a thought strikes me. "Remember the big battle? He''ll be participating, but he won''t be anywhere near us. Maybe he wants you to get used to not being around him so that it''s easier for you during that. He said he''s leaving Talorn, he didn''t say he was going to Maelnor or anything like that. He''s probably standing right on the other side of the wall, waiting impatiently to be told he can come back in. He probably even has a few Dark Knights holding him down just to keep him from rushing in and watching you too closely." Luca snorts. "Yeah, right," he gives me a look that calls me stupid. "Mr. Zack''s the strongest Adventurer in all the Boundary. They''d never succeed." He really thinks highly of Zack. "Come on," I pull my hand off his head. "Let''s go find the nearest banner." Luca nods, then starts walking, so I step up beside him, making sure to keep an eye out even more than I was before, ready to fight at a moment''s notice. There''s something strange about our journey, and it takes me another ten minutes and eight slime attacks to realize it. First, we haven''t seen any Snow Slimes, even though they''re normally everywhere. Did Zack kill them all last night? Why? Second, we''ve only faced slimes so far. Where are all the goblins at? That question is answered when I spot a Goblin Archer atop a building, aiming an arrow at Luca. I step in front of the healer as the arrow is fired, doing my best to catch it. Zack makes it look so easy, but all I end up doing is smacking it to the side while still getting a small cut on my hand. Hissing, I stare at the goblin, which is nocking another arrow. How can I deal with that? Despite his frustrated attack earlier, Luca''s not a fighter and doesn''t actually have any offensive Skills. I''m a fighter, but I''m neither ranged nor able to climb. However, the goblin can''t shoot us if we''re not in its line of sight, and I doubt it would wait around forever for us to leave. "Luca," I say as calmly as I can as I sheathe my sword for lack of ability to do anything useful with it at the moment. "I''m going to start backing up. Do so as well, and stay directly behind me, and keep an eye out behind us for another." "Okay," he whispers. We begin moving back, and I manage to stop another arrow, though it cuts my hand as well. We aren''t fast enough to truly dodge them, not yet. We''re too close to the goblin for that. It tries to shoot us a few more times, but I smack the arrows each time. I''m getting better, but they''re still cutting me. Once we''re back a little more, I carefully lead Luca to the side, into the ruins of a house. Now that we''re out of the goblin''s sight, I make sure Luca gets down on the ground, staying low, and we rest with our backs against the outer wall. I examine my hands, which are healing. As I look at them, Luca takes them into his hands, and he begins to emit a golden glow. At the same time, he runs his fingers over the cut. It stings, but they heal. "What was that?" I whisper as he pulls his hands away, the glow fading. "My healing aura," he whispers back. "It takes less Mana than Heal for things like cuts that didn''t take away any Health." "I would have healed soon enough," I remind him. "Yeah," he whispers. "But then you''d still having stinging hands while recovering. What if something attacks us in the minute or so it''d take?" Good point. Every few minutes, I look over the ruins of the wall, and the goblin archer is still there. Assessing our options, there are only really two. The first is exiting the way we entered, which puts us in the archer''s path, and the second is to exit over the ruins of the back wall, which is also in the archer''s range and view. Theoretically, I could taunt the goblin into shooting all of its arrows, but that would require risking taking the arrows to me as well. Almost half an hour of waiting passes before I dismiss that idea ¨C another goblin just showed up, giving the first one a fresh quiver of arrows before it''s even run out. They''re going to wait us out. A quick check reveals the second goblin uses a crossbow, and I barely pull my head back in time to avoid being struck with the bolt. "I can''t heal you if you''re dead," Luca''s whisper is nearly hysterical. "Stop that!" "There are two of them now," I inform him. "I didn''t see the crossbow at first." Slimes, then archers. This is bad luck for us to run into, I''m much better suited to fighting warrior goblins than ranged ones, and my sword can''t handle the slimes all that well. Luca''s staff is probably a lot more durable, since Luca mentioned it was crafted for strength and at a much higher level than what we can afford. Luck? This isn''t luck. This was planned. Zack put our banners in areas where we would be faced with impossible challenges, didn''t he? I can''t handle archers from a roof, and Luca is powerless in combat. In a game, he''d be a squishy support character, defenseless in nearly all ways and unable to fight in any meaningful manner. What in the Boundary does that mean? It has to be something from my life in reality, no doubt. Just like there''s no doubt Zack is pitting us against casters and archers on purpose. Pitting us against the worst opponents for us. If that''s true, then what are Braden and Max facing? They''re able to counter ranged and magic-wielding foes, and even warrior-types won''t hinder them too much, since they can stay ranged and be to the monsters what these archers are to us. Chapter 0121 (Max) That be a very big goblin! Takes lots of hits, me thinks! "Max!" Braden-friend calls out. "Get back here!" Me run back to Braden-friend, look at big goblin again, this time be with Appraisal.
Goblin Giant Level 2
Health: 987 Mana: 45
It be have that much Health, but that little Mana? It be stupid? Need lots of Mana for attacks! Me not want fight big, ugly, stupid goblin, just all the regular goblins around it. Well, some are regular goblins. A few not be. One even has a sword! Caster goblin throws needles of stone at Max and Braden-friend, so we jump to sides, avoid being struck. "Dammit, Zack!" Me hear Braden-friend mutter. What be Boss''s fault? He not do this! We need be fight monsters here to retrieve banner! Big, ugly goblin be wearing it like it be a cape. Bad big gobby! "Max!" Braden-friend calls out. "Focus your attacks on the Goblin Giant! I''ll deal with the others!" Does Braden-friend be stupid? Max give him look that say he be stupid. Me not able to kill Goblin Giant on own! No spells strong enough! Look at all that Health! It probably be have strong Willpower! "Max! Look out!" Braden-friend exclaims, so me smack the arrow shot at Max. Ooh! Caught it! Not what Max meant to do, but it be work, too! "Max, stop goofing around and attack the Goblin Giant!" Arrows of green light attack caster goblin, and Max decide attack giant goblin. "Fireball!" Max start casting Fireballs as run around. Must be careful, not use all magic at once. That be bad. Very bad. Got cut doing that! Small cut, not fun anyway!
Target -28 Health!
Target -34 Health!
Target -26 Health!
Ooh! Doing damage! Hey! That be lots of damage! Me no use Firebomb, though, that not be as strong as Fireball yet. Need work on that first. But on other monsters. Different fight for sure! So me keep casting Fireballs at the big, ugly goblin. But we maybe have problem. Max not have enough Max Mana to kill big, ugly goblin from full. That be even when all Fireballs hit! Which mean me need recover Mana during fight. That be take time, though. More than three minutes back to enough, if me right about what be what Boss say. If so, then it be take Max around three minutes and fourteen seconds to recover 120 Mana, which be how much more Mana me need. It be what Boss say, though, so it definitely be right. Yeah! "Max!" Braden-friend calls out. "Stop munching on a rat and help!" Huh? When did Max find the rat? Oooh! Must have picked it up while running, it not be from stored! It still be warm! Yummy! "Fireball!" Big, ugly goblin dodged it. Bad gobby! "Fireball fur-" only cast two Fireballs before stop. "Bad Max!" "Good Max!" Braden-friend exclaims. "Good Max! Hit it with everything you''ve got!" "Okay!" Me cast all the Fireballs, then! One after another, boom, boom, boom! Most hit the big, ugly goblin, but a few miss and strike others. Bad gobbies! No getting in me way! Hm. There be a few more bodies than before. Oh! Because Braden-friend killed a few! Yay! Max kill, too! Die!
(Braden) Max is having far too much fun for this fight, but it made me realize something about him. Fireball Fury isn''t actually Fireball Fury. It''s just him saying ''fury'' whenever he starts rapidcasting Fireballs. The fact that he had already cast two Fireballs, yet hadn''t said the full thing, is what told me. He''s just repeatedly using the Fireball Skill without chanting. I thought it was supposed to be rare, but Zack, Luca, Max, and I can all do it. I can''t if I''m in a stressful situation like right now, but the others seem to be able to do it on a whim. Does that mean Gavin can do it, too? "Max!" I call out once he''s run out of Mana, making sure to raise my voice so he can hear me. "Focus on the weaker goblins! You and I can''t hurt the bigger one with our attacks, only your magic!" I could take on the Goblin Giant with a critical shot to its eyes, but the few times I''ve tried so far, it''s blocked my arrows. It might be slow, but even a slight turn of its head stops my shots. It wasn''t even doing it intentionally, I don''t think. That, or it purposely keeps moving its head around so that I don''t have a good aim. I could stun it if I had the right Skill, but the problem for that is that my stats are too low. If I remember Brandon correctly, Lightning Arrow adds an additional amount of damage to the attack based on my Intellect and Strength, and will stun the struck targets so long as its Willpower is lower than the damage of the attack. Far too weak. Max''s Fireballs have an effective 140 Intellect, or around there, but they were only taking out an average of 27 Health per shot, which means the Goblin Giant has around 110 Willpower. "Magic Arrow, Power Shot, Multishot," I whisper as I draw my bow, a shimmering green arrow forming again as I aim at the two goblins coming up behind Max, who is currently dodging the Fireballs of the Goblin Shaman. I release the string, and the arrow soars forward, splitting into two as it travels. Each strikes true, right into the eyes of the goblins. Those were ordinary ones, though, so it wasn''t too hard, especially as they were distracted. I try to get a good aim on others, but realize I''m not going to, even as I adjust my position, moving from building and floor to building and floor. It takes me a few minutes to realize that while Max could continue attacking the Goblin Giant, he''s only avoiding its attacks¡­ As he continues to dodge the Goblin Shaman''s attacks. But almost the entire time, he''s keeping the Goblin Shaman''s eyes in my line of sight. My line of fire. Max is distracting something he can''t take on his own in order to give me the opportunity to take out the second-strongest thing here. Thank you, Max, for not being as much of an idiot as you seem at times. Drawing my string, I summon up another Magic Arrow. Inhale. Exhale. Focus. Channel. Draw upon the powers within. This is not an ordinary Magic Arrow, this is an arrow of lightning. Sparks begin to dance on the arrow, and a Skill notification appears in my vision.
New Skill!
Lightning Shot Active
Arrow has increased flight speed and the attribute of lightning
Damage: +10% Intellect and Strength per Level of this Skill
Stun: 5 seconds per Level of this Skill if target has less Willpower than the damage of the attackl
Cost: 25 Mana
"Multishot," I aim at both the Goblin Shaman, which the stun probably won''t affect, and the regular goblin coming up on Max. Then, I release the string, and my Lightning Shot zips through the sky with a light crack, striking true on both. I wasn''t able to nail the second goblin in the eye, but it was still stunned by the shot. The Goblin Shaman was struck directly in the left eye, and as soon as the Critical Kill notice appears, Max has moved, striking at the goblin I stunned. 30 Mana for a Lightning Shot, plus an extra 10 Mana for every additional arrow fired through Multishot. The good thing about Multishot, though, is that it''s only an additional 10 Mana, and I don''t spend the full cost of each extra Arrow.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Well, that''s only good if I''m not using just a Magic Arrow, or it''s actually extra Mana. I''m sure my arrow didn''t penetrate deep enough into the Goblin Shaman to kill it, but the extra power and the electrical aspect to the arrow took care of the rest, and I stopped the other goblin, so I''m glad I don''t have to pay the full price on special arrows with Multishot. It''s still draining, though. I''ve been firing quite a few arrows and am low on Mana, even with what''s regenerated over the last few minutes. "Max! Take out the big one! You''ve the Mana for it!" "Fireball!" Max jumps onto a goblin, then punches towards the Goblin Giant, a Fireball forming and bursting out. "Fall, you big, ugly gobby!" Max jumps off the goblin only a moment after landing on it and does a backflip, performing several more punches in the direction of the Goblin Giant, then lands as his Fireballs connect. He didn''t use up all of his Mana, and the Goblin Giant still has a little Health left. "Me take care of others!" Max charges one of the Goblin Knights. "Braden-friend kill big ugly gobby!" As Max attacks the goblins, I aim at the Goblin Giant, then spot an archer on another rooftop and change my aim. Multishot can only spread so much, and I wouldn''t be able to stop that if I went after the Goblin Giant first. So I summon up a Magic Arrow with Power Shot, using Multishot to summon two additional arrows, then release my string. The arrow splits into three, and all three strike at the Goblin Archer before it can release its arrow. Unfortunately, that causes it to, but the arrow pretty much falls down rather than actually shoots. Damn you, Zack. You knew that Max and I weren''t good for frays against a lot of monsters, so you put this banner ¨C and probably the others ¨C in areas where not only would be be forced to fight large groups of monsters, but draw the attention of others. Luca and Braden are probably dealing with ranged monsters, since that''s their weakness. With that archer dead, I scan the surroundings before turning my attention back to the Goblin Giant, which is recovering some of that Health Max took out. That''s only natural, though, but I need to get in a good shot on its eye, so it doesn''t matter. My arrows can''t harm it otherwise. Even if I learned Piercing Shot right now, I''m still too weak. As soon as I reach Level 25, I''m becoming a Novice Elementalist. That will boost both of the important things for me, my Wisdom and my Intellect, directly increasing my Mana and magical power. Almost there. My first few shots miss the Goblin Giant''s eyes entirely due to its movements as it attempts to strike at Max, who is mixing his rogue style with his magic to do what damage he can. However, one shot connects with one of its eyes. It doesn''t pierce deeply enough to penetrate the brain, though, but critical damage is critical damage. Then the Goblin Giant succeeds in striking Max, and the beastborn is thrown into a building. That has to hurt. We''re too weak to handle this right now. We got here without a single fight, and it turned out that we probably should have fought monsters. Max probably could take care of the Goblin Giant, but everything else? Far too much for us at the moment. "Max!" I call out. "Retreat!" "Never!" He calls back as he charges back towards the mountain. "Max, even if we kill the giant, everything else will kill us! Retreat!" "Meanies!" Max exclaims. "Smoke bomb!" A cloud of smoke erupts around Max, and it takes me a moment to realize he used an item, not a Skill. I track where Max exits the cloud of smoke and hastily move to join him in the retreat as the goblins are blinded by the smoke. We run for several blocks, then duck into a building and collapse against a wall, breathing heavily. "Me kill Goblin Giant!" Max pouts. No, you didn''t! I know you didn''t! Oh. That''s what he was saying. He was saying he could have killed it. "I know, Max," I say, my voice as soft as it usually is. I really don''t want to say everything I''m about to, but I need to because of the situation and the fact that it''s Max. "But we were already fighting for a few minutes, and while you might have been able to kill the Goblin Giant, what about the rest? What if another Goblin Shaman showed up? I had to take out six archers while we fought. "In addition to that," I continue as he pouts again. "There were fifty of those monster there, and most of them had decent Health, Endurance, and Willpower values, which means that even your Fireballs wouldn''t be able to kill them all before you were exhausted." "Me have lots of stamina!" Max thumps his chest. "Me be fine, Braden-friend!" "One," I hold up a finger. "I''ve told you to call me ''Braden'', Max. Please do, Max. Two-" "But-" Max interrupts as I hold up a second finger. "You be Max''s friend! You be Braden-friend!" "Do you call Zack ''Zack-boss''?" I ask. "No, he be Boss," Max gives me a look that says it should be obvious and I''m a moron. "Why be call Boss Zack-boss? He be Boss, Braden-friend. That be right. Always call the boss ''Boss'', just like always call the master ''Master''." "And you call your friends by their names," I tell him. "That''s what you''re supposed to do, Max." "You be sure?" He asks uncertainly. "Yes," I nod. "So call me ''Braden'', okay?" "Okay," Max nods. "What be second?" "What?" I ask. "You holding two fingers up, not one," Max points at my fingers, which I realize I''m still holding up. "And say ''two''. But you no finish because I talk." "Second," I say. "You do have a lot of stamina, but the goblins here are stronger than the slimes we fought outside. Remember yesterday, when the four of us had to take on those five Goblin Knights? You were tired after, right? And got hurt?" "Yes," Max nods. "But these not be Goblin Knights!" "You''re right," I nod. "They aren''t all Goblin Knights. They''re a variety, that''s true, but there are a lot more of them, and they take more effort and power to kill. You''d be using a lot more Mana to wipe everything out, and that might leave you vulnerable." Max thinks on that, and after a minute, he nods. "So what be our strategy, Braden," he says my name carefully and with emphasis, as if needing to remind himself not to add on ''friend'' after it. "Me happy do strategy if it be make us win." "First," I say. "How many smoke bombs do you have, and did you buy them and not tell Zack?" "Huh?" Max makes a face. "Why me be tell Boss me have smoke bombs?" "We were supposed to tell him everything we bought the day before we came here." "Ooooh!" Max''s tail wags and he giggles. "Max no buy smoke bombs! Make them with servant beastborn." "On the day we were supposed to be shopping?" I ask. "No, silly Braden!" He rolls his eyes, and I do a quick check to make sure nothing''s hearing us talking. "What you be doing? Nothing there. Max listening." He points to his ears. "I still wanted to check," I tell him as I sit back down. "And you''re keeping an eye-and ear out?'' "Yes," he nods. "Me have good Perception, so me be listening. Only hear hearts from Max and Braden." "Slimes don''t have hearts." "No," Max giggles. "They go ''pulse, pulse, pulse''. Sounds all funny and gross, so easy to hear." I never noticed that. I''m also pretty sure I have a higher Perception than Max, which means that it was something I didn''t observe. Something I didn''t think much of, no doubt. I''ve listened for their bouncing, but when they slide across the stones of the streets, they don''t really make much noise at all. When it''s not important, I''ll listen to the slimes, see if they really do make a pulsing sound. It could just be Max''s imagination. "Okay, Max," I say. "What all do you have? How many smoke bombs, and anything else?" "Max has ten smoke bombs," Max tells me. "Five poison cloud bombs. Sparky bomb. Only one sparky bomb. It be for revenge." "Revenge?" I ask. "Yes," Max nods. "Evil slimy hurt Max, so me make sparky bomb with Gold and Thalia and Gracie. Slimy gonna be go zzzzt when hit with it!" Max giggles in excitement at the thought of¡­ whatever he''s doing. I suppose it''s a strong Water Slime he faced during the individual training sessions, there were a couple of larger ones in the fields during our grind together, but they were in the distance. "You have poison cloud bombs?" I ask. "Yes," Max nods. "Me have five of them and ten smoke bombs." "Is that ten including the one you used?" "No, silly Braden," Max rolls his eyes. "Max had eleven before using that one. Now me have ten." He opens up his Inventory and pulls out the ten smoke bombs and five poison bombs. Each one is around two inches in diameter, with the former being wrapped in some sort of grey paper, the latter in green paper. I suppose that makes it easy to know which one is which. "Why do you have poison bombs?" I ask. "In case me be need them," Max tells me. "Max need be very careful if use, or me might get hurt by them, too." "Yeah," I nod. "Let''s not use the poison cloud bombs unless we can''t avoid it, okay? Especially without Luca here to heal us." Max nods. "Okay," I say. "Give me a few minutes to think over the plan, okay, Max? Keep watch for monsters, but don''t be obvious about it." He nods, and I lean my head back against the wall and close my eyes, listening as Max occasionally peeks up out the windows. Zack put our banners in areas where we would be forced to fight groups of monsters. This was done intentionally to play at our weakness of dealing with large groups. We also have several Goblin Giants to face off against, which takes a lot, even for Max. Gavin would be more suited for this because of his warrior style. He can get in close and strike with his sword. With Luca healing him, he wouldn''t have to worry about his Health too much, either, and he has Heal, too. They''re probably fighting ranged things, which is what Max and I would have been better off fighting. In other words, this isn''t just a challenge for us. This is more than that ¨C it''s training. Zack wants us to think outside of just acquiring the banners. If we simply go for the banners, we''ll wear ourselves down and possibly risk dying and needing actual rescue. Max could probably take out half of the goblins before being taken down, but unless I do eyeshots, I''m useless. My attacks are too weak at the moment. We both need more Mana and more Intellect, so that we can cast more and do more damage. Which means that Max and I need to push ourselves against groups of monsters, of which there are plenty here. Unlike our past five days of training, nearly all encounters will be against at least three to five monsters. A recipe for rapid growth in Levels, when they''ve begun to stagnate. In other words, Zack set things up not just to challenge us, but to allow us to grow. Fighting as a pair will cause us to struggle a little more, which would earn us a little more Experience. If we push things hard, I might be able to reach Level 25 by lunch and take on Novice Elementalist then. And then I would be able to grind out a few Levels for that, raising my stats more. If Max takes down the Goblin Giants, he''d probably gain a few Levels before lunch as well. By dinner, he might even be Level 25, too. "I have a plan," I tell Max. "Does it be involve killing goblins?" He whispers, an actual whisper, not one of those noisy ones, and drops down from where he was looking out the window. "Lots of goblins?" "Yes," I nod. "For the next few hours, you and I are going to hunt down any group of goblins we might be able to take on. We''ll need to increase our stats and Levels higher, along with our Skills, if we want to take out the boss fights that Zack set up for us. Try to raise up Skills other than just Fireball, okay?" "Okay!" He nods, tail wagging. "Let''s go kick gobby ass, Braden! There be ten outside!" Now that I''m listening to everything again, I can hear them moving down the street. I suppose that''s why Max asked if the plan involved fighting goblins. Chapter 0122 (Gavin) An hour has passed, and we''re still unable to leave. There are ten of those goblins, now, and this is starting to look bad. How are we going to escape this? The Dark Knight and Paladin watching us don''t seem inclined on helping us, which means this doesn''t qualify for that. Which means that they probably won''t step in unless we''re going to die for sure, after taking a lot of damage. That''s not good. I look at Luca again, who is moving small rocks around. Well, they''re probably small chunks of stone bricks that broke off, but they could also be small rocks. He nudges another one, frowning, then shakes his head. Why did Zack do this to us? He knows there isn''t a chance in the world we could get out of such a situation. Neither of us are ranged combatants. Theoretically, I could learn a spell, but it would be too weak to really do anything. It would also be risky for me to learn, as it probably wouldn''t be a good idea to try to obtain one in these ruins, so I would have to exit them and put myself in a situation where I''d probably get hit several times. Thus ruining my visualization. "Stay here," Luca tells me, climbing over my legs to walk towards the opening we entered the building through. "Hey!" I grab him, pulling him back. "What are you doing?" "Stay here," he glares at me, a fierce, annoyed expression filling his face, determination in his eyes. "And don''t look." He pulls out of my grip, then scrambles outside. I want to chase after him, but something about his words warned me away from it. A moment later, I hear a goblin wailing. What in the world? The wail cuts off a moment later, and I am really tempted to look and see what it is Luca is doing. A few minutes pass, and Luca reenters the ruined building and looks down at me. His hair is a little ruffled, but other than that, he looks just fine. "Done," he says. "We can go now." "What did you do?" I peek outside and notice that the goblins are gone, though there are several arrows on the ground in a spot, as if they had hit Luca''s Barrier and simply fell there. "And how did you deal with all of the arrows? Not all were taken care of by Barrier, I''m sure." "My brother''s robe has a high damage resistance," Luca pats his robe. "Their arrows weren''t enough to pierce it." "And how did you take care of them?" "By showing I was stronger." I''m glad he talks a little bit more now¡­ but seriously, Luca? Please tell me how you dealt with the ranged attackers. "Before we go," I tell Luca. "We need to have a plan to deal with things that attack from a distance. We don''t have ranged attacks, ourselves, and neither of us are climbers, so the archers would be a major problem." "Everything runs out of arrows," Luca says. "And Mana." He doesn''t need to say more for me to understand his idea, and it''s a very Zack idea. Let them use up their arrows and Mana as we dodge the attacks. I could use Deflect on certain attacks, but even that has its limits ¨C and it comes with a Mana cost. "You will run out of Mana as well," I point out. "Will I?" He cocks his head to the side. "Only the Goblin Shaman so far come anywhere near my Mana pools. Let''s go. I want to finish this soon so I can beat Mr. Zack with my staff." So it''s Zack who''s the source of his annoyed state. Probably for leaving Talorn. "Alright," I stand. "Here''s the plan, Luca. Keep an eye on the upper levels of buildings for possible archers. I already know how to use one Mystic Knight elemental blade, I''ll try to learn the others for the slimes, to make it easier to handle them. "As usual," I continue. "You and I will avoid any attacks we can. If we can''t, use your Barrier to stop them. If we come across archers in a building, you and I will enter the building rather than retreat, and try to get up to them. "For ground monsters," I continue. "I will do my best to get in close. Your job is to provide me support, I''m likely to take hits along the way. Your robe has a hood, yes?" He nods, pulling it up over his head. "Good," I say. "Keep the hood up, Luca. You said the robe has a high defense, which means you should be fine as long as nothing hits your hands or face. I''ll trust in your abilities to keep me alive. Do you understand?" Please understand. "Yes," he nods. "Keep my hood up, watch the buildings for archers, protect you when I can, evade when I can''t, and help you reach the monsters like the trio of Water Slimes up ahead." I turn around and find the trio of Level 2 Water Slimes. This would be a time to use Flame Blade, then. It won''t be as effective as Wind Blade on a Stone Slime or Chocolate Slime, but should be enough to allow me to use more of my Strength through the ooze. I go through the same process I went through to use Wind Blade the first time, only with fire instead. My blade coats with small flames, the edges of it taking on a dense orange hue, representing the fiery effect added on to the pure strike itself. Dismissing the Skill notice, I charge forward, stepping to the side to avoid a jet of water. It only takes me a few moments to reach the Water Slimes, even as they try to hit me with their jets. When I reach the trio, I thrust my sword forward, jabbing it into one of the slimes, then pull it back and pivot, striking at another one of them slimes. Flame Blade runs out all too fast, so I trigger it again as I take a hit in the back from one of the Water Slimes. Even with my armor, I still take damage from the impact, but it''s thankfully not as bad as it could have been. I continue to strike and step, using Deflect a couple of times, and by the time the slimes are all dead, I''m almost completely out of Mana. I really need to increase that. Would Mystic Knight be a better choice for a second Class than Paladin, to give me that extra Mana? What is it based on? Shaking my head, I look at Luca, who is giving me a completely innocent look. I frown and look around as I approach him, spotting¡­ nothing. But there are a few new arrows beside him, which means there were Goblin Archers here. And I doubt I will receive an answer as to what happened to them. Luca gives me a quick Heal, then we resume our traveling. I should probably gain a few more Levels before we try to face off against whatever is guarding the banners. Knowing Zack, they are strong. And probably not alone.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. But how to do that while dealing with the archers? Those are the biggest threat at the moment due to us needing to climb. I know I suggested a solution to Luca, but I don''t see it as actually being a viable plan. Deciding to deal with that as we get to it ¨C again ¨C I lead Luca down the street as my Mana recovers, keeping an eye out for archers. I also check on Luca constantly, worried something is going to happen to him. A few times, he has a small pile of rocks in his hands, frowning and shaking his head. I''m not sure what he''s doing with the rocks, but okay. Rocks. As we walk, I pick up any small rocks I can find, trying to keep them between the size of a shooter marble and twice that size. I send them into my Inventory, but have a plan for them. I doubt it''s how Luca has been chasing off the archers, but I can probably throw the rocks at the goblins. With my current Strength, I can probably throw them pretty hard and fast, and do a bit of damage to the archers. Not long passes before I get to test that, Luca muttering about ''stupid archers thinking they''re hidden'' alerting me to their presence. I pull the first rock out of my Inventory and aim at the goblin archer, which is aiming at us from the second floor of a building, through a gap that was probably once the window. Pulling my arm back, I throw the rock. It zips through the air, flashing by the goblin''s head. The goblin freezes up for a moment, and I pull another rock out of my Inventory as it recovers from its shock. Luca and I bolt to the side to avoid the arrow, and I throw the second rock. This one strikes the goblin''s hand, and then we charge to the building it''s in. I race up the stairs, Luca right behind me, and the archer fires at me as soon as my head pokes up into the second floor. I pull my head back, narrowly avoiding the arrow, then ascend, charging at the goblin as it hastily nocks another arrow. Swinging my sword, I cut into its arm, causing it to drop the bow, then I strike again, jabbing at its stomach. A third strike to its neck, and I manage to kill it, then quickly check on Luca, who''s giving me an innocent look. What did he do this time? Dismissing it, I lead Luca back downstairs as I rethink the plan of going up into the buildings. I''m wearing armor, but even it has limits. What if the arrows make it into my eyes? Or pierce the metal? So maybe we''ll stick to throwing the rocks for now. We resume our trip through the ruins of Talorn, and it doesn''t take long for us to come across a quintet of slimes. At least it''s not a Goblin Shaman, I don''t think I can handle one without another couple of Levels. And as I think that, I realize that that''s probably what''s guarding each of the banners. The slimes consist of a Heal Slime, two Water Slimes, and two Earth Slimes. All things I have Skills to deal with. The Heal Slime, I can take out with pure damage, so long as I manage to do it faster than it can use Heal on itself. The trick with that is avoiding the attacks of the others. They will no doubt do what they can to prevent me from killing it, which would mean I''d need to focus on them, but then it would heal them instead. Thankfully, they haven''t noticed us yet, but it''s probably only a matter of time before they do. How should I deal with the Heal Slime? I pull Luca into the ruins of a building as I contemplate the plan, and he sets a bunch of rocks on the ground and starts shifting them around. "There are five of them, right?" Luca suddenly looks at me. "What?" I ask. "Slimes," he points at the rocks. "There are five of them, right?" I look at the rocks, and realize that he has five rocks in a cluster, and two a short distance away, then several ''buildings'' and ''streets'' formed with the rocks. He''s thinking over a plan with the rocks? It''s not a very good representation, but I guess he can visualize it well enough. "Yes," I nod. "Okay," he says. "So here''s the plan. You kill the Heal Slime, then take on the other four." He nods to himself, as if that''s the best plan there is and it''s as simple as that, so I tell him what''s wrong with it. He frowns, then shakes his head. "Guts and effort." "I''m not Zack." "Guts and effort!" He insists, pointing at the rocks. "Mr. Zack would just eliminate all five at once." Okay, yeah, he probably would. Luca has a point on that. "Guts and effort doesn''t work for everything," I tell him. "Obviously," he rolls his eyes. "No go put in guts and effort. I''ll back you up." "I''m not sure what you''re doing to handle those archers," I say. "But I doubt you could actually help me here, Luca." He looks disappointed. "Unless it''s healing me when needed," I add on quickly. "I meant offensively. You''re a good healer." He still looks disappointed, and now I feel really bad. I hadn''t meant it in a mean way, and now upset Luca. I hope he doesn''t do anything rash. After checking his hood and robe to make sure he''s protected well enough, I look out of the building and check on the slimes, formulating a plan. I''m regretting having bought this armor. The weight, I can handle because of my Strength stat, but it limits my mobility. Now I understand why Zack''s armor is closer to a rogue''s than a warrior''s. It gives him much greater freedom of movement. The downside is that if I get rid of it, I expose myself a lot more. I won''t have as much protection over my body to shield me from arrows and other attacks. And then there''s- Where''s Luca? I quickly look around the space I can see, then spot the tail end of his cloak disappearing up the stairs. Chasing after him, I find Luca flat on his stomach on the second floor, looking out into the street from a small gap in the wall. "Luca!" I hiss as I approach him, crouching. "Don''t wander off! What if there was something that attacked you?" "I checked first," he responds. "So the plan is for you to kill the Heal Slime. After that, kill the others. We can lure them over here with the Wiggle-Wiggle-Jiggle Dance, and-" "With the what?" I ask. "The Wiggle-Wiggle-Jiggle Dance," he gives me a confused look. "Max does it all the time, and it always gets slimes to-" "That''s not a dance," I say. "That''s Max being Max, Luca. And Max can kill slimes with ease. He''d probably-" "FIREBALL FURY!" A series of Fireballs shoot from out of view, slamming into the quintet of slimes and killing them. "Do that." "Yay!" I hear Max exclaim. "Ooh! Smell Luca and Gavin!" He didn''t tack ''friend'' on to the ends of our names. "Ow!" Max exclaims. "Braden! Whyyyy?" I don''t hear the response, but Max whines again. Luca and I climb down out of the building and approach Max and Braden, who were walking towards our hiding spot anyway. "Hi, Luca, Gavin!" Max waves to us, a grin on his face as his tail wags. "Zack didn''t say," Braden tells us. "That we couldn''t work together for part of this." "Are you guys struggling?" I ask. "Sort of," Braden frowns. "Actually, I was thinking that we swap hunting grounds for awhile. You guys are probably facing ranged things, right?" "Yes," I nod. "What are you dealing with? I can''t figure out what Zack came up with to challenge your abilities." "Goblin Giants," he answers. "And large groups of monsters. We went to one of our banners, and it has around fifty monsters guarding it, most of them of the warrior variety, meaning lots of Health and resistance to attacks. We found one of yours ¨C it has much fewer numbers, but a Goblin Shaman is there, in addition to several archers and slimes. Nothing near ours." That''s a lot of talking for Braden, but even though he''s quiet and his voice is soft, he does talk when there''s business to be had. "So you want," I say. "To try to swap what we''re fighting for Levels?" "Yes," he nods. "I''ve already estimated where your areas are, so we came to track you down. We weren''t far, and Max picked up your scent pretty easily." I give Max a glance, then realize that he still has most of his Mana. But he used Fireball Fury? "Fireball Fury isn''t actually a Skill," Braden whispers to me, realizing what I was looking at. "It''s just him silent-casting and rapid-casting a bunch of Fireballs. He''s Max, though, and gets carried away." Which results in casting as many Fireballs as he can, running out of Mana in the process. "Ow!" Max exclaims as Luca whacks him over the head with his staff. "Luca, whyyyy?" Because he''s influenced by Zack too much. "Alright," I tell Braden. "That sounds like a plan, but we''re still going to race to finish first." "So are we," Braden responds. "Let me see your map." I gesture for Luca to show him the map, and Braden marks three spots on it. "These are ours," he tells us. "The paths leading to them from each other and from base camp are filled with the monsters fitting our challenge, with some intersection with ranged, which are were the paths cross with yours, it looks like. Max, the map?" Max hands Braden the map, and Braden marks three spots on it, then nods, handing Luca and Max their maps back. "Thanks," Braden says. "See you when you get back to camp." "We''ll see you when you get back to camp," Luca retorts, and Braden grins, then takes off with Max. "Let''s go to their paths," I tell Luca. "It''ll be easier for me to gain some Levels that way." Chapter 0123 (Braden) "Max," I say as we camp out in a building, and he gives me a curious look. "Do you have a Tier 3 Skill to advance Elementalist?" "No yet," he shakes his head, then frowns. "Not yet. Me learn Flame Lance with next group. Kill lots of gobbies!" "Alright," I say. "Make sure to take it on, alright?" "Yes, Braden!" He says. "What be you doing? You said you be take Elementalist Level 25. You be Level 25." "Yeah," I nod. "I''m trying to think of what to do. I mostly want it to augment my Wisdom and Intellect to increase my Mana and magical power. However, I need to think rationally on what to learn. You are a fire-based Elementalist, so going that route would probably be redundant." Max frowns, and I realize that he probably didn''t know that word. "But Max be learn fire, water, earth, and air elements," he says. "So you learn any of those be redundant, Braden." "You know what redundant means?" I ask in surprise. "Duh," he says. "It means repeated. Redundant be repetitive. You not need be worry ''bout redundancy, Braden. It be okay. Max be the real Elementalist. And a Dark Knight, once me hit Level 25!" I continue to think on what element I should take on as we rest. Max has a point about that ¨C he uses all of the elements. At least, those four. He doesn''t use ice or lightning, so those are a possibility, but he''ll probably learn them later, too. Especially if I start using them. But what are the Skills for them? "Max," I say. "What are the base Skills for ice elementalists and for lightning elementalists?" "Max not know for ice," he thinks for a moment. "But lightning be zzzzt! So Max know those. Old master like shock Max. Not fun. That be Electric Spike. Be spike made of electricity or lightning. Something like that. Not very fun at all. But you no strong enough hurt me, so it be okay. Learn it, Braden!" "Huh?" I ask. "Electric Spike!" He scrambles to his feet, then thumps his chest. Then he frowns and hurriedly pulls off his tunic. "Use Electric Spike! Learn it! You be lightning elementalist! Max learn it later." "Why''d you take off your tunic?" I ask. I want muscles like those. I guess he got them from running around all the time. "So you not damage it with Electric Spike, duh!" "I''m not attacking you." "What be your Intellect?" Max asks. "I have 32 Intellect," I answer. "But-" "Max be have 35 Willpower," Max says. "And Tier 1 Elementalist Skills only do 20% of Intellect as damage per Level of the Skill, so that only be 7 Intellect in the power. That nowhere near enough hurt Max. So it be fine. Maybe tingle, but fine!" I''m about to protest again when I realize that Max looks afraid. He mentioned his previous master would use it on him sometimes. Is he offering to let me learn it on him rather than in a fight so that he can try to deal with it? "Alright," I stand, shakily aiming my hand at Max. I don''t want to do this, but he''s right in that it''s better to learn it now than in a fight. Do I have to hit him with it, though? But if I hit something else, it might damage the building, and- I shake my head, then focus on manifesting the Skill, listening to what I remember Zack''s instructions to Max were for elemental Skills. He''s talked with Max about a few different ones, but this shouldn''t be too different. "Electric Spike!" I say, and a thin spike of electrical power around a foot in length forms, then zips at Max. It strikes him in the chest, and he yelps. For a moment, I think he''s hurt, but then he touches his undamaged chest. "Whew!" He lets out a sigh of relief. "That be good. Me no hurt. Sure not happen, but not sure. Master always hurt Max with that. Boss not mean like that. He hurt Max, but only as training, and not to be mean. Helps Max build Endurance and Vitality!" As he reassures himself that he''s fine, I read the notice.
New Skill!
Electric Spike Active
Throw a spike of lightning at your foes.
Damage: 20% of your Intellect per Level of this Skilll
Cost: 20 Mana
So are all Tier 1 Elementalist Skills just variations of the same thing, with the same damage ability and Mana cost? As I dismiss that, I notice Max poking his abs. "Braden!" He exclaims, tail wagging. "Lookit! Me have abs!" They''re not completely defined, but enough to be noticeable. Mine are yet to reach that stage. I''m jealous. "That''s because you''re eating right and exercising regularly," I tell him. "Yay!" He exclaims. "Braden now have Electric Spike, you be take on Novice Elementalist now." He''s saying that I need to take it on, and it takes me a moment to remember that he has Appraisal, so he noticed my Mana didn''t increase. I nod, then take it on. Oh, it increases things by 2 Intellect and 1 Wisdom, I thought it was the other way around. "My turn!" Max exclaims, then rushes out of the house. I quickly follow him, as it means he''s spotted something. "Flame Lance!" Before I can spot his target, he''s already manifested a lance six feet in length, forged of pure, orange-and-yellow flames, with only touches of red at the edges. "Die!" He exclaims, throwing the lance, and I spot the trio of Goblin Archers he''d spotted. He throws two more Flame Lances in rapid succession, and they pierce the goblins before the monsters can evade, killing all three. "Whoo!" Max exclaims. "Level up!" "Good job," I tell him. "If you can reach Level 25 before the challenge ends, Zack might scratch behind your ears." "Whoo!" Max exclaims, his tail wagging even harder. "Four more Levels! Max can do that, yes, me can! Whoo!" He is way too excited over getting his ears scratched. I suppose considering what he is, plus being starved of positive attention until he met Zack, is the source of this. Gold admitted to me that he''s the same way, but is trying not to be. However, he also said that when Zack''s around, he can''t help it sometimes and wants praise. Heh. Gold also said that Max''s desire to have his tail rubbed is something unique to the wolf beastborn ¨C that dog beastborn aren''t really appreciative of it. It doesn''t have the same effect as a scratch behind the ears for them like it does for the wolf beastborn. "Come on," I tell Max. "Let''s go look for more monsters." "Yeah!" Max follows me as we hunt down another group of monsters. It isn''t long before we come across a group of five slimes. Two Heal Slimes and three Earth Slimes. "Let me handle this one, Max," I tell him as the slimes start hopping closer so that they''re in range of us. "But Max needs Experience!" Max whines. "Your attacks are stronger than mine," I remind him as I hold up my right hand. "So I need to fight the weaker things. You can act against the things my attacks won''t do anything against, okay?"The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "But Braden''s attacks won''t hurt the slimies anyway?" He looks confused, and I sigh. "Just let me get some hits in before you kill them." "Okay!" "Electric Spike," I trigger the Skill, then throw the attack. I manage to hit eat slime twice before they''re close enough to attack, and as soon as they are, Max takes it as his cue to kill them with a Firebomb. Then two more, because the first one''s explosion didn''t actually do that much to the others. "Max," I say, and he gives me a curious look. "I also need to Level another weak Skill as well." "Oooh," he says. "Me sorry, Braden!" "No," I shake my head. "I mean, I''ll be using a couple of weak Skills. Why don''t you wait until I give the signal to attack?" "What be the signal?" He asks, then makes several bird noises. Did he figure out how to do that just by listening to me sometimes? He had to have learned those from my training with Brandon. "Like those signals?" "No," I shake my head. "I''ll¡­ just tell you to attack." "Ooooh!" He says. "Okay! Me can do that! Me think. Me might get excited and attack early, though." "That''s okay," I smile. "Just try not to, okay?" "Okay!" He says. "You attack archer gobby?" That means there''s one here, so I look around until I spot it, then draw my bow, summoning a Magic Arrow with Lightning Shot added on. The attack hits, and I strike it twice more before it manages to dip out of sight. "Max," I say. "Got it!" He exclaims, then charges the building, climbing up it. A moment after he disappears behind the wall of the second floor, I receive an Experience notification and he pops his head back up. "It be dead!" Max and I spend three hours wandering the areas where Luca and Gavin would have traveled, falling into a routine of me attacking first, doing no damage or little damage, then Max attacking and killing things. We do this even against the monsters that are too strong for me to do any damage to at all, no matter how hard I try. While I might not be able to hurt a Level 5 Chocolate Slime, and Max might barely be able to harm it, that''s decent Experience for both of us. Or at least, for my Skills and for Max. I''m not getting any Experience from things I''m not actually doing damage to. The closer we travel to the border of the challenge zone, the more monsters there are wandering around, making it tougher for us, to the point where we can barely go five to eight minutes without a fight. Which makes it perfect for acquiring Experience. By the time we pull back, believing ourselves to be ready for what is to come, I''ve reached Level 10 Novice Elementalist, and Max might be a Dark Squire. Lightning Shot is now Level 4, as is Electric Ball. So Max and I pull back, making our way to the nearest spot on our map marked for one of our team''s banners. Once we''re near it, we camp out in a building after making sure it''s empty of monsters, then sit down for lunch. Bread, jerky, and fruit. Not the best, but it''ll do. As we eat, I pull up my Status, to check my current stats.
Character Information Dark of Water
Name: Braden Primary Class: Ranger
Level: 37 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 260/260 Mana: 740/740
Strength: 23 Intellect: 58
Endurance: 0 Willpower: 18
Vitality: 26 Wisdom: 74
Agility: 56 Perception: 107
My regular Magic Arrow now deals 35 Damage per hit, while using Lightning Shot increases that to 67 Damage. Add on Power Shot, and that becomes 84 Damage. It''s nowhere near what Max can do, but is still decent, especially for how little time I''ve been here in the Boundary. This must be the effects of power training. We have two days left here in Talorn, before we return to Maelnor so that Zack can prepare for the fight with the Greed Lord. Will it be possible to reach Level 50 in that time? Might I even manage to bring Ranger up to its Fifth Tier? Before we go up against the banner''s guards, I should know what Max''s stats are, so that we can know for sure if it''s something we can handle or not. "Max," I say. "Can I see your Status?" "Sure!"
Character Information Dark of Fire
Name: Max Primary Class: Elementalist
Level: 28 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 280/280 Mana: 810/810
Strength: 31 Intellect: 141
Endurance: 26 Willpower: 48
Vitality: 28 Wisdom: 81
Agility: 61 Perception: 61
Erm. I guess he''s definitely able to handle things. His Fireball is Level 8, I believe, so that means it would do¡­ 226 Damage. Even his Static Spike, which he''s only brought to Level 2, does 54 Damage. Mine only does 46 Damage, and it''s at Level 4. Then there''s Max''s Flame Lance, which apparently deals 100% of his Intellect per Level for Damage, though it takes 100 Mana each, so it''s not something he can spam. It''s at Level 2, based on his cheers when things go up. That makes it his most powerful Skill at the moment, with a total of 282 Damage. Which means it can inflict the Burn Status, too. If I remember correctly, Burn Damage, if not listed as an effect in a Skill, is equal to ten percent of the Skill''s damage. Then there''s lightning Skills. If he went up to 150 Intellect and learned a Tier 3 lightning Elementalist Skill, or a Tier 2 one and brought it up to Level 2, then he could inflict Stun as well. Without that, he''d need those up one more Level. "Max," I decide to check something. "Did you take on Dark Squire? It''s not set to your Primary Class." "It be need Swords Mastery, Rage, and Intimidate," Max tells me, his tail wagging. "Me only have Intimidate. Boss be teach Swords Master when we finish. Me going to ask him. But me not sure if me able get angry enough acquire Rage." Good point, he''s way too cheerful and hyper, I can''t really see him getting angry. We finish eating lunch, then rest a few more minutes before traveling to the spot where one of our banners rests. It''s guarded by a pair of Goblin Giants and around eighty goblins and twenty slimes. Wonderful. "Max," I say. "Those Goblin Giants are tough ¨C each one will probably require you to use half of your Mana to kill if you use Flame Lance. The plan with them is that you''ll kill one. I''ll work on the weaker monsters, you retreat and recover at least twenty-five percent more of your Mana, then attack the other Goblin Giant and kill it. After that, help me with the weaker ones, okay?" "Okay!" "Wait until my signal," I tell him. "Then attack. Let me get into position first." "What be signal?" He asks, thankfully not making bird noises this time. "I''ll shoot one of the goblins," I tell him. "Keep an eye out for the green arrows." He nods, then I climb up the building and sneak across several more until I''m at a good vantage point, out of the range of any of the ones below. There are a few archers, but I''ll be able to handle those, should they target me. Actually, I have a good line of sight on one of them, so I draw my bow, aiming carefully, then I fire. The arrow zips across the air, nailing the archer in the eye. Before I can finish aiming a second arrow, I''m informed that Max saw the shot, even though it was above the goblins he was probably watching. That message comes in the form of a trio of Flame Lances shooting from out of my sight, slamming into one of the Goblin Giants. Good job, Max. A fourth Flame Lance shoots the same one as I shoot down another Goblin Archer, then I readjust my aim to the one that''s targeting Max. The others are still looking around, trying to spot him. Idiot goblins. I kill the third one as the fifth Flame Lance strikes the Goblin Giant, then it begins to topple, its Health depleted. We can definitely handle the other fight, it would only take four to kill that one, and it''s the only giant there. The other Goblin Giant here would probably take another Flame Lance, which tells me Max probably judged which one to hit. That, or he just targeted at random and got lucky on that. As I continue taking out the archers, confident Max can handle the monsters beginning to head this way, a couple of small objects fly from the direction he''s in, and when they land in the group of monsters, clouds of green smoke billow out. The poison cloud bombs. He threw two of them, poisoning the goblins that came closest to him. It only takes a few moments for a wind to blow the clouds away, dispersing them, and I spot the Air Slimes doing that. So they''re intelligent enough for that. Surprising, considering Intellect doesn''t actually affect intelligence. Even though it was less than ten seconds later, Max is already out of their sight, based on the confused looks the goblins are giving. It will take ten minutes for him to recover his missing Mana. While we''re waiting, I can take out all of the archers, and with what Mana remains, some of the weaker goblins. Maybe some of the slimes, too. I have to be careful, though, not to use up all of my Mana. I want to have at least a quarter of it remaining at all times, in case of an emergency. Especially with how wild Max can be. If I need to suddenly rescue him with a hail of arrows, I need to be ready for that. By the time Max''s Flame Lances appear again, I''ve taken out all of the archers and most of the slimes, and have moved to another location. This time, I can see him. He''s standing on the second floor of a building with no wall facing this courtyard. As I estimated, it takes him six Flame Lances to take out the second Goblin Giant, then he throws several Firebombs into the crowd of monsters. As he attacks from there, I keep my aim on any monsters that draw too close, as well as the archers that show up. It takes us nearly half of an hour to kill the last of the monsters, then we both descend the buildings and meet back up. I claim the banner from the Goblin Giant that was wearing it, checking it for damage. Somehow, the banner still feels silky smooth and is only a little dirty ¨C it''s completely undamaged by the attacks that had to have struck it. The entire plan may have fallen apart, had the Goblin Giant used the banner as armor. Just what is this made out of? "Yay!" Max exclaims. "Levels! And banner! Four more to go!" "Yeah," I nod. "Four more to go. And it''s possible two or three will be even more difficult than this one." Chapter 0124 (Gavin) A pure-white Barrier forms in front of me, stopping the trio of Flame Jets shot by Flame Slimes, and as soon as they end, the barrier disappears and I charge forward. "Water Blade!" My sword becomes coated with a light swirl of water, the edges glowing blue ever-so-faintly. I step beside the Fireball shot my way and swing, my sword slicing into the Flame Slime. I quickly pull it out and strike again, before moving to the side just in time for another Flame Jet to graze my arm, heating up the metal of my armor. Ignoring that, I bring my sword down on the original target. The third strike ends its life and I step back, letting another Flame Jet pass in front of me as I turn to attack its caster. I strike down onto it, then pull my sword out and slash at it from the side, feeling the impact of something against my armor. An arrow. When I turn to face the archer, it''s already gone. Luca again. I don''t know what he''s doing, but he''s really got some method of dealing with them. Without taking too long to focus on that, I return my attention to the slimes and strike this one again, killing it in time to avoid another Fireball, then another Flame Jet. I change to that Flame Slime just as my Water Blade runs out. "Water Blade!" I say as I slash at the slime. My blade connects with the slime, and a moment later, a bolt of lightning slams into me, stunning me as it throws me across the street.
-157 Health!
You have been stunned for 10 seconds
+52 Health
+52 Health
+52 Health
Thanks, Luca. I''d say that, except I''m kind of stunned at the moment. This stun doesn''t freeze my body up, just makes it tense, so I can still breathe and move my eyes around, thankfully. It''s not pleasant, though, and I watch as the timer ticks down and the Goblin Shaman that struck me with lightning aims its staff at me again. Its Fireball is stopped by a shimmering white Barrier, and when the timer for my stun hits 4 Seconds, a new notification appears in my vision as I find myself able to move again.
You have been Cured of Stun!
"Thanks, Luca!" I call out as his Barrier fades. A moment later, I''m struck by a jet of flames, so I roll away, then jump to my feet and Dash towards my sword, dodging the Stone Spikes shot at me. "Wind Blade!" I call as I grab my sword. It''s my strongest Magic Sword attack, and I''m right by the Goblin Shaman now. With another Dash, I''m right in front of it, and I strike at the goblin with my blade. It blocks with its staff, and I swing again, finding my attack blocked once more. High-velocity candies suddenly pelt into me, plinking against my armor. A few pieces even pierce through it, and I hiss in pain as my sword finally connects with the Goblin Shaman. The Spook Slime finally decided to join the battle. That makes me the most nervous, as it has the most ability to penetrate my armor and is probably the strongest thing we''ve had to fight while hunting these banners. I focus on the Goblin Shaman, trusting in Luca''s Barriers, and sure enough, another one appears while I fight just as I hear the whistling of the candy pieces. Where did Luca hide at? I haven''t noticed him at all ever since the fight began, yet he seems to have some sort of decent view while still being near enough to heal and cure me. A strike at the shaman''s legs connects, and it garbles at me in the goblins'' language, lashing out with its staff. I deflect that with my sword and trigger another Wind Blade as the shaman starts to drop to one knee. With a Dash, I lunge forward the small distance between us, my sword running through its shoulder. I twist, yanking my sword out as the goblin howls, then I spin, cutting into the back of its neck. Two more strikes there, and it''s dead. Then I''m immediately dodging another Fireball, so I charge the Flame Slime. The Wind Blade is still active, so I have to wait for it to end, but I should still be able to manage. Luca''s Barrier disappears for a few moments, then reappears when I''m at the slime, striking down again. A piece of candy barely misses it, nearly hitting me, and the Barrier expands to cover more space. "Don''t push yourself!" I holler to Luca. "I can take a few hits!" The Barrier shrinks as my sword slices into the slime, narrowly missing its core. I pull my sword back, then thrust it forward, succeeding in hitting the core this time. Two more strikes, and I manage to kill it, leaving just the Spook Slime. Finally. It''s been nearly twenty minutes since we began fighting this group, and I''m starting to feel the exhaustion. This armor is feeling heavier with every moment, even though I''m more than strong enough to carry its weight. I turn to face the Spook Slime. It''s¡­ rather large. Twice as tall as I am, and Level 15. Is there any possible way for me to even hurt this? I thought Zack said he got rid of all of the Elite Monsters in the ruins? Unless it evolved into that while we were here. Regardless, this is a pain in the butt, and I''m not sure how to kill it. My sword will probably only barely reach its core, if at all. For several minutes, I jab at it, poke at it, and dodge its attacks, occasionally being healed by Luca when my Health dips too low, but I never managed to hit its core. It''s just too resilient. Then without warning, I find myself being jerked back, and almost fight until I realize it''s Braden and Luca together pulling me away. I''m about to ask why when a lance of flames strikes into the Spook Slime, followed by several more. As soon as we''re a safe distance back, Braden and Luca release me, and I watch as Max finishes destroying the Spook Slime with his Flame Lances, turning it into a puddle of ooze and the inert core. The banner had been inside of its ooze, and is now coated in the greyish goop. "I''m not touching that," Luca tells me in a quiet voice, and Braden chuckles. "Thanks," I tell Braden. "I couldn''t have gotten that." "We figured," Braden says. "As soon as Luca said you could probably use our help, Max began a countdown. Thankfully, or we might not have gotten you out of the way in time." "It be dead!" Max exclaims, charging towards us. "How many banners you be having?" "This makes four," I walk over and pull the banner out of the goop, folding it up and sending it into my Inventory, then I turn and look at them. "You two?" "Four," Braden answers. "And there''s no way we can get the fifth by ourselves." "What do you mean?" I ask. "You''ll see," he frowns. "We were actually looking for you two. You''re Level 25 now. Going to take on Holy Squire?" Should I? Or would Mystic Knight be better for me? I want to be a counter to Zack''s darkness, but at the same time, he isn''t as dark as I initially thought. But Mystic Knight feels like it would be the best option. Looking at Braden and Max, I realize that both have gained quite a few Levels since we saw them earlier. Braden''s probably taken on a second Class already, but I don''t think Max has Swords Mastery, so unless he does, he didn''t yet. I know he wants to be a Dark Squire, and with Max being Max, he won''t have changed his mind on that.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "I''m considering taking on Mystic Knight instead," I tell him. "Or, well, Mystic Squire. It''s available, since I know a Tier 1 Magic Swordsman Skill." "I''d ask Zack about that," Braden says. "Once we finish. Don''t make a decision now." "It will help you get your last banner," I say. "And us ours, once we locate it. Every little bit of stats counts." "It won''t help," Braden shakes his head. "Come on, let''s show you." As we walk, I try to ask why a few extra stats won''t help, but he won''t answer, and strangely, Max is silent on the matter. He just talks with Luca ¨C well, to Luca ¨C to see how he''s doing and make sure he''s okay. The healer has his hood down, his hair slightly ruffled and face a little red from the effort he''s been exerting today. Max must have noticed Luca''s fatigue, because he suddenly lets Luca climb onto his back. Luca immediately plays with Max''s ears ''by accident'' as he tries to get a good grip on the beastborn. Luca, he has no issue with you scratching behind his ears as if he''s a dog. He enjoys it. Hm. Do wolf beastborn ¨C or at least, dog beastborn ¨C enjoy having their tummies or backs rubbed or scratched? I don''t actually want to ask that, but I am curious about it now. Almost an hour of traveling carefully later, we reach where the final banner is, the four of us hiding in a three-story building not in the open area the final banner is. For each team. They''re hung up on separate poles only ten feet apart each, guarded by a pair of Goblin Giants and a pair of Goblin Shaman. That''s all we can see from the roof here, at least initially, but then a Level 10 Goblin Chieftain walks into view. A Level 10 Goblin Chieftain is guarding that thing. The four of us combined could not fight that thing. I check its stats several times to verify.
Goblin Chieftain Level 10
Health: 79,892 Mana: 64,983
With stats like those, I doubt even Max''s magic would do much damage to it, and it might be able to kill us ¨C or at least, nearly kill us ¨C with just one or two hits. If I remember Zack''s guide correctly, a Goblin Chieftain is old for a goblin, and has evolved several times ¨C at least two or three, I think. They have an arsenal of Skills and are tough things, and a Dungeon Goblin Chieftain is even more so. Seeing this one in person, I''m amazed at the fact that Luca survived one that became a Bounty Beast ¨C it had evolved twice more. And from what I heard, it was stronger than some of the strongest monsters ever slain in the Boundary. Luca''s continued existence is a miracle, but I doubt the four of us together would continue to live this second life of ours if we went up against those. "There are roughly one hundred monsters," Braden tells us. "At that intersection. The Goblin Giants and Goblin Shaman would be the biggest issue normally, but there are several Spook Goblins and Frost Goblins as well, in addition to, well¡­ the Goblin Chieftain." "We can''t win that fight," I say. "Yeah," Max nods solemnly. He''s standing with Luca facing him, the younger boy shaking slightly. It takes me a moment to realize he''s trying not to cry. Even if this isn''t A''Lutar, Luca must be having flashbacks as a result of seeing a Goblin Chieftain again. "We no be able to kill that," Max says. "We were never meant to be able to," I shake my head. "Zack set this up to see if we''d be smart enough to retreat rather than fight for those banners." "Max and I agree," Braden nods. "Let''s head back to base camp and cross it together, so it''s a tie? We''re all failing anyway." "Yeah," I nod. "Let''s do that. Luca, I''ll carry you this time."
(Zack) "Going to Talorn?" I ask, and Gold jumps in surprise. I laugh, then approach him on the seal, triggering the transport and warping us there. "I was wondering who it was who was taking care of its Dark Temple." He gives me an embarrassed look. I had narrowed it down to him and one other Dark Knight. They smell very similar, and while I was pretty sure it was my former housemate, I wasn''t completely confident in that. "It''s nothing to be embarrassed about," I tell him. "It shows dedication to the Order and to Big Flame. I''m sure he appreciates the effort a lot, even if it''s for an empty, uninhabited Dark Temple." Gold nods, and we walk into the Dark Temple together. My team just saw their final fight together based on my power of sight, and they made the right choice. It should take them around an hour and a half to return to base camp for them, so I''ve got time. I walk with Gold, helping him check on the bedrooms to make sure the beds are made and ready for a Dark Knight to stay, and he gives me a firm glare when I start to send one of the bed''s stuff into my Inventory. "What?" I ask, and receive a series of messages from him. I roll my eyes. "Fine, I''ll only do it at the one where people are actually staying at." He thinks that''s for the best, so that stuff gets replaced faster. It doesn''t take long to check all of the rooms, since nothing has changed since the last time he stopped in. After that, he replaces the candles in a few rooms, then I wish him a good rest of the day, and let him know he can join us anytime he wants. He sends me a message of him being pummeled from all sides by goblins five times as strong as him, and I grin at him, then leave. Gold knows he can''t handle the stuff here in Talorn yet. He''d need a team and careful observation to manage, and he doesn''t have either of those. He would if he''d let me take him training, but he refuses that. Stretching on the steps to the front doors, I then run to camp, where Nik and Travis are chatting at the table. "I take it that means they''re almost back?" Nik looks at me. "Yeah," I answer. "Did you know that Gold''s been coming here to take care of the Dark Temple?" "I had my suspicions," he nods. "I''ve noticed him using the sigil a few times ever since I reactivated the Dark Temple here in Talorn, but never managed to actually follow him. He was always gone before I stepped onto it, and Big Flame wouldn''t tell me where he was going." "I have a feeling," I say. "That if I stole stuff from this Dark Temple, Gold would probably march to my house and give me a stern glare." "Probably," Nik snorts. "Do you want the briefing now?" "Nah," I answer. "Your guys are going to do it when they get here, giving tips, themselves, so it won''t matter much." Nik nods, then we wait the last few minutes for the team to show up. They cross the boundary of the property together. Nik has them sit at the table, then the other Dark Knights and Paladins in the area show up and start running through everyone''s training today, talking about what they did right and wrong. I listen a little bit, playing with my sight some to check on things I''ve been keeping eyes on. My team is listening intently to every word of it, and I can tell they''re amazed that they really were being watched that closely. Gavin seems upset by something, and when the rundown of their training mission today ends, he glares at me. "Why did you set us up to fail?" He demands. "The last banner is impossible for us to acquire!" "That wasn''t my fault," I say. "Yes, it was!" He says. "You''re the only person I know of who can convince monsters he''s one of them!" "That''s actually a Dark Knight ability," Nik informs Gavin. "And I was the one who told Zack to arrange that." Gavin frowns, obviously confused by that. "Zack," Nik says. "Said that each of you needs to be Level 50 or higher in order for all four of you to participate in the battle for the valley ¨C and the Boundary. I disagree with that. You are Level 25, Max is Level 30, and Braden is Level 40. If Max actually put the effort in, he could easily reach Level 50 within a couple of days, and even potentially reach Level 75 by then. Braden could possibly hit Level 75 in a couple of weeks, and you could probably hit Level 50 in that time. "And yet," he says. "I do not feel that the four of you would be ready to participate in the battle. Because of that, I told Zack that regardless of his decision, the four of you will not be allowed to participate in the battle unless you can reclaim those banners and kill its guardians. Only then will I grant you permission to fight." "And Nik," I say. "Is the one in charge of the battle''s preparations. He''s the one who decides who''s allow to participate, and is the one who set the Level requirement for those participating. You four participating below it is a risk, because it means you have a greater chance of dying." "Which is why," Nik tells him. "I told Zack to set that up, told him that the requirement for you four was changed." "As free-acting as I am," I point at Nik. "I still listen to him when it matters. He''s more than a century older than me, and-" All four of them give him shocked looks. "You do realize that many of the Boundary''s Adventurers over Level 125 are at least seventy or eighty, right?" They all give me shocked looks. "Yeah," I laugh. "The stronger you are, the higher your Level, the more your elemental affinity has merged into the Sacred Crystal within you. The greater that merging, the slower you age. Luca accelerated that merging by a certain event, which isn''t common, and he won''t actually age ever again as a result, much like Nathan Normar, the great and powerful healer." "Anyway," Nik says. "As I said, you four will need to be able to claim those banners in order to participate in the battle. This is my requirement, and if you don''t meet it, I will ensure you do not participate. Am I clear?" The four of them nod, and Gavin looks a lot less angry with me now that he knows it wasn''t actually my decision. "Good," Nik says. "I''m glad you understand that. There''s something else the four of you should know as well. This is not an impossible task. Zack and you four are not ordinary Adventurers. Each of the five of you Level faster than normal. That means that the four of you may be able to accomplish this task before the battle occurs. "If you do," Nik says. "And you haven''t good enough gear or the money for it, I will personally have it made for you at my expense." "It will be gear," I tell them. "That is on-par with or stronger than the gear I was using when I arrived here made of those special ores I acquired quickly. It is also possible that you will manage that gear before then. If that is the case, Nik won''t have it made." I was going to have it made, myself, but Nik told me that he would do that. I''m still going to ''donate'' Primordial Essence for it. Four of it would be all that''s needed, I''m sure. "Good luck," Nik tells them. "The four of you will need it." "Now eat up," I say as one of the Paladins starts serving dinner. "I know I''m starving, and you four have a lot more training the next couple of days, before we return to Maelnor." Chapter 0125 (Zack) We''re barely back onto our property before my team just collapses, all four of them exhausted after the hellish training camp I put them through. They thought the first five days were brutal, but the last two were even more so, and they saw significantly slower gains in it because of how much they had already grown. That, and I had forbidden Gavin and Max from taking on a second Class, so they were sporting decent Levels from that. Not that Max could take on what he wants, since he''s lacking Swords Mastery and Rage, but Gavin has the requirements for both Holy Squire and Mystic Squire. "Hey, Max," I walk over to him and crouch beside him. "I talked with Gold while we were training, and he''s feeling rather smug about being a Dark Knight when you aren''t. He says you''re just a poseur since you don''t even have the Class. A wannabe with no real talent for it, who can''t even use a sword. He said that he bet that if the two of you dueled, he''d win every time." I continue with this, noticing Max getting more and more worked up over it, until he finally takes off on all fours. Gavin glares at me from where he''s sitting at the table, his head resting on it. "You lied." "How much do you wanna bet?" I ask. "Why did you lie and get Max worked up like that?" He asks. "I said that so that he can get Rage," I answer. "He''ll be back even more furious than before because Gold will deny it. He''ll also probably return with Sword Mastery. The trick will be seeing if he returns with Dark Squire or not." "You told us not to," Gavin says. "And he listens to you." "I said not until the week of training in Talorn was over," I say. "Which it is. And speaking of that, Gavin, have you decided which you wish to take on? Holy Squire to counter the darkness you believe needs countering, or Mystic Squire?" He thinks on it a little, and I know he''s a little confused about how I know his reasons behind wanting to be a Holy Squire, despite the fact that he''s been informed of my mind-reading abilities several times. "You can be devoted to the ''good'' side of things," I tell Gavin. "And not be a Paladin or Priest. The Classes are there for the bonuses they give, with a few perks on the side for some, like Class-locked Skills. "Paladin," I say. "Grants points to four different stats instead of three, though the same quantity at each Tier as other Rank 1 Classes, so three, five, seven, nine, and eleven. Tier 1 gives points to Strength, Endurance, and Wisdom, while Tier 5 give 3 Strength, 3 Endurance, 1 Vitality, and 1 Wisdom each Level. "Mystic Knight," I continue. "Gives 1 Strength and 2 Intellect each Level at Tier 1, while Tier 5 gives 2 Strength, 5 Intellect, and 5 Wisdom per Level." He thinks on that a little, then opens his mouth to say something. "Wait," I tell him. "There''s a little more to take into consideration. Paladins are buffers, so while they boost a warrior''s combat stats more, it does require a fair bit of buffing others to Level. I have a cheat, since I can just do it to monsters, but-" "What?" He gives me a shocked look, and Luca giggles. "It''s when I got into ''monster mode''," I tell him. "Or that mode that makes monsters think I''m one of them. Or terrify them to the point of shitting themselves because they''re facing something that can obliterate them. Ordinarily, this would be impossible ¨C almost no one who can do this can use holy Skills because they go Dark Knight or Blood Priest, but with Adventurer, I can still use them. "So what you want to take into consideration," I say. "Is which one provides you the stats that will be a bigger boost to you ¨C which you''ll need more of, basically. Then you want to factor in which Class will gain more Experience based on your actions. Will you be a mix of support and warrior, or fullwarrior with only a little support?" He thinks about it for a few minutes, then sighs, shaking his head. "What would you suggest?" Luca and Braden stare at him in shock, neither having expected him to actually ask for my advice on it. While Gavin does still have some issues with me, he''s come to accept me the last couple of weeks. And trust my judgment. "Mystic Knight," I tell him. "You''re more of a fighter than a mixed-role, so that would benefit you more, especially since you''ve begun to incorporate the elemental blade attacks into your combat. If you still want Paladin once both Knight and Mystic Knight are maxed-out, then take it on." "Why wait until then?" He asks. "Why not when Mystic Knight is Level 25, since I''ll be able to?" "Because," I say. "That would be three sword-based Classes you''d have, which means that it would leech Experience from the other two from the stuff that all three share, decreasing how quickly you Level them. The common tactic is to take on another Class once able, but after the third, most work on getting them all to Level 40, and the third is usually something separate from the other two, to avoid having it leech even more Experience. "As an example," I tell him. "Priest and Paladin both leech Experience from each other, as both use Heal for it. However, Priest is purely curative with some buffing, which Paladin is buff and combat, so they have minor leeches from each other, but the majority of what they do is independent of the other. "Knight and Mystic Knight," I continue. "Leech Experience based on how much Blade Skills are used. When a Blade Skill isn''t used, Knight receives more Experience, while Mystic Knight will receive nearly all if only Blade Skills are used in combat." "But take Braden and Max as examples," I indicate Braden. "Braden is a rogue and a mage, and they don''t cross over. His Archery Skills might be magic, but they don''t cross over with Elementalist. Max is an Elementalist who will be taking on Dark Knight. Fireball is the only crossover there, and Dark Knight uses a lot of Skills, something like twelve or so by the time you reach Tier 5, and that''s just the required ones. "As a result," I say. "Braden receives and Max will receive no or little-to-no leeching. If Braden killed something using his archery and an Elementalist Skill, then there''d be shared Experience, but doing it with only one wouldn''t share Experience." Gavin thinks about that for a few minutes. "But then wouldn''t it be best," he says. "To wait to take on Mystic Knight until I master Knight?" "No," I answer. "Because Knight will drop in Experience gains heavily. You''re already experiencing that. If I took you back to Talorn for another week, maybe two, and put you through another training camp from hell, you could possibly Master it. In that time, you could probably bring Mystic Knight up to Level 20 to Level 25 hunting goblins, spiders, bears, and wolves in the forest here in the valley."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. He frowns again. "But wouldn''t it be better to master it, so that I don''t have that split? I''d gain¡­" he screws his face up in thought. "200 Overall Stat Points from Tiers 4 and 5." "No," I answer. "Because it would take you longer to acquire those 182 Stat Points you''ve yet to earn. You could probably gain the 80 Overall Stat Points from just Tiers 1 and 2 of Mystic Knight through a hellish two or three days in Talorn, and in a few more days, another 70 Overall Stat Points from Tier 3. That''s nearly as many as you have left as Knight alone, in less time than it would probably take you. "Your issue at the moment," I continue. "Is not one of Endurance or Vitality. Right now, with Luca healing you during fights, you''ll be fine against most things you can handle based on your Strength and Intellect. Mystic Knight will increase both of those, making it so that you can do even more damage, which means you''ll be able to take on tougher things." "But-" he begins. "No," I shake my head. "Think about it, Gavin. While you''re Leveling Mystic Knight, you would also gain Experience for Knight. The amount wouldn''t be much, but you could probably gain another Level or two while Leveling Mystic Knight." "But-" "Would you rather have a higher defense," I say. "And Health, or the ability to dish out more damage and use more Blade Skills? Which would be easier for you to raise on your own through training ¨C Vitality and Endurance, or Intellect and Wisdom? Which one do you need more?" "But wouldn''t it be better to take on the one that gives more Stats?" He asks. "And remove the leech?" I sigh, then pull a pair of basic training swords out of my Inventory, holding one out. There would be a leech anyway as a Paladin, it just wouldn''t be as large because of the Experience gained from buffing and healing. Gavin takes the training sword, standing and frowning. "Attack me," I tell him. "Why?" "Just do it," I say, and Luca and Braden both sit up so they can watch what''s going on better. "Why?" Gavin asks again. "Just do it," I repeat. He attacks me, and I block it. "Keep attacking," I tell him, and he does. It takes him almost a minute to actually start attacking me with effort, mostly because every time he stops, I either tell him to attack or smack him with the flat of my blade. Once he gets into actually attacking me, his battle style changes from simply swinging to actual attacks. Not long after that, he uses Water Blade, and when it runs out, I disarm him and pin him to the ground. "Notice something?" I ask. "I''m going to be even more sore than I already am because of how hard you threw me to the ground?" "You used a Blade Skill," I say. "A Mystic Knight technique. Did you do that intentionally, or out of habit? You used Water Blade, which would be a counter to the ''fire'' of Dark Knights." He doesn''t respond as he realizes that he did switch to a Mystic Knight Skill. "Luca," I say. "Why is that important?" "Classes give a small bonus to learning related Skills," Luca answers. "The higher the Class''s Tier, the easier it can be to learn them. This makes Classes almost essential to learning high-Tier Skills without a massive Mind Affinity, which also affects the rate at which someone can learn a new magical Skill, which Mystic Knight Skills fall into." "Close," I answer. "They''re a Mind-Might hybrid." "What does that mean?" Gavin asks. I release him and stand, then extend a hand and help him to his feet. "I figured Luca would know," I say. "And that the rest of you probably wouldn''t. Max might because of his past. Mind Affinity is the sum of the stats on the right-hand side of your Status ¨C Intellect, Willpower, Wisdom, and Perception. Might Affinity is the sum of the stats on the left-hand side of your Status ¨C Strength, Endurance, Vitality, and Agility. "This normally doesn''t come up," I say. "As it''s easier to just tell people what I was telling you before. Most accept it without question, generally because that''s just how it''s always been or it''s the experience of people who''ve come before. "There''s an obvious moment of difference," I indicate Luca. "Which Priests and Paladins know." Luca nods in response to that. "Blessings," I say. "The form of them above Blessing of [Stat] is Blessing of Might or Blessing of Mind, which buffs all of that''s stats. That''s the only other place where you''re likely to see a reference to this difference." The only time I have received one so far was with Travis and Nik, when Travis granted me the Blessing of Might during the fight against the Kobold King. Other than that, the only time I''ve actually been buffed was Nathan''s Blessing of the Crystal, which buffs all stats. The only buffs stronger than that which I know of are Blessing of Angels and Blessing of the Boundary, at Tiers 4 and 5 respectively. "Oh," Gavin says, then frowns again. "So how easily you can learn a Skill has to do with your stats?" "And your Classes," I confirm. "Physical combat Skills'' learning curve is based on your Might Affinity, while magical Skills'' learning is based on your Mind Affinity. Combine that with a Class that uses that Skill, and it becomes easier to learn higher Skills. "That is why," I tell him. "I recommend you take on Mystic Knight, in addition to the boosts to Intellect and Wisdom." "But-" "If you want to question me," I say. "Do it, but also consider the points I''ve given. Talk to Peter, Mama Bear, Travis, Jesse, or anyone else higher in power who you can trust. They will likely recommend taking on a second Class now rather than waiting until your first is Mastered." "But that''s because most people take longer to Level!" He exclaims. "True," I say. "But why does Leveling speed matter for this, Gavin?" "Because-" "Take your semi-valid argument and shove it somewhere dark," I say. "Gavin. Mystic Squire or Holy Squire. Pick one and take it on." I can tell that Gavin wants to argue and question more, but he gives up and takes on Mystic Squire. That''s right, Gavin, trust the advice of those who''ve come before you. We know better. Now to check on Max. I use my sight, then snort after only a few moments of seeing him. I''m getting better about seeing what is ''live'', so I can trust it''s true. "Max is a Dark Squire," I tell the team. I doubt he was given permission to the enter the Dark Temple, so that much is obvious. "He''s also¡­ training. We''ll go with that." Yeah. We''ll definitely go with that.
(Max) Gold-rival be blocking me strikes! Stop blocking me strikes! And stop telling Max to stop be ridiculous! No! I not stop attacking! And I not be ridiculous! Fight me right, Gold-rival!! Duel me! I know Boss be lie! Now fight Max right! You stupid meanie boy! No, you be the stupid boy! And you be me rival, stop say you no be! Because you be beastborn Dark Knight first, that be why! No, that not be ridiculous! Stop that! Me say it be, so it be! Yes, that how it be! Gold-rival move quick, strike Max on arm. Me snarl, he snarl back, and me try strike him even more. Now he be fighting! Yes, you do be fighting! Then why you strike me, stupid Gold-rival? Hah! Me be higher Overall Level, so me be better there! Max not care! You be rival! Because you be stronger and be faster! Stop that! He be send images of him flexing his muscles. Me send back memories of me obliterating slimies with magic! While he be distracted, me lunge forward, be aiming at his heart! Oof! Me suddenly on ground, on stomach. Big weight on back. It be a feint! Tricky boy! Hey! Get off of Max! Yes, Gold-rival! Get off! Me try struggle from underneath, but he be too heavy. You to do be heavy! Stop that! No, Max not be calling you fat. You obviously not fat. Lean and awesome, like Max! But not like Boss. No one be like Boss. Yeah, you be right, Gold-rival, Boss be the best! What you be mean, ''is''? Ooooh! Boss is the best! Like that? Okay! Hey! Me not be stupid! You be stupid! You no even be able talk! "Me able to talk just fine, stupid-Max!" "You be talk!" I exclaim, and Gold-rival snort. "No tell Hero-Zack, okay?" "Why?" Me ask. "Me not want him to know until me able talk as good as proper Adventurers," he tells me. Me be sensing embarrassment from Gold-rival. "Why?" Me ask. "Me talk with Boss all the time! With words, not just mind! He be cool with it!" Gold-rival be tell me why, and me giggle at it. Gold-rival be silly. Boss likes Kylie. He be so in love with her! They need cuddles and talks and kisses and dates! Gold-rival be super-silly! "Eeek!" Me exclaim when Gold-rival flips around and puts Max in headlock. This hurt! Yield! Yield! Chapter 0126 (Gavin) I need to replace my sword, but I need more money for that, first. I could replace it now, but the silver and a half that I have won''t get me a decent sword. We never really looted stuff in Talorn, and I''m regretting that now. It means that if I want quick money, I need to grind it out against the money slimes in the fields again. Zack told us to take a few days off, and said that if we do leave Maelnor, to stick to the fields ¨C avoid the woods. According to him, there are still a few monsters in them that can hurt us while we''d be helpless against them, so he wants us to stay out of the woods unless he or another stronger Adventurer is with us. Luca disappeared shortly after Zack left this morning, mumbling about lights and water, Braden went to get some training advice from Brandon, and Max went to go do whatever he does when he''s given freedom to do whatever he wants, so it''s just me now. I''d rather have Luca come with me, since he can heal while I focus on attacking, but I do have Heal, myself. It costs me 13 Mana at Level 6, and the Tier 1 Blade Skills cost me 50 Mana, while I have 400 Mana. So as long as I don''t take too much damage, I should be fine. If my estimates are correct, I can handle all Copper Slimes and probably the first 3 Levels of Silver Slimes. No Gold Slimes or higher, though. If I come across one of those and it attacks, I''m running. My armor is trash, now, and I gave it to a smith for it to be scrapped. It had far too many dents and holes to be useful anymore. Here''s hoping my sword will hold up long enough for me to earn enough for a better sword. I''m surprised it held up this long, since it probably wasn''t meant to be used with Blade Skills as much as it was. For my next sword, I want it to be one that''s designed to work with Blade Skills better, so that it holds up better. That, and has a higher durability, and one whose resilience to blood and such is stronger than this one''s. This one''s resilience faded away completely while we were in Talorn. I suppose it wasn''t meant to be used that much in that short of a time frame. Taking a deep breath and centering myself, I step through the northern gate and into the fields where we normally train. Most of the slimes here are the Copper Slimes, and at a glance, I can''t spot any Gold Slimes or higher. Zack probably came out last night and brought their Levels and types back down with his blade. Or, well, blades, since he has a ton of them. I frown as I draw my sword, staring at its dents and nicks that I couldn''t get out. I''m still not sure Zack''s advice about taking on Mystic Knight before mastering Knight was the best idea, but did it anyway. Now, I''m feeling stupid for doing it. "Wind Blade," I push those doubts from my mind, then charge the nearest Copper Slime, cutting through it with ease. I don''t need to use Blade Skills to kill them, since the Blade Skills will still do little or no damage to them, but I want to work on Leveling Mystic Knight, too. My Strength alone will allow me to kill these things. That won''t give me Mystic Knight Experience, though. Zack did have a point about it giving me more Intellect and Wisdom, which are things I need for my apparent fighting style. As soon as that Copper Slime is dead, I move on to another, managing to kill fifteen before Wind Blade runs out. I''m about to trigger Wind Blade again, but pause. The purpose of using the Blades right now isn''t for extra damage, it''s for the Mystic Knight Experience. Maybe I should use the other Blade Skills, so that I can Level them up, too? Should I try to learn another Blade Skill as well? One of the Tier 2 ones might be useful to have at some point, and I should start working on that now, too. I''ll think about that one after lunch. "Flame Blade!" Fire sheathes my sword, and I charge the nearest Copper Slime, attacking it and continuing my training. Only another hour and a half passes before I have to call it quits ¨C my sword is destroyed. Thankfully, I have plenty of money now that should help me purchase a new sword, so I return to Maelnor and walk to the business district. There aren''t many people here, but it still feels a little crowded. According to Zack, when he first arrived, the streets were almost empty, so to him, it feels packed having all these people here. But other Cities have far more people than Maelnor does. We have only around two thousand, and that''s apparently built up over the last few months in preparation for the war. Peter and Mama Bear said that inner Cities have anywhere from a hundred thousand to five hundred thousand residents. That''s a lot. Supposedly, some of the Cities around the Royal Capital have a million or more. I shudder at that thought. No, thanks! I like the quieter feel of Maelnor. It''s tranquil, and I like that. As I enter a shop that sells swords I can afford, I spot that girl Zack likes, but won''t go out with. Um¡­ Kylie. She stopped by this morning and talked with Zack for a little bit. Max teased Zack after that, and Zack just smacked him in the back of the head and told him to finish eating his food. Then as Max ate, Zack smacked him again and told him to stop that. I guess he was doing that beastborn-speak thing to be annoying. Right now, though, Kylie''s just lounging against a building, wearing the same outfit she had on when I first saw her. Could be a different one. Most of Zack''s outfits looks the same, though he does have some variety to it. She clearly wants to go on a date with him, why does he refuse? We''re able to take care of ourselves now, Zack, you don''t need to watch us at all times. She''s pretty, she seems nice, and she clearly likes you while you like her. My team''s leader is really frustrating. Tearing my gaze away from her, I enter the shop and look at the weapons for a few minutes before approaching the counter. "Hello," I greet the clerk. "Hello," he responds. "How can I help you, son?" "I''m looking for a new sword," I set my old one on the counter. "In this style, no greater than twenty silver in cost." My actual budget is eighteen, but I want to try the haggling that everyone else on the team seems adept at. Even Max can supposedly haggle up a storm, he just chooses not to. "Any requests?" The man asks. "Erm," I think for a moment. "I do need it to be able to hold up while Blade Skills are being used. I just took on Mystic Knight yesterday, but have been using Blade Skills a fair bit before that. That''s probably part of why that sword was destroyed so fast." "I see," the clerk picks up the old sword and examines it for a few moments, then steps out from behind the counter and moves about the shop, picking up three swords and setting them on the counter. Then, he goes into the back and returns a few minutes later with four more swords. "Here we are, son. Each of these swords meets your requirements and sit at various prices from five silver to thirty." I look at the tags, the ones he brought from the back are between twenty-five and thirty silver apiece. He probably brought them out in case the twenty-silver limit was only the preference and not the actual budget. Zack mentioned that''s a common tactic, but he also said it usually means they''re willing to haggle, even if not down to the stated limit. I examine the various swords, picking out two of them. One is twenty silver, and the other is twenty-five. There''s a sixteen-silver sword that I will get if I can''t get either of these two into my budget, but I would rather have either of those, especially with the information he gives me on them. Both will hold up better and longer. The twenty-five silver sword is seven above my limit, though, so I don''t think I could get it down to my budget. If I try to haggle it down, I would have to start with the offer below my budget, which would probably seem like I''m trying to cheat him out of the sword.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "This one is nice," I indicate the twenty-silver sword. "What that means," a cheerful voice says beside me, and I jump to the side, staring at Kylie, who was not there a moment ago. When did she enter the shop? I didn''t hear the bell ring to indicate someone else entered. "Is that he actually wants this sword." She picks up the twenty-five silver sword I want, then touches the tag and reads it. "Shame it''s so expensive, though," she looks at the vendor. "Did you take so long in the back so you could put higher-priced tags on them?" Maybe she''s the right sort of crazy for Zack. Why are you attacking the clerk? "I had to locate the swords," the clerk tells her. "Twenty-five silver is the going price for that sword." "Sure it is," she says. "I bet it''s really only worth twelve and a half silver, at most. You''re just trying to charge double for it." "I''d be willing to lower the price," he says. "But not that much. Twenty-two silver." "Twenty-two?" She scoffs. "I''ve seen cheaper swords with better craftsmanship. Not only that, but this sword doesn''t have a fuller. Doesn''t that lighten it without affecting its integrity? So this sword is also heavier." "With the System," the clerk says. "The weight of something as light as the sword isn''t as important. No warrior would notice." "I''m sure he would," she said. "If he spent all day swinging it fighting monsters. Every little bit of weight feels heavier every second in combat, you know. This is even more true if you''ve been fighting awhile already. Thirteen and a half silver." "I can drop it down another silver," the clerk tells her. "But the weight difference doesn''t matter that much." "How many people have tried out this sword?" She asks. "You let Gavin try it out, and he used Wind Blade. It''s used already. Fourteen and a half." "We properly care for all swords here," he tells her. "And adjust their prices accordingly. That sword has only been tried out a couple of times. Twenty." "A couple of times," she scoffs as she looks at me. "He just means it''s been tried out less than fifty times, and never against a target. The fact that they ''properly care for all swords'' means that they''ve probably resharpened it before already. Definitely not a new blade, eh?" She looks at the clerk again. "Fifteen." "Nineteen." "Fifteen and a half." "Eighteen and three-quarters." "Fifteen and three-quarters." "Eighteen and a half." "Sixteen." I guess they''re done arguing and are just stating numbers, now. "Eighteen and a quarter." "Sixteen and a half." She jumped up half of a silver on that one, but only did a quarter before. Why? "Eighteen," he tells her. "Sixteen and three-quarters." They haggle a few more times, resulting in a price of seventeen silver and fifty-two copper. I set the sword I was holding down and pay the clerk, then he removes the tag from the one Kylie was negotiating down, before handing it to me. I fix the scabbard to my belt, thank him, then leave, Kylie walking out with me. "Thanks," I tell her. "No problem," she smiles. "You looked indecisive, and I knew that haggling probably wouldn''t go anywhere for you." "I couldn''t have done that," I admit. "My budget was only eighteen silver and thirty-seven copper. I wasn''t going to ask for that much lower, and would''ve had to have asked for even more. You just started at half¡­ and you kind of attacked him." "That''s how real haggling works," she says. "But the trick is to know which attacks are acceptable. And Gavin? He probably paid ten silver for that sword, at most. Anyone who will haggle with you has likely paid no more than half of its price, if even that much." "Why are they charging so much?" I ask. "Several reasons," she answers, before pulling a pair of silver tags out from under her shirt, worn on a chain. "Deeper into the claimed territory of the Boundary, these tags have more meaning. Out here, not so much because the focus is on actually getting people equipped to deal with the threats." "What is that?" I ask, and she starts walking, so I follow. "Adventurer Tags," she answers. "They cost twenty of their respective coin to attain, and you can''t skip. It costs twenty copper for copper tags, twenty silver for silver, and so on. Zack is gold, I think, but he can become platinum if he wanted." "He can afford twenty platinum?" I ask, then shake my head. "I can see gold, because he has a sword made of some rare metal that he got from a lucky incident, so it probably costs a bit. Platinum, though?" "It wasn''t just one incident!" She laughs. "All or most of his armor and weapons are made with Spook Ore. A rare drop from Spook Slimes and Spook Goblins, but a guaranteed drop from the Spook Master, the Special Boss of the Spook Days. It allows them to absorb magic." Like our knives. He supplied the thing that causes this? "Zack had had several of those incidents, Gavin," she tells me. "He isn''t poor. He doesn''t actually care that much about it, especially since the tags don''t matter out here." "So what''s their purpose?" I ask. "Other than saying someone has money?" "Discounts," she answers. "Prices start lower in a lot of places ¨C most shops don''t tag the items in the back, but even items in the front get lower prices for higher tags. Someone with a platinum tag could probably have gotten that sword for copper if the shop were elsewhere in the Boundary." "But then wouldn''t he lose money?" I ask. "Yes," she answers. "But a platinum also probably wouldn''t have bought that sword, unless it was for a student or apprentice. They will also haggle down from the price they''re given, if they''re even given one. So say a sword costs ten diamond. A platinum would probably start with only ten or twenty gold, and maybe pay one or two diamond, at most. That creates a decent loss, which is made up for by those of us at lower ranks." "How many platinums are there?" I ask. "The Boundary has billions upon billions upon billions of people, I heard. It''s a lot?" "No," she answers. "From what I know, nearly every platinum with actual combat ability to match it ¨C that is, those who earned those platinum tags rather than simply inherited the money for them ¨C is here in Maelnor right now, and most of them are in the Dark Order." "Dark Knights?" I ask. "Dark Knights, Priests, and Paladins are highly sought-after," she nods, tucking her tags back under her shirt. "As a result, they earn a fair bit of money. At the same time, however, they also spend a lot of money. Do you know of the Fallen Hunters?" "Six Dark Knights and four Paladins," I nod. "Who hunt Fallen Adventurers. They make diamond and platinum off the bounties for them." "Yes," she says. "And they also spend platinum quite often to repair or replace their equipment. Sometimes, a single hunt can completely destroy what is worn by them. And they also split the winnings among all who fought. Ten platinum split ten ways is only one, and they might all need to have repairs done." "Which is why people at higher ranks receive huge discounts," I realize the point. "So that they can more easily afford to repair or replace their gear so that they can continue to fight the strongest without having to worry about grinding out the money against weaker things, which could take them months or years." "Exactly," she says. "Which is why the tag system exists. A shop like we were in likely wouldn''t see anyone higher than silver or gold. The tag means that you''ve been able to afford that. For an actual Adventurer ¨C someone who actually goes on hunts and such ¨C it means that they''ve been able to save up that much while spending a lot to keep their gear current and in usable condition. It may have taken them months ¨C or even years ¨C but they managed it." "And that means," I say. "That unless they got lucky, then they''ve probably been spending a lot of money already." "Exactly," she says. "Someone at silver has probably been pushing hard to save that much." "What about you?" I ask. "You were born here in the Boundary, weren''t you? That means you didn''t have the System until you turned thirteen, so you can''t have had it more than a few months, but you''re already silver." "I only became silver a couple of days ago," she laughs. "And I turn fourteen in a couple of months. We do a live training exercise once or twice a week, and I got lucky a couple of days ago and managed to kill a Bounty Beast goblin. Nothing like Zack''s first one, but its ten-silver bounty, plus the loot, plus my savings, was enough for me to buy the silver tags. And Gavin, I could have fought against the slimes in the fields to earn it." "Oh, right," I feel stupid for forgetting about the slimes. "So it isn''t worth it to get tags?" "Not if you''re out here," she shakes her head. "This is the frontier, the final line of battle. Gear is already discounted at the higher tiers, regardless of tag. Only things made of certain materials aren''t being given hefty discounts, and that''s because they usually weren''t sold at a heavy profit in the first place." She looks at a forge we''re passing by, and I realize it''s Jackson''s, the guy who makes Zack''s gear.Ha "Like the stuff the Master Blacksmiths work on now," she frowns. "Though no one knows what they''re working on at the moment." "What do you mean?" I ask. "While you guys were gone," she tells me. "Several Master Blacksmiths came in from elsewhere with a group of Adventurers, and then all of the ones here in Maelnor suddenly shut themselves into Jackson''s forge. They have a secret project they''re working on, and there are at least two of them guarding it at all hours. No one knows what it is. No one''s been able to buy something made by a Master Blacksmith or have them repair gear that only they can repair as a result. No one even allowed into the forge." As if to prove her wrong, Zack exits the forge and walks in the opposite direction from us. "You saw that skull necklace he was wearing?" She asks as she tries the door, though it doesn''t budge. "Silver on a black cord," I nod. "With emerald eyes. It doesn''t match the rest of his outfit, and seems a little out of place on him. I guess it''s because it''s a skull." "It belonged to the first Bounty Beast he ever killed," she tells me. "He kept it as a trophy." "Oh," I say. "What was he doing in the shop?" Kylie frowns, then shakes her head and starts walking. "He probably nearly broke down the door, so they let him in." I can see him trying to do that. "Wouldn''t they just chase him off?" I ask. "No," she answers. "Zack has a few rare resources of his own, so it''s possible they let him in to buy some from him. And I''m not talking Spook Ore or Frost Ore." She doesn''t elaborate, so I guess she won''t tell me. "Let''s go get something to eat," she tells me. "You buy, since I got you that discount." My stomach rumbles, confirming its own state of emptiness. "That is fair," I say. "Why did you help me, though?" "I have a free day today," she tells me. "And when I mentioned it to Zack this morning, he asked if I''d keep an eye on the smith shop for a few hours. He knew you''d be there to replace your old sword, and knew that you probably couldn''t haggle right, so asked me to give you a hand." "Oh," I say. "Thanks." "No problem!" She grins. "There''s a sweet pastries stand near here that Max likes, let''s go to that!" Chapter 0127 (Zack) My team has been training on their own the last couple of days, and they''ve each made some progress in different areas. Braden has done more Skill Leveling, while Gavin has focused on his Levels. Max has been training his body, while Luca has been training¡­ Well, I won''t mention what he''s been doing. And now, it''s the evening before the Greed Lord will appear. I already know where it will be, thanks to a Clover Slime I came across earlier. I''m thinking about sending all of my team into the fields to hunt the slimes, since there are quite a few of them and will stop spawning after tomorrow. So far, only Gavin''s really trained against them, resulting in him currently having nearly three gold, though I know he earned closer to four. Braden went into the forest anyway, though I know he took someone with him, one of Samantha''s students, to act as backup. They have Heal and Cure Poison, so everything was good. So between fighting goblins and splitting loot with the other rogue, Braden didn''t earn all that much, and Max earned nothing, since he never actually left Maelnor. He did leave a few people scratching their heads, though, since he was on the walls. On top of them. Running laps, and sometimes racing Gold. For now, though, I''m waiting for Luca to fall asleep. The healer''s been helping at the temple a little to earn some money and Level his Skills and Class, and today was an exhausting day for him. There are all sorts of afflictions which can affect recovery, and there are plenty of Adventurers getting hurt. It would be better for him to train with the team or in a temple deeper in, but things are as they are. Once Luca falls asleep, the last member of my team to do so, I leave the property and make my way down to Jackson''s forge. I was told this morning to do this once my team was asleep. It seems I''m finally being told what the special project is. When I reach the forge, I''m ushered in by one of the other Master Blacksmiths, a woman who looks around forty but is around a hundred and ten. She leads me into the back, where the group of Master Blacksmiths have gathered, armor in my size and style on a table, along with a sword. They are black with white trim, and I recognize the sword immediately, as it''s unsheathed. It''s the sword from my visions. "Zack," Jackson gestures. "This isn''t the other set of gear I was making for you, but your patron asked us to commission this, and even went so far as to shield the forge from the other Crystals." I frown, approaching, and use Appraisal. As I read the message, I realize that this is definitely a set of equipment which requires Level 10 Appraisal, which I only finally received during my training at the Trading Post yesterday.
Noruva Sword of the End
This powerful sword was forged by a joint effort of several Master Blacksmiths using End Ore. Its edge will never dull, it will never rust, and can cut through nigh anything. Nearly nothing can damage it. This sword can kill mortals and immortals alike, and those slain by it remain dead. When cutting something with an elemental weakness, this sword acts as its weakness, granting extra damage. Wounds inflicted by this sword do not heal and have a Bleed equal to ten percent of its damage per second.
"What kind of material was this forged of?" I ask. "End Ore?" "A mixture," Jackson informs me. "Of Essence of Life and Essence of Death, with a touch of Primordial Essence, and the armor has Temporal Essence added in." "But Nathan didn''t return until this morning," I say, then feel my eyes widen as I realize what happened. "This is the project that Big Flame had running, isn''t it?" "Yes," Jackson nods. "It appears that the Dark Order has built up a hidden cache of the three resources, enough to forge you this set." I kept it a secret from the others, even, Big Flame says. I had them remove it from their Inventories as soon as they appeared, and then sealed in a secret vault for the day they would be truly needed. I examine the gear. Complete immunity to nearly all damage. "It is paid for by the Dark Order," Jackson tells me. "Big Flame had money stored up for that payment as well." "How much?" I ask. Tens of thousands of platinum, Big Flame responds. Forging such a material as a joint effort, as I knew it would be, is not a cheap thing. Each of them had to drop all other projects to work on this. "Thanks," I run my fingers along the blade of the sword, then pick it up and test the weight.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Perfectly balanced. I remove my armor and tunic and pull on this set. Lightweight, and as it''s the same style I prefer, it''s easy for me to move around it. I doubt I''ll wear it often, though. This gear might actually hinder my ability to gain Levels, it''s so much far beyond my other gear. "Thank you," I say again. "I''m going to go do something with this on." "Be careful," Jackson tells me. "You are the only person who can wear that gear right now who can actually use it properly." "I will," I smile at him. "I''m not doing anything absurd, I promise. It''s just always good to test out new gear, yeah?" He laughs, then wishes me luck and tells me that they''ll resume working on everything else, and that my other gear should be ready sometime in the next few weeks. I thank the Master Blacksmiths again, then leave. Rather than going home, I make my way out of Maelnor and head deep into the forest. When I''m sure I''m alone, I test it out a bit, swinging at imaginary foes. Then, I rest, before closing my eyes and focusing inwards. A moment later, I appear in Big S''s Sacred Chamber, startling the dragon, which was picking at its tail. "Issues?" I ask. "Boredom," Big S answers. "What are you doing in here?" "Am I able to fight the first one?" I ask. "Or would you rather I gained the next hundred and fifty Levels first?" "Your Second Ascension," he says. "Is only to guarantee absolute victory. Even as you are now, you can handle him. Your patron was sneaky with that ore, too. I didn''t even realize what was going on until a couple of days ago. I suppose it makes sense that Chaos would plan for something like this. "If you really want to go now," he says. "I can send you now. I would rather you wait until you can just stomp him flat, though." "I''d like to handle the weakest now," I tell Big S. "And after I kill him, keep an eye on the hordes." "Why?" He tilts his head a little to the side in confusion. "Because if there''s a change in their movements," I say. "That means my suspicions about Alexander''s stasis not being complete is true." "What do you mean?" "I think," I admit. "That he may still be keeping an eye on things." Big S thinks for a few moments, then nods. "I have been suspecting that as well," he admits to me. "So you are trying to provoke him? That would decrease the amount of time left before the battle." "I know," I grit my teeth. "But let''s face it ¨C if the battle comes in two weeks or two months, it won''t make that much of a difference. The only people it would benefit would be on my team. Everyone else who will be participating may earn only one or two Levels, and the smiths are already keeping up with the work in preparation." Big S sighs. "You''re right," he says. "It really wouldn''t make a difference for anyone but your team, Zack. Alright, I''ll send you in. But Zack: be warned, he doesn''t have a visible System for you to access, and you won''t gain any Experience or progress in the fight." "That''s fine," I answer. "There are still a few Experience farms for me to tackle, you know." He laughs, shaking his head, then tells me to prepare. I nod, and a few moments later, all of his crystals glow brightly. Then I find myself in a similar chamber, its platform one hundred feet on each side, with only the gates to adorn it. Standing in the center, startled, is a man who looks around eighteen or nineteen, with black hair and silver eyes. He''s dressed in blues and reds, a sword on his hip. When I appear, he jumps back a few steps, his right hand going to his sword as his right reaches out. The moment he registers me, a white-hot fireball appears in his hand and shoots at me. I draw my newest weapon and cut through the spell, which fizzles out immediately. Oh, this is awesome! "Demon Form!" I trigger it, feeling the transformation and addition of new body parts. I lunge forward, and he draws his own sword, which appears to be some sort of steel weapon. Our swords clash, and the edge of mine cuts right through his. Fucking. Awesome! He clicks his tongue as he jumps back again, tossing his sword to the side, and I charge forward, able to keep up with him as he hurls fireball after fireball at me, a sword of pure magic forming in one hand. When it connects with the edge of my own sword, I still cut through it, my new sword canceling the spell. The battle actually ends rather quickly, as none of his attacks do anything when they hit my armor or sword other than die, and the few times he struck my body, the wounds weren''t bad enough to hinder me much. The fight ends when I finally put my sword through his chest. Just to be sure, I slice upwards, cutting his upper body and head in two. I slash my sword to the side quick enough to ensure his blood and stuff slides off faster, then after a quick inspection, I sheathe my sword. Only a moment later, I''m back in Big S''s chamber. "My math was off," he says. "That was actually rather anticlimatic, you killed him so fast and so easily. By your Second Ascension, you might be able to kill all three." "And Alexander?" "No," he shakes his head. "His power is far, far stronger, his body far, far more resilient. That sword can kill immortals and cut through nigh anything, but he would still require you to be at least in your Fifth Ascension, maybe higher." "I see," I say. "Well, this gear is fun! I''m sure the Greed Lord will be a bundle of joy to deal with, too." "The Greed Lord is far, far stronger than the man you just fought." "Really?" I ask. "Yes," he answers. "He was a little weaker than A''Lutar. A lot weaker than A''Lutar. The next one is about as powerful as A''Lutar, and the third will be about as powerful as a King Monster." "I see," I remove my armor and pull on a tunic, switching back into my regular gear, but keeping the Sword of the End on my hip. "I''ll gain some more Levels before we should do that again. I don''t like taking damage." "You literally hurt yourself regularly just so you can increase your Vitality." "That''s because I need a lot of Health for certain things," I point out. "I don''t like taking damage in battle. Unless I need to. And when I do, I need to take a lot of damage, so a high Health is necessary." "Alright, alright," he chuckles. "I''ll send you back now, Zack, but I''m returning you to your house. Max is awake and worried about you." "Yeah, yeah," I roll my eyes. "See you again. Eventually." "Get some sleep," he says. "Seriously, tonight, Zack. You need it for the fight." Chapter 0128 (Zack) There are a total of twenty of us to fight the Greed Lord. The ten Fallen Hunters, Nik''s entire team, myself, and then Peter, two of his teammates, and Mama Bear. Nathan''s currently admiring my armor while wielding his own Normar Staff of the End, which apparently only finished shortly before we met up for this. Now, we''re at the Haeus River in the northwest, in the clearing where we battled the Santa Boss. The fight turned it into an open space more than three hundred feet across, and according to the Clover Slime, this is where the monster will spawn. "So what''s it like, being a Dark Knight?" I ask Nathan, which gets the attention of, well, everyone else. Nathan pokes at his armor, which is of the same style as mine. He also had the smiths make that last night. Meant for agility with only certain parts covered. "He''s a Priest," one of Peter''s teammates asks. "How can he be a Dark Knight, too?" Everyone else gives him an incredulous look. Except for me, my look calls him stupid. "What?" He asks. "So you acquired Adventurer after Ascending?" Nik asks Nathan, who nods. "I didn''t know that was possible." "According to Big Flame," I say. "Adventurer is possible after Ascending if you gain a new Skill Level and have a Total Skill Level 100 for Skills not relating to any Class you have. So any Skill that gives you Experience for a Class you have doesn''t count. Take out all of those, add up the sum of the remainder, and as soon as you have 100 Total Skill Levels of that, you''ll acquire Adventurer ¨C so long as you haven''t gained a single Level for a Class." Which makes it very difficult, but Big Flame says that Nathan decided to play a Dark Knight and Blood Priest with the Skills for them that weren''t locked due to his holy Classes, and acquiring their Skills and Leveling them did nothing for his other Classes, which earned him the required Skill Levels. All because he wanted to see if it was possible to acquire Adventurer in the First Ascension. And since he was already Level 250, Adventurer is at Max Level. It didn''t retroactively add Stat Points, but he doesn''t have to wait for it to go up to max, earning the full plus-five to every Stat every fifth Level from the first. He''s currently a Level 18 Dark Knight, though he''s acting in his capacity as a Priest, Paladin, and Holy One for this ¨C buffs and healing all the way. "By the way," I tell Nathan. "I know how you get into the Lost Territory." He gives me a curious look. "You take on your animal form," I tell him telepathically, and he flashes me a cheeky grin. "Yeah, I figured it out. Nik pretty much smacked himself when I told him. It was so obvious." "How?" The mage on Peter''s team asks. "Animal form," I answer. "If it''s an animal that can live in the mountains, then it can go through them without issue. Nathan''s animal form is a mountainous animal, and one that thrives in colder environments, too. That''s how he sneaks into Lost Territory." "Final checks!" Nik calls out. "Almost time!" We give our equipment one last check. I''m wearing my Armor of the End, my Sword of the End and Knife of the End equipped as well. We''re not taking second chances, and each of us is wearing our most powerful gear. Since my stats in Demon Form are higher than most of these peoples'' stats and I have the best gear, Nathan will be using his Blessing of the Crystal on others. It turns out that he can only have one active per Level of it, so he can only grant it to ten people at a time at most. If I need the boost, he''ll grant it to me as soon as it runs out on someone. The boost will obviously make others higher than me, since their stats are already higher, but that doesn''t bother me too much. As we finish up our checks, a cloud of rainbow dust explodes in the middle of the clearing, and a goblin about as tall as I am appears. It has a slender body, is lean in form, and is dressed in blacks and purples with accents of green. Pouches and balls hang from straps around its body and on its belt, and a pair of knives are in its hands.
Greed Lord Level Null
Health: 57,894,672 Mana: 43,942,891
"Man, you''re ugly!" I exclaim. That slipped out. There''s no pot of gold or rainbow! I was fooled! The goblin quickly takes a pink ball off of its chest and throws it at me, a new one appearing, its Mana dropping by 10 as it does. Before I do anything, the ball is flying upwards in a gust of wind Blaine created, the mage protecting me from whatever the effect is. The ball explodes as an arrow of bluish light strikes it, creating a cloud of pink dust in the air. The Greed Lord isn''t deterred at all, launching several more balls at all of us. We scatter as the archers shoot them out with Magic Arrows.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. They explode into clouds of dust, glitter, or gas, into infernos and shards of ice, into gusts of wind, and more. Getting near this thing is not going to be easy, with how it keeps its front facing the strongest of us. When we try to split up, it tosses a heavy amount of the balls behind it to cover its back. Jesse manages to get in close first, and when his knives meet the Greed Lord, they pass right through it, the creature appearing just behind him, throwing a pink ball at him. It explodes, and the first Greed Lord disappears, the illusion finally fading. "I''m getting a vantage point," I project to the other Adventurers, all of whom were warned beforehand about my telepathic abilities. Nik and I worked on them the last few days, in case of something like this. The Greed Lord has some sort of short-range stealth teleport it seems. We weren''t expecting that, but we were expecting the afterimages. I switch into Demon Form and fly up out of range, watching as the others fight against the Greed Lord. In addition to my telepathy, we worked on my gift of sight as well, so that I could retain my full senses during it, obtaining a second set of senses for the sight. We knew it was possible because Big S mentioned it a long while ago, but I never tried it before because it sounded tiresome. Focusing my powers, I open up my Sight and look for the Greed Lord''s immediate movements. The closer to now I look, the far more accurate it becomes. From above, I direct the battle, warning people when the Greed Lord is teleporting and where it''s gone to. Its range seems to be ten feet, which makes it a lot easier for them to keep track of, and I make sure to fly at least fifty above, enough for me to quickly switch back into Demon Form when it runs out and return to my vantage point. The first person to be struck by one of the clouds we can''t identify immediately is Jesse, who was struck when we discovered the Greed Lord could teleport. He was turned into a chicken, though it seems his stats were intact with the transformation. It takes five minutes for the effect to wear off. It doesn''t take more than ten minutes for the Greed Lord to realize that I''m the one directing them to it, which is longer than we expected it to take. The moment it realizes this, it throws several of its balls at me, but I easily avoid them by shifting my spot just a little. Everyone manages to drop its Health, little by little, but it''s not much. An Ultimate Boss really is a lot different from a King Monster. A series of images comes to me through my sight, and I grin, readying my tail. A moment later, the Greed Lord appears in the air. A second afterimage appears even closer to me shortly after, creating a trail leading to me in its attempt. "Zack!" Nik calls out. I lash out with my tail when the afterimage appears eight feet away, using Demon Sting as I block its knives with my sword and a knife. I strike it with Demon Sting again, then allow myself to drop as the Greed Lord disappears again, its afterimage remaining. Its attempt at getting me with the balls fails, as they fly through the space I was in rather than the space I am in, and I return to my starting position. "Sadly, only one of my Demon Stings struck an injury," I tell them. "Sadly, it''s not enough to kill it, but that''s a 20% reduction to its regeneration. That should help us a bit." The battle continues, and I feel myself being drained. Sustaining an active sight attempt at all times while using telepathy on up to nineteen people at once is not fun to do, especially since I have to evade the Greed Lord several times. Fortunately, my reduction to its regeneration is enough, barely, and for hours, they whittle it down with my aid. I have to continue to evade attacks, and at one point, do get struck with one of the frost bombs, but the ice is melted easily with my fire, after Nathan boosts me with the Blessing of Mind. After nearly six hours of battle, we are all exhausted and ready to drop, but the Greed Lord finally, finally dies, dissolving into a shower of rainbow glitter.
Greed Lord Slain!
+9 Demon Levels +8 Paladin Levels +Ultimate Slayer
+10,000 Platinum +10 Primordial Essence +10 Primordial Ore
+10 Crystal Essence +10 Crystal Ore +Greed Lord Medallion
Since I was at Level 1 Tier 4 Demon, that was enough to put me up to Level 10. Due to Demon not needing Skills, that was an auto-bump to Tier 5, so the equivalent of 10 Levels granted from that. I was at Level 2 Paladin, so that was enough to put me up to Level 10. Due to having the required Skills, that was an auto-bump to Tier 4, Holy General, giving me another 9 Levels total from that. 19 Levels acquired, and all I did was give it Demon Sting and give to the Adventurers advice from above. Then there''s the new, Rank 4 Title, the money, and the resources. The medallion seems to just be a badge ¨C an actual, golden medallion. I land with the others and discuss the rewards. Everyone received enough Levels to advance all current Classes to Level 10 of their current Tiers, with the same other rewards. As we talk, I feel my exhaustion overtake me, and everything goes black.
(Luca) Sir Nik and Sir Travis show up with Mr. Zack, Sir Nik carrying him. Mr. Zack is wearing just pants and boots right now, no tunic or armor, which is really weird. Really weird. Sir Travis stays down here as Sir Nik takes Mr. Zack inside, and I follow him upstairs. "Which bed is Zack''s?" Sir Nik asks me. "Um," I think, then point at the bunk that''s actually his. "But he sleeps with me there," I point at my bunk. "Because I get scared." Sir Nik nods, then gently lays Mr. Zack on my bed, adjusting the blanket until he can cover Mr. Zack with it, then does so, tucking him in like I imagine a father would do. Like Mr. Zack does to me whenever he''s not going to bed at the same time as me. Or when he sneaks out and thinks I''m asleep because he''s managed to pull in his power. "What''s wrong?" I ask. "Nothing," Sir Nik answers. "He exhausted himself during the fight, then passed out shortly after. He''ll be up and acting like his normal self tomorrow, no doubt, though he might wake for a bit this evening. "When he does," Sir Nik tells me. "Could you let him know that I have it? He''ll know what I''m referring to." "Yes, sir," I answer. "Thank you," he ruffles my hair, then leaves. I look at Mr. Zack, then change into nightclothes and climb onto the bed. He shouldn''t be alone. What if he gets nightmares, too? I know he doesn''t sleep that well, maybe it''s because he gets bad dreams when he does sleep? I know that if I had as much on my shoulders and had been through as much as him, I would have bad dreams every night. I already do, and went through a lot less than him. Rather than snuggling in his arms, I carefully climb behind Mr. Zack. He usually comforts me, so I''m going to comfort him, in case he wakes with a bad dream. He better not have bad dreams, though, or I''ll be really upset with them. Chapter 0129 (Luca) Go away, Max. Mr. Zack doesn''t need two people here if he wakes because of bad dreams. I don''t care how much you want to, I was here first, so go away. Don''t give me those wolfy eyes, I was here first. He''s ignoring me. I wish I could talk the way beastborn could, then I could tell him without waking Mr. Zack. Or maybe Mr. Zack would stay asleep if I spoke aloud to tell Max to go away? He seems like he''s pretty out. He''s not fidgeting like he normally does. Do I fidget that much in my sleep? Maybe it''s the sign that he''s having bad dreams? I probably fidget around a lot, too. "Luca? Max?" Mr. Zack sleepily says in amusement. That''s a weird tone to hear. "Can you two please stop that?" "Max stop what?" Max asks. "I can hear Luca''s thoughts," Mr. Zack says. "And understand your attempts at communicating silently with him. Max, Luca thinks you''re trying to be here in case I have bad dreams. Luca, Max is trying to let you know it''s dinnertime and wants to know if you want him to bring the food up here or if you''ll go down and eat with the rest of the team." Oh. "It got to the point that it woke me up," Mr. Zack says. "Sorry," I whisper at the same time Max does. "Go on and eat dinner," Mr. Zack tells me. "You don''t need to be here in case I have bad dreams." Yes, I do. You''re always there for when I have bad dreams. "I have my own way of dealing with them," Mr. Zack tells me. "I promise, I''ll be fine, Luca. I''m just exhausted. So exhausted. But I''ll be fine." I''m not sure, but Mr. Zack and my stomach talk me into going downstairs, so I climb out of bed and change back into regular clothes, then walk downstairs with Max. They made steaks and grilled veggies, and it''s delicious. After we eat, Max wants to train, so I help him a bit. We practice martial arts, and he keeps hitting me hard, so I hit him as hard as I can, too. I think he''s trying to help me build Endurance and Vitality. This goes until Mr. Zack comes downstairs, and we realize that we woke him up. He eats dinner, then heads back upstairs. "We go to forest and train?" Max asks, and Gavin and Braden give him annoyed looks. "What? We all be good enough as team. Boss not want us to go alone. Otherwise, he not let Braden go with friend of Lady Kylie." He calls Kylie "Lady Kylie"? Is he weird? Wait, never mind. This is Max. Yes, he''s weird. And off in the head. And an oddball. "You went in the forest?" Gavin asks Braden, who nods. "And Zack knew?" Braden shrugs. "Yeah!" Max nods happily. "Boss knew. Boss knows everything. Plus, he followed Braden a little, then came back. He stealth-watch all of you." "And you?" I poke him. "Boss no need stealth-watch Max," Max says in exasperation. "Max train with Gold! No need hide watch, Boss always looking!" Definitely off in the head. "All for going into the forest?" Gavin raises a hand, and the rest of us do. "I suppose we''ll head off into the forest. Let me put my armor on, then we can go." Gavin changes into his light, metal armor. It offers less protection than his original set, but more freedom of movement. His new sword is cool, too. He bought it yesterday evening, with money he''d earned from killing the money slimes. I bet Mr. Zack is going to have us clean those up over the next few days. There''s apparently supposed to be a holiday slime going on right now for the bunny that''s coming up soon. With all of us ready and equipped, we leave town and head north, sticking to the path into the forest. After about twenty minutes of walking on the path, Braden leads us off of the path. Only a few minutes later, we come across a quintet of goblins. Braden kills one with an arrow, Max kills two with a pair of Fireballs, and Gavin charges in, attacking one as Braden shoots the final one. The battle ends quickly, and we move on. I didn''t have to do anything. Our trip goes mostly like that. We also come across a few spiders, which are annoying because they shoot webs and acid, and some wolves, but most of those, we fight four-to-one, which makes it really easy. Then comes the moment Max stiffens, his tail sticking straight out and ears straight up. "Bad news," he whispers. "Lots coming. Lots and lots and lots!" We all look at him. What does he mean by ''lots''? Oh. I see it now. That is a lot of goblins, with a few wolves running alongside them. Uh-oh. "Luca," Gavin says. "We won''t be able to flee, so focus on buffing and healing. Braden, Max, start attacking! I''ll handle any that get close! Keep to this! You two, only attack those which I can''t handle, but try to aim at the stronger ones first!"
(Zack) I wake with a start to a series of notifications that worries me. In moments, I''m out of bed and dressed ¨C only a couple of moments, thanks to my Agility. Then, I''m out of the City, keeping track of the notifications. It seems Luca''s doing his job well, based on the stream of notifications. And that my suspicions about Alexander were right. There''s no way they''d be in that situation if he were fully in the stasis to recover from that Blood Scar I gave him.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Following the Skill''s path, I reach my team in only a couple of minutes, where they''re battling down a small horde of goblins and wolves, corpses all around them. Luca''s pumping out Heals as much as he can, Gavin''s using his Blade Skills like a pro, while Max and Braden are attacking goblins with magic and magical arrows alike, though Braden is also using his bow as a weapon to strike at anything that draws too close. They''re covering each other''s backs pretty well, but the fifty or so monsters remaining out of the probably hundred or so that were sent to kill them will probably succeed in their mission. At least, they would have, were it not for one very, very crucial fact. "BE STILL, YOU INSIGNIFICANT CREATURES!" My Demonic Voice booms through the woods, shaking what snow still remains on the trees around us off. Luca jumps as some lands on the back of his neck, but other than that, all monsters and Adventurers alike freeze save for the one who tailed me out here. That''s only natural, though, considering how much above mine his Willpower probably is just from a century and some decades of training. I raise a hand, summoning a Fireball for every monster, then launch them, striking all and killing all. As soon as they finish, I turn my attention to my team, who look nervous. "Don''t give me those nervous looks," I tell them as I approach. "You guys wanted to train, and I''m guessing you made some decent progress before the Shadow of Life arranged that horde and sent it after you. As a team, you shouldn''t have had an issue ¨C you could probably escape from anything that would hurt you too bad. Normally." "I thought," Gavin says slowly. "That we were supposed to avoid the woods?" "I let Braden enter with a friend, didn''t I?" I ask. "It''s fine as a team. Alexander, Shadow of Fuckers! You leave my team alone! Or have you forgotten what I did to you? Do you really want to make me that much more dedicated to killing you?" No response from him, but I wasn''t expecting that. "Did the Crystals tell you we were in danger?" Gavin asks, face red as he does his best to avoid looking away in humiliation and embarrassment. "No," I shake my head, running my fingers through my hair as I debate telling them. "A Skill I have did." "You have a Skill that lets you know when we''re in danger?" "No," I shake my head. "It lets me know when you take damage, which is a little bit different. That''s how I was woken up the first time ¨C Max hitting Luca kept sending me damage notifications, and the System wakes you when you take damage. Or, well, sort of. It''s complicated on what determines it. But the high amount of damage notifications woke me up both times." "I''m confused," Gavin says. "How does a Skill tell you when we take damage?" "Because you don''t receive full damage," I answer. "Bloodpact is a Demon Skill, and it allows me to create one additional Bloodpact per Level. What Bloodpact does is split the damage taken by someone to the user. So any damage you take isn''t actually the full damage." They all give me shocked and confused looks. "Its base," I continue. "Is fifty percent, but for each Level of the Skill, I can change it by five percent in either direction. It was at Level 5, but I guess it was close to Level 6, since it went up due to this incident. That means that the ratio can be eighty percent for one and twenty percent for the other. I have it set to maximum damage received by me ¨C you guys only receive twenty-five percent of the damage you actually take, and I receive the other seventy-five percent." I adjust the measure. "Now you only receive twenty percent," I tell them. "While I receive eighty. The reason none of you know about the Bloodpact status is because, so long as it only reduces the damage you take, it can remain secret. At Level 5, I can set it to give you damage when I take any, spread evenly between you. At Level 10, I can set it so that healing and damage is shared between all members. Both of those alert you to the Bloodpact Status, and allows you to break it." They all stare at me. "How long have you had it?" Gavin asks. "Since Luca was new," I indicate Luca. "I used it on him first. Luca, do you remember that day you and your brother were training, and you got hurt? I said that the reason I knew was because your Health had gone up?" Luca nods. "I knew then when you got hurt because of Bloodpact," I answer, then scratch the back of my head and snort. "I actually made Nik worry. It lets me know who the damage is coming from, so the anger that hit me when I received the notice was only higher because it was almost as if I was being mocked. I only had a Level 1 Bloodpact at the time. Nik and I were training at the time, and I sort of¡­ got super angry. I probably wouldn''t have been if it hadn''t said it was you, even though I would''ve known that anyway." Nik got extremely worried about me, because of how angry I was. Luca had gotten hurt, and I had just gotten him in the Boundary. I had promised I wouldn''t let anything hurt him. I''ve grown since then. In addition to an inch, I''ve also grown a little in my treatment of Luca. I understand that he needs to take damage so that he can take more damage. Vitality doesn''t just increase on its own, it needs a little help. Luca seems to be counting teammates, then he looks at me. "Do you have a Bloodpact on Gold, too?" He asks. He realized I could do five Bloodpacts. "No," I answer. "He''s a Dark Knight, so hindering his Vitality growth that way wouldn''t be good." "But you''re hindering ours?" Gavin asks, then frowns. "Oh. Oh. Even if you only had Level 4 when we entered Talorn¡­ we would have only been taking thirty percent of the actual damage we were receiving. If we lost 9 Health, we were taking 30 Health''s worth of damage." In other words, none of them would have survived Talorn without Bloodpact. At least, not that challenge issued to them, and not against the stronger monsters. "Correct," I admit. "And Nik knows about Bloodpact ¨C he is one of the few people who knows." "Um," Gavin thinks for a moment, then pulls the team together and a few steps away from me, and they start whispering to each other. My Perception is good enough that I can hear them, and would even if they moved fifty feet away. That, and Max is somewhat projecting, but that''s not intentional by him, it just happens. "Zack," Gavin looks at me when they come to a conclusion. "You guys want," I say. "To try to beat Nik''s requirement for entering the big battle without Bloodpact being active." He gives me a confused look. "Zack''s Perception is really high," Braden snorts. "He heard everything, Gavin." "Oh," Gavin says. "If you guys are absolutely sure of that," I tell them. "Then I''ll talk with Nik and see if he''ll permit it. Chances are, without Bloodpact, you''d need to be at least Level 125 to accomplish it." I''m judging a little higher than it might be, but if they''re power-Leveling, they won''t acquire as much of the trained Stat Points as someone might in the same timeframe. The team agrees to that, so I tell them I''ll talk to Nik about it and see what he says. I''m more inclined to go with that option, because it means they''d be even more powerful and more capable. Nik told me that I should turn off Bloodpact during the big battle, so that I can save all of my Health for the Dragon. Seal says that Alexander has decided not to send more monsters after your team like that. "Thanks, Big Flame," I stretch. "I''m heading back home. You guys, be careful. The Shadow of Life probably won''t pull that again, but in case he does, there''s a Dark Knight who''ll stalk you from a distance, they followed me out when they noticed me running in a panic and fury." I give a pointed look in the direction Nik is hiding. Nik gives me a mental confirmation when I poke his mind, and says that we''ll talk about the other thing tomorrow. After that, I ruffle Luca''s hair, then head back home, changing back into nightclothes and collapsing onto my bed. I''m so exhausted from exerting my power of sight so much earlier, I just want to fall back asleep. Before I do, though, I decide to cheat Levels for Paladin, taking on Holy One and maxing the two of them out with my saved Levels. I''ll take on Angel later and let Demon finish on its own. I just don''t want to bother with having to grind out everything for those. Only moments after I finish adding in the Experience, I pass out from exhaustion. Chapter 0130 Chapter 130. (Zack) I''m outside of existence again, and mentally curse. I forgot about Power Jump, and honestly, I wouldn''t have expected sixty-nine Levels when already over three hundred collective to cause it. As with before, I can sense those two unusual presences as I watch the giant crystal that represents all of existence. They know I''m here, but they can''t sense my actual location, not unless I touch the crystal. So either I can touch the crystal and hope what happened the first time happens again, or Big FD yanks me back into his realm. For what feels like forever, I deal with listening to them attempting to locate me, before I suddenly find myself in a cave, in the presence of Big FD in his child form. It looks a little older than before, but then, I''m a little older. It''s been a few months, and I''ve grown again. "Hello, Zack," he smiles. "How are you?" "Tired," I stretch. "I overworked my sight earlier." "That can happen, sometimes," he says as I sit before him. A pack of cards appear in his hands as he sits, then he begins shuffling them. "But your Intellect and Wisdom are increasing as a result." "Yeah," I nod. "Not much, though. And they''re not the ones that matter, not to me." "Indeed," he says. "What are your plans, Zack? Going forward?" "To screw the ancient vision and kill Alexander myself," I growl. "He caused Luca to be hurt!" Big FD starts dealing out the cards. "The vision," he says. "Gives two ways for the war to end. You, a child of mine, cannot be fooled. You see what is and is not most likely. In this situation, you are seeing the two paths to the end." "That''s not possible," I shake my head. "Bryce is dead. It''s definitely showing the wrong people, which means it''s not showing the two paths to the end, only substitutes for them. We still need to figure out who the brothers are." "Alexander," he says. "Can be killed by the blade, or by the realization. Those are the two paths, Zack. And the vision you had did not lie." "Except that it would have to be one of us after I did the three things," I shake my head. "Yet only one of us is alive. I know you''re the Big E and all that, but seriously? The vision was mistaken on the people. It''s-" "Zack," he says firmly. "The vision did not lie, and you were shown the two paths to killing him. He shall die by the blade or by realization." I sigh. He''s not referring to the people who will do it. "Wait," I realize. "He will die by realization?" "Yes," he answers. "Or no? What is death? Is it when your life ends, your soul leaving your body and moving on to the next life? Or is it when you become a new person, begin a new stage of your life? "I will tell you this, though," he says. "You already have the answer for how to kill him, for how to end this war." "What are you talking about?" I ask, and I realize that he only dealt cards to me. Five of them, in a line. "Big FD ¨C the fuck are you talking about? If you''re talking about the ''by the blade'' thing, I''m going to do my damned hardest! And why did you only deal the cards to me?" He flips them over, and from left to right, they represent the Sacred Crystals of Fire, Earth, Seal, Air, and Water. He sets down two more cards, one for light, and one for darkness, above them. Then, he places a fifth one above, which has the planet Earth on it. "You already have the answer for what is needed," he tells me. "By realization or the blade, the war will end." "But-" "You already have the answer," he says, and the vision fades away. I wake up and sit up and pound my fist into the wall out of frustration. Not hard enough to actually damage it, but I could have. This is infuriating! Big FD is infuriating! And I know he can end this war himself! He can enter the Boundary, that means he has the power to end the war! Why is he letting things run its course? Is it because we''re all already dead or not supposed to exist? Because it doesn''t threaten reality? At least, not yet? "RARGH!" I yell, doing my best not to actually punch a hole in the wall. And then I realize I''m not alone, and my team was sleeping. Luca had probably awakened from my sudden movement when I sat up, while the others woke up with my scream. All four of them jumped. "Sorry," I apologize to them. "I just had¡­ a frustrating vision. I didn''t realize my surroundings. Sorry for waking you guys." Luca pokes me in the arm, an inquisitive look on his face.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "I, uh, got Power Jump," I tell him. "It causes funky visions." Or in my case, for me to speak with the infuriating Big FD who talks semi-cryptically and won''t actually give answers. Yes, I know how to end the war! By running my sword right through Alexander''s smug, arrogant face! Luca wraps his arms around me, pinning mine against my sides. I do this whenever he gets too upset with his nightmares, so he probably thinks this helps in some way. With him, it keeps him from wiggling and kicking around. With me¡­ I wasn''t doing that in the first place. My anger was building up, though. Rage''s counter is nearly at the maximum multiplier it can grant, and Luca''s attempt at calming me down helps me start to calm. I take a few deep breaths, then move my arms, causing him to realize that he can''t actually pin them. I rub Luca''s head, then look at the others. Braden and Gavin are just looking at me from their bunks, while Max is hanging his head down to give me a curious and worried look. "I''m sorry for waking you guys," I tell them. "The funky vision made me think about some things, and I''m just¡­ angry. I''m going to head out. You guys get some sleep, okay? I''ll be fine, I''m just going for a walk through town." Luca''s not happy with that, because he''s scared of his bad dreams, but I assure him that he''ll be fine as I climb off my bed and change out of my night clothes and into a regular outfit. I look at Max. "He''ll be okay with it if you put on pants," I tell him, and Max frowns. "Max, people wear clothes. It bothers them when you don''t. It makes them uncomfortable. This is even more true if you''re touching them." "Oh!" He exclaims, then scrambles around on his bed, before climbing off of it, wearing a pair of pants. "Luca!" He hops onto the bed beside Luca. Finally, Max understands why Luca always pushes him off when he tries to do the same thing I do. "Max knows lots of stories we be use when have bad dreams," Max tells Luca. "I be telling you them until you sleep good!" He nods his head a few times, and I chuckle as I leave. I need something to punch. Hard. Something that I can punch again and again and again. There are two possibilities: Dark Knights, and the training golems at the Dark Temple. Either option leads me to the Dark Temple, so I head that way. I''m nearly there when I suddenly find myself in the same cave where I''d conversed with Big FD during my Power Jump vision, only this time, I''m fully aware this is not a vision and I''m actually there¡­ which is weird. "I''m not in the Boundary anymore?" I ask. "You are and you aren''t," Big FD says. He''s in adult form this time, the form he had when he met my mom. "This realm is complicated," he says. "It is everywhere and nowhere, all at once, Zack." "Why did you bring me here?" "You''re quite angry," he says. "Damn right I am!" I point at him. "Why are you not doing something about this? You could save everyone some trouble and deal with Alexander right now! Do you dislike Big S that much that you''d let him and the others suffer for-for-for however long they''ve been like this?" "The splitting of reality and fantasy is the point modern existence knows as ''the Big Bang''," he tells me. "So since then. Billions of years." He says that casually, matter-of-factly, and it pisses me off even more. "You-" "I could end things," he nods. "Right now. But where do I stop with interfering, Zack? I step in now, do I step in again the next time there''s a major problem? If I stepped in, what about the aftermath? Do you know what happens if the Boundary ceases to exist? Its creation destroyed the old universe and birthed a new one." It did what? "I-" I hesitate. "I don''t know." "The Crystals," Big FD says. "Will merge fantasy back into reality, Zack. I would have to do that as well. I have a policy of interfering as little as possible when it comes to existence simply because I am existence. "I can manipulate things," he tells me. "I can change things, and I can alter things. But I understand better than any ever could, Zack, that it''s best to let things run their course. You and Bryce were sired for a purpose, a reason. Your very existence, Zack, was to eventually die and enter the Boundary." "You''re controlling me?" I feel my anger spiking even more. "No," he shakes his head. "You were born with free will, Zack. But I knew that you would enter the Boundary when you died, and that Alexander would attempt to kill you, turning you into his enemy. All of this is because of free will, Zack. I predicted these events, but as with your own visions, I can be wrong sometimes." "And Bryce?" "That was one case where I made an incorrect calculation," he nods. "I hadn''t expected him to die again so soon in the Boundary. I was expecting him to last out the war as well. As I said, I knew what your existence would cause, but I knew it would cause that because of free will. What our powers of prediction are, Zack, is taking the entire history of this existence and assessing it to determine what the most likely routes are for the future. That is why it can shift and change, why it can be wrong, and why it''s more accurate closer to the now of when you''re looking. Because every single moment that passes affects the calculations we perform, and every moment that passes after can change them yet again." I stare at him, at a loss for words. I''m doing what every time I use my sight? How is that even possible? "Yes," he chuckles. "The System limits your mana pool, Zack, but your divine gifts do not work on it. Or have you not noticed your Mana remaining unchanged? It draws on mana, but the System''s allowed Mana isn''t your true." "What do you mean?" I ask. "The System," he says. "Grants access up to or adds Mana to those within it. Most people would never reach the amount of mana as they have in Mana as a stat, not as young as they are. But demigods? They are born with immense pools of them. Luca''s natural pool of mana would equal around 100,000 Mana. Braden''s would equal around 87,000 Mana, and Gavin''s is around 72,000 Mana." "And me?" I ask. "That''s where short notation comes in," he says, then snorts. "Or scientific, for the jerks who try to insist everyone uses it when playing games that offer short notation." I snort. I remember those fuckers from reality, back before I died. Yeah, the game had scientific notation, but not everyone finds it easy to use. Some find short notation much more intuitive. Wait. Does Big FD play those games? "Wait," I realize something else. "How big is my true mana?" "You have around as much mana as a god," he tells me, and I feel my eyes widen. "And the System prevents you from accessing that, except for when you use your divine abilities. You''re actually quite low on it, you burned through nearly all of it yesterday to deal with that Greed Lord. That''s why your body feels so sluggish. Your true regeneration isn''t enough to bring it back up quickly enough, and you''re used to having so much of it filling you, so your body has a form of fatigue as a result, even after all you''ve recovered. "Now," he places a hand on my shoulder. "Zack, I could interfere, but I dislike interfering with free will too much, and all will work out in the end. Many have found new opportunities awaiting them after death because of the Boundaries, even. Remember what I told you before: you already have the answer to how the war ends. That is what is important." "But what is the answer?" I ask. The cave and Big FD fades from my vision as the streets of Maelnor fade back into it. Sending me back to the Boundary doesn''t answer the question! Chapter 0131 (Gavin) My body only feels slightly-achy after today''s around-breakfast training with Zack and the team, so I go for a walk. Zack told us to prepare for a trip into the mines, rather than ordering us to clear out the money slimes. We can go after the money slimes if we want, but he wants us to make sure our equipment is current and decent. Since I just bought new armor and a new sword, I think I''m good for that, so I just go for a walk to think about things. Thinking about Zack. I can see why he feels like there''s the weight of everything on him, especially now that I know he''s doing his best to be the person in a prophecy who signals the changing of the tides of war. Though if what he scratched out on the memorial is true, then it was actually a vision and not a prophecy. I''m not entirely sure of the difference, though. Something about prophecies being absolute and visions only being possibilities? I''m not sure. Whatever it is, I still think Zack could use an attitude adjustment. Not on the stuff when he''s training us, I can see why he''d want to do it the way he does. But I still don''t like the way he treats everyone. There''s a difference between being a jerk and being firm, and I''ve seen him arguing with Jesse and other clerks enough to know he''s just a brat. I freeze. As soon as I stepped on a bridge, I found myself in a Crystal Chamber, but not Lord Light of Air''s. This Crystal is brown in color, with a light shining from its core without a trace of darkness. I can sense that this is Lord Light of Earth, even without being told. Standing in front of the steps up to his altar is a boy around twelve years old, with ruffled brown hair and eyes the dark brown of rich soil. He''s wearing a pair of brown pants and a brown leather vest, a pair of leather bracelets on each wrist. "Hello, Gavin," he smiles, and I can tell by his voice, by the power within it, that this is the avatar of Lord Light of Earth. "Lord Light of Earth," I drop to one knee, bowing. "Stand, Gavin!" He laughs. "We aren''t as¡­ interested in that as you might think. Especially not if we pull you into our Sacred Chambers." He looks up at his Crystal, then back to me and chuckles. "As rare as it is to allow someone to gaze upon us," he says. "I am honored by this," I tell him, not rising. "But¡­ may I inquire as to why you have brought me here?" "If you stop treating me like that," he says. "And treat me more casually, like you would a teammate." I''m not sure I want to do that, but Lord Light of Earth''s word is absolute on the matter, so I rise. This doesn''t make me any less nervous or any less in awe of him, though. "That''s a little better," he smiles as he sits on the steps, then pats the spot to his left. "Come, join me." "S-sir?" I ask. "For a casual conversation," he says. "A casual seating should be done as well, yes?" "Y-yes," I''m not entirely sure what he was asking, but move to sit beside him, keeping a respectful distance between us. "Sir?" "You are angry with Zack," he waves a hand, and in front of us, the darkness outside of his temple changes. "But you do not fully understand him¡­ or his motives. Or that of others around him." The scene that''s displayed in front of us is a view of Zack and Jesse in the Trading Post. It''s as if we''re watching it while there, only¡­ we aren''t there. The Crystals truly are amazing. Zack looks younger in this vision. He''s shorter, but just as muscled as he is now. His sword is a plain metal one, not anything like the fancy weapon he has now. Same with his armor. Lord Light of Earth gestures again, and the scene begins to move, as if it were happening right now. This is incredible. Zack speaks with Jesse using that irritating tone of his, calling him "Pervert" instead of "Jesse" even then. This must be when he was new, though. He''s insisting that Jesse gives him food, and Jesse is refusing. Good! But then Zack starts to leave without a word after continually being rejected, and Jesse calls him back¡­ to give him food. "I don''t understand that, sir," I frown. "Why would Jesse suddenly change like that? Especially with how Zack treats him?" Lord Light of Earth gestures with his hand, and Zack enters the shop, looking serious. This is sometime later, he''s wearing red and black armor, and has a red and black sword. "Jesse, can you deal with that thief''s thieving sister for me?" Zack asks. He called Jesse by his name? Since when does he do that? "What did she do?" Jesse asks, his voice nothing like what I''ve heard it before. It''s deep and serious, and his own expression has turned away from that playful, mischief-filled one to a serious one. "You seem especially annoyed." "I am," Zack nodded. "She tried stealing from me, only because I keep everything in my special Inventory, she failed. I wanted to cut off her hand, like I did her brother, but felt that wasn''t enough of a punishment. So I came to you, since you''re a badass assassin." Jesse''s a what? Lord Light of Earth laughs as the scene freezes. "Jesse is one of the strongest Adventurers in the Boundary," Lord Light of Earth tells me. "He''s a member of Nik''s team, and has trained many of the most powerful rogues in the Boundary. He came out there after Altar Valley began to fall to help deal with problems. That act he puts on is to fool people into lowering their guards and misjudging him." "I don''t understand," I gesture to the scene. "I''ve never heard Zack call Jesse by his name before. Or seen Jesse act like that." "As I said," he gestures to the scene. "Jesse puts on an act. Zack saw through it from the start, and calls Jesse ''Pervert'' as part of the banter between them. Their interactions you see are purely banter between them, Gavin. They do it in good fun. Whenever something serious is going on, however, Zack uses Jesse''s name, and that tells Jesse that he''s there for something serious, and so Jesse drops the act." "They''re just¡­ bantering?" I ask. "But Zack is a brat to him!" "Zack is a brat to everyone," Lord Light of Earth shrugs. "It''s simply a part of his personality. But he''s also serious and calm when it''s required. Chaos and I clashed the most, you know. Back¡­ before everything bad happened. Before the Shadow of Life. We still clash, but differently now. That''s probably why our two orders are opposite each other. I am the patron of Paladins, and he is the patron of Dark Knights. "However," he gestures, and the scene changes to show Nik and Travis, looking younger than they do now, fighting a Goblin Chieftain. "The two orders, when united, can become far more devastating than you would think." The two of them work together, Travis buffing Nik as the two of them fight the monster, killing it in only a minute. "Alone, they may have taken two or three minutes each," Lord Light of Earth changes the scene to show the Fallen Hunters fighting a Fallen Adventurer. "And yet together, they become a team that can face even greater foes than alone. "You might dislike Zack," Lord Light of Earth tells me. "But that is because of your nature as someone aligned to me." "Wouldn''t those aligned to Light of Water have a bigger problem?" I ask, and he laughs. "No," he answers. "Earth is calm, patient, and steadfast. It is steady and enduring, disciplined. Fire is wild and untamed, blazing through obstacles with an intense ferocity and lack of discipline.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Those who are experienced in the Boundary," he tells me, changing the scene to show several instances of Zack haggling with shopkeepers. "Know that those within the Dark Order are like this. They know it is a path few of them can take, but that all who do are devoted to the cause, to the war. So rather than trying to change those who make a difference, they go with it. "Could Zack use an attitude adjustment?" He asks. "Yes. But so could you, Gavin. And if you really want to know just how bad Zack can be, let me tell you this: how he is now is nothing like how he was when he first arrived in the Boundary. He has changed and matured since then, and anyone who matters has taken note of this." "I-I guess," I say. "You know how you retain your personality, even if you don''t retain your memories?" He asks, and I nod. He gestures again, and this time, I''m seeing¡­ is that out of the Boundary? There are¡­ what are those? And I''m seeing Zack. He''s younger than he is now, dressed in strange clothes and wearing a strange object on his wrist. In that scene, he''s beating up another kid his age, just wailing on him with his fists. In another scene, he sucker-punches another boy in the eye. He slaps a girl so hard her head snaps to the side. He punches someone else the in the gut. He gets yelled at by the man I guess is his father, gets ignored by his mother. He''s punished for his actions. He''s treated badly even when he''s not misbehaving. Zack is just an asshole, but even more of one before he came to the Boundary. Then the scene changes, and Zack is curled up on his bed, crying, a pair of dogs to either side of him, one with black fur, and one with golden fur. It changes again, and he looks depressed as he pets his dogs. Then he''s in some woods, fishing with a strange rod, a pitch-black wolf sitting beside him, watching. He actually looks somewhat happy in that one, but I can still see the depression in his eyes. The depressing scenes continue, and sometimes, Zack is talking. He had wanted to kill himself. Is that how he got into the Boundary? By suicide? Then the scene changes. Zack is walking down a street with those strange metal things that people seem to ride inside of passing by. As he walks, he''s muttering under his breath about how everyone''s stupid and stuff. Then, his head suddenly snaps to the side, and I see his eyes widen. In a burst of speed that I didn''t think was possible without the System, which only exists in the Boundary according to Zack, he''s charging towards the street, shoving a kid I had seen him punch in an earlier scene. A moment later, one of the metal things slams into Zack, sending him flying. And then he''s still. "Zack was even worse in reality than he ever was in the Boundary," Lord Light of Earth tells me. "When he came to the Boundary, he decided to be a different person. To be nicer to people. While he has his rough spots, he truly has changed from who he used to be." "He decided to be a different person?" I frown. "But how could he-" I feel my entire body freeze as I realize something. Zack was always certain there was no System outside the Boundary, that our stats weren''t reset when we died, or that their starting in the Boundary wasn''t determined by what they were before we died. He always seemed sure of things when they dealt with reality, even though he claimed he couldn''t see into it with his power of sight. And everyone has said that from the moment Luca came here, Zack was absolutely protective of him. "Zack remembers reality," I say. And he knew Luca in it. "You didn''t know?" Lord Light of Earth gives me a shocked look. "I don''t think anyone does," I frown. "Well, maybe Nik, but-" "Your entire team does," Lord Light of Earth tells me. "We assumed you did, too. Max figured it out the same day they met, and Luca figured it out shortly after that. Braden realized it during the training in Talorn. We just assumed you figured it out and didn''t give a sign you did." "How did the others give signs?" I ask, then shake my head. "If you don''t mind my asking. Sorry, that question came out without my meaning to ask it." "It''s fine!" He laughs. "As friends, remember? Max prayed to Chaos saying he hoped Zack wasn''t too traumatized by his death. We could tell when Luca realized it because of the way he reacted and started giggling. Braden asked Zack after realizing that he probably remembered." "Zack''s probably going to call me slow," I mutter. "Zack does as Zack does," Lord Light of Earth tells me. "But at the end of the day, he cares about you. He cares about you strongly. He''s chosen to change how he was from reality when he died, he saw the Boundary as a second chance at life. While much of what he was is the same, much is also different. He might harass you and poke at you, but you''re a member of his team. He won''t let go of you, and his rage will peak when you or any other member of it is hurt." He gestures again, and the scene changes to show Luca and an identical boy training, and Zack training in what are probably the mines, fighting against the kobolds. They''re ugly. I can see Luca and the other boy''s Status, even though it''s a vision. Even if they weren''t identical, I''d know that was his brother, Braden, because of that. Luca gets hit by his brother, and immediately, Zack freezes up. A moment passes, then he flies into a rage, slaughtering everything around him crudely and brutally. Nik tries to calm him down, and it takes a long time to. That''s the incident Zack was telling us about, from when Luca got hurt by his brother and he knew because of Bloodpact. "Gavin," Lord Light of Earth says as the scene freezes, Zack''s face twisted in rage as he runs a sword through a kobold''s chest. "I know you might not like Zack because of his attitude, but remember: he''s a Dark Knight at the core. He has attitude, and he has spirit. The memorial made you realize that he feels like he''s responsible for everything, and I hope this makes you realize that he''s truly changed, and has been worse. And that not all of his interactions you see are as malicious or rude as you might think." He changes the scene back to one of Zack and Jesse interacting. "He does what he knows he can get away with," Lord Light of Earth tells me. "With some extra attitude or mood added in at times. When it comes to dealing with trainers and clerks and Jesse, Zack is even just bantering with them more often than not, and they are just bantering back." "I-I''ll try not to look at his attitude too much," I say. "But it annoys me, sir. I can''t stand it." "I can understand that," he smiles. "Just be grateful he hasn''t been playing pranks on you." "Pranks?" I ask. "You haven''t seen them," his smile widens into a grin. "But Zack loves playing pranks on others. Ask Aurum sometime. Or Gold. Or Jesse. Or any Dark Knight. Or Paladin or Priest. Mama Bear. Point is, Zack loves playing pranks on people. They''re generally harmless, and while they might be annoying when it happens, after it''s over, everyone has a good laugh about it. "He knows," Lord Light of Earth stands and points at me. "That you would not take them well, so he doesn''t play them on you. Braden mostly ignores them, so Zack gave up fast on playing them on Braden, and he''d not do that to Luca. "That said," he chuckles. "Max tries playing pranks back, so Zack has no issue playing them on Max. You can even ask him about them. We''re still waiting for Max to realize that''s not a special shampoo for his tail, just a different recipe for normal shampoo." That''s not tail shampoo? "He''ll figure it out soon," Lord Light of Earth says. "And Gavin? Please work on how you react to attitude. I agree with Zack''s decision that you should go Mystic Knight first, because you don''t have the calm and discipline a Paladin should." That stings. Bad. But after seeing all the visions he showed me, and talking with me about how I''ve acted, I can see why he would say that. I understood that Zack felt the weight of the Boundary on his shoulders, that he felt responsible for a lot of stuff he wasn''t, but didn''t try to understand the rest of his interactions. I just saw him as a bratty kid. I guess I never paid attention to how everyone else reacted to him and the way he treated them when it wasn''t a negative response. There''s been a lot more positive responses or neutral responses, though, now that I think about it. "I will do my best, sir," I tell him. "Thank you, for helping me." "Good luck," he tells me. "I''m sending you back now, and I''ll keep an eye on you." I find myself back in Maelnor, right where I had been, and I decide to I return home to see the others, who were planning on playing games until lunch, I think. When I arrive, I see Max and Braden playing chess while Luca plays with cards. "Did Zack leave?" I ask. "Boss go play with Boss-Boss!" Max nods. "Talk," Braden quietly corrects. "Boss go talk with Boss-Boss!" "Boss-Boss is Nik, right?" I ask. "Duh!" Max answers, and his tail suddenly wags before he moves a pawn. "Hah! Check!" Braden moves a rook. "Check." "Nooo!" "Do you guys ever wonder if Zack remembers his life from reality?" I ask, trying to see if Lord Light of Earth was correct. It''s not that I want to doubt him, but I also don''t like being the last to realize and can''t figure out how they did. "Boss definitely do," Max nods. "Zack does," Luca nods. "He does," Braden nods. "I asked him after I thought he did, and he admitted it." "Boss-Boss team and the Crystals know!" Max tells me. "And us! And Aurum and Gold! Aurum say ''hi'', by the way, but he be shy right now." "Shy?" I ask. "He be accidentally hurt self," Max nods. "Big black eye. So he be shy and not come say ''hi''. Though he not say ''hi'' in way you understand, so me be telling you anyway even if he do." I rub my temples. Max can be difficult to talk with because of the way the speaks. Zack''s mentioned it''s because of how beastborn naturally speak, and Max has gotten better than he was since I arrived here, but that doesn''t make it any less difficult to talk with him. He''s just barely clear enough to understand what he''s saying most of the time, and that''s what makes it difficult. It just makes my head hurt. "Did you have fun talking with Big W?" Zack asks, and I jump, startled. "Big W?" I frown. "The Big Weirdo," Zack nods. "Big Flame always calls him ''weird'', so I felt it fit." "How did you know I was-" "I popped into his temple to talk with him and saw you two talking about me, so I left." "You did what?" I ask. "Anyone with a strong enough connection to their inner Sacred Crystal," he taps his chest. "Can draw on that connection to enter the temples of a Sacred Crystal they have a deep connection to." "But you''re aligned Dark of Fire?" "As my strongest," he nods. "But I have a strong merging of all four elements into both light and darkness, so I can do it to any." "Oh," I say. "What did you go in there for?" "To ask him a question," he answers. "I was asking all of them a question. So! I just wanted to let everyone know that I''m heading out for the rest of the day. We''ll be heading to the mines in two days just for a day of training, but you should all still make sure you''re prepared for that." Chapter 0132 (Luca) WARP TIIIIIIIME! "Stop that!" Mr. Zack bops me on the back of my head as we appear in Praevar. "What did he do?" Gavin frowns. "He screams in his head anytime he warps," Mr. Zack tells Gavin. "It''s part of his excitement at everything." I can''t help it, I''m ten. Mr. Zack smacks me in the back of the head again, and I grin at him. "Alright!" He says. "Let''s get going. We''ll be heading pretty deep into the mines, though not too deep. To an area that I think will work best for the four of you to work on acquiring Levels. We''ll do this one session, then come back another day for another." "Yes, sir," Braden and Gavin say at once. "Yes, Boss!" Max cheerfully adds because of that, his tail wagging. "Let''s go," Mr. Zack says. He leads us through the small camp outside of the mines, where he greets a few of the people here by name. The way they respond to him¡­ has he been coming out here or something? In secret? Without us? Is he doing training here in addition to his other prep stuff, like clearing the fields of the strong things we can''t handle? Mr. Zack begins to lead us through the mines, and I notice him stabbing the walls every now and then. Somewhat frequently, but not too frequently. We aren''t coming across any monsters yet, which is both disappointing and okay. I manage to not step in any holes as we walk, because I''m also paying attention to the ground. I''m sure Mr. Zack would rescue me if I did start to fall into a hole. He''d probably rescue me before I started to fall into a hole. "Why do you keep doing that?" Gavin asks after awhile. "Stabbing the walls?" Mr. Zack asks. Isn''t the answer to that obvious? He''s marking a trail. "Yes," Gavin answers. "So that if we get split up," Mr. Zack tells him. "You guys know where to go. Braden can create a mental map while Max can just follow our scents, if they remain around long enough, but you and Luca would have a difficult time doing that. So if we get split up for some reason, you can just use the marks on the walls to follow our trail." Yeah, stuff like that is hard to keep track of. I''m ten, and I''m not some sort of super-genius. "We might get split up?" Gavin asks. "Never discount that possibility," Mr. Zack nods. "Even as much as I might do my best to prevent that, the unexpected can sometimes happen." Yeah, especially with you around. Who knew you were a badass immortal demon? Certainly not me! And then there was the way you took out that big thing with only one hit! That was awesome! Ow! Why did he smack me again? "Luca!" Mr. Zack says. "I''m not immortal, and you saw Nik and Travis fighting that thing, too! And it was Nik who killed it! After the three of us fought it for several minutes!" Keep telling yourself that. Mr. Zack groans and shakes his head, then continues leading us through the mines, eventually reaching a chamber with a ton of monsters in it. Whoa. I forgot how ugly kobolds were. "Uh," Gavin says. "Not to be, uh, rude, but what in the Boundary, Zack? There isn''t a chance in the Boundary we would be able to handle this on our own!" "Hm?" Mr. Zack frowns Gavin before looking at the miniature horde. "Oh, that. Yeah, I wasn''t expecting this, but after awhile, all paths led to a horde, based on what I could pick up and my checks with my sight. It seems the Shadow of Life intends on just ending me here, along with all of you. Seems he thinks this little thing is enough to take me down. "It''s not," his voice drops, his expression turning dark. "But the four of you need to get going. Now. There are some potent forces on the way. A small army of Fallen Adventurers. At least twenty or thirty. They''re going to focus on me. The four of you need to flee." "But you said-" "They won''t go after you," Mr. Zack shakes his head. "They''re here for me, not you. The Shadow of Life sees me as the threat. As long as I don''t become the child of the vision, the tide of war will remain in his favor. He couldn''t care less about you as long as I''m not around. Now go. I''ll be fine." Yeah, because you''re immortal. "Go!" Mr. Zack calls out as a wall of what looks like blood forms between us and the horde. "Because if I run with you, all of the other hordes set up to intercept will give chase as well! You''ll be fine, I promise! I''ve already looked at this!" I don''t want to run, but Max suddenly lifts me up onto his back and starts running. Gavin and Braden follow, and even following the marks Mr. Zack made in the walls, we get lost and turned around a few times. Max and Braden must be really confused right now. And worried. I know the others are worried, because of the horde and Mr. Zack''s mention of Fallen Adventurers, but this is Mr. Zack. He has to be fine. He has to be. He''s immortal. Because if he''s not, who''s going to protect me and sneak into my head to chase away all the bad dreams?A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I''m not sure how long they''re running for, but we eventually come across a group of warriors who notice their panic and my tears. "Whoa," one of them says. "What''s wrong?" "Boss be fight to death!" Max whimpers. "We were apparently ambushed by a horde of monsters," Gavin says. "Zack told us to get going. He knew about it, and¡­ he said he''ll be fine, but he said there''s at least twenty or thirty Fallen Adventurers, and-" "Where?" The Adventurer interrupts him. Yeah! Don''t delay, just hurry! "Lead us there!" So we go back the way we came, this time following the marks Mr. Zack left in the walls. The Adventurers probably don''t need us anymore, and they''d go a lot faster if they just left us behind. Hurry! Save Mr. Zack! Who''s going to save me if he can''t? When we finally reach the chamber where the monsters ambushed us, we all come to a stop. There are corpses everywhere. Dead kobolds everywhere. There''s blood and guts and bones and brains everywhere. But no Mr. Zack. Is he under some of the corpses? Where is he?
(Zack) Once my team has left, I check my armor. I''m glad I switched to Zack''s Blood from the Primordial Dark Armor, just in case something happened. Crimson Wall takes a lot to sustain, and every moment of changing armor is a moment more sustaining that, even if moments take less than a second. Checking my sword, I draw it as I release the Crimson Wall, facing the horde. At the back of the rather large chamber is a tall and wide tunnel, and from out of it step several figures. Fallen Adventurers en masse, thirty-two of them. The ones who caused the failure against the Demon Kobold King, as well as those who fell against them and it, and a few others. They''re accompanied by the Demon Kobold King itself. Twenty feet in height, with brown fur and probably still those white spots on its back, a pair of horns a brown so dark, they''re nearly black atop its head. I probably could have just grabbed my team and fled with them. My Agility is enough for that to have been a viable option. Except that these things should not be here. They''re normally several Levels lower, which means that something brought them up here, and that something could only be Alexander, the Shadow of Life and Lord Pain in the Ass. And as long as these things are here, especially the Demon Kobold King, Adventurers will be slaughtered. Alexander knew I wouldn''t let that happen. I can''t let that happen, because this is the best place in the area to train at upper Levels. One of the few places where monsters at Level 40 and above can be found. Which means that if upper-Level Adventurers want to train here, this thing needs to die before it kills too many. This thing and the Fallen Adventurers gathered here. There are no other Adventurers around who could possibly help kill this thing, though. My goal now is to either somehow kill it myself, or draw out the battle enough for someone to send a messenger back to fetch Nik. I''m sure that someone will do that, if they see my team in a panic. Especially if Luca''s crying, because I know he''s going to start doubting my immortality. Touching my tunic, I send it into my Inventory, then smile at the horde. Even if I die here, I will make them regret provoking Luca''s tears. That''s simply unacceptable. "You think you can fight me on even terms?" I ask, then snort. "Pathetic. You''re nothing more than a force that has to act in numbers to form any semblance of strength. Weaklings. Cowards. Useless cannon fodder." I walk forward, flicking my sword a couple of times as I do, allowing my Rage counter to reach max in an instant as I fill myself with the fury of a Child of Existence. No one makes Luca cry. "I am the incarnation of hell itself," I growl as I transition into my Demon Form. Then I lunge forward, cutting through the pathetic creatures at the front of the horde. Alexander''s already begun moving the other ambush hordes towards this chamber. I want to berate myself for not using my sight earlier. If I had, then I''d have noticed this sooner and put a stop to it. I''d have gotten word to Nik before we went too far for me to be able to leave without provoking the horde. But by the time I did, it was too late, and then I noticed the arrival of the Demon Kobold King. It''s definitely tougher than the Kobold King.
Demon Kobold King Level Null
Health: 25,871,943 Mana: 1,732,493
And it''s a caster, too. My sword clashes against a Level 58 Kobold Knight''s, and I thrust my hand forward, feeling it cut through the monster''s armor and into its flesh. I grab its squishy, wet, warm heart and rip it out of the beast''s chest, throwing it to the side as I let out a snarl. Then I move my hand to the side, stopping a Fireball from doing anything but slamming into my hand and taking out only a few points of Health. "Weaklings," I snarl. I''m able to easily cut through the kobold army that Alexander brought up here, but they are meant to slow me down. Any kobold over Level 60 takes me more effort to kill than one or two attacks and blocks, and the Fallen Adventurers and Demon Kobold King are what''s truly here to end me. There''s a giant hole in the center of the room, from which more kobolds climb out as I fight. A pair of lightning bolts shoot at me, and I dodge to the side, though one manages to strike me in the chest, mostly absorbing into my armor. The impact still sends me tumbling back, and I snarl at the Fallen Adventurer mages who cast those spells, before I lunge towards them, taking off into the air to soar over the kobolds they had attacked over. They attack again, this time using Flame Jets, and I cut through those with my sword as I fly beside them, before reaching the bastards. As I strike at them with my sword, they summon up Barriers, which my attack cuts through. At the same time as I do that, three Fallen Adventurer knights attack me, and I twist to the side, using my tail to assist in the fight as I block and parry their attacks, doing my best to avoid the spells of the two mage Fallen Adventurers. Snarling when that gets me nowhere, I take off into the air, soaring towards another part of the chamber as I evade more lightning bolts. The Fallen Adventurers are spreading throughout the room, so that I can''t just target them as a group, but will still have to face them in groups. Mages are in each group, attacking me as I move around. Snarling in frustration, I soar straight down, using kobolds as body shields as I slaughter them some more. Charging, I make my way towards one of the groups of Fallen Adventurers, which has what appears to be a Death Knight in addition to two knights and a mage. The fucker keeps raising the dead nearby into zombie kobolds, and that''s getting real tiresome. When I reach them, I use Dash, ignoring the pain of the acid cloud the mage summoned up. The added burst of speed sends me zipping to the Death Knight, my sword cutting through its armor with ease. "Tch!" I barely missed its heart. "Strike of Darkness!" I use a Skill as I push down with my sword, dealing extra damage to it from the attack as I cut it mostly in two. The Fallen Adventurer turns to that crumbly ash-dust that they become when they''re put to rest, and a Stone Spike shoots up from the ground, stabbing into my left calf. "I FUCKING HATE STONE SPIKES!" I Roar as I pull my leg out of it, my rage and bloodlust too high for me to truly feel the pain. I lunge at the mage, the pair of knights blocking my path both using Counterstrike. I manage to block their Counterstrikes, holding up a hand and blasting them with Fireballs as I jump, flying over them and tackling the mage to the ground, punching it in the face repeatedly, stopping only once my fists meet ash. Picking up the sword I dropped at some point, I turn around to face the warriors, a haze of pure, primal rage filling me as I lose myself to the fight, dropping all sense of reason. If they want to wear me down enough for the Demon Kobold King to survive killing me, they''re going to have to make a pretty large sacrifice. Chapter 0133 (Zack) I rip the sword out of my side and shove it into the Fallen Adventurer which stabbed me, then twist holding up my sword to catch the punch of the Demon Kobold King. It has a lot of power behind that punch, and even with my Blessing of Strength and Blessing of Body active, I take a little damage as it slides me back. "Fireball!" I snarl, the flames exploding between our hands, dealing significant damage to myself in addition to a little bit to the beast. "You''re so ugly, your mommy and daddy dog thought you were a pile of shit when you were born and tried to bury you!" The Demon Kobold King snarls at the insult as it pulls it massive fist back for another punch. I jump up into the air, zip towards it, and kick it in the chest with both feet with all my might. The beast stumbles back a few steps. I''m almost fucking done with this thing. So fucking close. Nik should be here soon. I hope he makes it in time, because I''m almost out of Mana and Health. This fucking status affliction is annoying, it''s canceling my Health Regen and negating my ability to recover Health through Skills. Fucking Fallen Adventurers and their fucking Skills. Soaring away from the Demon Kobold King, I locate my Zack''s Blood spear and pull it towards with me with telekinesis as I soar higher up, before diving towards the Demon Kobold King as it moves to avoid the attack, having learned from experience with my Impact Drop hitting its other hand and several other monsters and the ground not to allow contact. That''s right, beast. Fear me. Its attempt is just a little too slow, and I manage to strike its shoulder. Unfortunately, it''s not the shoulder with the good arm. Fortunately, Impact Drop doesn''t give a fuck and still puts a giant fucking hole into it, blood, bone, muscles, and other bits of gore flying everywhere in a spray behind it. The Demon Kobold King stumbles back towards the hole. So fucking close, but I''m still moving forward. I impact it, shoving the beast the last little bit needed to send it down the hole before I jerk to the side to avoid it grabbing me as it falls. As I start to fly back, its tendrils of black-and-red demonic energies appear. Fuck! They grab me even as I try to escape, pulling me with it. Struggling, I attempt to break free, but as with the last two times they snared me, it doesn''t seem like that''s going to happen unless I manage to fight it for a minute or two again. And I don''t think I have the energy left for that. My Demon Form fades away, its time up, and my fight weakens even more. Only moments later, my Blessings both fade, weakening me further. Fucking wonderful. If I die here, Alexander, I will haunt you in the fucking afterlife. I will come back as the ghost of an infuriated dragon and ensure that every last moment of the rest of your miserable, pathetic, wicked little life is spent in torment. Even if I can''t do much else, there''s something I can do. Holding out my hand, I use my telekinesis again, pulling my spear back towards me. The tendrils of demonic energy do give me enough freedom for that. Mustering up what energy I have left, I adjust my position so that I''m nearly hugging the spear with its tip aimed down. There''s a lot of force going into this drop, unless the Demon Kobold King moves the tendrils so that I don''t hit it. My plans are ruined moments later as they force their way between myself and the spear, forcing it out of my hands. Even my telekinesis isn''t enough to pull it back, the strength of the tendrils too great. Fucking hell. Down, down, down we fall, passing by the kobolds still ascending the fucking ladders leading up to the floor we were on. Our descent continues until the Demon Kobold King finally lands hard on its back on the path of the space beneath the hole, from which multiple ladders are leading down to. A moment before I impact, a thought comes to me, a thought I hadn''t thought of before, but it''s something I''ve already done, even if not quite the same. I pull my Spook Sword from my Inventory, the last of my special swords still within it, the rest scattered around in the chamber up on the level we just fell from. "Transcend Limitations," I say, feeling a power well up within me. "IMPACT DROP!"
You have transcended the ordinary limitations of what is possible. Impact Drop is effective.
A moment after that notice appears, I slam into the Demon Kobold King, my Spook Sword driving down into its chest, a little too low to pierce its heart. That doesn''t matter, though, as there''s a spray of blood as the Skill multiplies the force of my impact of both my sword into the Demon Kobold King and the Demon Kobold King into the ground. A massive damage notification hits me, and blackness fills my vision. When I come to, however, I''m pleasantly surprised to find I''m still alive. Three fucking Health left. The Demon Kobold King is still alive, and I''m laying in its fucking insides as it moans in agony, the damage I dealt to it too much for it to properly move its arms in an attempt to kill me. Struggling to my feet, barely able to move, I grab my Spook Sword and raise it up, aiming at the beast''s exposed heart. "I am the incarnation of hell itself," I tell the dying beast. "Even in the final moments, my enemies shall know suffering." I bring my sword down, cutting into its heart, and I wiggle it as best I can. Eventually, the beating stops, and I drop to my knees, reading the notifications that appeared in my vision.
Demon Kobold King Slain!
Subclass Kingslayer now Available! You will now permanently take 10% less damage from all Demonic Kobolds!
+1 King''s Bounty +1 King''s Blessing +1 Zack Noruva Kingslayer Sword
Due to the rarity of a King Monster''s death, the Subclass increases in Level even when not active. Subclass: Kingslayer is now Level 2.
For being the one to deal the final blow to the Demon Kobold King, you have earned extra rewards!
+1 Demon Kobold King''s Heart +10,000% Class Experience +Total Recovery
All of my Health and Mana restore with those notices, and the status effect that fucking Fallen Adventurer gave me disappears. The bonuses for that aren''t the greatest, but I don''t give a fuck. I''m alive. I''m fucking alive.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I pass out again, coming to only a few minutes later with a little bit more of my energy returned. Standing once more, I pick up the Spook Sword and slash it so that the blood slides off. Once that''s done, I summon its sheath to me with my telekinesis, then inspect it. It''s covered in blood. Fuck it, I''ll do an actual cleaning later. I send both into my Inventory. Looking around, I see the kobolds and demon kobolds alike staring at me in fear. Good. I may be running low on energy, but I have plenty of strength left. That, or adrenaline. Either way, I''m completely glad that worked. It was only a suspicion, and I didn''t realize Big S had a fucking notice for it, but I guess it''s not something he''d never thought would happen. That, or he added it in after I showed up and proved that ''impossible'' is really just something saying ''I''m possible'' in a squeaky little voice. Like Luca''s voice whenever he gets frightened or anxious. Transcending limitations¡­ I''ve done that every time I do a Power Jump. I literally transcend the limitations of mortal existence and exit reality with my soul. I''ve used my true mana to take on my draconic form, even though that''s apparently not supposed to be possible. I''ve performed the big daddy of Zero Downs when I summonsed that meteor, contested only by people like Luca and Nathan, who did the big granddaddies of all Zero Downs with their shit. I''ve fought off the Blood Scar. All of those are things where I transcended limitations. I''m not the first to do it, either. How many times has someone transcended them without the notification? I know of at least two ¨C Luca and Nathan. There have to be others. But all I care about right now is the fact that I transcended the limitations of the Skill, allowing me to use both the impact of my sword and the impact fucking Demon Kobold King with it. Looking up, I see plenty of monsters still ascending, most above the allowed Level for up there. Stretching my sore, achy, tired muscles, I use Demon Form once more. Flicking my tail, I inhale deeply, then exhale as I flap my wings, soaring straight up. Time to slaughter these fuckers. Every last one of them with whatever strength I have left in me.
(Gavin) All I can do is stare in horror at the absolute slaughter that occurred. Just what in the Boundary happened here? Did a powerful team show up and save Zack while we were running and on our way back with the team? "INCOMING!" Max exclaims suddenly, and before I can try to figure out what that means, something soars up out of the ground, making me realize that this chamber must have a hole in the floor, hidden by all the bodies. "Eek! Scary demon!" That is a demon! I feel myself freeze up in fear. The demon is rather short, with crimson skin that marbles into its black wings, a pair of black horns and golden-brown hair atop its head and a slender, spade-tipped tail coming out of its waist. Most of that''s obscured by the blood and gore covering it, though. "Yay!" Luca exclaims excitedly, which confuses me. The demon briefly glances at us with those disturbingly familiar blue eyes, then extends both of its arms. "That''s Zack''s armor," Braden mutters. "No it''s not," I shake my head. "It''s only similar. Why aren''t we running? We need to run." I can''t get my legs to move. An absolute terror is filling me, and it''s all I can do to talk and not scream. Sacred Crystals, please let us make it out of here alive. "That''s the armor he was wearing today," Braden frowns, staring at the demon. "He was wearing it on his way down here. It''s different than his usual set. What''s the demon doing wearing it?" "That''s Lord Zack!" Luca exclaims, bouncing as a plethora of weapons begin to rise up from the ground. I recognize the Frost Sword and Zack''s sword, but there are several others. Some similar to his sword, one that''s black and white, but otherwise similar, a holy sword, and a series of knives to match each sword. The weapons begin to shift around as the demon stares down. "I am death incarnate," that voice is Zack''s, but the coldness in it sends a chill down my spine. The swords and knives suddenly shoot down beneath him, and I realize there were kobolds there. Do some of those kobolds have horns? The swords and knives butcher the ones I can see, then disappear out of view. Fireballs appear and shoot down as well, along with purplish Wind Spikes, bursts of shadows, and orbs of what looks like blood. The demon uses Skill after Skill without rest, using far more than I thought anyone could use at once. As it does that, I try to puzzle together what''s happening. Luca called him ''Lord Zack'', which¡­ sounds like an upgrade of his usual title for Zack. He''s wearing the armor that Braden said Zack was wearing today, which I apparently didn''t notice was different. It has the same hair and eyes as Zack. And the same voice. And used a variation of his ''I am the incarnation of hell itself'' comment he makes sometimes. And his Fireballs and Wind Spikes are violet, just like Zack''s. And he''s using telekinesis, which only Zack has, as far as I know. No one''s mentioned anything about monsters being able to use it. But then, no one mentioned that demons are here. "Oh, shit," a familiar voice says, and I look over to see Nik standing there, along with Travis, an alchemist from the market district, the ranger I''ve seen training Braden, and Jesse, only Jesse''s dressed in black and dark blue leather, knives, pouches, and bombs strapped across his body. "Zack''s going to pass out as soon as he finishes that." "He''ll be pissed if we don''t recover his weapons," Jesse comments, his voice just as deep as when Lord Light of Earth showed me the vision of him being more serious. "And he just confirmed to me that we need to," Nik sighs. Telepathy. That is Zack? But that''s a demon! The demon''s eyes begin to droop closed as it stares down, then its body turns slack. It falls, and the next thing I know, Nik is there, floating in the air with a pair of leathery black wings sprouting out of his back, holding the demon. "We''ll get the weapons," the alchemist suddenly flies, no wings, as Jesse sprouts a pair of demon wings and flies beside him. "You take the kids to the safe room nearby until Zack recovers. Knowing the brat, he''ll wake shortly." "Probably," Nik snorts, then looks at us. "You guys probably have a lot of questions." "We''ll also handle anything he missed before passing out," Jesse adds, then the two soar over to where Nik is and drop down. Definitely a hole there. "I don''t even know where to start with my questions," I tell Nik as he returns to us with the demon. "How can that be Zack?" "Because," Nik says. "Zack is the sole Adventurer in possession of the Rank 3 Class of Demon, which allows a Skill that transforms him into a demon." "A Rank 3 Class?" I ask. "But that would mean-" "That he has Ascended?" Nik smiles. "Yes, Gavin, Braden, Max. Zack has Ascended. He is currently the highest-Level Adventurer in all the Boundary, and one of the most powerful of them all." As I try to process that, I realize that he left out mention of Luca, who was excited at seeing the demon and called him ''Lord Zack''. "Luca," I say, and our healer looks at me. "You''ve known?" "Yeah!" He grins. "Lord Zack went one-two-boom! And with a flick of his tail, the big, mean kobold died!" "Luca," Nik says in amusement. "You saw Travis and me fighting it with Zack. And I''m the one who did the finishing blow." I take it this is the fight Luca and Zack were talking about earlier? But still¡­ "Zack''s only thirteen," I say. "And he''s not even been in the Boundary for a year. How could he already have Ascended?" Chapter 0134 (Braden) Luca already knew, so his reaction was just to sit there with a smug expression on his face about how he was right about Zack being immortal. I guess some things will never change. Max, like most beastborn, worships Zack, so his response to finding out just how powerful Zack really is was to bounce up and down excitedly, remaining seated only because Nik told him to. Several times. My reaction was to listen to the tales of how Zack got to be who he is now. From the punk who showed up here with an attitude to the warrior and champion and hero who has gone after anything strong and had many lucky breaks ¨C or help from powerful warriors and teams like Nik and his team and the Fallen Adventurers. And then there''s Gavin''s reaction. He''s¡­ pretty silent, and watching and listening to Nik, his team, and the Adventurers who had run with us back to the chamber. His expression is pretty neutral as he takes in the truth of just how powerful our team leader is. I glance at Normar, who is sitting beside Luca. They are eerily similar in appearance, but Zack did mention they were related. Half-brothers sired by the same god. I''m not sure when Normar showed up, but with the rumors of his tendency to remain completely hidden around anyone and everyone except those he''s exceptionally close to, he may have come with his team. My gaze turns to Zack, who''s still unconscious, sleeping beside Nik as he recovers from whatever happened. To be so powerful and have such powerful gear that he can take on a small horde of monsters and twenty or more Fallen Adventurers¡­ Our team leader truly is the best. Right now, he''s wearing his usual outfit, except with his Zack''s Blood armor and no tunic. Apparently, he has to get rid of the tunic when he takes on Demon Form, and sends it back into his Inventory while still wearing it. Otherwise, his wings would just rip it. They had to forge his armor special to accommodate the wings. Even though lots of people have wings they can manifest, it seems no one ever really cared about hiding their chest, and never really used them in battle along with armor. But Zack¡­ while I doubt he cares about modesty, since he goes for a barefoot and barechested run every morning, he likes to wear his armor. Because of how careful he is with battle. I never knew that he had even gotten into fights in the City before. Well, apparently only one fight, but did threaten a thief who tried stealing from him. It seems that the Skill that allows someone to steal from an Inventory doesn''t work on Zack''s special one, which even his autoloots default into. And that he can turn into a dragon. That is amazing, and I bet that when he turns into a Druid ¨C as I''m sure he''ll eventually go for ¨C he''ll attempt to gain the Skill needed to take on an animal form with the dragon as his alternate form. Though Nik did say that Zack is already trying to figure out how to dragonfy himself already, since he obviously doesn''t need a Skill for that. He''s also covered in blood, bones, and other bits of gore because of his fight. He killed thousands of monsters, and when Jesse and Blaine returned with all of Zack''s weapons ¨C I had no idea he had that many ¨C they had serious expressions on their faces. When Nik finishes talking, Jesse speaks to him in a deep voice. It sounds so strange, hearing Jesse with a voice that''s not that high-pitched one. According to Brandon, Jesse just acts like that because it makes people underestimate him, but that he stands as one of the top Adventurers in the entire Boundary. I suppose even our clerks and assessors and such are badasses out here in Maelnor. "Nik," Jesse says. "I think I know why Zack stayed behind rather than picking up his team and running." "Why?" Nik asked. "Where did the hole lead?" "Down to one of the very deep levels," Jesse answers. "With a large horde of kobolds Level 60 and up. It was nearly half of a mile in depth, and reached down to an area with Level 100 Kobolds." How powerful were they? "And Zack killed them with his swords," Blaine says. "We destroyed the ladders they had constructed, so there shouldn''t be a threat. However, there was more than just twenty to thirty Fallen Adventurers. We recognized some of the gear before going down and had a suspicion." "Nik," Jesse says. "All of the ones who showed up or became as such during the battle against the Demon Kobold King were here." Nik frowns. There were a lot of deaths, I remember that from Zack''s memorial. But Zack had told us there weren''t any Fallen Adventurers on this level, that they started a little bit deeper down. That the Demon Kobold King was several further down. But if the ones who were at that battle and fell in that battle were here¡­ "The Demon Kobold King was here?" Nik asks. "I didn''t see it ¨C that means Zack shoved it back down?" "He did," Jesse nods. "And when I spoke with Big Flame about what happened, he said two words: ''Transcend Limitations''." All of the experienced Adventurers in here react to that word, their eyes widening in shock. Well, other than Jesse and Blaine. Whatever that is, it must truly be a massive deal. "What happened?" Nik asked. "By our estimates," Blaine says. "Zack used Impact Drop with the Demon Kobold King''s body itself. With a half-mile drop¡­" "That''s a lot of force," Nik finishes. "It''s dead?" "It looks like Zack had performed another, possibly with his own body or a sword," Jesse answers. "Most likely a sword, as I doubt his body would have withstood such an impact amplification. Then, he used a sword to stab into the heart several times, killing it." Points for Zack. Heart shots are always effective, especially if you keep piercing it. Wait. He solo-killed a King Monster? "I told you Zack was the best!" Luca says pointedly to Nik. "You also said Zack is immortal," Nik says. "He is!" "Uh, no, he''s not," Niks says. "Name one instance where he died." "He had to die to enter the Boundary." "He warped himself into here!" That is not how it works, Luca. Nik, you might want to give up, you aren''t going to win this fight. Luca thinks Zack is an immortal who can do anything he wants. He probably even thinks Zack could end the war right now, but doesn''t so that the rest of us don''t pass on because the Boundaries will have lost their purpose, and thus, the Crystals will release us into the next life. So that we all have a chance at earning the victory ourselves.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡­uh¡­ It sounded like someone entered my head with a shocked reaction. Uh¡­ how did you know that would happen? It sounds like a kid. Is this one of the Sacred Crystals other than Lord Light of Air? Yeah, I''m your affiliation, Dark of Water. Or as Zack calls me, the Big Ocean. How did you know everyone would be released into the afterlife once the war ended? It was kind of obvious. The entire existence of the Boundaries is known to be specifically to seal away the Shadow of Life. No more Shadow of Life, no more reason for the Boundaries to exist. The seal won''t be needed anymore. You are literally the third kid in all of our history to ever figure this out. Max is getting close to becoming the fourth. Was Zack the first? Erm¡­ we think he only found out when we began releasing the other Boundaries, but it''s Zack. He''s a trickster and a deceiver. It''s possible that not even Existence itself knew when he found out in actuality. His brother, Bryce, also figured it out, which is why we think Zack was aware before we told him. Releasing the other Boundaries? What does that mean? There were several Boundaries, he tells me. But regardless of how the battle for the valley goes, the war will end within a year of its conclusion. Either the Shadow of Life will be slain, or he will attain victory. To allow us to focus more on this Boundary, the one we know he will focus on, we have begun to release the other Boundaries. While that gives him more power in this one, it also allows us to focus on it more as well. Why is focusing on this one? This horde was not natural, Lord Dark of Water informs me. The Shadow of Life arranged it, and has been building to it for months. Its purpose was specifically for when Zack traveled too deep into the mines. He knew he had to time things carefully. And then Zack came in with you guys. With us? Why did that matter? Zack is careful, he explains. He is cautious. He calculates risks. He even asked Nik to be nearby with the full team in case of disaster because he had an uneasy feeling. But he dismissed that feeling as just being paranoid about taking you guys into the mines. Zack''s always worried about your safety, which is why he has a Bloodpact with all of you. Having scouted the mines last night, Lord Dark of Water continues. He didn''t detect anything suspicious. His plan wasn''t to go anywhere near this area, so he hadn''t looked at it. The Shadow of Life began moving his forces after Zack finished his scouting. Because he hadn''t seen anything suspicious, he tells me. He didn''t use his gift of sight to check for danger at first. But then the nagging feeling of something being off grew too great, so he did. By that time, he realized that the Demon Kobold King was here. If he attempted to flee, or sent you all out too early, the hordes would have moved to intercept all of you. He would not have been able to flee with all four of you, and at least one of you would have died, as well as several other Adventurers, before Nik and his team could step in and stop things. So he ran hundreds of calculations with his sight, Lord Dark of Water states. He ran hundreds of them to see what the best option would be. And he came up with only one route that continued to appear. The best option for your survival was for him to lead you all to the chamber, then sacrifice himself while waiting for Nik to come. Only by the luck of Existence did he survive. The luck of Existence¡­ and our own interference. A little nudge of power here to move a weapon an inch away from a critical spot on his body, to guide his tiring body just a little over, to ensure his footing remained sure on the slick blood. You guys stepped in to save Zack? Why is he so special? Why does the Shadow of Life want him dead? You are aware of the prophecy, yes? The one that Zack says is just a vision of the future? Correct, Lord Dark of Water responds. There are three conditions in order for the tide of war to change. All three conditions must be completed by a Child of Existence. During his explanation, Nik mentioned that Zack is a Child of Existence, but he didn''t explain what that means. The first condition is already met, Lord Dark of Water says. And it is Ascension. Zack became the first Adventurer to ever Ascend, and as a Child of Existence, that sparked the sign that the prophecy ¨C the vision ¨C was unfolding. Preventing him from Ascending in the first place was why the Shadow of Life tried to kill both him and Bryce together ¨C to prevent even the first of the three signs from occurring. A prophecy is set in stone, they''re impossible to deter. You can either go down the only route it gives, or nudge it into another route it gives, if there is one. But the ''prophecy'' was a vision, and visions can be wrong. Like when Zack thought he would have to sacrifice himself to create enough time for Nik to arrive, to prevent the Demon Kobold King and the Fallen Adventurers from gaining a stronghold here that would likely become impossible to breach. Exactly, he says. Outside events can prevent it from happening, and even if nothing is changed, what is seen may still not come to pass. But this vision is different. This vision was done with power granted by Seal himself. Seal? The one Zack calls ''Big S'', he explains. The most powerful of us all¡­ and another Child of Existence. Unless something is done to prevent the vision from occurring, it will happen. And so the Shadow of Life fights to prevent it. That is why he wishes to make Zack unstable, why he wishes to kill Zack. Because if Zack meets the other two requirements, the tide of battle will change. And Zack is close to doing it. What are the other two requirements for the tide to change? I''ll get to that in a minute, he says. But know this, Braden: the tide of battle changing can go either way. And in the vision, all we know is that the end comes by way of a pair of brothers. One will kill the Shadow of Life, and the other realizes something. Realizes something? Even we are not privy to that information, he informs me. But we fear for what it could mean. However, the Shdaow of Life has turned Zack into his enemy so completely that we doubt it will come to pass. The tide of war is more than likely to change in our favor rather than changing to his. But isn''t the tide of war already in his favor? No, he responds. Even though the Boundary is currently half-Lost, the changing tide will happen before it begins, but even we do not know what sign it will take. We do know, however, that is unlikely for him to win the fight. Even he knows it. Zack is too powerful, too dangerous. It will take something truly spectacular to kill Zack and ensure his victory here. That''s what this setup was about: pitting Zack against a Demon King and thirty-something Adventurers plus a horde of very powerful monsters. I try to sort through everything he''s told me so far. Zack is possibly the sign that the tide of war will change, and even though it seems like the Shadow of Life is winning, the fight is actually at a stalemate. And the tone he''s using tells me that the actual outcome of the battle itself doesn''t matter for the changing tide. That even if Maelnor is lost, the Adventurers defeated in the battle for the valley, the outcome of the actual war depends on something else. And the Shadow of Life wants to prevent Zack from meeting the three requirements of the vision. That has to be because he is afraid the tide will change against him, so he wants to prevent the vision from coming to pass. What''s more, Zack is a source of hope for Adventurers. I''ve seen it, I''ve heard it. I''ve heard them talking about a powerful Adventurer among the Dark Knights, one who could probably single-handedly change the tide of war. I didn''t realize they were talking about him, though. I thought they were talking about Nik. But they were talking about Zack. But what are the other two requirements? One is something Zack can already do, Lord Dark of Water informs me. At least, in theory. But it comes third, and Zack doesn''t seem inclined to try it until shortly before the battle, which lines up with the second requirement. The second requirement, he says. Is to create a new Class. It is something only a Child of Existence can do. Only they can directly affect the System in such a way that a new Class actually forms because of them. And Zack is already planning on making a new Class as soon as he reaches his Second Ascension. How long until then? Depends on if he decides to just risk Power Jump again by taking on Angel and using the Bonus Experience he received from being the one to do the killing blow to the Demon Kobold King. So if Zack creates a new Class and does the other thing, the tide of war is changing? Yes, and it''s unlikely to change in the favor of Shadow of Life due to him turning Zack into an enemy. And the more he attempts to kill Zack, the more difficult it becomes. Because every attempt only makes him stronger. Exactly, Lord Dark of Water says. And that''s why the Shadow of Life went after you guys. Because killing you would make Zack unstable. It''s happened twice before, and this time, it''s unlikely anyone could pull Zack back. Which would make it a lot easier to kill him. Exactly, he says. And it looks like Zack is going with the ''I''m making the new Class ASAP option''. What? I look at Zack, and he still looks like he''s unconscious from the fight. He just took on and maxed-out Angel, which put him at Total Level 500, the requirement for the Second Ascension Trial. "HOW HIGH IS HIS LEVEL?" I accidentally exclaim. Chapter 0135 (Luca) Lord Zack starts laughing at Braden''s outburst, then sits up and gives him an amused look, which looks really weird because he''s covered in gore. "I was wondering how long that would take," he grins, then looks at Sir Nik. "Nik, I''m able to take on my Second Ascension Trial now. I''m honestly not sure what Big S has planned for it, but I''d prefer to take it on now than later, especially since I need to be as powerful as possible for when I act as a living distraction to the Dragon." "What Dragon?" Gavin asks. "The one that will come to destroy the City Barrier for Maelnor," Nik explains. "Zack''s job, during the battle, is to keep it from doing so. A Dragon is more powerful than even the Ultimate Boss Monsters. We doubt even he could kill one." Didn''t we already go over this? "I doubt that, too," Lord Zack looks at me. "So don''t you open your mouth and say I''ll probably one-shot it." You probably will. "You know," Lord Zack gives Nik an amused look. "Remember when Big S fanboy''d over me the same way Luca does and said I''d probably kill the Demon Kobold King by myself?" Nik stares at Lord Zack for several moments, then starts laughing, and Lord Zack joins him. See? Even Big S knows what''s up! He probably even agrees that Lord Zack will one-shot the Dragon and wipe out all of the King Monsters that show up to the battle by himself. "Luca," Lord Zack snorts and rolls his eyes as he looks at me. "I''m not even participating in the battle, outside of the Dragon. So no, I won''t be doing that." He looks at Nik. "Big S is asking if I''ll do the Trial now, too," Lord Zack says. "Probably because of all the excess energy he has as a result of the, well, you know." What does that mean? "Alright," Nik says. "We''ll handle your team. Do you know how long until you return?" "Big S says it''ll be around a day, at most," Lord Zack nods. "But a minimum of eight hours." "Will do," Nik says. "We''ll likely take your team home rather than taking them to do what you said you were planning." "Alright," Lord Zack stands and stretches, then looks at all of us. "Nik doesn''t want to take you deeper into the mines, as my Bloodpact will be rendered ineffective while I''m in the Second Ascension Trial, which means you will all be taking full damage. He and his team have promised to keep an eye on you, so if you wish hunt money slimes, feel free to, but do not go into the woods again. Also, they''re willing to train each of you a little if you wish. Brandon''s also agreed to help a little, Braden." They knew Lord Zack had woken up. He was totally talking to them telepathically before he got ready for Ascension. "Yes, Luca," Lord Zack rolls his eyes. "I was talking to them telepathically while Nik was talking to all of you, so that we could get that sorted out." He collects his swords and knives and spear, sending them all into his Inventory. "Okay!" He grins. "See ya later!" He vanishes. "Let''s go," Nik says. "We can talk more on the way." Sir Travis carries me on his back, because I''m still bad with stamina. Lord Normar told me that he was the same way, back when he was my age, and that he thinks it''s something to do with our father''s children who have a greater holy aspect than my twin brother did. He says it took him years to have a greater stamina, and I''m not looking forward to that. Once we''re out of the mines, we''re taken to the Dark Temple. WARP TIME! And no smack from Lord Zack for exclaiming that! Woo-hoo! Oops, I did that out loud, and now everyone''s giving me funny looks. Hehe. My bad! Sir Nik and his team takes us to our house, where Gold is currently taking a bath. Why is Gold taking a bath here instead of at the Dark Temple? Max doesn''t care, he just strips and starts washing up so that he can join his ''rival''. Braden, Gavin, and I decide to join as well, and Lord Normar tells Nik he''ll keep an eye on us, so the older-looking warriors leave while Normar scrubs my back. I scrub his back for him, then we climb into the bath. "I thought you didn''t like being around people?" Gavin asks Lord Normar after a few minutes of us all just soaking in the bath, Gold and Max playing with the wooden dog toy. Erm. Toys. There are now two of them. Strange. I thought we only had one? "Everyone always says you hide yourself and get embarrassed easily and stuff." "Yeah," Lord Normar nods. "I''m like Luca. Only he doesn''t have an issue when it''s his team." Or anyone around my age who Lord Zack trusts, because that means I can trust them, too.Stolen story; please report. "But you''ve been visible since the mines," Gavin says. "And are even bathing with us. Your face is really red, too, and not just from the heat. I was just wondering-" "I decided to try to overcome my issues," Lord Normar says. "And supervising ¨C yes, Max, you can invite Aurum over-" "Yay!" "-and supervising all of you while in the bath will help me," he nods. "Big Flame told me to. He said ''you''re mentally and physically the same age as Luca, so go do it, it will help you'', so I''m doing that. It''s really uncomfortable. Zack gave me a pep talk before he left, though. He did that while he was talking with all of you." Lord Zack is really awesome. He can talk with his mouth while having a completely different conversation with his mind. Oooh! That''s why he and Nik were discussing stuff that they revealed they had already discussed! To give them more time to talk about something with their minds! "Oh," Gavin says. "Okay. Did you really take on Dark Knight after Ascending?" "Yes," Lord Normar answers. "How come?" Gavin asks. "Aren''t you holy? Like, really, really holy? Dark Knight seems like a major contrast to that." "A Holy Class and a Cursed Class," Lord Normar says. "Normally cannot mix. This isn''t just because they''re contradictions, but because of how absolutely powerful the two become when combined. Nik, Travis, and Zack were able to take down a King Monster as a team. Three of the most powerful holies and curseds in all of the Boundary. Zack, with both, was able to solo one." That has more to do with Lord Zack being awesome than his Classes. "While a Holy Class," he continues. "Is normally support, with some strength in the Classes such as for Paladin, Classes like Dark Knights, Blood Priests, and such are offensive Classes. Combine those two aspects with all of the Stat Points added in, and you gain a being who is far more powerful than ordinary. A being who can buff themselves with absurd stats, heal immense amounts of Health to allow them to continue fighting, and more. This is the same reason Zack took on Priest and Paladin, once he had Ascended and was able to. It wasn''t to be contradictory, but because of the absolute power it would grant him. "By becoming a Dark Knight," he explains. "I gain the ability to take more damage while simultaneously becoming able to utilize any damage I do take as a weapon. Some of the Skills will probably be beyond me, such as Dark Strike and Strike of Darkness, but others will be quite useful. Transfer Health and Transfer Mana are both locked to Cursed Classes. When I''m able to take on Demon, I will be able to forge Bloodpacts, which will only further help with my healing and buffing." That makes sense. I bet he had a long talk with Big Flame before becoming one of his warriors. Aurum shows up, and Max and Gold both hop out to scrub his back, Max taking over the scrubbing of the tail. I wanted to scrub a tail. Lord Normar stops talking, so I guess he''s exhausted himself with that. We finish up our soaking after awhile, and start drying ourselves and the tails. As Max dresses, he''s standing close to me, his tail wagging back and forth. I pretend to accidentally touch it while putting my towel in the bucket for the dirty towels. "Grar!" Gold makes a funny sound, then grabs my hand and Max''s tail, making me actually touch it. "Yay!" Max exclaims. "Oh, that be Gold. Hey! Luca be doing it now! Yay!" Huh? Lord Normar snorts. "Luca," he says. "Max likes having his tail touched by his friends." Really? "Yeah!" Max nods. "Luca always allowed to touch tail!" I thought only Lord Zack could touch it? You always keep moving it and stuff. "Luca," Braden says. "Your expression right now is pretty amusing. Max has been hoping you''d just start stroking his tail for¡­ well, forever. You can scratch behind his ears, too. I do it all the time." Like this? "Hehehe," Max giggles as I scratch behind his ears. "Luca being awesome!" "Luca is being awesome," Lord Normar says. "Yes, he is being!" Max nods. "Just like Boss! Boss be the most awesome!" Lord Normar and I chuckle at Max''s energy, then we finish dressing.
(Gavin) Luca and Normar are going over head-bashing techniques using Gold and Max as test dummies. They''re using their heels and staffs for it, and it''s¡­ amusing. Braden and I are playing chess while we watch, while Aurum sits nearby, calmly shaking his head every time Luca or Normar ask if he wants to help them. "Aurum doesn''t have Access," I call out after probably the tenth time. "A head-bash from you two would probably do some serious damage to him." I think we all jump, Aurum included, at what happens next. Because suddenly, I can see a Status on him.
Aurum Level 0
Health: 20 Mana: 10
It looks like Lord Crystal of the System was looking and decided to connect Aurum to the System. But didn''t Zack say that it took him a lot of energy and power to connect someone to the System? That he couldn''t do it often because of that? "Now you have no excuse!" Normar rushes over to Aurum. "He hasn''t had any Endurance training!" I call out. "This will work as it!" Normar exclaims, then proceeds to use Aurum in addition to the other two beastborn as training targets. It only takes me a moment to realize that they aren''t actually hitting him that hard, despite taking out large chunks of Health on Gold and Max. Or at least, Normar was, Luca isn''t quite strong enough for that. I suppose Normar is adjusting his strength, he could probably crush their heads in an instant. So could Zack. To think that he is the Ascended here in the Boundary. Or one of them, as Normar apparently Ascended as well, and that he''s about to become even more powerful. He really got lucky, too ¨C the Crystals were talking with us on our way back, and told us that the fight against the horde earlier was the first time they had actually nudged Zack or attacks aimed at him during a fight. They couldn''t do much, but they were able to save his life. According to Lord Dark of Fire- OW! I told you to call me ''Big Flame''! Sorry! You better be! According to Big Flame, the only other time they ever interfered directly for Zack was when Big Flame manifested a protective layer around Zack to save our leader from his own spell when facing the horde that chased him and Bryce last year. And I was not aware that Big Flame was listening to me. He doesn''t respond, so I guess either he stopped or is intentionally ignoring me after I called him that. Sorry. We spend the rest of the day just relaxing, and when it''s time for bed, we notice Luca looking somewhat nervous. I am about to offer to sleep with him in place of Zack tonight when Max tackles Luca onto the bed. He''s wearing his night pants, so I guess he''s volunteering by force. "Max be here!" Max starts tucking the two of them in. "No worries, Luca! Me will chase away all the bad dreams! If they no run away, they then be getting scared of Boss and go ''nooo! Run away!'' and then run away." That isn''t exactly how it works, Max, but I can definitely see bad dreams running away because of Zack''s presence. Actually, now that I think about it, Luca never does have bad dreams while Zack is actually in the bed, only when Zack isn''t, and Zack does have psychic powers. Has he been actually interfering with Luca''s dreams to prevent the bad ones from showing up and bothering him? Chapter 0136 (Zack) Stretching, I look at Big S, who''s giving me a nervous look, his tail wrapped around his front. "If there was even a remote possibility of that Ascension Trial happening again," I tell him. "Change it. That was absurd and ridiculous, and I know that I do not want to go through it ever again." He sighs in annoyance, though it''s easy to tell it''s not aimed at me, so I look at the notifications in my vision. First, the first one.
Congratulations on Ascension 2!
You can now take on Rank 4 Classes. You now have +1 Subclass Slot (+1 additional due to Adventurer Class). Spending Bonus Experience now requires 3x Bonus Experience. +20 to each Stat. +Second Ascension Title.
Looks like he fixed a couple of issues that were in the first one. The extra Bonus Experience needed will be a pain, too. But as things are now, it probably won''t matter too much. I want to end this fucking war within two or three months of the battle, not within a year. I plan on driving my Blade of the End right through Alexander''s heart. After dismissing that message, I look at how many Stat Points I can add to my every-fifth Level bonus. I have a total of twenty-three Titles, but this time, I receive two Stat Points to add for every Title above Rank 1. "Big S?" I ask. "How come Rank 2 and up gives me 2 Stat Points rather than the 1 Stat Point from last time?" "The way I set up the formula," he answers. "Originally, the plan was to have each Title grant 1 Stat Point to the on-Level bonus, while the total sum of all Ranks of all your Titles was the number of Stat Points you could allocate to your base Stats. But I found while playing around with that when I implemented it that it caused a retroactive add that caused issues and screwed with the test subjects." Test subjects? If no one''s Ascended, who or what did he test this on? "So instead," he continues. "I changed it so that you earn Stat Points to add to the on-Level bonus based on your Ascension. At Ascension One, they all grant 1 Stat Point. At Ascension Two, all Rank 1 Titles grant 1 Stat Point, all Rank 2 and up grants 2 Stat Points. At Ascension Three, they give 1 Stat Point at Rank 1, 2 Stat Points at Rank 2, and 3 Stat Points at Rank 3 and up. This continues up to Rank 5 giving 5 Stat Points at Ascension 5." "Ah," I say, looking over what I have. I have ten Rank 1 Titles and thirteen Rank 2 and higher Titles, giving me a total of 36 Stat Points to add rather than the 23 Stat Points I had expected. That''s actually really nice, then. Most are going into Vitality and Wisdom, to boost my Health and Mana. Those are the two most important ones to me right now. Coming to a decision, I add 12 Vitality, 12 Wisdom, and 2 Stat Points to everything else. That should give me some major boosts for the future, and Health and Mana are going to be extremely important. With those done, I dismiss that window, then accept my reward of five Primordial Ingots, five Primordial Essence, five Crystal Ingots, and five Crystal Essences, the same as for my First Ascension. I''m glad to note the placeholder message is still there, because it means I have even more to tease Big S about when everything is done. Heh. I bet Nathan didn''t mention it either just to tease him at some point about it. Or because he knows I noticed it and want to tease him about it once he finally notices it and fixes whatever it''s supposed to. Now that all of those are done, I collect all of my items, sending them back into my Inventory or pulling them on. My team knows what I am and what I can do, now. They know I''m not just a strong Adventure, but among the top. That I am at the top, now, in terms of raw Stats. Only those with greater experience than me can manage to best me among the Adventurers, because of that. People like Nik and his team, and the Fallen Hunters. Thinking of the Fallen Hunters, I still need to practice their trick with using Barriers to jump around. That can be extremely useful in my fight against the Dragon that''s coming up. Something to work on later. Flying around is one thing, but there are still some mobility limitations that can be solved by jumping. For now, I stretch, then give Big S a cheeky grin. "You didn''t put on your tunic," he says. "Even if you did put on your armor. I take it you''re going to try to forge a new Class and acquire the form you had in those visions?" "Yes," I grin at him. "Can you do it once I send you back?" "Send me to the fields," I tell him. "I don''t want to disturb my team, they''re probably sleeping." "They are," he chuckles, gesturing with his tail towards the blackness behind me. I turn and face it, finding a display of my team. They''re sleeping on the ground, several blankets put down beneath them for comfort, several more on top of them. Max, Braden, and Gavin are all snuggling against Luca, who fidgets a little, but not much. "That''s adorable." "He had a nightmare," Big S tells me as I turn back to face him, the display fading. "And when Max tried scolding it, he woke up the team. They decided to all be there for Luca." "What was Luca''s nightmare?" I ask. "Was it of his brother dying again?" "No," he shakes his head. "It was of him losing the rest of the team while you were doing your Ascension Trial. Was it really that bad?" "Yes," I answer immediately. "It makes sense, I mean, but I don''t think you should ever do that again." "Alright," he nods, then mutters. "I need to change the Third Ascension Trial, too, in case you manage to reach that before everything ends."Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Alright," I grin at him. "Anything else, before I head to the fields and try to forge a new Class?" "Yes," he thinks for a few moments. "Alexander may realize something, Zack. Something¡­ that I''ve hidden from you." "What''s that?" I ask. "A detail of the vision," he answers. "That you didn''t receive." "Which is?" I ask. "Something even the one who had it didn''t see¡­" But if there''s another part to the vision, then wouldn''t that mean Big S was the one who had it? "But you said you can''t use the power of sight anymore?" "I can''t," he shakes his head. "My power of sight is tied up with the System at all times, Zack. But when I bolstered his power¡­ I had the vision, too, because it was through my power that he had it. And I had an additional part of the vision. What the realization was, Zack. The realization led to Alexander''s victory. It led to him entering reality. You would have seen that part as well, but¡­ I may have interfered with your vision to end it before you got to that point." "Why?" I ask. "If we can find the pair of brothers-" "I already know who they are," he states. "I''ve always known, Zack. I''ve known since I first saw them who they were. That the moment I became aware of them, I knew who the brothers were, and who would lead us to victory or destruction." "Who?" I ask. "We can work on this! Try to convert the brother of realization to our side and-" "No," he shakes his head. "I do not worry about it, Zack. Everything that has happened¡­ realization will never happen. Alexander has inadvertently brought about his downfall, unaware of it. That''s why I never told you." But he''s feeling guilty over affecting my vision, so he''s coming clean, even if it doesn''t matter. "It''s alright," I approach him and place a hand on the side of his head. "You were just worried, Big S." "Yeah," he gives me a weak smile, which looks funny on a dragon. "Come on," I smile. "Send me back so I can show Alexander who''s boss!" He laughs, and a moment later, I find myself standing on the steps of the Dark Temple in Talorn. This works, too. Reaching deep inside of me, I close my eyes, feeling for all my power. I feel for the powers of holy and dark within me and bring them together. Adventurer allows me to use them together, but what happens when they are actually together? That is what I want. Drawing upon the conflicting powers, I reshape their abilities into a unified force, and I can feel Alexander''s unease as I do, his fear, and I delight in it, especially when a notice appears in my vision.
Class Forged: Dark Paladin
Title Earned: Class-Maker
Calculating Stats...
Calculating Description...
Calculating Unique Skills...
Calculating Absurdity...
Aurum has Access, by the way. Forgot to mention that.
I laugh at Big S''s notice, then wait for everything to change. It doesn''t seem to be able to be dismissed, so I have to wait for it to finish changing over. While I do, I sit down and think over things. I was wondering why there was an extra crystal darkened on his altar, and I suppose giving Aurum Access would explain that.
Class Forged: Dark Paladin
Title Earned: Class-Maker
Calculating Stats... complete!
Calculating Description... complete!
Calculating Unique Skills... complete!
Calculating Absurdity... complete!
Aurum has Access, by the way. Forgot to mention that.
It allows me to dismiss it after that, and I''m able to pull up the information on Dark Paladin. I suppose Big S was trying to figure out a name in a rush because he didn''t actually know what I was making. It is a fusion of Cursed Classes and Holy Classes, though. Even many of its Skills fuse them together. Hellish Blessing is in the list, which is a mixture between Demonic Aura and an Angel Skill. There are two Skills that I''m really looking forward to, however. Well, one of them is a Skill list. Much like with Demon and Angel, I can take on its various aspects. Its wings, its horn, its tail, its voice, and more. The requirements for Dark Paladin is a mastered Angel and a mastered Demon Class, which I have, so I take it on.
You are now a Dark Paladin
+1 Strength +1 Endurance +2 Vitality +1 Agility
+1 Intellect +1 Willpower +1 Wisdom +1 Perception
Nice! I forgot that Rank 4 would be at the point where it gave a total of 9 Stat Points per Level at the start! Now it''s time to acquire my epic wings and my new form! Focusing on the feel of wings stretching out of my back, I tune out the senses that would give me Demon Wings and the ones that would give me Angel Wings while simultaneously reaching for both. It only takes a few moments before I feel my new wings stretching out of my back as a notice appears in my vision.
New Skill!
Eidolon Wings Active
Manifest a pair of eidolon wings to fly around. An Eidolon is swift, and can fly at five times the speed at which a human can move.
Cost: 5 Mana per second
With my new wings, I focus on their feel, pushing that sense of them through my entire body, much in the same way I did with Demonic Voice for my Demon Form. Having had that form and knowing what it felt like, doing this is quite easy, and it only takes me a few more moments before Eidolon Wings ends and a new Skill appears as I feel my body shift again.
New Skill!
Eidolon Form Active
Take on the form of an Eidolon to enhance your powers far beyond the norm. Become a being which is neither angelic nor demonic, yet both at the same time.
Boost: +25% to all Stats per Level of this Skill
Cost: 20 Mana per second (decreases by 1 Mana per second per Level of this Skill)
Nice! This Skill isn''t a duration one like Demon Form and Angel Form, but one which is active until either I run out of Mana or I cancel it! That is awesome! And what''s more, with either just the wings or in this form, I can fly way, way faster! Even better, I only need to Level Eidolon Form four times to receive the same bonus I do with Demon Form and would if I took on Angel Form and mastered it. Naturally, that means this is probably going to be a pain in the ass to Master. Flapping my wings, I soar around Talorn, looking at the pathetic monsters below. I won''t even gain Experience fighting here anymore. I suppose something deep like the mines by Praevar or going into Lost Territory will really be the only way to boost things, now. "Hey, Big S?" I say after adjusting to this form. He doesn''t respond. "Think I can handle the second of the three?" I cancel Eidolon Form and land on a roof, then change into my Armor of the End and equip my Sword of the End and Knife of the End. "How about now?" I ask. I find myself in another temple prison, this time facing someone who looks like he could be a brother to Alexander, wearing a tunic, pair of pants, and boots. I draw my sword as he looks startled by my appearance. "I am the incarnation of hell itself." Chapter 0137 (Zack) Before the evil bastard can collect himself, I switch into Demon Form for its greater boost and charge. Much like with his ally, he casts spells at me, but they barely hurt me the one time they manage to hit my body. Big S really must have overestimated their powers when he said it would take me this Ascension just to overwhelmingly kill the first. I''m doing that for the second-strongest of them. In the fractional second it takes me to reach the ancient wizard, he''s only cast five spells, and then his head rolls. Quite literally, because I cut if off. For good measure, I then slice his body in two, before cutting into his heart, slicing that into four. He''s dead. That was easy. And rather unsatisfying. I find myself in the mines. Deep within the mines, right outside¡­ An Experience farm! "Thanks, Big S!" Oh, he didn''t send me here for Experience. Bummer. I know this because I can see a party of five in the distance, four of whom are fending off monsters as the fifth lacks a Status entirely. I unleash a Roar using my Demonic Voice, and nearly everything in the chamber freezes. I flap my wings and soar through the chamber, removing a head here and there as I reach the party, then land in front of them. "Stupid monsters," I turn and release several Fireballs, killing all of the nearby kobolds and bats as the rest begin to flee. "That''s right, fear me, for I will be the one to rip your intestines from your bodies, string up up on the hanging mites by them, and scatter your guts across your allies!" They start running even harder. I guess a Demon threatening them using Intimidate and Demonic Voice only made it even more frightening. They might have high stats, but my boost from Angel put me even higher than these pathetic things. Not by much, but enough that my Willpower is higher than theirs, and even a single point higher is all that''s needed. I suppose this would still be a fight for me. Shrugging, I turn around and approach the dead one. A male mage. "We were chased into here," one of the Adventurers, a knight, says. "We should''ve been able to handle this, except that he was poisoned, and-" "Say no more," I kneel as she stops talking. Their priest is low on Mana, which means he probably wasn''t able to heal the mage in time. "Hm. How should I do this? Do I just put my hands on him? Or slap him? Stab him?" "What are you talking about?" The knight asks in horror. "I do have a holy blade," I ignore her. "But nah, it probably doesn''t require a weapon to use. Let''s see¡­ how''s this?" I hold my hands over the fallen mage, drawing on my powers as I follow the instructions in the window for the Angel Class Available Skills list. "Resurrection!" My body glows violet, and the light spreads from me into the fallen mage, spreading over him as his Status reappears, the stab wound in his chest, just-barely missing his heart, mending a little as well.
New Skill!
Resurrection Active
So long as the corpse is fresh and not damaged too badly, you can restore their life to them and heal some of their injuries, curing them of ailments they had upon their death. They will receive some debuffs temporarily upon their resurrection.
Restoration: 10% of their Health per Level of this Skill
Stat Debuff: -80% to Stats (reduces by 8% per Level of this Skill)
Regeneration Debuff: -100% Regeneration (reduces by 10% per Level of this Skill
Debuff Duration: 72 hours (reduces by 7.2 hours per Level of this Skill)
Cost: 10,000 Mana
"Damn, that''s costly!" I say. "And no reduction on its cost, either! That sucks! I guess that''s the price to pay for such a powerful Skill, though!" The mage groans a little, and the priest immediately rushes to his side. "I''ve got this," I hold out my hands. "Heal!"
Target +1,143 Health!
It only takes me another Heal to fully restore his Health, and that was probably overkill, since he doesn''t even have 2,000 Health. But since he can''t regenerate anything for the full three days since this was the first use of the Skill by me, it''s better than nothing. Not that the priest wouldn''t have healed him, but I''m going all the way. At least he still healed some from the Skill, despite the Skill technically being at Level 0 when it was used. I suppose that''s natural, though, since 0 Health is still dead, which would defeat the point of the Skill. "Take it easy for a few days," I tell him. "I''m sure you have notices letting you know the timers on those. Until you can regenerate again and the debuff to your Stats is gone, you''ll be pretty pathetic in a fight."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Thanks," he says. "Lord Dark of Air was staring at me intently all of a sudden. I never expected the Sacred Crystals to actually manifest in the forms of children. It was¡­ rather unnerving." "I''m sure," I smile at him. "First time I ended up in that chamber, it freaked me out. Never want to go there again, and I doubt I ever will, knowing the things I know." "You''ve seen him?" He asks. "Yes," I glance to the monsters, which are giving us some space for now. I look back to the mage. "I''ve seen all of them in their avatars." "It figures you would," the knight says. "The Skill actually does exist?" "Yeah," I sigh. "I was told I wasn''t allowed to break any necks to prove it. Apparently, that''s traumatizing to some people. Nathan would have access to the Skill right now, too, except he didn''t take on Angel, which is the requirement to be able to use it." Heh. I''m a demon who used Resurrection. Big S is probably doubled over in laughter at this. Which may actually be why he sent me here, now that I think about it. "Why didn''t he take on Angel?" She asks. "Ah, fuck!" I exclaim. "I did it again! Higher Rank Classes take more Experience to Level, right? And the higher your Level, especially with similar Classes, makes it take even more to earn that Experience. So him taking on Angel would stem his ability to gain Stats. And I took on a Rank 4 Class rather than Mystic Knight, as I''d intended. Dammit! Stupid Zack! I''m going to go kill some shit!"
(Luca) Okay, I really, really need to pee, and I have a Max on top of me, with Gavin and Braden pinning me at the sides. I have needed to pee for an hour now, and they are all asleep. While I appreciate that they tried to help me with my bad dreams, I would appreciate it if they would move so that I can go pee. Because I really, really, really need to go pee! Suddenly, and without warning, all three of them jump up, looking confused. Now I can go pee, so I hurry downstairs and to our bathroom to pee. After doing that and washing my hands, I return upstairs and change into my day clothes, where the others are changing as well. "What happened?" I ask Braden. "Zack woke us up," he responds. "Screaming in our heads ''Luca needs to pee you sleepy-heads''." Lord Zack is awesome. He targeted three people whose heads were by mine, yet didn''t touch my head with that. I bet all of my bad dreams stopped when he returned just because he returned. Lord Zack is the most awesome being in existence, and his very presence chases away nightmares. After I finish dressing, I make my way downstairs, and the others go to use the bathroom once they finish dressing. Lord Zack is making breakfast for all of us, which is awesome, because it''s usually either Max or Gavin doing it, or both. Usually Max, because he likes making food without it being his job or being forced to. Breakfast is awesome. It always tastes better when Lord Zack does it because he has amazing cooking skills that he rarely uses. "We aren''t going to the mines again today," he informs us after breakfast finishes. "We can try that again in a day or two or something. Today, however, you four are going to be tested." "Tested?" Gavin asks. "How?" "I''ll tell you guys once dishes are cleaned up." Gavin and Max clean the dishes while Braden and I play chess, then the four of us gather in front of Lord Zack to find out what our test is. "Today," Lord Zack says. "The four of you are going to fight the Candy Beast." "The what?" Gavin asks. "Candy Beast!" Max hops up and down excitedly. I suppose it''s only natural he would know what it is. "Me want kill! Wait. We be kill it? It be Holiday Boss!" "Exactly," Lord Zack smiles as I realize he''s intending on us fighting a Holiday Boss. Without him. "The four of you are going to fight a Holiday Boss as a team. After that, you four will get to see me fight one." Yay! I get to see Lord Zack be awesome in a fight again! "There''s more than one here?" Gavin asks. "Yup!" Lord Zack grins. "There are four in the valley itself, and two in the pass beside us, one near Maelnor, and one towards the City at the other end. While individually, the four of you would never stand a chance against it, I have faith that you will all succeed in defeating it." He turns serious. "However," he says. "The Candy Beast is not something to take lightly. It will be tough, tougher than some of the things you four have fought before. Its attacks will hurt, and you will take damage. That is inevitable. Do not give up, and do not act rashly. Calculate your attacks, plan them, and deliver them true. Some of the Dark Knights are watching it to ensure no one else attacks it to steal part of your reward." Gavin gives me a nervous look. "Luca''s a healer," he says. "He won''t get part of the reward, will he?" "He will," Lord Zack shakes his head. "As long as he heals you guys and buffs you guys, he''ll receive a portion of the rewards as well. Big S didn''t design the System to punish healers for not attacking when they help in a fight." That is good. "And as a warning," Lord Zack says. "You will each receive Bonus Experience for the kill. Do not use it. It will act as a form of power-Leveling, so you should reserve it until you need it. Unless I say otherwise, do not use it until the battle for the valley. It might be only a couple of Levels each, but that doesn''t matter. This is advice I have heard from Adventurers far, far more experienced than me." Which you ignored, because you are awesome like that. "No," Lord Zack gives me an amused look. "Because for me, I was either needing the push to get through what would be a definite slog, like with Angel, or because I''m just impatient and it doesn''t matter much in the long run for me." "Why does it matter for us, but not you?" Gavin asks. Not a rude wording to that, even if there''s a slight hint of annoyance. It seems more like curiosity than just being annoyed by Lord Zack. "Because for you guys," Lord Zack explains. "That could be days to weeks of training. For me, that was generally an hour or two, at most. If even that. If it''s not, it''s what''s a slog comparatively to what''s normal for me. Which is why I''m going to smack myself pretty hard a few times." "Why?" I ask. "Because," Lord Zack sighs. "I accidentally took on a Rank 4 Class in excitement rather than working on some lesser ones. Every Ascension makes gaining Experience in general take more effort. Each Rank of a Class increases that difficulty as well. Rank 4 Classes are a pain in the ass for someone like me, who is used to being able to completely master a Class in just a few weeks." Oh. That makes sense. But that won''t be a problem for you, because-ow! He bopped me on the head! I pout at him for that. "Back on track, guys," he says. "We''re heading into the pass for you four to fight the Candy Beast. Do not use the Bonus Experience unless you absolutely need to, which you probably won''t considering how little it''ll be, or unless I tell you it''s okay to. If and only if you four are truly in danger, I will personally step in and finish it off. After that, you four will get to see me fight one on my own." "Zack," Braden says, his voice as soft and quiet as ever. "Don''t Holiday Bosses usually take teams of ten to fifty Adventurers to kill?" "Yes, why?" Lord Zack asks. "How, exactly, are we supposed to kill it with just the four of us?" Chapter 0138 (Gavin) Apparently, Zack''s solution to make up for our severe lack of manpower for the fight is Mana Potions. Not for Braden, Max, and me, but for Luca. He¡­ gave Luca a ton of them. To the point that Luca had to literally tell Zack to stop because he didn''t have enough room in his Inventory. According to Zack, he went on a rampage last night and earned a lot of money from that, and so just spent all of his earnings on Mana Potions. I wish I could have done something like that. I also wish he would have allowed us to go buy our own Mana Potions before this. And Health Potions. There is no way in the Boundary we can do this by ourselves. I really, really doubt it. I also doubt any of us actually has the needed stats to hurt this thing, too. Or maybe we barely do? The Candy Beast looks like some sort of bear-wolf-rabbit hybrid, and is made out of¡­ candy. It''s in pastel pinks, blues, greens, and yellows, and just looks strange. Strange, and terrifying, and Max is babbling about how he''s going to eat the Candy Beast''s corpse for lunch and dinner, which I think is supposed to be some sort of intimidation attempt. All it''s doing is disturbing me. "Oh," Zack says, and we turn our attention back to him. "By the way, you are more than welcome to grind out against the Candy Slimes and Candy Bunnies out here if you want to try to gain another Level or two. Take your time. But not too much time, because the bosses will disappear sometime after dark and I still want to kill one. So try to do it at least by dinner." I sigh. He''s just being a brat again. Another Level or two might help, though. I need two more for the next every-five bonus, and Max needs only one more. Braden needs four more, but he''s also a higher Level than either of us. Looking at Luca, I can''t help but wonder how hard things must be on him. He''s only Level 18 right now, while the rest of us are around Level 39, Level 43, and Level 51. He''s not even able to take on a second Class yet, and he''s weak compared to the rest of us. Not only that, but he gains Experience far more slowly than us. Yes, he can speed that up by rapidly healing and buffing several people, and doing that repeatedly over a short period of time, but that still has its limits. I''m sure he''d be able to reach Level 25 if all he did for a few hours was heal and buff, and- If all he did for a few hours was heal and buff. I look at Zack, who''s currently adjusting Luca''s cloak and the clasp on it. He overloaded Luca with Mana Potions to the point that Luca couldn''t even fit them all in his Inventory and he had to stop pulling them out. He has a ton more Mana Potions to give to Luca. It seems like overkill. Unless that was Zack''s intent. If Max, Braden, and I are taking constant damage while out here training so that we can fight the Candy Beast, and Luca ignores the ''wait until they''re critical'' rule Zack usually has, then he might be able to acquire a few Levels, just like us. In fact, he might gain more Levels than the rest of us. My gaze turns to Gold and Aurum, who came out here as well. Supposedly to train on their own, but¡­ What if it was to provide additional sources of healing and buffing for Luca? Luca can apparently heal and buff over greater ranges than most healers. Normally, their targets have to be within two or three yards, but Luca''s done it from a dozen away before. "Oh," Zack places a hand on Luca''s shoulder as he finishes adjusting the healer''s clasp. "And you can ignore the rule about waiting until they''re critical in Health. Just make sure you''re not wasting any healing power." Which means that as long as Luca''s Heal will affect us fully and not bring us back to full Health, Luca has the okay to heal us. Luca nods in response to Zack, who then pulls out some sort of golden token. "Use this as well," he tells Luca. "It will help you Level a bit." "What''s that?" I ask. "Part of the reward for killing King Monsters," Zack answers. "It doubles earned Experience for twenty-four hours. Luca needs it more than any of us." I start to get annoyed by that, but then realize that Zack was giving up the boost he could have used for himself so that Luca could gain some more Levels. Zack is going to fight a literal Dragon, the most powerful type of monster in the entire Boundary, and he''s sacrificing Leveling so that Luca ¨C who isn''t ''necessary'' to the battle ¨C can Level a bit more. But if he''s doing that, does that mean he''s confident in himself for being able to Level enough for the battle? "Alright!" Zack interrupts my thoughts as Luca accepts the token and does something that involves tapping the air. "Have fun, you guys! I''ll be around if you need me, but make sure to avoid the area I marked out with pink paint-" So that is why there is a massive pink ring on the ground. "-because if you enter it, the Candy Beast will attack," he continues. "Make sure to gather back up at these rocks when you''re ready to fight it." "Question," Braden says softly. "What?" Zack looks at him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Are Gold and Aurum not helping us with the Candy Beast?" He asks. "Nah," Zack shakes his head. "They''re here purely for training." "But then won''t they miss out?" Braden asks. "Couldn''t they help us a bit?" He wants Gold to help, mostly. I think. Gold has a higher Level than us, I think. I''m not sure. "Gold''s going to help with one later," Zack shakes his head. "Kylie and Samantha''s other apprentices are all going after one this evening, after dinner, and Gold''s possibly helping fight it." Zack wants to watch that. That''s the real reason we''re being told to go after this one before dinner. But why does he think he can''t date her now? We''re trained up a bit and can handle ourselves, and he doesn''t need to watch us all the time. It seems like he''s putting himself into his training pretty hard, too. He should make time for social things, so that I don''t feel bad for crushing on her when he''s obviously interested. I want to ask her out, but am somewhat nervous of Zack because of his feelings for her. "Go on!" Zack gestures to us. "Go train if you want! Or fight the thing. It''s up to you." "Where are the Dark Knights you said were watching to make sure others don''t try to steal part of our reward or the reward entirely?" I ask. "They''re around," Zack answers. I look around, but still don''t see any. I guess all of the present ones have the Conceal Skill or something. "Go on, guys!" Zack says. I nod, then start to walk away, and Braden hurries over to me. "Be on the lookout," he mutters. "Why?" I ask. "Think something stronger is going to be here?" "Why are we in the pass instead of the valley?" He asks. "And if you noticed, Zack isn''t wearing his tunic under his armor." I glance back, only now noticing that while Zack has on his breastplate, that''s all he''s wearing on his torso. How did I not notice this? I mean, it''s not like he''s pasty or something, he actually has a decent tan ¨C strangely, considering it''s still cool out and not all of the snow and ice has melted yet ¨C but his skin contrasts with the dark of his armor. It should have been obvious he wasn''t wearing a tunic, since he only wears black and dark red. "He''s also wearing Zack''s Blood," Braden says as I look back to the ranger. "Not the Primordial Dark Armor we''re used to." "But he''s not trying to hide-" "No," Braden shakes his head. "Why would Zack go without his tunic if he wasn''t expecting a pair of wings to be used?" I frown, then look at Zack again, as he watches Max chase one of the Candy Bunnies. He can probably hear us, but is he listening? "You think something might happen?" I ask. "Even with the Dark Knights here?" Braden turns his attention down the pass, away from Maelnor. "The Teleport Plaza is constantly being watched," he says. "Because we receive supplies and messages at all hours now and they want to increase efficiency. Not all Adventurers serve the Crystals, though, and if you wanted to sneak into Maelnor¡­" "You''d have to travel through the pass," I look down the pass, then at the mountains rising up to either side. "Especially since they can''t pass through the mountains." "Exactly," Braden says, and I look at him. "Zack may have brought us out here specifically because of his sight." "You think a servant of the Shadow of Life might be coming here?" I ask. "It''s possible," he holds up his bow and draws, an arrow of green magic forming as he does. "Magic Arrow, Power Shot, Lightning Shot, Multishot." He releases the arrow, and ten more split off from it as lightning wraps around them. They fly swiftly, several of them arcing around, all ten striking into a Candy Bunny, its Health dropping decently. Braden uses the combination twice more, killing the beast, then he nods. "Want to kill together, or train separately?" He asks. "According to Zack''s records, the Level 1 ones have around 50 Endurance and 50 Willpower, and the Level 5 ones have about four times that." I look at the nearest Candy Bunny that''s not a corpse made of red candy.
Blue Candy Bunny Level 1
Health: 974 Mana: 182
"I can probably handle them," I say. "Zack has them recorded?" "Yeah," Braden shrugs. "And if you notice, there aren''t very many of the Level 5''s around. I think he came out into the pass last night." "Probably," I look around as I notice that. No one really trains out here, so there should be a lot more Level 4''s and Level 5''s than there are. "He''s probably been coming out here for a couple of weeks." Even while we were in Talorn. "Actually," Zack''s voice enters my head. "Gold''s been coming out here with a couple of Dark Knights. They were actually killing so many that none were really reaching Level 5, but I asked them to slow down on that for the last week so that some could build up for you guys." "Thanks," Braden and I look in Zack''s direction, and he dips his head to us before looking at Gold and Aurum, who are attacking a Green Candy Bunny. "I''d probably only need a buff to hurt the Level 4 and Level 5''s," I tell Braden. "Maybe just the Level 5''s." "Alright," he says. "Be careful, they have an attack where they shoot candy pieces at you pretty fast. Same with the Candy Slimes, though¡­ those might not be a good idea for you to fight. If you do fight them, though, use Flame Blade." "Got it," I draw my sword. "I''ll train separately for now, but might team up in a bit." "Okay," he nods. "Good luck." He takes off, and I turn my attention to the Blue Candy Bunny. Mystic Squire is a lower Level, so it will be easier to increase than General, and bringing it up to Tier 2 takes the same number of Levels as I need for the next bonus. However, General will give me a bigger bonus for one Level over the two. Ah, but the Leveling bonus for reaching Level 45 will make Mystic Knight more beneficial. So using Blade Skills is a must, then. Does Zack really believe we could Level up once or twice here, before dinner? Focusing myself, I inhale, then exhale. "Flame Blade," I say. It''s probably fire instead of wind because it''s candy rather than stone, I guess. But the Chocolate Slimes were air? I don''t know how this whole thing works, it''s confusing. I charge the Blue Candy Bunny, which looks at me, then opens its mouth, shooting out several pieces of candy pretty fast, losing 1 Mana with every piece it shoots. I do my best to dodge them as I move forward, but a couple of them hit my legs. It hurts, but I push through it, crossing the few yards to the creature. Swinging my sword, I make contact with it, the Blue Candy Bunny flying to the side from the force of my attack.
Target -109 Health!
Time to work hard and Level up some. Hopefully, Luca manages to gain a few Levels, too. For some strange reason, I also find myself hoping the four of us are able to handle the Candy Beast by ourselves. Chapter 0139 (Max) "Max!" Boss yells. "Come here!" Me charge over to Boss, nearly run into him by accident. "Hi, Boss!" Stop wagging, stupid tail! "Max," Boss''s voice be very, very serious. This must be serious. "No goofing off today, okay? You need to focus on actually acquiring Levels right now. Braden, Gavin, and Luca are going to need the additional help during the fight against the Candy Beast, so don''t goof around. Just fight the monsters, kill the stronger ones you can, and get stronger, okay?" "But me like having fun chasing monsters!" "I know," Boss tells me. "And you can do that later, after you four kill the Candy Beast, okay? But for now, focus on acquiring Levels rather than just having fun." "Okay," me feel me ears and tail dropping. That not be fun. "Me will do that, Boss." Me walk off, not very happy. Me understand Boss and why he be wanting me to do that, but still does not mean me have to be happy about it. Max need be stronger so that me can support me team much, much better. Boss be right that Candy Beast need us be higher Levels. Lots of higher Levels. Me guess that be why Boss took us out here, since Candy Slimes and Candy Bunnies be stronger than the money slimes. Not by much, just a little bit. Suppose me need remove tunic, so me pull it off and put it in me Inventory. Do the same with me boots, because they will get bloody, too, probably. Oh. Not me. My boots. My tunic. Okay. That be better, right? Suppose me need to remove my tunic, so pull it off and put it in my Inventory, then do the same with my boots. Yeah, that sounds lots better and closer to what Boss says. With those safely tucked away so they no get ruined from me ¨C my ¨C fighting, Max stretch. Hm. Boss said no goof around, but what if me still have fun, anyway? I know! Gold! Whoever be the one to kill the most Candy Bunnies and Candy Slimes starting now wins! Loser has to massage winner''s back! Gold not like idea of massaging my back. He says I need be get my tail under control so it not smack him. But his tail wags, too! But he be doggy beastborn, not wolfy beastborn, so he not really need stop tail from wagging. Doggy beastborn''s tails don''t stop wagging in excitement when they no longer kids. Hrm. Yeah, me guess can see why he not want to do a massage. Me not want to massage him, if his tail just gonna smack me because it be take him awhile to calm down at excitement of massage. Me no blame him for that, they help relieve tension and relax muscles. Hrm. Me look at Boss. He be tense all the time, yet he never have a massage. His muscles must be knotted up like crazy. Boss needs a massage to loosen up. Max bets Boss would be way more dangerous if he got one! Stop. Suggest Boss get relaxing massage to loosen muscles later! You need think up a punishment for loser to do! No, Gold, me not going to agree to that. Because me no like that! How about loser be winner''s servant for a day? Right, he be has a job and bunches of others to watch. How about¡­ well, that''s stupid. It is! Me think we both be coming up with stupid ideas. How about loser has to give Boss a massage so that he''s not so tense? Oh, yeah, then winner gets nothing. You be right, Gold. Ooh! Loser has to bake winner a pie! Winner picks flavor. Must be good pie, not sabotaged! Yeah! Deal! Ready! Set! Kill! Me drop to hands and knees and run towards nearest bunny, drawing knife and cutting through it. Woo! Me gonna make Gold bake me a blueberry-peach pie! No, you be baking me one! Hah! Me twist and send three Electric Spikes at the Red Candy Slime Gold be about to attack, killing it before he can! Then me turn back and go to kill a Green Candy Slime, not moving fast enough to kill it before the Fireballs Gold sent do. Oh! Me could''ve used magic, huh? That be a little faster, too. Sometimes. Darn it!
(Zack) Well, that wasn''t what I had in mind, but at least it''s working. Poor Aurum, though, he just looks confused and lost by their sudden competition. I suppose he was too focused on killing that Pink Candy Slime to have actually noticed what was going on between the other two beastborn until they started attacking each other''s targets. That conversation was amusing, especially with all the images they were sending at each other. Apparently, they have tried giving each other massages before, to help them relax and loosen their muscles after all of their training. That''s no doubt how they learned that their tails will smack the masseuse.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. And both started thinking about how tense and knotted my muscles must be. They''re right in that I''m tense all the time, but I have good reason to be. My team is constantly in danger. One wrong move by me, and Alexander will kill them. At least I can relax a little bit, now that I know that he has turned the brother who will realize against him. But who is it? Big S said it''s nothing to worry about, which was part of why he felt guilty over preventing me from knowing, but I''m still curious. There has to be more to the vision than Big S wants me to know. I can''t really find that out until things come to pass. I''ll eventually learn who the brothers are, and since the one whose realization ends the war is Alexander''s enemy, the war will end in our favor. At least, so long as the realizer doesn''t somehow change sides. But Big S made it clear that won''t happen, so I doubt it. Turning my gaze back to Braden and Gavin, I find them hunting near each other, but not close enough to actually interfere with the other''s fighting. Braden is keeping an eye on Gavin, supporting the warrior when needed. Then there''s Luca, who''s moving about, buffing and healing as needed as he really tries to go for that Experience. He used the token immediately, and I''m curious how he knew how to, since I never told him. Speaking of stuff that works that way, I still have to give my team presents, like I did with Gold and Bryce. Thinking of my brother depresses me again. I want to put him to rest, but Big Flame''s told me to wait on trying to get into Kaelmar again. He says I can probably fight against the avatar equally or on superior terms, but that I should still grow even more powerful first, to ensure my victory. He also says I should wait until after the battle for the valley, but I''m not sure why. Apparently, he isn''t, either. Big S told him to keep me from putting Bryce to rest until then. Not from fighting the avatar, from putting my brother to rest, which¡­ honestly annoys me. I guess it''s to prevent Alexander from doing something else? I''m not sure. Big Flame did mention that Alexander is pretty pissed about me killing his second teammate. The third one''s dying soon, too, and Alexander''s moving his forces while gathering as many more as he can in order to take us out. We have no more than two months before the battle comes, but it could be as soon as a month. I want to put Bryce to rest now, though. But I know it''ll probably cause problems if I do, and that Big Flame will pull me into his temple to move me elsewhere, so I can''t. Argh! All of the nearby monsters freeze up at my mental shout, and I sigh. This is why I moved a fair distance away from my team, drawing near only to talk with them, like with Max a minute ago. Me doing that would leech some of their Experience if they killed one affected soon after. And this isn''t the first time I''ve done that, either. Not that my team would notice, though, because of where I am when I''m not interacting with them. Something catches my attention, and I look further down the valley. "They''re here," I project to the Adventurers in the neutral zone. My team isn''t aware that others are here because of the ''neutral zone''. A Rank 5 Skill which Scholars can utilize is the Illusion Wall, which creates, well, an illusionary wall. They''re one-sided ¨C we can see through it just fine, but those on the other side? They see no Adventurers, and any fighting that happens is changed through the wall''s appearance. They also can''t hear through it, which means we can converse normally. But with two dozen Dark Knights, a dozen Paladins, a dozen Priests, nine Scholars, twenty mages of five other types, and four rogues here, it''s easier to just talk telepathically. There are two Illusion Walls up, both created by Level 150+ Scholars, spanning the entire width of the pass. One of them is aimed at Maelnor, so that my team won''t see or notice us, while the other is aimed down the pass, so that those coming won''t see or notice us. The walls are being sustained by four Scholars each, who are drinking strong Mana Potions as needed. "It looks like both expected parties are coming," I project. "Handle anything that gets past me, and make sure the guests are treated. They are no doubt exhausted after their fighting and journey." They Adventurers nod, and I switch into Eidolon form. Demon Form is known, after all, so this is better. Even if they know there''s a powerful kid around like me, the different form will temporarily throw them off. In fact, it''s caused some slight confusion with the Adventurers here, as most of them weren''t aware I had another form. I stretch out my wings, the flap them, soaring high up into the air. Before I pass through the Illusion Wall, I project my mind to the falcon soaring ahead. It''s a familiar, and will report back if it passes through the wall or sees me. So I converse with it, convincing it I''m an ally and that it shouldn''t mention me to its masters, before telling it to just soar in circles while avoiding going too far. I''m convincing enough that it won''t tell its master there''s anything suspicious. That completed, I soar up even more, then fly forward, moving as fast as I can towards the travelers, which are still a few miles away. There is a small party in the front, with an older man dressed in a cloak, but armor and a sword visible underneath as he runs. He''s covered in injuries, his cloak tattered and ruined from the fighting. A pair of Dark Knights are running alongside him, with a mage casting Barriers to stop attacks. The Priest is out of Mana, but he''ll no doubt use Heal again as soon as he''s able. Those five are putting as much power into their run as possible, though they''ll be fine. The second team consists of more than fifty mages. We were hoping the two teams wouldn''t show up at the same time, because the mages serve the Shadow of Life. Max unintentionally warned us about them, and isn''t even aware of it. His former master was a member of theirs, and Max recently mentioned ''Kitty'', a cat beastborn. He''s probably one of the ones tied into the back of a wagon, which is being pulled by one of the mages. When ''Kitty'' was mentioned, I had Nik look into it, and we discovered their plans on sneaking through the pass and establishing a hidden base in the uninhabited portion of Maelnor. The only reason they didn''t was because a beastborn missed his ''friend''. Honestly, I think Max and Kitty were more like friendly enemies, the way Max''s memories of their encounters are. But that sort of thing isn''t in Max''s mentality, so he just thinks they''re friends. Taking a deep breath, I ready myself. All of those in the second group have been found guilty of treason against the Crystals, espionage in the war, heretical actions, murder of the servants of the Crystal, and more. This is not a fight. This is not a battle. This is not a rescue mission. We may have been here to ensure the first team arrived in secrecy, but we are also here for the second team. To stop them from reaching Maelnor and doing what they can to sabotage us from the shadows. No. This is an execution, and I am the executioner, the angel of death. I am death incarnate. Chapter 0140 (Zack) I allow myself to drop, falling rapidly into the path of the party. At the last moment, I stretch out my wings and glide, landing in a light run while coming to a stop. The guests prepare to attack me, the pair of Dark Knights holding out their swords as the Paladin manifests a barrier in front of the main warrior, the old man they''re protecting during the journey. Tucking my wings against my sides, I hold out a hand. "Fireball," I say, and a dozen Fireballs form around me, then soar around the small party, slamming into hastily-erected Barriers, breaking all of them before striking their targets. The damage was diminished to negligible, but that doesn''t matter. So long as they know I''m not their enemy and the others know I''m not their ally, I''m good with that. Drawing my sword, I lunge forward, flapping my wings once for a boost of speed as my feet leave the ground once more. Quicker than the guests can track, I''m past them, Zack''s Blood drawn and cutting through a barrier, then into the stomach of the closest mage. Just as quickly, I withdraw my sword and spin cutting off his head as my tail stabs into another mage''s neck. Someone attacks my wings, and I snarl, twisting in the air as my feet touch the ground, then I lunge forward, my sword cutting through several erected Barriers. As if something so pathetic could actually stop a sword as powerful as Zack''s Blood, especially when swung with as much Strength as I have. I reach the mage who had shot the Fireball at my wings, and my free hand punches through his chest, grabbing his heart on its way. I release his heart before withdrawing my hand, then I behead him for good measure. A series of spells strike me from the side. Fire, water, ice, lightning, air, magma, and magical missiles. Zack''s Blood absorbs most of that, and the rest simply splash across me. Not many Adventurers in the Boundary have over a thousand Willpower, and mine''s a quarter that higher with my current form. It will take them using stronger spells to actually bring me harm. Turning my head in the direction of the attacks, I send a chilling glare to them, one filled with all the power of my Intimidation. It freezes the ten mages in their tracks, giving me enough time to take off again, soaring over the ground. I behead one with my sword, then another with my foot. I wrap my wings around myself to block a Fireball. Jeez. Be creative, you fuckwads. Spreading out my wings once more, I soar up into the sky and check the location of my guests, who are still charging towards Maelnor, this time with only four mages chasing them as the others focus on me. That''s good, even if other mages are going to chase as well as we battle. Partly to save their own hides, partly to kill those who know they''re coming. I drop towards the front of the group of mages, crashing through the Barrier that was manifested in an attempt to stop my drop. I land on one of the mages, my boots crushing his head into the ground. A flick of my wrist sends my Zack''s Blood knife into another mage''s chest, and a bit of telekinesis pulls it back to me. Taking a moment away from the fight due to an idea that formed, I hold out a hand and pull on the mages chasing the guests. More specifically, their feet, causing them to fall on their faces. Then I yank, causing them to fly towards us a bit. That''s all I can focus on for now, but it should help the guests a bit better. Twisting around, I smack the Lightning Bolt to the side, taking a small bit of damage from that spell. It''s a stronger one with a few Levels put into it, causing it to have some effect. Not enough to paralyze me, though. With a flap of my wings, I''m soaring forward once more, slicing into the mages with my sword. By now, they''ve realized they need to use their stronger spells if they want to hurt me. Spells with higher Levels and training, and with higher Ranks if possible. No matter. All that does is make me even stronger due to Blood Frenzy, but I really don''t need that. These aren''t monsters, they''re Adventurers, and they die quite easily.I sense a few meteorites ¨C much smaller versions of the Meteor Skill ¨C coming at me, and twist, cutting through them with my sword and flicking the halves towards the mages. A step, a flap of the wings, and I''m in front of the one who used that spell, my palm striking his face with enough force to smash it into a mess of blood, bone, brains, and whatever else is there. A quick glance, and I see that the mages are spreading out. No matter. I can round them up easily, but even if I couldn''t, they''d still be easy targets for me. The rest of the battle goes much the same as before. They can barely hurt me without using powerful Skills that drain a bit of their Mana, and the spells that do hurt aren''t a bother to me by much, even as my Health starts to near half. Meanwhile, any I draw close to dies, and while some of them are fast, having likely taken on rogue Classes at some point, none are fast enough to escape a Level 501 Eidolon. It only takes me a full two minutes to kill all fifty-two that didn''t get too far from the field. Only four others actually managed to continue after our guests, but I''m pretty sure the Adventurers in the neutral zone were successful in taking care of them. Looking around at the bodies, I smile.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Loot time! I feel my tail flicking around in my excitement as I loot the dead. Not everyone can store money in their Inventory, since its size is determined by their Level. In addition to that, they have goods on them! Potions to drink quickly without needing that second-delay for the Inventory, talismans, and more! Nik will probably make me give at least some of this stuff up, but I''m definitely keeping the money. After I finish looting things, I look at the wagon, where the beastborn slaves are looking at me in fright. A quick check shows that like most beastborn, none of them are allowed to wear anything, since they aren''t ''people''. Wait, one has a loincloth. Well! They''re going to get some clothes once the Dark Order gets them. "Hi!" I say, and the beastborn all flinch. "I''m Zack! I''m not an enemy, and¡­ yes, I am that Zack. Hi! Oh, that''s because I''m using a Skill to change my form. Watch!" They''re a bit confused because I don''t look like ''Hero Zack'', so I disable Eidolon form. That doesn''t make me any less bloody, but it does make me look like me again. "See?" I say. "It''s a new Skill of mine, and it''s pretty fun. Anyway, if you guys want, you can serve the Dark Order now. Perks include the ability to take regular baths, eat three meals a day with some snacks between, clean clothes to wear, a warm bed to sleep on, and even some spending money. Cons include having to listen to Gold, since he''s sort of in charge of the servants of the Dark Order in Maelnor. He''s a dog beastborn. "By the way," I look at a cat beastborn who looks around my age, his hair a dark grey. "Are you familiar with a hyperactive wolf beastborn who calls you ''Kitty''? Just seeing if you''re the one he''s mentioned or not." His mind immediately conjures up an image of slave-Max. "Yep, that''s him," I say, and everyone''s eyes widen. "Wait, did you guys only just realize I could understand you? I even responded to your thoughts when I first started talking. Anyway, I''m now naming you ''Kit'', because that sounds cool. I''ll make sure Gold knows it. So that beastborn is free now, and his name is Max. He''s also on my team, and he misses you. I''ll let him know you''re here once you''re settled in." Kit immediately freaks out, and I can tell he''s afraid. Yeah, that''s probably because Max and him did have a sort of antagonistic relationship, but I''m sure Gold will keep a lid on things. Plus, I don''t blame Max for wanting to stay dry and pushing Kit into the rain so that he could hide under the bench. They can''t get settled into the order if we''re just hanging out here, though, so I use my power of sight to check the neutral zone. All is well. "Alright!" I pull on the wagon with my telekinesis. "Let''s get you guys to the others." I summon my Eidolon Wings and start flying, making sure to not go too fast, for the comfort of the beastborn, but fast enough that it doesn''t take a few hours to return. It only takes me about twenty minutes, and in that time, the beastborn wonder among themselves if I''m really Hero Zack and if Gold really will be in charge of them. We reach the neutral zone, where the four mages who had chased are guests are dead, our guests waiting for us here, having already been healed up by the waiting Adventurers. One of the Dark Knights has his helm off, and he gives me a disapproving stare. "Did you really loot the corpses?" He asks. "Theodore!" I exclaim. "Your armor''s different!" "I had new armor made," he tells me. "Seriously, Zack?" "What?" I ask. "It''s not like they were going to be using that stuff anymore." He sighs. "Nik said you''d probably do that," he tells me, and I shrug. "These were their slaves?" "Yeah," I answer. "Oh, right, I didn''t remove their collars yet." I do that real quick, startling the beastborn who can''t even keep up with my movements, then drop all the collars at Theodore''s feet. "There you go!" "You have way too much energy," he says. "That was, like, a warmup to me," I grin at him. "The monsters in the Experience farms put up more of a fight." I walk over to the old man and look him up and down. His elemental merges are pretty strong. Around as strong as those on Nik''s team, which means those five are going to look damn good when they''re this guy''s age. He looks like he''s seventy or so, even if a somewhat-fit seventy. "I thought Adrian was the oldest person in the Boundary," I say. "But then I find out from Nik that there''s one who''s even older?" "Yes," he smiles. "My continued life isn''t known to many. Nik hand-picked the people for this job, choosing only those who knew I was still alive for it." "What''s it like, being nearly a thousand years old?" I ask. "I''m only seven hundred and fourteen," he says. "Close enough," I shrug. "You''re old enough to have seen more than a hundred Cities fall. I heard you''ve even fought in a few of those battles, before you retired." "That is true," he tells me. "This body might be a warrior''s, but it is still aged and suffering from problems that come with that. This is the turning point in the war, however. If we win this battle, it will be our first success in thousands of years in the war. The first time a City has been successfully defended. I am not going to let that happen without my own contribution. Every additional fighter will increase our chances of success." "Yeah," I smile. "You''re not going to be fighting with your sword though, are you?" "No," he gives me a sad smile. "I have learned the hard way this body does not like to fight that way anymore. Time is not kind to such techniques. I am not without spell and support Skills, though, and will provide support that way." "Where will you be staying?" I ask. "While you''re here?" "In the Dark Temple," he answers. "I was a Blood Priest at one point, which is why I never became a Paladin or Priest, so I''m able to enter it. It will give me the lowest chance of being discovered until we want it known that I am alive and here." "Alright," I stretch. "I suppose I''ll travel back with you and the beastborn, so that I can get cleaned up. Don''t want my team seeing me covered in blood. They might have figured out the reason we''re here, but¡­ best not to remind them that I''m the incarnation of hell itself." He laughs as the Scholar not supporting the two Illusion Walls approaches us, one of the Dark Knights pulling the wagon. The Scholar creates an Illusion Wall wrapped around us, then we travel back to Maelnor at a quick pace. I want to hurry over, but I''d rather not use Conceal just to do that. I want to see the beastborns'' reaction when they meet Gold, the First System Beastborn, as they''re apparently calling him. Among other things. Plus, they all seem to be in awe of me, now that they''ve realized I really am Hero Zack, and their awed expressions are fun. So is Kit''s expression when he sees Max fighting. Oh, right. Gold''s here¡­ Well, their reactions at seeing him are amusing! Chapter 0141 (Braden) I am officially jealous of Max. Once he got serious with training, his Levels started going up much faster than ours have. I mean, he''s not completely serious, as he''s now just competing against Gold, but the two of them are killing a crapton of monsters. Their Levels are jumping pretty decently, too. That''s not really fair, but I suppose that after what we were told, I''m not all that fair, either. I''m Leveling faster than normal. Max is just faster. But then, Zack is probably the most unfair of us all. So far, Max and Gold have been taking care of most of the Level 4''s and Level 5''s in this area in their competition. I''m tackling a lot of Level 2''s and Level 3''s, while Gavin is mostly going after Level 1''s and Level 2''s. But I''ll probably be able to start handling Level 4''s once I gain just one more Level, which means I should move off somewhere else. Doing that, however, would require leaving Luca''s range, and Zack went into some weird zone earlier and hasn''t returned yet. I did figure out where the border to that was, but I''m sure the illusion exists for a reason. Probably for whatever it is Zack is out here for. I haven''t actually been taking damage for the most part, though. I would try and learn Heal so that I could heal myself, but I have a limited amount of Mana to spend and a limited regeneration for it. Using Heal would only decrease how much Experience I can get, since my attacks use Mana, too. Looking around, I try to figure out what I can do to boost my own Leveling. Zack''s dropped so many hints about stuff, but I haven''t figured them out. Even while we were training in Talorn, he''d make comments¡­ About how people who learn easier tend to Level faster. It isn''t just about killing and using Skills, it''s about learning how to use them as well. I''ve adjusted and adapted, but I''ve always used the same techniques before. Either I aim for an eye or core shot if that''s in range, or I hit them with as many attacks as I can before they react. Looking at the Candy Bunnies, though, there''s another obvious point on them. One which I can hit while they''re facing away from me. If that works, though, it gives me another option for killing these things. And most definitely counts as actually implementing and learning stuff regarding this Class of Warden. Hopefully, the Candy Bunnies are actually susceptible to this form of attack. Drawing my string, I search for a Candy Bunny of appropriate Level and position for me to strike from, an arrow of green magic forming in the bow. Once I find one turned away from me, I aim, then release the string, drawing it again as soon as the arrow is released, a second arrow forming as I pull. The first arrow strikes true, piercing into the back of its neck and killing the creature with a critical kill. One of the fundamental basics of rogue Classes is that we strike the critical spots, the ones that will deliver more damage or even outright kill. I''ve been so focused on the eyes that I forgot to work at others. The back of the neck is a vital spot. Sever the spinal cord, and it dies. I look around the fields, then drop down and aim at a Level 3 Candy Bunny that''s sideways of me, releasing the arrow and drawing a second. The arrow passes behind the bunny, slicing through its spinal cord. The arrow continues traveling, having not met its time limit yet, and continues on into the back of the neck of another rabbit. Score! Two kills with one arrow! Wait. I''ve never done that before! I sigh as I realize how stupid I have been with some things. I''ve been training for a few hours and have had quite a few opportunities to do multikills, and just a regular Magic Arrow and Power Shot net me as much Experience from each of those two kills as when I use those, Multishot, and Lightning Shot just a few minutes ago. Stupid Braden! Okay. I''m calm. Here we go. Wait, I should probably switch back to training Adept Elementalist. That one will take less to Level than Warden will, since it''s a lower Tier. But I only have the two Elementalist Skills. Should I branch out into other elements? Or learn a Tier 3 one right now? "Skills a higher Tier than your Class will earn it more Experience," Zack''s voice enters my head. Oh, okay. Zack, what you are doing? "Talking with Theodore." Who''s that? "A Dark Knight," he answers. "Very high-ranked." Is it about whatever you''re hiding behind an Illusion Wall for? "No, that''s already come to pass." But it''s still up? "You guessed why we were here," he tells me. "Guess why it''s still up."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Oh. There are bodies on the other side of it, and they don''t want us seeing those. Especially Luca. "Yeah," Zack responds. "The Scholars sustaining it will end it once you guys head back. Anyway, learning Lightning Bolt or Lightning Strike and using that will earn you more Experience than just learning more elements, especially since you''re already on the streak. Hold on." I can still feel him in my mind, which means he still has his telepathic link open. I kill a few more Candy Bunnies while waiting for him to talk again. "Sorry about that," Zack says. "I was asking an Elementalist who was here for the issue. So I was only partly-right. He says being a multi-element Elementalist ¨C like Max ¨C works well if your Skills of the same Tier are around the same Level. Since your Electric Spike is Level 6, you''d gain less experience using a Fireball to kill the Candy Bunny than an Electric Spike." But wouldn''t the Fireball net me more, since it''d take more? "Something like that," Zack responds. "However, it also means using more Mana, don''t forget. If it takes 10 Fireballs to kill something but only 1 Electric Spike, are you going to spend 200 Mana or 20 Mana?" I''d spend 20 Mana. "Exactly," Zack says. "And with your Stats, it wouldn''t be that much of a difference in kill struggle between a Fireball or Wind Spike or whatever than it would with an Electric Spike, even if you''d be using a weaker attack." Pretty sure there''s a big difference between taking out 50 Health and not being able to do any damage at all. Oh. "Yeah," Zack responds. "You''d have to drop back down to the normal Slimes for a bit until it got another Level or two in it, then handle the Level 1''s. And at that point-" I might as well just use Electric Spike on the stronger monsters. "Exactly," he says. "That, or a higher-Tier Skill like Lightning Bolt and Lightning Shot, since it''s a higher Tier than your Class is. They''re a little weaker than your Electric Spike, since that''s Level 6, so it does 120% of your Intellect as damage, and they do 100% per Level, so they''ll only do the full value of your Intellect as damage." But I''ll net more Experience if it takes me more to kill, right? "Yup," he responds. "Also, with the Experience thing for Elementalists, the one which you have the most Skills and highest-Level of Skills in is the element which counts as your ''primary'', and is what determines how much Experience you net from other elements." And because of that, if I have an even spread of the elemental Skills and their Levels are even per Tier, then there''s no real ''primary'', which is why the Experience gains are around even regardless. Okay, that makes sense. So I''m a lightning Elementalist, then. I know what Lightning Strike is, but what''s Lightning Bolt? "Lightning Strike," he explains. "Is where you summon lightning to strike your target. It comes from above and strikes down. Lightning Bolt is a bolt of lightning you shoot at them from yourself. Your hands, basically." That sounds cool. I''m getting that first. Definitely. "Oh, and don''t forget that the Skills cost more the higher their Tier is," he adds. Yeah, I know. It''s not always an even thing, and some Skills can cost more than a higher-Tier Skill, but that''s okay. And the Tier 5 Skill you''ll probably want is, uh, beyond your range. So unless we can find another Tier 5 lightning spell Skill for you to learn, you''ll be stuck at Level 10 of Tier 4 Elementalist once you hit that whenever you do. It costs 5,000 Mana." Alright. "Theodore says ''hi'' and that I should stop having multiple conversations running at once. By the way, Max says ''hi'' and wants to know if you want to join the competition between him and Gold." No, thanks. "I''ll let him know!" Zack tells me, then his telepathic link disappears from my mind. How in the Boundary does he manage to sustain multiple conversations at once like that? I guess that''s just one of the mysteries of my team''s leader. But that''s to solve another time. Lightning Strike takes 250 Mana from what I know, so I want to make sure I have at least 250 Mana before I try learning Lightning Bolt. Before that, however, I want to clear out the monsters around me, so I use up enough Mana to do that, then focus, holding out my right hand, lowering my bow to my side. The process for learning spells is pretty easy, since it''s mostly visualization and feeling for the power within myself. It does still take me a few minutes before results occur. A small bolt of lightning flashes out of my hand, leaping towards a Level 3 Candy Slime in that direction. I wasn''t quite aiming, and I think the attack just moved to the first target in its range. Not by some specification of the spell, but just because lightning generally hits a nearby target, from my understanding. I might be wrong, but I think that''s how it works. I read the notice as I rub my right ear with my hand. It hurts a bit from the crack of the lightning. My vision is spotty, too, because of the brightness of the lightning.
New Skill!
Lightning Bolt Active
Throw a bolt of lightning at your target.
Damage: 100% of your Intellect per Level of this Skill
Cost: 100 Mana
Yeah, that was definitely cheaper than Lightning Strike is, and the Skill notice confirms that. Oh, neat! I just realized, but as soon as it hits Level 2, I can take on the Level 5 Candy Bunnies and Candy Slimes! As I return to fighting, I use Electric Spike and Shock Balls rather than Lightning Bolt. I just realized, but the Experience gain wasn''t that much better for two or five times the cost in Mana. That said, it was better, even if by just a little bit. I''m just killing less with it. But maybe that''s alright? It''s not all about killing as many as possible, anyway, but going beyond. So maybe I should switch back to Lightning Bolt? But it takes so much Mana to use. This is so annoying. What do I do? With archery, it''s simple. What do I need to do in order to kill them? With this, it''s figuring out if I should spend more Mana for a slightly-better Experience gain. I suppose every little bit counts, though. "Lightning Bolt," I mutter, holding up one hand and blasting a Level 4 Pink Candy Bunny to pieces. I sling my bow across my back. Yeah, I need to be done with that for now and switch fully into Elementalist. It''ll feel like I''m Leveling slower because of killing fewer and needing to wait longer between casts once I''m out of Mana, but I''ll still gain more Experience overall. So now the real question is¡­ how do I adapt with my three spells for optimal gains? Chapter 0142 (Gavin) "Where," I gasp as I collapse on the rock beside Luca. "Have you been?" "Observing," Zack answers as he fusses with Luca''s hair. "Luca, how did your hair get messed up like that? Is this slime goo in your hair?" I look at our little healer and find that he does, indeed, have slime good in his hair. A pinkish goo, too. How did that happen? Luca just giggles at Zack as I read his Level. He''s Level 24 now, just by lunchtime. Has he really done enough in just six and a half hours to have gained¡­ six Levels? Or however many it was he needed? If so, that is impressive and I am jealous. "Wait!" Zack exclaims, staring at the goo. "Luca! I''ve been keeping an eye on you! When did you get this goo in your hair?" Luca giggles again. Yeah, getting goo in his hair with Zack watching him constantly yet not catching it is definitely a feat. Though it does make me wonder how he did that. "Alright!" Zack claps his hands, deciding to stop fussing over Luca for now. "Let''s eat lunch, then you six are back to training!" Zack lays out a blanket on the ground, then sits on it and begins removing food from his Inventory, a meal of sandwiches, fruit, cheese, crackers, and sausages. We eat as I think over what I''m going to learn next. I need to learn a Tier 2 sword Skill for advancing Mystic Knight to Tier 2, once I hit Level 10 of Mystic Squire. I''m close to that, and as long as I work hard, I''ll manage it in maybe an hour. I''m jealous of the rest of my team. Luca''s been working hard to heal and buff five people, burning through the Mana Potions Zack gave him. Max, once he got serious in the way he does, shot up in Levels, and Gold has, too. Braden''s managed to gain a fair few Levels as well, and even Aurum''s gone up a bit. And then there''s me. I''m the only one of us yet to hit an every-five during today''s training session. I mean, I know I''m still Leveling faster than the norm, but still. It''s disheartening to end up behind the rest of my team. Yeah, Luca might be a lower Level, but he still acquired them faster than me. I suppose I''m sulking a bit, so I start praying to the Crystals for guidance. After we finish lunch, Zack packs the empty dishes and the blanket into his Inventory, then restocks Luca''s supply of Mana and Health potions. Most of that healing has been on me, because I''ve been taking a lot of damage, but I know he''s also been doing a lot of healing for the three beastborn. It seems they''ve taken to rounding up groups of monsters and attacking them that way for Experience. As if I''d ever succeed in that. For now, all I can do is focus on one at a time and work my way up slowly. "Gavin," Zack says as the others split off to return to their training, and I wait for him to finish approaching me. "You seem rather down due to your Experience gains." "I''m not," I lie. "You do remember I can read minds, right?" Zack asks. "And the Crystals were, ah, talking to me about your prayers." I feel my face heat up. I forgot that he could do that, and that the Crystals talk to him. "Part of the reason you are Leveling slower than the others, despite being just as serious," he tells me. "Is because you aren''t fighting more than one monster at a time if you can help it. The more foes you''re facing, the bigger the ''struggle'' it is, in theory. That bolsters Experience gains. That''s why I can gain a ton of Experience just from hitting an Experience farm ¨C because there''s a fuckton of monsters in them. This is even more true when I actually have to fight against them, when it''s not just a one-sided slaughter." "But I struggle against more than one at a time." "That''s why you have to use your head," he taps his head. "And go after ones that are Level 1, try to gather them together. Try with pairs at first. Adapt. Adjust. That''s another issue you face: you''re too rigid in how you fight. You get into the same mindset, and you don''t leave it." "There isn''t much room for adapting," I point out. "I''m either blocking or evading a hit, or delivering it. There isn''t much room for adjusting with my Skills, either." "There is plenty which can be done," Zack thinks for a few moments. "However¡­ it really isnt'' good for a warrior to face something like these. It''s either easy or impossible. They have an extremely limited attack set, after all. All you end up doing is either fleeing or just striking them over and over until they die while avoiding delicious shots. Stay here." Zack walks off, and I watch as he suddenly disappears a few hundred yards away. That¡­ what just happened? "There''s an Illusion wall there," a quite voice says beside me, and I jump, startled by Braden''s sudden appearance beside me. "It''s a spell which prevents anything abnormal from being seen. Like people. It''s how they hid them doing their thing they were out here for." "Them?" I ask.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Zack didn''t come to deal with the situation alone," Braden says. "He was just here as the primary distraction. He said they already finished." They must have had a telepathic conversation about it. "I''m going back to training," Braden tells me, then hurries off. Okay. Now I''m alone. And still alone. As I look around, I notice that all of the others training here are over a hundred yards away, other than Luca, who is sitting on some tall rocks nearby, his legs dangling over the edge, his staff resting on his lap as he kicks his legs forward, watching me. Why would the others have gone so far away from Luca? Unless they''re planning on being extra careful- Oh, no. I sweep my gaze over the fields, and realize that a lot of Level 1 and Level 2 Candy Bunnies and Candy Slimes are within a hundred yards of me, and I do mean a lot of them. More than a hundred. And they are all looking at me. It feels as if some great force is keeping them from attacking, too. No! Zack! This is not a good training method! As I draw my sword, I hear Luca giggling from atop the rocks.
Luca Normar has granted you the Blessing of Strength!
Strength: +30%
Duration: 30 seconds
The first wave of monsters attack. I side-step several shots of candy pieces, only to be struck in the back. Not cool, Zack! Back attacks? Seriously? I struggle to defend against all of the attacks, to evade all of the attacks, and to still hit the monsters. As I struggle, I try to learn Stun Blade, as that should help me a little against this, and will also allow me to reach Tier 2 as soon as I reach Level 10 of Tier 1. Through all of this, Luca continues to heal me, refreshing his buff on me whenever it runs out, though he sometimes gives me a Blessing of Endurance, since the candy attacks are counted as physical rather than magical. Finally, a notice appears in my vision as a faint yellow light glows along the edges of my blade.
New Skill!
Stun Blade Active
Enchant your sword with the power to stun your foes, so long as their Willpower is lower than your Intellect.
Stun Duration: 30 seconds per Level of this Skill
Duration: 20 seconds per Level of this Skill
Cost: 100 Mana
I continue my fight, only to realize that most of my opponents have more Willpower than I do Intellect. Some are affected by it, though. Curse only having 49 Willpower. I suppose that means I only learned it so I can advance when I''m there. Well, regardless of that, I still need to fight, so I continue the battle, taking hit after hit and delivering hit after hit. Being healed, buffed, healed, and healed some more is the only way I''m even surviving this. Just when I''ve killed one monster, another joins the fight. My body is getting exhausted and sore, and I swear that Zack is doing this just to amuse himself. The notifications are getting in my way of seeing, so I mute them for now. A piece of candy hits my head, making my vision swim, and the next thing I know, I''m waking up on the rocks. "That was fun!" Zack grins at me as I glare at him. "What if I''d died?" I ask. "That was dangerous!" "Not really," he says. "And even if you''d died, I''d just bring you back." I stare at him. "What?" I ask. "I have the Resurrection Skill," he says. "I can bring the dead back to life, as long as they''d died in the last seventy-two hours and their body isn''t too badly destroyed. But even ignoring that, Nathan''s out here. He can heal someone just as they''re about to die, preventing them from actually dying. You were fine the entire time. That was needed to push you hard enough for the System to acknowledge the struggle in the fight. I take it you muted your notifs?" "How did you know?" I ask. "Because you''re mad despite having gained 5 Levels in an hour." "¡­I did what?" I ask. I reactivate my notifications and let the System tally up the Levels into a single notification as I check my Level. I''m Level 49 now, which means I really did gain 5 Levels during that. 1 General Level and 4 Mystic Knight Levels. There was the one to reach Level 10 of Mystic Squire, then the automatic one from reaching Mystic Warrior, then an additional two after that. I was close to reaching Mystic Warrior, though, so I suppose I should only count it as about two and a half Levels from that, then. But still, that is¡­ impressive. "Sorry," I apologize to Zack. "I shouldn''t have snapped at you. I forgot that you won''t ever do something that actually puts us in danger, and you were just trying to help me gain more Levels. I just wish it wasn''t as¡­ frustrating." Then I catch Luca''s Level. "Did he gain three Levels just from healing and buffing me during that?" I ask. "No," Zack answers. "He gained about one and two-thirds. The other Level came from him reaching Level 25 and taking on a new Class." "He qualifies for that?" I look at Luca. "What did you qualify for? I guess the martial arts one?" "That''s not what he took on," Zack says. "Are you going to share with them, Luca? Or train it up in secret?" Luca shakes his head. "Looks like he wants to keep it secret a little longer," Zack ruffles Luca''s hair. "I''ll take you out for some secret training in it, okay?" Luca nods. "Braden and Max want to train a bit more," Zack informs me. "You can rest up for a bit before going back to training. Or not. Max wants me to do to him what I did to you." Zack sighs, and I realize he''s talking with Max right now, even though they''re more than two hundred yards away. I look at our mage, who suddenly starts doing a little dance, which much mean Zack gave in and is going to do whatever he did to send so many monsters at me. "I''m not the only one who can do that," Zack gives me an amused look. "I can just do it with more monsters than other Dark Knights and Blood Priests can, since I can communicate with any, not just the ones who have some semblance of a spoken language like ours. Anyway, Luca has some water for you to rehydrate with. I''m going back to what I was doing." Zack disappears, and I frown for a moment before realizing he must have run off. I look at Max once more, and find him attacking the wave of monsters that started rushing towards him. We''re really cleaning out this area today with our training, aren''t we? Chapter 0143 (Zack) "Lord Zack!" Luca exclaims. "I can''t fit anymore!" "You can''t?" I ask. "No!" He squeals. "Stop!" "Okay," I put the potion back into my Inventory. "You''re all stocked-up, now?" "Yeah," he nods. "You really got a ton of potions." "Because I knew today would be a Mana-intense day for you," I tell him. "I''m expecting your Mana will shoot up once you really rest, with how much you''ve been doing." Only a few minutes after Gavin began his rest did the rest of the team decide they were going to rest, too, so that they could prepare for the fight against the Candy Beast. They seem to think I''m watching Kylie''s run with Gold against the one they''re fighting. Yeah, right. It''s bad enough for me to watch my team fight something so much stronger than them. Why the heck would I go and watch Kylie do it after this when I care for her just as much as I care for my team? Well, maybe not that much, but I do still like her. And Gold. I''d stress myself out to the point that I''d end up stepping in and helping them, and with my current power, I could probably quickly kill it pretty easily. Yeah, only watching one group with people I care about fighting something this strong at their current abilities is enough for me for one day. "You guys ready?" I ask, and they all confirm it vocally or with nods, with Max doing both. "Alright. I''ll be watching from above." I activate Eidolon Form, then fly straight up and over towards where they''ll be fighting, moving around until I find myself with what I feel is the best spot to watch, for now. As my team starts to move towards the area I marked out with the pink ring, I catch Nathan''s expressions. "Stop making those faces!" He jumps at my telepathic message, his face flushing as he wonders if he accidentally forgot to use Conceal or if I noticed because of my powers. "I''ll leave that for you to wonder," I tell him. My team reaches the ring, and they huddle together for a moment to discuss their game plan again. Luca will buff Max and Braden with Blessing of Intellect as they use their spells and Gavin with Blessing of Strength as his attacks strike. Braden will be using Power Shot as well, for further attack increases. This is their best bet for doing damage to it, and even with that, the team will be hard-pressed to kill it fast. In fact, I gave them all Mana Potions, because the fight will likely take a lot out of them. I just gave Luca the most because he will be healing a lot, and buffing a lot. Since I already reminded Gavin and Braden to use their Elementalist side only if necessary, there''s nothing else for me to say to them. With their battle plan ready, they step into the ring, and the Candy Beast turns and stares at them, its purple eyes watching with an intensity that makes all except for Max hesitate. As they hesitate, Max charges forward at top speed. "Fireball fury!" He exclaims. Fireballs form around him, shooting at the Candy Beast. Unlike his norm, however, he doesn''t use up all of his Mana for it, casting only a dozen Fireballs. I should probably teach him Barrage at some point, huh? I still haven''t learned it, though I do have it in my visions, including way back to my early ones here in the Boundary. The difference between Barrage and casting spells manually is that Barrage summons multiple spells simultaneously, then launches them all at a set target. No control or aiming by the caster beyond that. While an Adventurer can imitate that, especially when faster, there''s nothing like using Barrage for it, because Barrage requires aiming only a single spell, and all others will target the same spot. Barrage also has a cost-reduction on all spells after the first. At Level 10, the 20-Mana Fireball would only cost 2 Mana after the first one. They''re able to cast ten Fireballs for the cost of one. Well, technically, eleven Fireballs for the cost of two. The main reason I never bothered with it is because as I am now, I''ve no reason for it and the cost-return isn''t great at the start. As Max attacks with his Fireballs, he changes directions that he''s running in, standing up and jumping to evade rapidfire candy and- Did he just catch a piece and pop it in his mouth? How did he even do that? It''s faster than he is! Well, it''s Max, so stuff like that should be expected. While Max distracts the Candy Beast, Braden moves around to behind it and Gavin moves towards its side. As soon as Gavin is within twenty feet of the beast, Max still attacking with Fireballs and a random Flame Lance, the beast stops, then turns and looks at the warrior as his blade begins to swirl with a gentle flame. Gavin takes a step back, slightly intimidated, then fills with resolve and begins to charge forward as the beast opens its maw once more. Before it can unleash its attack, however, Braden attacks from behind, shooting a Lightning Shot Power Shot Magic Arrow with maximum multiples, sending eleven arrows at it. A second wave is launched immediately after, and the Candy Beast recoils from the damage of the first wave, jumping away from the barrage, and right into the Flame Lance Max had unleashed. While the beast is distracted, Gavin charges forward, swinging his blade. It connects with the side of the Candy Beast, barely cutting into it, and he strikes it once more before the beast paws at him, throwing the warrior back. Max strikes the beast in the side with another Flame Lance and Braden unleashes another barrage of attacks. The warrior scrambles back to his feet as his wounds are healed, charging forward to make the most of his Blessing and Flame Blade. When the Candy Beast attempts to paw him away again, Gavin ducks under the arm, rolling a little. He scrambles back to his feet and raises his sword, bringing it down on the Candy Beast''s arm, right before being struck with its tail, flying to the side.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. As Gavin tumbles, the Candy Beast turns its head towards Max, only to take another Flame Lance to the face. Max is really obsessed with hitting it in the face with Flame Lances, isn''t he? Well, I can''t blame him. The mage is doing the most damage, and that''s resulting in a slight melting of the beast, making it look kind of funny. The Candy Beast inhales as soon as the flames fade, then exhales. Rather than candy pieces shooting out, a cloud of a sugary dust is exhaled, akin to a dragon''s flame. Made of candy instead, though. "Eek!" Max exclaims, dropping to his hands and knees to flee it. Unfortunately, he''s not fast enough, resulting in the dust touching him. It solidifies together into a shell on him where it touches, keeping him in place. Max wriggles as best he can as the Candy Beast starts shooting candy at Braden, the ranger running as fast as he can. Several pieces strike him in the chest, arms, and legs. Gavin runs towards Max, using the pommel of his sword to break the candy prison Max found himself in, and as soon as Max''s face is free, he snarls at the Candy Beast, several Flame Lances forming in rapid succession and flying at the thing. The breath attack damaged Max, and Luca heals him as Gavin helps him get free. The battle continues much in the same manner, with Max using Flame Lances for most of it, though Lavaballs as well. If he gets close, he uses his sword and knife as well before quickly retreating or being swatted aside. Gavin continues to use Flame Blade, with the occasional Deflect when he can, and a few Battle Cries. Braden attacks from afar, sticking to purely rogue attacks. Luca, meanwhile, works his little ass off using Heals and Blessings. Five minutes turn into ten, ten minutes turns into sixty. An hour turns into two, then into three. Slowly, little by little, the team deals damage to the Candy Beast, its regeneration not quite enough to recover all of the Health they take out in the same time frame. Most of that comes from Max''s attacks, but it''s still effective, since his Flame Lances take out over 1,000 Health with a direct hit. His Lava Balls take out around 200 Health less than that. Meanwhile, Braden can only damage it with both Blessing of Intellect and Power Shot, and that''s barely, which is why he''s adding in Lightning Shot. He can manage around 200 Health to 250 Health per attack. Poor Gavin, though. His regular attacks are ineffective against it, since its Endurance is around the same as its 250 Willpower, and with Flame Blade and Blessing of Strength, he can only take out around 20 Health with a single strike. And his Strength is higher than Braden''s Intellect. The reason for this is that Gavin has less bonuses stacked than Braden does. Braden''s Power Shot and Lightning Shot both increase the damage dealt based on his Strength and Intellect at higher values than anything Gavin has. He''d be better-suited to fighting something with a lower Endurance, but higher Willpower. There are a few Special Bosses like that, so I''m sure we can find something at some point, once we''re exploring the Lost Territory. After the third hour passes, the team is clearly exhausted, but the Candy Beast is also low on Health, covered in cuts from the blades of Max and Gavin, pits from Braden''s attacks, and burns and melted spots from Max''s attacks. Even as it heals from its natural regeneration, the wounds only get worse. While Gavin''s attacks cauterize their wounds, sealing them shut, Max''s weapon attacks don''t, and from where it''s been struck, liquid sugar leaks out like blood. I notice the spike in mental images in Max a moment before he moves, acting the moment the idea came to him. He charges forward from behind Gavin, jumping onto the back of the warrior as Gavin is rolling on the ground from yet another attack by the beast. Max jumps into the air, using Gavin for added height, and lands on the other side of the Candy Beast, which is currently limping away from another barrage from Braden. "Hi-yaa!" Max exclaims, performing a scissor-kick on one of the Candy Beast''s legs. He manages to grab the Candy Beast''s leg with his feet, then yanks forward as he holds out his hands. "Flame Lance!" He exclaims, and Luca immediately starts using Heal on Max before the attack even connects. The spell strikes the Candy Beast''s leg, dealing damage to both of them. The beast from the direct effect, Max from the flames that splash off, and only because Luca is healing him as it happens does Max survive. The beastborn rolls away, his pants on fire. He''s back to a crouching position fast, though, and ignoring the flames, he kicks at the Candy Beast''s leg with both feet. Crack! The leg snaps off, and the Candy Beast howls from the pain as it drops to the ground in that direction, Max quickly evading, rolling in the grass to put out his pants. As the Candy Beast recovers its balance on its other three legs, it uses its tail in an attempt to attack Max. "Gavin! Flame Blade! Come! Now!" Gavin reactivates Flame Blade, which had run out while Max was doing his thing, then runs around the Candy Beast, Deflecting the pieces of candy he can as Luca heals him from those which strike. As he rounds the beast, he quickly realizes what Max was doing. When the Candy Beast lashed out at him with his tail, Max had jumped onto it, holding onto it with all four limbs. Due to the gouges and cuts delivered into the tail already, there''s not enough strength for the Candy Beast to move its tail with the weight of Max, even if he''s only thirteen and a little on the small side. He''s ninety pounds of pure awesome. The warrior raises his sword up, and hacks down on the tail. He hacks down several times as Braden assaults the beast''s face and legs with more arrows, keeping it unbalanced and mostly in the same spot, so that it can''t attack them or move too much. Just as it starts to tumble away from them, Gavin''s manages to sever its tail. "Braden!" Gavin calls. "Hind right leg! Three rounds!" "Flame Lance!" Max shoots one at the beast''s face for good measure as the archer changes targets. Max draws his sword again, and he and Gavin hack at the beast, distracting it for a few seconds while Braden performs the requested attack. As soon as he finishes that, Max and Gavin return to the leg and drop their swords, falling to the ground with their hands behind them. As they land, they kick forward with their feet beside each other, striking the leg. Crack! The leg breaks off, and the beast falls to the side as the pair of them quickly pull their feet away to avoid being crushed. I''m so proud of my team. Gavin got the idea from Max taking out the first leg, and Max understood immediately what Gavin wanted even without being told. They pick their swords back up, Max stabbing the beast in the asscheeks as Gavin slashes down, Braden assaulting the Candy Beast''s head as it attempts to use one of its spell attacks again. "Launch me!" Max suddenly sheathes his sword. "What?" Gavin asks as Max takes a couple of quick steps towards the warrior. "Launch?" Max jumps up, and Gavin realizes what Max is asking. As Max comes back down, Gavin cups his hands and catches Max''s right foot as he drops. Standing back straight up, Gavin lifts his hands up, throwing Max as high as he can. The beastborn chugs as many Mana Potions as he can to restore his Mana as he flies up, then twists around. "FLAME LANCE FURY!" Gavin runs, and I don''t blame him. Max can cast up to twelve from full Mana, and he casts all twelve of those, throwing them down at the crippled Candy Beast. All twelve connect with the beast as the other three members of the team stare at the falling mage. "WHEEEEEE!" Max lands in a crouch that would probably make Kit proud. As Gavin and Braden shake their head, Luca approaches the beast, poking it with his staff. "Dead!" He declares. As if the notices you guys received didn''t confirm that. Chapter 0144 (Zack) "Alright," I say as I land beside my team, which has grouped up, probably in expectation of me grilling them on what they did and didn''t do right. "You guys did a good job. Gold and Aurum were watching, and they agree, and hope that Gold, Kylie, and Samantha''s other apprentices can do just as good of a job as you. That said, they need to get going if they''re to fight it before sundown, since their fight might take a few hours as well." The pair of them charge over, do their mental congratulations and pat my team on the back, then take off back to Maelnor. I assess my team. They''re all covered in blood and looking light on their feet. They need to eat, and then rest, but I know they want to see just what it is I can do to the Candy Beast. "Let''s go eat, first," I tell them. "Then I''ll take care of the beast, and then you four are taking a day''s rest." "I need to-" Gavin begins. "Gain some Skill Levels so you can advance," I tell him. "Yes, you do. Max does as well. However, as your bodies start acquiring the stat boosts you four gained from this fight, you''ll enter into what is called ''Stat Stasis''. I actually didn''t know about this until Theodore mentioned it to me. The two of you fought for four hours, pushing your limits as hard as you could while using Skills over and over. While the Class and Skill Levels are already gained, the Stats have yet to add because those happen over time. According to Theodore, the four of you will be out for at least a day, maybe two. Not unconscious, just¡­ out of commission. "Anyway!" I gesture to Theodore, who approached as I spoke. "This is Theodore, and he happens to have the Scholar Class, and thus, can use Teleport to return us to town. He''s going to do that so you four can eat, then we''ll quickly head out for where I''m killing a Candy Beast." My team nods, and Theodore has us stand close together. A golden ring of light forms around us, a magical circle on the ground, and then we''re back in Maelnor, at Teleport Plaza. I bop Luca on his head for the mental exclamation, and he gives me a cheeky, but shy, grin. We make the trip back to the house, where Kit is setting out dinner, cleaned up and in fresh clothes that I loaned him from Max''s clothes chest. I don''t think he realized they were Max''s clothes, and nor do I think he really processed that Max was a resident and would be back. "KITTY!" Max exclaims as soon as he sees Kit. Kit freezes as I reach out to grab the back of Max''s tunic to keep him from charging at his old friend, only to be reminded that he took it off when I told him to get serious, to avoid getting it covered in goop, blood, and other stuff. I mean, I could grab him by the arm or tail, I''m fast enough for that, but the stumble and slight shock gave Max enough time to reach the cat beastborn. He tackles Kit to the ground in a hug as my team stares in shock. "Ah," I say. "Yeah. Uh. I asked Kit if he''d be willing to help out around the property, since we''ll be a bit busy for awhile, and I was planning on going out into Lost Territory once the battle for the valley was over. He''s an old, uh, acquaintance of Max''s." Max is now nuzzle Kit in the cheek with his own, sending a bunch of happy thoughts to the cat beastborn. He''s glad Kit''s no longer a slave, which he says is obvious because Kit is clean, wearing his clothes, and lacking a collar. Thinking of the collar, Max''s tanline from it is fading. He''s out in the sun all the time, so I suppose that''s only natural. It''s still obvious he once wore one, but it''s not as pale there anymore. It''s a stark contrast to the very pale spot on Kit''s neck. "Max," I say. "You got Kit covered in goop, gunk, blood, and who-knows-what-else. He''s not exactly clean anymore." "He not be," Max agrees, then stands up and helps Kit to his feet. "Sorry, Kitty! Me not mean to do that!" Kit is staring at Max in shock. He already met the other beastborn who serve the Dark Knights here, and while they do talk, the beastborn were just talking their normal way. This is his first actual time hearing a beastborn talk. I suppose he might have heard Max talking on our trip into Maelnor? That was part of the reason we traveled back that way rather than through Teleport. That, and to help give the former slaves a little extra time to adjust. Plus, showing up right in the middle of town, with a bunch of people around, might have freaked them out a bit. "I did mention he speaks," I tell Kit. "He''s one of the handful who do." Though I''ve only heard all but one who speak. Gold thinks I''m unaware he can, since he only ever does it when he''s confident there''s no one around to hear him practicing, but I know. Mostly by accident, I caught him a couple of nights ago, but when I realized what he was doing, I decided not to make him aware I knew. He wants to be able to talk like ''normal'' people do before he lets me know he can. Max has done his best to not think about the fact that Gold can speak around me, too. I wonder if Gold knows that it was inevitable Max would accidentally leak it, not even aware he had? Maybe, maybe not. "And Max," I say. "His name is Kit, now. It was never ''Kitty'', that was just what you called him because you''re a moron." Max thinks for a few moments. "So be my brother not not be ''Nitwit''?" He asks. "Or me other brother name not be ''Nincompoop''?" "No, Max," I snort at that as Kit gives him an incredulous look and the rest of the team give him dumbfounded looks. "Those are¡­ those are insults. Not names." "Hm," Max thinks. "But their masters always call them that. Does not that not mean that be their name?" "No," I say. "That means their masters just insult them all the time. Come on, let''s eat so that you four can start resting sooner." We sit at the table, and Kit retreats to the kitchen. His thoughts are pretty clearly still in the old mindset. I can understand that, though. Old ways can be difficult to break, and he was freed only just this morning. Max immediately starts up a conversation trying to convince him to join us, saying that he was the same way at first, but that I never let him eat separately or after us. "Come on, Kit," I say as Kit remains reluctant. "Max isn''t wrong. You''re not a slave anymore, you''re a servant, and it''d be stupid for you to eat only once the rest of us finished. The food would be cold by then. So come and join us." Kit''s still reluctant, but ''obeys'' out of nerves and fear. He eats rather timidly, though Max keeps shoving mashed potatoes and grilled veggies onto his plate, along with more slices of meat, telling him to eat and stuff himself with as much as possible. After dinner, Kit cleans stuff up while we let our food rest, then I take the team to the Dark Temple, convincing Kit to come along to watch. There, we use the sigil to warp to Talorn, then I wrap everyone together with Binding Darkness, attach that to my feet, summon my Eidolon Wings, and fly up into the sky. "EEEK!" Several of them squeal at the sudden movement. I fly out of Talorn and towards where the Candy Beast nearby is located, in a small field, and land, dropping my team at the edge. Gently, not roughly. They''re sore enough already. Canceling Eidolon Wings, I draw my Zack''s Blood sword and approach the Candy Beast, taking on Eidolon Form as I do, for the added stats and to work on it a little more. "Hello," I smile at the Candy Beast. "Ready to become spoiled sugar?" It snarls and lunges at me, and I charge forward, then jump into the air, landing on its back with my legs around its neck. I twist the beast as I pull its head towards me, and I ram my sword right into its eye, killing it in an instant.
Candy Beast Slain!
Rewards: +500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +5 Candy Ingots, +5 Sugary Dusts, +5 Hunger Candies
Candy Beast Slain with less than five attackers!
Rewards: +500% Static Experience to Class or Classes of Your Choice, +500% Static Experience to Subclass or Subclasses of your Choice, +10 Gold, +15 Candy Ingots, +15 Sugary Dusts, +15 Hunger Candies
I withdraw my sword, then jump off the beast as it drops to the ground. All five of the spectators are staring at the fight in shock. Kit is amazed that someone could kill it so fast when his own master had to take twenty minutes with a team of more than forty others to kill it. My team is shocked because while they knew I was far above them, they didn''t realize just how far above them. What''s more, they were never able to get a shot in the Candy Beast''s eyes the way I did because it kept closing them and turning its head away.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. By my speed along and massive Strength allowed me to ignore all of that. I could have also beheaded it, but I felt this was cooler. Flicking my sword a couple of times, I get the sugar-blood off of it, then sheathe it and approach my team and Kit. "And that," I say. "Is what it''s like when someone who''s ridiculously powerful goes against something pretty far below their weight class. That, and is able to abuse a weak spot you guys were struggling against." Kit is still staring in shock as my team starts to recover. Right. He''s completely new to all of this, even if he did see me butcher the mages. "Kit," I say, and he looks at me. "I am the highest-Leveled Adventurer in the entire Boundary. There are a few people with higher stats than mine, and I''m wielding a sword that has nearly no equal. I am regularly visited by another one of the highest-Leveled Adventurers in the Boundary, who also wears and wields exceptional gear. Nathan lives across the street from us." "That be Great Normar," Max helpful tells Kit, whose eyes widen. "You''ll need to adjust to the shocks," I tell Kit. "But don''t stress yourself out thinking you''re being shocked too much. You are a free beastborn, now. You are not a slave, and never will be again. There is an Absolute Rule in the Boundaries: anyone who attempts to force a beastborn back into slavery after they are released by their master or someone else, who attempts to steal, kidnap, etc. a servant beastborn, and several other things, is Bountied. This was established by the Crystals not that long ago." A few nights ago, to be specific. A few Adventurers who had issues with free beastborns attempted to kidnap some while Nik and I were out of Maelnor. Some of the servants of the Dark Order. Unfortunately for those morons ¨C and for me ¨C the Dark Order is rather possessive and protective of its servants. They had people secretly watching. I missed out on a bloodbath. I found out about the whole thing when Big Flame notified Nik about it, since he''s a community leader. All community leaders, from City to Guild to Order and so on, was informed about the new thing. Apparently, the Crystals insisted on Big S not sending out another mass notice. It seems there were some interesting reactions to that¡­ A shudder runs through me, and I know that they''ve released another Boundary. I suppose with all of the Holiday Boss kills going on today, the Crystals felt comfortable with how much power they''ve restored. "Anyway," I tell them, wrapping the five of them up with Binding Darkness once more. "Let''s head back to Maelnor!" I fly us back to Talorn, then warp us back to Maelnor after ending Eidolon Form, then we travel back home. The five of them rush off to the bath because they are all covered in muck. Even Luca, who had managed to stay clean until I wrapped them all up with Binding Darkness. I contemplate joining my team in the bath since I need one, too, but it can really only fit five comfortably. After that, it gets a bit cramped and uncomfortable. Deciding not to delay my bath, though, I walk to the bath. "I''m heading to the Dark Temple for a bath," I tell the team. "Luca''s in charge until I return." "Yes!" Luca exclaims. "Yay!" Max exclaims. "Crap," Braden mutters. Gavin sighs, and Kit just looks at them in confusion. He''ll figure out why they''re reacting that way soon enough. I warp myself into Big Flame''s temple, and can feel his exasperation at that. I''m not a teleport terminal! He exclaims in my mind just before I teleport myself to the Dark Temple. At the Dark Temple, I make my way to the baths, strip down, scrub down, then climb into the bath and soak, closing my eyes and relaxing my aching muscles. Nik shows up after a few minutes and does the same, sitting opposite of me. The baths here are large ¨C there''s easily eight or nine feet of space between us, and this is just one of several. He probably wants to talk with me about something, or he''d have sat in one of the others. Not that he couldn''t talk with me in there, but the way I''m sitting basically forces anyone who wants to talk with me and actually look at my face from the front to join me in this one, since the others are behind men or off to the side. "Samantha''s students and Gold did well," Nik informs me. "Travis was watching the whole thing, and said it took them a little longer than Theodore said your team took." "My team''s a fair bit more powerful," I say. "I take it Gold''s Blessings were the primary reason they won?" "Yeah," Nik answers. "He''s happy with the results. They''ll be out the next couple of days for the Stats Stasis, too." "How come you never mentioned that to me before?" I ask. "Stat Stasis, I mean." "Because you''re ridiculous," he snorts. "You never had to struggle the way they did, you gained your Experience mostly by going above your weight class and then dominating it, or by attacking things by the numbers." "It worked." "Yeah," he agrees. "It worked. You never had to do what they did, and when you did, you went unconscious for other reasons." "I only ever gained a few points," I say. "I suppose this will be a weaker version of an extended Zero Down, but for all stats?" "Essentially, yes," he confirms. We fall silent for a few minutes. "Did the ghost settle in alright?" "Yes," he answers. "And he no longer believes that ''Zack Noruva'' is a myth fabricated to scare potential servants of the Shadow of Life from coming here to sabotage us." "People seriously think that?" I ask. "They do," he tells me. "Word of a new child who Levels impossibly fast spread through the Boundary, as did his feats. However, most believe you''re only a myth because they don''t have confirmation that you actually do exist ¨C that such an impossible existence is real." Makes sense, I guess. "What are you going to do while your team is in Stat Stasis?" He asks. "Train some more," I answer. "Nathan agreed to keep an eye on the team a bit." "Are you sure you don''t want to take a day off?" He asks. "Positive," I answer. "I need to get as strong as possible for when I fight the Dragon. The ghost would, but he''s not physically fit enough to do that. Tomorrow, at least, I''ll be learning that Barrier trick the Fallen Hunters use. That''s going to come in real handy. I''m also going to start working on getting Barrier up to Level 10. I want it to be as strong as possible." Barrier is like only a rare few other Skills in that its cost is not set. Instead, its cost is dependent on how big it is, and is a cost-over-time Skill. However, its defense is limited based on one''s Willpower. "Are the Fallen Hunters helping you with that?" He asks. "No," I answer. "They''re doing some hunting in the mines again. There are still plenty of Fallen Adventurers to slay to make it fully safe for training." "Alright," he says. "Do you mind if I give you our latest update on the hordes?" With the revelation that the mountains can be crossed by Druids in animal form if their animal form is one which lives in that terrain, they''ve sent a few scouts out. Not many, because the monsters there are more powerful and Teleport doesn''t work that far. Nik was out at the Crater today, talking with the scouts after they returned. "Go ahead." "Based on the differences between what Nathan said and how things are now," he tells me. "It''s possible the battle will take place in one month from now. If the monsters communicate first, it can take longer. Whatever you did that pissed the Shadow of Life off, it''s got him moving the plan up." "Yeah," I tell him. "What did you do?" He asks. "We never did get a clear answer to that, Zack." I contemplate over what I should say. The Crystals never did say I shouldn''t talk about what that gear was for. You can tell him, Zack, Big S says. "Okay," I say. "Alexander, the Shadow of Life, has three lieutenants. Or at least, he did. They were each sealed in a separate prison from him. They are each immortal, in a sense. Ordinary weapons cannot kill them." "But the Sword of the End can," he realizes. "Correct," I say. "And with Demon Form, my Stats become the highest in the Boundary, when ignoring outliers like the ghost''s Health and Nathan''s Mana. I''m able to easily kill them. I''ve killed two already, and will fight the third once Big S thinks I''m ready for it. According to Big Flame, the third''s a warrior rather than a mage, and has a weapon. Won''t be too much of a problem, though, as he doesn''t have a System-granted Agility, which means he''s far beneath me in speed, even when he boosts his own with his magic." "And that''s why he''s so furious with you," Nik realizes. "You''re killing his allies, the people who will help him, once he breaks free of the Boundary." "Yeah," I answer. "He wants to destroy Maelnor and kill me before I''m powerful enough to kill the Dragon, too. Big S says I''m fine, but¡­" I sigh. Am I really going to be able to handle the dragon Alexander sends our way? I''d probably need to Ascend twice more to actually kill it. Even using the Sword of the End to pierce its hide and the Gear of the End to protect my body, I just can''t see myself reasonably being able to actually do more than drive it away, if even that. It scares me. I''m currently the only person in the Boundary able to face the Dragon alone. Everyone else is needed for the battle, especially for when the King Monsters arrive. The thing that scares me isn''t dying, though. I''ve been prepared to die since I first did. I''ve been ready to die ever since I came to the Boundary, ready to die for the cause. I''m willing to risk my life to whatever it takes. No, what terrifies me is that I''ll fail. That I''ll fail to stop the Dragon. I am the child of the vision, that is a guarantee. I can restore the City Barriers at any time, and have already met the other two requirements of the vision. When the tide changes¡­ I''m the one who determines how it changes. I''m the one who determines if Alexander somehow manages to get the brother to make the realization needed for him to win. I''m the one who determines if Alexander is slain by the other brother. And it all comes down to the Dragon. I know this for a fact. If I fail against the Dragon, it will destroy the City Barrier. It''ll do more than that, though. Normally, Dragons can''t remain after, they leave to recover their lost power. But if I fail to stop it, then it''ll go on a rampage and start killing everyone below. Only if I successfully drive it off will the tide change against Alexander. And if I fail, everyone dies. Everyone. At least, everyone at the battle. And then Alexander will smooth-talk the other brother back onto his side, will claim his victory, and will enter reality, making it his domain with his godly powers. "We have a theory on how to force a Stat Stasis on you," Nik interrupts my panicked thoughts. "How?" I ask. "Get out, get dried, and get dressed, but leave your gear in your Inventory," he stands and leaves the bath. "And meet me in the training room we usually train you in." I open my eyes as I frown. How can he force a Stat Stasis on me in the training room? Chapter 0145 (Zack) When I enter the training room, I find not just Nik in there, but Jesse, Kayla, Theodore, and Nathan as well. All of them are geared up for battle, but with wooden training weapons rather than their usual. Except for Nathan, since he''s apparently here as a Priest and has his usual staff. Nik has two swords, and tosses one of them to me. "Um¡­ what?" I ask as they all hold up their weapons. "Don''t use either of your forms," Nik tells me. "And no Auras or Shroud. Otherwise, it''s fair game." "Wait," I say. "We''re going to fight? The five of us?" "Yes," he answers as their Healths and Manas start to rise. Nathan just gave them all the Blessing of the Crystal, didn''t he? "You see, Zack, while you might be powerful, there are some of us who can truly push you, even before we''re given Blessings." "And if you push me as hard as my team was just pushed," I say. "It''ll force me to push the limits of my stats." "Correct," he takes a ready stance, and the others do as well. "And we''ll push you until you can''t go anymore, Zack." "Isn''t five-on-one a bit excessive?" I ask, taking a nervous step back. "Just one of you could probably do that." "This will be most effective," Nik says. "Strike of Darkness." Crap. I block his attack as I attempt to dodge Jesse''s knives to my side. They connect rather hard, and I send my tunic into my Inventory because it will get destroyed during this fight. I use Deflect on a strike from Kayla, then Counterstrike Nik''s second Strike of Darkness. Nathan attacks from afar, using spells that slam into me because I''m not able to defend against or evade all of them. A sword strikes me from the side, and I grunt from the impact and pain. The five of them continue their attack with me barely able to defend against more than one attack out of every nine, even with a Blessing of Speed cast upon myself. I pull at every Skill I can from my arsenal that does a lot of damage. I try to use Absorb and Drain Life to draw from him, I use Heal when necessary, though Nathan also uses Heal as well, restoring a fair bit more than I can even with a Blessing of Intellect. They''re definitely holding back, but they''re still beating the crap out of me, and I have to use potions to restore my Mana a lot. No matter how fast or hard I strike, they''re faster and stronger. This really is overkill! Only one of you is needed for this! And you guys already have Stats beyond mine, too! Even my strongest, Rage-fueled attack isn''t enough to take one of them out, so I don''t get why they thought five was necessary. I''m not certain for how long it is they beat me, just that by the time this ''training'' session is over, I''m sore, I''m exhausted, and I''m definitely going to be feeling it for a few days, even if my Health will be restored in under sixteen minutes. They gave me enough room to be able to fight and defend, and that definitely was the most I''ve actually struggled in¡­ probably forever. Literally. Their training exhausted me to the point all I can do is just collapse onto the ground, breathing hard and soaked in sweat. Nik walks over to me and takes the training sword, putting it away as Nathan pokes me in the side. I''m too exhausted to swat his hand away, but I''ll take revenge on him later. I know his ticklish spots, since I''m sure they''re the same as Luca''s. I know where he sleeps, too. Nik wraps me in a cloak, then lifts me up and holds me against him, my head hanging over his left shoulder. I''m too exhausted and sore to even wrap my arms around him, though someone helpfully moves my right arm over his left shoulder. He carries me out of the training room, then out of the Dark Temple, Theodore and Kayla remaining behind. Jesse parts ways with us as Nik takes me home, Nathan walking with us. The sun''s already rising. Did we really go for seven hours? Jeez, that was intense. And probably overkill. When we get to my home, the team is already awake and going about their morning routine, though looking both lethargic and somewhat uneasy. According to Nik, the rapid Stat changes makes everyone feel sick and uncomfortable in their own body while also lethargic, though it can cause unconsciousness. "Boss okay?" Max asks Nik as everyone follows the Dark Knight and me upstairs. "He''s fine," Nik tells Max. "He just spent seven or so hours training at the Dark Temple. Like the four of you, he''s going to enter Stat Stasis." "How is that possible, though?" Gavin asks. "Just training can''t do that, and Zack''s already powerful." "He spent seven hours sparring with five people stronger than him," Nik tells Gavin. "Even one of us would be akin to how it was for the four of you to face the Candy Beast. The five of us pushed him as hard as we could to ensure he would enter Stat Stasis." "Why?" Gavin asks as Nik sets me on my bed, then adjusts the cloak around me a bit. I don''t blame him, these are sheets and a blanket from the Dark Temple, and I''m covered in blood from their attacks. I could do with another bath, except that I''m far too exhausted and sore to do that. That training definitely counts as intense. That said, they showed me a few neat Skills I plan on learning. Especially the Shadow Whip Jesse used a few times. Hopefully, it''s not locked to one of his Classes.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Sorry," Gavin apologizes as Nik looks at him. "It''s just that Zack''s already so powerful, so him needing to be forced into Stat Stasis doesn''t¡­ it doesn''t really make that much sense to me." "Zack," Nik says. "Falls into the same issue the four of you do. Because he Levels rapidly ¨C even more so than the four of you ¨C he suffers from not having spent all the normal time necessary training. That means his Stats haven''t boosted much from training. Most Adventurers at Level 200 or higher have at least one Stat that''s higher than Zack''s, when excluding Vitality and Mana, which many at Level 200 or higher will have higher than Zack." "Oh," Gavin says. "This doesn''t feel good at all." "That''s why it''s best to just sleep if you can," Nik tells him. "Stat Stasis means your Stats will be twenty percent higher than they were when you finish it from when you entered it. It may not seem like much at lower amounts, but it''s still significant in the long run. It also becomes more difficult to enter Stat Stasis the higher your Stats are. The five of us spent seven hours on this for Zack because it was the only way to be sure." Nah. I''m pretty sure just one of you for a few hours would have been enough. The five of you just wanted to give me a beating because I''m an annoying shit. As they talk, I find myself fading into the world of my visions. Nik stands at the front of the army of Adventurers, sword in hand. The army is dwarfed by the size of the charging horde, which passes between the trees, some of the Goblin Giants simply running through the branches, snapping them off without notice. Monsters spill out of the forest, and Nik raises his sword into the sky. "FOR THE BOUNDARY!" He roars, and the Adventurers present echo his stupid, cheesy, cliche-ass call. The view shifts, and there are three massive monsters present. A wolf with fur as black as night, its eyes golden. The beast stands as tall as the tallest Goblin Giants present. A goblin which stands at over fifty feet in height. A slime as tall as the wolf, crimson in color, with hundreds of cores around a large, central one. Instead of two King Monsters, there are three. A shadow wolf, a goblin, and a flame slime. They stand far back from the crowd, and Nik as his team, which had only fought when necessary, advance on them. Nik''s body shifts as they advance. A pair of black horns grow out of his head as his skin turns crimson. A crimson, spade-tipped tail grows out just above his ass, a pair of wings stretching out of his back from the gaps in his armor, designed to allow his wings to grow free. They marble from the red of his skin to pure black. Fucking yeah! The scene shifts again, and I''m back to that place outside of existence. I can sense those two beings there. "I sense it again," the male voice speaks as I do my best to subtly draw near the crystal that is Existence. "It has returned." "Where is it?" The female asks. "I want to devour it and obtain-" "Shut the fuck up, Dad," a voice calls out in annoyance as a third presence forms, this one startling close to me. I turn and face it, finding a boy who appears around my age standing there. He has the same brown hair as me, the same ocean-blue eyes as me. He''s not identical to me, though. But I can see a familial resemblance between us, the sort I noticed too late with Bryce. He''s dressed in a dark green tunic and black pants, black boots on his feet. "Two of them!" The male exclaims. "We won''t have to share their power." "No!" The female comments. "We can-" "Dad," the newcomer and possible-brother rolls his eyes. "Shut the fuck up. And what the fuck is this place, anyway? Why do you have the universe represented by the-Dad! Stop fucking with your kids!" "What?" That slips out before I can stop it. "Dad is fucking with you," he says. "I just recently sensed this¡­ whatever the fuck this is. That''s him talking. I suppose it''s to be expected he''d do that. Dad! The hell is this place?" "The vastness outside of the universe," Big FD appears in the form around my age. "You''re no fun, Enmosolovokol-" "That''s not even close to my name," my brother gives him an unamused look. "Fine," Big FD rolls his eyes. "Enmar. There. Happy? Enmar?" "That''s better," my brother rolls his eyes, then looks around. "Why is the universe contained in this space right now?" "So that I can fuck with Zack whenever he''s in Power Jump," Big FD gives me a strange looks. "Or Stat Stasis. Damn, those guys are good, being able to force you into it. That''s rather impressive, you know." "Wait," I say. "We''re still in existence?" "If it exists, we''re within it," Big FD says. "Including outside of the universe. The Boundary is outside the universe, after all. Here, let me show you." The nothingness around us warps, and the two presences from before disappear as another crystal forms, this one giving off a vibe of the Boundary. It''s pearled pinks and oranges and reds, much like the borders of the Boundary. There''s some sort of ''connection'' between the two, but it''s not one I can see so much as sense. That must be the Crystals and their paths between the two, which allow them to do the Ascension Trial and to bring people into the Boundary when they die. There''s also a third crystal, this one golden and white. "That''s heaven," Big FD indicates the third crystal. "You already know the universe," he indicates the normal crystal. "And that''s the Boundary," he indicates the crystal I already assumed was the Boundary''s. "And that is my realm." He points behind me, and I find a mountainous region there when I look. It''s both there and not there. I turn back and look at my brother. "Enmar?" I ask. "It''s Evan," he says. "I''m from Earth, too, though from before the split. Well, it''s actually ''Evarn'', but I don''t go by that anymore. I mostly hang out in Dad''s realm, but there''s one for us ¨C his children ¨C around here somewhere. There are actually a few more of these crystals, which you can find if you wander enough." "Wait," I realize. "When did I regain my form?" "When Dad canceled his trick," Evan answers as Big FD chuckles. "Anyway, back to looking for that crystal again." He wanders off, just walks away on nothingness as if it''s a floor. I can do the same thing, I discover. "¡­why are you dancing?" Big FD asks. "Why not?" I stop and grin at him. "So that whole thing was just to mess with me?" "What?" He asks. "You thought you got your pranks from your mom? Hah!" "I knew I got them from you," I say. "I just didn''t realize that was a prank! Jeez! You had me so fucking scared, Big FD!" "That was the point," he grins. "I realized the first time that your powers of sight were going to cause you to exit the universe, and thought I''d have some fun. Anyway, want to play cards until this Stat Stasis is over? I''ve also got a hot springs that might relax you a bit, though that won''t carry over into the Boundary, because why the fuck should I do that when you won''t take care of yourself there?" Chapter 0146 (Zack) When I awaken, it''s dark out. Max is sleeping on the bed above me, and Luca is snuggled up behind me, snoozing peacefully. Gavin and Braden are missing from the room, but I can hear them downstairs. Carefully, I extract myself from Luca. A quick check of him and Max show that they''ve both finished their Stat Stasis, which means that the other two probably have as well. I''m probably done with mine, since I''m not feeling sick. That, and Big FD made it pretty clear that I wasn''t going to wake until I did. My checks complete, I make my way downstairs as I send Nik''s cloak into my Inventory. I''ll return it to him later, but he''ll probably tell me to keep it ¨C while it''s a black cloak with red trim, it''s also a bit small for him. It is, however, the right size for me. Which means he probably bought it for me or had it in storage for me already, taken when he went to the training room a couple of nights ago. I don''t bother pulling on a tunic as I descend, as I''m covered in dried sweat and blood, so I need a bath, but I need to talk with Braden and Gavin first. When I reach them downstairs, they''re quietly playing cards. I look around and notice Kit curled up on a blanket where I used to sleep, back when I first arrived. "He refuses to sleep upstairs," Gavin tells me softly. "But we can''t get too loud, or he''ll wake up, since that was normal for him before." "Okay," I open up my Inventory and pull out a pair of Spook Treats. "Max and Luca have already gotten to taste these. These are a candy-treat thingy that tastes pretty good. I wanted to give them to you two as a reward for completing the kill against the Candy Beast." "Thanks," Gavin accepts his as Braden takes his. They do their best to open the wrappers quietly, but it wouldn''t have made a difference, since Kit wasn''t actually asleep. He can smell the treats from there, and is immediately jealous, but scolds himself for that, since beastborn aren''t allowed such things. I pull a third from my Inventory, and my teammates give me a curious look. "For Kit," I explain. "If he wants it." Kit tenses up, then starts questioning his memory on if I''d said what he thinks I said. "Kit," I say. "I''ve given one to Aurum and one to Gold. Gold was a former servant here, and Aurum lives across the street. You''re a servant here, too. You can enjoy the things we enjoy. Come on and accept it, I know you want to try it." Reluctantly, Kit gets up and joins us, accepting the Spook Treat, but holding it hesitantly. Gavin and Braden give him a curious look, but turn their attention to the treats, opening them up and taking a bite out of them. The eyes of both immediately widen as they taste the best thing they have ever tasted before. After watching them for a few moments, Kit gives in to his desire to taste it and tries it. The three of them savor the flavor as they eat their treats, doing their best to not cram it into their mouths. When they finish, all three stare at me. Kit wants to know how I still have them, while the other two want to know what those were. "Those are Spook Treats," I inform them. "They''re pretty rare. You can only get them from the Spook Time monsters as an extremely rare drop or from the Spook Master, the Holiday Boss for that period. They also have an expiration of around two weeks, which means my special Inventory is the only reason I still have them." Kit makes an ''O'' with his mouth. Max told him about my special Inventory already, it seems, so at least I don''t have to explain that. His face suddenly reddens and he looks down as he realizes that he ''acted inappropriately''. "You''re fine, Kit," I tell him. "You''re a servant, not a slave. You can behave like a person, because you are a person. It''s absolutely fine. Anyway, I''m going to take a bath. Keep Luca and Max from tackling me, will you? I''ve got stuff for all of you, too." I hurry to get to the bath before Max and Luca descend the stairs, and the rest of the team pulls them over. I spend an hour soaking after I scrub down, just relaxing. Then I dry off, dress, and rejoin the others at the table. It''s the middle of the night, but everyone is a fair bit awake right now. According to Gavin, they finished their Stat Stasis states a few hours before I woke up, but did end up sleeping for most of it, as Nik had suggested. I was the only one who slept nonstop, which worried Kit, but Max had reassured him that me passing out for days at a time was perfectly normal. I''m not entirely sure how I feel about that, but I''ll let it pass this time. Because it''s late, I tell the team to try to get some sleep. I''m not planning on pushing them hard during the day, but giving them another day of rest and relaxation. Despite that, they should still at least try to sleep a bit more, this time without the Stat Stasis. It will help get their pattern restored after the two days of something vastly different. The team heads to bed, and I think over my vision, from before Big FD decided to hijack it for his own amusement ¨C he admitted that this time, he had intentionally hijacked it, but claims I would''ve ended up there anyway. Nik was a Demon, which meant he''d Ascended. If the vision gave me that, then that''s the most likely path of events. However, it''s not a guarantee. More checking will be required, so I jump up onto the roof of the house and lie down, staring up at the sky. I focus my power of sight and begin to look.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Every single path I check, every alternate scenario I try to look for the route of, Nik is a Demon. I wish I had more experiences and shit, so that I could try even more things. I''m about to give up when a thought comes to me. I knew Nathan had succeeded because of things in reality, but¡­ What if I tried checking for what would be required for Nik to not accept the offer at the end of the Ascension Trial? I push that, and am startled by what I find. I try it several times, then try it for Nathan ¨C what would have been required for him to have failed to accept? The result is almost identical to Nik''s result. Me. I''m the reason Nathan accepted Big S''s offer during Ascension. He accepted because he felt a bond to someone, a bond that was worth fighting for. Had I remained the punk I was before ¨C the true asshole I''d originally been ¨C that bond wouldn''t have been forged. That friendship with a Child of Existence. Even with everything severed by Big S and the boundary between reality and here, a bond with a Child of Existence remains. Anyone who is close to me, anyone who looks at me fondly, anyone with a bond with me will pass the Ascension Trial because they have something worth fighting for, even if they don''t know it. Nik will accept Big S''s offer at the end of the Ascension Trial because he has someone who is like a son to him. The child he never had. Just like how I had Luca to give me reason to fight, just like how Luca kept me from turning down the offer and dying, as I should have. I teleport into Big Flame''s temple, then into the Dark Temple as I ignore my patron''s protests. Running through, I locate Nik in his quarters and wake him up. "Zack," he groans. "It''s the middle of the night." "You''re Level 248," I say. "Get your ass in the mines, to a place you can farm hard for Experience. Reach Level 250, take on the Ascension Trial. You will succeed." "You can''t be sure of that," he says. "I can be," I point at my eyes. "Nik, I saw it. Over and over and over again. You''ll have no memories of here when you go through it, but you will be given an offer at the end of it. The offer to fight to protect reality from a force so dangerous, even the gods fear it. What prevented me from refusing it and passing on was my connection to Luca, my desire to protect him at all costs. What prevented Nathan from refusing it and passing on was his friendship with me, a bond that surpassed the severing of bonds forged in the Boundary that comes from the Trial. You have a bond with me, Nik. You''re like a father to me, and I''m like a son to you. You will accept the offer to fight to protect reality at the end of the Ascension Trial, because even if you forget about me, about all of us here, you''ll still know there''s something for you to fight for." He thinks over my words. "You really think I''m like a father to you?" "Erm," I pause for a moment. "I''m pretty sure I''ve told you that before. Plus, who else would I be that antagonistic too when they''re not my enemy?" "Everyone," he sits up. "You really think I''d accept it because of you?" "That''s what my vision say," I say. "The family-like bond we forged here, because I''m a Child of Existence, it continues. You''ll not remember me, but you''ll still feel the bond. Everyone who interacts with me regularly who thinks of me fondly, even if they think I''m annoying, will accept the offer. My team, you, Nathan, Jesse, Blaine, Travis, Mama Bear-" "Mama Bear?" "Don''t give me that look!" I exclaim. "She makes good food! The point is, Nik, you have nothing to worry about! You won''t cripple us by taking on the Ascension Trial, you''ll only become more powerful! So get your ass training hard so that you can train even harder once you Ascend!" "Okay," he groans. "I''ll do that, Zack, if you''re so confident I''ll make it through. You''ve not been wrong before when you push your sight to see things, even when they''re only the possible futures. But first, go get some sleep." "Also, there''s going to be a Flame Slime King at the battle." He rubs his temples. "I thought all slimes were, like, under a single King," I say. "Like most monsters of a type. Apparently, they''re classed completely differently. I suppose that makes sense, since they naturally form as different types of slimes." "Go get some rest, Zack." "By the way," I tell him. "Good job on putting me into Stat Stasis when even me fighting the Demon Kobold King couldn''t do it." "Go rest, Zack." "I''m going to go see how Kylie is doing," I tell him. "She''s probably recently recovered from her Stat Stasis. Oh, and Big FD says it''s impressive you were able to force the Stat Stasis on me, and that anytime you want to kick my ass, just do it. He told me to pass that on, so I am, but don''t actually come and kick my ass whenever you want, or I''ll start stealing Kulkul and force him into a dress." "Go!" He laughs. I leave and make my way to the assassins'' hideout, where Kylie is awake and mixing up some potions. All of the little assassins are taught how to make a few certain potions necessary for their trade. Blaine''s been teaching me some alchemy, too. Every asset that will help me, especially once my team and I head into Lost Territory, I am reaching for. I just wish Big S would tell me who the brothers are. Knowing who they are can make a huge difference. We have to make sure the one who will kill Alexander is trained enough for it. For now, I''ll say ''hey'' to Kylie. "Hey." "Hey, Zack," she keeps her gaze on her work. I think she''s making smoke bombs. "How are you?" "I''m okay," I answer. "How are you feeling?" "I''m doing better now that I''m out of Stat Stasis," she answers. "I''d heard of it, but never met someone who''d been through it. I doubt I''d have believed them on how terrible it was, even if I had." "Same," I answer. "You were unconscious for the entire thing," she snorts. "Yeah," I sit across from her. "And I spent two days playing games with Existence himself. That''s not fun, take it from me." "Wait," she gives me an incredulous look. "I know your father''s Existence, Zack. Are you saying that you were playing games with your father while you were unconscious?" "My consciousness exits the Boundary and enters¡­ funky places," I tell her. "It''s weird, don''t think on it too much. Making smoke bombs?" "Yeah," she decides not to think on it too much, because it really is a headache to think about. "A good assassin has backups, just in case things go south." "They do," I nod. "What are you going to do with your Candy Ingots?" "Have them made into daggers," she answers. "At least six pairs of knives and throwing knives. I might sell the rest of it. It''s a high-quality material, and the coloration can be dealt with by an experienced Blacksmith." It turns out, Candy Ingots and other similar ones don''t actually have ''special effects'' like Frost Ingots and Spook Ingots. They''re just as special, though, because of their quality and resiliency. Without the special effects, however, they''re a little bit cheaper in cost. Plus, they aren''t as rare. There was one Spook Master for the entire valley, but four Candy Beasts. I think the selling price was a gold each, according to Nik. Luca and Braden can''t do much with them, but I''ve got plans for that. Ah, crap. I forgot that I had stuff for my team, and even told them that. They''re still awake, aren''t they? I bet I can pop over to the mines for some training while my team waits. Chapter 0147 (Zack) "Psst!" Nathan whispers in an attempt to catch my attention, and I look over at him. "I was sneaking out of Maelnor." "I think I figured out what the filler message was for." "The one from Ascension?" I ask. "Yeah," he nods. "Really?" I ask. "What do you think it is?" "Have you checked your available Classes?" "I never do," I tell him. "Not unless I''m able to take another on." "It doesn''t say," he says. "''Available Classes'', Zack. It says ''Select a Class and confirm to accept a new Class''." He seems like he''s being honest, so I quickly pull up the page and¡­ it does. It uses the wording it has whenever there''s a new Class available. After taking on a Class, we don''t get ''returned'' to the Available Classes window, so I never noticed that. "Wait," I realize. "We have extra Class slots?" "Yeah," he nods. "I took on Angel. So now I''m a Dark Knight and an Angel. I bet you have two additional slots, since you''ve Ascended twice." "Big S?" I project to him. I was napping. "You''re always napping," I say. "Did you know that when we Ascend, there''s a filler message that says to be filled out before the first Ascension Trial?" He doesn''t respond. "¡­is that message supposed to inform us we have an additional available Class Slot?" So¡­ I must have forgotten to fill that out, he says. But yes. Normally, you can only take on another Class once one reaches Level 25. However, every time you Ascend, you also open up another Class Slot. Huh. I guess you never noticed that. "Nathan noticed it." I can see that, he says. If I could give Normar a pat on the back for a job well-done, I would. I pat Nathan on the head, and he gives me a confused look. "Big S wants to, but can''t, so I''m doing it in his place," I say. "Well, he said ''back'', but your head was closer." You''re a brat, Big S says. Well, I''ve got that fixed, now. I was wondering why you hadn''t filled out that other slot rather than slogging yourself like that. "Because I wasn''t aware it existed." Makes sense. I''m going back to my nap. His presence disappears from my mind, and I pat Nathan on the head again. "Stop that!" He pulls away, and I grin. "I need to ask Nik something," I tell him. "Looking at that screen reminded me of something." I head back into the Dark Temple as Nathan wanders off, and I locate Nik talking with one of the Dark Knights I recognize, but can''t remember the name of. "Nik," I say. "What is an Elementalist with a fire tendency?" "Why?" He asks. "It''s a requirement for a Class." "Elementalist," he says. "As you know, is a Class that focuses on elemental spell Skills. A fire tendency means that for your current Tier of Elementalist, you have fire spell Skills that match the requirements for that Tier. So a Tier 1 Elementalist would have a Level 1 Tier 1 fire spell Skill, a Tier 2 Elementalist would have a Level 3 Tier 1 fire spell Skill and a Level 1 Tier 2 fire spell Skill, and so on, up through Tier 5. Are you looking at Flame Knight?" "Sort of," I answer. "Wait, how did you know that?" "You''re a warrior-based person looking at Classes that requires an Elementalist with a flame tendency," he answers. "It was obvious. What do you need Flame Knight for?" "I need Flame Knight, Shadow Knight, and Blood Knight," I tell him. "All at Level 41, for a Rank 3 Class called ''Demonic Knight''. Then with that and Demon mastered, I can take on a Rank 4 Class called ''Hell Knight''. Are there shadow spells?" "Binding Darkness and Shadow Whip are both shadow spell Skills," he tells me. "And they count for Elementalist." "Cool," I say. "So then that answers that question. I''ll need to take on Mystic Knight, too, since that''s the other requirement for those three Classes. What about Blood Knight? The fuck is that?" "Mystic Knight," he tells me. "And Blood Priest, both at Level 41." "Ah," I say. "Yeah, no one could tell me how to get that one when I was looking into it before." "Zack," he says. "You don''t have any of those base Classes." "I don''t?" I frown. "Nik, I have Demon, remember? That''s enough for Hell Knight to show up, and since Demonic Knight is listed for one of its requirements, I can view its requirements. Unfortunately, the others are Rank 2 Classes, so they don''t show up. Looks like I know what else to work on, now."
You are now a Novice Elemenatlist
+2 Intellect +1 Wisdom
You are now a Mystic Squire
+1 Strength +2 Intellect
Oh, right. I haven''t changed my Primary Class yet, either, so I swap Demon out for Dark Paladin as well. It''s not like it actually changes anything other than what''s displayed on my Status, but it''s the principle of the matter. There we go, all done. Now I can work on Novice Elementalist and Mystic Squire. As long as I learn the appropriate Skills for Elementalist, once it and Mystic Squire are up to Tier 5 Level 1, I''ll have three new Classes available.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. And since these are Rank 1 Classes right now, I''ll be Leveling them a lot faster than I''ll be Leveling Dark Paladin. That means more stats, and more likelihood for my survival against the Dragon. I still need to learn the Barrier trick from the Fallen Adventurers, though. Or at least, practice it. I kind of forgot I learned Barrier, which is weird, because it''s one of my newer Skills. I remember my older ones just fine. Hell, I trained Barrier until it was Level 10. Finding myself running my fingers through my hair, I stop and shake my head. "Everything alright, Zack?" Nik asks. "Yeah," I answer. "I''m just forgetting stuff, it seems." "You need to take a rest," he tells me. "An actual rest." "I can''t," I shake my head. "I need to prepare for the battle. We still need to figure out who the brothers are. Big S refuses to give any hints, and that''s frustrating me and stressing me out. Anyway, I''m going to head to Big Breeze''s temple. I want to see if maybe the memory issues has to do with the scarring on my inner crystal. I know he said I should be fine for awhile, even more so with each subsequent Ascension, but one can never be too certain. See you, Nik." I close my eyes and warp myself into Big Breeze''s temple, sensing no one but him around. With that verified, I open my eyes and look at the avatar of the ancient force. "Can you-" "Chaos told me while you were saying it," he says. "Tunic off, and remember, don''t look inward, it only makes you feel even more disturbed." Nodding, I pull off my tunic and hold it at my side, closing my eyes as Big Breeze starts poking and prodding me. It takes a lot of effort to not squirm as I feel his probes against my inner Crystal and as he tickles me in an attempt to get me to squirm. When he finishes his check, he returns to his altar, and I pull my tunic back on. "So?" I ask, and he runs his fingers through his hair. "You''re fine," he tells me. "Your inner crystal still has the scar, as I''m sure you''ve noticed when you meditate upon it to merge it better, but it''s healed a bit more. It''s not affecting your memory Zack." "I don''t normally forget stuff like that," I tell him. "What''s wrong?" "Stress," he says. "That''s what''s wrong with you, Zack. You''re stressing yourself out too much. You need to take a few days to calm down and relax. Get a nice massage, as Nik suggested. The beastborn aren''t the only masseuses around, you know." "I can''t-" "Take a couple of days off of training," he tells me. "That doesn''t mean you need to stop other preparations, though. But seriously, Zack. I know you just took on two new Classes, which you''ll have some swift Leveling in, especially compared to Dark Paladin, but no training for two days. You are pushing both your body and mind extremely hard, Zack. It''s affecting your mental state. Next, you''ll start hallucinating. Paranoia will set in. Then-" "I got it," I sigh. "I''ll probably just-" "Get more stressed," he says. "Because you aren''t training in preparation. That''s why I said to do other stuff. You''ve been helping Blaine make potions, Jackson''s taught you some smithing, you''ve sat in on several war meetings. I''m sure you can find something to do to help. Like, say, help Blaine and the other alchemists prepare potions as a stockpile for the war. I know you ordered those potions brought in from deeper in." "Yeah," I answer. "And we''re already having a lot of potions brought in for the battle. We have several entire warehouses just full of crates of potions, ready to be distributed to everyone who''ll be participating in the battle." For free, because the battle is that important. Taxes were raised elsewhere to pay for the resources and manpower necessary to create the tens of thousands of high-quality potions. They''re beyond my current level of creation, too. "But I won''t really be helpful with that," I tell him. "I''m still just an amateur. Hell, I didn''t even take on the Subclass because it wasn''t really necessary. Unless I spent all my time from now until the battle making potions, I won''t really be able to contribute." "And yet potions you make now," he says. "Can be sold to Adventurers who are training right now. That''s helping, in a way." "Right," I sigh. "I can do that, I guess. Thanks, Big Breeze." "Get some sleep, too," he tells me. "None of this ''I''m staying up half the night for war prep and training'' stuff you''ve been doing." "But-" "No," he says. "That''s an order, Zack. Chaos and Seal are in agreement on this. Even Wisdom pushes for it. You are putting too much stress on yourself, you are attempting to shoulder too much." "If I don''t drive away the Dragon-" "We have faith in you," he tells me. "And as Seal told you, the brother who could take the tide in favor of Alexander is his enemy. For good. I cannot foresee a reason he would join with Alexander after everything that has happened to him." "You know who he is?" I ask. "Who?" "I can only suspect," he tells me. "Seal refuses to even hint, but¡­ after realizing that the brothers were in the Boundary, I began to suspect who they were, as impossible as it is for them to be the brothers." "What does that mean?" "You''ll find out," he tells me. "If they turn out to be the actual brothers. That much is a guarantee. I''m sending you back to the Dark Temple, Zack. Get some rest, and for the next two days, no training, and actual sleep." "You are Intellect," I say. "You should know better than any-" "I am fully aware of that," he says. "But that does not mean you cannot try, Zack. Goodbye, and rest." I find myself back in the room I found Nik in, only he''s alone this time, looking over a paper. "Where''d the other one go?" I ask. "Back to bed," he tells me. "Which I''m about to do as well. Did he find out what was wrong?" "He says I need to rest for a couple of days," I answer. "Actually rest. I don''t know if I can handle that, though." "You can try," he says. "Do you need anything else, before you get some sleep?" "No," I answer. "Wait. Maybe. What do you think of my team''s progress?" He sighs. "You shouldn''t stress yourself over that, Zack," he says. "At the rate they''re going, they will destroy the Goblin Chieftain before the deadline, as you would word it. They may not be as fast as you, but they are quick to Level. I am sure that by the time they go to face it, even if that''s in two weeks from now, you could double the difficulty, and they would defeat it with ease. Braden is rather close to being able to take on Druid as well, from what I know. I don''t believe the other three have a viable combination for a Rank 2 Class, though." "That probably won''t bother them too much," I say. "Since Druid will take a little longer to Level, even if it increases more Stats with each Level." "Brandon," he says. "Theorizes that Braden may be a natural Druid. That means he may have an easier time Leveling Druid than you would expect. That it would come to him more naturally than the others." "Then Luca might get a bit jealous," I say. "And Max might train a bit more seriously to ''catch up''. As for Gavin¡­ he may try to take on Paladin again when he''s able to take on a third Class." "Are you going to try to run interference on that again?" "Yes," I answer. "Gavin might have a degree of discipline that''s respectable-" "Amusing, coming from you." "But he has the wrong mindset," I say. "He feels heavy jealousy and is easily annoyed. A Paladin must learn to take such feelings, push them down, and focus on what''s important when it comes to a fight. He will subconsciously hinder his own growth." Part of the reason Paladin and Dark Knight aren''t Rank 2 or higher is because they aren''t just Leveled by Skill applications. Mindset is a huge part of it, too. Paladins must remain calm and focused, even when their anger rises. They must act for the better of the team rather than the individual. Failure to do that hinders their growth. For a Dark Knight, they must be willing to sacrifice themselves, to take injuries or even death, to protect others, to slay the beast, to do what is necessary. Failure to do that will hinder growth. "I''ll try to steer him into Elementalist or another knight-based Class," I tell Nik. "If he goes Elementalist, then he''ll be able to take on one of the Rank 2 Elemental Knights. He''ll probably go the earth route, so it would be a Stone Knight. That should help him with his discipline." "¡­who suggested this to you?" "I mean, I only now knew about the tendencies," I say. "So I didn''t know that a Stone Knight actually existed. I came up with it on my own." "Someone suggested you try to stall him," he says. "I can see it in your eyes, Zack." "I was going to, anyway," I mutter. "Zack¡­" "Travis, Peter, and Nathan." Three of the most powerful Paladins in the Boundary, all of whom want to keep Gavin from going Paladin until he learns to control his negative emotions and won''t allow them to affect him in battle. "Alright," he says. "Now go get some rest." "Yeah, yeah," I roll my eyes. I really was going to stall Gavin on that. I can see him as a Paladin, but thought that he needs more discipline, first. Chapter 0148 (Luca) Lord Zack never returned last night. Everyone else fell back asleep, but I stayed up, hoping to see him return. Even Kit fell asleep, after chasing Max away. For the sixth time. And then I bopped Max on the head, so he went up to his bed and went back to sleep. Right now, I''m fixing myself breakfast, because everyone else is asleep. Blueberries, grapes, strawberries, sausage slices, cheese slices, crackers, bananas, and a mango. I found a mango, and it looked strange, so I bought it. And now I''m going to get to try it. I finish setting up my breakfast, then remember to grab some milk to drink, too. Everything ready, I dig in. The mango is alright. I bet it''d taste better with some of that delicious, sweet cream Lord Zack makes. I smear it on all of my fruit when he gives it to us. Maybe that''s why he doesn''t give it to us much? He says it''s meant for fruit, but then rarely gives it to us when we have fruit. Something about it having too much sugar in it. I don''t get that, the fruit already has a lot of sugar, doesn''t it? He said that when he said the cream had too much sugar in it. As I eat, Sir Nik shows up, but he doesn''t have Lord Zack this time. Strange. Usually, if Lord Zack isn''t here and Sir Nik shows up, Sir Nik is carrying Lord Zack. So this is very strange. And why does he look so amused? "Good morning, Luca," Sir Nik greets me from the entryway, and I wave at him. "May I enter?" I nod as I shove a handful of grapes in to my mouth, then bite off a piece of strawberry for some extra delicious flavor. "Zack is at the Dark Temple," Sir Nik tells me as I chew. "He''s taking a two-day break from training and is helping do other stuff in that time, to help rest his body a bit." I bet Sir Nik had to tie up Lord Zack to get him to take a break, but he''s not telling us that Lord Zack is tied up because that would be weird. Did they draw on his face, too? I drew on Max''s face. "So," Nik says. "You guys won''t be seeing Zack for a couple of days." Yeah, they definitely tied him up and drew on his face. I bet he''ll wiggle his way out, then draw on their faces. Because he''s Lord Zack, and that''s the sort of thing he''d do. He might even tie them all up. "Luca, dampen down your imagination for a few minutes," Sir Nik tells me. "As you won''t be seeing Zack for a few days, the four of you are free to do as you please, but we do recommend you''re careful about what you do if you leave Maelnor. Can you pass that on to the others?" I nod as I shove some crackers, cheese, and mango into my mouth and start chewing. "Thanks," he says. "Enjoy your couple of days without Zack, Luca." Nah. It probably won''t be as enjoyable as it would be if Lord Zack where here. I wave at him, and he leaves. I wash my food down with some milk, then resume eating. After I finish eating, I wash out my cup, then decide on what to do for today. I want to train with my new Class, since I''m sure I''ll gain some decent Levels in it. Yeah, I should do that, which means going out into the fields. Should I go up against some slimes? Or should I go into the forest and battle some goblins? The forest also has wolves and spiders, though, so I''m not sure. Well, the wolves and spiders live deeper in, so I should be fine. Okay! I know what I''m doing! After checking my Inventory to make sure I have enough food for today, I head out. I feel like there was something I was supposed to do before I left, but that''s okay. I''ll figure it out if it''s important, and if not, well, there''s a reason I forgot it in the first place. I leave Maelnor through the South Gate. Most of the money slimes here are already dead, so they''ve been repopulating with the normal variety of them. Perfect! I make my way to a secluded section of these fields, ignoring the slimes that want to fight. They give up if I run fast enough. The best section for me to train without others noticing me is near the furthest southern edge of the fields, by Lake Naelmar. It looks pretty, and if it weren''t so chilly, I bet I''d want to swim in it. Sadly, it''s full of monsters. Lord Zack could probably swim in it and get ignored by all the monsters. They''d all flee to the other side of the lake just when he showed up! Yeah, he''s awesome. I want to be like that, so I need to train! After making sure my cloak is fixed on right, I adjust my grip on my staff, then look around. Found a Flame Slime! Level 1, too. I hold out my left hand, and a ball of water forms, then blasts forward, slamming into the Flame Slime. Insta-kill. Damn. I need to fight something stronger. Oh, right. Flame Slimes receive double damage from water spell Skills. Duh. Water Slime! Hah! That one took the attack and tried absorbing it, since it was made of water. Sadly, I still killed it in just two attacks. Oh, right. 151 Intellect is a fair bit more than a Level 1 normal slime variety, even if the attack only does twenty percent of that as damage. I suppose I could go after the Level 5''s. Found one! I blast it, and it takes more than two hits hits to kill. Nice! Ooh! More are coming my way! Yay! I use Water Jet to blast the monsters, remembering a bit too late that I need to Level Water Ball first. Water Jet is already at Level 4 because of me using it in Talorn, and so I can hit Tier 2 of Elementalist once I get the Experience for it and Water Ball is Level 3. Heck, I don''t even need to Level Water Jet until I''m reaching for Tier 4, since Tier 3 needs it at Level 3.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. With that in mind, I return to using Water Ball at every Slime I can, regardless of its Level. I have plenty of Mana to use, and it recovers nicely. Even if I run out, I''ll be able to use a new Water Ball every ten seconds. Less than that, but I''m not Lord Zack or Max, I can''t just do decimals in my head when figuring out stuff like that. Plus, I still have potions leftover from Lord Zack''s supply of them. He probably stole them all. That, or just looked at the alchemist or shopkeeper and just got shoved a few crates of them. How many did he get, anyway? I got the feeling he had plenty more leftover after the Candy Beast, since he shoved a bunch on Gold and Aurum when he thought we weren''t looking. Focus, Luca! Back to work! Eek! Something hit me in the back! I turn around and glare at the slime. Oh, it''s an Elite Fire Slime. Time to die, punk! No shooting me in the back! Holding out my hand, I begin blasting it with Water Ball after Water Ball. This is my turf, you stupid slime! No attacking me! The Elite Flame Slime doesn''t just sit there and take my attacks. It moves around, shoots fire at me, even throws a few Fireballs, too. But my cloak is pretty protective, and I can block most of the ones going at my face and hands. Hehe. One just hit me in the face. It only took out 10 Health. That''s awesome! I have 166 Willpower, so that means it only has around 150 Intellect! That''s around the same as me! A real fight! A battle of the mages! Time to die! We continue shooting attacks at each other, the Elite Flame Slime moving in a circle around me. A Heal Slime shows up and heals it a bit, but I kill that with a Water Jet, then return to attacking the Flame Slime. Mostly, I just turn in a circle. Whenever my Health drops to half, I use Heal to bring it back up. I only have 220 Health, so that''s over-restoring. It takes me almost four minutes to kill the stupid thing. Stupid, stupid thing! But I got some nice stuff from it. What the heck is a Fire Shard? I pull it out of my Inventory. It''s about as long as my middle finger. The one on my left hand. It''s about half as thick as my finger, and tapers off a little towards the ends. The Fire Crystal is a bit like a crystal, as its name implies, and it''s reddish and orangish at all once. It''s also warm to the touch. I use Appraisal on it, so I can read its information. Yay! It''s showing up! Fire Shard A shard of a flame crystal, which can be used to imbue items with a flame or heat enchantment, or fused with other Fire Shards to make a Fire Crystal. Is it edible? No, it''s not edible. It also nearly burned my tongue. Hm. Maybe I should try to get a Water Crystal? Or several Water Shards to make one? That sounds like a lot of work, though. But I want a Water Crystal for a new staff. Put it at the top, and boom! A proper wizard''s staff! Those are in the stories Lord Zack tells us. That, and ones Sir Travis had for me to read while we were training. Boo-ya! Killed another slime! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! I am the master of this region! Everything must die! Eeek! That''s definitely a Bounty Beast! It''s named! And it''s looking right at me! Eeek! Run away! Run away! As I run, I remember something. Water Ball now does sixty percent of my Intellect as damage, while Water Jet does one hundred percent. But if I give myself a Blessing of Intellect¡­ I will do even more damage! Hah! Blessing of Intellect! Now¡­ Water Jet! I spin and use Water Jet, blasting the Bounty Beast slime. It continues advancing, and I allow Water Jet to run for the full eight seconds it can with it being at Level 4. When the attack stops, I look at the damage notification.
Target -0 Health
Noooo! Abort! Abort! I take off running again. Ruuuuuun!
(Gavin) Where in the Boundary did Luca run off to? Kit was sleeping when he woke up, it seems, and I don''t think Zack returned ¨C Max said he can''t smell Zack''s recent tracks. I''m assuming that means he can''t pick up a scent from Zack newer than the last time we saw him. Max did manage to track Luca''s scent a little, but then he lost it because Luca traveled through a pretty well-traveled area, and people have been moving around through it since Luca passed by. That disrupted the trail, I guess. "I think I know where Luca went," Braden says. "Where?" I ask, then follow his gaze. It''s towards the southern portion of the City. Towards the walls, actually. "What''s that way?" "Fields," Braden answered. "And a place where we wouldn''t go to train. I think Luca''s working on his new Class in private." "Oh, no," I realize. The three of us look at each other as horror sets in, then we take off running through Maelnor, getting to the fields as soon as possible. "Luca!" Max exclaims, dropping to all-fours and taking off. "Wait up!" I exclaim as he advances far ahead of us. I have to use Dash, but can''t keep up with him. He''s got five or six times my Agility. Braden does, too. Suddenly, I find myself hoisted up by the ranger, who slings me over his shoulder as he follows after Max. His breathing gets heavy fast, but he sets me down once we reach Max. Braden bends over, resting his hands on his knees as he catches his breath. He''s not that strong, even if he''s strong. Running with weight is different than simply running, after all, and he''s not used to that. We look at Max, who is staring at a pile of slimes in confusion. There are around forty of them just piled up on each other twenty yards away, a giant Earth Slime just sitting there behind the pile, staring at it.
Su''Numal Level 25
Health: 9,472 Mana: 12,863
"Uh¡­" I say. "Let''s not get any closer." "Max smell Luca!" Max points at the slime pile. "What?" I ask. "Luca!" Max points at the pile. "I think he''s saying Luca''s under that pile," Braden says. "Yeah!" Max explains as horror fills me again. "Luca has that cloak," Braden says. "Those are all regular and regular elemental slimes. Nothing too powerful. If he''s wrapped himself up completely in the cloak, he''s safe. Only the Bounty Beast poses a threat to him, but it looks like it''s annoyed by the others jumping on top of Luca." Why was Luca on the ground, though? Unless he tripped or something. He doesn''t have much stamina, so he must have just collapsed while running from Su''Numal. That thing has got to be a lot more powerful than us. "What should we do?" I ask. "Easy!" Max exclaims excitedly, pulling off his tunic and sending it into his Inventory. "Get messy!" He charges forward, running with just his feet as he holds his right arm back, hand cupped as if holding something thick. "Flame Lance!" A lance of fire forms over his palm, and when he takes another step forward, Max flings the lance forward, and it soars straight at the Earth Slime, which notices just in time for the lance to pass over the slime pile. Chapter 0149 (Gavin) Max''s attack didn''t actually take out any Health, despite burning away a fair portion of Su''Numal''s ooze. That doesn''t deter him from attacking again, even as the massive slime recovers from that damage. "Braden, help Max!" I call. "I''ll free Luca!" I''m the best choice for that, since I can control my attacks a bit better than they would. One wrong move, and we might hurt Luca, especially with Max''s stronger attacks. That cloak is protective, but it has its limits on how much it can handle. As Braden begins his assault with Max, I charge over to the slimes. Some of them are Heal Slimes, and they''re restoring Su''Numal''s Health the few times Max and Braden actually do some damage, their attacks going deeper into it than just a few inches. Drawing my sword, I activate Stun Blade and slash, striking several of the Heal Slimes. If I can''t see Luca, then I''m safe to swing as long as I attack horizontally or don''t go further than the Slime I''m striking. As I Stun the slimes, several of them attack me, forcing me to dodge and move around. I use Stun Blade again as I fight, though, as disabling the ones I don''t kill is the best option here. Slowly, I manage to kill off the slimes, turning them to ooze and inert, broken cores. After four minutes, I can finally see Luca''s cloak and something bulging beneath it, no doubt Luca''s body. Curled up, based on the form of the bulge. Seeing him, I start working even harder. Max and Braden are still fighting the big one, too, and I know it''s hurting them with its Stone Spikes. They''re managing to whittle away at its Health, though, now I''ve taken out some of the Heal Slimes. Once I''ve gotten the slimes here killed, I crouch down and start poking around at Luca''s cloak, resulting in him squirming. I manage to find his head and unwrap it, and he gives me a look of relief. "Come on," I help him up. "Max needs some healing." Luca nods, then extends a hand out to Max as I pick up his brother''s staff. Max''s Health increases as Luca takes the staff in his right hand, planting the butt of it firmly on the ground. A few seconds pass, and he moves his hand to Braden, then a few seconds later, to me, granting me the Blessing of Strength. "Thanks," I say, and he nods. "Wind Blade!" I charge towards the massive Stone Slime, which shoots a Stone Spike at me. I dodge to the side as Max throws another Flame Lance, and a short wall of stone rises up from the ground. "Max! Triple hit where I''ll impact!" I call out. "Braden! Make sure its attacks miss me!" I jump up, landing on the Stone Wall, and then I jump again. The monster releases several Stone Spikes at me, which are shot out of my path by Braden''s green Magic Arrows mixed with Lightning Shot, and probably Power Shot, too. Max''s three Flame Lances strike, and for the first time, I really appreciate Max''s aim. With my current momentum, I''m able to pass through the massive gap he created which led straight to the core, driving my sword into it. The core is tough, but with Luca''s Blessing and Wind Blade, plus my current Strength, I''m strong enough to pierce it. Even as the ooze closes in around me, I force my sword in further. The ooze covers me now, suffocating me, and I do my best to pull my sword to the side as the core moves back in an attempt to be freed of my blade. My movement damages it more, however, and with the other damage already dealt to it from my piercing and the little bit Max did to it with his attacks just then, it''s enough to kill it. The next thing I know, I''m missing my chest armor and Max is giving me chest compressions as I cough up slime that tastes like dirt. "Finally!" Max exclaims, his tail wagging. "Me not want do mouth-mouth again. That stuff nasty!" Mouth-mouth? Ah, right. Blowing air into my lungs as part of the resuscitation process. Peter taught me how to do that, and Zack, too. To use when someone''s suffocated or drowned or something. I suppose that counts as drowning. "Thanks," I cough up some more slime. "That was insane," Braden says, his voice a little louder than normal. "Really, really insane, Gavin." "It worked, didn''t it?" "Are you sure you''re a Paladin by nature and not a Dark Knight?" Luca asks. "Because that. Was. AWESOME!"
(Zack) "You can let go of me now." Nik releases me, and I sit on the edge of the City Wall, dangling my feet over it. Nik does the same beside me. We were watching the incident with my team, observing how they handled it. Nik noticed that Luca had, ah, departed earlier, and decided to bring me here so I could watch Luca train. He wanted to emphasize to me that my team isn''t as fragile as I treat them sometimes. As if forcing me to sit here and watch as Luca ran for his life wouldn''t just add to my stress. Then when Luca fell because he has absolutely nowhere near enough stamina to actually flee from something that can jump twenty feet with a single leap? Yeah. Nik had to physically restrain me, and I''m pretty sure Nathan buffed him with the Blessing of the Crystal to ensure I couldn''t wiggle my way out even if I took on Demon Form. Speaking of that, I smack Nathan on the back of the head for that. He was already seated, and he gives me a grin at the smack. I wanted to get free and go save Luca, but Nik told me there was nothing to worry about, that Luca would manage to get free. The slimes had jumped on him in an attempt to attack him, but he''d managed to wrap himself up in the cloak and pull his head in before they did that. Su''Numal wouldn''t just attack with the slimes on top of him, and after a bit, he''d get bored and leave. The others would eventually leave as well.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. But then the team showed up and got into the fight, with Gavin freeing Luca, before¡­ well, Nik had to restrain me again. Mostly because I wanted to beat some sense into Gavin. There were a dozen other ways they could have won that fight! At least! And he went the route that could have killed him! "Are you sure I can''t go and smack him around?" "Yes," Nik answers as Nathan hands me a box of candy. "Thanks," I accept it, and he nods. I hand him a box of candy canes. "Here you go." He nods and takes one out, popping one end into his mouth as I send the candy into my Inventory. "I think Braden''s the only one who''s not covered slime goo," I comment. Then Max runs over and gives Braden a hug. "Never mind."
(Braden) "Max!" I shove Max off of me. "Seriously? What was that for?" "You need be covered slime, too, so that we all be take a bath together!" Max tells me. "It not be fair you not get dirty and not need a bath! Now you be needing a bath!" I want to punch Max for that. We have to scrub our clothes clean of this slime ooze, too, or it will stain. It probably will stain, even with that. Zack says the soap we use can work wonders, but I''m pretty sure there''s a limit to that. Slime ooze is definitely different from blood. Max picks up Gavin''s armor as Gavin helps Luca back into the robe, then the four of us return to Maelnor and hurry home, Gavin carrying Luca on his back. No one spares us much of a glance despite our state, probably because a lot of people end up covered in something after their training. Though I''m sure Zack has the record for the most gore on him after a training session. Sometimes, I cannot help but wonder if he''s doing that on purpose. Then I remember that his fighting style is up-close-and-personal with the monsters, and he often uses his hand to rip off heads or rip out hearts. That his attacks are nearly all close-range and put him right in range for sprays and spurts. We reach the house and head straight for the bathing room and strip down. As I gather everything up to take to the laundry room, Kit shows up with a basket, missing a tunic. He gives me a confused look, then looks down at the basket. He came to collect the clothes to wash them for us, and probably had his tunic off to avoid getting slime goop on it. "Here," I drop the clothes into the basket. "And be very careful with Luca''s cloak, okay? You won''t get into trouble if something goes wrong, but it means a lot to him. It belonged to his brother, before a monster killed him." Kit gives me a solemn nod. "Thanks," I tell him. "And Kit, we normally do our own laundry, that''s why I was going to take them all to the room. I was just going to have them soaking in hot water while we bathed." He nods, and I can tell by his expression that he knows that wouldn''t have been the best, even if it was better than letting them just sit like that. "Thanks, though," I tell him, then drop my voice. "And I won''t blame you if you don''t ever take a bath if Max is taking one. He can be a bit crazy." Kit gives me a shy smile before quickly correcting it. He leaves, and I scrub down. Gavin scrubs the ooze off of my back. I know the others usually scrub each other''s backs, but I usually prefer doing it myself. This time, though, with Max having dropped slime goop down my tunic when he hugged me, it''s best if someone helps me there, to ensure it all gets off. If I miss even the tiniest bit, it will itch hours past after it''s removed. Luca''s having fun washing Max''s tail and ears, because there is a lot of slime goop in his fur, so it''s a chore to get out. After Gavin finishes my back, I do his, then I scrub my hair clean as Gavin scrubs his own hair clean. He has it as bad as Max does. That was really, really crazy, what he did. I rinse off and sit in the bath, then Gavin climbs in, then Max and Luca, the four of us scrubbed-clean of slime goop and ready to soak for a little bit. "Why did you leave Maelnor, Luca?" I ask. "You aren''t a fighter." "I wasn''t leaving the fields," Luca says. "And Lord Zack''s big book says that slimes will get bored if their target is hidden or too fast for them, and then just give up and leave." "Why were you in the fields?" I ask. "Why did you leave without us?" "I was going for a walk," he tells me. "And then that thing showed up and said ''hi''. So I ran. Then I fell and hid myself in my cloak, because I was exhausted." "Luca, why did you go into the fields?" I ask. "Because it''s a beautiful day for a walk." "You were training your new Class." "It''s not a combat Class." "Luca be lying," Max whispers to me. "I know," I whisper back, and Luca''s face reddens. "We''re not going to try to get you to tell us what your new Class is," Gavin tells Luca. "We know you want to keep it a secret for now. However, you really shouldn''t sneak out like that. Max said that Zack hadn''t returned yet, and what if he''d come back and found you gone? We know you wouldn''t do something exceptionally stupid, but-" "I was fine," Luca tells Gavin. "The only thing that challenged me there was the big one. I didn''t know he was there, he must be new. He wasn''t on the Bounty Boards last I checked. I check them a lot." So he felt confident he could handle the slimes in the fields, and probably the rats, too, if any tried to bother him. That explains why he went out. What''s his new Class, though? Definitely a magic-based Class. I can''t see Luca doing anything but magic. "Oh!" His eyes widen. "That''s what I was forgetting. Sir Nik came by and said that Lord Zack is staying at the Dark Temple for a couple of days, and that we''re free to do our own thing. I knew I was forgetting something when I left." "Zack is doing what?" Gavin asks. "I think Sir Nik tied him up so that he''d stop abusing his body and get some rest." Chances are, Zack is probably just resting with supervision. I know Brandon has voiced a concern about how hard Zack has been pushing himself lately, and I''ve noticed how exhausted he seems, even if he does his best to hide it. Get better, Zack. Rest up and recover a little. "Psst," Max nudges Gavin''s arm. "Yes?" Gavin looks at him. "RAWR!" Max lifts up the wooden dog toy, startling Gavin. I do not blame Kit if he never takes another bath with Max again. As Gavin gives in and plays with Max using a wooden bear toy that came from nowhere, Kit reenters the bath and sneaks Luca''s staff away, probably to clean it off as well. Luca doesn''t seem to notice, which is a first. If his staff gets too far away from him, he freaks out. I hope Kit can return it without Luca noticing it''s missing.
(Luca) Stop looking at me like that, Braden. I know Kit took the staff, and I''m trying not to think about it, but you looking at me so much is only making me think about it more. I know he just wants to clean it so that it''s nice and ready for me to use again, without having to get slime goop on me again. Because of that, I''m thinking about other stuff in an attempt to keep my mind off the fact that Kit took the staff. Like how I''m going to sneak back out to train some more. After the incident with Su''Numal, there''s no way the team is going to let me out of their sight. They''ll be scared I''ll get into a mess again. Oh, and we still need to collect the bounty on it. It''s probably only a few silver. Hrm. Is there a way I can steal that from my team? I did all the work in luring it to them and I''m the one who lured all those slimes to one spot for Gavin to kill. Not my fault he can''t advance his Classes. Chapter 0150 (Gavin) "And can you split that four ways?" I ask Jesse. "Of course, Gavin!" He responds. Now that I know this is all just an act by him, I can handle the annoyance a lot better. "Five silver each!" He reaches under the counter, then hands man four silver coins valued at five silver apiece. After confirming them, I give one to each of my teammates, ignoring Luca''s pouting. We all know he was trying to slip away so he could claim the entire reward for himself. I don''t think he thought that through, though, because he''s currently hiding behind Max, holding onto Max''s tail as a way of comforting himself. Jesse still creeps him out. "Thanks," I tell Jesse. "Have a good day." "You, too, boys!" Jesse waves, then we leave. As we reach the door, Luca stops and looks at Jesse. "Pervert!" He then hurries out of the Trading Post as Max giggles. Luca definitely did that because Zack wasn''t around to call Jesse that. Does he know that Zack does it as part of bantering? "I''m going to see if I can''t get a quality sword commissioned," I tell the team. "With the Candy Ingots, I should be able to. After that, I''m going to work on Mystic Knight a bit. I need to learn a new Skill with it to bring it up to Tier 3, and I can''t advance General until I have enough Mana for Warrior''s Might." "I''m going to work on Skills, too," Braden says. "I need one for Warden to advance, then I''ll work on Elementalist a bit." "Max be need raise Skills," Max tells us. "So me be going and hunting! Me do it alone." "I would rather train alone," Braden tells me. "We can all handle ourselves in the woods, for the most part." He looks at Luca, then frowns, and I realize that he looked at where Luca was. Luca''s gone. "Max," I say. "Do you know where Luca went." "He walked off." I sigh, rubbing my temples. Maybe we should have told Max to keep Luca from leaving. He''s smart, but he doesn''t always think things through. He knows we don''t want Luca off on his own after that, and he doesn''t want Luca off on his own after that, but he didn''t think about keeping Luca from wandering off. "Zack probably has people watching us, to make sure we don''t get into too much trouble," I say. "Especially if word got back to him about the incident with Su''Numal." And we all know word will have gotten back to him. Beastborn no doubt saw us hurrying through the City both directions, which means that word will have reached Zack. In fact, I''m pretty sure Max told some of the beastborn we passed about the fight, even if I have no way to actually confirm that. "Let''s go do our stuff," I say, and Braden nods. Max takes off, and I walk down to the crafting district and locate a quality smithing shop that''s probably not too far out of my reach. It''s not Jackson''s, but I''m no Zack. When he started here, Jackson was the only blacksmith in town, and now¡­ he''s Zack. He can do whatever he wants. When I enter the blacksmith''s, I have to wait a minute for the smith, a huge, burly man, to finish what he''s working on and dip it in a barrel of what looks like oil. He gives me an appraising look. "You''re the Gavin who''s on Zack''s team?" He asks. I nearly ask how he knows my name, then realize that he probably has a higher Overall Level than me, enough of one where I can''t see his Level. That means that if he has Appraisal, he''s guaranteed to see my name. Plus, there aren''t many youth here in Maelnor. "I am," I answer. "I was hoping I could get a sword made?" "With the Candy Ingots you earned," he nods. "Zack came by not long ago, said to direct you to Jackson''s forge if you showed up. Said to tell you he left something for you there." What would Zack have left at Jackson''s forge? And I''m sure that Zack came by all of the shops and forges, as even with his sight, he probably couldn''t be too sure on which one I''d go to. "Thank you," I tell the smith, then make my way to Jackson''s forge. Inside, there''s a woman behind the counter and no one in line. I''m betting he has fewer customers now that he''s exclusively working with the top-tier stuff due to the influx of powerful Adventurers here. "Hello, Gavin," she greets me. "Jackson will make you a sword if you pay five gold, supply the Candy Ingot, and allow him to keep what''s leftover. He can color it to whatever style you want." "Can he make it brown with grey accents?" I ask. "And why did Zack want me to come here? The smith said that Zack said Jackson had something for me?" "Zack left behind a Primordial Essence for your sword," she tells me, and I feel my eyes widen. That''s rare and expensive. Beyond belief. At least, for me. "For a little extra power. He also acquired some Magic Crystals for the sword, to allow it to work with your Blade Skills better." Even if the sword won''t be near anywhere close to Zack''s equipment, the addition of Primordial Essence will still make it a lot better than my current gear. I pull out one of the Candy Ingots. This one is pale blue in color, though they come in various colors, just like candy. I also pull out five gold, then hand both to her.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Does this mean that we''re getting the powerful equipment that Zack and Nik had mentioned to us in Talorn, then? "Jackson will drop it off at your house when it''s ready," she informs me. "Zack has stuff left for Max as well. It should be a few days before it''s ready, he wants to get what he can out of the way before he works on another set of equipment for someone." "Another set?" I ask. "Yes," she smiles. "All of the Master Blacksmiths are gathering to work on it as well." Didn''t they forge something for Zack? I''ve heard rumors of that, but if they have, Zack has kept it a secret. Was it gear for the coming battle? What are they making now? "Alright," I say. "Thank you, ma''am. Have a good day." "You as well," she tells me, then I leave. With that out of the way, I exit Maelnor through the western gate and make my way to the woods. Max probably went straight north, while Braden probably traveled a little west into the woods for his hunting, but from the north gate, where we usually train. Entering the woods this way, I should avoid them a bit, especially since Luca is probably back in the fields south of Maelnor. I move off the path after a few minutes of walking in the woods, then begin looking for a goblin to fight. As I do, I think about my options for a Tier 3 blade Skill. I only know of three: Lightning Blade, Light Blade, and Dark Blade. There isn''t really anything around here that can actually be affected by the latter two, which means they''d Level slowly. As for Lightning Blade, I feel as if I would be stealing some of Braden''s thunder if I learned that. But it''s also my best bet for Leveling Mystic Knight, and I need to, to get stronger. Giving up on picking, I choose Lightning Blade and learn it, focusing the same way I do when learning other blade Skills. It only takes me a few moments to acquire the Skill.
New Skill!
Lightning Blade Active
Enchant your sword with the power of lightning, sheathing your blade in it for several seconds.
Lightning Damage: 15% of your Intellect per Level of this Skill
Duration: 20 seconds per Level of this Skill
Cost: 250 Mana
A bit pricey in terms of Mana, especially since it''s only triple the Intellect power of a same-Level Tier 1 blade Skill, but the facts are, lightning damage can cause both burns and shock if the Intellect is high enough. Light and darkness, as elements, also have extremely specialized circumstances for using, ones which other attacks might not work on at all. Those are probably the reasons why these attacks cost more, but I''m not entirely sure. I let the Skill run out as I check my Skills to find out why Mystic Warrior didn''t advance into Mystic Knight. It only takes me a moment to figure out the cause ¨C Stun Blade is only Level 2, but it needs to be Level 3 for Mystic Knight Tier 3. So I need to work on that a little, too. Moving again, I hunt the forest for a goblin, coming across a duo of them. I should be strong enough to handle them now, even if they''re both Level 3. "Stun Blade," I activate the Skill just as they see me, then I charge forward, my sword clashing against the Goblin Knight''s sword. I strike again, sparring with it and the regular goblin for a moment before I manage to cut the regular goblin, stunning it. With that goblin disabled, I step to the side and stab into its back, killing it as the Goblin Knight strikes at me again. I hold up my arm, allowing the blade to bounce off my vambrace. Raising my sword, I stab at the Goblin Knight, piercing its shoulder. As it freezes up, I stab into its chest, killing it. With how easily I took out those two, I can definitely go up against a few more goblins, just as long as I don''t have to face too many ranged ones. Unless¡­ Holding up a hand, I aim at a nearby tree, focusing and drawing on my inner power. "Stone Spike!" A slender spike of dark brown stone forms in the air in front of my hand, then launches in the direction I''m aiming, hitting the tree. My aim might be a little off, but I can improve that. No! I''m such an idiot. I should have tried for that while we were in Talorn. This is how Luca and I could have dealt with the ranged monsters. How he did it remains a mystery still, but I hope he reveals the secret soon, because it''s bothering me. Not in a bad way, I''m just really curious how the noncombatant member of our team managed to chase off the goblins. Did he throw rocks at it or something? Or moon it. He''s been influenced by Zack too much, so I can see him doing something inappropriate like that, and it scaring off the goblins as a result. Well, I''ll learn eventually. For now, I need to train. I want to gain at least one Level beyond the automatic one I''ll get for Mystic Knight. And I think I''ll take on Elementalist once Mystic Knight is Level 25, so that I can raise my Mana some more. Plus, Zack is right. I''m not suited for a Paladin just yet. I might support my teammates, but I don''t think I could focus on a buffing style just yet. I might still be a bit too new to have the discipline needed to focus on buffing and healing my allies as I fight. Once I have everything up to Tier 5, then I''ll look at if I feel ready to take on Paladin. For now, though, I should focus on Mystic Knight, so I return to hunting down goblins. With pretty much all of the snow melted, it''s easy to travel and see, but that also means there are more directions to keep an eye out from. With the snow, we pretty much just had to stick to the paths made by the monsters, because nothing would really vary from them. Once the trees finish their budding and grow their leaves, this forest will become a lot more dangerous. Far less sunlight will hit the floor of it, limiting sight somewhat, especially at night. It will be easier for monsters to hide. A quintet of goblins come into view, and I move behind a bush, watching them. Two Goblin Knights, plus a Level 5 Frost Goblin and two regular goblins. That should be manageable to me, thought the Frost Goblin does give me some pause. A twig snaps nearby, and I slowly turn my head to look in that direction, hoping that I''ve not been spotted by whatever it was. A quick, sharp movement can attract more attention than a slow movement, I think. When I finally turn my head enough, I see Braden approaching, holding sticks in his hands. He looks ready to break one, but stops when I see him. Swiftly, he moves over to me and crouches beside me, looking at the goblins. He must have decided the goblins wouldn''t notice the snapping twig and did it to alert me of his presence, so that I would not react in a way which would attract the attention of the goblins. "Want some help with this?" He whispers. "No," I whisper back. "I think I can handle this, I''ll probably just take a few hits." "Okay," he whispers. "I thought you were going to be training further north?" "I was hunting something that came this way," he tells me. "Then saw you as I was returning up to where I''d been." "Okay," I respond. "Thanks for the offer. As I said, I should be good." He nods, then starts to leave. "Wait," I whisper, and he stops and looks at me. "Just in case, though?" "I''ll watch," he quickly climbs a nearby tree. "Thanks," I tell him. Chapter 0151 (Braden) "Good job," I tell Gavin as he reluctantly performs his looting of the corpses for money. "However, a word of advice? Try to adapt to the situation." "What do you mean?" He asks. "I thought I did?" "You should have used Flame Blade against the Frost Goblin," I tell him. "That would have been more effective. The more you adapt to the situation, the more you''re willing to learn and understand the flow of battle, the easier you''ll acquire your Levels and Level things up. Your Stun Blade ran out before its effect did, and all you did was use Stun Blade again, because you were focused on Leveling it. I know you''re at a temporary cap, but once you bypass that¡­ you''ll need to do stuff like switch it up to adjust for circumstances, especially in the flow of battle." "Okay," he says. "I suppose that should have been obvious, huh?" "Just remember it," I tell him. "And be careful here, too. Plenty of strong monsters." "Yeah," he stands. "I''m being careful. Are you?" "Very," I nod. "I''m going back to training alone. See you." "Same here," he says. "See you." I begin moving through the woods as I contemplate which of the two Skills for my final archer Tier I''m going to learn. The choices this time are Nature''s Blessing and Shadow Step. The former allows me to perform a blessing which restores Health and Mana over time on the target, while the latter allows me to move between shadows I can see within a certain range. Nature''s Blessing seems like it would be useful, but we already have Luca for healing. The downside to his healing is his lack of ability to restore Mana to use, though. From what I know, though, Zack can do that if we get into a pinch. Dark Knights are apparently able to sacrifice some of their own Mana to restore an ally''s. That means Max will eventually learn it. Except that Max will also need a lot of Mana, since he''s a full-on attacker with a limited pool. Plus, Nature''s Blessing will take awhile to Level, and it doesn''t actually restore all that much in the beginning. Shadow Step is also useful. It''s five yards per Level of the Skill, which means that I can easily warp to another area nearby for a better vantage point, if I see said vantage point and can see a shadow on it. Or even near it. That would cut down on repositioning time by a lot. Coming to a decision, I focus on the shadows nearby as I move, on the shadows of the trees cast by the afternoon sun. On being in the one I''m looking at. It takes me a few minutes to succeed in acquiring the Skill.
New Skill!
Shadow Step Active
Move between two shadows to reach a new location.
Range: 5 yards per Level of this Skill
Cost: 500 Mana
With that obtained, I stand up and focus my power, drawing inwards once more. Why should I pick only one of the two? I can pick both! It takes me a few minutes ago, but I acquire Nature''s Blessing as well.
New Skill!
Nature''s Blessing Active
Grant a temporary blessing upon your allies to help them recover from the fatigue of battle.
Regenerations: +2/second per Level of this Skill
Duration: 20 seconds per Level of this Skill/td>
Cost: 1,000 Mana
There we go! It''s rather weak right now, since it only restores 40 Health and 40 Mana total at the moment, but at maximum Level, it will restore a total of 4,000 Health and 4,000 Mana. That is a ton. I''m also a High Warden now, which is nice. Once my Mana restores, I''ll fight with my elemental spell Skills so that I can advance Elementalist a bit. I still need to learn the Tier 4 Spell for it, but have a little wiggle room for that, since I''m only Level 2 of Tier 3. That does make me wonder what I should do about Tier 5. I''ll probably take on Lightning Prison, even if I want to do Lightning Elemental. While its purpose is purely to defend and trap opponents, it costs 2,000 Mana, which is a lot more feasible than the other Tier 5 lightning spell Skill I know, Lightning Elemental. That costs 5,000 Mana. By the time I''ve trianed enough to hit Tier 5, though, I should have enough Mana for Lightning Prison, I think. Once my Mana is back to full, I head out, stalking through the woods back to the area I was in before, then I begin hunting. I want a wolf, so that I can try for its hide to turn into leather. There are some pretty rare wolves nearby, and I had been chasing one, but it got away somewhere near Gavin. He''ll be fine if it shows back up, though. "Braden," a voice startles me, and I look over to see Brandon there. "Hello, sir," I greet him. "I''m being careful." "I know," he tells me. "I was passing through and saw you attacking the wolf earlier. Looking for a tough hide?" "Yeah," I answer. "Zack already has one prepared for you," he informs me, and I frown. "It''s already tanned and ready to be turned into equipment, just go to the armor maker I use and ask them to make it how you want it." "Alright," I say. "But what do I owe?" "You earned something from the Candy Beast, yes?" He asks, and I nod. "That should be sufficient." "Alright," I say. "I take it Zack did the same for the others?" "Gavin and Max have stuff at Jackson''s," he says. "And Luca¡­ I''m not sure what Zack has ready for him to commission. I should get going. Good hunting." "Thank you," I tell him, then he leaves. If I don''t need to get the hide myself, then I can hunt some stuff that will be a lot easier to track down and kill. Goblin Shamans, Goblin Giants, and Goblin Chieftains are my main targets, now. As I hunt, I notice tracks of goblins. A warrior of some sort, but also not a warrior, based on the impressions in the soil. Nodding, I begin following it, occasionally coming across a weaker goblin, which dies quickly to an Electric Spike. I need to bring that, Shock Bomb, and Lightning Strike up another Level for the next Tier, too, so I''ll work on Electric Spike a bit. After around twenty-seven minutes of hunting, I spot the creature. When I spot it, I assess it. It''s holding a staff of a dark blue coloration that would make it difficult to spot at night. It''s only slightly-pudgy, and wears a glittery black mask with red stones set around its edge, fixed onto its face directly, rather than with a ribbon or string or something. Its loin cloth is pitch-black, too. Even without reading its Status, I know what it is from Zack''s book.
Elite Spook Goblin Level 10
Health: 5,417 Mana: 5,138
Can I take it, can I not? As a High Warden, definitely. I can stack Power Shot and Lightning Shot together for extra powerful damage. Electric Spike does a hundred and twenty percent of my Intellect as damage, while Shock Bomb and Lightning Bolt both do two hundred percent. The latter requires 100 Mana, while Shock Bomb takes 50 Mana, making Shock Bomb the best option for this fight.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. As I move around, trying to take stock of the situation, I determine there are no other goblins nearby. If any come towards me, I should be able to handle the situation. According to Zack''s tome, the majority of Spook Goblins are purely melee fighters. However, they do have several spell Skills at their disposal. One allows them to temporarily turn invisible, another allows them to create Fireballs of orange flames, and another allows them to create a Pumpkin Minion, which is basically just a stronger version of a Pumpkin Slime with a couple of attacks of its own, including Flame Jet. Hm. How did this one manage to survive so long without being killed? Wasn''t Spook Time around five months ago? It must be close to turning into a Bounty Beast, too. From what I know, Adventurers have been regularly coming into the woods to keep monster strength down. Either this one somehow managed to evade notice, or it was intentionally being left alive. Regardless, I''m killing it. I hold up my right hand. "Shock Bomb." A ball of electricity forms in front of my hand, then blasts towards the Spook Goblin as it turns to face me. The monster dodges, but I''m already throwing more Shock Bombs at it in every possible direction it could have run. Several of them strike, the resulting small explosions sending it skidding back a little. The goblin twirls its club, the sign noted in Zack''s book that it''s going to summon Pumpkin Minions, so I throw more Shock Bombs at it, stopping it from summoning the Pumpkin minions. It snarls at me then slaps its chest and disappears. I turn my gaze to the ground and follow the slight disturbances in the soil, throwing Shock Bombs at it as the monster attempts to attack me. A few of them connect, a few, my aim is off. The attacks do slow it down, though, which allowsme to move out of its path, forcing it to readjust its aim. The Spook Goblin''s invisibility lasts for a full minute, and only once it can be seen again does it attempt to throw Fireballs at me. Those are relatively easy to dodge with my Agility, though, so they aren''t an issue. All I have to do is keep from being hit while striking it with Shock Bombs, and I can kill it. Keeping distance is easy for me, because of my Agility. I''m clearly faster than it, so all I have to do is keep it in my range and stop its Pumpkin Minion summons, and I''ll be good. The fight drags on, and my Mana starts to dip low, but I eventually manage to kill it.
+1 Spook Ingot
Oh, nice. I earned a drop. They become more likely at Elite and Bounty Beast for some beasts, especially Special Monsters sand Holiday Monsters. Killing that also net me three Levels to Elementalist, though it was really two Levels and just a little bit more. I also earned another Shock Bomb Level, so now I just need to Level up Electric Spike and Lightning Bolt, plus learn a Tier 4 lightning Spell Skill, and I''ll be ready to advance to Tier 4 of Elementalist once I reach Level 10. What should I do with the Spook Ingot, though? Actually, I could probably have it mixed with the Candy Ingot and added to some of the leather armor I''ll have made, and have a new knife made. But then, wouldn''t it be best just to have it made out of the Spook Ingot? Yeah, it would. The Candy Ingot has the same strength, durability, and other properties of the Spook Ingot that are not ''special'' properties. I''m about to return to hunting when I remember my initial thought with the Spook Goblin. Immediately, I turn and run back to Maelnor, following my sense for its direction as I go. When I reach the gate, I head inside, then hastily make my way down to the Trading Post. I don''t run, though. Even if it''s urgent, it probably isn''t that urgent. When I enter the Trading Post, I pause for a moment when I see Jesse alone, but then remember what Brandon told me. It''s all an act he puts on to disarm customers and make them think he''s not as good as he really is. Not as dangerous and perceptive as he really is. I approach the counter. "Hi." "Hi there, Braden!" He smiles. "What can I do for you today?" "Zack says you''re one of the people in charge of all the battle prep and management of what''s going on in the area." "That''s right!" Jesse tells me. "Why? Did you have a question?" "Are you guys intentionally allowing Elites and Bounty Beasts to form in the forest?" His expression immediately turns serious. "No," his voice is a lot deeper. Wow. I thought Zack was messing with us when he said that. "If you''re asking this, Braden, it''s not a normal monster, is it?" "It was a Spook Goblin." "Stay here," he goes into the back, coming out a moment later in black and dark blues, a black cloak around him. A woman came out as well. "Take me there." The woman stays behind as I lead Jesse out of the Trading Post and to where I found the Spook Goblin, its corpse still there. I forgot to loot it. "And this was an Elite?" He asks. "Yes, sir." He nods, then examines the corpse. "It must have been around eighty percent of the way to the Bounty Beast stage," he tells me, and I frown. "After reaching Level 5, it has to wait fifteen weeks to hit Elite Status. From there, it''s another twenty-five weeks. It''s been around five months, or twenty weeks. However, you can see by its form that it had developed muscles under its fat, and that its fat was fading. A sign that it was soon to morph into a Bounty Beast. You did well to kill it on your own." It was gaining Levels from more than just time. "Thank you," I say. "That also means it''s been killing a fair few monsters in the area," he tells me. He stands and examines the area, then follows our fight back to where its trail to here can be found. He kneels down and examines it. "There are Adventurers regularly clearing out the forest," he says. "Looking for any monsters to ensure new Bounty Beasts don''t form. For a Spook Goblin to live this long, it was intentional. Zack likely missed it when he was still training here, but our sweeps should have caught it." "Someone probably also chased monsters to it, so it could gain more Levels," I say. "Yes," he looks at me. "And we have the forest separated into regions. There are four home bases for this, to ensure the parties can easily reach their spot. Maelnor is one, the crater is another. The team that focuses on this section is located out of Maelnor." "So you know who did it?" I ask. "Yes," he answers. "I''m the one who arranged the teams." "So¡­ what''s going to happen now?" "Since we know a group intentionally left these," he says. "A team of Dark Knights is going to come out and sweep this entire section while the group doing this is interrogated by other Dark Knights. We''ll rearrange the teams so that they''re covering different sections, and we''ll change the sections as well." "To increase the chances of finding someone else who did this." "Correct," he nods. "It''s not perfect, but it''s a huge effort to continuously shift forces around, especially when we need to focus on training and preparing for the battle. However, we need to ensure that there are as few powerful monsters in the forest when the battle comes as possible." "Because that would mean that many fewer powerful monsters." "Correct," he says. "When the battle comes, we can expect to face thousands ¨C tens of thousands ¨C of Bounty Beasts. And in Lost Territory, Level Caps are higher." "Like in the mines," I say. "Correct," he says. "We can face Bounty Beasts at Level 50, Level 75, Level 100, and higher, during the battle. In addition to the normal monsters at those Levels. And with the news Zack gave us this morning¡­" He shakes his head. What did Zack see with his power? That tone¡­ there''s more than the two expected King Monsters coming. "Yes," Jesse gives me an amused look, and I realize I said that out loud. My cheeks heat up. "Zack saw in his vision a third King Monster, one which will likely be a lot more difficult to kill than the other two simply by nature of what it is. I won''t share more than that, though, and I trust that you won''t reveal it to anyone, not even the other members of your team." "I promise." "Thank you," he looks around, and I do the same thing. "Doesn''t Zack have people watching me?" I ask. "For our training today? How come one of them didn''t already report back." Jesse snorts. "The Shadow of Life knows," he tells me. "That going after one of your four is a bad idea. He''s likely ordered his Adventurer minions to avoid contacting you. None of you are being watched." "What if we come across something which could hurt us?" I ask. "I''ve fought a Bounty Beast and an Elite Spook Goblin today." "The Bounty Beast was within your team''s capabilities," he says. "And the Elite Spook Goblin shouldn''t exist. There shouldn''t be anything here which can pose a true threat to you, not unless several teams of monsters develop. That said, there may be Bounty Beasts, if the Elite Spook Goblin is anything to go by." I nod. I may have gotten hurt pretty bad against a Bounty Beast Spook Goblin. "Why don''t you return to town for today?" He suggests. "We can have the sweep finished by morning, and I''ll deliver your rewards to you when I return." "Gavin and Max are both training in the forest as well." "Let''s track them down," he says. "I''ll have their sections swept as well." Chapter 0152 (Max) "Hey, Max," Boss gives me an amused look. "What are you doing here?" "Gold said language training not be counting as combat training," me tell him. "He be right, by the way." "I know," Boss chuckles. Yeah. Me wanted to do training, so went to Gold yesterday and spent afternoon with him and the other free beastborn bettering my speech. Not as expert as Boss is, but still better than me was before. Well, when not excited. Can''t help that, though. "So me want train," me tell Boss. "With sword. Need get it up for advancement." "You want to train with me, right?" Boss asks, and Max nod. "Sorry, Max, but Big S has threatened to sit on me if I train during the Crystal-mandated rest." How be a giant crystal sit on someone? "He can manifest an avatar," Boss says. "It''s a dragon. He can sit on me with that." "Ooooh!" That makes sense. "So you not able to help me train? Gold busy with work today and Aurum be too weak." He still needs to get stronger, so that he can fight with us. But we beastborn seem to Level fast, so he might even be able to join us for the battle. Boss thinks for a few moments, then closes the book he be reading and tucks it under his arm and beckons for me to follow him. "Good job against Su''Numar yesterday," he says as we walk. "You saw that?" Me ask. "Yes," he nods. "Nik, Nathan, and I were watching from a distance. You only need one more Sword Master Level to become a Dark Warrior, right?" "Yes, Boss!" "You''ll need it, Rage, and Intimidate at Level 6 for Dark Knight," he tells me. "You also need Crimson Guide for Dark Warrior." "Crimson Guide?" Me ask. "Yes," Boss nods. "You know it, right?" "Red glowball." "Yeah," he nods. "Red glowball." We reach one of the training rooms in the Dark Temple, and Boss moves to the training command thingy. Me not remember its name properly, so that be what me call it. "Pull out your sword," he tells me. "And prepare yourself, Max. I''m going to activate several of the training golems, and will give you advice during it. I can''t train against you myself, but I can do this much." "Thanks, Boss!" Me tell him. Me pull out Max''s sword, then move forward. Five training golems form, and Max begins to attack, striking at them and blocking their attacks. Boss calls out to me as me do this, so that he can help me better my skills with a sword. He''s also reading that book while he does. After lots of beatings, Max finally gets another Swords Mastery Skill Level. Boss doesn''t turn off the training golems, though, so me have to keep fighting. Their skill level went up! He adjusted it! Boss is a meanie! A long, long time of training passes before Boss lets me stop, and me just collapse on the ground. Swords Mastery now be Level 5, because Boss be push me hard and me probably already close to Level 4 when started and other stuff not exactly make sense to me. Does it not be take a lot longer than hours to do that? Weapon Skills take lots of time, me thought? "Normally," Zack says. "But you learn skill with a sword quickly, and the bodies of beastborn adjust to skills quickly. The more you repeat an action, the more it becomes cemented into your body''s abilities ¨C far more so than a normal human. It''s greater than a human, worse than a demigod. For example-" Boss holds up a hand, and several Fireballs form, then shoot at Max. Me dodge them, needing to bend quickly. Boss attacked fast! "You performed that same dodge," Boss tells me. "Ten times during today''s training session, just with the training golems'' weapons rather than Fireballs. Most people would still be adjusting to that dodge, yet you executed it nearly perfectly." Me not actually understand that. "You will," Boss tells me. "Once you think about it in seriousness." "Okay!" "Now," he says. "Why don''t you head outside and train, Max? It''s a beautiful day, even if still a bit chilly. Try to use your Mana as much as possible, so you can keep increasing it. Once you hit 2,000 Mana, there''s a Skill you can learn that will help you with Elementalist." "Okay!"
(Zack) Max leaves, and I close the book, then return to the library and sit down to begin reading again. I''m sure he''ll remember Crimson Guide before returning home today, it''s all he needs to advance Dark Knight, now. Leaning back in the chair, I look up at the ceiling, with its patterns of blood, darkness, and fire. No one really notices them, because no one really looks all the way up. Funny, how people often only look on their level or up to where they need to, but never all the way. Not unless it''s something like looking at the sky on a lazy day or at a monster flying overhead, but even then, they can miss quite a lot. It''s a nice pattern to look at, good for thinking about. I''m itching to train today, and helping Max with his own helped scratch the itch a bit. I''m capable of permanently learning a new move the first time I use it, but beastborn don''t really take that much longer. Ten to twenty uses of a move is enough for them. Even Max, with his scattered brain and childlike mentality because of the abuse he went through, learns rapidly. Will it all be enough, though? I had another vision last night, and we know when the battle is going to take place. The Druids who left to try to kill some of the armies are going to return in a week, they have to for final preparations.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. We have two weeks. Two weeks until the battle comes, two weeks until the valley turns into a warzone. Two weeks until people die beyond the recovery of what Nathan and I can restore. Even Resurrection has its limits, after all. Once this mandated rest is over and my team''s new equipment is finished, I''m taking the team back to Talorn. It''s not the mines, but it should be sufficient. We''ll spend a few days in the mines, in an area past where they should be. Forced growth for greater stats over other things. Zack, Big Flame''s voice enters my head. "Go away," I grumble, upset that they won''t let me train. Big S really did threaten to pull me into his temple and sit on me until my rest period was over. "I don''t want to talk with you." Nik is coming, he tells me. Prepare for a trip. "I''m not going anywhere," I look back down, at the book I''d been reading. I open it back up. "I''m studying." Runic magic. I might not know who the brothers of the vision are, but that doesn''t mean I can''t do stuff on my own. Prophecies cannot be subverted, but visions can. The brothers won''t be the ones to end this war, no matter what. I will be. I will make sure of it. I will kill Alexander myself, I will give the Crystals happiness. I will protect reality and everyone else. And runic magic will help me. Though I''m not allowed to train, I''m still allowed to prepare, and an idea came to me. Runic magics can be just as powerful as a Skill, even if they cost more. They might even be more powerful than a related Skill. I can make a fireball that has five times as much magical power as my Fireball Skill. All I need to do is adjust the runes, take the extra time, put in a little extra mana, and viola! So a thought came to me yesterday, a little after seeing Luca and them with Su''Numar. What if I did that against the Dragon? I probably wouldn''t be able to kill it, but it might be enough to chase it away. Then I''d focus on trapping the Flame Slime King. With runic magics, it might just be possible. Thinking about what Braden wants to learn for his final Tier of Elementalist made me think of it. Water Prison. I already know the basics behind it, even if I haven''t used it. Now I need to translate that into runes. Depending on the runes used, I might be able to create a water prison ten to twenty times as powerful as a maxed-out Water Prison. As with Nathan''s incineration in Kaelmar, after the slaughter by the Dark Knight Avatar of the Shadow of Life, it will take me time to use. Time, and a lot of mana. As long as I have enough Mana Potions, all should be well. I don''t have Nathan''s monstrous pool, and this is something on a far, far greater level than that runic spell. Even if I''m exhausted after the Dragon, all I''ll need to do is drink mana potions over and over as I create the prison, then cast it down. The other King Monsters might be able to brute-force their way through it, but until the runes fade, the Flame Slime King would be trapped. Any attempt at leaving would hurt it. That would allow people who aren''t exhausted from chasing off a Dragon time to fight it. Time to whittle away at it, bit by bit, until it finally dies. Zack, Big Flame says. Did you miss the part where I said ''trip''? Nik is taking you somewhere. To fight. "Fight?" I ask. "I thought I''m on a mandated rest? Plus, I''m studying." "That won''t work," Nik says, and I look at him. He''s holding papers. "Big Flame told me about your plan, after he realized what you were looking into. Not the part about the dragon, but the part about the Flame Slime King." "You don''t know-" "It''s been tried before," he drops the papers in front of me. "Against the Earth Slime King. Air magics are extra-effective against it, so research was put into learning how to create an Air Prison with runes rather than using the Skill." I look at the papers he gave me. The full details of the runes necessary for the runic spell of an air prison. It goes beyond just what I''ve found so far, with runes I''ve never seen involved. I knew they already knew that each type of slime had its own King Monster, but I never thought they''d actually tried to fight one before, especially as Nik had told me no one''s ever succeed in killing a King Monster. "We were able to create an air prison," he tells me as I examine the notes. "Worth 100,000 Intellect. That was more than twenty times what anyone had at the time, and is still more than ten times what Normar has ¨C and he has more than anyone in the Boundary." "It was ineffective?" "It simply sat there and attacked us through it," he says. "In order for us to be able to attack it, we had to have gaps in the prison spell. They all do. The moment the prison formed, the Earth Slime King stopped moving and just attacked us through it. We did no damage to it. "One of the big issues with Slime King Monsters," he says. "Is their ooze. While we can destroy it, just like with regular slime monsters, it''s not very damaging to the slime itself, and they recover quickly. We must damage its core unless we''re doing massive attacks that take out a huge chunk of ooze. And Slime King Monsters can use a Skill to rapidly regenerate their ooze ¨C thus negating any damage inflicted upon them through it. The only thing we can really do to damage them is attack any of their cores, but we''ve never really succeeded in that before. With their high Willpowers, it''s tough just to get an attack near those." Alexander has always used the same two King Monsters because no one''s ever managed to kill one before. But with the realization we can handle ones like them, he''s moved another one towards us. One that''s of a style we probably can''t handle. It would take a hella powerful attack just to chance actually hurting it, and that would tie up our most powerful mages¡­ if they even managed to hurt it in the first place. It must have taken him a lot to convince it to join the battle, but that one change is the most troubling of them all. Even if I manage to deter the Dragon, it seems that we''d still be stuck. The Flame Slime King will get in our way. And with its powerful fires, it can simply burn through us. It would take a lot of Barriers overlapping to deal with it. From a lot of powerful mages. So we need to formulate a plan to stop it from even getting near Maelnor during the battle itself. If we can stall it or trap it or- "Zack," Nik interrupts my thoughts. "Come on. Prepare yourself, we''re heading out for a trip for a kill." "But the-" "Big Flame authorized it," he says. "He says that you''re as rested as you''ll be right now. He also knows your plans, and after our meeting earlier-" "What meeting?" I ask. "Aren''t I supposed to be-" "It was to discuss you," he tells me. "We''re taking you to the Valley of Power." The Valley of Power? I''ve never heard of it. "It''s a place," he tells me. "Full of monsters more powerful than others. Special Monsters. Other than you, every Adventurer over Level 175 has trained there at least once. I visit it for a month every summer. For me, that is up to five Levels, due to recovery and such. It''s harsh training, it''s dangerous training, and it''s powerful training. In the time up to the battle, you won''t be getting much training in. So I am taking you to the Valley of Power until you leave for Talorn." "But my team-" I interrupt him. "Will be fine," he interrupts me. "I promise, Zack. We never thought to take you to the Valley of Power because of how rapidly you grow. Because of how soon the battle is going to be, you plan on giving up all future training to ensure your team gets stronger, and you know you won''t be training as much once you begin exploring. For two days, maybe three, we will be there. I''ll be training as well." "What kind of monsters are in it?" I ask. "Things like the Ice Lord?" "And various other Special Monsters," he nods. "As I said ¨C strong things, including Bounty Beast versions of them. These two or three days should be enough to make up for the time you''ll lose focusing on your team." With the same ''effect''. That is, rapid growth with little practical experience. But I''m a demigod who already has plenty of skills. A Son of Existence. "Alright," I close the tome, then hand him the papers back. "What do I need?" After a few minutes of preparation, Nik and I head out, and when we leave the Dark Temple to use the sigil to warp to the Valley of Power, we find Max standing on it. "Eep!" He exclaims. "You not see me!" He disappears, and Nik and I look at each other. "Either he just went to the mines," I say. "Or he went to Talorn." "Probably," Nik snorts. "He''ll be fine." "I know," I sigh. Seeing them yesterday reminded me that my team is powerful in their own ways. Even Luca is a formidable foe, now that he has actual attacks. They don''t need me to watch them at every moment, as much as I want to. Yesterday''s event only reinforces to me why I want to, but¡­ it also serves as a reminder of why I shouldn''t. They need to learn from their mistakes and stuff. As Nik and I step onto the sigil, I can''t help but wonder why everyone is out here if the Valley of Power is a better place to train for stronger Adventurers. Chapter 0153 (Zack) We appear on the steps of a Dark Temple in another City, one which looks just as run-down and quiet as Maelnor. Much like Maelnor, it''s surrounded by mountains on all sides, but these ones look like they''re an equal distance away, as if we''re in the center. I don''t see a gap between them, though, so entry must be through a tunnel in them. Based on the air, we''re higher up, too. I can breathe just fine, and Nik doesn''t look bothered. Something the System helps with, no doubt. "Nik," a woman says, and I turn to face her. A Dark Knight, dressed in armor. She gives me an appraising look. "This is Zack?" "Yes," he places a hand on my shoulder. "This is Zack. He''s likely wondering why the powerful aren''t out here training constantly, so I''m taking him out for a little personal experience." "Got it," she says. "The last of the Ice Lords are dead, so we don''t have to worry about a blizzard until next winter again." "The last of them?" I ask. "Yes," Nik answers. "If they aren''t killed quickly, they manifest another blizzard like the one you faced before." Thinking about it reminds me that Nathan''s Heal only restored 1,037 Health back then, even though I know his Intellect is higher. Did he have a debuff when he healed me, or something? That was forever ago, he might not remember. Or he does and is just too embarrassed about it to say something. "Come on," Nik tells me. "Let me show you why there aren''t many out here training at a time." Nik leads me through the City, and I find out as we travel that there are generally only around fifty to seventy Adventurers here at a time. Mensael, the City is called. The only way in or out, unless one wants to brave the mountains, is by the sigil or the Teleport Plaza. "Wait," I say. "There''s no path through the mountains?" "Correct," he answers. "This valley was discovered a few thousands of years ago ¨C at least, by someone capable of leaving. Few survived it because of how powerful the monsters were here." We exit the City as we talk, and I''m stunned by the first thing I see. All of the monsters here can Level higher than Level 5. If I''m not mistaken, the cap here is Level 25, based on the monsters in my sight. "Uh, Nik-" "We''re still in claimed territory," he says. "However, we''re also far from other Cities. It takes more than two months to reach the next one from here. Every monster which spawns here is a Special Monster, and there are plenty of Special Bosses, too." "Elites and Bounty Beasts," I say. "Level 35 and Level 50, right?" "Correct," he answers. "The further away from Mensael you go, the closer to the mountains you travel, the more of those you''ll see. Not many travel more than a mile or two from here, and the mountains are ten miles from the City in all directions. It''s obviously a place for the powerful to train." And with the monsters'' Levels and the fact that they''re all Special Monsters or Special Boss Monsters, a single team might be enough to take on one or two at a time. Or if it''s against a Special Boss Monster, it might need several. For the really strong teams, this might be useful. Nik could use it to Level himself to reach Level 250 and Ascend. It would give them more Experience than normal. But it would put a higher strain on their bodies and increase their stress Levels. The rewards they would earn from such fights would help them recover losses and damage, but now I see why everyone isn''t here. They''d not be able to handle this all the time. Even the Dark Knight at the temple likely takes breaks from her fighting and training, or goes somewhere else. "Do you need help?" I ask Nik. "With the monsters, you''d probably-" "As long as I don''t face more than two at a time," he tells me. "I will be fine." "Alright," I draw my sword. "I''ll be around. Holler if you need me." "Yell if you need me," he ruffles my hair, and I pull away in annoyance. He grins. "Good luck, Zack." I nod, then start walking down the path, looking from side to side at the various monsters. Frost Goblins have nothing on these. Frost Knights, suits of frosty armor with swords of ice, patrol the area. Flame Knights, too. There are a few Spook Goblins, surprisingly, but they''re definitely going to be tough, even if not as tough as the Elite version Braden faced yesterday. The Elites here will be even tougher, being twenty Levels higher than the one he faced. A Demon Wolf prowls as well, its black fur streaked with red, black horns protruding from its head. Demonic energy crackles around it with every step, sparking off its fur. There''s a basilisk as well, with scales a mix of dark green and brown, with some grey as well. The beast is around thirty feet long, slithering through the fields. It turns its yellow eyes on me, and I stare back. Nik would have warned me if it could paralyze me, which means either the snake doesn''t hold true to that myth, or my Willpower is far too high for even the Bounty Beast version to paralyze me.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. There are even lizards which walk like people do, but are clearly monsters. When I see them, I think back to my discussion with Max earlier. These aren''t people, but beastborn are. What makes them different? And why do they Level faster than humans do? Why do they learn and advance Skills faster? Big S had to have lied when he said he doesn''t know what caused them. Were beastborn an attempt of his to create better warriors than humans could be? If he has to manually add each one to the System, then he must have given up on the project. It would have been far too exhausting for him, I think. Is that why he''s trying to connect them now, or at least some of them? Guilt over how they''ve been treated due to not being connected? Pushing those thoughts from my mind, I focus on a Level 25 Flame Knight. There''s no actual body in the armor, making it look like a possessed suit of armor with a sword of flames.
Flame Knight Level 25
Health: 41,514 Mana: 39,872
Seems pretty strong to me, at least for a ''normal'' monster. For a Special Monster, it''s likely ''normal'', especially based off of everything I''ve seen so far. When I look at a nearby Frost Knight at Level 25, I see similar stats. Based on my experience with elemental things ¨C well, slimes ¨C I''m guessing it will probably not be affected by attacks of the same element as it. Will my swords do extra damage because of the Spook Ore in them? Should I learn Frost Blade? It''s not necessary for the Classes I want to take on, even if it will help a bit for the Mystic Knight Experience. Especially as it''s a Tier 4 Blade Skill and Mystic Knight is only Tier 1 right now. Could learn Lava Blade for the Frost Knights, too. Yeah, yeah, I know. Water Blade and Flame Blade is more than enough, and I''ll sort of need to Level something a bit more before I reach Level 10 of Mystic Squire, but still. Why hamper my Experience like that? It''s already going to be tough. As I contemplate that, something in the distance catches my attention, and I zip along the path to check it out. That is what it looks like!
Spitfire Flower Level 25
Health: 52,139 Mana: 57,981
It''s a fucking flower! It stands around ten feet in height, with a green stem around five inches thick and a few large leaves coming off of it. Thick roots allow it to crawl across the ground, and its head is a giant, crimson bulb with orange spots, a few orange, red, and yellow petals beneath the bulb. As I examine the plant, a Shadow Hare, a rabbit two feet in height with pitch-black fur and silver eyes, hops near it, and the Spitfire Flower attacks, opening up its bulb to unleash a series of Fireballs in a chain. The Shadow Hare looks at it, then melts into the ground, turning into a shadow that quickly moves towards the Spitfire Flower. The plant moves to the side as the Shadow Hare jumps back up. Several Shadows Whips form from its sides, attacking the Spitfire Flower, which spits out more Fireballs, the whips smacking them to the side, taking a little damage, but not enough to completely shorten them. Holy fuck. This place is awesome! The monsters don''t just have territory disputes, but actual fights! It''s not like a tier of dominance with goblins over lesser things, and wolves defending their territory. I can tell from their thoughts that they''re fighting because they want the Experience. This place is so fucking awesome! The Spitfire Flower digs a few roots into the ground while it attacks the Shadow Hare. When the stream of Fireballs end ¨C there were twenty before it stopped ¨C the Shadow Hare stops the Shadow Whips, then remanifests them as it jumps into the air. As it does that, leafy roots shoot up from the ground beneath it, missing it just barely. So the flower can do that, too! But the bunny seemed to expect it. That, or got lucky with its jump. The Shadow Hare attacks the Spitfire Flower with the whips, but then it flicks it front paws down, and orbs of shadows form and descend, striking at the roots that are beginning to retreat. The roots melt away as if hit by acid. Yeah, gonna avoid getting hit by that. Maybe I''ll let myself get hit once, so I can see how much damage it''ll do and if it has any effects. The flower flaps the leaves on its stem as it wails and finishes pulling its roots back in. That wail is awful. Leaves shoot out of the leaves, spinning like razors or knives, and probably just as sharp. This just got even more awesome. Oh. I ran out of chocolate in that box. Either it was a partial box, or I ate faster than normal. I send the box into my Inventory, then draw my sword again. "Flame Blade," I say, and violet fire begins to swirl around my sword. I place a foot back and bend my knees, then spring forward, my sword aimed at the flower''s stem. Its leaves move to block my attack, succeeding in resisting it while still receiving a small amount of damage. Tough guy, huh? Well, I know it used some sort of Skill with that block, since its Mana dropped a bit. Whatever. Spin attack! I start spinning just because I want to, even though I know there''s no actual logical reason behind it outside of video games. My attacks wear away at its Health, and the Shadow Hare attacks me. "Hey!" I yell at it. "I was helping you!" I turn my blade on the Shadow Hare, jumping towards it as I cut through its Shadow Whips as it attempts to attack me. I reach it and run my sword into it. These really are tough! Under what circumstances do they normally form? More of those leaf attacks are sent out, and I pivot, using Fireball to stop them as I stab the Shadow Hare again, this time while facing away from it. A leaf clips my cheek, and my vision turns red as my Rage counter begins to increase as I take on my Eidolon Form. "I know you didn''t just do that," I say in a low, Demonic voice, and every monster within a few dozen yards of me freezes. "Are you sure you wanted to do that?" The Spitfire Flower pauses, then opens its maw and releases a stream of Fireballs. I stop them with my sword, Deflecting several back to it and several at the Shadow Hare, which had moved off to the side to prepare a new attack against me. "Looks like you did," I growl. "Good." I take a step forward, then Dash. This time, I put all my power into the attack, and cut straight through the stem. The Spitfire Flower is still alive, however, but I strike at its bulb a few more times, succeeding in killing it, ignoring the notice I received and muting them as a whole for the upcoming battle. I''ll need as few distractions as possible. That finished, I turn on the Shadow Hare, which is shooting those acidic shadow orbs at me. I hold up a hand, and violet Fireballs form, then fly forward to intercept the attacks. I Dash to the side, then at the Shadow Hare, moving just a little faster than it can keep up. A few more hits of my Flame Blade, and it dies. Turning, I look at the other Special Monsters around me. This is going to be a fun few days. Chapter 0154 (Max) "Thank you, Big Flame," me say. "For not telling Boss and Boss-Boss where Max be going." You''re welcome, he says. And good luck. "Thank you," me tell him, then sit down and remove my boots. After wiggling my toes a little, me put Max''s boots in me Inventory, then pull off me pants and put that in me Inventory. Me pull out a pair of shorts and pull them on. Does Boss know such things exist? They only be down to me knees, rather than down to me feet. This place be far too warm to wear full clothes, like what we be wearing in Maelnor and the valley. Then, me remove me tunic and put in me Inventory, too. From there, I pull out a different style of tunic. This one be without any sleeves at all. Boss maybe knows about them, even if he never see them. After pulling on the tunic, me equip me sword and knife on me belt, then stretch. This place be way too warm. Me not like it. Max not liking the sand everywhere, either. Taking a few breaths, me focus on calming self. No time for high energy, no time for goofiness. Must be serious. Last time me be here, Max was forced to fight in the pits. That not be fun. Forced to kill. This time, Max might have to kill again. But me not fighting in the pits this time. Me here for something else. Two somethings. And me not leaving without them. No matter what. After checking Max''s equipment, me start walking, descending the steps of the Dark Temple and into the street. Lots of people here. Average person under Level 10. Average guard around Level 25. Top-tier Adventurers around Level 50. Max be Level 51. Max also be Dark Knight who also happens be Elementalist. With lots of Intellect. Maybe only two or three here able to stop Max who not be Dark Knights or Blood Priests. Six or seven if me include them, but they likely not try to stop me. Big Flame will probably tell them ''no'' and ''bad people!'' if they do. He said he already talk to them, so maybe he already said that? As me walk, Max gets lots of bad looks from people. Suspicious looks. Disgusted looks. Angry looks. Furious looks. They no think much of me because me be a beastborn. They not Dark Knights, they not accepting. They not thinking me allowed to do what me be doing. Not allowed wearing more than a loincloth, if even that. Must wear a collar to show inferiority. Me put collars on them, they try to put any on me! Calm, Max. Caaaaaalm. Must be calm. Focused. Serious. Me twitch ears as walk, listening. Paying attention. While Max knows where me is heading, must pay attention to others here. They will be try to stop me, even not knowing what me want. They will no doubt ignore the warnings of the Great Crystals, try to force me into servitude, despite me obviously having Level. Then again, me be a higher Level than most here. Thank you, Gold, for getting that information. Me needed it to know for sure. They come from behind me, grabbing Max''s arm. Before they have chance to turn me around and speak, me act. Grab their hand and kick as spin. Me foot connects with his chest, denting his armor. Me pull his arm, throwing him to the ground as take step forward, drawing knife to cut through the magician''s Barrier. He stumbles back, startled, and me knife him in the arm. He howls in pain. Coward. We beastborn feel far more pain than that because of you stupid assholes. Max punch him in the face, then swiftly draw sword and block the second warrior''s sword. Gold be letting me borrow his Dark Sword for this, so not my normal steel one. I stop attack, then jump and kick him in the face as sheathe me sword and knife. He drops to ground, and first knight tries attack again. I summon my Claws and kick with my foot, cutting up his face. Then, me spin and catch the arrow. It be fast, but me Max. Me has Agility, too. Me look at the archer, who gives Max a stunned look. Me hold up a hand. "Flame Lance," I say, and lance of fire forms above Max''s palm. "Brace self." The archer pales, and Max throws the Flame Lance, then turn away before it impacts. Still hear the boom, though. It probably destroy part of a building and set stuff on fire. Oh, well. "You commit crimes," me say as people stare at Max in shock. "You attack Dark Knight and beastborn. Me not allow you do that. Me heard you talking about put collar on me. You violate law from the Crystals. Try again, you end up like archer. Dead." "It talks!" Someone gasps. "He talks," me glare at him. "Beastborn be people. Crystals say so. You be call me a ''he'', not an ''it''. Or you evil and need punishing." He flinches back, and me step over the first knight and keep walking, releasing Claws Skill. After that fight, word goes through the City. Me is avoided, though me also know they be planning on something stronger. On calling the greater Adventurers. The two or three who can actually do something about Max but also not be serving Big Flame. No worries there, though. Big Flame promised he would ensure that anyone I cannot handle, the Dark Order members living here will. It be weird, being back in a City with lots of people. Tens of thousands of them. There is someone everywhere me looks, rather than just concentrated in a few areas. Me got used to Maelnor and its smaller population. It be quieter, but fun. Lots of fun. Me can do lots of stuff there me not able do elsewhere. Eventually, me reach residence. It be a large one, for a rich man. Not a powerful man in the System, but powerful in money and influence in this City. Max twitch ears little, focusing on hearing. Someone be attempting not to cry in pain as be beaten, while someone else does their best not whimper nearby. Blood boils. Rage counter starts increasing. Calm, Max. Caaaaaalm. Focus. Me take a few deep breaths, then raise a fist and knock on the door. "DARK KNIGHT!" Me yell. "OPEN UP!"Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The breaths of the sad one and the beaten one catch, while the beater growls. He mutters under his breath about annoying children playing games again, but me hear him moving forward after warning them to not move. When he opens the door, Max knife him in the chest. Not even give him time react, just knife him. Miss his heart by little bit, but that easily fixed with a second stab. Then me give him third just to be sure, even if his Status had already disappeared. Zack be able bring dead back, maybe Shadow of Life''s agents be able do same if not make sure they fully dead? So third stab definitely be necessary. Plus fourth given to crotch. Just in case he comes back. That way, he not able have kids. That be the good idea. Then me give him fifth stab, this one be in face. Right eye. Sixth stab in left eye. That be enough, me think. He not coming back, and if he does, he not be having kids or seeing anything. Yeah, that be enough. Me clean knife off on his tunic. Then, me walk into the house and look at the pair of beastborn. They be wearing only their collars, which be leashed to hooks on a wall. He was beating one with a metal stick, it looks like. Both of them give Max startled looks. They be asking if Max be who they think Max be, and why Max be wearing this and how Max be able kill a master and a lot of other things. But me calmly wait, because me need be calm for this. Serious. When they finally stop asking questions, me approach. "Hello," me say, and their eyes widen. "Me have new boss, now. He be Zack. The Zack." They want to know if me really be talking about Hero Zack. "Yes," me nod. "Max be talking about him. Max be have System, too." Max cut their collars with me knife. The Noruva knife be good for that. Very sharp, very powerful. "As a Dark Knight," me say as sheathe knife. "Under the authority of Big Flame, Patron of the Dark Order, and with the sigil of the Blood Flames, me, Max Blacktail, hereby free you from your slavery." They be staring at Max in shock. They not sure if me being serious or what. "Come," me tell them. "Let me take you to Maelnor. There, we get you cleaned up and into comfy clothes. And out of this horrid heat. Me not comfortable here." They not certain, but they follow me out. It be better than staying and waiting to be arrested and beaten or killed because their master was knifed by another beastborn while they were leashed to a wall. We all know that be what the people here would do, if the Dark Knights not stop it first. Though everyone be wanting to stop us, no one does. Word went around, me not just weak beastborn boy. Me be strong beastborn boy with Access capable of fighting. With a lot of power. Plus, it seems a Dark Knight did something. We reach the Dark Temple, then me warp us to Maelnor. They give me a look of shock at it. "Me be Dark Knight," me tell them. "Me be able to do that, now!" They still be uncertain and worried, but Max ignore it. Instead, me lead them down the steps and to a nearby house. It be the bathhouse for the servant beastborns of the Dark Order. The ones who live in Maelnor. It was a regular large house, but then Gold had it changed into just a bathhouse, or a house with a lot of baths in it. When he wants something done, he be like Zack: it gets done. The first floor is for bathing and washing, and the second floor is for relaxing and massages. Me lead them to one of the baths, where Gold is helping a younger beastborn get clean. It be a dog beastborn maybe four years old. Me not recognize him, but when asked, Gold say he just arrived a little bit ago. While me be gone. "Oh, okay!" Me say, and the little boy jumps, startled. "Hi! Me be Max. Make sure to wash behind your ears and scrub your tail, too, so that they stay nice and awesome, okay?" He gives me a confused nod, then me strip down and start dumping water on me. "You two, too," I tell them, and they dump water¡­ on me. "No! On selves! You be washing selves! But backs need washing, too! So scrub each other''s backs." Me scrub Gold''s back while he helps the boy wash, then me get tail shampoo and show it to them. "See this?" Me squirt some on hands. "It be tail shampoo. Not the hair stuff Boss says is tail shampoo, this be real tail shampoo. Kami brought the recipe with her." Kami be a wolf beastborn in her early twenties. Very wise. Very smart. She be one of the talkers. "Oh," me says. "But no tell Boss you or me know it just be regular shampoo. He think me not know, so me letting him think that." Gold snorts. He be the one who told me Boss be pranking Max again. "Best way to scrub tails," me say. "Be like this." Me rub the tail shampoo between me palms, then grab Gold''s tail and start scrubbing "Scrubby-scrub, scrubby tail!" Me sing as scrub. "Scrub, scrub, scrubby tail! Scrubscrubscrub, scrubscrubscrub, scrubby-scrubby tail! Scrubby-scrubby tail, scrubby tail! Scrubby-scrub, scrubby-scrub, scrubby-scrubby tail! Scrub, scrub, scrub, scrubby-scrubby tail!" Me sing song again. It be take about thirty seconds to since it twice. "You do it like that," me tell them, then rinse out Gold''s tail. "And tail gets nice and clean! You do for hair, too. Oops! Me did tail first!" Gold snorts again. Hair be done first, then back, then tail, because otherwise, soap and shampoo just washes down onto the tail, which then need rinsing again. Normally, Gold wash own hair, but he obviously busy with the boy and making sure the pup gets cleaned. Me do Gold''s hair, then he washes Max''s back and tail while me teach the song to the little boy beastborn. "And remember," I tell him. "Sing it twice as you scrub to make sure you scrub it all, okay? You can sing in head, too, like everyone else here be doing because they be weird." He nods. He be uncertain. Once we all be clean, we rinse off. No soaking in bath for us right now, everyone be hungry! So Gold and Max dress, then we take the new free beastborn into the clothing room and let them pick out new outfits. They not really sure of it, but do once we assure them it be fine. They still look scared. "Gold, can you," Theodore-Flame enters the room, then stops talking when he be see me. "Oh, hello, Max." "Hello, Theodore-Flame!" "My name is ''Theodore''," he says. "Remember?" "Yes," I nod. "But you also be a servant of Big Flame!" "So are you." "Yeah, but you be on fire." "I''m not on fire." "You were." "Because Zack set me on fire," he says. "One time." "Yep!" I grin. "Who are these?" He asks, and the newly-freed beastborn give him scared looks. Me look at Gold, who tells me who the boy is, then me look at Theodore. "He," me point at the little boy. "Is new here. Gold says that he hasn''t picked a name yet. He just arrived an hour ago and be very timid." "And your lookalikes?" Theodore asks. "You beastborn don''t all look the same to me, and I can tell that with proper meals and exercise, they''ll fill out and look very much identical to you if you tanned up, Max. Are these your brothers?" "Yep!" Me nod. "We be triplets! Though apparently, their names not be ''Nitwit'' and ''Nincompoop,'' as me had thought. That apparently wrong, and those apparently be insults. Boss had to tell Max that. Me want to name them, but Gold''s telling Max now they should pick their own names unless they want someone else to pick it." "Gold''s very smart," he says. "Sometimes," me nod, and Gold punches me on the arm. "Do you know where Boss be heading? Boss-Boss be taking him somewhere when me be leaving to free brothers." "Actually, I do," he says. "Nik was taking him to the Valley of Power, so that he could-" "That place scary," I shake my head. "Me not like it." Master took me there once. Not a fun place to be. Oh, not me last master, the one before him. Lots of scary monsters. Gold be giving me an amused look. He be jealous that me be there. "It wasn''t that fun," me tell him. "Monsters there be way stronger. Way, way stronger. Scary. Boss probably be having fun." Gold agrees. "He''ll be there for two or three days," Theodore informs me. "The rest of your team is being alerted to this as well. Train carefully, okay?" "Me will do that!" Me tell him. "Also, me hungry. We all be hungry." "Alright," he chuckles, then looks at Gold. "Gold, could you check the bedrooms in the Dark Temple again when you get a chance? Zack took a bunch of stuff this morning, and he''s going to be gone for a few days." Gold groans. What does Boss even need that much stuff for? He takes stuff every time he''s there. Gold nods, then Theodore leaves, and the newly-freed beastborn look at us in shock. "Come on," me tell them. "Let''s eat!" Chapter 0155 (Gavin)
Stun Blade is now Level 3!
Mystic Warrior is now Mystic Knight!
+2 Strength
+3 Intellect +2 Wisdom
Finally. Now I just need to get Stun Blade up another two Levels, Lightning Blade up another two Levels, and learn a Tier 4 Blade Skill for the Skills necessary to advance Mystic Knight to Mystic General. I have 9 Levels to go for that, though, so I have some time. Sort of. I pull out a cloth and clean off my sword, then sheathe it before I loot the goblin. Should I go with Frost Blade or Lava Blade for Tier 4? There are others, I think, but those are the two I know about. They also have a lot of practical applications, for the most part. "Gavin." "Jeez!" I jump, spinning to face Braden. "Again? Seriously?" "I didn''t snap twigs, sorry," he says. "Do you want to fight an Elite?" "I thought they hunted them all down and killed them?" Our training was cut short yesterday after Braden discovered an Elite Spook Goblin, so that the forest could be cleared of any elites or Bounty Beasts that may have been secretly forming. "The ones in the Valley," he says. "I noticed your Level go up. You can use some Experience." "Were you watching me?" "No," he points away from me, and I spot a wolf collapsed on the ground, marks that resemble burns from his Lightning Shots peppering its body. "I was fighting nearby, then saw you fighting." "I didn''t realize I was near you," I tell him. "Sorry." How did I not notice a fight going on that close to me? Am I really that unobservant? "Goblins," he says. "Stick to the area they''re in when they fight. They rarely travel more than five to ten feet from where the fight starts unless you force them to. Wolves, on the other hand, will travel. They will attempt to escape, recoup, and then come after you again. They might try to lure you into a false sense of the fight being over, then attack. They will stalk you, follow you, trick you. They will run, hoping you will chase them. They will seek out their pack for reinforcements. If the pack isn''t nearby, they will lure you near other monsters." That''s a rather lengthy way of saying that he had to chase the wolf. "There are Elites still in the mines," he tells me. "And in the pass to the next City, too. Gold doesn''t travel too far to train. The ones in the pass are slimes and rats. Other types can be found in the mines. Kobolds, bats, spiders, and more." "Are you talking about fighting it together?" I ask. "Or alone?" "I''m training alone," he tells me. "I want to do some stuff." "Okay," I say. "Also, Zack''s going to be out of town for a couple of days," he tells me. "He is?" I ask. "Yes," he nods. "Brandon told me, Nik was taking him somewhere else for a couple of days. Some sort of training thing or other. At least today and tomorrow, and possibly one more day." "Alright," I say. "And then Zack is probably going to take us to Talorn," he tells me. "The battle for the valley is coming soon." "I know," I nod. "In two weeks." That soon? "You look stunned," he says. "Yeah, Zack apparently had a vision last night that revealed its time will be in about two weeks. We''re now in the final preparations. To train your Mana higher, make sure to keep it under a tenth of it at all waking times. Push yourself on this. Brandon said you could reach the necessary amount for Warrior''s Might in three or four days doing that, as long as you''re also training alongside it." He talks with Brandon a lot. "Okay," I say. "Do you know what Max and Luca are doing?" "Max rescued his brothers from slavery," Braden informs me. "But said he''d come train after making sure they were okay. Luca was eating sweets in the market last I saw him, but he''ll probably start his training back up, or has already." "Okay," I say. "I''ll head to the pass. I doubt I can do anything to the slimes for now, but I can go up against the Elite Rats." He nods, then wishes me luck before leaving. I return to town and stop by the house first, to let Kit know that some of us might be late returning. He gives me a frightened look, but nods, and I leave, making my way to the eastern gate. As I arrive, an exasperated-looking Gold does, too. "Dealing with Max a little too much?" I ask, and he sighs. "Yeah, he''s like that." Gold nods, and we exit the City. He heads a little south as I continue walking east, past where Zack had us training and then fighting the Candy Beast. It takes me a bit, but I finally locate where an Elite Rat is located. It''s standing on top of a collection of rocks right now, wielding a sword. It''s four feet in height, almost as tall as me.
Rat Warrior (Elite) Level 15
Health: 3,472 Mana: 583
"Stun Blade," I draw my sword, and the Skill activates. The rat bares its teeth at me, then jumps off the rock, four other rats joining it. Maybe this was a bad idea. I''m not as terrified of them as I was before, but I''m still more than a little wary. I''m not sure why the fear is in me so strongly, especially without my memories from reality. I attack. The weaker rats are a little easier for me to handle, but the Elite Rat Warrior is tough, sparring against me with skill with its sword. I alternate between Stun Blade and Lightning Blade, especially when I have to kill a Heal Slime that joined in the fight, healing the Rat Warrior.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. As this fight winds down, an Elite Rat Mage joins the battle, forcing me to fight it as well. This was probably a really bad choice on my part.
(Braden) "You sent him here on purpose," Brandon comments, and I glance at him. He''s sitting on the tree branch next to me, balanced just as easily and lightly as me, despite his heavier weight. "Yes," I look at Gavin. "I knew he would come here after my comments." Gavin needs a push. He plays it even safer than Zack apparently did, but only unless someone provokes him. I provoked him earlier, then followed to make sure he didn''t go too far into the pass. It seems like he''s not going to, so he should be safe. Further in are a few Bounty Beasts. I''m not sure he''ll be able to actually take them on. They''re being ignored since they won''t be a part of the battle and they''ll only give some silver, which is useless to most of the Adventurers around here. "Are you returning to training?" Brandon asks. "Or just watching him?" "Returning to training," I stand. "I need to get my Mana up so I can reach Tier 5 Elementalist so that I can become a Druid." According to Brandon, depending on a person''s natural affinity for magic, they can raise their Wisdom by one percent to five percent per day as long as they are under ten percent of their Mana for ninety percent of their waking time, when factoring in sixteen waking hours. This is ignoring any gained from Levels or Class Levels. The main reason no one really does this is because it means using Skills constantly. We can''t allow ourselves to build up more than one hundred seconds'' worth of Mana. It''s not just tedious and annoying, but mentally exhausting. It''s probably how Normar built his Mana up so high. Normar¡­ "Do you know where Luca is?" I ask as an idea hits me. "He was still in Maelnor, last I checked," he answers. "Why?" "I think his Blessing of Wisdom would be enough for me to learn the Skill while it''s active," I answer. "That means I wouldn''t have to wait." "You''re only on Tier 3 right now," he says. "I know," I tell him. "But that also means that Gavin wouldn''t have to wait, either. He could learn Warrior''s Might and advance his Class, then start gaining Experience for it again rather than letting it just sit. Luca probably still has some Mana Potions from Zack left over, he might be willing to part with enough for Gavin to build his Mana to full with the Blessing. Same with Max and Elementalist." Brandon smiles at me, an approving smile. "Not many young Adventurers ever think of such a thing," he tells me. "It''s possible such a thing has slipped even Zack''s mind." I shrug. "I''m going to return to Maelnor and talk with Luca," I tell Brandon. "Then return to training." "Okay," he says. "Do you know what you wish to be?" A question he has asked me more than once. Once I become a Tier 5 Elementalist, I''ll be able to take on Druid. Once I do, I''ll unlock their Animal Form Skill. My Stats will change based on the animal whose form I pick. They''ll be determined entirely by it, in fact. It adds plus-one to each Stat every-other Level of the Skill for every ten Levels I have, with at least twenty-five Stat Points for every fifth Level I have distributed based on the form. I''d want to do a wolf Animal Form, but it has a low Endurance Stat. Druids themselves don''t receive any Endurance, either. The bear Animal Form has a higher Endurance Stat. Those are the two which are the most plausible for me right now. Something like Normar''s rare liger Animal Form would be even cooler. It has a high offense, defense, and speed. To obtain Animal Form for any animal, however, requires killing a Bounty Beast of that beast, then wearing its hide as clothes, and not just as leather. The pelt must be removed by me, and after being treated for preservation, worn mostly as-is, with modifications for the body. The head of the animal would be worn atop my own head. My face would be visible, though. At least, that''s what Brandon says. Not only are ligers rare enough as they are, but their Bounty Beasts are incredibly tough. According to Brandon, they usually take a full team just to kill. A full team of strong Adventurers. That means it would probably be difficult for me to kill by myself, especially with only two Classes. Or three, if including Druid. Normar is a beast for managing one on his own. "No," I answer. "There are a lot of options." "Remember," he tells me. "Every Tier of Druid allows you to take on one more Animal Form." "I know," I say. "But the first one is the most important." Animal Form is the Druid-unique Skill which is used the most. By a huge margin. That means it earns most of the Experience for Druid. "I''m heading back, now," I tell him. "Gavin should be fine." He nods, then I hop off the tree and make my way back to Maelnor. It takes me a few minutes, but I manage to track Luca down. He''s staring through the glass window of a candy store, probably trying to decide if he should buy something or not. "Luca," I say, and he gives me a curious look. At least he pays attention to his surroundings, Gavin has to be warned that I''m coming up behind him. "Can you give Gavin and Max a Blessing of Wisdom, and enough Mana Potions to let them exceed 1,000 Mana and 2,000 Mana, respectively?" He gives me a confused look. "They need that much," I tell him. "To unlock the Skills they need for their next Tier of one of their Classes. Warrior for Gavin and Elementalist for Max." "Oh," he says, then pouts. "Max stole my boots. He doesn''t get anymore Blessings until I get them back." He''s wearing his backup boots right now, so Max must have stolen his good ones, the ones he usually wears. "Bop him on the head and tell him to return them," I say. "That''s what I do. That, or just tell him that you can give him the Blessing of Wisdom and Mana Potions he needs to get a 2,000 Mana Tier 5 Elementalist Skill if he gives them back. He''ll probably do that." "He has to buy me candy, too," Luca says. "Tell him that," I say, and he nods. "I''m returning to training. Good luck with yours." He nods, then returns to looking at the candy. While it might seem like he''s hungry¡­ I can tell that he''s actually trying to train his Perception again. Maybe I should do the same while I''m training?
(Zack) "Why am I not surprised that you are watching monsters fight instead of training?" "Okay," I tell Nik as he approaches, and I point at the pair of Suneater Boars. "That one, he''s pissed at the other one because the other one was eating truffles from his territory. But see, that one thinks it''s his territory, because he''s been around longer. They got into a heated fight over it, and then decided they were going to duke it out to the death. Apparently, that one also slept with that one''s mate. It''s really juicy gossip, to be honest." "Zack¡­" "I was waiting until they exhausted themselves a little," I say. "But the story gets even better. See, that one-" "Zack!" He laughs. "What?" I ask. "Seriously, I''m waiting for them to exhaust themselves a bit. It makes it easier to fight the stuff out here. I let them fight it out, then once they''ve dealt enough damage to each other and worn each other out a bit, I kill. That''s how I''m doing it." "Wouldn''t it be better to just attack them individually at full strength?" He asks. "No," I answer. "I tried that and got less Experience. The difference is that I''m fighting two instead of one, and both are already lost into the throes of battle. Me jumping in also sometimes attracts a third monster, which only adds to the difficulty. As a result, it''s more efficient." "I see," he says. "With the gear made with Primordial Essence, I''m able to do a bit more. I''m going to have to kill more, too. Unlike my previous visits out here, I''ll be pushing myself as hard as possible." He looks it, too. He''s already soaked in sweat, his hair sticking to his head, and he''s breathing a little heavy. There''s blood on him, too, and his tunic is singed in a few spots. "And you want me to stop screwing around," I say. "And just fight." "I''m trying to push for those last couple of Levels," he tells me. "In far shorter a time than I''d normally earn them. I''ll be activating my King''s Blessing tomorrow. I''m just warning you that when you see me, I''ll be exhausted quite a lot. I''ll likely need a rest after we finish here." And a shower. "Okay," I stand and stretch. "Looks like it''s time for me to step in, especially with the Shadow Panther on its way over here. I''m hoping to get Dark Paladin up to Tier 2 while we''re here. It''s at Level 1 of Tier 1 right now, but it''s doing decently. I should be able to get it up to at least Level 5." He thinks for a few moments. "Are you sure about taking your team back to Talorn?" He asks. "As soon as you leave here?" "They''ll be training hard right now," I say. "Especially without me to supervise them. I''m sure they''ll all be at least 5 Levels higher when I return. Minimum. However, they need to be even stronger than that if they''re to participate in the battle. The requirement you set guarantees that. I''m going to seriously put them through the drills in Talorn. Especially with the surprise waiting for them." I draw my sword. "Back to training!" I grin. "Whoever has the least kills by bedtime makes breakfast!" Chapter 0156 (Zack) When I return to my home for the second time, I''m relieved they''re done doing that weird dance of theirs. Luca''s now leading them in stretches, Kit and Aurum included. Based on their Levels, everyone did some serious training ¨C Max included. They all gained at least 5 Levels in two days, which is impressive for their stats. It''s also kind of what I expected, but impressive nonetheless. They probably went after any Elites they could find, which meant going into the pass or mines. I checked in with their usual trainers, too, who confirmed it. Well, for everyone but Luca ¨C it seems he managed to evade being noticed while doing his Elementalist training in the fields. If my estimates are correct, Gavin only needs one more Mystic Knight Level to be able to take on a third Class, while Braden is already able to, but I think he''s waiting until he can take on Druid. Now that my team seems to be winding down with their morning¡­ whatever the hell it is, I move onto the property, sneaking up behind Max. No one notices me. Then I grab Max''s ears, and he yelps, running forward, right into Luca, who whacks him over the head. Max then stumbles into Kit as Gavin and Braden jump, bumping into each other. As they recoil from that, they hit Luca and the beastborn, and after another couple of chains, everyone ends up in a pile on the ground. Gavin sighs, Luca gives me a disapproving look, Kit looks terrified, Max is excited, Aurum looks exasperated, and Braden just rolls his eyes. "I''m back," I say. "We noticed," Gavin says as my team and the pair of servants extract themselves from each other and stand up. "How did your training go?" "Excellent," I walk over to the table and open up my Inventory, pulling out various weapons and equipment. "I picked up the gear you guys had commissioned on my way back." "Isn''t that out of the way?" Gavin asked. "Shush," I tell him. "Your sword, Max''s sword, Braden''s bracers and leather vest, Luca''s leather vest, Aurum''s cloak, and Kit''s hat." Aurum gives me an eye-roll as Kit gives me a confused look. "I didn''t want to leave you two out," I say. "Though Nathan beat me to the punch with Aurum''s cloak. I''m¡­ don''t bother trying to find out what its effects are. You''ll discover them in time and want to smack Nathan for it." Aurum snorts, then takes the cloak. I''m seriously not sure what Nathan was thinking when he ordered it made. All I can say is that Nathan is Nathan, and his mind is even more of a mystery to me than mine is to everyone else. "Kit," I say as my team takes their equipment. "My team and I are heading to Talorn for some advanced training. I''ll trust you to take care of the property while we''re gone." I pull out some money and hold it out. "This is so you can pay for any food you need while we''re gone," I tell him. "Though I stocked some stuff while you guys were doing your stretches. Also, I don''t blame you for sitting out on that dance. That was just weird." "Was not," Luca pouts. "It was," I give him a pointed look. "I know you were behind it." "Was not," he mutters. "He be the one behind it," Max whispers loudly. "I know," I tell him as Luca pouts again. "Alright, everyone! Get ready to get going. We''re heading to Talorn ASAP. After we settle into our new base, seven days of hell begins for you." "Why?" Gavin asks. "The battle is in less than two weeks," Braden says, and Luca nods. "It is?" Gavin looks confused. Didn''t Braden already tell you that? "Yep!" Max nods. "They say it be in maybe ten or eleven days, we need to be ready for it! That''s why Boss went for super training in the Valley of Power!" "Who told you where I went?" I ask as Gavin gives me a confused look. "Gold." "Of course," I roll my eyes. It was probably Theodore. "Yes, I was in the Valley of Power. Gavin, it''s a hellish training place. And awesome one, but still hellish. To put things in perspective, I managed to bring Mystic Knight and Elementalist from Level 1 each to Level 50 and brought my Rank 4 Class up 7 Levels." His eyes widen. "However," I hold up a hand. "It came at a price. Those 97 Levels I actually had to grind the Experience for were not Levels I should have managed in that short of a timeframe. A week in the Valley of Power, maybe but not two and a half days. I put so much stress on my body that I''m forbidden from anything strenuous for my body for the next week. If I don''t follow this rule, I may completely incapacitate myself. Permanently."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. All six of them stare at me with wide eyes. While the novelty of the monsters'' reasons for fighting each other was still amazing to me and entrancing, I decided I could watch them later and pushed myself into my training. Hard. I went deep into the Valley of Power and fought things barely within my power. I pushed myself as hard as possible, and that meant taking a lot of damage. A lot of hits. More than once, Dark Vengeance is the reason I survived. Nik got mad when I told him it had been seven times. I didn''t tell him it had been seventeen times. And he got even madder when I kept pushing myself that hard. But it''s important I''m as strong as possible, for when I fight the Dragon. I need to be as strong as possible. I had to remind Nik of that, and that I could have used Heal instead of Dark Vengeance. In fact, I did use Heal instead of Dark Vengeance a number of times. There were just a few times where I was taking damage too fast for Heal, where Dark Vengeance was the better choice. "And for the next week," I direct my attention to my team. "You four are going to train your assess off in Talorn. Then, you are going to fight that Goblin Chieftain. After that, I am going to restore Talorn''s City Barrier. Once I do, the first half of the vision will be met." All that will be left after is to find out who the brothers are¡­ if I don''t take control of the vision and change the predicted outcome. I know Big S says it should be impossible, that it''s a guarantee that one of those two will end the war, either for or against our favor, but I don''t care. I am a Child of Existence. I choose what happens. My power is so great that I can subconsciously use it. Luca shouldn''t dream at all, yet he does because of my worry for his sleep. Because for a long time, I''d forgotten that humans and demigods don''t dream in the Boundary. As a result, my power altered Luca, allowing him to dream in this place outside of reality. If I can do that, if I can access my dragon form without even being aware of it, then I can do this. Then I can wipe out Alexander''s forces, I can kill his final ally from before the split, and I can kill him. I will change the vision''s predictions. Alexander has taken too much from me for me to not. "After that," I say. "If you still need training, we''ll be going to the mines. We''ll leave a one-day window for resting before the battle. So gear up, grab what you need, and let''s get going." My team scrambles to pack their stuff, and I walk over to Aurum and Kit. "Keep an eye on him, would you?" I ask Aurum as a shudder runs through the fabric of the Boundary. That should be the last of them, I think. "He''s still pretty new to being free." Aurum nods. "Also," I say. "Does Nathan know that you''ve been practicing?" He frowns, confused, but then the memories and images of what I''m referring to pop into his head, and his face reddens as he looks down, his tail sagging as his ears flatten against his head. "I think he''s figured it out," I smile a little. "Pretty much all of the free beastborn here other than Kit is doing it. Even the others who were freed with him and the boy who came to us a couple of days ago." And Max''s brothers. It seems he wasn''t going to Talorn or the mines when Nik and I saw him, but to the desert City his brothers were slaves in. And he killed their master. Based on the report given, Max had gotten serious. He pushed away his hyperactivity and channeled his energy into his goal. He strode through town with a badass gaze on his face, took out a few people who attempted to restrain him for ''being a bad beastborn'', and then killed his brothers'' owner. They wouldn''t pick names, so Max named them. Nit and Nin. I guess that''s better than what he''d thought their names were, but we''re going to have to have a talk about how things are named. His Pet Rock is Rok. He also doesn''t know I''m aware he has one, but that''s another story. No one knows where he found the Pet Rock, either, since there aren''t any in Maelnor or the surrounding area. Strangely, he can keep it in his Inventory, even though it''s a living thing. As soon as my team finishes assembling, I take them to the Dark Temple. Luca''s able to make the walk without rest, finally. I know he''s been working hard on his stamina the last couple of weeks. He''s faked a lot of his low stamina over the last week, too, because he prefers being carried on someone''s back to walking. Walking long distancesdoes wear him out still, and he doesn''t like it when his feet get sore. At the Dark Temple, I warp us to Talorn, then lead my team through the streets until we come to the place I picked out for our temporary camp. Gold''s here, sitting on the end of the picnic table and swinging his legs as he waits for us. "Thanks for clearing it out," I tell Gold, and he gives me an annoyed look. "I''m allowed to take what I want." He continues to give me that annoyed stare. "What?" I ask. "It''s not my fault. You aren''t the only one who can replace things, you know." He gives me a pointed look. "The storage room is too far," I say. "And the ones in the bedrooms are guaranteed to be clean. Again, thanks for clearing the goblins from here and keeping an eye on it, Gold. I see you gained a Level while here, too. Good job on that." He nods, his tail wagging a little from the praise. "Your brother wants to play a game of cards," I tell him. "Could you try to convince Kit to join? He''s still in the scared phase." Gold nods, then starts to leave. "And Gold?" I say. He turns to face me, ears perked up as he gives me a curious look. "I was going to wait for you to reveal it, but I know you''ve been practicing talking. And no, Max didn''t tell me, I''d come across you one night." His face reddens. "It''s nothing to be embarrassed about," I smile. "You''ve been doing it for less time than Max, and you speak better than him. You''re pretty smart, and you adjust well. There''s a reason we trust you to help oversee the new servants." "Th-thanks," he speaks softly, and I can sense my team''s amazement, outside of Max, who just gets excited. "Enjoy your day," I tell Gold. "Y-you, too," he says, then hurries off. I look at my team. "Now that we''re here," I say. "Let''s go over the plans for the next week. You''ll be working off just enough sleep to last you the day, with most of the day spent training. Hard. If you want to participate in the battle for the valley, you will retrieve the banners by the end of this week. Understood?" "Yes, sir!" The four of them respond at once, and I get the feeling they had rehearsed it. "Good," I pull out a map of Talorn and spread it out. "We''ll be training in the City in phases. Every day, you four will be taking out a large amount of monsters covering a huge section. You will be moving fast, and you will be using a lot of energy. Here''s the plan." Chapter 0157 (Gavin) "Holy fuck," Braden whispers beside me as the clearing with our banners comes into view. The four of us are sore, exhausted, and not allowed to do anything strenuous until the battle for the valley after this fight, but it was worth it. We have all increased our Levels by dozens. Even Max, though he would be much higher if we could have gotten him to focus solely on training for the most part. He''s like Zack in that he has a hard time taking things seriously at all times, but Zack at least has the discipline needed to focus on training when it counts. Much to his detriment, though I think he''s itching for a fight, now that he''s apparently allowed to do strenuous stuff again. Our condition isn''t as bad as Zack''s was, or we''d have to wait longer. We''ve fought a lot of tough things, we''ve pushed our Levels, and even our Skills, past where we expected to reach them. Braden even managed to learn Lightning Elemental, despite its high cost. We have Luca''s Blessing of Intellect and Zack''s seemingly infinite supply of Mana Potions to thank for that. He told us, when we began to make our way here, that he was giving us the last of those he''d stored up for our training. It must have been extremely expensive, but then, this is Zack we''re talking about ¨C he can afford it. Hell, he could probably afford to buy most of Maelnor and still have change leftover. I know he has plenty of Bounty Beast kills he''s yet to claim and a lot of loot he''s yet to sell. I glance up to our team''s leader, who''s floating in the air a distance behind us, an amused look on his face. He''s in his Eidolon Form right now, a state he hasn''t left since we arrived here. He has the Mana Regeneration to make up for the loss and still recover some Mana over time. Apparently, just being in that form gives it Experience, though I don''t think it actually helps much. Zack says it''s Leveled at least once with him just being in it, though, so I suppose if it works, it works. Turning my attention back to what caused Braden to swear, Luca to frown, and Zack to smile, I assess the situation. Two Goblin Giants and two Goblin Shaman at each banner, five Spook Goblins, five Frost Goblins, seventy goblins of various types, fifty slimes of various types, and at least ten Heal Slimes. Plus the Goblin Chieftain from before, but he''s gotten an upgrade.
Goblin Chieftain (Elite) Level 20
Health: 112,392 Mana: 98,457
He became an Elite Monster while we were doing our other training, and based on Zack''s expression, I''m sure it received the upgrade while we weren''t in Talorn ¨C before we began this session. He knew about this before we returned here. The upgraded version of this, a Bounty Beast, is what killed Luca''s twin brother. But from what little I heard, A''Lutar was a rare type of Bounty Beast in claimed territory. They aren''t affected by Level Caps in some situations, and it was one of those exemptions. It wasn''t as strong as a King Monster, but might as well have been. "We can do this," I say, and the team looks at me. "Everyone, focus on clearing out the weaker monsters first. Braden, Max ¨C take out the Heal Slimes first. The four Goblin Shaman also need to go, they''ll cast spells at us. As soon as they''re spotted, take out the Goblin Archers that are likely hiding in the buildings, facing the battle. Max, that''s up to you ¨C they''ll likely duck back down as soon as they attack, so your Flame Lances, which will destroy the walls they''re hiding behind, will suffice. Don''t worry about destroying the place if you need to, but don''t go on a rampage, Braden still needs his vantage points. "Braden," I say. "Max, the Goblin Giants are next. Don''t focus on attacking them until after that, they''re relatively slow, so there''s no need to worry about them. We want to kill everything here before facing the Goblin Chieftain, so that we don''t have any nasty surprises while fighting it. I''ll keep monsters from getting too close to Luca. Luca, make sure to heal anyone who needs it, and cure anything that needs it. As soon as we start fighting the chieftain, hit us with Blessings, and keep them up, no matter what. They''ll be key to taking that thing down." "Got it!" Max says, tail wagging. "Understood," Braden says. "Yep," Luca says. "Before we start," I say. "Everyone still voting for fighting the chieftain instead of killing what''s needed to take the banners and run?" "Duh!" Luca says. "The mission might be to retrieve the banners, but we''re gonna face way tougher stuff than the big ugly thingy during the battle." "Yep!" Max grins. "Way bigger, way uglier, way tougher beasties are coming our way!" "This will be a real test of our ability to fight in the battle," Braden nods. "Good," I put out my fist, and the others bump theirs to it. "Let''s go." We separate our fists, then move. Max runs into the clearing, immediately moving to the side as he launches spell after spell at the goblins and slimes. Braden scales a building and disappears into it, then arrows fly out of another building further down.
Luca Normar has granted you the Blessing of Intellect!
Intellect: +100%
Duration: 50 seconds
"So you can use your distance Skills," he says. "I''ll focus mostly on defending you you," I draw my sword as a Spook Goblin charges towards me, extending a hand. "But thanks." He nods, and I charge to the Spook Goblin, swinging my sword as it begins to cast whatever spell it was planning on. Probably a Fireball, they''re fond of those. My sword cuts into the goblin''s arm, and it snarls at me. I kick its stomach, then step forward, slashing with my sword and cutting into its neck. I pull my sword out, then swing down, connecting to its shoulder. A stab to its stomach kills the Spook Goblin, and I return to Luca, keeping my eyes open for anything which might come towards us. A Frost Goblin charges my way, and as I ready my sword, a Flame Lance slams into it. "Bady gobby!" Max exclaims. "Thanks, Max!" "Welcome!" He responds, and I realize I''ve lost sight of him. He''s much faster than me, having taken on Rogue as soon as he could take on a third Class. Luca''s able to, but hasn''t yet, while Braden''s wanting to wait until he can take on Druid. Luca''s second Class is still a mystery, even if we can see his Level. The four of us had plenty of solo training here, and Zack interfered anytime we started getting too close to Luca during it, even if by accident. As Braden and Max clear up the weaker monsters, the Goblin Chieftain turns its attention to Luca and me. Either it''s realized Luca is the party''s healer and is targeting him, or it''s decided to attack the two who are mostly staying out of the fight. The Goblin Chieftain raises a hand towards us, and a Fireball soars towards us. Is it testing our defenses? Luca manifests his white Barrier to stop the attack, the Barrier holding with a little cracking. The Fireball dissipates as it splashes against the Barrier, which fades away, broken. Based on how well it held up, Luca likely gave himself a Blessing as well. A second Fireball forms at the tip of the chieftain''s staff, which it begins to point at us.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "No you don''t, motherfucker," Luca mutters. I hear his staff tap the ground, and a prison of ice forms around the Goblin Chieftain, barely able to hold it. The Fireball slams into it, cracking it, and Luca creates a second Ice Prison around it. He''s an Elementalist. "Stay, you ugly fucker," he mutters as I hear something approaching, then a moment later. "You''re so obvious." Whack! I jump, turning at the sudden sound, and find Luca having bashed in a goblin''s head with his staff. He looks smug and satisfied, and turns back around, generating another Barrier in front of me. I turn to watch as the attacks of several slimes bounce off of it, the Goblin Chieftain attacking the prison. "It''s not like it stays forever," Luca mutters. "You''re a fucking idiot." I think Zack''s influenced him a little too much. A Frost Goblin comes my way, frosty sword raised, and I meet it, our blades clashing. "Flame Blade," I activate the Blade Skill as I bring my sword to the side for another block. We continue to strike at each other as I overpower the Frost Goblin, blocking its attacks with far more force than necessary to simply stop them. Its arms wear out quickly, giving me an opening to strike at its neck. I quickly strike the same spot again, then stab its stomach. Just as the Frost Goblin falls to the ground, a cloud of green gas reaches us, only a few feet away. I start to back up, reaching out for Luca, but a series of arrows of green magic pierce into the gas, their speed kicking up a light wind that blows the gas to the side, away from Luca and me. "Thanks!" I holler. "Chieftain''s not waiting," Braden manifests out of the shadows a few feet away from me. "I''ll distract it as best I can, Max is going to finish off the rest." I nod, and Braden disappears back into the shadows, reappearing in shadows in another part of the space. He fires a bunch of arrows at the Goblin Chieftain, then disappears back into the shadows. That''s an expensive Skill to use so much, which means he''s probably using up a lot of Mana Potions. Next time he''s here, I''ll pass some of mine off to him. Turning my attention back to the fight, I Deflect a Flame Jet from a slime with my blade, the Flame Slime suddenly becoming bombarded with Water Balls, dying from the impact and elemental weakness. "Bad Slimey!" Max exclaims. When I turn my attention to where he was, I''m met with the sight of him launching himself into the air, sword in his hands. He lands on the back of a Goblin Giant, which begins to brings its arms up to try to pull him off. Max is tenacious, however, and manages to hack at its arms. At some point, he drives a knife into the Goblin Giant''s eyes, then adds a Fireball for good measure as he pulls his weapon out. He dropped his sword, but as he jumps off the Goblin Giant, he picks it back up and slashes at the feet of the nearby Goblin Shaman. Quicker than I can track, he''s moved, his sword aimed at the Goblin Shaman as it falls. The goblin drops onto the sword, killed by the attack, and Max shifts, kicking a Goblin Soldier that had rushed him. As Max pulls his sword out of the Goblin Shaman, Magic Arrows take out several goblins and slimes that had moved to attack him. I see, he''s using himself as bait to help draw things into Braden''s view. But isn''t Braden taking care of the Goblin Chieftain? He''s doing both, alternating attacks. The Goblin Chieftain seems intent on coming after Luca and me, and Braden''s attacks are barely distracting it. I make a good estimate of how much Willpower it has, but no attacks striking it so far are physical, making it more difficult to know its Endurance. Can I damage it with a Blessing of Strength? I hold out a hand. "Stone Spike!" I cast the Skill, a spike of stone forming in front of my hand. It flies at a goblin, piercing its side. "Luca, signal Braden to come here." Luca lets out a bird call, being much better at them than I am. A few moments later, Braden appears in the shadows. "I''m giving you some of my Mana Potions," I start pulling them out of my Inventory. "You''re definitely going to need them." "Thanks," Braden says. Our hand-off is interrupted by a few attacks, but Braden and I intercept them with spells and my sword, killing the monsters which attacked. We finish the hand-off in a minute and a half, then Braden returns to wherever he was, and I return to focusing on making sure nothing gets too close to Luca as we wait for the Goblin Chieftain to become our sole target. The other Goblin Giant has been taken out, as Max seems to have mixed-up which ones he was supposed to kill first, and the second Goblin Shaman dies after a few attacks with Max''s sword and Braden''s arrows. Max suddenly spins, throwing a Flame Lance at the building beside us, and I pull Luca away from the rubble. "Sorry!" Max exclaims. "Gobby archer was there!" "Max, duck!" He ducks, and the Goblin Chieftain''s Fireball passes over his head, slamming into another building. "Max! Braden!" I yell. "You two finish up! I''ll get started with the chieftain!" "Got it!" Both call back. "Luca, grant me a Blessing of Strength."
Luca Normar has granted you the Blessing of Strength!
Strength: +100%
Duration: 50 seconds
With nearly 900 Strength, I run forward. "Heaven''s Blade," I say, my sword taking on a white-and-gold glow, sparks of lightning dancing across it. It might not be my most powerful Blade Skill, but it mixes air and lightning damage together. Were the target affected by holy attacks, it would affect it with that as well. If this isn''t effective enough, then I''ll switch to Frost Blade, the only one I have with a higher damage right now other than Lightning Blade, which is between the two. Hopefully, with two different elemental attacks, this should be enough. I Dash forward, swinging my sword, and the Goblin Chieftain uses its staff to block the attack. I continue to strike at it, holding as firmly to this spot as I can. Twice, it begins to cast a spell at me, but Luca blocks it with a Barrier when the Fireball starts to fly from its hand and he hits the thing in the hand with an Ice Lance when it starts to cast the cloud of toxic gas. The Goblin Chieftain and I continue to spar, it unable to use a spell on me thanks to Luca, Braden, and Max, and me unable to strike it because of its skill with that staff. With the other monsters dead, however, Max and Braden and now free to attack it as much as they can, and so they do. Now, the Goblin Chieftain is facing us, with Luca buffing us, from three directions. Every now and then, Luca hits it with an Ice Lance. My attacks are barely taking out 100 Health, and when Luca takes a moment too long to recast the Blessing, I know it''s from my Strength and not my Blade Skill. I keep it up, anyway. A few times, I have to step back to use Mana Potions to recover more, especially with me using Heal on myself when necessary. The Goblin Chieftain hammers away at us, and I notice Max''s Health dropping more and more, and Luca''s letting it. Hopefully, he won''t let Max go too low if the Dark Knight doesn''t take care of that. With Blood Frenzy, Max grows stronger the less Health he has, and he''s mixing in Dark Strike and Strike of Darkness as well, up until he drops below 100 Health. Then, he lunges forward, stabbing the Goblin Chieftain in the side with a knife, his Health filling most of the way back up. He didn''t take all the damage in a short enough timeframe to recover all of it. Anytime Braden''s attacks hit, the Goblin Chieftain loses a fair bit of Health. If I''m estimating his effective damage correctly, then the Goblin Chieftain has around 1,200 Willpower, since each of Braden''s arrows takes out between 100 and 150 Health. It has around 800 Endurance, so the physical aspect of his Skills aren''t affecting it, but that doesn''t matter much. 100 Health per arrow, at ten arrows a shot, is 1,000 Health. Max can take out nearly 1,800 with a proper Dark Vengeance, and I can take out around 100 Health per strike that actually connects. Around sixty percent of Braden''s attacks are striking, but he''s able to release arrows at a rate of once every half-second. That''s around 1,200 Health taken out every second. We can do this. Actually, Max should be able to handle this a lot better than us. Why isn''t he-ah. "Stepping back!" I call, then do that, leaving Braden and Max to handle it. I start pulling the rest of my Mana Potions out, setting them at Luca''s feet. "Max!" I charge back in. "Mana Potions by Luca! Flame Lance this thing!" Max charges towards Luca, who throws a few Ice Lances at it. Those are doing some decent damage as well. They should, doing 100% of Intellect as damage per Level of the Skill. Whatever his Skill Level is for that, it''s decent, I think, since they''re taking out more than 2,000 Health each. I manage to cut the wrist of the Goblin Chieftain, the one for the hand with the staff. A second strike, and the chieftain loses its grip. "BURN!" Max yells, and I hastily move away from the Goblin Chieftain. Several Flame Lances strike at it, and I charge back into the fight, keeping the monster focused on me as Max and Braden use their Skills from a distance and their Mana Potions to recover what they''ve lost. It only takes us a few more minutes, but we manage to kill the thing. I don''t even pay attention to the notices as I collapse to the ground, my body screaming in pain, every muscle burning. The chieftain falls backwards from the impact of the final Flame Lance Max threw, then the others approach. Zack lands beside me, tucking his wings against his back and looking at us. "Good job," he says. "Now all you have to do is recover the banners and return to base, and your mission is complete." "Please don''t say there''s something else waiting for us," I groan. "Food," he grins. "Gold showed up while we were on our way here, and he''s making a feast to celebrate your victory. Rest a few minutes, then let''s get going." Chapter 0158 (Zack) My team stares at the gear with wide eyes. When we returned home after their kill yesterday, I told them to make sure they rested. All of them need to rest the last few days before the battle, or they''ll risk permanently crippling themselves. They wanted to replace their equipment made with the Primordial Essences I supplied, as the hellish training and final fight actually managed to cause damage to their superior gear, but I forbid them from leaving the property, so they spent it just relaxing and playing games. In the case of Max, it was also spent harassing Kit and being scolded by Luca for starting to roughhouse. I kind of feel bad for that, but it''s necessary to keep them from crippling themselves. While they were occupied with resting, I checked on all of the equipment I''d had made while they were gone. Stronger swords, stronger armor, stronger vests. All made with Primordial Essence and high-quality materials. Each one of my teammates is now equipped with gear worth at least ten thousand platinum. Max has a proper set of Primordial Dark Armor, with a bit of Spook Ore for a little extra effect. It''s fashioned in a similar style to mine, to give him a high range of motion and not weigh him down. Gavin''s new armor now covers more of him, though he''s still going without a helmet. Luca still wears his brother''s cloak, but he has a new pair of pants, boots, and vest, all made out of leather and fabric. Braden has those, plus bracers and a mantle, all made out of high-quality leather and fabric. For weapons, Max has a new Primordial Dark Sword, with a bit of Spook Ore for a little extra effect, and a matching knife. Gavin has a Mystic Sword, forged of Magic Ore, Magic Crystals, Primordial Ore, and Primordial Essence, and a matching knife. Luca has a new staff of pale Fallswood, wood harvested from a special type of tree growing in a waterfall. The staff augments his healing and water magics when used through it. Braden has a new bow, one made of a much more durable wood than his previous so that it will hold up against attacks better. The string is a higher-quality one that''s less likely to snap when he starts rapid-firing arrows. I had stuff made for Gold, too, and I''m sure he''s staring at it in shock, but he''s not here ¨C I had Theodore give it to him so that I could present my team with their gear. I would have had Nik do it, but Nik was mysteriously missing. By that, I mean he was in Jackson''s forge with some of the Master Blacksmiths, including Jackson, and I decided not to eavesdrop with my Sight after finding him. "You had this made for us?" Gavin asks. "How expensive was it? I know you''re rich, Zack, but after what you said¡­ could you even afford that?" "I didn''t pay for it alone," I say. "And I did supply some of the materials. Peter contributed to yours, Brandon to Braden''s, Travis to Luca''s, and Nik to Max''s. Most of the cost came from the crafting itself rather than the materials, which was cheaper." I did have to collect a few Bounties and rewards from killing Fallen Adventurers to keep from actually dropping in money, but I''m not going to tell them that. This is stuff that''s been getting worked on for weeks already, it''s the gear Nik promised back when we issued them the challenge. We didn''t have a doubt in our minds that the team would succeed in their task, especially after the Candy Beast. They probably know that winning against it didn''t actually make them qualified to fight in the battle ¨C it took them hours to slay it. But the Goblin Chieftain, they managed to fell in under ten minutes. And now, they have even better equipment. "We have just a few days until the battle," I tell my team. "Rest until then, though we''re going to head down to Central Plaza. There''s a final war meeting taking place soon, and I want you four at a specific table. Every Adventurer who is going to be fighting in the battle will be present, except one." The ghost, because we still want his presence and continued existence to be a secret. "What about the Shadow of Life''s third lieutenant?" Gavin asks as Max starts trying on his armor. "Max, that''s my armor, it''s going to be a little big on you." Max giggles, then takes off Gavin''s armor and starts trying on his own. "Already taken care of," I answer, and Gavin frowns. "He wasn''t as difficult as I thought he was, though he did manage to cut me on the arm. The only one of the three who actually gave me trouble, and according to Big S, the Shadow of Life''s really pissed I managed to kill all three of them." The warrior of the three did give me a little trouble, but with Eidolon Form, it wasn''t anything I couldn''t handle. "You can try on your gear," I say. "Then we''re heading down." Everyone nods, then changes into their new gear. In their eagerness, Braden and Luca both do that here, rather than going inside. Thankfully, no one is observing us outside of Kit and Aurum, so it''s not much of an issue. Those two servants will be staying here. Even if Aurum has a few Levels, he''s still far too weak to participate in the battle. There might be a few things for him to kill, but sheer numbers will overwhelm him, and he''d be facing stronger things at the same time. Once my team is geared up in their new equipment and clothes, we make our way down to the plaza, the largest one in Maelnor. Dozens of tables are set up, with benches lining them. They came from the Dark Temple, which I know because I helped move them. That, and the tables and benches from the Dark Temples are pretty distinct. We had these ones in storage. Gold tried convincing me to do my thieving while we were in the storage rooms, but I ignored it. The stuff in the bedrooms are guaranteed to be clean, and I want the fresh stuff. The tables are arranged with a single platform facing all of them, where the people leading this will be seated. There''s a table up there, with a single bench for seating. I get my team seated, noting a few Adventurers already arriving. The meeting starts in around an hour. A few of the servant beastborn are moving about, putting out drinks and refreshments, Gold overseeing them, wearing the beastborn beanie he received from the present a few months ago. I still haven''t opened the others yet, and had meant to do that with my team. One day, maybe. "Zack," Nik approaches me, and I look at him. "Come here." Tempted to look into his mind to find out what he wants, I don''t and follow. He takes me to Jackson''s forge, through the back door. He takes me to a room with all of the Master Blacksmiths gathered, making the room quite cramped. Sitting on the table is a set of armor, fashioned in my style. There''s a sword, spear, and pair of knives as well. Normally, I''d say it''s Dark Armor, like what we Dark Knights wear, but this is different. Rather than simply having red and black, the parts which would ordinarily be red are red and orange. I use Appraisal on the sword.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Hell Dragon Sword
Forged of eight different high-quality ores and three different essences by eleven different Master Blacksmiths, this sword can cut through nigh anything while taking nigh any blow and never needing sharpened again. It possesses a high resonance for any fire, blood, and shadow.
Resonance: 500%
"Resonance?" I look at Jackson. "It''s a damage multiplier," he tells me. "Any fire, blood, or shadow Skills used with the sword will have five times as much damage as normal. Any fire, blood, or shadow attacks which strike the armor will be absorbed entirely." A Strike of Darkness with this sword, while in Eidolon Form¡­ this is powerful. "Why?" I ask. "Shouldn''t you guys have focused on making gear for the battle?" "We can get more out in the next few days," Jackson tells me. "But this was a priority, much like your Armor and Sword of the End." "But-" "The Dragon," Nik says. "Is the key part of this battle. Without it being distracted or driven off, we cannot truly win this fight, even if we deal with everything else. If the Dragon destroys the City Barrier, then we will lose Maelnor. This gear is intended to ensure you''re at your best." I knew Jackson was planning on something like a hell armor for me, based off what he''d said before, but when all of the Master Blacksmiths got together, I thought they were making Nik something. I glance at my mentor. He''s Level 257, which means he Ascended. "Thanks," I say. "You''re welcome," he says. "Did you restore the City Barrier in Talorn yet?" "No," I answer. "I thought you might want to be there for it, and you were busy when my team finished up their training. They killed almost all the monsters in Talorn anyway, so it won''t take long to clean it up after I turn the City Barrier back on." "Okay," he says. "And you said you''re going to do the same to Praevar after?" "Yes," I nod. "Okay," he says. "Take the equipment, Zack. It''s time to return to the plaza." I nod, then begin putting the equipment into my Inventory. This stuff is so powerful¡­ "How much does it cost?" I look at Jackson. "I know I paid for the expeditions to acquire some of the materials for it, but the eleven of you had to work hard to craft this." "You either paid for or supplied," Jackson says. "All of the materials for the equipment. In addition, you''ve been selling Primordial Essence to me at a lower cost than its worth to ensure that the qualified Adventurers fighting in the upcoming battle will have better gear. That''s more than paid for this." "Jackson-" "When people realized," Nik says. "That a special set of armor was being forged for you for the fight against the Dragon, they began putting money up to help decrease the cost. You''ve helped a lot of people by supplying the Primordial Essence as cheap as you have, and a lot of people want to ensure your victory in your mission during the battle." "Okay," I say, then finish putting everything away. "Thanks." Nik nods, then the thirteen of us make our way to the plaza, which is even more full now. A few people are arguing with my team about seating, which is strange. They should see my teams'' Levels, why do they think they shouldn''t be here? Well, the looks those who''ve been out here are giving the team aren''t enough of a message, so I suppose they''re just idiots. "Problems?" Nik asks as we approach. "Yes," the knight in charge of the team says. "We want to sit close up, but these children won''t move." "Because they deserve to sit there," I say. "They''re my team, and teammates of those sitting up there," I point at the high table. "Sit up close." The knight and his team give me an appraising look, then an unamused one, and I can sense the wariness of everyone around who knows me. "You don''t even have a Level," he says, then looks at Nik. "Are you seriously going to let him-" "Nik isn''t the one you''re talking to," I say. "Now find a different spot to sit, my team is sitting here. Gold! Make sure he gets something watered-down rather than quality." Gold sighs, and I walk past the man and up to the platform, jumping onto it. Nik does the same, sitting in the middle, and I sit to his right. The team looks at us uncertainly. "Just be grateful he didn''t cut off your hand," Samantha appears from nowhere, smiling at the team. "He has a tendency to do that to thieves ¨C or would-be thieves. Be grateful this happened after the purge, too, or he might have suspected you of working for the Shadow of Life and simply took your life." The knight and his team find somewhere else to sit, and Samantha takes a seat near my team. Her apprentices aren''t participating, they''re too weak to join. Technically, my team is too low in Level, but their abilities aren''t average. Three demigods and a beastborn are anything but average. Blaine joins us up here, as does Jesse, dressed in his real attire rather than his usual attire. That draws a few stares from people who don''t know any better. Travis, Mama Bear, Nathan, and a few others join us up here, including Joseph, the prince. Once everyone has gathered, Nik stands. There are more than a thousand Adventurers here, but it''s still fewer than we''d like. Sadly, anyone weaker would be lost in the fighting. Fast. They simply wouldn''t be able to handle it. "Everyone," Nik says, his voice echoing out through the plaza. According to him, it''s an effect of this place, once the Crystals turn it on. Seems like it''s on. "In a few days, the battle for the valley will begin. Some of you have fought for Cities'' defenses before, but most of you have not. For this reason, we are holding this final war council to discuss how things will be done. "There is a notion," Nik continues. "That the battle takes place over a single day. This is false. The Dungeon Barrier of Kaelmar will become disabled by the Shadow of Life for ten days. Then, the first wave begins. Some monsters will come out. A few of you will be at the Crater to intercept them. The servants of the Dark Order are handing out the assignments now." Beastborn begin to move through the tables, putting down papers. Gold is overseeing all of this, and I can tell he''s directing some of them, while some of the older and more mature beastborn are as well. "The first few waves," Nik says. "Won''t be high in number, but there will be enough that some will pass through those at the Crater. After the first day or so, those of you there will be retreating back to Maelnor. For the last week, we have been rigging the forest with traps and large-scale spells. Those will be effective for the second set of waves, as the monsters, greater in number than the first few waves, begin to pass through the forest. "When they finally reach Maelnor," Nik continues. "We will meet them here. There won''t be many at first, but over the next few days of the battle, they will grow in number. By the fifth day of the battle, it will be one endless wave of monsters. They will target the West Gate, and possibly the North Gate and South Gate as well. We will have Adventurers stationed at each. "For those of you worried about the Dragon," he places a hand on my shoulder, and I stand. "This is Zack Noruva. Some of you have met him, more of you have likely seen him around, and all of you have heard of him. The Dragon will arrive on either the sixth or seventh day. When it arrives, the King Monsters will not be far behind. Hours, at most. "Zack," Nik continues. "Will deal with the Dragon. For the first time in history, we may be able to drive it off. To everyone who wanted something from the Master Blacksmiths the last week, preparing his equipment to face the Dragon was the reason they were unavailable." My anxiety over the Dragon starts to rise again as he talks about it. For some reason, it feels even more real now than it did before. "To those of you who have only heard the rumors," Nik gives my shoulder a firm, reassuring squeeze. "Of a child of unheard-of abilities, Zack is the child of the vision ¨C what most of you know as a prophecy. He is the one whose presence heralds the changing of the tides. He has Ascended, forged a new Class, and after this meeting, will restore the City Barriers for both Talorn and Praevar. His sole mission during the battle for the valley is to deal with the Dragon. As such, he will not be participating in any other fighting, to ensure that even if the Dragon arrives early, he is ready for it. "Do not be mistaken by his young appearance," Nik says. "He might be thirteen and a half, but he''s both a demigod and the highest-Leveled Adventurer in the entire Boundary. He regularly communicates with the Crystals, and has assisted us in several purges of followers of the Shadow of Life. It is his own visions ¨C his own power to foresee possible futures ¨C which has alerted us to the time of the battle''s beginning and the presence of a third King Monster for this battle, something which was confirmed several days after his forewarning of it by our scouts." Chapter 0159 (Zack) For almost four hours, the war meeting droned on. Surprisingly, Max was able to actually pay attention the entire time, despite wanting to play a game of cards. Luca struggled and eventually fell asleep, while Braden and Gavin listened to everything, though I think Gavin missed a few things. Now, several groups are gathering at the Dark Temple. A group consisting of my team, Nik, his team, the prince, and two teams will be going to Talorn, while several other teams are going to Praevar. Once I restore the City Barrier in Talorn, the two additional teams accompanying us are going to clear it out of monsters completely ¨C above and below the surface. Since my team wiped out more than ninety-five percent of its monsters while we were training there, there aren''t that many to actually take out for them. Praevar, on the other hand, has a crapton due to no one really bothering with actually clearing it out much and just using a couple of paths through it, so about five teams will be handling that. Once my group is completely on the Sigil, Nik uses it to warp us to Talorn, then we walk through the pretty empty streets, killing the rare monster that gets in our way or is easily slain without us moving much from our spot. We reach the altar, and I approach it. The altar is made of a dark grey stone, with red, blue, brown, and light grey corners, lines of those colors stretching out across the surface and sides of it. Violet lines are spread throughout it as well, intersecting everything and spreading across the ground to the ruined walls of the Enchanted Hall that used to house it. I place my hand on the Enchanted Altar and sense its power. Focusing inward, I draw on the Sacred Crystal within me, on the four elements and their harmony with light and darkness. Then, I focus on the feel of the power in the altar, on the pathways formed within it. Pushing with my power, I send the elements from my inner Sacred Crystal into the altar. It doesn''t drain the elements away, yet the elements still form in the pathways. As the pathways fill up, the lines begin to glow on the altar. Once the four elemental lines are glowing, the violet lines begin to glow, and I release the altar, then turn around and exit its space. After I do, I turn around and watch as the walls begin to repair themselves. The moment the altar is safely housed within its chamber once more, the entire chamber glows violet, then emits a beam of violet light straight up into the sky. The beam reaches the peak of the dome of the Dungeon Barrier, which becomes visible, a yellowish dome which covers the entire Fallen City. As we watch, the Dungeon Barrier turns violet where the beam touches. Violet spreads from that point, quickly overtaking the yellowish coloration. When the violet touches the City Walls, the damage on the walls begins to repair, entire missing sections reforming as we watch. The entire process takes only a few minutes, and when it finishes, a wave of violet is emitted from the chamber, washing over us and the City as a whole.
The City Barrier for the City of Talorn has been restored!
All monsters in Talorn have become 50% weaker, and Talorn has lost its Dungeon state. Monsters can no longer spawn or be born within its boundaries.
It looks like I also received a Rank 4 Title for restoring a City Barrier, which is nice. Everyone present cheers and claps, and a few of them pat me on the back. The secret to the Barriers deals with our Sacred Crystals ¨C they''re forged of Crystal Magic, which is why they''re so powerful. Initially, I''d only suspected Crystal Magic would work within the chambers. There were other places it worked, after all ¨C such as the Crystals'' sacred chambers. Then I asked Big S, and he admitted that Crystal Magic works as long as someone is actually touching the altars, but that it wouldn''t work to be emitted or used against someone else. Only internal use is possible, or the Crystals would draw it away due to what they are. However, using it on the altar works as well, as long as it''s pushed into the altar the way I did it ¨C by using the contact between my hand and the altar to act as a channel. Once the celebrations end, the two cleanup teams bid us a good day and leave, then the rest of us make our way back to the Dark Temple, and Nik warps us to the one in Praevar. There, we make our way to the altar, and I perform the same process as before. When the notification appears, there''s more cheering and congratulations, then those of us leaving do so, returning to Maelnor. My team and I return home, and we enjoy the meal Kit made up for us. After my team heads to the bath, I head to the City Wall and sit atop it, facing Kaelmar. I can see it from here, with my Perception. I want to challenge the avatar now, but Nik says to wait. It might buy us some time for me to restore Kaelmar''s City Barrier, but it''s just as likely to not make a difference. Alexander is prepared to do whatever it takes to end this war. As soon as Maelnor falls, the Boundary is irreversibly doomed. If I restore the City Barrier for Kaelmar, and the one after it, he''d still hit it. Hard. He has three King Monsters on their way. They may not be Dragons, but they''d manage it, even if I managed to distract the Dragon long enough.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Sighing, I try to figure out what to do. With that armor and those weapons, I can definitely drive off the Dragon. I think. I can definitely be the biggest pest it''s ever known. The Sword of the End might prevent it from healing, but those weapons will allow me to do far, far more damage. The sun sets while I''m up here, turning the valley into a vast darkness. The moon is empty tonight, though the stars shine brightly, granting us some sight. It''s not cloudy, which is nice, though clouds will roll in the next few days. "Zack," Nik says, approaching me from behind. He sits behind me. "Thinking about the other Fallen Cities?" "I can understand your reasoning," I sigh. "It makes sense. The three King Monsters will just destroy the City Barriers if I put them back up. That''s why we have to win the battle here in the valley ¨C why we have to kill them, too. And the strategy for the Flame Slime King doesn''t even guarantee we can do that." "Maybe not," he says. "But it''s the best thought we have. If we win the battle, it won''t matter, anyway ¨C the Flame Slime King would be by itself." "Yeah," I try to think of something. "I don''t really know how we could kill that. Jeez. It''s a fucking slime, and it''s one of the biggest threats in the battle." "Yeah," Nik chuckles, then ruffles my hair, and I pull away, fixing it. "Who knows, Zack ¨C maybe someone will think of something during the fighting that allows us to destroy its cores." "Who knows," I look up to the starry sky. "It would probably be Nathan." "Probably," he looks up with me. "I''ve always wondered, Zack, but are these stars any the same as you saw in your old life, from before you died and were brought here?" "Sort of," I answer. "I asked Big S about the stars recently. This is a realm he created, after all." Nik knows the origins of the Boundary, and no one else is close enough to hear us talking, so it''s safe to mention that. "There''s no true ''space'' for us," I say. "No actual place for the stars to be. Big S said that you can keep going as high as you want ¨C eventually, it only seems like you''re continuing to go higher, but you really aren''t. And it will feel as if you can reach out and grab the stars, only you''d find yourself unable to." I reach up, as if reaching for the stars. "In reality," I make a fist, then pull my hand down and look at it. "Stars are just giant balls of burning gas scattered throughout the universe. Some in pairs, some alone, some¡­ well, they''re everywhere. Here, they''re just lights in the sky. Big S said he took the image of the universe''s stars and used that as a template for the stars of the Boundaries. Every constellation ever seen on any world with people can be found here." "Really?" Nik looks up. "Yeah," I nod. "But the stars are also densely packed, because, well, he was something like sevenish when he did it. To him, the night sky was always just packed full of stars, with so many that constellations weren''t necessarily easy to pick out. I actually saw one of the ones I know from Earth, back when we were in the Valley of Power. Orion, the hunter." I look up and reach up again, and Nik looks up. Sometimes, it feels like I could actually touch the stars, even from here. "Big S said," I say. "That having the stars seems to calm people, make them feel at-home. He said he did an experiment to test that. Even if we can''t recognize the stars from our old lives, just being under them is comforting to us. To those of us from reality, anyway. He wouldn''t answer when it regarded those of the Boundary." "I see," he says, and I drop my arm back down and sigh. "You should get some sleep, Zack. Rest up the next couple of days. The battle will be here before you know it." "Yeah," I look out across the valley again, into the darkness. "I''m not sure I''ll be able to, though." "Do your best," he tells me. "And remember ¨C your team looks up to you. If they see you stressed, they''ll become stressed as well." "Yeah," I stand. "Thanks for that reminder, Nik. You''re right, I should head back and try to get some sleep. I''ll see you in the morning." "See you, Zack," he says. I hop off the wall, allowing myself to crash into the ground in a roll. When I return to my feet, I brush myself off, then walk home. My team has finished their baths by now and are in bad, Kit curled up in his usual sleeping spot. I head to the bath and strip, then scrub myself clean, rinse, and then soak, closing my eyes. My team''s sleeping just fine right now, so I''ve some time to myself to just relax in the hot water, allowing it to soothe my achy muscles. A massage might be a good idea, to loosen up all the knots in me. I should get that before the battle, to ensure I''m at my peak for it. Dozing lightly, I find myself in another vision. An army of monsters fills my sight as far as I can see from atop the City Walls of Maelnor. The Adventurers who were at the Crater had fled back the same day the monsters were set to arrive. Instead of coming out and attacking the way every battle for a City has been before, they changed their tactic. The monsters came out as if it were the fifth day and not the first: in a solid stream of monstrous fighting power. The battle is here, and it is now. Our Adventurers rush out to fight, and at first, the battle goes well. Then, it starts to take a turn for the worse. The King Monsters show up only an hour into the fight, the Dragon nowhere to be seen. With the King Monsters here, everyone fights hard, but they''re simply too weak to handle such powerful beasts combining their might and working together. I want to step in and fight, but the Dragon shows up. As I take on my Eidolon Form, I spot my team, just in time for them to be destroyed by a Fireball from the Flame Slime King. With a roar of rage, I soar into the sky. The Dragon can die first, then the Flame Slime. Then every last monster. I meet the Dragon, and as I raise my sword to fight, it releases a breath of flames. Of dragon fire, a fire which can burn nigh anything. It melts my sword despite the weapon''s resistance. Then it burns me, my armor unable to absorb it all. My eyes snap open with a start, and I frown. That wasn''t a vision, that was just a nightmare. I wasn''t aware I could get nightmares in the Boundary, since I''ve only ever had visions here. But that was obviously not a vision, considering I was wearing a tunic, didn''t take it off when I went into Eidolon Form, and my wings didn''t rip it. If I''m wearing a tunic and grow wings, the wings rip the tunic. That''s a fact of life. So yeah, now I''m having nightmares. Fun. Chapter 0160 (Luca) Lord Zack wasn''t here when we woke up. The last few days, he''s been really anxious about something. We all know he hasn''t been sleeping well, either ¨C even less so than normal. Max says that Lord Zack seemed pretty relaxed after getting a massage. I''m not sure when that happened, but Max says Lord Zack got it at the Dark Temple from one of the Dark Knights. Massages are nice. They loosen up my muscles after a lot of training. I have to get Aurum to do them, though, because Max is way too hyper to do them properly. I''m waiting on Kit relaxing before asking our own servant to do them for me. He''d probably give better massages than Max. Max has a tendency to go really fast, and that doesn''t relax me or my muscles at all. In fact, I''m pretty sure it only makes the problem worse. Maybe Lord Zack is getting another massage in the hopes of relaxing more? Hm. If everything is correct, the first wave is occurring today, maybe even as I sit here and eat breakfast. "Luca?" Gavin approaches, looking sleepy. "Why are you putting strawberries on crackers and cheese with some of that dip Zack makes for the fruit?" "Because it''s delicious," I take a bite and eat it. "Very." "Don''t talk with food in your mouth," Gavin looks past me to where Kit''s sleeping. "He''s still asleep?" I nod. I didn''t want to wake him up for breakfast. Aurum''s up, though. Maybe he could make us breakfast? No one cooks as good as Lord Zack, though. His food is the best. Max charges down the stairs wearing his pants and one boot. "Luca!" Max exclaims. "You see Max''s right boot?" "No." I hid it under the bed. Max is a dolt. He should have looked there. "Check under the bed," Braden rejoins us, having finished his morning run. "Luca slipped it under there before he came downstairs." Spoilsport. "Luca!" Max wails, then charges back upstairs. I look over at Kit, who has now woken up and is making his way to the kitchen. I guess he''s making breakfast, after all. Oh, well. I can always fit two breakfasts in me. And if Lord Zack came and made breakfast, I''d fit a third in me, too. Somewhere. I think. Maybe I should leave room? Nah. I''ll manage. Plus, the odds of Lord Zack making breakfast with the battle here is pretty much nonexistent. Kit makes us a decent breakfast. I''d rate it just-below Max''s breakfasts. Max tells me that Kit knew I was awake, but wasn''t aware I was wanting breakfast. He thought this was just a pre-breakfast snack for me. As we''re finishing up breakfast, Lord Zack returns, wearing armor I''ve never seen him in before. Is this the special armor Sir Nik said was made for Lord Zack special for the fight against the Dragon? It looks awesome. And terrifying. But mostly awesome. And mostly terrifying. "Finish up," Lord Zack commands. "Then gear up. The first wave hit early this morning, and it''s larger than normal. Quite so. While our forces at the Crater were able to defeat most of them, a fair few are passing through the forest as well. We estimate around ten percent of the total wave will reach the fields here. Our scouts are watching, and everything is moving straight towards us, which means they aren''t gathering up and waiting for reinforcements. The Shadow of Life has plenty of monsters to throw at us, so he''ll just keep doing that until we''re worn out." "Is everything okay?" Gavin asks. "You aren''t normally gone for breakfast." "I already ate," Lord Zack responds. "And no, everything isn''t alright. The Shadow of Life has taken extra measures to ensure his victory here. I just got out of a meeting regarding this." "What be wrong?" Max asks with a frown. "A fourth King Monster has been added to the mix," Lord Zack answers. "A Frost Knight, which is a Special Monster. It''s basically a suit of armor with ice magics and a frosty aura and sword." "It''ll be easier than the Flame Slime King, right?" Gavin asks. "Maybe," Braden answers. "Except it''s a Special Monster, Zack said." "What does that matter?" Gavin asks. "Shouldn''t an animated suit of armor be easier than a giant mass of ooze?" Gavin really is the idiot of the group. Max''s deeper frown says he''s already understood, and I know Braden does. Brandon''s probably reinforced a lot of stuff to him. Knowledge about monsters. "Special Monsters," Lord Zack explains. "Are more powerful than ordinary monsters. No one even knew King Monsters of them existed. There''s a chance it may be as tough or tougher than the Flame Slime King simply because it''s a Special Monster." That''s troubling. No one knew they even existed? I guess it makes sense, since they''re Special Monsters. Ultimate Monsters don''t have Kings, from what I heard. Or maybe they do?This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "This managed to evade your sight?" Braden asks. "My sight isn''t all-encompassing," Lord Zack shakes his head. "It can be tricked or delayed by adding in a random factor and free will. The Shadow of Life may not have even thought about adding in another King Monster until last night. Based on what I could see, the other three will wait for it to join them before they move forward. It should be at least two days before it reaches them, we think. It''s followed by a horde of its own monsters. Another million or so things to kill." Fuck. "Yeah," Lord Zack gives me an amused look. "That''s right, Luca. So everyone, get ready, you''re going to the fields for some combat. The monsters should be sparse enough you probably won''t be surrounded on all sides, and there will be dozens of other teams and plenty of solo fighters as well. This will be just a minor skirmish." Lord Zack''s eyes turn violet, and he touches his tunic, sending it into his Inventory before taking on his Eidolon Form, with its wings, tail, horns, and awesome appearance. His skin isn''t crimson like before, but it has an otherworldly flawlessness to it with this form. His great, feathery, black wings specked with gold are tucked against his sides, black horns protruding from his head. His eyes remain violet, even though they''re normally his usual blue in this form. "Hurry up," Lord Zack says. We quickly finish preparing, then we follow him to the West Gate, where a few other Adventurers are waiting, more visible through it, already out in the fields. "Good luck," Lord Zack says. "I''ll be atop the Walls, keeping an eye on things just in case the Dragon shows up early." He stretches out his wings, then soars all the way up, disappearing from sight as he moves to the top of the wall to watch things. I turn my attention back to the team. "Let''s kill these beasties," Max puts his fist forward. "And make the baddies pay!" We put our fists forward, bumping them together, then make our way outside. Max and Gavin draw their swords, I ready my staff, and Braden readies his bow. "Focus on weaker things," Braden says. "There are stronger Adventurers around who will handle the Elites and Bounty Beasts that show up. It will take us too long to fight those, especially if other monsters attack." "We won''t be able to avoid that sometimes," Gavin adds. "So don''t panic. Stay as close together as possible, but remember: everyone here is fighting together. If you get separated from us, join up with someone else. Always make sure to be near a priest." "Great Normar be on healing duty," Max adds. "So not worry too hard if you not around a priest for a little bit. Also, if you die, worry little. Great Normar be an Angel and able use Resurrection like Boss. Body will be retrieved if possible, and Great Normar will fix you up after the fight ends." I''d rather not die here. "I forgot Zack isn''t the only Ascended," Gavin admits. "Nik has, too, right?" "Sir Nik has," I nod. "He can take on Demon Form as well." Flapping of wings catches my attention, and I turn to look at it. Normar lands beside us. He''s wearing a pair of white and blue pants with silver and gold trim, white boots with silver and gold laces, and a white vest with silver trim and blue markings. In his right hand, he''s gripping a white staff with black caps on the end, though I can''t find a seam between the two colors, but that could be because of the contrast between the two. He has a pair of feathery white wings that he''s tucking against his back, his eyes ringed with silver, a pair of golden horns protruding from his head. "What the-" Gavin begins, then cuts off. "Hello, Normar." Normar dips his head, then places a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck," he tells me. "Zack told me I should show you my Angel Form before the battle begins, so that you have something to look forward to." This is what an angel looks like? Interesting. Lord Zack never did tell or show us what his Angel Form looks like. Normar then walks off, and I stretch a little, before turning to face the forest. "They come," Braden, Max, and I say in unison. "You three are disturbing," Gavin mutters, and we prepare for the fight. A moment later, goblins, kobolds, large rats, slimes, wolves, bears, and something that looks like a large spider mixed with a scorpion come into view, charging out of the woods. The ones that can are holding weapons. The four of us wait, as do most of the Adventurers. A few charge into the fight, attacking from the start and picking out their targets. The Bounty Beasts are attacked by two or three teams in all, the scorpider thingy is attacked by another five teams. Picking out our targets, the four of us move to a group of Level 15 Goblin Knights. Gavin and Max attack with their swords while Braden releases his arrows. These monsters aren''t even worth Max using his magic yet, and the fight is over in under a minute. We move on to another group of weaker monsters, finishing that fight in under a minute as well. Then we''re attacked by a Level 25 bear. We''ve never fought bears before. I mean, there was that one time, but that was in my dream, and the bear was breathing fire and speaking in rhymes, and Lord Zack just snapped it out of existence. So yeah, that doesn''t count. Before Gavin and Max can attack it, Braden has filled it with arrows. I thought those things had high Endurance? Oh, right. Braden''s attacks have high Intellect behind their power. The bear stumbles back, but it doesn''t seem to be out of the fight, so Gavin and Max charge forward. I grant them both a Blessing of Strength, and they duck under its front claws and cut through its hind legs in unison. Perfect. As the bear goes down, Braden hits it with more arrows, and I bash a goblin over the head with my staff, then stab it with my Noruva Knife. Easy-peasy. Oh, it''s still alive. I hit it with an Ice Lance. Overkill, but it worked. I refocus on my team, who have finished off the bear and are regrouping with me. "Nice job with the goblin," Gavin says, then we move on to another group of monsters, this one coming up behind a team attacking a Bounty Beast. By the time the wave of monsters ends, the fields are littered with corpses, and we''re a little tired. Not much, though ¨C Zack''s training camps have been even more hellish than this. But this is only the beginning. "Zack says the next wave will be here in about seven hours," a voice says, and I look to find Sir Nik standing there. "Rest up until then, and good job with the fighting, you four did well." "What about the corpses?" Gavin asks. "Won''t they get in our way as they build up?" "If we left them," Sir Nik answers. "Some of the Elementalists are going to burn them. We''ll do what we can to minimize an impact to our fighting ability between waves." "Zack told us," Gavin says. "That there''s a fourth King Monster joining the fight. Is that true?" I guess we''re all hoping a little it''s false. "It is," Sir Nik answers. "Thankfully, we have at least two days before we need to worry about it, that should give us a better chance at developing a strategy to handle it." "Damn," Braden mutters. "We''ll manage," Sir Nik says. "We had a meeting this morning among those who are targeting the King Monsters when they arrive to discuss a new plan. You four won''t even be affected by the attack. Now go home and get some rest, and be ready for a fight in six hours." Chapter 0161 (Gavin) The second wave is about to reach us, based on the estimates given by Zack and our scouts. According to Zack, the scouts are just familiars like birds, able to fly and watch over things. Someone lost theirs earlier to an attack from a Bounty Beast Ice Slime, a variation I didn''t know existed. I was talking with Peter a little bit ago, and he said the advance team is pulling back, meaning only familiars will be watching Kaelmar. Apparently, the second wave is much larger than the first ¨C which was already beyond the norm for these fights. It may also be sooner than we expected for the King Monsters to attack. Zack changed his estimate to tomorrow. Including for the Frost Knight King. It seems things sped up. Now, the four of us are waiting in the fields again. We didn''t see Zack at all after we parted before the first wave. It seems he''s waiting at the top of the City Walls, resting there as he watches for the Dragon. There''s something no one''s saying, and it''s worrying me, but Zack would say to ignore it. He''s right, though. If we needed to know whatever they''re not saying, then they''d have told us. The fields still have corpses everywhere, but a fair portion of them were destroyed. Even if we can recover Mana to full in under twenty minutes and had at least six hours to prepare for this, they wanted to focus on other things as well. Save mental energy for some stuff. While the corpses might hinder us a little, we''ll just need to be careful. Eventually, we won''t have the luxury of destroying the corpses or getting them out of our way. "They''re coming," the rest of my team says in unison. That''s disturbing, how all three of them can tell the horde is coming. Is my Perception really that much lower than theirs? I''m pretty sure Luca''s is around mine, though. How does he know, too? A few moments after they say that, the monsters come into view, charging through the forest. There are a lot more of them this time. Last time, their numbers were already smaller, and then reduced heavily by both the teams at the Crater and the traps in the wood. This time, they had far more in number, meaning the teams at the Crater couldn''t do as much, and most of the traps were already activated. According to what I overheard, nearly half of this wave made it past the Crater, and at least thirty percent of the full wave will reach the fields. "Stay steady," I remind my team as we ready our weapons. "Wait for the signal." With this wave, due to so many more monsters making it through, a few things were prepared beforehand. An Illusion Wall would have been raised as well to hide us, except apparently, that''s been tried in past battles for the Cities, and in each one, at least five different Bounty Beasts destroyed them. The horde is five hundred yards away. Then four hundred and fifty yards. They''re in the fields, just passing by with ease. Four hundred yards. Three hundred and seventy-five. The traps laid down after the fields were mostly cleared activate. Infernos blaze, monsters freeze in ice, clouds of toxic gas forms, wind shreds, lightning crackles, spikes raise, and more. It''s a terrifying sight, but plenty of monsters make it through. Only the first groups of monsters were taken out. Now they''re three hundred and fifty yards away. Three hundred and twenty-five. All Adventurers here wait, staying ready for the fight. The signal hasn''t been given yet. Three hundred yards. Two hundred and seventy-five. Two hundred and fifty. Two hundred and twenty-five. Two hundred. Meteorites hail down on the monsters as storms of lightning strike, reducing their numbers further. More than two dozen Elementalists acted to create that attack wall. That was also a signal, so many of the Adventurers charge forward, reaching the monsters just as the attacks end. A Meteor or ten would have been cast, but in addition to costing thousands of Mana, its size, density, strength, and everything else relating to it is based on the Intellect, the magical power, of the caster. It can also be destroyed much easier than meteorites, being a much larger target. If destroyed, its shards lose most of the energy that would have caused most of the damage. My team, among others, continue to wait. Monsters pass the groups that charged to the front. One hundred and seventy-five yards. One hundred and fifty yards. One hundred and twenty-five yards. One hundred yards. Elementals, massive creatures made up of pure elements, rise up from the ground. Lightning Elementals, Water Elementals, Fire Elementals, Wind Elementals, Ice Elementals, Lava Elementals, Mud Elementals, and more. The second signal, and my team charges forward as the elementals attack the monsters. They won''t last long, but will delay and break up what manages to reach them into much more manageable forces. A trio of Snow Slimes accompanied by a pair of Water Slimes, all of them Bounty Beasts, is nearby. They''re all Level 50, but that''s not a problem for us. Braden releases a storm of arrows as Max unleashes Flame Lances. Luca grants me a Blessing of Intellect as I activate Flame Blade.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. While these slimes might be larger than normal slimes, being Bounty Beasts, we''ve learned how to handle them. Our fight against Su''Numal taught us much. Maybe. In addition, we''ve practiced new combat moves and techniques, including something Zack taught us during our training in Talorn. A trick he learned from the Fallen Hunters. Max''s attacks impact one of the Snow Slimes, and I jump into the air, landing on a white Barrier. Immediately, I jump off of it, and more of Max''s Flame Lances strike into another Snow Slime as the group of them attack the spot I had been, going after the closest target. Dropping down, I bring my sword down, slicing into the core of the Bounty Beast, landing on another white Barrier. One down, four to go. I jump off the Barrier as arrows from Braden finish off another slime Max''s Flame Lances opened up a path to the core of. Two down, three to go. As I land on the ground, I cast Stone Spikes at the remaining Water Slime, then quickly move out of the way in time for Braden''s arrows to strike them, breaking them to pieces inside of the slime. A moment later, Max''s Fireballs slam into it, followed by a trio of Flame Lances that open up a path. I charge in and stab it, then get doused in ooze as the slime melts. Shaking that off, I turn quickly at Max''s warning. I Deflect hardened snowballs with my sword as we focus our attention on the last two Snow Slime Bounty Beasts. "Luca!" I call, moving back as Max and Braden battle those, and our healer soaks me with a Water Jet, blasting off the slime gunk in seconds while simultaneously using Heal on me repeatedly to ensure his ''attack'' doesn''t kill me. I''m not sure how he''s using two Skills at once like that, but it''s much appreciated. "Thanks!" I join the fight again, reactivating Flame Blade. It went out when Luca sprayed me clean, even if time wasn''t up. One of the slimes is already at half of its Health, so I attack it. As soon as that one dies, the three of us focus on the final one. Braden releases as many arrows as he can as I move around to its back, letting them take on that side. Max sends several Flame Lances at it, and I estimate where they''ll impact. "Luca!" I call, then Dash forward. I jump into the air, then onto a white Barrier, then jump again, springing up and over the slime. Braden''s arrows end as I drop between him and the slime. As soon as my feet touch the ground, I Dash forward, piercing the slime''s core with my Flame Blade. Immediately, I Dash backwards, just in time to avoid being covered in goop again. It got on my boots, but I can deal with that. "Everyone good?" I ask, and they nod. "Let''s move!" We move towards another group of monsters, a smaller group of goblins, and attack. This one is much easier to handle than the group of Bounty Beasts we just fought, and it ends quickly, then we''re on to another group, doing our best to avoid the stronger things while still supporting others and taking out anything we can. After almost fifteen minutes, I cannot help but wonder where the signal is. There should be a third signal. It should have been after around ten minutes from the rise of the elementals, and we''re now around fifteen. Just as I''m striking down another bear with Max and Braden, the third signal comes, two dozen Ice Lances spearing into the ground in a line. We''re on the wrong side of it, so the team and I retreat, other Adventurers doing the same. As soon as we''re on the City side of the line of Ice Lances, which has been expanded three times with another two dozen each, we give up fighting any monsters by us and just run, Max picking me up as Braden picks Luca up, the two of them the quickest of us. Only seconds later, we''re by the City Walls, and we turn around. Monsters are still flowing past the Ice Lances. If I remember correctly, the two dozen Elementalists casting those are atop the City Walls, so far above us. Metorites begin to hail down again, taking out monsters on their way to us. The team and I recover a little, but we don''t relax, keeping ready in case something draws too close. A few Adventurers cast spell Skills to kill any monsters too close for the guys up top to attack. The Elementals were destroyed entirely already, but new ones were summoned at some point. These ones are falling, too. Come on. Come on. Come on. "What''s taking them so long?" Another Adventurer mutters, and I glance at him. A knight I don''t recognize, but at least I''m glad to know I''m not the only one wondering this. As the thickest part of the horde reaches the ice lances, lightning rains down, striking the lances. Immediately, I''m semi-blinded by the result, lightning not just striking each lance from above, but also spreading to the others. The monsters run right into the combined skills, and I know that some of the lances were probably destroyed. I blink the bright spots out of my vision in time to see more meteorites falling, striking at more monsters. We rejoin the battle, fighting as hard as we can. A few times, we''re hit, but Max and I make sure we take any hits that would ordinarily hit Luca or Braden. The two of them combined have under 1,000 Health, while Max and I have more than that each. It takes an other ten minutes for the battle to wind down, and when the last monster is killed, everyone regroups. The four of us approach Nik and Mama Bear, as do several others. "What happened with the spells?" Someone asks Mama Bear. "They took too long!" "Flying monsters," she answers. "We knew they would be coming, and had to deal with them. They decided to show up right as we were preparing to start." Flying monsters? "Damn," someone says. "They were blocking our attacks," she says. "So we had to kill them and drive them off before we could perform the attacks properly ¨C they were tanking them. That was our third attempt at sending the lances down." "I didn''t know they could be joined like that," I say, and she looks at me. "The Ice Lances and Lightning Storms, I mean." "It''s a trick you may one day learn," she smiles, then looks around. "Everyone! Zack estimates the next wave will reach us in five hours! Those who aren''t on preparation duty, go home, eat, and get some sleep, but make sure you''re ready in four hours! There''s no stemming at the Crater anymore, and most of the traps in the forest are used up, so we''ll be facing nearly the full brunt of the waves from now on!" Everyone starts to do their things, and as the four of us leave, Nik calls out to us. He and Mama Bear are giving us concerned looks. "Are you four doing okay?" Nik asks. We confirm that we are, other than being a little tired. "That''s understandable," he says. "Head on home and get some sleep. Wash up and eat if you need to. Since you have servants already there, just make sure they know when you''re supposed to be ready by, and they''ll ensure it. Everyone who doesn''t already have that is staying somewhere with one of our servants to ensure this." "Alright," we say in unison, then we make our way home. Chapter 0162 (Braden) We reach home, where Kit is cooking food with Aurum helping, and Gold is present, looking a little uncomfortable. He''s sitting at the table rather than helping Kit and Aurum. "You aren''t supposed to be supervising others?" I ask, and he starts to shake his head, then pauses. "No," he answers. "I be off from that temporarily. Servants be assisting those who need it, but also spread out to ensure everyone wakes in time. Hero Zack already alerted us to how long we must wait. Max, Hero Zack say you need to not play with Kit and Aurum and just get some rest." He looks even more uncomfortable as he says that, then sighs in relief. "Okay!" Max responds, and I realize that Gold must have received the answer the way they talk before Max spoke. "He also said he be coming by to speak with you before the next wave," Gold says. "But that it will be after you four sleep some. He be doing other stuff before then. Dinner be ready in around fifteen minutes, so you be have time to scrub off the goop and blood and stuff." We nod, then make our way to the bathing room, where we scrub up. Luca, as usual, takes care of Max''s tail, and I help Gavin with his back, since slime goop went down his armor and tunic earlier and he needs to make sure it doesn''t stay there. It''s already hardened, so I have to take a wire scrubber to his back along with some special soap to soften it a little. After scrubbing ourselves clean, we rinse off, then dry off and dress. No time to soak and relax in the bath. Dressed in sleeping clothes, we make our way to the yard and eat, then head up to bed. It doesn''t take me long to fall asleep at all. When Kit wakes me up, I climb out of bed and change. To save Kit the trouble of bothering Max, I wake Max up myself as Kit wakes up Gavin and Luca. They all equip themselves, then we head out to the yard, where Zack is waiting for us, still in his Eidolon Form. His eyes are violet, as they were when we saw him last. It''s past nightfall, now, which means we''ll have less light to see during the fighting. It also looks like a storm might be hitting us, and the air feels like it, too. "Are you staying in that all the time?" Gavin asks. "During the battle, yes," Zack nods. "Since it won''t run out unless I actively turn it off or run out of Mana, I stay in it even while sleeping." "Have you slept?" Gavin asks. With the change his to his skin''s appearance when he takes on Eidolon Form, it''s impossible to see if he has dark spots under his eyes still. He probably does. "A little," Zack answers. "I''ve napped during both breaks. You guys are doing good with doing your best to avoid anything stronger than you, but don''t forget, that won''t always be possible. If needed, work with other teams. They''ll support you just as much as you''ll support them." "Okay," Gavin says. "Can we restock potions again? We used up most of what we were given before the last wave." Everyone was given a stock of high-quality Mana and Health Potions of the highest tier before the last wave. To make sure everyone had it at the first wave, we were given them in advance for that. "Yes," Zack answers. "Due to the bigger waves, we''re increasing how much we''re giving out as well. Rather than being given fifteen of each before each wave, we''re giving everyone forty of each. That should fit in your Inventories as long as you haven''t put too much else in." "That''s a lot," Gavin comments. "It might not be enough for some," Zack shakes his head. "Good luck, you four." "Thanks," we respond. "How will things work with the night battles?" I ask. "No one really broached that subject beyond ''don''t stray too far from the light'', and the clouds are thick now, meaning it will be even darker out." The clouds are quite thick. I hope it doesn''t rain during the fighter, as a rain fight only makes things worse. "Yeah," Zack smiles. "You''ll see. I didn''t know it was a feature until it happened when it got dark." You did sleep, right? "A little," Zack gives me an amused look, then addresses all of us. "Just follow the instructions: for the night battles, don''t stray too far, the light covers around five hundred yards, with a little less than half of that being ''normal'' visibility. Think of it like having a light on in the house, then opening the door and stepping outside at night." "Got it," Gavin says, and I nod, even if I''m still not sure what they''re doing for light, especially now that I know how far out it goes. "Are you guys good, now?" Zack asks. "Yeah," we respond. "Are you?" I ask. "I''ve never been good," Zack gives a mischievous smile. "I''ve always been me! You should get going, we have less than half an hour before the horde reaches us."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Zack spreads his wings and takes off, disappearing from sight in moments, and the four of us bid farewell to Kit and Aurum. Gold seems to be gone, or we''d say goodbye to him as well. Then, we make our way to the West Gate. There, beastborn servants of the Dark Order are passing crates off to or taking crates from Adventurers. When we approach, we''re each handed a crate. I open mine and pull out the eighty vials, sending each one into my Inventory. As I do, I think about something. All four of us power-Leveled. Shouldn''t we have qualified for Power Jump? Why didn''t any of us become affected by it? Avoiding us doing that might be part of why Zack didn''t push Luca or me to take on a third Class, but both Max and Gavin have them. We all gained several dozen Levels in a week. Shouldn''t we be affected by Power Jump? Well, it seems we don''t have to worry about that. If we did, then Zack or Nik or someone would have said something or stemmed our growth. As soon as we have our potions, we give the crates back, then make our way out of the City. For some reason, everything is lit up, and it''s once we pass through the gate that I realize why. Turning, I face the City Walls. They. Are. Glowing. "Neat, right?" Brandon asks from behind me, and I turn to face him. "They turn on every night during the battles for a City, giving us vision for at least five hundred yards from the City all the way around." "Yeah," maybe I should ask. "Why weren''t any of us affected by Power Jump?" "You were," he answers. "Zack used his psychic powers to suppress the vision-dreams that come with them, and timed everything so that you wouldn''t notice, thinking it was normal sleep." "I see," I say. "Max got the dreams," Max taps his chest. "Me always get the dreams. Me not able cast new Skills, though. They be too pricey for Max right now." "I got them, too," Luca whispered. "But I can''t use the Skill, either." Zack only suppressed it in Gavin and me? "No," Zack''s voice enters my head. "They¡­ had normal dreams. Max is always dreaming about using Skills he''s heard of or decided exist, and if you actually ask for details regarding Luca''s dream, you''d realize quickly it''s just another of his fantasies." Oh. Wait, you''re listening to us? "For a moment," he answers. "I was just checking the heads of everyone there for a moment. I''ve told Gavin the same thing, so don''t worry. I''ve got to get back to what I was doing." Okay. I sense Zack leave my mind, then Luca, Max, Gavin, and I move to a spot to wait. The wall isn''t bright enough we can''t see if we look at it, yet its light somehow reaches so far. As I examine the setup, I notice a wall ahead, around two hundred yards from the City. They pushed corpses aside and created a wall of stone five feet in height. Elementalists likely did that using Stone Wall. Normally, the walls are temporary, but there''s apparently some Skill that allows them to become permanent, like the spikes and lances and such. The wall stretches pretty far around, creating a sort of barrier. That should allow us ranged fighters some time to pick off some of the monsters. If I remember the strategy correctly, When the third wave comes, it''s almost a pure wave of monsters, very little space between them, if any. There are even some monsters flying high, soaring towards the wall. Don''t focus on those, Braden, you need to focus on the monsters coming. If I remember this part of the plans correctly, we''ll use the wall to slow the monsters. It''ll quickly be destroyed as some monsters scale over it or charge through it, but those few seconds to a minute it''s up will give us a few seconds to a minute of ranged attacks. At least, as long as none of the monsters destroy it before they even reach it. That''s bound to happen in a few spots, too, since there are plenty of Bounty Beasts and Elites mixed in with the normal monsters. They might be at a ratio of one Bounty Beast for every twenty Elites and one Elite for every fifty regular monsters, but when there are hundreds of thousands of monsters, that''s still thousands of Elites and hundreds of Bounty Beasts. Well, maybe not hundreds of thousands now. There could be more than a million. Either way, I ready my bow and draw it, waiting until it''s time. A green arrow forms, sparking with green electricity. Magic Arrow, Power Shot, and Lightning Shot, mixed together, and a Multishot will activate as well. Ten of these per shot is a good deal. "Max," I say. "No more than ten Flame Lances. Remember that." He needs to conserve his Mana for when we start fighting in groups. We might have Mana Potions, but those are in limited supply, and there''s no guarantee we''ll be able to drink them when we need to. "Got it," he nods. As soon as the monsters near us reach the wall, I notice several of them¡­ dying. It takes me a moment to realize they put spikes in the walls, sticking out towards the horde. Just because regular monsters are idiots a lot and have a tendency to just charge right into things. Literally. Spells begin raining down on the monsters from above, the signal to begin. I release my arrows and begin firing over and over as Max releases his Flame Lances. He keeps it to ten, though I keep firing arrows. Because of Elementalist boosting my Mana and the low cost for this, I can do this decently for awhile. His Flame Lances, on the other hand, cost a great deal more Mana. Other Adventurers have begun casting their Skills and releasing their arrows as well, creating a storm of magic coming from both here and atop the wall, raining down upon the monsters. It only takes around twenty seconds for a Goblin Giant to break the wall in front of us, right before one of my arrows strikes it in the eye. I don''t even have to aim right now, as long as the arrows reach the horde. There are so many monsters, it''s almost impossible not to hit something. The Goblin Giant falls forward, dead, and other monsters begin to climb over it as others break the wall in other places as well. I continue firing arrows. "Max," Gavin says. "When the monsters are ten yards away, release Flame Lances to intercept. Ten more." "Got it," Max says. I continue releasing arrows, and when it''s time, Max begins his assault. A few seconds later, the monsters are at us. Some Adventurers intercepted the Bounty Beast and three Elites heading for us, so the four of us begin taking out the weaker monsters, then fight our way through more until we reach the teams handling the Bounty Beast and trio of Elites. A kobold, a wolf, and two spiders. The spider keeps using its webbing to stick things, and the teams'' magicians use fire to burn it away as quickly as possible. For the most part, my team focuses on keeping other monsters from attacking the other three teams while they handle the stronger monsters. A few times, they have to step in, though. There are only four of us, after all. As soon as the Bounty Beast and Elites fall, everyone splits up to cover a wider range, and Max releases four Flame Lances. Those are great for splash damage because they sort-of explode when they impact things. My right arm grows tired of pulling the string, so I switch hands as we continue fighting, battling against the monsters. The wave takes us almost an hour to finally finish taking out, and by the time we do, I''m not sure I can stay standing much longer. "We have five hours until the next wave reaches us!" Nik calls out as we gather near him with several other teams. "Unit One, you''re on rest for it, so get some proper sleep! Units Two and Three, you''re fighting, so be ready and here in four hours! If you''re in prep, stay behind!" We''re in Unit One, so we return to our home for a bath, some food, and proper sleep. At least, as much sleep as we''ll manage. Chapter 0163 (Luca) Man, I feel refreshed! Not only that, but it''s daytime again. Sadly, the stormclouds are still here, and they''re thick. Very thick. Such a dark grey, it''s scary. But Lord Zack is scarier, so there''s nothing to worry about. He''ll just glare the storm into waiting until after the battle for the valley finally ends. I stretch, then sniff the air. I smell sausage! After changing into proper clothes, I make my way downstairs, where Kit and Aurum and cooking breakfast. Sausage, eggs, and pancakes. I grab the fruit they had ready to put out and put it out, then set the table, then grab a few more things and start eating breakfast. The rest of the team joins us within minutes. Maybe it''s closer to lunchtime? It''s hard to tell, really. "You guys be fighting in the next wave," Gold approaches us. "You have around an hour to get ready and get out there. I be just coming to wake you up." "Thanks," Gavin tells him. "Zack?" "He apparently fell asleep right after the last wave ended," Gold says. "And might still be sleeping. Nik said if he not be awake when the wave is here, they''ll wake him up." I pray for whoever gets that duty. Even with everything going on, they are probably drawing sticks to find out who has that ''honor''. We finish eating, inviting Gold to join us. He eats with us, too, then helps clean up the dishes as we equip ourselves. Max, Braden, Gavin, and I make our way to the West Gate, where we''re restocked on potions. We''re each given forty of each again, and we go through them. Max and Gavin will probably end up using my Health Potions, but I still hold onto them anyway. Restocked, we make our way outside, where Mama Bear is waiting for us. Shouldn''t she be up on the City Wall right now? "This wave is even bigger than the last two," she tells us. "It also has more Bounty Beasts than either of them. One for every ten Elites, with one Elite every forty regulars." "How did you get those estimates?" Gavin asks. "Zack," she answers. "He woke up a little bit ago and immediately used his gift of sight to check. There will also be a million or so monsters in this wave." A huge portion of the horde, but it numbers millions. How many have already been slain, and how many are yet to come? I look up the City Walls. Lord Zack is up there somewhere. How much lighter would our load be if he wasn''t focused on staying ready for the Dragon? I bet he could just wipe out the entire horde by himself. He''d probably tell me that''s wrong. Maybe¡­ a quarter of it? "Zack just adjusted his estimate," Mama Bear says. "He''s alerting everyone in charge of spreading the word. This wave has three million." "Three million?" Gavin asks. "Already? Aren''t there only around fifteen million or so coming? Why is it coming in so strongly?" "I don''t-" she cuts off, eyes widening. "I see. According to Zack, nearly half of the horde is already in the valley, it''ll just take another six or seven hours for the next wave of it to reach us. It seems the Shadow of Life may have given up on the usual wave tactic." "That," Braden says. "Or he''s trying to get Zack to join the fight. Wear him out before the Dragon arrives. If Zack gets exhausted and the Dragon shows up in the following wave, which is only hours later, Zack won''t be able to fight it at his peak." "Or if it shows up between waves," she nods. "Zack won''t take the bait, however. He says to prepare yourselves. I need to spread the word." We nod, then move off to where we''ll be starting this wave. While it''s not that easy to see from here, I can tell the forest is damaged. While most of the monsters just move around the trees, some run right through them. In addition, spell Skills are likely striking it as well. I bet further in, it''s even worse ¨C there were traps set up, after all. The four of us ready our weapons. This is going to be even tougher than the last one, despite us being refreshed. We''re standing in front of a stone wall that Braden has climbed up onto. These ones are ten feet in height and fifteen wide, three thick. They''re curved as well. The purpose of these walls is to break up monsters even more. While they''ll eventually be destroyed in the fighting, they''ll initially grant us some protection, as long as we don''t stray too far from it. It should be easy enough to keep monsters from attacking us from behind. There''s a downside to it, though. It can become easy to become trapped as well, which might not be a good idea, but since we''d be surrounded by monsters on all sides and trapped anyway, it''s not that much of a difference.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Just that we might be trapped against monsters we can''t handle, especially since no other team joined us at this one. That''s why having some protection at our back, even if temporarily, is better than having monsters attacking from all sides of us. For twenty minutes, we wait, everyone doing final checks, then the wave of monsters exits the forest, becoming snared in spell traps set up. Attacks begin flying from here, and for the first time, monsters actually try to stop them. I can see suits of armor with frosty auras and swords. Those must be Frost Knights. It''s hard to read their Statuses, the monsters are packed so tightly. There are also Flame Knights and skeletons and stuff with this wave. Everyone on the ground holds their attacks as the magicians atop the City Wall continue their assault. Once the horde is close, attacks from down here are let loose, and I realize there are two more people atop the wall we''re backing. A magician and another archer. The former is using wind magics and lightning magics, the latter is using flaming arrows. So we''re not alone after all. I grant the three atop the wall Blessings of Intellect, then grant Max and Gavin Blessings of Strength. Since the Blessings all went through, no one had already cast a more powerful one with the same stat boosted on them recently. A giant freaking Fireball flies towards us, so I generate a Barrier, then summon another for Gavin to jump off of. He cuts a goblin in half, then takes a nasty hit to the side. More impact than piercing due to his armor. Gavin quickly pulls back, just in time for Max to release several Firebombs and Flame Lances. Max takes a hit to the side, where he''s exposed, and I Heal him, then generate more Barriers to stop more spell attacks. Max and Gavin rejoin the fight immediately, attacking with their swords. The attacks from above continue, and I make sure to keep everyone Blessed, grateful Big S set it so that we know who we''ve Blessed and how long is left ¨C or when it runs out. A few spells and arrows are launched at our ranged fighters from the monsters, so I create a Barrier to stop those as well. It looks like a Bounty Beast is approaching us. This one''s a Demonic Kobold Knight, and I doubt we can handle it, even with our backup and Max''s OP magic. "Flare!" I yell. "Got it!" The woman archer responds, and I hear a crack, then a few seconds later, an explosion. Good. Now we can maybe get someone to handle the Bounty Beast. If she set it off, then she and the other magician aren''t enough to help us take it on. We have maybe two minutes before it reaches us, and the corpses are still piling up. The monsters are just trampling the corpses flat in their effort to kill us, which is frightening. Could someone even be recovered if they died? I know there are restrictions to Resurrection. Well, all I can do for now is keep healing and buffing people, and pray no one else dies in front of me. For that, I need to make use of Heal and Blessings. A lot. Barrier, too. The Bounty Beast Demonic Kobold Knight is nearly on us when a miracle occurs: another team shows up! Two of them, even! The flares are a ''we''re facing something much stronger than us, please come if you''re able'' thing. Not a guaranteed assistance, just an alert a team might be about to be taken out. With how many monsters there are, there will be plenty of flares and not enough backup. The two teams that show up begin attacking the Demonic Kobold Knight Bounty Beast as the five fighters already here continue taking out the other monsters around us. Max uses his Fireballs, Firebombs, and Flame Lances a lot, and I realize he''s doing that partially to destroy the corpses. It might benefit the monsters a little bit, but it gives us more range of movement as well. Good job. A kobold gets close to me, past Max and Gavin and the ranged folk, so I start bashing it with my staff, then finish it off with an Ice Lance before I use Heal on Max because he spent too long taking damage for a Dark Vengeance to restore him. "Thanky!" Max calls. "Luca, Heal up here!" Braden calls, and I briefly turn my attention up to them. Him, the other man, and the woman are all low on Health, so I quickly Heal all three of them, then Heal Gavin because he needs it. When Max doesn''t use Dark Vengeance, I Heal him right before he takes another hit. As the battle continues, the other two teams keeping the Bounty Beast from reaching us while also doing some damage to nearby monsters, I notice something in the sky in the distance. Something that makes me swear out loud. "Fuck." No one heard it over the sounds of the fighting and the monsters, but it still came out. The Dragon is here. It''s flying over the forest right now, high up and still a fair distance away, but it''s here. The time for Lord Zack to join the fray has come. Hurriedly, I pull a flare off my belt. A violet flare. I aim it high up and pull the cord, and it lets out a crack as something shoots up. The flare flies high up, then explodes, but I''m already back to casting Barrier, Blessings, and Heal. It''s going to create a giant violet light, just like flares do. Or at least, violet flares. A moment later, I hear another crack. Within a minute, I can see dozens of violet flares. Only one was necessary, but everyone was told to set them off as soon as the Dragon was spotted. This way, everyone knows it''s here, not just Lord Zack. "Strike of Darkness!" Max calls out, then slashes a goblin in the front, before turning to a Frost Knight. "Die! Flame Lance!" Max attacks it with three Flame Lances, and I grant him his buff back as he turns to kill another goblin. Gavin is fighting a pair of goblins with a kobold coming at him from the side. I aim my staff at him. Water Jet. A blast of water shoots out, slamming into the kobold at high speed. The monster''s pushed back, and I summon an Ice Lance to kill it with, then Heal Gavin. Max helps him kill one of the goblins, then returns to fighting. A few monsters make it past them, and I raise a Barrier in front of me. Right after the monsters slam into my Barrier, a hail of attacks rain down from above. Based on the green coloration of the arrows and the lightning, that was Braden. "Thanks!" I call up as I check them again, then grant them more Heals because they need it. As we continue fighting, I have to wonder how it''s going with Lord Zack. The Dragon can''t be seen by me anymore, but I know it''s here somewhere, likely already fighting Lord Zack. He says he''s not sure if he can actually do more than drive it off, and that it might take him a long time to, but I bet he can kill it. He''s awesome like that, and he''ll pull something out of his ass that will make him win. Yeah. He''ll be fine. But these people might not if I don''t focus back on the fight. I refresh my own Blessing of Intellect, then Heal two of the people fighting the Bounty Beast. Stay focused on this fight, Luca. Lord Zack is unstoppable. He will be fine. Chapter 0164 (Zack) "It comes," I rise from where I''ve been sitting, then begin stretching. The Adventurers near me give me confused looks for a moment, but quickly return to raining hell upon our enemies. Mama Bear approaches. "Are you going out to meet it?" She asks. "Or waiting until it draws closer?" "It''s still in the pass right now," I answer as I release my sight. "I''ll wait until it''s in the valley. If I''m making things out correctly, the King Monsters are now within the valley as well." "So they did come with the third wave for today?" She asks. "Yes," I point. "Look." She does, spotting them in the distance. It might be miles away, but we have a high vantage point and the use of the Perception Stat to augment our ability to see that far. The four King Monsters are approaching as a group, as expected. "At the rate they''re moving," I say. "They''ll move ahead of the third wave. They may actually reach here in the next couple of hours. Three hours at the most." "While we''ll still be fighting, exhausted from this wave," she sighs. "We can''t get a break, can we?" "No," I say. "But as Nik said, this is war. How is the ghost doing?" "He''s exhausted," she looks down the line of mages. He''s up here, casting spells as well. "It''s been a long time since he''s been in a proper battle, so while he might be powerful, his stamina isn''t as it was." "He''s still doing plenty of damage," I say. "He''s taken out three different Bounty Beasts by himself. And they weren''t weak ones." I turn my attention back to the direction of the other pass. If I''m not mistaken in my comparisons, that Dragon is massive. Its eyeballs are going to be as tall as me. At least. Alexander really picked a big one to send towards me. Inhaling, I stretch out my wings, tail, and arms. The first violet flare goes up, from the direction my team was in. A quick use of my sight reveals Luca set it off. His Perception might be decent for a ten-year-old, but that''s still impressive that he saw it while still handling his duties to the rest of the team. Moments later, other flares start going off, and I cancel my sight. "See you," I tell Mama Bear, then jump off the City Wall, flapping my wings to gain height. I fly over the fields, past the horde. The Dragon''s over the forest now, and I meet it before it reaches three-quarters of the way through it. Its dark red scales, its spikes, its horns, its teeth, its massive form ¨C they all look terrifying up-close. One day, I''ll manage to take on such a form, only I''ll be bigger, more beautiful, and more terrifying. I crash into the Dragon, landing on its head as I draw my Dragon Hell Sword. I immediately start striking down, using Strike of Darkness with each strike. Though it''s not much, there is damage being done. This thing has over three hundred million Health for me to take out, and it''s going to recover pretty decently from these weaker strikes, so I press even harder, just in time for it to twitch its head, sending me tumbling. "You''re so ugly," I say as I pass by its ears. "Your daddy thought you were a cockroach when you were born and tried to feed you to your brothers." The Dragon snarls lightly, and I fly upwards. The Dragon, knowing I was just taunting it, follows anyway. It knows I''m here to annoy the hell out of it, and has decided it''s going to play with me. Good. It must be confident it can carry out both of the missions Alexander assigned to it. Destroy the City Barrier, and kill Zack Noruva. Based on how much larger this one is than any on-record of having attacked Cities before during these battles, it may actually be capable of that. But I''m going to push those thoughts from my head and just annoy the shit out of this thing. "What would it be like if you started shitting while up here?" I ask. "Or do you have to, like, brace yourself, like a dog or something? I know birds just drop it where they are, but you''ve got the tool for peeing, too, which is why I''m curious. Are you more like a mammal?" The Dragon scoffs, and I twist, allowing myself to drop a bit. When it''s time, I spread my wings back out to glide, soaring along its left wing with my sword cutting into it. The Dragon flaps its wing, throwing me up into the air. That was stupid. The Dragon lashes out with its tail, and I evade to the side, sending several Fireballs at it. They just splash off of it. Asshole. It seems to be treating me like an amusing fly. Alexander really picked a strong one for me to go against. I''m doing a couple thousand damage per hit against something which recovers more than that every second. I''m not going to give up, though, because I''m Zack Norvua, and I don''t give up against shit like this. If there''s a way to kill this thing, I''ll find it. Because of that, I keep attacking and evading, occasionally taking hits, using Heal, and drinking potions. The Dragon and I fly higher, higher, up until I know we''re definitely out of sight of anyone else below.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I continue to attack the damn beast, while it continues to treat me like I''m just a pest. I can''t wait for the day I''m like this thing. How long will that take me, once I''m able to access my transformation ability? A century? A hundred of them? "How old are you?" I ask the Dragon, which exhales its dragonfire. I spin out of its way. "That''s not a viable answer!" The Dragon snorts, and I soar at it, striking at it several times with my sword. This is like if Luca wanted to kill me. Well, if Luca wanted to kill me and was buffed up a fair bit. Buffed up a fuckton. And I''m him and the Dragon''s me. I don''t give up, though. There will be a way to kill this thing. It keeps closing its damn eyes, but I''m getting better at aiming those strikes at the crack where the eyelid meets the spot underneath. If I can get a good strike in there¡­ Well, I''d probably not do much more than actually annoy the Dragon, but it''s a start. The beast''s underside is scaled as well, and the part that''s actually skin isn''t taking much more damage than I''m doing to its scales, which goes to show just how much raw Endurance this thing has. We continue this little sparring match as I hit this thing with everything I have. I summon my auras, I mix my Skills, and yet I can barely increase my damage dealt. To make matters worse, every time, the Dragon''s healing it already from its natural regenerations. As I fight, I do my best to think up a new strategy. At least the Dragon''s decided it''ll play with me rather than go after the City Barrier. There''s no way I could stop it as I am now. But Alexander wants me dead, and I''m right here. It doesn''t matter if the City Barrier is destroyed now or in five hours, once the Dragon finally manages to kill me, as long as it''s destroyed and I''m killed. Thankfully, I''m quick enough I can avoid most of its attacks. Except for the occasional wingflap or tail strike. Like the tail flick that just sent me tumbling again. I right myself in time to see flames coming at me, and soar away. They pass right behind me. I can feel the heat on my skin as they burn my clothes, my armor absorbing the magical flames that come into contact with them. The flames go out quickly from my high movement depriving them of oxygen. I can put on fresh pants after this fight is over, charred or whole, they don''t offer much protection, anyway. I''d have worn more armor, but that hinders my movement and doesn''t feel comfortable. It wouldn''t make a difference, anyway. I recover from the little bit of damage the flames did to me as I soar around. The best thing at my disposal is my own fire. If I can get that into the Dragon''s brain, it''ll die, no matter how powerful this thing is. The problem is granting it enough power that it can ignore the Dragon''s Willpower well enough to damage it quickly and still have plenty to override the Dragon''s natural regeneration. I continue dodging attacks, taking the occasional one, and delivering my own to the Dragon as I think. My body is wearing out. How long have I been fighting? Half an hour? An hour? Longer? It doesn''t matter. I''m still buying time for everyone down below. But that also means the King Monsters are drawing nearer, and no one is sure we can handle that. If we can''t kill at least two of them, Maelnor is lost, even if the Dragon leaves. And it''s not going to unless either it dies or it carries out both of its missions. We could restore the City Barrier as long as the Flame Slime King doesn''t protect it. That might buy us a little more time, but Alexander might- Restore the City Barrier. Draw on the flames. My preparations and studying of the runes. I completely forgot about the runes! And if I draw on my own flames, the flames within my soul¡­ "I bet you''re only chasing me because you''re too stupid to do anything else, you giant, overgrown winged lizard!" I Taunt the Dragon, then start to soar upwards. "You''re just an ugly beast who''s jealous of my superior appearance when I take on my own Dragon form, and you want to keep me from ever doing that again, you pathetic creature with cold little flames!" The Dragon roars, then begins following me. Based on its thoughts, it''s furious at my Taunt. I smirk, continuing to soar upwards. At the same time, I ready my sword in front of me and begin drawing on it with runic magic, preparing a spell as I draw on my inner Sacred Crystal. I''ll get one chance with this, and I pray for a fucking miracle, because that''s the only way this is going to work. The clouds draw closer and closer, but I ignore that, focusing on the spell. It''s taking all of my concentration to create the runes on my sword at this high speed while evading the Dragon''s breaths and drinking Mana Potions when needed. I''m not the me of the visions from long ago, I''m not powerful enough to simply shatter it from reality. But with this sword and its resonance for fire magics, the runes of power, and the flames of my soul and inner, Sacred Crystal, this will work. It has to work. Because if it doesn''t, we really are doomed. The requirements for the tide of battle changing have been completed, but I still don''t know who the brothers are. If this fails, I''ll learn it in the afterlife, and if it succeeds, I''ll get to experience the outcome myself. The spell completes, and I stop my ascent, spinning as I activate the spell. "Soul Hellfire Blade!" I roar, allowing myself to drop towards the Dragon. It''s too large and heavy to simply stop its own ascent, while I was able to easily change directions with a twist of my body and flap of my wings. In a moment, I''m landing on its snout in a run as violet flames swirl around my blade. I can feel this drawing from within me, the same way Strike of Darkness does for power, but also the same way I drew on myself for the Enchanted Altars. I continue running until I''m almost past its eyes, then with a flap of my wings and a Dash-powered kick of my feet, I throw myself backwards in a flip that throws me up higher and over the Dragon''s eyes. As it realizes where I''m aiming, the Dragon begins to close its eyes. It''s too late, I''m moving too fast and it''s still ascending. Even as it flaps its wings to stop its ascent, it''s too late. Much too late. I land on the closing eyelid, continuing to move as my sword stabs downward into the Dragon''s eye. The flames travel from my blade into the Dragon''s eyes, and the Dragon roars, shaking in pain. The only reason I manage to stay where I am is because of my sword, the power of the new spell flowing out of me, through my sword which enhances it, and into the Dragon. The soul hellfire burns hot and bright, and I flap my wings, pulling my sword out. The Dragon begins to drop, its ascent finally halted, and I watch as the violet soul hellfire I inflicted it with continues to consume it. It takes less than ten seconds for the Dragon to be completely consumed by the violet soul hellfire, which burns through every part of it as easily as a white flame would burn through a piece of paper. The people down below never got to see my victory, but that doesn''t matter. There''s nothing left of the Dragon but notifications in my vision and a complete exhaustion through me. I summon a barrier that''s five feet in diameter and just lie on it, my arms and legs spread out. Soaked in sweat, breathing hard, and just sore from all the beatings the Dragon gave me. But I survived. My magic is drained, and it''s going to take me a bit to recover, but I''m alive. I''ve gained a bunch of Levels, and I survived. And the Dragon is dead.
You have slain a Dragon.
+Dragonslayer Title +Heart of the slain Dragon +20 Dragon Ingots
+Dragon Hide (20 stretches) +50,000 Platinum +Dragon meat (50 chunks)
+Dragon skeleton +Dragon''s Crest +Dragon Essence (20 jars)
That was a fucking miracle. Chapter 0165 (Braden) This isn''t good. The horde just goes on and on, and I can see the King Monsters from here. They''re taller than the forest. The Shadow Wolf King is at least eighty feet in height, while the Goblin King is at least one hundred feet in height. I think the tallest tree is only seventy feet in height, and I''m elevated, giving me a better vantage point. The Flame Slime King looks around the same height as the Shadow Wolf King, while the Frost Knight King is probably around twenty feet taller than the Goblin King. To make matters worse, they''re simply destroying the forest as they pass through ¨C intentionally. They aren''t just destroying it to pass through, they''re clearing a damn path, which will make it much easier for the following horde to reach us. Max called up an hour ago that ''Boss be out of commission'', which means he likely died. If Big Flame''s telling everyone under him that Zack''s out of commission, he''s either dead or unconscious and lost somewhere. And the Shadow of Life wants him dead. But we push on, doing our best with this horde. There''s a second mage up here, a woman who joined us after her team went down at a stone wall nearby. There''s another priest here as well, up here and buffing us while helping Luca with healing. It''s needed, too, because he''s worn-out. Even our hellish training with Zack never pushed Luca''s abilities this hard. Nothing can prepare anyone for facing an endless horde of monsters. Not even having done it before. Something comes out of nowhere, and before a Barrier can be put up, the priest is dead. Crap. It looks like a goblin''s spear. Or a kobold''s. It''s crude and ugly. It''s also too late for him, he''s dead. He''s not the first death I''ve seen, but at least he''s up here. We can recover his body as long as he''s here and not down there. Turning, I fire off several arrows at the trio of Goblin Giants that began charging towards our wall with a Bounty Beast Kobold Giant. I let out a whistle, and Rebekah turns around and starts using her spell Skills to help me kill these. The other two focus on supporting my team. The giants are tough, and it takes the two of us a lot of effort to kill, but I finally manage to put arrows in their eyes. We turn our attention back to the horde in front of us. The weaker monsters can''t destroy our wall, and I''m grateful it''s easy to tell when something that can is coming. "I''m out of potions," I say after I drain my last one. "Same here," the others say. I tried making mine stretch, and even used Nature''s Blessing a few times, and the other archer used his, too, but even that has limits. If Zack''s out of commission and these four King Monsters are on their way, is it even possible for us to win? Even if Zack were fully-active, we''d still lose here. Two King Monsters was feasible, but the Frost Knight King and Flame Slime King brought in an entirely different factor. "Can any of you see their Healths?" I ask as I let loose more arrows. "The wolf has thirty million," Carmen says. "The Frost Knight has eighty million. Lowest and highest." Damn. And the Frost Knight doesn''t have any eyes we can try to put arrows in. Or spears. Spears would probably be more effective. By my estimates, the quartet will reach us in half an hour or so. They''re at least halfway through the forest. "When is the team tackling them going?" I ask. "They should go soon," Rick responds, and I shoot an arrow out of the sky, my other arrows going after the kobold archer which shot it. "Thanks. Definitely before the four make it here. Hopefully, they can do enough for a miracle to happen." We definitely need a miracle. I turn back to shooting monsters coming at our team, and notice Luca''s staff glowing the way things do before entering an Inventory. As soon as it disappears, Luca slaps his chest and holds his hand there. His cloak glows. What is he doing? As soon as his cloak is in his Inventory, his tunic begins glowing. Why did Luca suddenly stop? The moment Luca''s tunic is in his Inventory, leaving him bare-chested, a pair of beautiful white wings stretch out of his back. I forgot he''d taken on Angelic Wings for his Angelic Aspect required for Tier 5 of the holy Classes. As I continue to defend my team and wonder what our healer is doing, Luca lunges forward, grabbing Max by the back of his tunic. In a flash, Max is flipped under Luca''s arm, squealing, and Luca grabs Gavin, then flaps his wings, avoiding our attacks aimed at the monsters as he soars up. I see his face, and there''s confusion and panic on it, not just on Max''s and Gavin''s. "Someone''s coming for you!" Luca calls. "Hold out until then! The Crystals are calling a hasty retreat!" Someone is coming for you, they should be there in less than three minutes. Hold out. Lord Dark of Water just talked to me. I shake my head, then return to shooting monsters until a pair of Dark Knights with their armor off and wings out arrive. One grabs me and the other guy, while another grabs the two women. The one holding us uses Binding Darkness to grab the corpse, then we''re flown off the wall and towards the City Walls.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Less than a minute later, we''re on the top of it with the thousand or so other Adventurers. A lot of losses, and quite a few corpses. From up here, the King Monsters look even more terrifying, and the horde even more vast. This is frightening. "What''s going on?" I ask as I''m set down, Max, Luca, and Gavin rushing towards us. "We don''t know," Gavin answers. "All anyone knows is that the Crystals started contacting everyone following them, either ordering them either to wait for rescue or to order them into rescuing others. Everyone was told to be brought up here for some reason." "The gates are sealed," I explain. "During each wave, the gates are sealed shut to make it more difficult for the monsters to breach. They become as tough as the actual City Walls themselves." "Oh," he says. "Brandon tell you that?" "They said that in the war meeting, silly," Max says. "Oh," Gavin''s face flushes a little. The walls are pretty thick, so there''s plenty of space up here, especially with us spread out. I look upwards, but don''t see the Dragon. Listening to others, no one''s certain what happened to it, but word was apparently given to the entire Dark Order that Zack is out of commission. If it defeated him, it must have flown off to do something. To wait? We''re protected as long as we''re up here and don''t exit the barrier''s protection, but that won''t matter if it attacks. Maybe it''s waiting for the King Monsters to reach us? It probably needs to recover from Zack''s attacks. With how powerful he is and how good his gear is, Zack likely did a lot of damage to it before going down. It was probably a hard fight for both of them, so it would make sense the Dragon will wait to recover its energy a little before returning. Normar approaches us, kneeling beside the corpse of the priest. He pulls out the spear, then holds his hands over the man. A pure-white glow pushes out of him and cloaks the fallen Adventurer, who comes back to life a moment later. Normar then uses Heal on him a couple of times, before looking at us. "Good job," he says. "Do you know what''s going on?" I ask. "No," he looks out across the fields, then sighs. "I hope Zack recovers soon." Right. Zack''s been helping Normar get over his shyness. "You know what happened to him?" I ask. "Where be Boss?" Max asks. "Where?" Luca nearly wails. "We don''t know," Normar shakes his head. "Big Flame told us he was out of commission, but he didn''t say ''dead'', which means Zack''s still alive. If he''s still alive, then he''s been rendered unable to continue the fight." The way he''s saying that¡­ he knows something, doesn''t he? Normar returns to looking for Adventurers to Resurrect, and we turn our attention back to the horde. The stone walls are being destroyed as the horde of monsters finally slams against the City Wall in full, and not just what made it past us. We were able to stem the flow some, but not fully, and now¡­ Lord Dark of Water¡­ could you please give us a sign that Zack''s doing okay? That he''s going to be fine? He''s going to be fine, Lord Dark of Water responds, surprising me. Zack''s stubborn like that. The Dragon could have eaten him whole, and Zack would have just cut his way out. That, or to the Dragon''s heart, then severed all of the veins and arteries around it so he could claim it as an offering to Big Flame. Yeah, Zack would do that. So he''s okay? He''s okay, Lord Dark of Water responds. The evacuation is almost complete. That means it''s almost time. His presence fades from my mind as I ponder over what he said. "It''s almost time?" A nearby Paladin mutters. "Lord Light of Air, what do you mean by that?" So I wasn''t the only one being spoken to, and it seems all of the Crystals know something we don''t. Is there a large-scale spell about to be used? A trap set out in the fields that none of us were informed of, but which none of us should be caught in? I watch as a few more Adventurers are rescued, including two corpses. Actually, it looks like those returning and bringing back corpses that Normar can actually Resurrect. Is what''s about to happen that powerful that we have to risk lives to recover corpses to ensure they can be brought back? As the monsters continue their useless attack on the City Walls, I turn my attention to Nik, who''s approaching us. "Good," he says. "You four seem to be okay." "Banged up, but okay!" Max nods. "What be going on? Big Flame just keep saying ''wait and see''." "Yeah," Nik nods. "He''s telling me the same thing. As near as we can figure, the Crystals are doing something they''ve never done before. It must be weakening them a lot, but from what we''ve managed to get out of them, the King Monsters shouldn''t be too difficult to finish off after." Something that can take out tens of millions of Health? Just what is going on? "Me not want wait and see!" Max suddenly exclaims, and I realize he was still talking with Big Flame. "Me want to know now, Big Flame!" Yep, still talking with him. "He''s not going to answer," Nik says. "Do you know where Zack is?" I ask. "Lord Dark of Water assured me he''s okay." "Lord Light of Air told me the same thing," Luca says. "Lord Light of Earth told me that, too," Gavin nods. "Big Flame say he be recovering from battle with the Dragon." "Yeah," Nik nods. "They won''t tell us what happened with the Dragon, just that Zack''s recovering." Does that mean he won? Or that he managed to escape the Dragon, which is hunting him down as Zack rests and recovers in bursts? I snap my head to look at the King Monsters, all four of which stopped moving in unison. They give each other looks that say something is up. Something disturbing. For us or them? "What is going on?" Someone asks. "I don''t know," someone else responds. "Think they might attack from there?" Another asks. Could it be that we were pulled back because the King Monsters are just that powerful? The Flame Slime could probably have easily killed us as soon as it reached us. But then why are we only evacuated to here and not far away? Then again, if we lose here, we''ll all end up dead within a year anyway. "Whatever it is, I pray it happens soon," Nik says. "As soon as whatever is going to happen does, I''m going to fly Braden and Gavin back down there. Luca, you take Max and follow me. You four will fight at the edge of whatever it was ¨C there should be minimal monsters there, and possibly damaged ones." "Got it," we say. That gives us a good chance at killing more. Let''s just hope it happens soon. It''s time, Lord Dark of Water says, and I look around, trying to find out what''s going to happen. As I do, I notice everyone else looking around as well. It seems everyone received the message from the Crystals, likely from their own patrons. But what does it mean?
(Zack) "Sayonara, bitches." Chapter 0166 (Braden) As we continue to try to figure out what''s going on, I look up on a hunch. When I do, I see a giant meteor descending straight towards the King Monsters. Strangely, its flames are violet, but based on what I know of Zack and Big S being brothers, it''s possible that if the Crystals channeled their power together and Big S summoned the Meteor into the Boundary, then it took on the violet flames because of whatever makes Zack''s flames violet, too. "Hooooly fuck!" I exclaim. Others look up, and I hear others swearing in exclamation and a few others just exclaiming or shouting in confusion. A few Meteors have been summoned during this fight, but none as large as that one. They were all destroyed, too. Plenty of monsters attack it, but the few spells that do reach it fail to do anything. Three of the King Monsters try as well. The Goblin King throws trees at it, but they just burn up instantly, the heat of it''s that hot. The Frost Knight King throws spears and shards of ice at it, but they melt before touching it. The Flame Slime King attacks it with flaming rocks, Flame Jets, and more, but its attacks just splash off the Meteor. It''s too hot and too dense. Is there even someone in the Boundary capable of summoning a Meteor that powerful? I doubt even Normar using the Blessing of the Crystal on himself could. This is definitely something the Crystals did. Just how much weaker are they going to be? It doesn''t take long for the meteor to hit the ground ¨C maybe only fifteen seconds from when I noticed it. With a high Agility, that time feels longer than it would have a few months ago, before I started training and had a ''normal'' speed. When the Meteor strikes, the King Monsters aren''t fast enough to escape it. It lands with a powerful boom, and we can feel the quake from here, even atop the City Walls, which supposedly don''t even shake during earthquakes. A cloud of dirt, dust, and trees is kicked up immediately, obscuring our view, and it quickly pushes outwards, including towards us. The forest is no doubt heavily destroyed by this, and the wave of destruction continues into the fields, taking out monsters everywhere as we stare in shock and amazement. Then, the shockwave hits us, and those of us who are lighter are grabbed by those who are stronger and heavier and kept from flying away in the shockwave. Jeez! Maybe we should have gone inside the City for this! My body feels like it''s being pounded over and over! It takes me a moment to realize that a pure-white Barrier was manifested around me, and I''m healing at the same time I take damage. Wait, there are two pure-white Barriers. Luca and Normar probably cast them at the same time, and it''s probably Normar who''s healing me, keeping me from dying. He can heal someone in the moment they reach 0 Health, keeping them from actually dying. So yeah, this is him healing me. Thank you, Normar. The shockwave ends, and the barriers fade. Nik sets me and Luca down, and I notice another Dark Knight setting Max down. Gavin was blown back a bit, then caught by a Druid. When we can finally see again, we just stare at the destruction. The impact threw dirt and trees all the way to the City Walls. No monsters were left untouched, and there''s flaming debris scattered around. The Meteor itself still burns, visible at the center of the new crater from here, even miles away. It destroyed everything within several miles of it, a far larger crater than the one outside of Kaelmar. There are monsters far, far on the other side of the crater, but from what I can tell, they aren''t bothering to come any closer. The King Monsters are nowhere to be found. "If the Crystals have always been able to do this," someone says. "Why haven''t they before?" "Few Cities are as protected as Maelnor," Nik says. "Most are open on all four sides, and the monsters aren''t usually stemmed in their flow from something like the passes. But there''s something strange¡­" "If they''ve always been able to do this," Gavin says. "They would have. It must have come at a great cost to them. Otherwise, there''d be records of the King Monsters being destroyed." "Big Flame says," Nik says. "The Shadow of Life has released his suppression on the Dungeon Barriers for Kaelmar and the Fallen City at the other end of the pass. It seems he''s given up this fight. The four King Monsters were meant to be a guarantee this City would fall, and instead, they were destroyed in an instant." "Something''s not right," I say. "I''m sure they''d have done this at least once before, if they''re able to manifest things into the Boundary. But they haven''t." "You''re right," Nik says, then frowns, before looking at Normar. "Normar, did you happen to give a certain punk the Blessing of the Crystal?" Normar shakes his head, and Nik raises an eyebrow. "He was out of my range," Normar protests. "I couldn''t have given it to him. His Eidolon Form put him at almost 5,000 Intellect, though. And if he buffed himself with Blessing of Mind or Blessing of Intellect, it would become closer to 6,000 Intellect." I gasp as I realize what was off about the whole thing. Zack had been recovering. The Crystals made that clear. He was recovering from his fight, and the Dragon wasn''t destroying our troops or going after the City Barrier. If it had defeated Zack, shouldn''t it have not mattered if it waited or went then? If so, then why didn''t it?Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Because Zack won the fight. He then recovered from the whole thing, and he summoned a meteor. It might have been massive, but I''m sure the Crystals would have created an even larger one and aimed it at the center of the Valley for maximum effect. Or they''d have sent it into the other pass, blocking the entrance to Kaelmar with the Meteor. That Meteor was Zack. Normar must have figured out that he was going to do something, that''s why I got that feeling from him that he knew more than he was saying. I turn my gaze back to the Meteor. But how did it do so much damage? "That doesn''t explain all the damage," Nik says. "It''s smaller than the one he used at Kaelmar''s entrance." "Impact." "That only works with-" Nik starts. "He transcended the limitations of the Skill again." Normar grins. "Quite a few of us were transcending Skill limitations," Normar says. "I Resurrected several people whose bodies were too badly damaged for it, as one example." "So that''s why the Crystals would only say he was recovering," Nik says. "Zack was recovering¡­ right up until he got it in his head to drop a Meteor on the King Monsters." "It worked," Luca giggles. "What now?" I ask. "It seems like most of the monsters are staying on the other side for now." "Now," Nik says. "We rest. We recover. We wait. The monsters will cause problems for us, but if the Shadow of Life has given up attacking us this battle because of this, then the monsters will eventually spread out. Some will resume their charge towards us, but us stronger Adventurers will handle that. We may even be able to do that with just ranged attackers. Over the next week or three, we''ll then deal with the monsters that have become spread out in the forest." "Where be Boss?" Max asks, and when we look at him, he''s looking at no one in particular. He''s talking to Big Flame again. "No, Max want to know where be Boss!" He huffs. "Try your home," Nik says. "He''ll either be eating, soaking in the bath, or sleeping." Yeah, this is Zack we''re talking about. He just fought a Dragon, then dropped a Meteor while transcending limitations. That stuff''s exhausting. I transcended limitations twice during the fight, and each time, I felt even more exhausted than before I did it. I didn''t mean to, but it happened. Twice, I performed a Multshot that released twenty arrows instead of ten. All I did was increase the arrow count, yet my exhaustion was greater than it should have been after. Zack used Impact on a Meteor. While normally, he''d have to be touching the ''weapon'', I think his transcending of limitations might have given him an exemption on that one. "You guys get some rest," Nik says. "You did good, and it looks like the battle is over, now. Even if it''s not, you need it. We''ll keep here those who can just in case, everyone else can get some rest." He starts giving out instructions, calling over other leaders to tell them what''s up so they can spread the word. We locate an Adventurer who can fly us down. Well, who can fly Gavin and me down, Luca flies Max. Once we''re on the ground, Luca pulls his tunic and cloak out of his Inventory, then pulls them back on, and we begin walking back home. Max carries Luca on his back, and Luca actually falls asleep. He''s too exhausted. We all are, and I''m grateful Nik isn''t putting us on watch duty. When we reach the house, Kit and Aurum are in the kitchen, cooking, and Gold is putting dishes on the table. "They only just be starting," Gold tells us. "I just be getting ready now. Hero Zack be in the bath, soaking already. He said the battle be won, so we be making a feast." So he is home. "Thanks," I tell Gold as we hurry to the bathing room. Sure enough, Zack''s in here, though his eyes are closed and he looks like he may be sleeping as he soaks. Wouldn''t be the first time. He''s back to his normal appearance, Eidolon Form no longer active. I suppose if the battle''s over, then he''s done using it at all times just in case. The four of us scrub ourselves clean with as much strength as we can. It''s not until I''m scrubbing that I feel weak, my grip poor. Even with Zack''s hellish training, we didn''t get this exhausted. Once we''re rinsed, we join Zack in the bath, and he doesn''t seem to react to our presence. "Lord Zack?" Luca whispers with concern in his voice. "I''m awake," Zack says, his voice weak. "Or at least, am trying to be. Good job with the fighting, you guys." "You dropped a Meteor on the King Monsters," Gavin says. "It was Big Flame''s idea," Zack opens an eye. It''s violet, which means he''s using his sight for something. "I was resting pretty high up ¨C almost to the clouds, actually. That''s where my fight with the Dragon ended. As I was recovering, Big Flame joked about me dropping from a great height using my body for Impact again, maybe taking out a King Monster or two from that. Then he paused and went ''you know, you could probably do that with a Meteor. Just think of what happened the last time you used one during a big fight. Just build up all that rage within you and transcend Impact''s limitations like you did with the Demon Kobold King''." Big Flame is the one who came up with that idea? "So the Crystals and I discussed it," Zack says. "And we decided that even if it didn''t kill the King Monsters, it would probably have damaged them enough and taken out enough of the horde to make it easier for everyone. It would definitely have done enough to the Flame Slime King to let the Adventurers kill it before it recovered. Were expecting that fucker to absorb a fair bit of the impact, but it seems that failed to do much. Once I was ready, they issued the retreat order to clear everyone out. Then I summoned the Meteor and dropped it. It actually killed all four instantly, that was a surprise. We thought it''d at least take out most of their Health, but actually killing them wasn''t in our expectations. Two miracles in one major battle¡­ today was a pretty damn lucky day." "Two miracles?" Gavin asks. "What be the first?" Max asks. "Me killing the Dragon," Zack answers. "The Shadow of Life sent one he knew I couldn''t kill. It was probably the strongest he could order, and one of its missions was killing me. Even with my gear, I wasn''t able to take out more Health than it recovered per second. In a last-bid effort, I performed a runic spell while drawing on my inner flames. With a stroke of luck, I managed to hit the Dragon in the eye. Had I failed, I would have been too exhausted to continue, and the Dragon would have killed me." "A miracle," I say, and Zack nods, then closes his eye. "What are you looking at?" "The monsters," he answers. "I''m giving Nik my assessments of what''s going to happen the next few days. There are around two million monsters still left in the valley after that, and about half are still moving towards Maelnor, while the other half are spreading out. However, only some are rushing, others are walking. It''s easy enough that everyone can handle them. With just a couple of days of rest after this, taking out just what approaches the City, we can then send out squads of around twenty throughout the valley, and clean everything up within a week after the start of that. The battle is won, and now, we''re going to get started on reclaiming Lost Territory." "But how will we do that?" I ask. "Aren''t all of the Lost Cities protected by the Avatars of the Shadow of Life?" "Yeah," Zack stands and exits the bath, walking over to the towels and pulling one off so he can dry off. "They are. As soon as everything is clear, I''m heading to Kaelmar to kill the one there." Chapter 0167 (Max) "Boop-boop!" "Max!" Gold exclaims, and me start running. "Stop that!" "Never!" Me keep running, leaving behind bewildered brothers and annoyed Gold. That be so much fun. Me brothers be learning how to be proper servants rather than slaves. Gold be passing by at the moment, so he saw Max boop brothers'' noses. Bad timing. He like ninja, able show up unexpectedly. Max not sure how he do that, me have greater Perception than him. Hrm. Maybe Boss be giving him secret lessons? Yeah, that probably be it. Well, whatever. It be okay, so long as Gold not catch me. Max be far too fast for that to happen. After escaping Gold, Max walk through town for bit. Today, we be going to Kaelmar, Max thinks. At least, that what Boss said during breakfast. It have been ten days since the battle and Boss''s awesome Meteor-slam. The Adventurers spent last ten days cleaning things up, though we be staying in the City. Boss told us to, so that we finish recovering from training and fighting and not-dying. Me not think Boss training, either. That be strange. He be gone a lot, though, even if he not be training. Max not sure what he be doing, just that he be not training. As me walk, other beastborn on their break day find Max and ask to play Tag, so we start chasing each other through town. They like playing with me, but Max needs to keep careful, or me be too fast for them. Then that not be fun. Boss taught me trick, though, so that me able to easily use me normal speed and not me System speed when running. "Sorry!" Max exclaims after crashing into pot, breaking it. "Here!" Me toss a few coins at the guy, then keep running. Max not It right now, but It be close! Suddenly, Max crash into someone. "Eek!" Max exclaims, looking up. "Sorry! Luca! Hi!" Me stand up and wave to Luca, only to be tackled from behind by It. "No!" Max wail. "Max It, now! Well, me got minute. How you be, Luca?" "I''m fine," Luca answers as former It runs off. Me have to wait a minute before taking off again. "Lord Zack said he''ll be at the West Gate in two hours if we''re leaving with him." "Okay!" Max say. "What you be doing?" "I was looking for you," he answers. "Lord Zack said you were playing Tag with some of your friends." "What you be doing, now you found me?" Me asks, and Luca scrunches up face in thought. Me think hard about words. "What be you going to do, now you found Max and told me?" "Oh!" Luca exclaims. Okay, so he was be trying to figure out if me not clear. "I don''t know. Maybe just walk around a bit." He be hiding something. Something sad. Max can see it in Luca''s eyes. But if he not want to share, then me not going to ask. "Okay!" Me say. "Bye, Luca!" Time be up, so me take off running again. "Bye, Max," Max hear Luca say.
(Luca) Max has been feeling a bit cooped-up, not being allowed to leave Maelnor. Lord Zack forbid us from doing so until the all-clear was given. Sir Nik gave it today, saying that we shouldn''t encounter anything during the normal course of events which would pose to true of a threat to us. That means we can resume training. But first, Lord Zack wishes to kill the Avatar of the Shadow of Life, then put his brother to rest. That makes me think about my own brother. I know he''s put to rest, but anytime I start thinking about him and am alone, I feel really lonely and miss him a lot, and my thoughts just go to him. So I put one foot in front of the other, focusing on that as I walk through Maelnor. It takes me a bit, but I arrive at Lord Zack''s memorial forest. I walk through it, reaching the five markers. There''s a new one, with the names of everyone who died in the battle for the valley beyond what he and Lord Normar could fix. With a hop, I make it across the stream flowing through, and I approach my brother''s marker. Lord Zack must have come by earlier, because there are flowers at all of them, and a ton at his brother''s. I open up my Inventory and pull out a basket of food, which I set in front of my brother''s marker. Then I sit down and just stare at the marker. Why did he have to do something so stupid? Lord Zack warned us that he was training us at what we could handle. Why didn''t I try harder to stop him? What would things be like now, if I''d stopped him? Would he have continued to try, until he ultimately ended up dead, going in head-over and dying? Would our team be the same as it is now? Would he have stayed with Lord Zack because of me, or would he have eventually left us? Sighing, I try to push those thoughts from my head. They always fill my head whenever I start thinking about this. It''s hard to push those thoughts away. I know Lord Zack still blames himself for this, the large amount of flowers shows it. Most people would put maybe two or three. Or five. Lord Zack put, like, fifty. Same with the bigger markers. He put at least five times that for his brother''s marker, it''s practically covered in them. It''s weird, though. Usually, he grabs the same types of flowers, but I count at least eight different types of them. Footsteps catch my attention, and I turn to find Sir Nik standing there, flowers in one hand. "Herro," I say, then swallow the food I didn''t know I was eating. "Hello."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Hello, Luca," he gives me an amused look. "Came to visit the markers before heading to Kaelmar with Zack?" I nod. "A lot of us have come by," he approaches and places a few flowers at each marker, and twice as many at Bryce''s. Sir Nik sits beside me as I realize that Lord Zack wasn''t the only one who put flowers down. Well, Lord Zack still blames himself. "Today," Sir Nik says. "The brother of the person who saved us will finally be put to rest. The brother of the one who changed the tide of the war. Sometimes, I''ve wondered what Zack would be like, had Bryce not died." I''ve wondered that, too. Lord Zack would be quite different. According to what I''ve heard, his mischief was at its peak when Bryce was around. The two of them combined had enough to fill the quota of ten Lord Zack''s. Our team might not have ever happened. Lord Zack might not have been as strict with our training. Without that, we wouldn''t have become as powerful as we are. He tightly controlled our training, but at the same time, he optimized it. If Bryce were still here, still working with him, we might not have had that full optimization. My brother might not have died¡­ or we might have never arrived for Lord Zack''s team ¨C may have been sent somewhere else in the Boundary entirely. I''d probably still be a frightened, timid little boy. Well, maybe I still am that last part, but I''m ten. I haven''t started my growing spurts yet. And if what Lord Zack said is true, I won''t live long enough for that. The war ends within a year and when it does, we''ll pass on to heaven, where we belong. Or hell, for those who earned that. "What''s he doing?" I ask. "Zack?" Sir Nik asks, and I nod. "Talking with Kylie the last I checked. It seems he''s had some vision that''s told him that after the fight, he''ll be out of commission for awhile. He didn''t see why, but said that every time he tried seeing it with delays and higher Levels than he''s at now, he always became out of commission for awhile. Normar said he''ll accompany the five of you, just in case." I nod, then rise. It''s time to-crap. I ate all of the food meant as an offering for my brother. Oh, well. The basket and crumbs can work, right? "I''m going to stay for a bit," Sir Nik tells me. "Enjoy the trip." I nod, then leave. When I reach the West Gate, the rest of the team is already there. Lord Zack is resting on the grass, head resting on his hands, eyes closed as if sleeping. At least, until I approach and poke him. Then, he opens an eye, gives a nod, and rises. He touches his tunic, and it disappears. He''s wearing his armor, though. Lord Zack takes on his Eidolon Form as I strip off my cloak and tunic. I have a vest on underneath with spots on the back for my wings. I wanted a long-sleeve shirt, but Lord Zack insisted on no sleeves for some reason. I manifest my Angelic Wings and grab Braden, while Lord Zack grabs Max and tucks him under an arm. Gavin is picked up by Lord Normar, who''s wearing his usual outfit, but with a vest as well. His wings are out, too. The three of us take off into the sky, and I follow Lord Zack. Lord Normar is flying beside him. Braden is heavy. Oof. But he''s the lightest out of us, and with my Strength, it''s really not that much of a problem. I''m just not used to carrying people, and not like this. We fly over the Large Crater, which still has the Meteor at its center. Then, we fly over the damaged forest, then the healthy part of the forest. Then, we''re flying over the Crater. Is it weird that I feel pity for the enemies of Lord Zack? They pretty much don''t stand a chance when he goes all-out. Even if he ends up incapacitated after. Lord Zack lands, so Lord Normar and I do as well, setting our respective luggage down. Max plays with his hair for a moment as Gavin fixes his, and Braden''s hair doesn''t look at all bothered by the winds generated from our speed. Nor does Lord Normar''s hair. Nor Lord Zack''s. I fix mine, then hurriedly follow Lord Zack. Lord Normar disappeared again, but he promised me he''d be nearby just in case of something. We enter the ruins of the City of Kaelmar. Past the destroyed City Wall, taken out by Lord Zack''s first-ever Meteor when his brother was killed and he nearly died. We pass by several ruined buildings, making for the center of the City. Is Lord Zack heading to the altar? I thought Fallen Adventurers stay in the general area of where they died? I suppose when it''s a brother of Lord Zack''s, it''s a bit different. I don''t think his own corpse would stay in one spot. "I''m going to the avatar," Lord Zack speaks up. "Though my brother''s Fallen Adventurer form did move, but that was because of the hordes passing through." Oh. We reach the central plaza, where the altar is, and I see the Avatar of the Shadow of Life, Dark Knight version. I can also sense Lord Zack''s rage, which spikes as soon as the armored figure comes into view. It looks like a person, but one who''s completely covered in armor. Suddenly, a sword appears in Lord Zack''s hand. I''ve never seen it before. It''s made of a dark grey metal with an orange sheen to it and a golden glow at its core. Its crosspiece is designed like wings curving upwards. There''s an orange jewel in the pommel, which is shaped a bit like a claw. There''s a knife in his hand, too, which matches the sword. Their sheathes are falling to the ground. He pulled those out and unsheathed them faster than I could see. Before any of us can react, Lord Zack is attacking with the sword and knife, and it''s clear he''s in a blind rage. Normar told me that Lord Zack''s rage had increased last time he saw this thing, during his rescue mission, but that he hadn''t gone into a blind rage during it. That he''d acted calmly and rationally. Is it different this time because he intends on killing the Avatar of the Shadow of Life? I can''t see the Avatar''s Health, but Lord Zack''s doing damage to its armor. As he attacks, he pierces its armor. He''s not even using Skills. At least, not any I can see. Is Rage the only one active right now? Well, and Eidolon Form? The Avatar bleeds black blood, which looks kind of gross and disturbing. This is worrying. He might be forcing the Avatar into a purely defensive mode, but he''s lost himself to his rage over his brother''s death. Is this the first time he''s truly faced it? Or is something else going on? The Avatar suddenly loses an arm, but it continues to fight, even as its black blood flows out of it. Its Skills, offensive and defensive alike, are rendered useless against Lord Zack. It loses a leg. Then its other arm. Then its other leg. It uses Skills still, spells flying from it towards Lord Zack. Lord Zack simply slaps them aside with his arms or weapons, before finally beheading the Avatar. As soon as he does, the entire thing, missing limbs included, explodes in a shower of blackness, which then dissipates on the wind. Lord Zack breathes heavily, even though I know he could have gone on for far longer. He really did lose himself. But why? He takes a few breaths with his eyes closed, then stiffens and turns his head to face the right. We all look over in that direction. Approaching us is a Fallen Adventurer, formerly a boy around thirteen years old. He has straight, black hair and dull blue eyes. He''s wearing armor similar to what Lord Zack wears, but definitely of a lower quality. Starting gear? Our fearless leader is suddenly in front of him, pulling the Fallen Adventurer against him. "RESURRECTION!" He cries out, and it sounds like he''s crying. That must be Bryce, and that''s not going to work. He''s too-long dead. He''s not just a Fallen Adventurer, his soul''s passed on to the afterlife. "Resurrection!" Lord Zack cries out again. "This is bad," Lord Normar appears beside me with a frown, and we all look at him. "Resurrection!" "Zack has to be the one to put Bryce''s body to rest," Lord Normar tells us. "RESURRECTION!" "Or it will cause severe mental trauma in him," he continues. "Resurrection!" Lord Zack sounds ready to completely break down at the repeated failure of his Skill. "So I can''t do anything," Lord Normar tells us. "RESURRECTI-ON!" Lord Zack''s voice breaks as he calls out that one, and Lord Normar sighs. "Nik told me this might happen," Lord Normar says. "I REJECT REALITY!" Zack''s voice rings clear, and there''s a sense of power in his words. "AND TRANSCEND THE FUCKING LIMITATIONS OF THIS FUCKING SKILL! RESURRECTION!" Immediately, nine voices enter my head, and based on the jumps of the other four here, they heard it, too. OH, SHIT! Chapter 0168 (Braden) A violet light envelopes both Zack and the Fallen Adventurer mostly likely his brother''s corpse as the five of us process the fact that all nine Crystals swore in our heads with Zack''s words. Even the transcending of limitations shouldn''t have allowed this Skill to work, since his brother''s soul has moved on to heaven. Yet if that violet light and the response of the Crystals is any indication, it''s working. The light fades away, and Zack starts to fall. The Fallen Adventurer ¨C Bryce ¨C catches him, a smile on his lips. His eyes are no longer dull, but a bright azure filled with mischief and amusement. His hair is still dirty, but it''s regain some health to it. His skin is no longer greyish, but pinkish and healthy, even if dirty. He has a Status.
Bryce Level 6
Health: 36 Mana: 90
He was in heaven. He was back in reality. How did Zack do that? That shouldn''t be possible! Bryce carefully lowers Zack to the floor as Normar hits him with a Heal, bringing him up to 360 Health. With how powerful Normar is, that must be Bryce''s maximum Health right now. "It seems he can''t accept reality," Bryce smiles, his voice as full of mischief as Max''s, or maybe even Zack''s when our leader gets into one of his moods. He looks at us. "Going so far as to exert his power over existence itself to make his desires happen. Unfortunately, he''s pushed too far, and is drained. He''ll likely be out for three or four weeks from this." Bryce walks over to the weapons Zack dropped when he saw his brother and picks them up, then gives Zack an amused look. "You did follow through on that promise, though," he says, then walks over to their sheaths and slides them in. "You killed him with the weapons made for me." Bryce straps the sword to his back and the knife to his belt. They were forged for him? Ah, right. I remember hearing from Brandon that Zack and Bryce were having weapons forged from the Spook Ingots Zack had received from the Spook Master. Those must be them. He''d promised to kill the Avatar with the ones made for Bryce? After fixing his weapons on himself, Bryce walks over to the altar. "Thanks for figuring that out," Bryce says. "It probably would have taken me a bit to realize." He places a hand on the altar, and I watch as the altar begins to glow. A few moments pass, then he steps back and returns to Zack as the chamber repairs itself. Bryce pokes his brother a few times, then adjusts Zack''s position so that he looks more restful, completely ignoring the beam that just shot up out of the chamber. "If you guys are wondering what happened," Bryce looks at us. "I wasn''t quite in heaven. I''d more or less gone to the entrance, figuring Zack would eventually do this. He''s stubborn like that, and I know I''d have done it. With my powers over existence, I was able to view into here and have been watching him ¨C and all of you. Sadly, my sight was really the only thing I trained, but it was worth it." He smiles. "I got to see quite a lot of fun things," he says. "Even if there were some dark times for Zack and Luca." Luca grabs my mantle, half-hiding. "Don''t worry, Luca," Bryce stands. "I met your brother on his way in. He''s waiting for the end of this, and he doesn''t remember his time here in the Boundary. No one does, since it''s not part of reality. The only reason I did was because of my unique state of not fully crossed over and having my soul not truly ''at rest'', as it were." He approaches us. He stinks a bit, but I''m not going to blame him for that, since he just came back from being dead for something like five or six months. "Do any of you have something to write with?" He asks, and Normar pulls out a quill and some paper. "Thanks." Bryce accepts it, and with a wave of his hand, telekinetically moves some rubble towards us. He sits on one piece and uses the other as a table, where he just starts writing, a look of concentration on his face. We check on Zack during that. He looks so peaceful. Peaceful and happy. His brother said he drew on his powers over existence to pull Bryce back. That''s¡­ rather frightening, and I''m sure Zack couldn''t do it for anyone else. Not because of the obvious price he''s had to pay, especially if Bryce was honest about him being out for three or four weeks. No, because I don''t think he could enter the emotional state needed to do that for anyone he doesn''t care about deeply. Maybe for the four of us, but definitely for his brother. His first friend. The person who initially helped him really start to change who he was. We sit around Zack, waiting for Bryce. We''re not sure what he''s writing, but we all get the sense it''s for Zack. He can''t compare to his brother anymore, and will need to catch up. Chances are, he''s going to try to compete to see if he can beat Zack''s Ascension time.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "This isn''t good," Normar mutters, and I look at him. We all do. His face flushes. "It¡­ don''t worry about it, guys. I was thinking about war stuff." The others might believe that, but I don''t. You were thinking about something to do with Zack bringing Bryce back. I look at Bryce, who is still writing whatever that is, then I look at Zack, who looks so peaceful and happy. It seems monsters are avoiding us right now. Because of the fight that occurred, or for some other reason? When Bryce finally finishes writing, he folds a couple of the papers up together and asks Normar for some wax to seal it with. After sealing the letter, I guess, he hands it to Luca. "This is for Zack," Bryce tells Luca. "Don''t open it, save it for when he wakes. It''s¡­ well, it''s for him." He smiles, then his eyes turn violet. He looks at Normar as his eyes return to their natural blue. "I''m heading into Lost Territory," he says. "Don''t worry about my safety, I''ll avoid anything as powerful as the Avatars." "You have debuffs," Normar stands. "And are quite weak. The Levels-" "I have a Spook Ore Sword," Bryce smiles. "And I''m Zack''s brother. My sight''s been trained up, too, so I''ll know when something''s coming. I need to push myself, and hard, to catch up to Zack and make up for the lost time. Take care of him for me, would you?" Normar protests, but Bryce turns and leaves, taking off running. He moves well for someone who just came back from the dead. About a minute after Bryce disappears from sight, I catch the flapping of wings and turn to find Nik flying towards us. He lands beside me and frowns at Zack. Normar explains what happened. "And you let him go?" Nik asks. "He''s too much like Zack," Normar averts his gaze, blushing. "He just came back from the dead and was using his psychic powers as if he''d been using them for awhile." "That''s the sort of thing Zack would do," Nik looks at Zack, then frowns. "Normar, escort them back to Maelnor. I''m taking Zack to the Dark Temple. If Bryce is right, he''ll need someone to watch over him." Normar nods, then Nik lifts Zack up and takes off flying. The two priests manifest their wings again. Normar takes Max and Gavin, while Luca carries me. I can tell he''s struggling with his gripping, so I make sure to hold on tight, just in case he drops me. I''d prefer to hang onto his back, but then I''d be interfering with his wing-flapping. We reach Maelnor and go straight to our home, where Kit and Aurum are playing marbles with Nit and Nin. Aurum''s winning, but that doesn''t surprise me, he''s gotten pretty good at marbles. We sometimes play at night, if we''re both having a hard time sleeping. On Normar''s property, though, not my team''s. If we didn''t do that, we''d risk waking people up. Zack sometimes watches us. Max tells his brothers, Aurum, and Kit about what happened with Zack and Bryce, and they seem sort of confused. Then, Kit makes dinner and I play cards with Luca, Gavin, and Max while the others watch. Luca wins, as usual. I could win, if I actually put the effort in, but it''s fun watching him think he''s clever enough to beat all of us even when he''s not cheating. So I just play the same playstyle every time, just for him. It''s easy to predict what he''s going to call for the same reason he''s able to predict the others. After we eat dinner, I change clothes, then leave the property and make my way to the Dark Temple. The beastborn let me know that Gold is inside, and I don''t see any other Dark Knights around, so I sit on one of the walls surrounding the Dark Temple''s entry space and relax. It takes a bit, but a Dark Knight eventually comes out. "Wondering how Zack is doing?" She asks, and I nod. "He''s sleeping right now, and we don''t know when he''s going to wake up. Based on past things, he''ll wake after a few weeks, steal half the bedding in the rooms, then go out to do something before we catch him." I snort. Yeah, Zack probably would do that. I just hope he wakes sooner rather than later. It''s not good that he keeps doing things which knock him unconscious for long periods of time.
(Gavin) "Where did Braden go?" I realize our ranger''s missing as Luca and Max get ready to take a bath. "He went to check on Zack after dinner," Luca answers. "He might be doing some training with Brandon now, since we''re not on rest anymore." Oh. That was three hours ago, did it really take me that long to notice he was gone? "Okay," I say. "Enjoy your baths, I''m going to do some stuff." They nod and head to the bathing room, then I leave the property. With Zack unconscious, the four of us will likely spend our time waiting for him to wake by training and preparing. He''s going to want to travel out into the Lost Territory. Since only he and Bryce can reactivate the City Barriers, it''s unlikely anyone else is going to. And it''s unlikely Bryce will, as it would mean needing to face more Avatars, which he''s too weak to face right now. That does make me wonder how he''s going to leave the pass past Kaelmar, though, since he''d have to go through the other Lost City to do so. I reach Peter''s house and knock on the door. Mama Bear answers it. "Hello, Mama Bear," I say. "Is Peter in?" "He sure is," she steps aside. "Come on in, Gavin." I enter the house and walk over to Peter, who''s sitting at the table, looking at some report or something. "Hello, Gavin," Peter says. "How are you?" "I''m okay," I answer. "I could probably wait a day or two for this, but it occurred to me while the team and I were playing some games earlier, and I wanted to ask before I forgot." "Go ahead," he says. "I could probably take on Paladin, now," I say. "Most of my fighting style lately is protecting Luca, which means I could work as a Paladin without much difference to how I am. It would Level a little slower, though, due to how it works. But at the same time, I have a Rank 2 Class available. Stone Knight. It requires being an Elementalist with an earth affinity and being a Mystic Knight, both Classes at Tier 5. Elementalist is Tier 5, Level 5, while my other two Classes are maxed. But that would also Level a little slower, since I''m already high in Level for knight Classes and it''s Rank 2 instead of Rank 1. At the same time, however, it would grant me a couple of more Stat Points per Level." Peter gestures for me to sit, so I do, and he thinks for a few minutes as Mama Bear serves up some tea. From what I heard, they were both pretty good during the fighting. They got a lot more done than I did, that''s for sure. But I still did my best. They''re just that much better than us. In the end, none of it really mattered. Big Flame put an idea in Zack''s head, the Crystals and Zack discussed it, and then Zack basically dealt with everything on his own. To find out that neither he nor the Crystals had actually expected that to kill the King Monsters was surprising. They were doing it to increase the chances of victory over them. "In the end," Peter speaks up, and I focus on him again. "The choice comes down to what you want, Gavin. Which Levels from stuff you will use more of?" Chapter 0169 (Luca) This library smells kind of musty. I''ve heard that Lord Zack hangs out in here sometimes, that he looked up a lot of stuff, including some of what he used to kill the Dragon. I''m still trying to figure out how he killed the Dragon. All anyone knows is that he did kill it, and nothing else. Not how it died, not what happened to its body, not what the rewards were, nothing. Which is a little annoying, but I''m sure I''ll know before most of them do, since I''m on Lord Zack''s team. Here in the library, I wander around until I locate one of the librarians. Actually, there''s one at the desk by the front door, but I ignored them because of reasons. It''s not that I was too shy and timid to approach him, it''s that I was trying to figure out what to say, which is why he ended up being the one I found. That''s really it. I''m not lying at all, and there probably are other librarians here. Somewhere. I hope. It''s an old man. He might not be as old as Sir Nik, but he looks way older than Sir Nik does. He has grey hair and dulling eyes, and his face is all wrinkly. So are his hands. He might be as old as the ancient book he''s flipping pages in. "Hello," I say. See? Have to pick my first words carefully. "Hello, Luca," he smiles at me. "How are you?" "Hungry," I answer. Perfect answer. "I want to become a Scholar." "You do?" He asks, and I nod. "Mind answering why?" "Yes." He stares at me. I do mind answering. "Do you know what the Scholar Class is?" "A magical support Class." "Do you know what it does?" "Supports." He stares at me. I stare back. Can we please get this over with? I don''t know how to unlock the Skill for Tier 2. Well, I haven''t actually taken it on yet, but that''s irrelevant. I need to start now. "Do you have Appraisal?" He asks. "Yes." "Then you''re able to take on Scholar." "I need Assess and Scan." "Those are for Tiers 2 and 3," he says. Warp and Teleport are Tiers 4 and 5. I stare at him. Is he going to explain how to get Assess and Scan? Or do I need to look it up? Assess allows me to determine the worth of any item, so long as I can Appraise it and its Appraisal Value is lower than or at my Assess Level. So something that needs Level 5 Appraisal to read the information of, I would be able to know the value of if my Assess is Level 5 or higher, but not Level 4 or lower, but also would need me to have at least Level 5 Appraisal. The main reason I want to take on Scholar is for access to Warp and Teleport. Warp allows us to warp out of a Dungeon Zone, which means we would be able to leave somewhere like the mines with just a cast of the spell. Teleport would allows us to immediately Teleport back to the nearest City, as long as it has an active City Barrier and we have been there. If we''re in a Teleport Plaza on one of its Teleport Rings, we can also Teleport to any City we''ve been to before, as long as it has an active City Barrier. Those will be very useful in Lost Territory, once we head out and start exploring it. So I want to take on that Class now to start working on its Levels. Both of those are costly with Mana, too, but Scholar, naturally, boosts that ¨C Wisdom is its best stat. I can''t unlock either of those until the third Tier of Scholar, though, which is part of why I need to get started now. Otherwise, I won''t be ready for when Lord Zack wakes up and is ready to go. So I stare at the old man. He needs to hurry up and tell me how to get Assess and Scan. I''ll need both of those to unlock Warp and Teleport. "For Assess," he gives in to my ultra stare. "You have to learn the values of items around you and remember them. You have to be able to judge and estimate a value based on what you know. It''s not an easy thing to do, especially for a young boy like you." Want to get bashed in the head with my staff? I find my grip tightening on it. Yeah, I''m mad. Don''t make me mad, that''s rather bad. For you. I will bash you in the head a hundred times, then a hundred more. Then, I''ll beat you all over your body with my staff, making it so that your paleness turns into just one giant, black, blue, and greenish blob of bruising.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Trust me, my ability to focus and remember things is quite high. Much higher than yours. I know that Max always eats seventeen blueberries if we have them for breakfast. I know that Lord Zack averages four hours and twenty-eight minutes of sleep a night. I''d say that makes it a miracle that he''s able to function like a normal person, but he''s obviously not normal. I know that there are exactly nine hundred and eighty-two books in my view right now. You''ve flipped a page eighty-seven times since we started talking, including when you''ve gone back to a previous point. You''ve blinked twenty-seven times since I approached you. I''ve blinked eight. When Gavin cleans and sharpens his sword, he averages six wipes on each side, then seven sharpening strokes per side. Braden always has a pause after his fourth volley of Multishot, which is around two and a half times as long as the normal time between his shots. Lord Zack typically eats fourteen sausages for breakfast if we have those, no more, no less. Aurum''s post-waking stretches last for six and a half seconds. Sir Nik averages one and a third hair-ruffles on Lord Zack whenever they''re around each other for more than one minute. Do not underestimate me and my ability to remember numbers and things they are associated with. I may be a kid, but that doesn''t mean I can''t be smart or good at remembering things. Especially since I''m a demigod. He looks nervous of something. "As for Scan," he quickly says. Good, my intimidating stare worked. "It''s used to determine if a monster has an elemental weakness. The best way to unlock that is to learn monsters'' elemental weaknesses and correctly identify them while in a group with monsters." I do that all the time. "For more than just a handful of monsters," he adds. "So doing it for just Slimes won''t work. Once you''ve unlocked it, you can use it on any monster your Appraisal works on, and it will inform you of its elemental weakness or weaknesses, which is useful if a monster doesn''t have an obvious one, yet has one." I''m only interested in it so I can get Warp and Teleport. It seems I need to return to the mines, there''s a variety of monsters there, plenty of which probably have elemental weaknesses. That should help me get it. I''ll need it up to Level 3, too. That''s going to suck. Later, loser! I leave the library and make my way to Lord Zack''s memorial woods. Once there, I approach the memorial markers. Because Lord Zack hasn''t been by, the one for Bryce is still there, untouched. I''m sure he''ll do something once he wakes and learns he performed a Resurrection on a Fallen Adventurer who died six months ago. Ignoring my temptation to draw on it with chalk, I sit in front of my brother''s marker and pull out two baskets of food. I keep eating all of the food meant as the offering, so two baskets should work. As I pull out the food and eat it, I wonder what it would take to acquire Assess. I already know the values for everything in my basket. I buy them all the time. It would probably be best to ask the pervert, but there''s no way I''m doing that. Lord Zack would know, but he''s currently unconscious because he did something ridiculous again. As usual, he''s a weirdo. But he''s awesome. And immortal, so he''ll wake up. Hrm. Shouldn''t people who are unconscious for long periods of time deteriorate in the body? Lord Zack doesn''t seem to. I bet the deterioration just takes one look at him and goes ''nope, not going to bother, he''s going to kick my ass from one end of the Boundary to the other if I do'' and then leaves. He''s just way too awesome to deteriorate physically. I bet when he dies, he''ll just be all peaceful and perfect and unharmed for all eternity. Or will he outlive eternity? Hrm. That''s an interesting question. If Lord Zack is immortal, will he outlive eternity? That''s a really interesting question. Sadly, I am nowhere near smart enough to answer that. I simply lack the knowledge needed. Oh, crap. I ate all of the food from both baskets. "Sorry, Braden," I put a hand on his grave for a moment, then pull it away. "I didn''t realize I was eating your food, too." I put both baskets back into my Inventory, then stand and brush off my cloak. I pick up my staff and twirl it around for a moment, then plant the butt of it on the ground. Time to go find something to do. There''s nothing actually nearby which will earn me Experience for Master Elementalist, since it''s already Tier 5 and Level 5. Because of that, I''ll need to head into the mines and train my ass off if I want to master it before Lord Zack awakens. That should help me with Scholar''s Scan, too. I can knock out two birds with one flick that way. Because of that, I need to prepare for a trip into the mines. I''ll go in for a week, come out and rest for a day, then go in again. Rinse and repeat until Lord Zack wakes. For a week, I''ll need food for sure. Maybe I should buy some potions, too? Health or Mana Potions? I could probably use some defensive potions, too. A few Endurance Potions would definitely be a good idea. Oh, right, I should get some camping gear, too, for spending the nights in the mines. That''s going to cost money, but that''s okay, I have some. I have¡­ five gold. Oh, right, I still need to pick up my pay from the war. Even if I only killed a few things, the Crystals determined pay for everyone who participated based on their roles and how much they did. So people like Sir Nik and Mama Bear are getting a lot of money, while I''m getting a little bit. Lord Zack is probably now the richest person in all the Boundary, and that''s before he collects all of those Bounties he''s deserving of. Actually, I don''t think he did collect his pay. It took a week for the Crystals to sort it out for everyone, and Lord Zack had been doing his own thing. I see Kylie. Hi, Kylie! I''m not Lord Zack, why are you coming over to me? "Hey, Luca," Kylie says. Okay, good, she knows I''m not Lord Zack. What do you want? "Samantha''s letting us ¨C her apprentices ¨C go off and do some training on our own for the next couple of weeks, rather than our usual training. I was planning on going into the mines to do some, but would like to have a healer around." Yeah, well, I''m probably going into the mines deeper than you can handle. I''m much stronger. Then again, you''re a ninja lady. Ninja Kylie. She''s like Braden, she can move quickly and stealthily. That means she might be able to do some cool stuff against stronger foes. She probably has some ulterior motive or something for asking me to come. I bet there are plenty of other young Priests she could ask, but she picked me. Well, we can ignore the fact that she''d have to petition someone further out to come help her, but still. I can guess what she''s wanting me for, and I''m going to abuse her being oblivious to me knowing it. This is going to be fun. But maybe just for a week? Or two. I do want to get in some solo training. But that can wait until after I scare her off. Chapter 0170 (Gavin) "Holy Shield!" A shimmering, brownish-gold shield forms in front of my left arm, and the Blood Missile splashes against it, fading away. I cancel the Skill, then charge towards the Skeletal Blood Mage that cast the spell. The monster is Level 18, which is around what I can handle alone, despite my high Level. Not everyone is as absurd as Zack is when it comes to solo-fighting monsters. Not everyone can just drop a Meteor on the valley and wipe out some of the strongest monsters ever seen after slaying a Dragon. Still no one knows how he managed it, as the Crystals are keeping silent, likely so that Zack can have his fun when he wakes up from Resurrecting a Fallen Adventurer. Yeah, Zack is rather absurd. My opponent is a humanoid skeleton with blood-red bones, and it wields a black and red staff. While normal attacks can damage it, holy attacks are best. Unless I completely destroy its bones, it will reassemble itself as well, though thankfully, the damage done remains. Holy Skills have an increased effect against it as well. I do need to strike the bones for that, though ¨C my sword slipping between its bones won''t do anything other than maybe get stuck again. I strike at the Skeletal Blood Mage several times, and it blocks each attack with its staff. When I''m sure of a strike against the monster itself, I activate another Skill. "Holy Strike!" A brownish-gold glow forms around the blade of my sword, and as I expected, my sword connects with the skeleton''s right arm. The glow fades immediately, as Holy Strike is a one-attack Skill, not a duration one. It added an extra 87 Damage as holy power, which is affected by Willpower. This thing can resist it, even if my physical strike still took out 247 Health. If I remember what was said correctly, this thing has around 200 Endurance and 400 Willpower, so there''s no chance of my actually hurting it with Holy Strike. I could use one of my Elementalist Skills, but that''s at Level 5 of Tier 5, so I''m good on that for now. I want to Level up Holy Squire, so I''m not using my Elementalist Skills unless needed. The Skeletal Blood Mage blocks a few more of my attacks, and when a reddish glow forms around one of its hands, I move back a few steps and hold up my left arm as if holding up a shield. "Holy Shield!" My brownish-gold shield forms once more, and the Blood Missile slams into it. Despite having no blood at all, this thing can use Blood Magic. That''s because Blood Skills draw on Health, then generates the blood to accompany, or something like that. Unfortunately for me, Blood Mages have massive amounts of Vitality. This thing is really just trying to wound me. As soon as it does, it will be able to drain my Health to restore its own, though I''m surprised it''s still using its Blood Skills right now. It''s rather low on Health. With another five or six good hits on it, I''ll manage to finally kill it. As soon as the Blood Missile hits my Holy Shield and fades, I cancel the spell, then charge forward, striking at the Skeletal Blood Mage once more. This time, it only blocks, taking a few Holy Strikes from me, and doesn''t use its Blood Missile anymore. I suppose it realized it was running low on Health and needed to stop before it killed itself. With one final Holy Strike, this one connecting to its hips, I manage to slay it, then take a step back as the bones drop to the ground. After inspecting my sword, I sheathe it, then resummon my Light Orb, using the increased light to inspect the remains of the monster. It''s a costly Skill, though, so I only leave it on for around ten seconds before turning it off. The mines are much darker than when my Skill was active, and it takes me a moment to adjust to the decreased visibility again. Once I do, I collect the bones of the Skeletal Blood Mage and send them into my Inventory, then I pick up the staff and examine it. It has a few cuts in it from my sword, but for the most part, it''s usable. The monster was deflecting the attacks more than blocking them, so most of the contact between the staff and my sword was with the flat of my blade. While I don''t favor the idea of it, the staff can be used by Blood Priests. Since it''s a used staff, it''ll fetch a cheaper price, but that will make it more affordable for some Adventurers who need something better than what that cost would normally get them while being unable to afford what this would be worth new and fresh. My Inventory is getting quite full, though, and won''t fit this staff inside. "Good job," Peter says, and I turn to face him. "Your Inventory should be full now, right?" "Yes," I nod. "Are we heading back up to sell this stuff?" "Yes," he nods. "Come on." Peter and I make our way out of the mines, a trip which takes us nearly two hours due to how deep we were. We fight a few more monsters, but nothing as tough as the Skeletal Mages I''ve spent the last two days fighting. They aren''t the only thing I''ve fought, but they work decently for earning me Holy Squire Experience and Leveling Holy Shield and Holy Strike. I''ve also worked on my Blessings a little bit, though I was running low on Mana during that fight, so didn''t want to use it to buff me. I could handle the Skeletal Blood Mage without them.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. After I decided to take on Paladin to help lighten the load on Luca a little, Peter offered to accompany me into the mines for some training tips and to be there in case something unexpected happens. He''s helped me learn a few new Skills, and is the reason I know about the section with plenty of Skeletal Blood Mages. As we exit the mines, we come across Luca and Kylie. Luca looks pretty clean, as usual, while Kylie is dirtier than I am. I''m not sure how Luca manages to spend a week in the mines without getting covered in filth, but he''s managed it. Kylie, on the other hand, isn''t just dirty. Her hair is tied up, but obviously tangled, and she looks exhausted and a mess. She looks at me with regret in her eyes. "Are you guys sure Luca isn''t a demon?" She asks. "What did he do?" What could he have done to provoke such a response? "Where were you two, too? I knew you were in the mines, but we never saw you." "We were training," Luca says. "In the area for monsters Level 30 and up." "You''re able to handle that?" I ask. "No!" Kylie exclaims. "Yes," Luca answers at the same time. "Any member of Lord Zack''s team is fully-capable of that." I suppose I could, too, if I used my Blade Skills and Elementalist Skills. The only reason I was doing so little right now was because I was training additional things and going up against something with a ton of Health. "What happened to your arm?" Kylie asks, and I glance at my right arm. There''s a light scar on the underside of my right arm. "Isn''t it difficult to scar here?" "I was fighting a Skeletal Blood Mage yesterday," I explain. "It managed to get a cut on me there with a Blood Missile. As soon as it did, it drained some of my Health away, and I had to ignore the fact that I was training Holy Squire and just kill the thing with my most powerful attacks from Elementalist and Mystic Knight before it killed me. Curse scars, such as from that Skill of its, leave behind a scar, but it''ll fade soon. It will probably be gone in a day or two." Kylie pales at that, and Luca smirks. He was just harassing her, wasn''t he? Why does he want to put her down? "Luca, don''t be mean to Kylie," I say. "I wasn''t being mean," Luca pouts. "I was just training. She wanted to come with me, so I said ''yes''. I didn''t go anywhere I probably wouldn''t have without her." That''s the problem, Luca. She''s much weaker than us, and you know that. You should have gone somewhere a little easier for her if you were going to let her join you. "It was good training, I''ll admit that," Kylie says. "I''m looking forward to a nice, hot bath now." "Enjoy," I tell her. "I''m taking one as soon as I get home." "If you''re heading to Maelnor now," Peter tells Kylie and Luca. "I can take you both with me, I have Teleport, so I can take us back to Maelnor without a Dark Knight, now that the City Barrier is restored." Automatically, I move so that Luca can climb onto my back. It''s not until he''s climbing on that I realize I did it out of habit. He was walking with Kylie, rather than being carried, and I know he looks exhausted, even if he''s been working on his stamina as much as he can, going as far as he can and working out his body as often as safe. Kylie gives me a bewildered look. "Wait," she says. "He didn''t even ask you for that? That''s normal?" "Luca has low stamina," I explain. "Walking for large distances wears him out. Since you two were walking, I know he might not make the full trip back, unless you were recently carrying him." "Yeah," she says. "I just thought he was doing it for some weird reason of his. He was constantly asking me to carry him." "Did you?" "A few times," she says. "But he kept holding me tightly and falling asleep, and it wasn''t easy to respond to an attack with him clinging to me that tightly." "He''ll get down if you alert him to the attack," I say. Now that I think about it, Luca does hold on pretty tightly. I suppose it''s just so normal and he''s so weak compared to me that I never really paid attention to it. "I''m sure you had to take a lot of breaks if you were walking over large distances," I say, and she nods after a moment. "That''s because of his low stamina. We''ve always just carried him if we know he''s going to get exhausted." "Oh," she says. "He''s still a monster." "He worships Zack," I tell her. "Who has influenced him quite a bit. Notice the head-bashing he tends to give monsters that get too close? Yeah. Zack told him to do that, so he does." She groans, rubbing her head. "Luca!" I exclaim. "Don''t hit friends in the head!" Luca pretends to snooze in my ear, and I roll my eyes, then look at Peter. "I suppose we''re ready to head back," I tell him. "Then let''s go," he says. We follow Peter to the Teleport Plaza, the walk eerily silent. There are no monsters here, though the people who were stationed outside of the mines are now in the Praevar instead, housed by the gate near it. I could sell my loot to them, but I''ll get a better deal in Maelnor. The buildings are still in ruins, but they''ll eventually be reconstructed and built back up as the population expands. At least, that''s the thought most people have, but Zack''s told the full team what''s really going to happen. That the war will end soon. It seems some of the important people know who the brothers of the vision are, but not many. Only a few, really. I''m not certain if Peter knows, but I''m pretty confident that Mama Bear does. I know Nik does, he seems to be the person who knows the most regarding things. And apparently, he''s not ''one of the leaders of the Dark Order''. No, he''s the leader of the Dark Order. Millions are under him, both Dark Knights and Blood Priests alike. He''s also basically the head of the campaign against the Shadow of Life, though that part didn''t surprise me when I found out. Who could the brothers be? It seems they were only discovered recently, and those who know want to keep it as secret as possible for some strange reason. Those thoughts have occupied my mind the last few days. Zack will probably tell us, once he wakes. There''s no way he wouldn''t know who they are ¨C I''m sure Nik will tell him if he didn''t figure it out himself. Back in Maelnor, I bid Kylie a good day, then set off to sell my loot, still carrying Luca. I''ll wash up tonight, get some rest, enjoy a couple of decent meals by Kit, then return to training in the mines. We all want to be as strong as possible for when we enter Lost Territory with Zack, and I''m not going to allow myself to fall behind. Everyone else is training hard, so I need to, too. Chapter 0171 (Braden) Luca shifts around in his seat, looking uncomfortable. He''s staring at the letter Bryce wrote for Zack, and I know he wants to read it. We all do, but we have to wait for Zack to wake up, give it to him, then wait for him to decide if we get to read it or not. It''s a cruel cycle to some, but that''s the way it is. "Are you going to the mines again?" I ask Luca, who nods, sending the letter back into his Inventory. "Is Kylie going with you again?" He nods. "Stop torturing her so much, would you? She really does just want to have a healer around, she''s not trying to get close to you so she can steal Zack from the team." That''s why Luca is perfectly okay with her coming along with him for his training, though I feel he''s pushing her a little too hard. Brandon told me that Samantha mentioned to him that Kylie was complaining about the only viable training option for her current break is to go with a sadist. He was wondering if I could say something to Luca to get him to calm down on that. "At the very least," I say. "Don''t whack her over the head for being stupid." He pouts. "Please, Luca?" I ask, and he sighs. "Thank you." Luca hops off the bench and leaves, probably to meet up with Kylie to head back to the mines for their third week of training there. I look at Kit and Aurum, who are playing chess right now. "I''ll be gone for the rest of today," I inform them. "And probably at least tomorrow, possibly more." They nod in acknowledgment, then I leave. I make my way to the Dark Temple, wondering if I will get word on how Zack is doing as I walk. He''s still unconscious, and it''s been seventeen days, now. We are all hoping Zack falls on the three-week end of what Bryce said and not the four-week end. My thoughts also wander to Max. No one actually knows what he''s doing. He shows up from time to time, then disappears again. We doubt he''s even in Maelnor or the valley or mines, actually. He''s doing something, though, because his Level''s shot up. Not that I can see it, but Brandon mentioned it to me. He''s definitely taken on another Class. I''m still at just the two, meaning I''m still at Level 100. I did not want to use up my next Class Slot and risk not being able to take on Druid soon. In the meantime, I''ve trained hard, raising a few of my Stats while also working on a couple of my Skills. In addition, I''ve acquired some new techniques. All in preparation for what I''m setting off to do. I probably would have reached Level 25 of a third Class before now, but I didn''t want to risk not and needing to train my ass even more just to reach it so that I can take on Druid when I''m able. When I reach the Dark Temple, Brandon and Nik are already waiting, along with two of the Dark Order''s servants. "Ready?" Nik asks as I step onto the sigil, and I nod. "Then let''s be off." For a moment, the sigil glows, then we''re in another City. One much more crowded than here. Nik wishes me luck, then enters the Dark Temple, the pair of servants sitting on the steps to wait for whatever reason they are here for. Brandon dips his head to me, then I follow him. We stick to the sides of the streets, where the number of people are fewer. We also stick to the shadows as much as possible, as both of us want to avoid attention and this makes it easier for Sneak to kick in. There are people of all sizes and types here, many of whom are in just regular day clothes. The Adventurers are obvious, and would be even if Appraisal weren''t picking them out. They walk differently. We walk differently. The regular people are obvious because they move differently than those I''ve been around before. Everyone in Maelnor is an Adventurer, and a strong, experienced one ¨C even the merchants and clerks. Because of that, I never knew ordinary people moved differently. I knew the beastborn did, but that is because of their harsh treatment. The servants of the Dark Order have begun to move differently now that they aren''t undergoing it anymore and are recovering from said trauma, gaining confidence and happiness. It seems Adventurers walk with not just purpose, but an air of confidence and strength. I can even pick out an Adventurer lacking in confidence. She''s around seventeen or eighteen and is dressed like a normal person. She averts her gaze from everyone and stammers if spoken to. Either she''s a good actress, or she''s lacking in confidence. Yet there''s still that air she''s giving off as she moves. A confidence to her movements, even if not to herself. The noises and smells are overwhelming, too. Spices and herbs, fruits and vegetables, freshly-baked goods, and cooking meat are among those smells, and we aren''t even in the market, that''s the next road over. But then there''s the smell of sweat, of perfumes, of Adventurers just returning from a hunt, caked in dirt and blood. The clamor of voices fill the air, along with the sounds of metal clanking against itself, jingling, yelling, children playing, and more.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Overwhelming, but I brace myself through it. We manage to reach the inn, where Brandon pays for a single room. He''s handed a key, then we head up to the room. It''s on the second floor of the inn, the top floor. The room has two beds, one on either side of it, and a table against the wall between them, underneath the window. I walk to the window and look out it. We''re on a mountain, but my mantle and clothes are keeping me somewhat warm. While there''s no snow on streets of the City, there is on the mountain around us. Beautiful. Walking from the window to the bed furthest from the door, I begin emptying my Inventory of anything I won''t need for this. I''ll need the space in it for my loot. Once my Inventory is cleared up, I follow Brandon out of the room and the City. Only once we leave the City and are away from the crowds of Adventurers coming and going do I realize I was tense the entire time we were inside the City. Outside, away from all those people, I feel at home. At ease. For a few hours, Brandon and I walk, our feet barely crunching the snow. Then, we stop, and he places a hand on my shoulder. "Its den is that way," he indicates a slightly-northwestern direction. "I''ll be around if you''re in danger, but remember ¨C this is for you to do alone." I nod and he leaves, disappearing into the trees. I ready my bow, then begin stealthily moving through the forest of the mountain, making sure to stay downwind. If it notices me first, then the fight will become more difficult. Twenty minutes after I start making my way towards the den, I notice paw tracks in the snow. I kneel and inspect them, then move forward. This is what I''m looking for, and they are fresh, maybe twenty minutes old, at most. For another thirty minutes, I hunt, until the beast finally comes into view. Over twelve feet in length and over four feet to the shoulders, with more than half a ton of muscle and meat. White fur striped along the body and tail, with rosette on the head and legs. Its legs and tail are thick, but that doesn''t hinder its speed or stealth at all. The maneless creature, a white liger, moves stealthily through the woods. He is beautiful. Beautiful and graceful, and I want to damage his pelt even less than the allowed amount for this. He is just so beautiful. The only way to truly do that is to kill it with a single shot to the eye, but white ligers are intelligent beasts, in addition to being powerful. It would no doubt notice the arrow and close its eye quickly, and at the same time, move towards me to kill me. This one isn''t a normal white liger.
L''Almar Level 25
Health: 73,892 Mana: 17,831
Brandon received word of him a few days ago and came to investigate. Most of the Adventurers in the City we just left are under Level 100, with the vast majority being under Level 40. L''Almar would ordinarily take at least ten Level 150 Adventurers to kill. That, or one ridiculous Adventurer with quality gear, like members of my team. He''s strong, he''s fast, he has high perception, his hide has a high resiliency to physical and magical attacks¡­ he''s the perfect predator. The best plan for this is the simplest. I''ll have one chance, one shot, to succeed in killing L''Almar without needing to run around taking as many shots as I can while also doing my best to avoid damaging the pelt too much. A single attack which must end L''Almar. If I damage the pelt too much, I won''t be able to use it for acquiring an Animal Form, which is necessary to take on Druid. So I raise my bow and draw it, doing my best to stay far enough away the beast won''t notice. An arrow of green magic forms, and after I aim, I let the arrow fly. The liger shifts, it''s noticed something passing through the air. I let out a whistle, and the liger''s head snaps to face me. Just in time for the arrow to reach it, piercing straight into its right eye, killing it immediately. One chance. One shot. Success. "That," Brandon is suddenly beside me before the beast has fully fallen to the ground. "Was a risk rarely taken by anyone but experienced, powerful Adventurers." I nod. There was no guarantee the liger''s eye would be where I hoped. I took a calculated risk, another arrow already formed in my bow, green sparks crackling along it. I relax my string and wait for the arrow to fade as I walk towards the liger. Once the arrow is gone, I set my bow down and feel the pelt. So soft, and I can feel the beast''s strength, its muscle. Brandon was keeping an ear out for a wolf or bear Bounty Beast, we were both planning on me taking on one of those first, then going after a liger Bounty Beast once I was much stronger. But this was an opportunity that presented itself, and we wanted to see if I could manage it. The body is still warm, and I need to remove its hide now, so I take a knife and get to work, doing my best to be as careful with it as possible. With my skinning training the last couple of weeks, I am able to do it, especially with Brandon here to correct me if I start to mess up. As soon as the hide is separated, I pull a bucket out of my Inventory, then open it up. I gather up the hide and place it into the liquid within, then seal the lid back on. This starts the process we need to do, according to Brandon. That finished, I begin segmenting out the corpse, separating it into sections to fit into my Inventory and sell better. When I finish, I use the snow to wash my hands and rub off the blood that got on my clothes. I clean my knife, then stand and look at Brandon. "We should have your new outfit read in about two weeks," Brandon says. "Until the hide is ready for you to work into it, I''m going to teach you how to work it." I nod. We''ll use the hides I''m already treating for that. Most of my experience is with wolves I killed in the forest in Naelmar Valley. Their bodies are similar enough for the training purpose that I can do it, and Brandon will guide me the rest of the way when it comes time to work the liger''s hide into an outfit to wear. "Come," Brandon says. "Let us return to town and sell your loot." And claim my reward. I nod, then follow him. Hopefully, Zack is awake before I take on Druid, but some sense of mine tells me that what he did was so ridiculous, he probably won''t finish recovering from it until after I do. But that''s okay, he could use the rest, after everything he''s put himself through. I hope he takes it easy for a few days after he wakes up, too. Chapter 0172 (Max) "No, Max," Boss-Boss says. "That''s not how you say it." "That not be how it said?" I ask. Boss-Boss sighs. "Max," he says. "That question you just asked is ''that is not how it is said'', not ''that not be how it said''." "Me trying hard," Me tell him. I tell him. Max be getting better at that. "Well, me give up for today. Gonna go train more." "Are you going back to the Valley of Power?" "Yup!" Me nod. As long as me be careful, Max be okay to fight in the Valley of Power. Already got lots of Levels! But me Leveling be slowing down, now, which makes Max sad. But that not matter, me already way stronger than should be! Very sore, too. Maybe this be last trip to the Valley of Power, so that Max can rest before Boss wakes up. "Be careful," Boss-Boss tells me. "Don''t push yourself too hard, or you''ll cripple yourself." "Me know," Max thump me chest. "Me going to be careful, Boss-Boss. See you later, ugly tater!" Me leave the Dark Temple and make way to the sigil. There, me pull up the interface, then select the right City. A moment later, me there! That be fun to do, can see why Luca likes to exclaim with it. One moment, we here, the next, we there! As soon as me arrive, me drop to all-fours and start running. "Hi, Suzie!" Max call out as pass by. "Hi, Kara! Hi, Natalie! Hi, Dread Pirate! Hi, Colby! Hi, Jess!" Keep greeting until me reach the South Gate, then exit through it. New monsters be ready to die! So me slow down as soon as me pass through the South Gate. Then, me touch me tunic and send it into Inventory. Forgot to do that two days ago, and it got covered in goop and blood and ripped up. Had to throw it away and buy a new one to replace it. Drawing me sword, Max pick a target. Spitfire Flower! Perfect! It be Level 14, so within me abilities. "Flame Blade!" Me say, and sword become coated with flames. "Die!" Max charge forward, swinging blade. Spitfire Flower tries shooting razory leafies at Max, but me strike them with sword, burning them away. A moment later, me at the Spitfire Flower, which decides to spit Fireballs, so me hop to the side. Me swing me sword and cut into its stem as it tries to hit Max with its Fireball stream. It fail because me keep moving. Slash up, slash down, deflect, strike, stab, Fireball- "Oops!" -slash side, slash from the other side, and keep going until the Spitfire Flower be dead. Sadly, our fight attracted other monsters. Me not able to handle four at once, so me take off, finding somewhere safer. There be a Shadow Bunny here, so me change attacks. "Sleep Blade!" As Skill switches, Max already attacking, striking at the Shadow Hare before it see Max. No, no, no! Before it see me. No! Before it sees me! Yes! Shadow Hare be sleeping now, so Max strike again. This blade be best for it. Flame Blade and Lightning Blade might be good, and me could probably learn Light Blade, but Sleep Blade keep it sleepy while me fighting it with every strike! Because of that, it not able to use annoying Skills like Shadow Meld. Max got hurt by that when just a pup. Not fun. Never want use it, even if able to. Shadow Step much better, but not needed here, so me just keep hitting the Shadow Bunny with Sleep Blade, keeping it sleepy as its Health decreases. After it, even if it wake back up, the same attack just put it back to sleep! So me just keep slicing and dicing until it dies, then me move on to the next monster. Want to reach Level 5 of Tier 3 on Mystic Knight today. If me manage that, then me meet the goal for this training! Boss-Boss suggested this to me. He said me probably be okay if me come out here, but recommends a healer, just in case. Max decided no healer be necessary as long as me fight like Boss. Plus, me be able learn Heal if needed. Well, me not actually learn it yet. Maybe me should? Might be useful at some point, me do take a lot of hits. But if things get serious, Max usually switches from Mystic Knight to Dark Knight and just use Dark Vengeance. Not always heals everything, but usually heals enough that me able to clobber it to death. Or stab it. That reminds Max that me need to return to training! Me scan the fields. Not being attacked, or else would''ve stopped thinking a moment earlier, when attacked. That gives Max time to find other¡­ no! That gives me time to find other things to fight! Yes! Got it! Me think so, anyway.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. After picking a target, me go after it. I go after it, continuing me training for hours. At lunch, me find a nice corpse to sit on. Some sort of boar, but it was already dead, me not able to handle the boars this big. Actually, maybe this be a Bounty Beast? It be massive. Even dead and collapsed on the ground, it be at least half as tall taller than Boss-Boss! Normal ones be somewhere between as tall as Boss and Boss-Boss. Yeah, this one probably be a Bounty Beast. That, or an Elite. Me wonder what killed it. It not bear the marks of an Adventurer. No skinning or harvesting of loot at all. That mean a monster killed it. Well, me not worry about that, its killer not seem to be around here. So me climb up on it and pull out the meal me made. I asked Kit to make one, but he refused. Something about me being too noisy and annoying and that Max should make me own food. He be mean. Boss-Boss said he just be upset that I poured water while he be napping, but me not think so. Kit just be mean. At least he not as much of a frighty-cat as he be before, though! Boss definitely be pleased when he wakes up and learns that! Max lunch includes sandwiches, berries, fruits, and a carrot that somehow made it in without me noticing. There also be several danishes and sweet rolls. Me not make those, no, Max bought those earlier. To drink, me have ale and water. Me not mix them, but still drink both, because me really thirsty. This training works up a sweat and a thirst. After lunch, me put everything back into me Inventory and pull out Rok. He about two inches thick right now. Me stroke him on the back, and he vibrates, then flips over. Oh, that be his stomach. He like that, too. Me stroke him on his actual back, now, and he vibrates again, this time more happily. "Found some tasty for you," me pull out a small rock, tiny one, and set it on Rok. He vibrates for a moment, then the tiny rock melts into him. "Me putting you away now, okay?" Me put Rok back into Inventory, then hop off the boar. For the rest of the day, Max train. Wait, no! Me train! No, that be wrong, too. Hrm. Ah, right! For the rest of the day, I train! There, that be better! It not be easy, but it be fun. Running and jumping and slashing and bashing, until me reach Level 5 of Tier 3 of Mystic Knight! That brings me to another bonus from Leveling and from Adventurer, finally putting Max over 600 Intellect! Now, me spells be really powerful! Whoo-hoo! Now that me training is finished, Max return to the City, running through. Me greet everyone on the way, and say bye, too, since me probably not returning here. At the Dark Temple, me wave goodbye to the people here, then use the sigil to warp back to Maelnor. Finally back in Maelnor, me turn around and enter the Dark Temple. Me make my way to the Chamber of Flame and Blood, and approach the Altar of Fire. It go by many names, but this be what I call it. Yay! Got that one right! Me think. At the altar, Max look at Boss. He be laid out on it, eyes closed. Boss-Boss and I took off his gear. His clothes be burned up, too, so we took them off and put good pants on him, ones not burned up. Big Flame''s fire on the altar not be burning those, which be good. He said that the Dragon''s fire be what burned Boss''s clothes. He looks peaceful, being sleepy like this. All offerings at this Dark Temple be halted right now, so that Boss can recover. We could still make the offerings, like putting them around him or on his chest or stomach, but Big Flame says ''no'' when Max do that. So me have to go to other City to make offerings. After seeing Boss still be sleepy, me put head to Boss''s chest, ear against it, and listen. Hear his heartbeat. It be slow right now. But not as slow as it be last week. Still very slow, though. It starting speed up means Boss might wake soon. Hopefully in the next week or so. Time to count his beats per minute. Me count both seconds which pass and number of beats Boss''s heart makes. Me do this three times for better result. Boss''s heart be beating at forty-one beats, forty beats, forty-one beats. So¡­ forty and three-thirds beats per minute. His normal beats per minute be fifty-four, unless he angry, then it becomes over eighty beats per minute. But when he be stressed out, like he be for the few weeks before the battle, it was over seventy. His angry and stressed heartbeats per minute be closer to what be normal for most people. That not matter, though. It be ten beats faster than one week ago, so Boss probably wake up in a week. Maybe a day or two more than a week. Oh, me not creepy. Me not listen to Boss like this when he be sleepy or something. Me can normally hear Boss''s heartbeat without putting ear against his chest. Me know how fast hearts beat for all team members because of good ears, not just Boss. When doing this, though, me want to make sure me read it as accurate as possible, so that be necessary to ensure me not miss any beats or weirdness. "How is it?" Max pull head off Boss''s chest and turn to face the speaker. It be Theodore-Flame, who looks concerned for Boss. "He doing better," me nods. "Should wake up soon." "Yeah," he approaches. "Big Flame says the same thing. Good job with your Leveling, Max." "Thanks!" Me beam at him. "Me worked really hard for that!" "''I worked really hard for that'', Max," he says. "Oh," me say. "I worked really hard for that!" "Good job," he smiles. Me also been working on speaking better. Gold be way better at it than me, and that make me realize that me even more of an idiot than me realized. At least me be better than Nit and Nin at this! "Thanks," me tell him, then look back to Boss. "Me hope he wakey soon, Luca be tormenting Kylie a lot, and it be getting worse. Max think it be because his nightmares be getting worse. Boss not here to chase them away, and Luca be in the mines, not at home, so we not able to comfort him when they make him scared." "Yeah," Theodore-Flame put a hand on me shoulder. My shoulder! That''s it! My shoulder! There we go! "It should be soon, Max. What are you going to do, now that you reached your goal?" "Learn to speak better," me tell him. "And prepare for Boss waking up. Need to do lots of preparation so that all we need do before leave be buy the food." Though me think Boss already has lots of food in his Inventory, his special one that keeps food as fresh as when he put it in here. But before we head into Lost Territory, he probably be wanting to get even more food, just in case. After all, who knows how long we''ll be gone for, right? "Me heading home now," me tell Theodore-Flame. "See you around." "Enjoy the rest of your evening," he tells me. I nod, then he kneels and starts a prayer to Big Flame. I pray all the time, and already did a prayer in here this morning, before leaving for the Valley of Power. So I head home so I can take a bath and wash my training off of me. Kit probably be upset me got gunk inside my pants again, but it not me fault the legs of me pants slipped out of me boots! There be gunk in my boots, too, now me think about it. Squishy, squishy! Okay, me really need get going, it be uncomfortable now that me be thinking about it. Chapter 0173 (Zack) Upon waking, I find myself lying on the Flame Altar in the Dark Temple, wearing just a pair of pants. I sit up, then turn and slide off the altar. My body is mobile, as if I didn''t just spend a month unconscious, recovering from¡­ Resurrecting Bryce, despite how long he had been dead. I turn and kneel in front of the altar, sending up a prayer to Big Flame thanking him for protecting me and my body as I recovered. Then, I exit the chamber and promptly warp myself into Big S''s temple. He looks as if it was expecting my arrival, since he''s manifested his dragon avatar and is looking quite sheepish, apologetic, and scared. "The brothers are me and Bryce." "They are," Big S says softly. "That''s why you didn''t want to tell me," I say. "You spun the lie that Bryce and I existing at the same time and place interfered with the visions. That was a lie which you told even the other Crystals. It wasn''t that we were interfering with it, it''s that we were the brothers of the vision." "You are." "Yeah," I say. "And you didn''t tell me because as far as you can tell, the brother of realization doesn''t end the war against Alexander, but for him." "That''s all my searching says," he nods. "It''s the only explanation for why realization ends the war. I¡­ was afraid knowing it might turn you against us. So I hid the truth." "Big S," I say. "Alexander is a jackass who deserves to die. If Bryce is the one who''s getting the glory, I have no damn problem with it. Alexander might have come after me, he might have arranged for my team to die, only to fail. He might have put me through hell. He killed Bryce. To be honest, I''m glad to know that the vision, which is nigh impossible to divert from happening, is us. It means I know that Alexander will die, because I''m not going to join him. It also means I can finally relax and rest. I might stress about Bryce, but honestly? He can take care of himself. He has a Spook Sword, after all." Big S starts to shake, and it takes me a moment to realize he''s trying not to laugh. "I don''t hold it against you," I tell him. "So don''t worry so much about that, Big S." I take a deep breath, then let it out, and I feel like most of my stress is now gone. Bryce will kill Alexander, and his own power burst likely rivals mine, possibly even exceeds it, for him to do that. But he has an advantage ¨C he''s going into Lost Territory, and probably already has a full month ahead of me. Yeah, I know that happened, even if I only just woke up. How do I know this? Because I''d do that if I were in his boots. Because of that, and because he''s probably training his ass off, Bryce is going to gain Experience at an accelerated rate. He''s probably going to earn a lot of Bonus Experience, too, since I know there are probably plenty of Special Boss Monsters out there for him to kill. "Alright," Big S tries for a smile. "What are you going to do now?" "Head home," I answer. "Stretch for a bit. My team''s probably preparing for us to move out as soon as I wake, so I''ll let them have some rest first, then we''ll head into the Lost Territory. I might be done training my ass off, but I''ve got a brother to catch." Big S laughs at that, then I give him a pat on the snout before warping myself home. There''s no one around, so I head to the bath and scrub down. Being on the altar in recovery, I haven''t had a bath in a month. After scrubbing down, I soak in the bath, closing my eyes and using my sight to check on my team and friends. First, I check on Kit. He''s with the servants of the Dark Order right now, learning how to speak from Gold and Theodore. Max is there as well, though I think he''s more interested in his pet rock than he is the lesson. Then again, Max learns to speak better by listening to others talk than he does through lesons. Aurum is currently shopping for groceries, indecisive about which apples to buy because to him, all of the good ones look damn delicious. In the end, he''ll probably buy all of the apples, then realize he has more than he needs. After that, he''ll probably bake a couple of apple pies. I turn my attention to Gavin, who is in the mines right now, training hard with Luca and Kylie, though a check shows he spent a lot of time with Peter, too. It seems he''s trying to keep Luca from tormenting Kylie too much, so I make a note to apologize to her later. And to make Luca apologize to her for it. I can guess his reason for it, and while it''s amusing, it''s also a bit wrong. Finally, I turn my attention to Braden. He''s shopping right now, and he is not in his usual outfit. He has on leather pants, which is new, and leather boots. They seem to be made of the same type of leather. He''s also wearing a sort of headdress made from a white liger pelt, with its maw hanging over his head, almost as if it wishes to be a mask, but isn''t. Part of the back of the liger hangs down from the headdress, still attached from when the beast was live. It covers the top half of his back and his shoulders, but that''s it. Braden isn''t wearing a top. At all.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He is wearing a leather necklace with bone beads strung on it, as well as several leather bracelets made from woven leather cords, in addition to his leather bracers, though these ones are new. Their leather matches the rest of his leather, and I''m going to take a guess that it''s all from that white liger. Damn, he managed to find and kill one. I use my sight to look back in time and check out the event, and my amazement grows even more. I knew Braden was talented with a bow, but damn! That fucker is awesome! It seems he''s attempting to take on Druid now. I''m pretty sure he can wear stuff that isn''t made of the beast, too, but I guess he''s going all the way. That outfit is probably helping him deal with his shyness, too. Especially with how bold he''s being with the shopkeeper and the haggling. Turning off my sight, I finish soaking in the bath, enjoying the heat soothing my muscles. When I finish, I climb out of the bath and dry off, then dress and head up to my room, just to see if everyone''s created a Luca-pile spot in the middle of the room. There''s no sign of that, but there is something on my bed. It''s peeking out from under the pillow, just a small corner, and I walk over and pull it out. A letter? I turn it over and find my name on it. I sit down and open the envelope, pulling out the pages inside. Zack, Dying was NOT fun, let me tell you that! Heaven was pretty alright, I guess. I didn''t actually go in, but just hung out at the gates, chatting with people who made their way in. Braden, Luca''s brother, is there, hoping to wait until Luca arrives before reincarnating. He doesn''t remember anything of the Boundary ¨C those memories aren''t from reality, after all. Did you know that people born in the Boundary are automatically either reincarnated or their souls are destroyed (considered the ultimate punishment) based on their actions there? I guess it''s because they technically shouldn''t exist outside of the Boundary, and their memories don''t transfer with their souls. Seems our dad made it so that souls formed in the Boundary can exist in reality. I talked with Braden a bit, about you. He was surprised you had a brother, especially one as friendly as me. Then he saw you in me, and his guard went up. Went waaaaaaaay up! By the time we finished talking, he realized that he''d always only thought about how you treated him, and realized that you actually cared for Luca. I told him about what you did after their parents killed them, how you basically took Luca in and protected him from the world. He forgives you. Anyway, don''t worry too hard for me, Zack. I''ll be just fine, especially with the Spook Sword and Spook Knife (yeah, I took them, and yeah, I know you probably guessed that on your own ¨C they''re mine!). We have a long, yet short road ahead of us. I''ve talked with our dad before, a few times, and I asked him if there was an easy way to defeat Alexander. Annoyingly, he kept telling me that you already have the answers. I told him that if it was easy and you had the way, there''s NO WAY you''d let him keep living on. I think he just likes doing stuff like that. One of our sisters told me about what he was doing to you. So anyway, Zack, seriously ¨C don''t worry too hard for me. Try to catch up, though, or I''m going to leave your punk ass behind! And if I don''t see you again before we end this thing, then I''ll see you again at the end! Don''t pass on until we talk again in person, alright? Your brother (obviously), Bryce
(Braden) When I return home, I notice someone inside the upper level, in our room. I can''t make them out, and they seem to be pretty still, so I sneak my way upstairs. When I arrive, I find Zack sitting on his bed, reading a letter. Luca stores it under the pillow when he''s not here to ensure he doesn''t fall into the temptation of opening it, and I don''t think Gavin or Max realized it. It''s only natural Zack would. He has tears in his eyes, and I don''t think he noticed my arrival. A few tears drip down onto the letter, adding to the wet spots already formed on there. Zack rubs his eyes with his sleeve, then looks at me. "Trying to get over your shyness?" He asks. "Yeah," I feel my face heat up as he reminds me of my outfit. "I had just managed to forget I was wearing it. I only finished it last night." "It looks nice," he tells me. "Thanks," I say. "Brandon helped me make it. I have a vest to go with it, but I wanted to try the outfit without it. I know we''ll probably leave the Cities behind and all, but I still wanted to work on this." "The choice is yours," he gives me a sad smile. "It''s one thing to know that Bryce would go into the Lost Territory because it''s what I''d do, it''s another to have him tell me in a letter he did." Zack folds the papers back up and sticks them back into the envelope, which he then sends into his Inventory, before giving me an amused look. "How easy is it to move with that on your head?" "It''s not that heavy," I tell him. "And I haven''t been fighting much in it. I mostly just walked through town today. Everyone''s been preparing for your waking and announcement that we''re heading into Lost Territory, by the way. All we have to do is wait for everyone to return, then get whatever food we need. We all bought supplies. Well, Luca, Gavin, and I have. I don''t know about Max, he''s been doing a lot of stuff out of the City, and no one really knows where he''s been going. He has been back the last week, but I think he''s spent more time with the Dark Order than doing anything else." "Alright," Zack laughs. "Thanks for the update, Braden." I dip my head to him. That was a lot of talking, and I can tell by his expression he knows that I''m probably talked-out for the rest of the day. "I''m rather starved," Zack says. "Seeing as I haven''t eaten in a month. I''m going to head downstairs and make a lot of food. Want something to eat, too?" I dip my head to him. "Alright," he tells me. "I''ll holler when it''s done." He heads downstairs, and I pull off my headpiece and set it on my bed, before climbing up and sitting on my bed as well, letting my feet hang over the edge. Zack''s a pretty decent guy. He didn''t say it, but he left partly so that I can have some time alone and deal with the stress and anxiety I put myself through today. Hopefully, I gain Animal Form: White Liger pretty soon. The headpiece is really uncomfortable, but absolutely necessary. It''s the one piece that I must have. Chapter 0174 (Luca) "Psst," I whisper in Gavin''s ear as he carries me through Maelnor. "What?" He asks somewhat groggily. We''re both really tired from our latest trip into the mines. He accompanied this time, something about making sure I don''t whack Kylie too too many times. Whatever. I think she got the message. "My stomach is rumbling," I tell him. "We can eat when we return to the house." "But it smells soooo gooood." He sighs, then walks over to the market stall I was talking about. I didn''t even have to point, he knows me so well. Gavin buys a couple of sweet rolls, and we sit down on a bench to eat. After licking our fingers clean once we finish, I climb back onto Gavin''s back, then he finishes the walk home. It takes longer than it normally would, but he is exhausted. I am, too. I barely had the energy to eat that roll. We finally return home after several wrong turns, and when we arrive, there''s something off. "What the hell is Braden wearing?" I whisper into Gavin''s ear. "I need to wear this to unlock Druid," Braden''s face turns crimson, and I remember that his Perception is hella better than mine. My own cheeks flush, which I know because they''re now burning. "It''s not that comfortable for me." "Max seems really hyper," Gavin comments. Wow, he noticed that? I was expecting Gavin to not notice until after he got some sleep. Max and Braden are playing cards, and Max is bouncing up and down, his tail wagging and ears perked up. He''s also grinning. "Five!" "Go Fish," Braden says, and Max pulls a card. "Seven." "NOOO!" Max mock-wails as he hands Braden his seven. Yeah, he''s definitely doing better than he was last time I saw him. He was starting to get depressed because Lord Zack hadn''t woken up yet. That was Braden''s last card, so he draws the last two. "Five," Braden says, and Max repeats his thing. "King." Max does it again, and Braden nods. He has a massive pile of cards, and Max has three pairs. "How much sugar did Max have?" Gavin asks. "Or did Nit and Nin come to play? I can tell that Kit is hiding from Max, too." "Eek!" I exclaim as something yanks me off of Gavin by the back of my cloak, and Max starts giggling. I look at the person who''s holding me up by the cloak. "Lord Zack!" I squeal in excitement, then realize he has a stern expression on his face. Kyle is standing beside him. "Um. I''m really tired." "Not too tired to apologize to Kylie," Lord Zack says. "You didn''t need to treat her like that." "She wanted to train with me," I tell him. "And I wasn''t going to go less deep just for her. I needed harder stuff to fight!" "Luca¡­" "Sorry, Kylie," I look down. I never thought I''d ever be in a position like this. Lord Zack is just holding me by the cloak. The only reason I haven''t fallen out of it yet is because its clasp is pretty strong. Well, I suppose he has the back of my tunic as well. I can feel it the front of my tunic pulling against my chest. "Don''t whack her on the head again!" Lord Zack admonishes me, then sets me down. "And she knew exactly what you were trying to do, Luca. She''s not an idiot, she figured it out. It also failed." I feel my face heat up again. "When did you wake up?" I ask. "Three days ago," he answers. That explains why Max is back to his old self. Well, he''d probably be all hyper again five seconds after seeing Lord Zack awake. "Welcome back," Gavin tells Lord Zack. "Thanks," Lord Zack responds. "Max and Braden are already prepared. Gavin and Luca, get some rest. Tomorrow, we''re setting off into Lost Territory. I''ve already purchased all of the food we need, as well as any supplies the four of you forgot. Make sure your things are together by breakfast tomorrow, because that''s when we''re setting off." "Yes, sir," Gavin responds as I nod. Gavin and I head to the bath and scrub ourselves down and rinse off. Then we dry and dress in night clothes and head to our room, climbing onto our respective beds. I reach under my pillow for the letter, but my hand finds a piece of candy instead.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Strange. Did Bryce cast some sort of spell on it to turn it into candy if Lord Zack didn''t read it in a certain amount of time? Hrm. Well, the candy is delicious. Maybe I should have saved it for Lord Zack?
(Zack) "What''s that face for?" Kylie asks as I catch Luca''s thoughts as he drifts into sleep. "Nothing," I chuckle. "Just Luca being a dork, as usual. You have to return to training with Samantha tomorrow, don''t you?" "Yeah," Kylie answers. "She extended our break by another week because of some other stuff and her helping to deal with the higher-level monsters in the pass and valley, but all of that is taken care of, now." I got some good exercise in with that stuff, though not as training. All of my Classes are at their max, and I''m not planning on taking on any new ones anymore. It''s doubtful I''d need them, and Bryce is the one who needs to power up. "Alright," I tell Kylie. "Good luck." "Is it true?" She asks me. "What you told me on the way here?" "That we''re leaving tomorrow, for good?" I ask, and she nods. "Yeah. Once we head into the Lost Territory, we won''t be returning. I want to explore it a fair bit, and I know my team''s going to want to come with me." "But why forever?" She asks. "Why not just a month or something at a time? You can kill the Avatars of the Shadow of Life, restore the City Barriers, then restore the Dark Temples, and you''d have an easy way to return." "I''ll be doing that, too," I tell her. "But¡­ I guess I never told you?" "Never told me what?" She asks. "Within a year," Braden speaks up, and I move to the side so that Kylie can see him better. "The Boundary will no longer exist." "What do you mean?" She asks with a frown. "Within a year of the battle for the valley," I explain. "The war will be over. Either the Shadow of Life has won, or we''ve successfully slain him. Based on the vision, we know who the brothers are, and we know that the one who will supposedly side with him has turned against him for good. That means the other will achieve his ending, slaying the Shadow of Life. "With the Shadow of Life dead," I continue. "There''s no purpose for the Boundary to exist anymore. It was designed to be his prison. They already aren''t bringing new Adventurers into it. The Crystals have done this for billions of years, and they''re tired. Once he''s defeated, once the war is over, they''re releasing the Boundaries. Everyone here will move on to the afterlife to receive their earned rewards or punishments." Which includes my team, too. I''ll be sad to see them go, but happy at the same time for them to all receive their rewards. Especially after Bryce''s letter. I want to see Braden again, before he and Luca reincarnate. Hopefully, Bryce talked Braden into waiting for me to return, as I have plans for immediately after the Boundary is released, and I''m sure Big S and the others want to talk with Bryce and me, too. "You''re serious," Kylie realizes. "Yeah," I nod. "All of the important players know this, too. I told Nik as soon as I found out." Kylie sighs sadly, a sad smile on her face. "That''s why you won''t go on a date with me," she tells me. "Because in the end, it won''t matter." "Yeah," I nod. "Anyway, you should probably head back to the hideout and get some rest, Kylie. I hear Samantha''s a bit of a sadist." "I''m pretty sure," she laughs. "Luca''s even more of one!" She slams into me, giving me a hug, before taking off. I turn and look at Max and Braden, the former of whom is giggling. I roll my eyes, then join them at the table for a round of cards. After we play another round, I tell Max and Braden that I''m head out again to do something, then leave. I want to offer up another prayer to Big Flame for helping me.
(Braden) "Max," I say once Zack has left. "I''ll be back in a bit, too. Can you keep watch over Gavin and Luca? Especially Luca? His dreams will probably be better now that Zack''s returned, but he might still have some issues." "Me can do that," Max nods. "They be sleeping already." "Yeah," I nod, then put a hand on his head, scratching behind his ears. "Thanks." "You''re welcome!" He responds. I leave the property and walk, making sure to keep to the shadows, like normal. Trying to force myself to overcome my shyness by walking visibly and noticeably put a lot of stress on me, so I decided to stop that yesterday. Since then, I''ve been much more relaxed. Zack didn''t say it, but I know he already visited the memorial. He scratched over Bryce''s memorial stone and put a new message under it, Not All Deaths are Permanent. Strange, but then again, it''s Zack. Who knows what went through his head when he did that. After a little more than twenty minutes of walking, I arrive at Brandon''s house. I could have arrived sooner, but I was delaying it. Rather than entering, I make my way around to the back of the house. Brandon is back here carving a new bow for himself. His old one was starting to get weak, and he wants to have a backup prepared for when it''s finally time to replace it. I have a new bow right now, stored safely in my Inventory. I didn''t make it, though, Brandon did. It''s a high-quality bow, and it''s beautiful. I''ll probably use it more than the one I had made before the battle. I sit on a log and watch as Brandon carefully sands the bow. Once he finishes this stage of it, he sets everything on the table beside him, then looks at me. "Coming to say goodbye?" He asks, and I nod. He already knows that we''re leaving now that Zack''s back and everyone has returned. Max already said his goodbyes to his brothers, which involved a lot of tears between the three of them. I can''t imagine what it would be like to have your brothers back for only a month or so before leaving them, knowing you''ll never see them again. "I have a gift for you," he opens up his inventory and pulls out a box, then holds it out to me. I accept the box and open it. Brandon''s prepared monster-warding stones. They''re not cheap to acquire, but when arranged properly, they''ll ward away most monsters. Zack, Max, and I had discussed whether or not we should buy some for our time in Lost Territory, but ultimately decided against it. We might not need the money, but we''re also not weak. Yeah, some of the monsters might be tough, but we have Zack on our side, and he''d know in advance if monsters were coming. "Thank you," I close the box and send it into my own Inventory. I stand, and Brandon does the same, and I rush into him into a hug. "Goodbye." "Goodbye, son," he says softly. Zack isn''t the only one who found a father figure here, though I suppose it''s only natural Brandon and I would bond like this. Lord Dark of Water revealed to us a few days before Zack woke up that Brandon is my grandfather on my mother''s side. We actually are blood family, though he feels more like a father to me than a grandfather. "Goodbye, Brandon," I tell him. I release him, then leave. That''s all the goodbye we need for each other, though I''ll admit I got a bit emotional at the end. Time to return home, now. As I do, I can''t help but wonder if Zack has said his goodbyes. He has even more bonds with people here than we do. Kylie, Nik, Theodore, Normar, Blaine, Jesse, Travis, Gold, Mama Bear, and many others I probably don''t know. I have¡­ Brandon. Max has the beastborn, Nik, and Theodore. Luca has Travis. Gavin has Peter and Kylie, though the latter is more of just a one-sided crush. Leaving must hurt Zack even more than it does the rest of us. Well, at least he''s finally sleeping through the night now. That''s at least a positive, it means he''s not stressing himself to death anymore. Speaking of sleeping, I''m rather tired. I suppose I''ll head to bed once I return home, too. Chapter 0175 (Zack) "Is everyone ready?" I ask, and my team confirms their preparedness. "Let''s go!" I pull up the interface for moving between Dark Temples, then select Vaenar, the City at the other end of the pass Kaelmar sits on our side of. I didn''t tell my team, but I went there a couple of days ago, killed the Avatar of the Shadow of Life there (it was an Elementalist), then restored the City Barrier and put the Goblin King''s Heart on the Flame Altar to restore the Dark Temple. We appear in the Vaenar, and I stretch. We''re near the South Gate, but will probably exit through the West Gate. "Uh, Zack?" Braden says, and I look at him. He''s still not wearing the vest, which is impressive when I consider how uncomfortable that must be for him. "We''re on the other side of the pass from Kaelmar. When did you come here?" "A few days ago," I grin. "Come on, let''s head out through the West Gate. I already checked the pass, and my brother is definitely already through it somehow. He probably went north or south, but we''re going to go west directly. We''ll eventually cross his trail." "Zack," Gavin sighs. "We''re just playing a game of chase with Bryce, aren''t we?" "Yup!" I answer with a bigger grin. "It''s not all bad, though! We''re going to get to be the first party to traverse where we go for the first time in years, eventually in decades, and even further out, in centuries!" Gavin groans as the rest of my team laughs. They knew that, after all. The only reason to come out now is just to explore the place. We''ll be restoring Cities along the way, but mostly to have a place to stay. "Come on!" I start hopping down the steps, and my team follows. We pass through the streets, which I already cleared of monsters, and exit the City. Bryce went out through the South Gate, and he gave me a double thumbs-up for when I checked with my sight, the brat. My team''s not going to know that, though. It would actually be relatively easy to find out where Bryce is just by focusing my sight on him. Outside of the City, we''re greeted by a forest, which I know goes on for more than two hundred miles. It''ll take us a couple of weeks to exit it if we just go straight west and deal with the Cities on the way. We can extend that out by performing a snaking pattern. Or Luca and I could just fly us out faster. I really want to find out why Bryce is heading towards the desert region to the south, but have to resist the temptation to do so. "So, uh," Gavin says as we walk along the trail in the forest. "The trail doesn''t have the protective measures, right?" "You mean the ones that prevent monsters from attacking you on them unless you step off after leaving a City?" I ask, and he nods. "They don''t. According to Big S, that measure fades once the connected Cities are empty, and only restores once they both have at least a permanent population of five hundred people, which requires at least one year of time from the five hundredth resident." I''m not sure why he put that measure in place, but it''s Big S, so I''m not questioning it too hard. "If you''re worried about monsters attacking us," I say. "This area has a Level 10 Level Cap. Unlike in the valley, the monsters are able to exit the area, so over the last month, all of the monsters that were over it which had traveled through for the battle have exited. They can only pass through like they did for the battle because of a Monster King''s Rally. Without it, their nature drives them back out of the area they''re too high-Level for." He lets out a sigh of relief, then frowns. "Um," he says. "What if we get ambushed? We can handle some monsters, but things like shadow wolves are a lot more difficult." "I think Gavin''s an idiot," Luca whispers to Max, and Gavin gives him an annoyed look as Max nods agreement. "Gavin," Braden says. "You''re Level 180. Luca is Level 130. Max is Level 175. I''m Level 100. Zack is Level 650. A pack of Level 10 Shadow Wolves would probably be stupid to attack us. Have more confidence in your abilities. You survived the battle for the valley, after all." "I have confidence in my abilities," Gavin mutters. "I just don''t like things that can do Shadow Meld." The way he says that, he had a bad experience in the mines with something that can perform Shadow Meld. Is that part of why he started training with Luca and Kylie rather than alone? "Don''t worry!" Max puts a hand on Gavin''s back. "Max and Luca kill Shadow Melders just fine! Sleepy Blade keeps them from melding!" "Sleep Blade, Max," Gavin says. "It''s Sleep Blade, not Sleepy Blade." "Same thing!" Max tells him. "Both activate the Skill!" Max definitely did some experimenting around with that, probably so that he can say his preferred version if it''s possible.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The three of them chat as they walk, seemingly oblivious to everything around. It''s nice to see. I know Max is keeping his ears open in case something comes unexpectedly, and Luca is walking as much as he can, though he''ll probably end up on someone''s back soon. After around two hours, Braden moves closer to me. "Yeah," I respond before he can ask. "Okay." We continue walking, though Braden has his bow out now. I''ll let him handle it if it becomes an issue. As we continue walking, Max starts checking his sword periodically, his tail twitching in a way that says he noticed it. Luca asks to be put down, a sign that he probably has as well. Braden noticed first, and at about the same time I did. Gavin, meanwhile, seems completely oblivious, even as much as he''s trying to pay attention to the surroundings. Eventually, Braden gets bored and just releases several arrows into the woods behind us, killing our stalkers. "Hey!" Max exclaims as soon as he does, stopping and facing Braden. "No fair! You supposed to wait until they attack!" "What?" Gavin looks as Braden turns to face Max. "They''ve been following us for half an hour," Braden says. "And having them stalking us was getting annoying." Max pouts, but returns to walking down the path. "We were being stalked?" Gavin asks. "By seven goblins," Braden answers. "It was pretty obvious," Luca whispers. "I thought they were just getting tense," Gavin says. "Because we haven''t had anything attack us yet." So he did notice Max, Luca, and Braden preparing for a fight, he just dismissed it because of how quiet things have been on the trip. A lesson he probably won''t forget. Just because things are eerily silent, it doesn''t mean everyone is unnerved by it and on-edge because of it. Especially not Max or Braden. After another hour, we stop walking and have a quick lunch using food I brought with us, prepared and stored over the last few days. Making sure Max didn''t eat the food as I made it was a feat, but I solved that by giving Aurum money and telling him to make as many pies as he wanted to make, and let Max help him get rid of them. I did bring ingredients as well, so we can make food, but with my special Inventory, having pre-made food still piping hot is a given. We''ll probably make food whenever we set up camp or are in a city I''ve restored, though. After we eat, we clean the dishes and send them back into my special Inventory, then resume our journey. The rest of the walk to the next City is pretty damn silent, until we''re probably twenty yards from the ruined walls of the Fallen City. "Wait, what?" Gavin exclaims, looking at Max in shock. "Yeah!" Max nods. "Boss just go ''pluck, pluck, pluck'' and steal all their hearts!" Gavin gives me a confused look. "I only stole the hearts of animal monsters, like wolves," I tell him. "Not things like goblins or kobolds. I did just rip them out of their chest while they were still alive, but they were being killed anyway." "Why?" Gavin asks. "As offerings for the Dark Temples," I answer. "Either in quantities of weaker wolves'' hearts, or one or two stronger wolves'' hearts. I figured that it''d save us the trouble of having to hunt down something worthy, so when I helped clear more of the stronger monsters and deal with the pass''s hordes, I took the opportunity. Come on, let''s head in." We enter the Fallen City, and almost immediately, a mass of Magic Arrows come our way. I summon up a violet Barrier larger than the Barriers my teammates manifest, and it stops the waves of Magic Arrows in their tracks. While waiting for the assault to end, I send my tunic into my Inventory and take on my Eidolon Form. Out of boredom, I start counting the arrows. With how fast I am in this form, it''s pretty easy. I get to one thousand, nine hundred, and eighty-two before the attack ends. The moment it does, I''m already moving. This is the part where I''d say ''everything is a blur'', but that''s not how Agility works, so I still notice everything. I''m sure I''m a blur to anything far enough away, or to anything without a high enough Agility of its own. Unfortunately for the ranger Avatar of the Shadow of Life, it fits into neither of those categories, and I kill it quickly and with great ease. My team will meet me at the Enchanted Altar on their own, we already planned for this. The Avatar is wearing a hooded outfit, and I don''t bother trying to see its face before I kill it. I doubt I would see anything noteworthy, they probably just look like Alexander underneath. It fades away as I draw my sword out of its chest, then I hop off the building and begin making my way towards the Enchanted Altar to turn it back on and restore the City Barrier. When I arrive, there''s someone sitting on the altar. A man who looks around nineteen or twenty, with pitch-black hair and dark blue eyes, dressed in simple clothes. Alexander, but that''s not possible ¨C he''s sealed up tight, even if he can peer in and view everything within the Boundary due to it acting as the seal on him. "This is an avatar," Alexander tells me. "Not my real body. With the other Boundaries erased, I can finally do this again. Even one other Boundary existing would prevent me from managing this sort of avatar. The three you''ve killed are infused with a portion of my essence, tailored to fight as a specific Class, monsters on their own. This avatar, on the other hand, is merely a body which will fade when I stop controlling it. It has no real combat capabilities, and no status within the System." How the heck is that more difficult than the combat ones? "If I kill it, will it fade?" "Yes," he answers. "But before you attack me, Zack, why don''t we talk for a bit?" "Is my team in danger?" "I''ve learned my lesson," he scoffs. "I''d rather not risk the outcome of such an event." I behead him with a fluid movement, and he fades away. There we go! Problem solved! I get the feeling it''s just the start of an even bigger problem, though, considering this is Alexander we''re talking about. After sheathing my sword, I place a hand on the altar and begin the process to restore the City Barrier. Once I finish, I move out of the way and watch as the magic works itself. My team arrives a little after the City Barrier is active once more, and Braden has a slight frown. "What''s that frown for?" I ask. "If we''re just saying here for the night," he says. "How come you''re restoring the City Barrier? No one''s going to be coming out and settling in them, right? And you can reactivate the Dark Temples even with the City fallen." "Maybe," I say. "But restoring the Enchanted Altar purifies the water in the waterways and keeps them purified. So that means we can take baths, drink fresh water, and all that fun stuff. That''s actually the main reason. The other reason is because it''ll make it easier for us to clean up everything here, if we want to." "We''re probably not going to," Gavin tells me. "But a bath and clean, fresh water sounds nice." "Let''s raid a house and kick out its current tenants!" "When you say it like that," Gavin says. "It sounds like we''re criminals and not about to kill monsters." "That''s the point!" I grin. "Come on!" Chapter 0176 (Zack) After we evict some goblins from a usable house by way of Max killing them and tossing out their corpses, Luca runs a bath. As soon as he finishes filling the bath, I have Braden drag him back to the yard so that we can eat dinner as a group before the bath. We eat dinner, then Max cleans up everything as Braden and Luca head to the bath. Gavin sets up our sleeping space, then he and Braden head to the bath as well. I climb up onto the roof. The goblins did repairs to it to protect them from the elements, which was nice of them to do for us. My team talks in the bath, discussing what they hope we find here. Our journey into the Lost Territory isn''t to reclaim the Cities, after all. No, it''s for our own fun and amusement. They don''t know who the brothers are, as I didn''t tell them, but it doesn''t matter. All they know is that I have stated that the Shadow of Life is set to die. They trust me well enough to know that if I make a statement like that as confidently as I did, then it is an inevitable future. Bryce is safe, because we are the brothers of the vision. He is the one who will end the war by running his blade through Alexander. As they talk about hoping to find this or that, I think about my role in the vision. I''m glad my part is over. I did the three things which heralded the changing of the tides, and because of who the brothers are, it''s in the favor of the Crystals and reality, not in the favor of Alexander. But my role? What could possibly be something I''d realize which would turn me to Alexander''s side? When I think about it further, there was nothing in the vision which specifically stated I would actually side with him. All it was in the vision was me realizing something. The only reason I''ve thought that I''d join him was because of Big S. Now that I''m thinking about it, and now that I''m aware that Big S knew we were the brothers, I know he knows something more. Something that makes him sure that I would have joined Alexander. That I would have helped him, all because of that realization. I suppose it doesn''t matter. I could probably ask Big S about it, actually. Since there''s no chance of me actually siding with Alexander, the realization doesn''t matter. It''s irrelevant now. "Big S?" I ask, then wait a minute. He doesn''t respond, though I''m sure he''s listening. "What was it I realized that led me to siding with Alexander?" I wait, but Big S doesn''t answer. I know he''s listening, though, and that he heard it. He''s pretending to snooze in my mind, which he''d only do if he wanted to try and trick me into thinking he''s sleeping. A pretty obvious attempt, but I''ll give him credit. He might be billions of years old, but he''s still a child in both heart and mind. Well, as I said, it doesn''t really matter. There isn''t a thing that I could realize which would make me side with that bastard. I know the truth of the situation ¨C while I was unconscious after resurrecting Bryce, I saw the event which caused the creation of the Boundary. I saw him killing the boys who Big S turned into the Crystals, stealing their power with his allies assisting him. So the ''realization'' isn''t anything like ''the Crystals have been lying to you this entire time'' or something just as cliche. Plus, I know my father would have told me if the Crystals were evil or lying. It must be something I''d realize if he hadn''t turned me into his permanent enemy. Or rather, something which would only matter if he hadn''t. I''m not sure what I''d realize that would turn me to his side if he hadn''t made me h is permanent enemy, but I guess it really doesn''t matter. Maybe Big S didn''t answer because he doesn''t know what I realized? That he just knows I had turned to Alexander''s side, and not the actual reason behind it? Oh, well. "No, Luca," Gavin says, and I tune back in at the sound of his exasperation. "I highly doubt we''ll encounter monsters that are just giant chickens which attack by shooting eggs out of their butts." "Asses, Gavin," Luca says pointedly. "I said ''out of their asses''." Pretty sure such monsters don''t exist, Luca. Well, it''s nice to see he''s dreaming of weird things even while awake. There''s a good chance those chickens he wants to encounter will end up in his dreams while he sleeps tonight, too. Eventually, my team finishes their bath and dries off, then heads to bed. They''re in bed for maybe an hour when Luca decides to climb out of his, the others asleep. He makes his way outside, then climbs up the side of the building, looking at me with just his head poked over the edge of the roof. "Do you think we''ll come across a Fluffy Monavar?" He asks. We went from Luca thinking I was making it up to screw with Braden and Braden believing in it to Braden thinking I was making it up to screw with him and Luca believing in it. That''s amusing. The reasoning behind the shift is simple, though. Braden got to know me better and Luca realized that if I said it, it has to be true, just because that''s the way his mind works. "I doubt it," I tell him. "We''ll probably be off the mountain in a day or two, and unless we come across an area with plenty of cliffs, it''s doubtful we''d come across a Fluffy Monavar." "Okay," he says and starts to return to the ground. "And Luca?" I say, and he pokes his head back up. "Your pants are on backwards." He looks down.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "Oops!" He says, then quickly returns to the ground, then makes his way back inside. Once in our room, he fixes his pants, then goes back to bed, and I snort. He''s a dork. Also, why didn''t he just climb out the window? Yeah, he''s a dork. He passes out within seconds of going to bed, so I suppose what kept him up was that question. A presence appears next to me, and I sigh. "Go away." "Why not talk?" Alexander asks through his avatar. "Want me to behead you?" I ask. "Because I will. Actually¡­" I sit up and look at his avatar, which is seated beside me. "Want to find out what happens if I use Blood Scar on your avatar?" I ask. "It might give me a bit of peace from you." "Could you please-" He stops talks as my knife embeds itself in his chest. "Oops," I say sarcastically as the avatar fades, and I catch my knife and put it back inside its sheath. "My knife developed a mind of its own and attacked. My bad. I guess it didn''t want to see your ugly face." I stand and stretch, then hop off the house. I don''t need one, but a bath sounds relaxing, so I make my way to the bath.
(Gavin) "Psst," Luca whispers into my ear, which is quite easy as he''s riding on my back as we walk towards the next City. "Yeah?" "I think Braden," Luca hesitates for a moment. "I think Braden might be¡­" He stops whispering, almost as if afraid of what''ll happen if he says it. If Braden hears his suspicion. "I think Braden might be younger than Lord Zack." That is not what I was expecting. I have my own suspicions about Braden being something, but it wasn''t younger than Zack. Actually, I thought he was older than me. "I am," Braden says from the rear. "My birthday is two months after his." "I always thought you were older than him," I say. "You seem more mature, even if the same height." I knew Zack and Braden were both short, and had never paid attention to their heights, so I didn''t realize Braden was the same height as Zack. With his headpiece, though, how it makes him look taller came up, and he mentioned that he didn''t mind it, and Zack muttered that he wanted to rip it off because it made Braden taller than him. That''s the only reason I found out they''re the same height, making me realize just how small Braden really is. "Zack''s more mature than he shows," Braden says. "He''s just a mischievous goof at times who has a flaring temper. He prays to his patron more than I pray to mine." "Yeah, yeah," I sigh. "I know Zack does. I think you just admitted that you''re more mature than him, Braden." It''s easy to imagine Braden shrugging at my response, even if I''m not facing him and can''t hear a shrug. At least, not with my current Perception, even if it''s higher than normal senses, ones without the bonus from it. "Actually," I say. "Who''s the oldest of us? Max, how old are you?" "You''re the oldest," Zack says from the rear, and I turn my head to look at him, finding him walking with his hands on the back of the head, as if going for a nice stroll rather than walk through monster-infested woods. "You turned fourteen a week before the battle for the valley, and Max turned fourteen two weeks ago, while I was out." "Your birthday passed?" Braden asks I look forward again. "Yeah," there seems to be a notice on our birthday informing of us it. I suppose because time is variable in the Boundary, and months are not the same length every year. "We were busy with the prep for the battle, so I didn''t want to bring attention to it. I thought it might come off as selfish." I stop walking and look back to Zack again. "Now that I think about it," I say. "You''d have known, wouldn''t you?" "Yeah," Zack answers. "I knew you were trying not to call attention to it because you''d consider that a selfish act, especially with the battle prep, so I didn''t say anything. I know you got yourself a cake after the battle was over, though. I''m the one who told them to add the raspberries, since I know you like those." I thought they were just doing that for some random reason. That maybe they''d mixed up the orders, then hoped I didn''t complain and want it remade or something. "Oh," I say. "Thanks." I return to walking, because Max doesn''t seem to have stopped, and the others resume as well. We walk a little fast to catch up to him, then return to our previous pace. The forest creeps me out, with how quiet it is. "Max," I say. "You didn''t tell anyone it was your birthday? We would have celebrated." "Max told lots of people," Max says. "Me told Aurum, and Kit, and Gold, and Theodore-Flame, and Boss-Boss, and Great Normar, and Jesse-Pervert, and Blaine-Potion, and we had a big party at the Dark Flame Servant House, and-" "Max," I say. "You didn''t tell your team it was your birthday." "Me didn''t?" He looks confused. "Me thought me did." "Erm," Luca says softly. "Maybe I forgot to pass the message on?" "Alright, everyone!" I say as Braden laughs. "No one give Luca any messages to pass on anymore! He always forgets!" "It''s not my fault," Luca mutters. "I''m ten. My interests include eating, beastborn, Lord Zack, and bopping things on the head." He quickly lets go of me with his right hand, bops me on the head, then returns to holding on tightly. I''ve come to learn the reason why he grips so tightly when being carried is because he''s scared of falling on his rear. He''s not confident in his ability to catch or correct himself as he falls backwards. "If it''s not one of those, I''ll probably forget it." "Yeah," I say. "You do. That''s not bad, Luca. But it means that everyone needs to stop telling you to pass things on to the rest of us." He mutters something about trying to be more responsible, though I also catch something about a demon bunny, so I''m not sure of what, exactly, he''s saying. "How did your birthday celebration go?" I ask Max. "I''m guessing you did it with your brothers, too?" "Oh, definitely," Max nods, his tail wagging in his excitement. He''s one of the only wolf beastborn who''s reached their teens to still have lack of control over their tail when they get excited. "Nit and Nin were happy. We had lots of cake, and it be the first time we be able to celebrate our birthdays! It was fun! Me used some of the special cream Boss makes for the fruit! Well, me tried to, anyway. Blaine-Potion helped me try and figure out the recipe, but me not think I got it right." Max stops walking and turns to look back, and I look at his target: Braden. "You be there," he says. "Me not tell you, only Luca. Did Luca tell you?" "No," Braden answers. "And it wasn''t the same as Zack makes." "You were there?" I ask Braden. "You were in the mines," he tells me. "Or I''d have gotten you. Luca probably forget and made the trip in, since it was a few days after he went in that Max''s birthday was." "How did you know about it?" I ask. "Brandon was visiting the Dark Order," he explains. "To drop off something, and I noticed the party going on." "You were with him?" I ask. "Yeah," he nods. "He was helping me practice to make these. We were seeing if anyone there wanted some of the vests and stuff that I made from wolf pelts." He indicates his outfit, reminding me that not only did he make it, but he had to have practiced for that skill, too. "Ah," I say. "So you found out by chance, then?" "Yeah," he nods. "If you want to get some experience for a Skill, there''s a small group of goblins coming this way." Chapter 0177 (Gavin) "Is this your first time seeing a goblin settlement?" Braden asks me, and I nod. "Even with as much as you trained in the woods?" "I never went into the deep woods," I tell him. "All of the goblins built their camps deeper in the woods than I would travel." The goblin camp is surrounded by walls of logs and branches tied together with roughly-made rope, with goblins outside of it watching for attackers. I can see some of their stick-and-mud huts beyond, tall torches stuck into the ground, blazing to allow for better lighting than the forest allows. Even if their camp takes up a fair bit of space, this part of the forest has massive trees with wide spreads for the branches. The canopy only breaks towards the middle of the camp. "What''s the plan?" Zack asks from where he''s watching us in a tree. When we spotted the camp, Zack suggested the four of us take it ourselves. He could do it alone when he was much weaker than us, so the four of us shouldn''t have any issue handling it. Max is currently holding Luca by the back of the healer''s tunic to prevent him from charging in alone and bopping everything on the head with his staff. He was holding Luca by the cloak, except Luca slipped out of it. Since Zack didn''t actually say anything, I''m assuming that means Luca could handle this by himself. That gives us a good gauge for the fight ¨C it means that there''s nothing too powerful inside. No Bounty Beasts or Elites. They were probably in the horde, slaughtered in the pass or the valley. Or turned to nothing by a giant meteor. That''s a little different from being slaughtered. "We''ll go in and attack," I say. "Braden, you handle the long-range stuff. Cover our backs from a tree. Luca, make sure to keep Max and I healed if we need it. Max, you target the strongest monsters present, but stay within Luca''s perception so that he can heal you. Luca, provide me magical support, but don''t forget to keep up the Heals if we need them. We probably won''t need any Blessings, so don''t bother with those unless it becomes evident we do." Everyone nods, and I look at Zack, who gives me an approving nod. I quickly look back to the team as I realize that Zack wants to see how we work together and how good I am at leading things. He might be our leader, but in something more simple, he''d rather prefer to leave it to me. If he doesn''t have to get involved, he''d rather give us the experience. Even with the end of the Boundary coming within a year. Our plans made, we wait as Braden leaves, disappearing into the shadows. A minute later, I hear one of Braden''s bird calls, his signal that he''s ready. His speed always impresses me, and I wish I could match it. "Let''s go," I say. "Me first!" Max charges forward as Luca and I move towards the camp. "DIE, GOBBIES!" Max draws his sword and beheads both of the goblins at the camp''s entrance, continuing into the camp. Luca and I reach it a few seconds later and pass through, and I draw my sword, deflecting an arrow with it. I ignore that goblin, Braden will handle it. Max continues his charge into the camp, killing any goblins that draw too close to him as he targets a Goblin Giant towards the back of it. I begin attacking the regular goblins, using Wind Blade for a little added damage. A Goblin Shaman begins to send a Fireball at me, only for a Water Jet to pierce through the Fireball and rip off the shaman''s head. Terrifying. I thank Luca as I continue to cut through goblins. Max is entertaining himself by stabbing his opponents a lot, even if he can use his magic to kill them more easily. Whatever suits his amusement, since this fight is rather easy. I have to go into a few of the houses to kill goblins, while Max starts to hit others with Flame Lances. That''s one way of dealing with the goblins which have taken cover. After completing a full loop around the camp, I begin killing the stragglers. Braden covered both exits and took out all of the ranged ones we couldn''t handle or shouldn''t have needed to handle, and Max just continues his stab-fest, using his knife on the smaller goblins. Once the battle ends, the four of us gather in the center of the camp, beside the bonfire blazing in a ring of stone. "Good job," Zack claps as he approaches us. "Swift, smooth and efficient. Braden, excellent job at preventing any escapees and the few who arrived as backup, as well as dealing with some of the ranged ones. Max, nice stabbing. Gavin, excellent job at dispatching goblins, and Luca, you don''t need to hit them once they''re dead." Luca inspects his staff, pretending to either not hear Zack or not know what he was talking about. I did notice the healer whacking a few goblins in the head after they were dead. A bit disrespectful to the dead, but I think he was a little put-off by the lack of fighting he was involved in and was hoping that he was just missing the Status so that he could get more kills in.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "Now you have two options," Zack says. "Do you want to inspect the corpses for any loot that might be of interest? Keep in mind that we aren''t selling anything anymore, so it''s not loot that''s sellable that you''d be looking for, but stuff we could use or something that''s just interesting. I''ve already located and collected all of their marbles, and won''t tell you what else they might have." Of course you already collected their marbles. Did you zip in and grab them as we were killing things? Max would probably be the one to know, since his Agility is a third of Zack''s, allowing him to keep track of faster-moving objects. "Me want inspect loot!" Max exclaims. "I do as well," Braden says. "Let''s loot the corpses," Luca says. "I guess we''re doing the loot," I sigh. "Okay," Zack says. "Try to take no more than one or two hours, or we''ll arrive at the next City after nightfall." "Yippee!" Max exclaims, then takes off. Braden wanders off to inspect the corpses, and I follow Luca around as he pats down the gear the goblins are wearing, looking through their pouches and inspecting their clothes and accessories. I just accompany him, not interested in looting their corpses. Taking things like the staffs from the skeletons was different from this. Luca seems to pay extra attention to the necklaces, though I can''t figure out why. He seems disappointed the more corpses we check. After an hour, everyone meets back up at the center. Max has a bunch of tooth necklaces he took off the corpses, while Braden doesn''t seem to have anything, and I''m not going to ask if he found something of interest. If he did, that''s for him to know. Luca didn''t find anything and seemed rather disappointed. "What were you looking for?" I ask Luca. "You seemed like you had something in mind." "I wanted a necklace like Lord Zack''s," he mutters. "Mine came from a strong Bounty Beast goblin," Zack shakes his head. "It was famous for giving even Adventurers like Nick and Jesse trouble." Since we''re not around others anymore, I guess Zack considers it okay to use Jesse''s name now, rather than simply calling him ''Pervert''. "You won''t find one like it on something as weak as these," Zack puts a hand on Luca''s head and ruffles his hair. I''m not going to lie, I''m kind of envious that Zack was able to kill such a strong Bounty Beast as easily as he did. I know everyone says that took luck, especially with the kill method, but still. It''s impressive. And then there''s Braden and his fight against a white liger Bounty Beast. Even if I''m not as well-versed in monsters as he and Zack might be, I know that white ligers are naturally powerful. For him to have managed to kill a Bounty Beast version of them, by himself, with little damage to the hide? That''s impressive. Well, I''m assuming there''s little damage to the hide, since most of it''s been turned into leather in smaller pieces. But from what I know, the hide can''t be damaged too much during the fight, even if they can cut it up and stuff after. Looking at Braden, I realize he''s pulled on fur gloves, which have the fingers still. When he wears gloves, they''re usually missing their fingers. Now that I think about it, it''s getting a little chillier where we are. Didn''t he say he has a jacket made from the beast''s hide? Will he pull it on if it continues to get chillier? Zack seems to be taking us on a northward direction. We''ll leave one City through the western gate, then the next through the north, then the west, then the north. It''s been like that for a week and a half, now. "Zack," I look at our leader. "I know we''re nearing the end of the mountains and forest, but¡­ I''ve been wondering why we''re going north?" "For fun!" Max exclaims, then pauses. "Right?" "Oh, right," Zack says. "I wanted to check something out. I did some scouting with my sight, and I saw an arctic forest near where we are. Just a few more days of traveling, and we''ll be off the mountain, and another day or two, and the forest will turn arctic." "What did you want to check out?" Braden asks. "We all have coats and cloaks, but it''s still nice to know in advance." "Sorry," Zack says. "I guess I''ve been thinking about it so much that I forgot to tell you about it and had thought I did. When I was still new here, I fought against a monster called an Ice Lord. It actually would have killed me if Nathan hadn''t been there to heal me up. It had followed him into the valley. I think this arctic region is where it came from. I just want to fight one again, since I''m so much more powerful now than I was when I fought it before. The Level Cap there is Level 25." Now that I think about it, the Level Cap has been increasing over the last few days, which I thought was weird. According to Zack, there''s usually a fair distance between where the Level Cap changes. It was Level 10 when we left the pass, then Level 15 after five days of traveling, then Level 20 as of two days ago. From what he had told us, the cap should change much more slowly. "Zack," I say. "Isn''t the Level Cap changing too fast?" "Maybe?" He asks uncertainly. "If we had continued traveling straight west, we would still have a few weeks before it hit Level 15 for the cap. I think it''s because the arctic forest we''re heading towards is a special zone that the Level Cap is increasing so quickly as we draw towards it." "A special zone?" I ask. "Like the Valley of Power?" Max asks curiously. "Yes," Zack nods. "Like the Valley of Power. It''s a place where Special Monsters spawn regularly. I''m not talking about Snow Slimes like we had during winter, either. The Ice Lord is a powerful monster, but there are also the Frost Knights as well, though those are weaker, and possibly a few other things. There''s also certain Holiday Monsters which spawn as well." Braden groans, smacking his forehead with his hand, which looks pretty funny considering his outfit and the white liger''s head. It sort of looks like the white liger is eating his hand and head, since the movement made his head no longer visible, tilted down. "You want to see if it''ll spawn a Santa Boss," Braden says. "Yep!" Zack grins. "I want to kill one without having to turn into a Dragon this time!" Wait. Were the stories serious about him turning into a Dragon just to kill one? I thought everyone was messing around with that! "Plus," Zack adds. "I don''t think I''ll actually manage to transform into one again until after the end of the Boundary. So! Who here is interested in heading to the arctic forest and fighting some special bests, and possibly a Holiday Boss or two?" Chapter 0178 (Luca) I accidentally let out a squeal of excitement when I see it. It''s just as Lord Zack described! A sort of cross between a bear and a ram, with curled ram''s horns on its head, and thick, fluffy, pink fluff with some white in it covering its body! Its black eyes fix on me after my squeal, but I don''t care! "Lord Zack!" I point at it. "We found one!" It''s standing on the edge of the cliff we were walking along on our way north, and I think it''s trying to decide if it wants to attack us or not.
Fluffy Monavar Level 2
Health: 9,487 Mana: 1,782
"GEEEYA!" I exclaim again. "It''s so fluffy! I''m killing it!" Lord Zack said I could handle one when I was still newish, back when Braden appeared! That means I can definitely handle it now! I run forward, and the Fluffy Monavar charges towards me as well, lowering its head. Gyah! It''s fast! Using my staff, I swing at the monster as I step to the side. As I whack it over the head, which isn''t as effective as I was hoping, I notice that Lord Zack seems bewildered by something. Did he not see it in his sight? Oh, well! Me time! No matter how many times I whack this thing, it won''t take any damage. I''m just not strong enough! How did Lord Zack expect me to beat this thing? Ooooh. He was just teasing Braden, he didn''t actually expect me to be able to fight it, he was just screwing with Braden when he arrived. That makes a lot more sense. Well, no more staff-bashing for this thing! I aim my staff at it and manifest an Ice Lance, firing it. It strikes the Fluffy Monavar in the side, causing it to stumble, and I release several others. I could ask Max for his fire attacks, since Lord Zack said they''re effective against it, but I wanna kill it, myself! After a few more Ice Lances, I manage to kill the Fluffy Monavar, then I run over to it and poke it with my staff, just to make sure it''s not hiding its Status. Kylie and I met a monster in the mines that could do that. It made us think it was dead, then attacked us from behind. It should have aimed for my head, not my back. My cloak is tough! Okay, so maybe the lack of an Experience notification should have told us it wasn''t dead, but whatever. Since all of my Classes are maxed-out for their Tier, I''m not getting Experience notifications right now, so with the Fluffy Monavar, I have to make sure. Okay, so maybe I received loot¡­ but still! I have to make absolutely, one hundred percent, sure!
+1 bucket of cotton candy +1 bundle of Fluffy Monavar fur
"It''s dead!" I declare, then look at Lord Zack. "Is cotton candy food?" "Yes," he looks exasperated for some reason. "Big S! Stop laughing and answer the question!" "Is it delicious?" I ask as I pull it out of my Inventory. "It feels weird." "It''s going to leave a residue on anything it touches," he tells me. "You might like it. I don''t. Big S! Seriously! What the hell?" "What is wrong?" Braden asks Lord Zack. "Did something happen?" "Yes!" Lord Zack points at the Fluffy Monavar. "I made that up when I told you about it, Braden! It doesn''t exist! That means Big S made it specifically to screw with me! Yes, you did! Don''t give me that, I know you did!" "Boss?" Max asks, and Lord Zack looks at him. "The Boundary be border between reality and fantasy, right? That means that made up stuff can come to life here?" "After going through a filter," Lord Zack nods. "To prevent certain things from arriving in the Boundaries. But only two people knowing about it and believing in it shouldn''t have made it happen, even if they''re both demigods. Plus, Braden figured out that I had made it up after getting to know me more. Stop cackling in my head!" If you had made it up, then it wouldn''t be here. Oh, this is okay. Not the best of candies, but I''ve had worse. I think. It''s definitely not a Spook Treat, though. Those things are delicious, and I really hope I manage to succeed in convincing Lord Zack to give me another one soon. Maybe I should directly ask him, rather than give him begging eyes a lot and subtle nudges towards them? No, Luca! Don''t do that! Lord Zack will just make you suffer longer! "Big Flame, please bop him on the head," Lord Zack says with exasperation, then looks at the rest of us. "Let''s keep moving, we''re an hour from the next City. It''s going to keep getting colder, the arctic forest isn''t far beyond that." My cloak will keep me warm, and Gavin has already pulled on a cloak of his own. So has Max. Braden hasn''t, which is impressing me. He''s more resilient to the cold than I thought.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Lord Zack doesn''t need a cloak or coat to keep warm, because he is awesome. I bet the cold just looks at him, then goes ''nah, not ever'' and leaves him alone. Since I''m a bit exhausted from my fight and the three hours of walking I''ve done since lunch, I climb onto Max''s back and hold him tight. I switch who carries me each day, and today is Max''s day. I mostly just switch between him and Gavin. Lord Zack would probably carry me if I wanted him to, but I haven''t asked. I''m scared that now that he''s not stressed out all the time, he''ll tickle my sides while carrying me, which would make me fall off of him as I giggle and try to get him to stop while protecting my sides. I don''t want to do that! We eventually reach the City without any further attacks, and Lord Zack leads us to the center, Braden and Gavin killing a handful of goblins on our way. At the center, we stop as Zack approaches the Avatar of the Shadow of Life. This one is dressed in regular armor, so probably a knight-type. Lord Zack draws his sword and attacks, cutting through the avatar''s sword as it attempts to block his attack. He continues attacking, delivering strike after strike after strike, blow after blow, before finally killing it. Once he does, he sheathes his sword and places a hand on the Enchanted Altar as the monster fades away. The altar begins to light up, then Zack moves back as the City Barrier Restoration happens. "You guys take care of what''s here and on the way to where we''ll be staying," Lord Zack tells us the usual. "I''ll go handle the rest of the City." He always goes off to handle the rest of the City''s monsters, since we decided against it. He does it mostly to just clean up the Cities, even if it''s not really necessary. Meanwhile, we''ll kill the monsters around here and on our way to a place that looks usable, then he''ll meet up with us. By then, we''re usually already taking a bath, so he cooks us dinner. Then, we eat, and after, he''ll take a bath, before climbing up on the roof to relax. It''s a good pattern. I like it. I wish I didn''t get scared of falling off the roofs, or I''d probably join him up there. I know he''d catch me, but I don''t want to do that anyway. I''m too much of a scaredy-cat.
(Zack) As I kill the last monster in the City, I feel eyes upon me. When I look around, I find nothing here, not within my five senses. This is a different sense, one similar to my sight. Ah, I see what''s happening. Now that I''ve realized what''s going on, it''s easy for me to locate the source, a spot in the air around ten feet away, hovering over the street near a building. "Yo!" I wave, forcing my own power against it and shutting off Bryce''s sight. "Ha! Take that, Bryce!" I can just imagine him laughing at me shutting him out like that. Even now, I still have visions where I look right at my dream self and shut off the vision, and as I suspected, it wasn''t actually me I was shutting out. I''m guessing that even then, the future me was sensing Bryce watching, and I was simply hijacking the same spot and moment. Just one of many signs that it was Bryce and me who were the brothers of the vision and not someone else. I knew it was someone viewing me, but hadn''t considered it was Bryce doing it. My visions at those times, where I shut it out, were simply my sight latching onto him checking on me while we were doing this. I activate my sight and find him walking along the outside wall of a City, dressed in just a pair of shorts with his weapons equipped, tunic slung over his shoulder, the sun bearing down on him. It looks like he''s in a warmer area, because he''s sweating lightly just walking down the street, and I can see the heat mirages off in the distance. He has a waterskin in one hand, and was taking a drink when I saw him. Bryce gives me a peace sign before shutting me out. Yup! Two can play at that game! As I start to turn in the direction my team is, I detect a familiar presence. One I''ve only recently learned to identify. Turning, I face another simple avatar of Alexander''s and give it a hard glare. "The fuck you want, asshole?" I ask. "To talk, Zack," he says. "Could you please stop killing these? It''s difficult enough to make them." "You seem to have made plenty of avatars just fine." "Those are different," he shakes his head. "I infused a portion of my essence into the air around the altars, let them mature on their own. It was a process which took several years. Those are limited in what they can do and how much I can control them. These, I control fully, and can create in moments, even if they aren''t easy. It takes a sizable amount of mana to create these avatars from within my prison." "Fuck off," I fling my knife at him, and he catches it, then tosses it back to me. "What, not trying to kill me anymore? Just leaving it to the avatars guarding the altars and Fallen Cities? They''re woefully inadequate, as you''ve noticed." "These forms aren''t combat ones," he says. "If you hadn''t thrown that knife lazily, I wouldn''t have managed to catch it. I just want to talk." "Sure you do," I say. "You know I''m not going to join you, Alexander. Why do you keep trying? Fuck off." "Prophecies cannot be diverted," he says. "But visions can, Zack. It is only because I have not attacked Bryce that he has survived so far." "Ha!" I laugh. "I''m betting you tried that and remembered that he''s my brother on my father''s side." A tic works in his jaw, and I know I''m right. "You know I can see his Status in a vision, right?" I ask. "If I''m actually trying. He was Level 84 when I last looked at him." I just hope he minds his Power Jump ratio, since he''ll be surrounded by monsters. "If I don''t keep stalling," I say. "And actually return to training and slaughtering the tough ones that I could by deviating from the path, Alexander, I could surpass his own Leveling. Based on my estimates, I''m sure that even if you didn''t attack him, he''d reach my Level in just three or four months. Out here, monsters are tougher, and tougher monsters are more numerous. It''s perfect for boys like Bryce and me, and you know how tough we are to kill intentionally. Killing Bryce the first time was pure luck." "I notice you haven''t killed me yet," he says. "Does that mean you''re willing to listen?" "Nah," I answer. "Actually, I''m trying to decide how to kill you. I have plenty of weapons and Skills to use. I''ve narrowed it down to Zack''s Blood, the spear, and a Wind Spike. Decided to give it a little more variety than just stabbing you with my sword or knife." He gives me a stunned look. "What?" I ask. "You really think I''d tolerate you? I''m not going to join you, Alexander. Give it up." I pull out Zack Blood, the spear, and swiftly skewer him. His form fades away, and I return the spear to my Inventory. At least he''s focusing on converting me rather than attempting to take out my team. Then again, he''s learned that attacks on my team will always fail, no matter what. Why is he so insistent on trying to convince me to join him? He knows I won''t, no matter what. Idiot. Even Gavin would be able to see this. Chapter 0179 (Max) When Boss said ''the forest turn into'', me not realize he meant literally turn into. Mostly, Max thought Boss meant that the forest gradually changes to, the weather continuing to get colder, the trees turning more needly, frost creeping onto the ground and trees and rocks. Not that the forest literally changed all at once. The weather kept getting colder and colder as we went more north, and now, the forest just suddenly changes from green trees that may or may not like the cold to needly trees with snow and frost on them. Like exiting a City. There, there be lots of buildings, then as soon as me step out of it, fields! Or forest. Or something else. Me old master once took Max to a City sitting on water. Well, it was an island, but the island was the City. Nothing else was on it but the City. It was very disturbing. Mostly because Max wasn''t allowed to go swimming, even though there weren''t any monsters nearby. Boss would probably let Max go swimming. "Hey, Boss?" Me ask as we enter the arctic forest. "Brr! It be cold!" "Yes, Max," Boss says. "If we come across a place where it''s safe to swim, you can swim." "Yay!" "None of us know how to swim," Gavin tells Boss. "Except maybe you and Max. I know that if we knew it in our past lives, we might have some muscle memory of it, but-" "Luca can''t swim," Boss says. "He was always too scared of drowning to try. I''m not sure about you or Braden. If we come across a place where it''s safe to swim, though, you can try, and if you need help, Max or I will help you with the basics." "Yep!" Me puff out chest. "Me know all about how to swim! Old masters never let me, but me sometimes sneaky out because Boss not be all that mean." "What?" Gavin asks. Me frown as try to think over wording, and Boss looks at Max. Me happy he letting me try to fix what me said to make it more clear rather than him simply clearing it up. This helps Max to learn how to speak better, if me think about what Max said and try to improve it so that normal people and not just beastborn can understand what me said. "Me old masters," me tell Gavin. Me think Braden understood, but it still be good to work on me wording when it be unclear. "Never let Max go swimming. Me be slave, after all. Slaves don''t get to have fun. But Boss isn''t mean like that. Me team member, not slave. Friends with all of you. So me sometimes sneak out and go swimming. Learned how! Theodore-Flame taught Max using the pool in the Dark Temple. Sometimes, when Boss sneaky away, Max also leave Maelnor and go swimming in the lake." Have to fight off monsters sometimes, which makes it even more fun! "Oh, okay," Gavin says, then looks at Boss. "At least we know who can keep us warm if things get too cold." What does that mean? "Come on," Boss says. "Keep in mind that we''ll be fighting cold-based monsters. Luca, that means don''t use your water magics. One, they''ll probably freeze, and two, they''ll be ineffective against most things here, apart from impact damage." "Yes, sir!" We all say.
(Braden) I release several more arrows, which pierce through the Frost Knights'' armors. Because there''s no actual core, I can''t just break those. Without any vital spots, I can''t deal extra damage. Thankfully, Max and Gavin are here to back us up. Zack was going to join us, but we asked him not to unless things get bad. He''s our ace, and it''s best for the ace to not do anything if he''s not needed so that the weaker and less-experienced fighters can deal with things. As the Frost Knights stumble from my attack, Max hits them with Flame Lances and Gavin strikes with Flame Blade. These things are strong enough to not lose even a quarter of their Health from taking a Flame Lance straight-on. I aim at their legs this time, pinning them to the ground so that they can''t move around as much. They''ll rip their feet out again, but it still keeps them in place long enough for Max and Gavin to strike again without too much issue. Well, for Max. Gavin still has to deal with the Frost Knights'' swords, but he''s able to manage. We continue fighting, and as the quartet''s Health starts to drop, Luca pokes me in the back with his staff. I nod, having already noticed them coming. They sound strange, though, so I glance over. Floating robes with icy blue eyes visible in the darkness beneath their hood, pale staffs with blue markings floating in front of them. Frost Mages, based on their Statuses, and the lowest of them is Level 20. There are eight total. Another thing I''m weak against. I could learn Flame Arrow, but I doubt it would do much good against these things at Level 1. In addition to the eight Frost Mages, there are an additional eight Frost Knights coming. This is probably the part where Zack jumps in, but I''ll do my best to stall things before then. It would be so much easier if I had Animal Form. Then, I could just barrel through things. "Gavin, Max," I say. "Keep doing what you''re doing. I''ll handle the incoming until you finish those. Luca, focus on them." "Go get ''em, Braden!" Max exclaims as I notice Gavin only now becoming aware of the incoming fight. "Gavin, focus!" I call as he falters for a moment, then I draw my bowstring, Magic Arrow forming. I aim at the incoming monsters, then fire my Multishot. The Frost Mages summon icicles to stop my attacks and try to attack me, and I release more arrows as I move towards them, Luca moving to stay behind Gavin and Max to continue to support them.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Continuing to move around to avoid attacks and stop them, I manage to distract the incoming group of monsters. I move from tree to tree, branch to branch, across the ground and in the shadows. My attacks don''t do much, but they''re enough to be a menace. I mute notifications, because I don''t want the zero-damage notifications distracting as me as much. The monsters continue to attack me, and I continue to strike at them. With the shadows and the snow all around us, my striping hides me well, my white fur assisting in the camouflage. Their attacks bounce off my hide, barely bothering me as I charge through them, ripping them apart with my claws and teeth. Only once the fight ends do I realize something was really strange about it. Since when I do have camouflage? My headdress isn''t that good at hiding me, my skin contrasts with the snow and trees and shadows, and I don''t have claws, I have- Those are paws. I look at myself and find a body of hundreds of pounds of muscle, large paws with sharp claws, and a thick, padded tail. I thump it once, then twice, then look at my team, who is staring at me in shock, their own monsters dead. I activate my notices again and do an auto-dismiss of all damage and Experience notifications.
New Class! Druid
+1 Agility
+1 Intellect +1 Willpower +1 Wisdom +1 Perception
New Skill!
Animal Form (White Liger) Active/Passive
Take on the form of the mighty white liger, whose hide is tough and resilient, body is strong and powerful. Your claws and teeth are sharp, and power is your language, death, your ally. Your stats in this form are based solely on this Skill and not other.
Cost: All Remaining Mana
Duration: 1 second per 50 Mana spent (duration increases by 3 Mana every Level of this Skill)
Stats: +1 to All every odd-numbered Level of this Skill while in the form for every 10 Adventurer Levels you have; White Liger-specific stats viewed separately (50 Stat Points distributed)
White Liger Stats (per every 5 Adventurer Levels you have)
+7 Strength +7 Endurance +7 Vitality +7 Agility
+4 Intellect +7 Willpower +4 Wisdom +7 Perception
Whoa. From what I know, even the bear Animal Form only has around 30 Stat Points distributed for the every-fifth. I was Level 100 at the time, so ¨C wait, no, Level 101, but that doesn''t matter, since it''s not a multiple of five or ten. Okay, so my stats were, let''s see¡­ Wait, can I pull it up? Status!
Character Information Dark of Water
Name: Braden Primary Class: High Warden
Level: 101 Unavailable: Unavailable
Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable
Health: 1,570/1,570 Mana: 72/940
Strength: 157 Intellect: 94
Endurance: 157 Willpower: 157
Vitality: 157 Wisdom: 94
Agility: 157 Perception: 157
Looks like when I check my Status in Animal Form, it shows my Animal Form stats. Based on those Stats, it seems that the base for White Liger is the every-fifth bonus. While most of my Stats are lower than normal, all of my physical Stats except for Agility are higher. White Liger isn''t meant to be used for using a bow, anyway. Well, at least not at my Level. And since all of my Mana drains to power this form, I have to recover it before I can use any Skills. There''s not actually much I can do by way of casting spells in this form. No wonder Mama Bear told me most Druids cast Nature''s Blessing before going into it, even if it sacrifices duration. It grants them a Mana Recovery buff. Speaking of buffs, Luca buffed me at some point to increase my stats further, and¡­ He''s charging towards me, and I can tell by his face he wants to ride on me. I only have a few seconds left in this form, I can see a notice which told me I only had seventy-seven-point-four-four seconds, and there''s a timer in my vision that''s almost to zero. At least I know he''s not afraid of me. He''s halfway to me when my body reverts. It''s painless and smooth, even if it happens quickly. For a moment I''m disoriented as my Perception changes again, my senses adjusting. How did I not notice this happening during the fight? Back in my human form, I notice that I''m still wearing my gear and am holding my bow and knife, just as I was when I transformed. That''s awesome. Everyone was making me nervous because they made it seem like everything would fall off, and I''d hate that. Glad to know it was probably just some psychological hazing they were doing. Luca pouts at me as I finish filtering out the messages, and I realize it was Zack who gave me those buffs when I see the notifications. I look around for our party leader, and he suddenly comes to my attention as standing right beside me. "Good job," Zack claps me on the back. "That was pretty fucking awesome, Braden." "Thanks for the buffs," I tell him. "You''re welcome," he responds, then addresses all of us. "Good job with the fight. Now that Braden can take on an Animal Form, a few more possibilities have opened up. However, don''t expect that to mean you can count on him turning into a liger all the time. It drains all of his Mana and has a duration based on how much was spent on it. It''s a limited form that''s technically weaker than each of you in some way. It''ll remain that way both until he raises his own Level and the Animal Form Skill''s Level." Max is bouncing on his feet, looking like he has a question for me, so I turn my attention to him once Zack stops talking. "Yes?" I ask. "Braden!" He exclaims. "Me know Skills you be able to use now! Like Claws! And Bite! You do that on your own in kitty form, but animals Skills make them do even more! Max teach you tonight, after we go into City, okay?" "Um, okay," I say. "Yay!" He says, and I look at Zack, who just shrugs in response. "He''s been waiting for you to do that so he can," Zack tells me, then addresses all of us. "Alright! Let''s keep moving if we want to hit the City by nightfall! There''s not much to loot here, so unless you really want to pick up scraps or something, let''s go." Chapter 0180 (Zack) "Why are we moving quietly?" Gavin whispers. "It probably has to do with the monsters up ahead," Braden whispers. "Though considering what they are, I doubt they have ears?" "You never know," Max whispers, Luca looking at them from his back. "All sorts of weird things can hear. Me have seen flowers that turned at sound. They be flowers. No ears at all!" "What''s up ahead?" Gavin asks. "An Ice Lord and some slimes," I answer without whispering, and Gavin gives me a worried look, though I know it''s at the sound. "Also," Luca says, speaking normally. "We were doing it to see how long it would take you to ask." "We''re crunching the snow under our feet," Braden says. "As we walk. Lots of noise." Gavin groans as he finally understands why we had to be quiet when we were walking through thick snow, making noise just by taking steps. He is just way too fun to prank. And too easy. "Aren''t Ice Lords notoriously powerful?" Gavin asks. "More so than the stuff we''ve fought before?" "Oh, definitely," I nod. "They''re the main reason we''re in the special zone, actually." "He did mention that," Braden says. "When?" Gavin asks. "Awhile back," I answer. "Remember? The reason I wanted to come here was to fight some stuff here that I''d fought back when I was weaker?" "Oh, right," he says. "The Ice Lord was one of them. I remember hearing about the blizzard it made." "Yeah," I nod. "The four of you wouldn''t be able to do anything to it, but that''s not why we''re here. We''re here so I can kick its ass." "You do that, Lord Zack," Luca mumbles sleepily. "Don''t worry, Luca," I tell him. "We''ll reach the next City before nightfall." "I''m not worried," he yawns. "Just tired." "Let''s keep moving," I nod. It takes only a few more minutes before we reach the clearing with the Ice Lord in it. This one resembles the other one, with an ice-like body, two arms, two legs, and head. Its head and shoulders have spikes of ice jutting out of them, and it''s watching us intently.
Ice Lord Level 25
Health: 832,529 Mana: 543,284
So this one''s more powerful than the previous one. Nice! "You guys take care of the slimes if you want," I say. "I''ll deal with this fucker." I approach the Ice Lord as Max decides my instructions mean ''Flame Lance the hell out of the slimes''. "So," I crack my knuckles. "Are you a blizzard fucker, or just a fucker?" It screeches in response, reminding me about that attack of theirs. My team reacts to it, Gavin and Braden most affected due to their lower Willpowers. Luca''s able to mostly resist, but he still falls off of Max''s back as the mage-like Dark Knight yelps, covering his ears and shaking hard. I stop the screech with a well-placed fist to its stomach, taking out a fair bit of its Health and cracking the fucker. Several spikes immediately jut out of it as it attempts to impale me, but I withdraw my hand too quickly, then block its kick. The Ice Lord and I begin sparring. It''s way slower than me, though, so most of our sparring involves it attempting to strike me, me blocking, and its ice cracking, then repairing. Every time it repairs, its Mana drops a little, even if its Health doesn''t increase. This one performs more attacks than the other one. I''m guessing being out of its domain had caused it to act in an inferior fashion to its norm. As we spar, this one begins to create spikes anywhere I''m to hit, only to find my limbs moving to avoid them. So it gets smart. Well, smarter. I actually have a high enough Endurance that the spikes aren''t actually hurting me, and that''s when they strike my flesh. I''m so glad I sent my tunic away, though, or I''d have a serious sewing job to do. The beast even noticed that anytime it struck my armor ¨C anywhere on my body ¨C its spikes broke, so it''s begun aiming at the fleshy parts. I''m assuming it''s trying to pierce harder, though it''s failing.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. We continue to trade blows, the Ice Lord losing more Health even as it repairs the cracks, and the monster even starts using Ice Spike against me. It''s a stronger attack, and not just a part of its body. It surprises me when it pierces my stomach. That''s one disadvantage to the armor on my torso covering only my chest, but whatever. The pierce itself wasn''t that much, and only took out a few Health. Definitely manageable. As I recover from the shock, I feel the wind pick up, snow beginning to pelt us. Crap. It used the moment of shock to activate its blizzard-summoning ability. I definitely need to end this quickly. I place a hand to my stomach and generate flames, burning away the blood that came out before I''d healed, then I charge forward as I take on Eidolon Form. My next punch strikes the beast in the face, and its head pops up. The pair of messages for killing it and my loot appear, and I''m pleased to see that I received the full amount this time, rather than the half amount I got when Normar helped me. It takes a few seconds for the Ice Lord to melt away, leaving behind its core, which I grab, then hurry over to my team as I turn off Eidolon Form. I open up my Inventory and pull out a rope and my tunic, and instruct my team to tie themselves into a line with some slack between them. As they do that, I remove my breastplate and pull on my tunic, then the breastplate again. A minute later, it''s my turn to tie myself into the line, and I tie myself to the front, before activating Eidolon Form again. "Everyone, gather up," I instruct. "And hold onto the rope as much as you can." They do as I instruct, then I soar upwards, before taking off towards the next City, flying at a speed all four of them can handle without taking damage from the air friction or whatever the hell it would be. The speed of the wind against them. We reach the next City relatively quickly, the blizzard still picking up, and I have Aura of Heat active to ensure my team is warm. Max seems to like it, but the strange response is Luca feeling comforted by it. It''s only as we land that I remember that when Luca''s weak, he can sense my inner flame, and that had helped him with his brother''s death. Feeling my Aura of Heat must be reminding him of that. I land in the Fallen City and drop my team off at a house that seems in good condition, then head to the altar to restore the City Barrier. As soon as it''s back up, I zip around the City and kill everything I can, including Alexander''s avatar, because I really don''t have time for it right now. Once that''s done, I rush back to the house, where Max, Gavin, and Braden are covering up what holes there are in the walls with thick blankets, Luca sitting by a Heat Lamp in one of the bedrooms, which had already been secured. I wasn''t even aware they''d gotten those stones. At least we know we''ll have warmth for awhile. In this house, the kitchen can be accessed both inside and outside, and it looks like Max and Gavin worked together to cover up its entrance. It''s only as I''m looking around do I realize there are no monsters at this house. Did I really get that lucky? Well, whatever. With our camp for¡­ awhile set up, I make sure everyone is warm, and we gather around the warming stone. I pull out food for us to eat and set it out, then we eat in silence. "The blizzard can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, right?" Gavin asks, and I nod. "Why didn''t you just punch its head off at the start? Wasn''t the whole point of that to show just how much stronger you were than the last time you fought one?" "I would have failed," I shake my head. "It had too much Health. The less Health it has, the weaker its body becomes. As its Health dropped, the ice which made up its body weakened. Every punch cracked it more. Plus, I hadn''t expected to take damage. Had I not stopped in shock for a moment, it never would have been able to cast the blizzard summoning spell it has. It takes it a few moments, which it can''t get if it''s constantly attacking or defending. Just a bit of luck on its part." "So we''ll be stuck here for awhile," Gavin sighs. "Just until the blizzard ends," I say. "Maybe a day or two longer. A week at most, once it''s over. The monsters will start clearing paths on their own, and that happens rather fast. Trust me on that." That''s also when the fun begins. I''ll have to remind the team about Snow Wolves, since my sight says there will be enough snow for us to encounter them. I could just fly us out of the arctic forest and the range of the blizzard, once it''s over, but there''s something else I want to kill here. Plus, we''re just here for an adventure, killing time until Bryce kills the Shadow of Life. As I think about Bryce, we finish our dinner, then put everything away as the team, exhausted from our trip into Lost Territory so far and having extra time to rest, sets up blankets and pillows on the floor for bed. The four of them change into their nightclothes, then crawl onto their makeshift beds and cover themselves with blankets, passing out almost immediately. I watch them as I think about Bryce, just in time to feel his gaze upon us. This time, his projection of sight is a point at the entrance to the room, and I can tell he wasn''t expecting this. I wave to him, then shut him out and activate my own sight to look at him. Bryce is still in the hot region, his hair sticking to his head from the heat. When I push, I can see that he''s even higher in Level than he was the other time I looked at him. Right now, he''s sitting under a tree, drinking water. He holds up a finger to tell me to wait a moment. I guess he''s got some sort of message. Then he points down, and I notice markings on the ground, drawn in with the nearby stick, no doubt. Not words, but images. It only takes me a few moments to decipher them and realize what he''s saying. He wants to meet up, face-to-face. It''s not something to rush, based on the location he wants to meet us. If I remember the maps I''d seen correctly, he wants us to meet up after the forest ends here, past a swamp, actually. There''s no way he''d make it there quickly, which is how I know it''s not a rush. We have a few weeks. A month or two, maybe, depending on how our own trip goes and how his trip goes. My brother gives me a full minute before shutting me out, and once he does, I stand and stretch, then change into my own nightclothes. We both have sound with our sight, so he could have just told me whatever it is he wanted to meet up about. I know he''s feeling a little lonely, but he''s also dealing with it by looking at us. If he looks at us again after I shut him out, I know he''s coping with traveling all alone. If he doesn''t, then I just look at him to see what he''s doing, and he gives me a cheeky response. It''s nice pattern we have, even if it''s not really all that old. Just like me, he can handle being alone as long as a minor condition or two is met. Whatever he wants to meet up with us about, it might not be important, or if it is, it''s something which can wait. With anticipation for what the future brings, I crawl under my own blanket and allow myself to fall asleep. Chapter 0181 (Braden) "Welcome back," I tell Zack as he reenters the room, and he gives me a curious look. "I don''t do well being contained. I''m like Max." Max has been driving everyone crazy with his energy, and it took Gavin three days to give in and start wrestling and arm-wrestling with him, the only way to really burn off Max''s energy. Gavin''s stronger than Max, but is able to restrain himself enough to not hurt our friend. I''m far weaker than Max, who wouldn''t be able to control his strength when wrestling with me. Watching them put each other into headlocks was fun, and Luca was making bets with himself over who would win each round. We''ve also had to make Max do pushups and situps and stuff to help burn off that excess energy, and Gavin and Max also sparred in one of the other rooms, though it made both of them sweaty and stinky. We barely managed to get the bath running after the blizzard ended, which had taken two days. Otherwise, being contained in here with everyone would be unbearable to all five of us. But the workout between the two warriors was the only way we could really keep Max''s energy manageable. The reason Zack gave me the curious look was because he walked into the room to find the three of them sleeping and me sitting, stitching. It''s¡­ pretty bad, if I''m being honest with myself, but it was giving my fingers something to do. Right now, he''s wearing his usual type of outfit, armor on, as per the norm. I''m wearing my most recent style of attire, my Druid costume which unlocked the necessary Skill and the Class. "How far out did you have to clear a path?" I ask. "Not far," Zack answers. "Just a little ways out of the City in the direction we''re heading. A group of goblins had come near the City, it seems, so my own path met up with theirs rather fast. It connects all the way to the next City on the main path. After everyone''s awake, fed, and gone through a warmup, we''ll be heading out." I nod, then return to my stitching. Zack sits and pulls out food, so I put my stitching away. Bacon, eggs, and biscuits and gravy for the hot foods. The smell wakes up Max and Luca, and the former steps on Gavin by accident, waking him up. It''s amusing to see, because Max starts apologizing profusely over it. He''s genuinely sorry, as it was a genuine accident, which has resulted in his extremely broken speech coming out. But he''s also hyper because he''s awake and nothing bad is happening, and there''s good food here. So as that happens, I accept my food from Zack and start eating. They eventually get their own food and sit back down, then start eating. Luca''s sitting by Zack, eating his food. In addition to the hot foods I listed, we were all given some fruit as well. Even though I know that Zack has that special Inventory because of his ancestry, its ability to preserve things always marvels me at this point, with how long it''s been since he actually put the food into his Inventory. Though the food doesn''t seem like his cooking¡­ I frown as I start paying attention to the taste of the gravy. There''s an ingredient in this Zack doesn''t put in his. I fix my gaze on him, and he pretends to not notice. Since it''s Zack, I know he did, there''s no way he hasn''t noticed my gaze. We finish eating, then the rest of the team gets dressed and starts doing stretches to warm up. I perform a few stretches as well, Zack watching all of us. "Zack," I say once we''re warmed up. "Did you have Gold help you prepare food for the trip?" "No," he answers, a mischievous glint in his eyes. One far stronger than normal. "I made it all at home, Max and Kit helping for some of it." That confirms it. "So when you left earlier," I say. "You went back to Maelnor and had Gold make breakfast, didn''t you?" "That be why it smelled liked Gold!" Max exclaims, eyes wide. "Me was wondering why it did!" "What?" Gavin asks, then looks at Zack. "You returned to Maelnor? When?" "Earlier," Zack laughs. "After I cleared out the path and wiped out a few goblins, I popped back over to Maelnor just to say ''hey'' and give Nik an update on our trip is going." We stare at him, realizing now that we were idiots. We set off on this thinking we were never going to see anyone from the rest of the Boundary ever again. But Zack has restored the Dark Temple in every single City we''ve visited. And as Dark Knights, he and Max are able to use the Flame Sigil out front to travel between any active Dark Temples. If we really wanted to head back, all we had to do was ask Zack. And he really made it seem like this was a permanent thing. "If you guys really want to return to Maelnor," Zack says. "You''re free to. I''m willing to take us back. I just never mentioned it because we''re on an adventure, having fun and new experiences. Or reliving old ones, but changed. None of you guys had even thought about actually returning, so I hadn''t brought it up."If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I''ve already said my goodbyes. If I returned to Maelnor, I doubt I''d want to return to this adventure, knowing that the end is coming soon. Brandon is too much like a father to me, and it took me a lot of effort to say my goodbye. I don''t think I''d be able to do it again. If I returned, I''d want to live just as a boy with his father. Well, grandfather. Looking at the rest of the team, I can tell they''re going through similar things. We all know it''s ending, and that we''ll be going to the heavens, and possibly reincarnating, once it does. Despite that, we can''t detach ourselves from our attachments now. Luca will go wherever Zack does, because that''s who he''s really attached to. Zack''s the big brother of us all, even if he''s not actually bigger than four of us, nor the eldest of us. To Luca, though, he''s a life-link, the person who has been his rock and foundation. The reason he has to live and survive. The person who helped him when he was depressed over his brother. The only real family he has here, his big brother. For Gavin, he''d probably try to become better friends with Kylie, and possibly move in with Peter and Mama Bear. Even if he hasn''t admitted it, I know that he sees them as family, that he sees Peter the same way I see Brandon, and that he views Mama Bear as a grandmother. Then there''s Max. He had just been reunited with his brothers. No one can honestly tell me that he probably hasn''t thought about returning for them. No, Max has definitely thought about using the sigils to return back to Maelnor, back to his brothers. I know that if I were in his situation, I probably would have wanted to. I probably would have. What would it be like, to reunite with brothers I''d lost contact with for a long time, brothers who I had been close with, only to leave not long after on a trip where I''d never see them again? Yeah, I''d have definitely turned back by now. Max''s willpower is incredible, to resist that. Now that I think about it, he''s talked about Nit and Nin a lot on this trip. That must be his way of dealing with it, but still. So maybe he has thought about actually returning, but Zack considers it to not be truly having thought about it since Max is still here. Our friend had the means to leave us, yet he didn''t. Gavin sighs, and I know that he''s realized the same thing as me. "We''re in this together," he tells Zack. "We chose to leave everyone behind for this, we chose to start a journey where we wouldn''t get to see them again. We gave them our goodbyes. If we constantly returned back to Maelnor, we''d eventually just stop this adventure, knowing what we know about the end." Zack nods, accepting the answer. "What I have a problem with, though," Gavin frowns. "Is you leaving to return to Maelnor, Zack. Why did you do that?" "To give Nik an update on our trip," Zack answers, and Gavin stares him down, his old rebellious nature coming back. "I saw something with my sight I thought he should know, and that''s all I''m going to say on it. I hadn''t intended on being seen, but Gold somehow figured out I was there and insisted on making breakfast, so I asked him to make it for the team." You''re a good liar, Zack, but I know it wasn''t something you saw with your sight. I overheard you talking with the Shadow of Life when you thought we were all asleep a few nights ago. I know he''s been trying to convert you, and you were probably telling Nik about it. Whenever something confuses you, you always go to Nik and ask him for advice on it. And you would definitely be confused over the Shadow of Life constantly attempting to convert you, especially since you apparently keep killing the avatars he manifests. I didn''t actually see the avatar, but I got the feeling it''s different than the ones that Zack slays after we arrive in the Fallen Cities. "Alright," Zack decides to change conversations. "Now that everyone''s warmed up, it''s time to head out. Before we go, I want to mention that there is four feet of snow, so people like Luca are going to be shorter than it. The paths are cleared out, and we''ll be able to make it to the next City by nightfall. As a reminder, monsters like Snow Wolves thrive in such environments, so be on your guard. One could attack at any time, and they heal when they reenter the snow." "That just means," Max punches his right fist into his left palm. "We no let them enter the snow! We try, and Max will blast them with fire! Again and again, they will die!" "Erm, yeah," Zack nods. "That''s the plan. Let''s go with that." Max is just too hyper right now, so no one''s going to tell him otherwise. He''ll calm down once he can run around a bit. We collect our blankets and other things used to block the blizzard from attacking us within the building and Luca turns off and puts away his Heat Lantern, then Zack runs us down the reminder of the Snow Wolves once more. Only then do we leave the house, walking between the two short walls of snow. It''s a little cold out, but it''s tolerable with our current gear. It''s so strange, seeing so much snow here. The issue I''m having is with my eyes, because of the sun reflecting off the snow. That''s the only real issue, though, and I can use my other senses to overcome the blindness. What worries me is Max. His Perception is even higher than mine, which means he''s going to be a lot more sensitive to the light than I am. He''s still bouncing around as we walk, and I know that once we leave the City, Zack''s probably going to guide us to some monsters, but still. How blind is he right now? Is he using his other senses to deal with what he can''t see? Gavin and Luca are probably affected as well, but with their lower Perceptions, I''m sure they''re managing much better. Zack''s cheating. His eyes are closed. While he could be using his ears and the feel of the air to navigate, I am one hundred percent certain he is using his sight to make up for it. His psychic sight. "I am," Zack speaks up, and I look at him as best I can with the blinding light of the sun reflecting off the snow and ice. "You were all thinking it at the same time. Also, piece of advice, but it''ll be a lot easier to manage if you partially close your eyes. You won''t have as much visual range from that, but you''ll also reduce how much light is going into your eyes. Don''t squint like you''re doing, but partially close them. You''ll adjust after a few minutes, and then the urge to squint will go away." "Experience?" Gavin asks. "From in reality," Zack nods. "We had an ice storm a few years ago¡­ well, a few years before I died there. Ice storm and a blizzard, and it had a similar effect, even if not as bad as here. It was a trick I''d heard someone tell another to use. My magical sight wasn''t near as good then as it is now. Anyway, let''s get moving. Not far out of the City, there''s a group of monsters we can release our pent-up energy against." Wait, really? Did the Shadow of Life actually listen to that sarcastic comment of yours? Right before Zack killed the avatar, he sarcastically told the Shadow of Life to make himself useful and supply some monsters on our trip so that we could release the energy we haven''t been able to while cooped-up in the house. Huh. He must really be afraid of Bryce''s victory if he''s actually putting in effort to try to convince Zack to join him. Does he really fear Bryce''s ability to kill him that much? Chapter 0182 (Zack) Finally! We have reached the second monster I really wish to fight before we leave the arctic forest! Whoo-hoo! "Okay, guys," I say. "Stay out of the clearing. The moment you set foot into it, it will attack. Trust me when I say that the four of you won''t actually be able to handle it alone. Nik and his crew are probably the only team that''s able to, and they''re much stronger than you. Got it?" The rest of my team nods, and Max starts making a chair out of the snow, so I turn and approach the clearing. More than thirty feet in height, a plump man wearing black and red with some white trim stands in the center, a giant sack slung over its left shoulder, held by its left hand. Santa Slimes are scattered about, white slimes with red and white Santa hats and fluffy white mustaches. But it''s the boss boy I''m here for.
Santa Boss Level 50
Health: 1,000,000 Mana: 5,000,000
Same as the ones which spawn for the holiday event. In this special zone, Holiday Monsters can spawn, even, though they''re localized to a specific area of them. I may have known about this from books in the Dark Temple. "Ho, ho, ho!" The Santa Boss exclaims. "Lookit what''s here! A naughty little boy, are we?" Wait, is this, like, some preprogrammed comment it makes? Because that''s exactly what the last one said when I fought it! The Santa Boss then holds up its right hand, and coal begins shooting out. My last fight against one, they shot out extremely fast. I had to push the limits of my speed to avoid them. What an idiot I was back then, allowing a piece to strike me. I should have known it would''ve broken my leg. But I wanted to see how much damage it would do, so that happened. With this fight, the coal moves just as fast. But I''m much, much faster than I was before, to the point that the coal doesn''t actually seem to move that fast to me. It''s like playing catch. Which is exactly what I do. I catch the coal and throw it back at the Santa Boss, adding a bit of flame to it as well, creating miniature Fireballs at the moment of catching. My flaming coal shots then impact the Santa Boss, hitting it in the garb, the hands, the neck, and the face. They take out around 5,000 Health each, which is satisfying. It''s nowhere near what my aura-boosted, Rage-fueled attacks were doing in the last fight, but who the fuck cares? I''m having fun! After around thirty shots being thrown back at it and plenty more taking out the Santa Slimes, the Santa Boss decides to stop taking its own attacks, as they strike it even when it attempts to move out of the way or swat them aside. The monster reaches into its sack and pulls out one of its exploding presents. I remember them, because that was the first one the old one used against me. Metallic red wrapping paper with up with gold ribbon. It exploded when it was thrown at me. My snowball does not set it off early, so I fling a Fireball at the present while it''s still in flight to me. My attack sets off the package, causing it to explode in the air, and my second Fireball, launched just in case the first one failed to blow up the package, its the Santa Boss in the arm. It continues to pull out the presents; the red ones tied with golden ribbons which explode; the green ones wrapped with gold, which release a swarm of twenty-five Santa''s Elves; the golden-wrapped ones which explode in a shower of light; and the black-wrapped ones with golden ribbon which explode in a cloud of coal dust. I''m not sure why they''re all tied with golden ribbons, but whatever. For the elf-generating ones, I destroy those in flight to ensure they fail. For the golden ones, I do the same, mostly because they''re annoying, even if I''m able to actually avoid them. As for the black ones, I don''t really care about those, as they''re easy to avoid and are only a danger if they catch on fire or I actually pass through them, since the former issue would potentially hurt or burn my clothes and the latter would result in me choking on the dust. The Holiday Boss continues its attacks, occasionally swapping to throwing coal at me, firing them at even faster speeds than before. I continue to evade and throw attacks back, enjoying myself. I could definitely just wipe this thing out if I wanted, but I''m having far too much fun. So I only attack it by throwing its coal back at it, just because it''s fun to use its own weapons against it. The Santa Boss uses the milk to restore its Mana several times because of how much it attacks me without doing any damage at all. However, because my attacks are doing so much less damage, it takes a long time for it to whip out its cookies, which are what I really wanted it to do. As soon as it does, I fling Fireballs at them, burning them to a crisp.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Immediately, the Santa Boss grows its horns, it face turning crimson. "YOU NAUGHTY CHILD!" It roars in rage. "YOU WILL SOON BE NOTHING MORE THAN A PANCAKE FOR BREAKFAST!" It charges at me, just as the old one did, and sadly, I don''t turn into a Dragon. I suppose I''m far too powerful now for that to happen to me. There''s no actual danger here unless I actually wish to get hurt. The Santa Boss makes it halfway to me, then I Dash forward, striking at its right kneecap as I pass. With how little it reacted, I''m betting my movement wasn''t even visible to it. There''s a loud cracking from the bone breaking, and the monster drops to one knee as it lets out another roar. I jump up and flip down, performing a heel-drop on its right shoulder. As soon as my heel connects, breaking it, I use the impact to launch myself again, this time spinning. It takes only a moment for my heel to connect with the Santa Boss''s neck, and the sheer impact of the strike sends it flying towards the side. It might be a giant, heavy beast, but I have over 2,000 Strength. The impact sends me flying back, so I flip and land in the snow, then launch myself at it again, kicking the brute in the gut. I land in the snow again, then jump up, delivering one final blow to its head, crushing its face in with my right foot. The monster dies, and as I land, I discover that it fades away as soon as it dies. Since I was unconscious last time, I didn''t actually see it. The big sack drops to the ground as the rewards notices appear in my vision, informing me of the Bonus Experience and other rewards I obtained for killing it. I land on the ground, then stretch and look at my team. "Yo!" I wave. "It''s dead!" As they walk over, I tap on the Santa Sack with my middle finger as I think ''Access''.
Santa''s Sack 1 use
Open?
"Yes," I answer, and my reward appears. This time, everything is in multiples of ten. Ten red Christmas Ingots, ten green Christmas Ingots, ten boxes of candy canes, ten hams, ten crates of Neburis White Wine, ten Shadow Ingots, ten Blood Ingots, and thirty platinum. It''s not like it''s actually all that important, but I wasn''t going to leave a perfectly good thing sitting there to be left to rot for eternity. That would be a waste. Even if not using these are going to be bigger wastes. Well, actually, I might just head back to Maelnor at our next City and drop off all of the Ingots for Jackson to do with as he pleases. For free. Or give them to Nik. I''m sure the Dark Order could make use of them with the time we have left. "And, that, folks, is how you kill a Santa Boss without taking any damage!" I declare. "Boss," Max asks me curiously, my team having arrived over here now. "Are you going to open the presents?" "Hrm," I think for a few moments, then shrug. "I still have most of the presents from the last one I fought. Like, all but six. And since you get a hundred and seventy-five, that''s a fuckton. The whole ''random rewards'' thing sort of put me off to doing that, since I don''t know if I''d use them or be able to sell them." "You get presents for killing that?" Gavin asks. "Yeah," I nod. "Five platinum, ten diamond, fifteen gold, twenty silver, and twenty-five copper. The reward is random based on its tier and the person who opened them. I received Primordial Essence, plus a blanket and pillow last time." I open up my Inventory and pull out the winterbird down pillow to show them. "Sadly," I say. "They''re pure-white, so I''ve never really used them, but they''re really comfy. They''re actually more comfy than the stuff from the Dark Temple, and are rather expensive." Luca immediately decides that he has to feel it, and ends up rubbing the pillow to his face as soon as he notices how soft and fluffy it is. I laugh as I remember Gold doing the same thing to the blanket when I actually obtained them. "So you''re going to waste the rewards?" Gavin asks, his confusion clear on his face. "Why even go up against it, then?" "Because I could?" I offer as an answer. "The last time I fought one, I activated some primal instinct of mine, being a Son of Existence able to turn into a Dragon. The boss had nearly killed me, and I ended up taking on a Dragon Form. I might have been hoping that fighting it again might help me figure out how that happened, but sadly, I''m too powerful for that primal instinct to kick in now. At least, against something like this." I pull the pillow back from Luca, who looks rather disappointed as I send it back into my Inventory. "Don''t worry," I ruffle his hair. "If you want, you can use it at night from now on. And the blanket, too. I''d honestly forgotten about them until we were talking." "How do you forget you have things in your Inventory?" Gavin asks. "Isn''t it in the list?" "Erm," I say. "Actually, my special Inventory doesn''t have a list. It''s not a part of the System, so it doesn''t come with it. I haven''t mentioned that before?" "Maybe you have?" Gavin seems uncertain. "It''s possible I''ve forgotten. So you aren''t going to open the presents?" "No," I answer. "I mean, I could give some to you guys. The reward is based on the one opening them, not the one who earned them. Max has seen Gold''s boots and beanie that came from them. Clothes and such are bound to the opener, meaning their effects only work for them. He also got a box of dragon jerky." "That be good!" Max exclaims. "Gold let Max try some of it! He had a whole crate of it, and it lasted him a loooong time!" "But honestly?" I ask. "Most of it will probably be winter-related stuff, which would no longer be relevant once we leave here." "Wait!" Gavin exclaims. "You said Gold got a beanie from it? Is that where he got that hat he''s always wearing? I''ve been wondering about that." "Yes," I nod, glad to see Gavin is a bit livelier about something than usual. "He''s quite attached to it. As I said, we could open the presents, but most of what we get would be useless to us. Winter-based gear, or just gear in general that may be equal to or less than what we already have, and components for crafting. And since we''re traveling away from any smiths and craftsmen, the latter would definitely be useless to us." "That makes sense, I guess," Gavin says. "Don''t worry," I smile. "We''ve still got plenty of other things we can use. I got ten hams from the kill, so if you guys want, you''re able to make ham for dinner a few times. Anyway! Let''s get moving! We went off-path for this, and will need to hustle if we want to ensure we''re in the next City by nightfall!" Chapter 0183 (Luca) A stream! It''s so beautiful, and the water is so clear, too! It''s our first real time coming across one since entering Lost Territory. And since we''re a week away from the arctic forest, that means the temperature is nice and matching more to the late-spring weather we should have! I wanna go swimming! Oh, there are fish in it. Maybe not. The stream has a small bank on the other side, a cliff rising up on the other side of it. Because of the roundabout way we''re traveling, rather than just going straight west, we''ve stayed in the forest a little longer. I''m not sure where the cliff came from. It appeared when I wasn''t looking. We continue walking along the stream, occasionally killing goblins or wolves or whatever else that draws too close to us. We aren''t actually on the path right now. Lord Zack asked us when we left the City if we wanted to stay on the path, or if we wanted to go on a slight adventure away from the path and for some fun. He said that we could probably make it to another Fallen City after nightfall, but not the one we would''ve, had we stayed on the path. All of us were curious about this ''fun'' he mentioned, so we agreed to it, even if we knew that Lord Zack''s definition of ''fun'' isn''t necessarily the same as ours. We''re here for an adventure, just to explore a bit more of the Boundary before the end comes. Just to have fun and experience new things. Like cotton candy and watching Lord Zack throw flaming coal. At lunchtime, we reach a part of the creek with some really large boulders on this side of it, creating a brief ''pass'' which looks sort of cool. The water in the space between is deeper, a little bit because where it passes by the boulders is a little bit higher, creating a small waterfall. There''s also a little bit more space below, maybe an extra six inches deep from where it continues to flow downstream. So yeah, the water is about six inches deeper than normal in the area between the boulders and the cliff, and looks so nice and clear. The fish, too. I bet Max wants to eat them. Silly boy. We climb up onto them, and Lord Zack pulls out lunch, a delicious meal of sandwiches, salad, and fruit. After lunch, we relax on the boulders for a little while, just enjoying the sun. For a bit, I watch the fish swimming by in the creek. Then I get an idea, so I pull off my cloak and set it and my staff together, before pulling off my boots. Only Lord Zack seems to have noticed. I contemplate what I should do next. Should I just roll up my pants? Or strip to my underwear? To go swimming, I would strip to my underwear. But I''m not actually going swimming. As I debate on this, I notice a pair of white and blue shorts sitting on my cloak. Where did those come from? Oh, well. They''re perfect! So I strip off my pants and tunic, then pull on the shorts. There we go! No one seems to have noticed me, so I crawl off of the boulders, then step up to the creek. After a few moments of debating with myself, I move a foot forward and touch my toes into the water. Brr! Cold! I do my best not to shiver. Then, I gather up my courage and just walk into the stream. Now that I''m in the water, I bend over a little. The water goes almost all the way up to my knees. I move so I''m not too close to the edge and wait. It takes a few minutes before a fish swims by. When it does, I try to catch it, but I fail, my hands barely missing the fish. "Ooh!" Max exclaims. "Max wants to play fishy fishy!" What? I look up to find Max swiftly changing into shorts, then hopping off the boulder and into the river. "Winner is one who catches five fish first!" Max exclaims. "You guys are trying to catch fish with your hands?" Gavin asks. "Yeah!" Max exclaims as I nod. It seems like Gavin is debating something as Braden does¡­ something. He takes off his headpiece, but that''s all I can really see, other than him wiggling around up there. "Let me join," Gavin says as Braden jumps into the water from the boulders, wearing a pair of brown and green shorts. "Huh. Where did you guys get the-oh." He looks down, then sits back down and changes into shorts. "Thanks, Zack," Gavin says. "I stopped by Maelnor last night, while you guys were sleeping," Lord Zack says. "Figured you guys might have wanted to go swimming a bit, since we''ve talked about it before. So I popped back to Maelnor to get shorts for all of you. Except Max, he already had some."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Oh, so that is where they came from! Cool! Once the four of us are in position, Lord Zack calls for us to start our competition, so we do. I do my best to catch fish, but I miss them every time. Getting the timing down isn''t easy. "Five!" Max exclaims, and I look up just in time to see him throwing a fish at Zack. "Me win!" "Okay!" Zack calls as he slaps the fish out of the air, sending it back into the water, into the small pond after the short falls. "Max wins first place. Let''s see who can win second!" "How did you manage to do it so fast?" Gavin asks Max. "You seem to have caught every one you tried." "Me old master," Max says as I notice Braden catching a fish, then holding it up so Lord Zack can see it, dropping it back in once Lord Zack holds up two fingers. I guess that means he caught two. "He sometimes make Max go into creek or stream and catch fish with bare hands. So me got good at it! Sometimes, if we be camping outside for some reason, and Master be sleeping, me would sneak back to the creek and catch another fish, then eat it." He rubs his stomach, then crouches again. I guess he''s going to keep catching fish. We continue our attempts, and I continue to fail it. Braden manages to catch five next, and just as I catch my first one, Braden pulls his bow out of his Inventory and aims it into the woods, releasing several arrows. "What''s wrong?" Gavin asks as we look. "Zack!" "I saw them," Lord Zack comments casually. Of course he did, I bet he wanted to test us. None of us have our protective gear on, and only Braden has his weapon ¨C ours are on the boulders. "Max, you use magic," Gavin says. "Luca, stay in the creek behind Braden. I''m going to get my sword." Gavin heads to the boulders as I move to behind Braden, still facing the bears that are approaching us. There are four of them.
Blaze Bear Level 15
Health: 12,187 Mana: 14,136
I have no idea what that means, but they aren''t on fire, which is concerning to me, since their Status calls them ''Blaze Bears''. If their fur isn''t on fire, why do they have that name? Braden releases his arrows as Max throws Fireballs at the bears. For some reason, Braden isn''t able to hit their eyes. The arrows seem to shift slightly, glancing off the sides of the bears. Whoa. It''s like there''s a mirage around the bears. "Watch out for the flame breaths!" Gavin jumps off the boulders. "Water-based and ice-based attacks are the most efficient! Water Blade!" Water swirls around his sword as I start buffing everyone but Lord Zack. Even if he were fighting, he wouldn''t need the buffs. I bet he could just crush the monsters'' heads with a punch or kick or heel-drop or flick. Well, the flick would probably send them flying. Maybe? I don''t know. I''ve never actually seen that happen before. Gavin attacks one of the bears as I debate on if I should use my attacks or not. No one said to, though, so I probably don''t need to. Braden continues to attack the bears, his arrows curving slightly, and he mutters a swear under his breath. Max''s attacks suddenly shift into a Water Jet. Did he just learn that spell specifically to attack these things? "Fuck it," Braden mutters under his breath. "Those Aura of Heats they''re running is making this difficult." He draws his bow again, and this time, his green arrow is made of ice. Whoa. That''s awesome. Braden releases the arrow, and it strikes a bear in the eye, traveling a little into it. The bear roars, then charges towards us, and Braden releases a second arrow. Max keeps the bears at bay by pushing them back with the Water Jets. It''s not actually all that powerful, but they''re not seeming to be willing to just charge through it. It makes it harder for Braden to aim, especially since only one was facing the two of us. "Luca, come with me," Braden instructs, so I follow as he moves to try and gain a better spot to shoot. Gavin manages to kill the bear he''s facing, and one of the two remaining ones opens its mouth, then begins exhaling fire right at him. "Stone Wall!" Gavin drops to the ground as a wall of stone rises up. The flame breath burns against the Stone Wall, which takes the attack as Max continues his own attacks. Braden succeeds in taking out one of the other two Blaze Bears, and Gavin lunges out from behind the Stone Wall once the fire stops. The bear roars, then begins to expel flames again. My turn! I hold up a hand and release a Water Jet right into its mouth, negating the fires and turning a little to steam. The Blaze Bear continues its flame breath for only a few moments before it stops, and then it turns its head away, choking. Max hits it with a Water Jet of his own as Gavin strikes with his sword, Water Blade active, and Braden releases several more arrows. The bear dies rather fast because of that. Individually, we aren''t truly powerful, but as a team, we are epic. Almost as epic as Lord Zack himself. I look up to Lord Zack, the others doing the same, and our immortal leader gives us two thumbs-up. "Good job, you guys," Zack said. "You''ve heard about the Blaze Bears, Gavin?" "Yeah," Gavin nods. "Mama Bear told me about them. She''s told me about a few different types of bears that can be found in the Boundary. I was actually surprised we didn''t run into the ice-based versions of them in the arctic forest." "We did," Lord Zack says. "I just killed them all to lessen how much fighting you guys had to do. But then I realized as you were doing the competition that maybe I shouldn''t just steal all the kills, especially against new monsters. The whole purpose of this trip is to experience new things and explore territory that''s been conquered by monsters for a long time." "Uh¡­ thanks," Gavin says. "Are there more coming? Because we really don''t mind you taking care of monsters, Zack." "No," Lord Zack stretches. "You guys can get back to your fun. I''ll handle anything else that comes our way. We''ve plenty of time as long as we aren''t trying to reach the next City by nightfall." I nod, then find a better spot to catch fish in, then resume trying it. Braden and Max do the same, while Gavin changes back into his normal clothes and takes care of his sword, then just relaxes. After around ten more minutes of catching fish, Max, Braden, and I start goofing around, splashing water at each other. By that, I mean that Max and I use Water Ball and Water Jet, and Braden learns Water Ball just to join in. It''s a fun time for us, but I get exhausted after a bit, so I climb back up onto the rocks for a nap. Choosing to make this detour was definitely fun, and we got to fight a new monster, too! I don''t mind getting to the next City late because of that. What''s the next fun thing we''re going to encounter? Chapter 0184 (Zack) "Hey, Zack?" Gavin asks. "I heard that the Santa Boss gives ten thousand percent Bonus Experience. I''m sure you got the extra reward, too, so that''s¡­ double that you got. Is that not enough to Level up?" "I can Level," I tell him. "Actually, I have enough Bonus Experience to master four more Classes, including after Ascending again. So the two needed to reach my Third Ascension, and then two more into my Third Ascension. But really? There''s no point to it anymore." "Oh," he says. "That''s why." "But, theoretically," I say. "If something powerful came up, something more powerful than what I can handle now, even in Eidolon Form, then I would probably bring myself up to Level 750 and deal with it. If I couldn''t, then we''d flee to the nearest City and I''d go through the Ascension Trial, then take on another 100 Levels. Then I''d go and kick its ass." "Maybe," he says, and I can tell he wants to ask something. I could just poke into his mind and find out, but let him squirm for a few minutes, before I end up deciding to just ask. "Why were you wondering, Gavin?" I ask. "It''s clear you had a reason for it." "It''s just," he hesitates for a moment. "What if we do come across something that needs a few more Levels? The Level Cap here is Level 15 right now, which means Bounty Beasts can be Level 35, and they''re always much, much stronger versions." "It would take something very powerful to be a threat," I remind him. "Something on the level of multiple King Monsters, A''Lutar, Ultimate Bosses, and Dragons. And even the latter, I''d probably manage to handle if they aren''t too powerful. Unless the Shadow of Life decides to try to kill me again, which I doubt he will, we shouldn''t have to deal with such things." "Okay," he accepts it, though I can tell he''s still a little doubtful. "Gavin," I say. "How many of his attempts at killing you have succeeded? How many of his attempts at killing me have succeeded?" "You have a point there," he admits. "Of course," I smile. "Come on, let''s keep walking." The team and I resume our trip. As we walk, I think about something. Gavin''s inquiry brought up a question in my mind, a question I feel is extremely important. Big Flame? Yes? He responds almost immediately, though he sounds tired, almost as if he were emulating Big S from before they released the other Boundaries. Uh¡­ everything alright? Yeah. Seal had us doing some stuff, and it''s made us all a bit sleepy as a result. What kind of stuff? Bryce needed to get into a City without risking being killed by an Avatar, so Seal had the eight of us exert our power and sacrifice the energy in two storage crystals to kill it. It takes that much power for you to do something like that? Yes, he answers. And it wears us out, too. That explains why they''ve never done it before, then. Using up two storage crystals from each of them would put a heavy toll on them, especially while supporting multiple Boundaries. Since there''s only one now, I suppose Big S felt it was fine for them to do that, especially with the end drawing near. As long as they don''t need to use up more over the next few months for something big, things should be fine. My gut says it''ll be fine, too. What did Bryce need to get into a City for? He wanted a hot bath. Good on Bryce for making them sacrifice so much power for such a thing. A true brother of mine! Big S didn''t tell us what it was until after we did that¡­ I laugh, drawing looks from my team, but they promptly decide that they probably won''t be able to learn what it is and resume to watching the forest around us. Okay, so I had a rather important question, Big Flame. Sure, what is it? Why is it that the Boundary would fall within a year, should Maelnor have been defeated? I mean, I get that as soon as Maelnor was defeated, the pass and mountains would be passable even without the other City falling, but still. It doesn''t make sense. It took them billions of years just to get to Maelnor. Yet it takes less than one to get from Maelnor to the Temple of the Elements? What is up with that? Especially with the size of the Boundary. It just doesn''t make sense they''d be able to cross it all that fast. I can feel Big Flame musing over his response for several minutes as my team and I continue our walk. Eventually, he deigns to give me an answer.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. In order for Kaelmar to have been taken, he says. Every other City on one half of the Boundary must have been conquered. Same for each other City in the Valley of the Elements. So long as there was even one standing City in one half of the Boundary, it would not be possible to take out any of the Cities in the Valley of the Elements. That is why it took them billions of years to take out Kaelmar. Alexander spent that time ensuring every last City in the western half of the Boundary was destroyed. He had to build up his forces to ensure escape could only be managed within the City, not by the paths. Hence the hordes. Exactly. The hordes would surround the City. At first, it was because he didn''t know if the Adventurers could handle a Dragon. But then it just became tradition, in a sense. The King Monsters could, with time, destroy the City Barrier, but the Dragons were most efficient at it. The ultimate of all monsters. That is why the Adventurers remained behind ¨C to fend off the horde as long as possible, in the hope that that time was the one when the Dragon didn''t show up, and that that time was the one where they managed to kill the King Monsters. Standard stubborn Adventurer stuff. I don''t get it, though. He doesn''t need to take out every other City in the eastern half? Correct, Big Flame answers. It was only necessary to start taking out the four Cities of the Valley of the Elements. A dragon can fly halfway across the Boundary in under a year. Were Maelnor to have fallen, the Shadow of Life would have sent one of the ones under his control to the Temple of the Elements, to destroy it. That''s why it took billions of years to reach the valley, but would take less than a year from the fall of Maelnor for him to achieve victory. Wait. There aren''t any Dragons in the eastern half? Nope. There used to be, but because the Temple of the Elements on that half and the Valley of the Elements held, Alexander couldn''t influence them. Eventually, they died off. Because of the high numbers of Adventurers on it, it was rare for a Dragon to manage to feed itself well. We might have influenced things a little bit as well. In the end, they died off because of that. So the entire eastern half is free of Dragons, the only beasts which can destroy the Temple of the Elements and ensure Alexander''s victory. Got it. Thanks. You''re welcome, he lets out a yawn. I''m going to take a nap. We''ve decided to kid-pile on Seal for what he had us do. You do that. His presence fades from my mind, and I chuckle. Big S is probably annoyed by it, and will probably move them off of him once they''re all asleep. At least a major question of mine has been answered. I''ve thought about it a few times, and Gavin made me think about it again. I''d contemplated asking Big S and Big Flame about it before, but had always figured they''d try to act mysterious about the reasoning. What Big Flame said makes sense, though. And to think they nudged events until Dragons in the eastern half died out, just to ensure it wouldn''t happen sooner. That''s¡­ rather impressive. "You seem like you just had a major revelation," Braden tells me. "I did," I nod. "But nothing that will help us in defeating the Shadow of Life sooner. That''s okay, though. I''m confident in leaving this to my brother''s hands." He nods, then resumes watching our back, and I start thinking about what my father said. My true father, not the man who raised me. Supposedly, I know a way to defeat the Shadow of Life, and have had it for awhile. As we''ve traveled between Cities here, I''ve tried thinking of what it could be. What could possibly enable us to kill him without fighting? I know he never said it didn''t involve fighting, but something in my gut says it does. There was always the possibility that whatever it is Existence says I know could have been the realization that caused the end, except that Big S is one hundred percent certain that the realization turned me to Alexander''s side. The whole thing is making my head spin as I try to figure it out. What I do know is that whatever knowledge I apparently do have about how to defeat the Shadow of Life, it doesn''t appear to matter. Does that mean it''s beyond my reach? Or is it actually something that would help Bryce? Big S has always known more than he revealed, so if he believes that my realization would turn me to the Shadow of Life, then it would. That means that defeating Alexander is up to my brother. GAAAH! This is making my head spin too much!
(Luca) "Max?" I whisper after looking back at Lord Zack, who seems frustrated by something. "Yes, Luca?" He whispers back. "Are rabbit''s feet actually lucky?" I ask. Some people say they are, some say they aren''t. I don''t want to ask Lord Zack because he probably wouldn''t give me an actual answer. Or he''d give me an answer, but it would make my head spin. So I''m asking Max. Partly because he''s carrying my right now, since my legs are tired, and partly because if anyone in our party knew, he would. He''s a wolf beastborn, which means that rabbits are their natural prey, which means that he would know, if anyone did. "Depends on the rabbit," he answers, and I look off to the side. I think I just saw something. "Normal bunnies, their feet not be lucky. Same with the horn ones." "So horned rabbits and normal rabbits, unlucky feet?" "No, no, no," he shakes his head. "They not be unlucky, just not be lucky. Shadow Bunny feet, those ones be unlucky. Max heard of a slave who once slipped one into her master''s food. He got super sick and died. So those ones definitely be unlucky." "So Light Rabbit feet are lucky?" I ask as I look ahead again. Maybe I didn''t see something. "Since they''re the opposite of light, and light is opposite of shadow?" "No," Max answers. "Me think Light Rabbit feet be unlucky, too. Heard about a Scholar who got hurt carrying one to his house. So they probably be unlucky." "Oh," I think for a moment. "So what rabbit feet are lucky?" "The ones which bring you good luck!" That doesn''t answer my question. I reach up and tug on one of his ears, causing him to yelp. "The variety of rabbit they come from, Max." "Oh, that," he answers, and I can tell he has to think about it for a minute. As he does, I feel like I saw something again, and look to the side once more. "Me not ever actually heard of bunny feet giving good luck. Just not being lucky or being unlucky." "Oh, so no rabbit''s feet are lucky?" "Well," Max says as I look to the front once more. Still nothing, but now I''m sure something''s there. "If a bunny did have lucky feet, then it would be Candy Bunnies." "Why do you say that?" I ask. "I don''t remember them being very lucky at all." "Because then Max gets to eat them and not get all bloody!" Max answers excitedly. "That be very lucky to me!" Oh. I should have known better than to ask Max about something like this. His mind went to food. Speaking of food, I''m hungry. Max, Braden, and Lord Zack all stop walking, and Gavin stops a moment later, looking between them, then scanning the trees. I think he felt something off, too. "Something be here," Max says quietly. "It''s coming from behind!" Lord Zack exclaims. "Everyone move back, it''s another Special Boss!" Chapter 0185 (Zack) I''m both happy and annoyed that the Forest Lord deigned to fight us. It was mentioned all the way back when I fought the first Ice Lord as being another type of special boss. I never did look into what it looked like or what it could do, since it wasn''t in the areas where I would be. When it came time to prepare for departure from the valley, I hadn''t remembered it, so I didn''t look into it then. The Forest Lord is essentially a bear which stands at fifteen feet in height while on its hind legs. Dark brown fur and eyes, with stone protrusions coming out of its back, shoulders, the back and top of its head, and its legs. Its tail is akin to a rope made of stone, resembling more of a lizard''s than a bear''s in shape and length.
Forest Lord Level 25
Health: 978,143 Mana: 890,658
That''s a lot of Mana for this beast, which suggests it has plenty of spell-based attacks in addition to its physical might, which is no doubt strong. But that''s fine, because I''m Zack Noruva, Level 650, and wielder of ultimate gear. The Forest Lord roars, before slamming its front paws onto the ground. Large stones form, rising up from the ground, then launch at my team and me. I throw up a Barrier behind me, the shimmering violet spell protecting my team from the attacks as I allow one of the rocks to strike me, stopping the others. No damage at all, which means I can handle that. "You four retreat out of its range," I command my team as the Forest Lord rears up, then slams its paws down again, sending another wave of stones at us. "I''ll handle it." I wait for my team to retreat before I release the Barrier, then begin evading the rocks as it performs another wave. This goes on for several waves, and I honestly could put a stop to it, but I want to see what else this monster can do. With the eighth slam of its paws, a gut feeling tells me to jump up, so I do, managing to evade the thorns that shot up from the ground in an attempt to ensnare me. That is freaking awesome. I land a little bit away, and the Forest Lord charges at me. I jump and flip over it, punching at its back, and stone forms in my fist''s path. Were I a normal Adventurer, that would have hurt me upon contact, but instead, I crack the stone a bit. "You''re a tough one, aren''t you?" I ask as the stone disappears, the Forest Lord stopping its charge to turn around, opening its mouth. Flame Breath. Calling it now. Fire begins to burst out of its mouth, confirming my theory. I draw my sword and cut through the flames, letting my blade absorb it due to the Spook Ore within. What makes it past my sword is drawn to my armor and absorbed in, as usual, and the Forest Lord looks stunned. "Hi!" I greet it. "I doubt your stone can stop this sword!" Playtime''s over, I''ve seen a few of its tricks, and it''s boring me. So I charge forward, moving faster than it can evade, and twist when I get to beside its head. I bring my sword down and swing it up, cutting through the stone which began to form to protect its neck, then through its head, then the stone coming out of the back of its neck. The Forest Lord''s head tumbles to the ground, and I assess my winnings. It''s almost the same as the Ice Lord''s, except with Forest Ingots instead of Frost Ingots, and the bear doesn''t fade away. I''m probably meant to collect the pelt, but it''s not really something I care about, especially with the end coming. My team returns as I wait, and Max pokes the bear as Braden assess it. I can tell the Druid is trying to figure out if that''s a pelt he''d want to wear, were it to meet the requirements for obtaining another Animal Form. He isn''t sure if he''ll reach Tier 2 Druid before the end comes, but if he does, I know he wants to try and obtain a bear form. He decides rather fast that he doesn''t want to wear a pelt like that. It''s obvious by where he''s looking that he''s not fond of the stone protrusions, and I don''t blame him. Those look strange and stupid. "Come on," I tell them. "We shouldn''t be too far from the next City. Once we''re there, hot baths, hot food, and a night of rest!" My team nods, then we return to our trip, reaching the next City after only thirty more minutes. There, we''re immediately assaulted by arrows. I perform the same routine as before, stopping the arrows with a Barrier, then waiting for the assault to stop. As soon as I does, I chase down the avatar and run my sword through it over and over until it dies. Okay, so maybe I kept stabbing it after it died, but whatever. Just like with the first one I fought, Alexander manifests an avatar to approach me. Sighing, I look at it. "How many times do I have to tell you ''no'', Alexander?" I ask. "I''m not going to give up," he tells me. "Bryce is destined to kill me. You are destined to help me." "You can try over and over," I shake my head. "I''m not joining you, and I''m not helping you, Alexander. I make you this promise now: should I ever help you, it will result in your death. It will be to kill you."This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "You are not the one who will kill me," he says. "Now that I know the truth, Zack, I know that you will come around. It will just take time, and that is why I wish to speak with you." "No!" I exclaim. "Are you a fucking moron? I will never join you. Whatever chance you had of that, you lost when you killed Bryce!" "You brought him back." "And Braden?" I ask. "You could have prevented A''Lutar from fighting him. Luca told me about their trip to him ¨C it was way too fucking silent. You did that, and I know you were the one who gathered up that army of goblins to fight me that time, the one who sent all of the Fallen Adventurers into the waterways." "Zack-" "And all of the attempts at killing me and my team?" I interrupt. "You have no chance of making me your ally. Visions are able to be diverted. You diverted the possibility of me ever helping you, turning me into a permanent enemy. Stop trying to convert me because of that stupid little desire you have! It''s not going to work!" "The fact that you get so frustrated," he says. "And are trying to talk me out of it suggests it''s working, Zack. You know-" "No," I say. "It''s suggesting that I''m frustrated by you deciding to be an eternal pest. You''re a pain in the ass, Alexander, now fuck off and don''t come back!" I throw a Fireball at him, turning him to ash, then I head to the altar to restore it. After going through our normal routine of stuff after that, I take a bath while the team plays cards, Luca snacking despite having just eaten dinner. Then my ears pick up Max, Gavin, and Braden pulling out food. They all stuffed themselves at dinner, but maybe it wasn''t enough? Max, Gavin, and Braden are teens, so it makes sense their appetites might increase because of any growth spurts they might start going through. After my own relaxing bath, I dry off and pull on my nightclothes, then head to the room my team is hanging out in and set up makeshift beds of blankets and pillows in. "Guys," I say. "I want to talk about something with you." "What is it?" Gavin asks as everyone looks at me, and I realize my tone was a bit too serious. "Nothing too serious," I flash them a grin, then return to talking a little more seriously, though not as serious as I''d started. "Bryce wants to meet up." "So you''re leaving us?" Luca looks worried. "No," I shake my head. "Actually, we have plenty of time before we meet up with him. A couple of weeks before he''d get to the meeting spot. It''s not a rush thing, and I''ve known about it for a couple of weeks already." "How did you two talk?" Gavin asks. "If we''re in completely different places?" "Visions," Braden answers. "They''re probably looking at each other regularly. Knowing Zack, he can probably tell when Bryce is looking at him, and since they''re brothers, I''m sure Bryce can, too. It wouldn''t be difficult to give a message if you know you''re being watched." "That be creepy," Max whispers to Luca, who nods in agreement. "Anyway," I say. "We have two options for this. If we continue heading west, then tomorrow, we''ll enter a swamp. The meeting point is a straight shot through the swamp and would take us just two or three days at most, unless we got really delayed. Or we can walk around the swamp, going to the north. "If we take that option," I say. "We could either skip the Cities and camp out in the forest around the swamp, or we can stay in the Cities themselves, as we''ve been doing. Either option there will add two or three days on to our trip." Gavin frowns a little bit, and I can already tell his question, but let him ask it anyway rather than simply answering it. "Why did we come south a bit, then?" He asks. "Rather than go straight west? Wouldn''t our trip here have been shorter already?" "Maybe," I shrug. "But the trip through the swamp would take around the same amount of time if we just kept going west, bypassed the swamp, and then went south." "Zack," Braden says. "It will only take longer if we go around the swamp because you brought us down to here first." "Yeah," I grin. "I kind of focused on meeting up with Bryce and sort of forgot that you guys might not want to go through the swamp." Gavin groans as Max chuckles and Luca rolls his eyes. Braden, on the other hand, simply nods, accepting that. "I did consider going around the swamp initially," I tell the team. "But then got excited about meeting Bryce and wanted to do more of a straight shot. As I said, though ¨C we''ll arrive there ahead of him either way we go. "The main reason I''m asking first," I continue. "Is that the swamp is a wet place. We''ll be walking on paths that are raised above it, but we may have to do some careful avoiding to prevent ourselves from falling into the water. If we do fall into the water, we''ll have to wait until we reach the next City to properly dry off and clean up. It will be smelly, and we''ll be facing a few new monsters as well. That''s why I''m asking you guys first." My team thinks it over, though I can already tell Luca''s decision. "Swamp," he says. "Why?" Gavin asks him. "We''re bound to fall into dirty water and get covered in stench. With our Perceptions, it''s going to be annoying. Max and Braden will be badly affected by it. So will Zack." "Swamp," Luca nods, and I think he just wants a change of scenery. "Me want to fight Swamp Toads!" Max answers. "Me never got to taste froggy legs, and they sometimes drop those!" "A change of scenery would be nice," Braden comments. "I guess it''s the swamp," Gavin gives in to the majority vote. "Alright," I tell them. "I''m going to get some sleep. You guys enjoy whatever rest of the game you have until you head to bed, but try to get to bed within an hour, okay?" They acknowledge my instructions, and I crawl under a blanket and try to fall asleep, thinking about a gut feeling of mine. Something tells me that the City we meet up with Bryce in, that''s where the event which sets off the end will happen. By the time he arrives there, Bryce will be Level 250. That means he''ll likely Ascend once he''s there. The rate at which he''s doing things, I''m sure he''s obtained plenty of Bonus Experience as well. If so, then he may be planning on spamming it, resulting in Power Jump after Power Jump. That would explain why he''s wanting to meet up ¨C so we can watch over him while he''s dealing with Power Jump. Will he really have enough Bonus Experience to become more powerful than me in just two weeks? Or will he make a slight detour as well? Whatever it is, I know things are going to start to end based on something that happens there. My sight won''t tell me what, but my gut says it''s true. I pray to my father that everything works out well and that whatever causes Bryce to fight Alexander, it''s nothing too serious. Even if my team is going to pass on to the afterlife anyway, I want their ends to be peaceful, happy ones. I don''t want them to suffer any more than they already have, especially not in this life. The rest of our time here, I want them to spend having fun and enjoying themselves. With those thoughts in my mind, I manage to fall asleep. Chapter 0186 (Gavin) The change from the forest to the swamp is rather dramatic, as we go from normal-looking trees to more spindly ones with their roots coming up partially out of the bit of water on the ground. We stay on a solid stone path that rises above the murky water. It''s not a steep fall, and the water doesn''t look deep at all, but it''s better to stay on the path than not to. The path itself is about ten feet wide and stands three inches taller than the water does. I''m betting that when it rains heavily, the path floods. Some trees look a little different, with thicker trunks and shorter forms, their canopies wider-spread than the others. Most of the trees have moss and vines hanging down, and their leaves sort of make me think of a thin moss. The air really doesn''t smell fun, either. Several times, a smaller path branches away from here, either made of the same uniform stone as we''re walking on now, or of rocks that were probably put in place. I see at least one path that was probably made by Elementalists using their permanent Stone Walls, too. Those were likely made by Adventurers, while the ones made of rocks were probably put in place by the goblins that live here. Most likely, the additional paths from Adventurers were used to reach some of the small ''islands'' in the swamp where resources might be found. Plus, it adds hunting range for training, so creating more paths would make sense. Our first challenge here comes to when we reach a part of the path which got destroyed by something. Either we can try our luck jumping, or we can backtrack and follow a smaller path until the connections return to the main path. There''s no way my Stone Walls would suffice for this task, I''m not that talented with them. In the end, the decision comes to Zack and Luca sprouting their wings and carrying Max and me across respectively, Braden changing into his Animal Form and just jumping the distance. Watching as he soars past us, I''m amazed once more by the power that form appears to hold, and remember that were Braden at the Level he could be at, had he trained another Class while waiting for the hunt to appear, he''d be a lot more powerful than he is right now. A lot more powerful. More than double what that form is now. We reach the other side and get set down, and Luca pulls his tunic and cloak back on the moment his wings are gone. "Thank you," I tell him, and he dips his head to me in acknowledgment of my thanks. We resume our trip, and it''s twenty minutes after that we come across our first monster, a frog twice as tall as me, and I''m the tallest person in this group. It''s slick with whatever slime or mucus or whatever it is they produce, its yellow and black eyes watching us. The beast sits in the exact center of the path, as if guarding the path. A Level 15 Swamp Toad. Okay, so it''s a toad, not a frog. It croaks, then opens its mouth, its tongue shooting out at us. At Luca. I move in front of him as I draw my sword, barely managing to block the tongue in time. That was fast! "Sleepy Blade!" Max cheerfully exclaims as the toad begins to unwrap its tongue from my sword, then I see the fire-happy mage cut down through the toad''s tongue. At the same time, Braden releases several Lightning Shot arrows at the toad, all of which impact its eyes. That''s some pretty good aiming, there. The combination of attacks from those two, plus the Water Jet Luca uses for good measure, kills the toad. Sometimes, I feel like I don''t fit with this team, with how efficient the three of them are together and just how ridiculously overpowered Zack himself is. They don''t seem to care, though, treating me just as well as they treat each other. Even Zack treats me the same as he treats the rest of the team, just a little different. But that''s how he is, since he treats each of us differently based on how well we mesh with him, anyway. As we resume our walk, I can''t help but think about the future. When this ends, I''ll get into heaven and have several options ahead of me. Zack''s only mentioned a couple of them, though. I could stay there with family that''s passed, do my own thing there, or reincarnate. There are other choices available as well, though Zack never said what they were, and I doubt he''d tell me if I asked. Unless something tempting comes, I''ll probably reincarnate. We won''t remember any of the stuff which occurred here in the Boundary, which makes me a little sad. But if I reincarnate, I can make new memories in the mortal realm once more.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Since magic would return to reality once the Boundary is released, a lot more possibilities would open up. If I got to pick where I reincarnated to, and maybe even what I did in life, even if only with a vague sense or general pick, there''s something I''d like to do. Be a proper paladin somewhere. Protecting the weak while fighting against the darkness is definitely something I want to do, and if I can do that in the next life as well, then I want to. Especially since I''ll have more time to train and become powerful enough that I''m akin to the Zack of that area in terms of power. That would be fine by me. It wouldn''t be good to have the need for a paladin that powerful, but as long as there is free will and monsters, darkness will always rise and need to be put down. Yeah, I think I''ll do that, if I''m able to pick what I''m like when I reincarnate. At lunchtime, we stop where we are and just sit on the path to eat, as we''ve been doing. It''s definitely weird, eating with the smell of the swamp all around us. It''s also curious that monsters have been avoiding us. Now that I think about it, other than the toad, there hasn''t been anything. Has Zack been killing everything with his ultra speed again? After lunch, we resume our trip to the next City, and when we arrive, it is not what I was expecting. The walls and buildings are as ruined as expected, as are some of the paths, it looks like. It really just looks like walls were raised up in the swamp, too, with buildings resting on stone platforms in the water. No actual ground, just the paths and murky water. "There''s fresh water much deeper down," Zack tells us. "Much deeper. The wells will pull it up when we use them." "Okay," I nod. "Let''s head to the center," Zack says. "Stick with me, the avatar is at the center, like usual."
(Zack) And that''s the last of the monsters! I pull my sword out, then flick it twice, the blood sliding off due to that nifty enchantment on it. Then, I pull a length of rope out of my Inventory. With that out, I lunge at Alexander''s avatar, pin it to the ground, and tie it up. "What are you doing?" He struggles against me, but against my System-enhanced Strength, his normal strength is useless. I succeed. "Zack, seriously? Why did you tie me up?" "You seem insistent on coming to me," I tell him. "And trying to convince me to join your side. It''s evident that you''re in control of these until their end and feel whatever pain they do." "And?" He asks. I shove him off the path and into the water. We''re far enough away from where my team''s set up camp that they won''t hear him struggle and scream as he drowns. The pest taken care of, I skip to the house my team picked, an intact building. As usual, they''re all taking a bath already, so I get to work making dinner for us. Alexander is probably dead by now, his avatar faded. With a check of my sight, I confirm his nonexistence. Why is he so insistent? Does he really believe this means I think it''s working? It isn''t. I will never join him! It''s just frustrating and annoying to have to deal with him all the time. If he comes at me close to when Bryce arrives in the City we''re meeting up in, I''m going to tie him up and ensure he survives until Bryce arrives. Then, I''ll let Bryce kill him. It won''t be the same as for the vision, but it''ll probably be fun to watch. And good practice. As I think about that, I finish making dinner and my team joins me out here, dressed for bed, as per the usual. We dine on the feast I prepared, which uses up the last of the hams I got from the Santa Boss, as well as some of the wine I''ve gotten from various things over the months. I don''t let my team drink enough to get drunk, just a glass each. I, on the other hand, finish off that bottle and a full one by myself as my team drinks water to wash the rest of their food down with. Luca really goes at the water, mostly because he wants to get rid of the taste of alcohol. After dinner, I open up a box of chocolate and one of the boxes of candy canes. I eat the former while my team eats the latter, Luca and Max doing their best to make creations with some of the candy canes before eating them. I watch them for a few minutes, then head for a bath. We all got smelly from the swamp. It''s like the stench just coats us. At least the City smells better, now that I''ve restored it.
(Max) Now that everyone is asleep, me make my way up onto the roof. Boss be sleeping, too, so me not coming up here to talk with him. The end be coming. Boss mentioned it to Big Flame, who told Max it. If Boss says that it is soon, then it be soon. Not just within a year, though. Within a couple of months. Big Flame says that Boss said that something which happens in the City where we meet up with Boss-Brother be what causes the end. Now, me really want to meet Boss-Brother properly. He be so weak when we met before, but if he kills the Shadow of Life so soon after coming back from being dead, then Max am really impressed by that. If things be ending soon, then Max needs to think. As a beastborn, me will not have any real memories in the afterlife. Because of that, Max be guaranteed to reincarnate, since me am getting the positive ending. The stars tonight are pretty. If me do reincarnate, me want to reincarnate somewhere me can see them all the time. And if beastborn exist, then me want to be one, too. But one who learns to speak from growing up. That last part mostly be so that me can speak properly. Max be aware that even after all of his training, me am not able to speak as fluently as Adventurers can. It sometimes causes mixups. So in me next life, me hope that Max get to speak from when me am a little pup. Hm. Who do Max need to pray to in order to arrange such a thing? That be very important? Well, me won''t get an answer just sitting here, so me sit up, close my eyes, and fold my hands in prayer. "God of reincarnations," me say. "Please let me reincarnate as a beastborn if possible. And please let me reincarnate somewhere Max can see pretty stars at night and learn to speak properly as me grow up. Me not know which god be over reincarnations, so me hope you understand me not being specific. Thank you!" With me prayer over, me lie back down and stare up at the stars once more. They''re really pretty. Chapter 0187 (Luca) Time for my awesome powers to shine! Yes! Holy Arrow! Holy Arrow! Holy Arrow! Take that, undead scum! Blessing of Intellect to myself! More Holy Arrows! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! These undead goblins and frogs stand no chance against the mighty me! With my Blessing of Intellect, I have more than 1,000 Intellect, making my Holy Arrows especially powerful against these things! It only takes a few hits for them to die! Hey, Max! Stop attacking my monsters! Okay, fine, you can kill that one. Gaviiiiiin! Stop that! Those are mine! I wanna kill everything here! Well, at least Braden and Lord Zack are letting us handle things. Lord Zack is because he isn''t needed, and I think Braden is actually looking for the Death Mage or whatever it is that raised all of these skeletons. They''re just climbing out of the swamp and onto the path to attack us. Okay, so maybe I need a little help to kill them, because it seems like there''s a never-ending wave of these things. At some point, Braden suddenly turns into a white liger, then jumps off the path, landing on another path. He performs several more leaps before he''s out of my sight, and after about a minute, the army of skeletons stops arriving. We finish off the last of them, then I look around at all of the bones. This sucked! I kick some of the bones. Stupid undead, thinking they could take us on. "Found the Goblin Death Mage which raised all of those," Braden says, and I notice that he returned. "It was hanging out a fair distance away." "Thanks," Gavin says. "The skeletons just kept coming back together. They shouldn''t have been able to do that for the ones Luca and I slayed, we took them out with holy attacks." "Oh," I say. "There are some monsters which has a Skill which allows them to ignore that. We have to do a Blessed Purification on the bones to prevent that. I dunno how to do that, though." Gavin sighs, realizing that there''s yet more he didn''t know. It''s okay, he''s not a Priest or advanced Paladin. He''s new to the job. I only know about it because Sir Travis mentioned it to me while we were in the mines, and it wasn''t even important there. Most of the monsters which can learn the spell live in places like swamps, not mines and caves. That, or wastelands. Environments like that. Full of foul smells and decaying things and ugly monsters. Okay, most monsters are ugly. Except things like the Fluffy Monavar. That was adorable, and its wool is so soft! I love just feeling its wool! If things weren''t getting ready to end in the next several months, I''d have asked Lord Zack to have mine made into a blanket or a shirt or something. Maybe a scarf, to keep me feeling awesome. Well, I wouldn''t wear it in the swamp. I don''t think this smell is ever coming out of my clothes! But for outside of the swamp. Definitely outside of the swamp. As we resume our journey, me walking for this part of it, since my stamina''s built up a fair bit and I can go longer without being carried, now, I think about things. Mostly because the fluffy wool made me think about the end of things. It''s coming soon, I can feel it in my tummy. I''m definitely reincarnating, if I''m able to reincarnate with my brother. I miss him, and will miss my memories from here. That''s part of why I want to reincarnate. If I do, then I can make new memories, have new adventures, and have lots of fun. I think¡­ I think I want to reincarnate with Braden ¨C my brother, not my friend ¨C and go on adventures with him. We grow up training together, then set off. He''d be a wind mage, and I''d be a healer. We''d have a ton of adventures together, doing this and that and whatever else we want. He''d probably be the stubborn, hard-headed member of the pair, and I''d be the calmer one who bops him over the head whenever he needs it. In my next life, I hope I''m a lot more aggressive with stopping him when he''s an idiot. A lot of things would be different, were I like that before he died again. Braden would be alive, and this team might not have worked out the way it is. Gavin would have two people he''d have issues with, so he''d have likely left us. Max might not have become a mage first, since we''d already have a mage. Or he''d clash with Braden because my brother would be stubborn and annoyed at having another mage. Well, that''s all in the past now. I don''t even know if I''ll get to pick the setting for reincarnation. But if I do, then I already know what I''m going to do, what I''m going to pick. Was everything always that fuzzy? I look around, then rub my eyes. Maybe I''m just tired. Gavin and Braden both look tired. They''re moving more slowly than I am, and it looks like they''re starting to drag, struggling to keep their eyes closed. Gavin, I can understand, but Braden? That''s just weird. He''s the most alert out of the four of us, and I know he''s been sleeping well, even if we''re all a bit exhausted from the long journey without any real rest other than sleeping at night.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Turning into a white liger doesn''t do this to him, either. Strange. We continue walking, and I notice Max starting to do the same as them. At the same time, I notice that I''m starting to feel sluggish. It''s hard to explain, but it''s like my mind''s not as strong when it comes to controlling my body. That''s weird. And strange. It''s like my body doesn''t care what my brain says, and is barely under the control of my brain. What''s going on? "Lor'' Sack?" I try to speak, only to find my words slurring. Lord Zack looks at me and frowns, then looks at everyone.
(Zack) I''d assumed they were all just tired. Even if they get a night of rest every night, being on a journey for weeks in a row can wear on anyone. We have just two more Cities before we''re resting and waiting for Bryce, so I was thinking we''d be able to finish off today''s trip and tomorrow''s without a longer rest, without resting for a few nights or a week. But when Luca spoke, I realized something was wrong. They aren''t just sluggish, their minds are slurring, too. Something is affecting their minds. A psychic attack, like Roar, Growl, Intimidate, Taunt, and other similar Skills. Inhaling deeply, I take in the scent of the pollen I''d noticed awhile back. Looking back into my memories, when I first smelled it was a little before Gavin and Braden started acting looser. They have the lowest Willpowers, so magical attacks are more effective against them. Max and Luca were next, and they have more Willpower. It also took a heavier concentration of the pollen to affect them. Judging by the various scents, there are several plants emitting this. One of the newer scents probably belongs to the one which managed to affect Luca and Max. A bit of a nasty thing, and I''m sure that most Adventurers who had lived here never really had to worry about this. Level Cap back then was Level 5, not Level 15, so the attack wouldn''t have been as powerful. Most who were affected would have someone able to resist it with them, meaning they''d be able to kill the monster emitting the pollen. Since I have 1,616 Willpower from all of my Classes, it seems I''m safe when it comes to resisting this. Chances are, Luca won''t be able to use any Skills in this condition, and a Blessing of Willpower doesn''t last that long. That means I need to move fast, find the monsters with the spores, and then kill them. I cast a Blessing of Willpower on Luca and Max, then wait for them to start to come to, the effects of the pollen fading. It takes almost three full Blessing of Wisdoms for them to become lucid and in control of themselves again, their minds no longer relaxed by the effects. That''s a good sign, it means that the attack won''t affect anyone with under around 800 Willpower. "Luca," I say as I give them a fourth Blessing. "Use Blessing of Willpower on yourself and Max before it runs out. Keep that up until I return, understood?" "What''s going on?" Luca asks. "Yeah," Max nods. "Me not like the way that felt." "There''s a group of monsters performing an attack using spores," I explain. "It''s performing an attack that requires Willpower to resist." "Okay," he says. "Will do." "Max," I say as I refresh my Blessings on them. "If something attacks, it''s up to you to defend against it. Braden and Gavin have too low of normal Willpowers for the Blessings to help them resist it. Just stay here." Max nods, then I make sure everyone is good before I send my tunic into my Inventory and take on Eidolon Form, stretching out my wings. An idea hits me, and I move back, my tail swishing in anticipation. Then, I begin beating my wings as quickly as I can without actually flying away. It creates a small breeze that blows the spores away. That should help a little, though I know that the spores will just drift back in. So I take off, following the path of the spores. Without my immense Perception, I''d likely have had a hard time tracking it, and my even greater one from Eidolon Form makes it quite easy. The plant turns out to be some giant, bulb-like thing that is shooting it out of a gap in the top where the petals meet. It''s rather ugly, and its design makes me think of a monster that would be in a swamp in a video game or something. Fireball kills it pretty easily, so I move on and quickly track down the others, killing them with barely any actual effort because of Fireball and a Blessing of Intellect. Tracking them all down and killing them takes me a couple of minutes, then I return to my team. Gavin and Braden are still off, while Luca is using Water Jet to push the corpse of a Swamp Toad off the path. Judging by the burns, Max took it out. I remain in my Eidolon Form, using my wings to push spores away once more, then tell everyone to come on. We travel for another thirty minutes before leaving the range at which Luca and Max are affected, even without Blessings, and it takes them a few minutes to recover, as Luca had to stop casting due to Mana issues. I could have helped them with my own Blessing of Wisdoms, but with the flapping of my wings, I was able to weaken the spores somewhat, too. Another hour passes before Gavin and Braden start to come to, and they both look rather annoyed. "What was that?" Gavin asks, so I explain about the plants. "That was awful. You didn''t know they were there?" "I mean," I say. "I knew about the pollen or spore or whatever it was. I didn''t realize it was an attack until Luca grabbed my attention. I just thought you guys were tired and needed a few days or so to rest from the journey." "We could use that, too," Braden softly says. "Traveling is fun and all, but we could really do with a bit of rest." "We have one more City," I say. "Then we''re out of the swamp, and the City after that is the one we''re meeting up with Bryce in. Do you think you guys can wait an extra day before that rest to recover from the exhaustion of a long journey?" "Yes," they all answer in unison. "What about you?" Gavin asks. "You don''t seem affected by it at all. You''re as sharp as ever." "As if exhaustion would ever bother Lord Zack," Luca mutters. "I''m used to running on very little sleep," I remind Gavin as I ignore Luca''s comment. "You guys might have gone through a hellish training, but it never lasted as long as this journey of just walking has. I spent months with only a few hours of sleep a night due to my stress. Compared to that, this is actually quite relaxing." Okay, so I have to be honest a little bit. "That said," I tell them. "I would enjoy getting to sit down for a few days and not worry about walking around or killing the Level 35 Bounty Beast Swamp Toad that thought we looked like a delicious snack." Everyone stares at me in shock, and I laugh at their expressions. Yeah, they knew I was killing stuff, but forgot about the really strong stuff that would show up. Chapter 0188 (Braden) The swamp rapidly changes into plains, the trees just stopping and the ground increasing in height, the water thinning out, then ceasing to fill the ground. There''s a river which cuts to the plains a little to our south, feeding into the swamp, but other than that, the plains are rather clear, so we can see the City from here. Much like the plains back around Maelnor and the other Cities in the valley, these plains are full of slimes. There are a few rabbits as well, along with the occasional rocks and trees. I''m sure there are rats in the rocks, but we don''t move too far off the path. For the most part, Max and I kill anything which comes too close, with Gavin only occasionally using Stone Spike to kill something. The trip to the City is made quite peacefully, but I noticed before the others that something seemed off about it. The City Walls are whole and complete. Undamaged. According to Zack, every City out here was destroyed, and Bryce is still a fair distance away and not powerful enough to handle the Avatars of the Shadow of Life. "Uh, Zack," Gavin says. "Why does this City have complete walls?" "Because I visited it while you guys were sleeping last night," Zack casually answers. "Killed the avatar, killed the monsters, then restored the City''s Barrier. Actually, I accessed the full interface available and restored the buildings, too. So we don''t have to worry about wind or rain attacking us." We all stare at him, because that is not something he said he could do. "I noticed a week ago," Zack explains, stopping with us to explain. "That when I focused hard enough, I could actually sense a map of the City whenever I did what I did to restore the City Barrier. That''s connected to the City Walls, but there''s other stuff as well. It turns out, I can restore the buildings in addition to the City Barrier, it just takes more focus and effort." "And," Gavin sighs. "You decided to come to the City we''re heading to just to restore it before we arrived?" "Yup!" Gavin and I groan as we resume our journey towards the City. That''s exactly the sort of thing Zack does, and I bet he did it without any real reason. He just decided to do it while we were sleeping, went off and did it, then returned. We reach the City and make for a house near the Dark Temple, a house which resembles ours back in Maelnor. Zack leads us there, and we find that the bath is already set up, the water nice and hot. "Sweet!" Luca exclaims, charging into it and stripping off his clothes, before hesitating for a moment as he looks at them. "It''s a shame to burn such an expensive robe." Then he sits down on one of the stools and starts scrubbing. Zack set up furniture throughout the property, including a familiar picnic table. Did he return to Maelnor, then? Because that''s definitely our picnic table I saw back there. I strip off my gear and put it with the others'' so that we can clean it later. Zack has a soap that will scrub out the smell of the swamp, he mentioned it to me last night when I asked him if there was a way to get the smell out of my white liger outfit. Only the two jackets I have aren''t soaked with it, since I didn''t wear those, but everything else? They''re were worn through the swamp. Pants, boots, vest, headpiece, bracelets, necklace ¨C everything. And I put so much work into them and like them, I don''t want to never use them again just because of swamp stench. So I asked Zack, and he told me that he''d gone back to Maelnor the first night we were in the swamp and located a shop which sold stuff that will work. The only reason he didn''t have us use it yet was because, well, we''d just get our clothes and gear soaked through with the smell again. I scrub down myself, though Gavin takes care of my back and I take care of his, then we all rinse off and enter the bath. Max has his wooden wolf toy, and Luca has a wooden rabbit, and they goof around with those. While working on my skill at collecting and treating pelts, I also worked on my woodcarving skills. I have a wooden liger. But I don''t join them in playing, mostly because it''s Max and Luca. Instead, I just relax and listen to the sound of Zack cooking, smell the food he''s preparing for us. Or¡­ not? I sniff the ear as I strain my ears, but Zack''s not here. He left the property at some point. I suppose he''s not going to cook while soaked in the smell of the swamp, just in case the smell incorporates itself into the food and makes it taste off. When we finish our baths, I notice that all of our gear is missing as well, and realize what Zack is probably doing. He probably went somewhere else to scrub our clothes clean. "Oooh!" Max exclaims as he pulls on his night clothes. "Boss be burning our stuff! Yay! We no longer have to smell that nasty stuff!" "He also has all of our food," Gavin says as we all finish drying off and start dressing. "Which means we have to wait for him to return."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. While we wait for Zack to return, we strike up a game of cards at the table, and this time I decide to let Luca win three games before I actually give him a challenge and abuse my memory and knowledge of everyone else''s tricks to get the most pairs. Zack returns after a bit, dressed in fresh clothes, his gear on, and he hands Gavin and Max their metal gear. His hair is wet and he smells like soap and shampoo, the gear smelling like soap as well. Yeah, he cleaned the gear and scrubbed himself clean as well. "For the softer stuff," he tells us. "It''s drying elsewhere. There''s soap that can get the smell of swamp out, but I wanted to use it away from here." "Thanks," Gavin says. Zack heads to the kitchen and starts cooking, and I just watch as the other three move off the picnic table to play marbles. Now, all we have to do is wait for Bryce to show up and then for whatever happens. If Zack''s right, everything will come to an end after Bryce arrives. Though I think back to the wording he gave me. His exact wording initially said that it was after we arrived here. That something which happens here sparks the end. Is it really after Bryce arrives, though? What if we do something here which causes Bryce to face the Shadow of Life and somehow kill him through a stroke of luck? He is Zack''s brother, after all. That kind of shit would not surprise me. Thinking about the end, I wonder about my next life. I already decided I''m reincarnating. But I might not do it right away, if I''m allowed to wait. If I am, then I''ll probably stay with my family for awhile. My family from reality, not Brandon. But then, because I''m staying with my family, I''ll get to meet him again. Rather than acting as a father figure for me, he''d be the proper grandfather figure that he is. I don''t know what my family was like before, but I think that would be nice. For reincarnation, I want to be a prince. The others are probably forgetting that they won''t remember their decisions from here, but I think my decision is something I''d make even without these memories. Whatever the reason, being a prince appeals to me. Which is weird, considering how shy I am. That''s why I think it''s something that carried over from reality, not just from my experiences here. So if I''m allowed to choose how I''m reincarnated, I know I''ll probably ask to be reincarnated into royalty. Dinner tonight consists of steaks, roasted vegetables, a salad, and fruit, along with pudding and biscuits. It''s delicious, as Zack''s cooking always is. After that, we all relax for awhile, then we head to bed. There are bunks in here, and I''m pretty sure these are ours from Maelnor. The other don''t question them, just climb onto their usual beds and fall asleep, exhausted from the journey. Now, we''re in the resting phase, and we''ll get to rest and recover for at least a week and a half. Maybe we''ll spend time training out in the fields. Well, I''m calling it training, but it would probably be Max having fun slaughtering monsters, Luca doing his thing, and Gavin trying to protect Luca. Meanwhile, I''ll just do some archery using monsters as target practice. I enjoy archery, so for me, it would be a recreational thing, not training.
(Zack) The flames on the altar roar to life, consuming the heart of the Dragon to fuel the Dark Temple''s revival. With the end on its way, I''m not bothering to use it and the heart of the Shadow Wolf King to make a demonic familiar. As my gut says that something which happens in this City ends the war, I''m not worried about saving the powerful hearts for something big. In honor of this City being where the end truly begins, I''m using one of them up for the altar''s revival and temple''s restoration. "Big Flame," I send up a prayer. "Thank you for your guidance and aid, thank you for your companionship, and may the hunts be well and the flame strong." Big Flame giggles in my head, his usual response to a prayer to Dark Knights if he responds, then I turn and make my way out of the chamber. The moment I''m out of it, I''m tackled by Gold, who''s giving me a hug. "Uh, hello to you, too," I tell him as I pull him off of me and look at Nik, who''s looking amused. "What just happened?" "Gold wanted to say ''hi''," Nik tells me. "And got excited." "You guys had to have shown up as soon as I turned the place back on." "Gold was waiting for the City''s name to appear in the list." "There are billions of names in that list!" I exclaim, then look at Gold. "Were you just sitting there, having pulled up the list, gone to the R''s, and then to the spot it would be if it were active?" He blushes as the images come forth in his mind, and I sigh. "Of course," I ruffle his hair. "I take it you were missing me coming and harassing you and stealing everything?" His face turns even redder, causing Nik and me to laugh. Yeah, I had a feeling Gold was starting to realize just how much he didn''t actually mind me stealing the bedding. "Plus," I say. "I know you miss wrestling and training with Max." He nods, then bids us a good night before leaving, though I know he''s heading to the place we set up for our home until the end. It seems Kit came with them, too. "So," I look at Nik. "I guess Gold''s staying with us for a bit?" "Yeah," he nods. "Actually, a few of us are coming out here." I raise an eyebrow. "You told us," he says. "That you have a feeling that something which happens here is what sparks the end. You also said you''re meeting up with Bryce here, and your theory about him using Bonus Experience to bring himself up to Ascension and wanting someone to watch while he''s in Power Jump." "Oh," I say. "That is why you guys were waiting for us here! You did the math on how long it would probably be before we got here, and were keeping track of which Cities ended up in the list!" "Yes," he admits. "I haven''t shown Gold how to do the sorting yet, but I did tell him when I expected you to be here." "I see," I say. "So because of what I said, some people are coming out here?" "Me, Blaine, and Jackson," he informs me. "The Boundary can do without me managing things for the Dark Order. Theodore will act in my stead until I return." "You for additional training which might be needed," I say. "Blaine for potions, and Jackson for equipment. To prepare Bryce for the final run." "Yes," he nods. "We''re also going to bring out a Certified Assessor with the Scholar Class, so that we can bring in supplies and use the Trading Post as well." "Makes sense," I nod. "How many people in total?" "Including the beastborn," he says. "Around ten to fifteen. Not many." "Alright," I stifle a yawn. "Well, I''m tired Nik, so Imma head to bed. Goodnight!" "Goodnight," he chuckles. Chapter 0189 (Gavin) It''s been a week since we arrived in this City, and the closer we get to Bryce''s arrival, the more nervous I become about it. Bryce is Zack''s brother, and everything that''s been said so far makes me think he''s remarkably like Zack in personality. Goofy in his own way, mischievous, and just downright dangerous. Which scares me. If someone like him shows up, it''s going to be chaotic, and that''s before considering that apparently, Zack''s mischief was a lot worse when Bryce was around. A lot worse. Supposedly, they once smeared slime all over the exterior of the temple. The one for healers, not the Dark Temple. Without getting noticed. So right now, I''m trying to mentally prepare myself, which is rather difficult due to Max and his brothers somehow finding me everywhere I go to meditate and then wrestling around nearby. I get it, Max, you can put both of your brothers in a headlock at once. That''s very impressive. However, it''s hard to focus on meditating with you doing that two feet away from me. Especially with their feet and tails sometimes smacking me. And Nit''s elbow, once. I had hoped the temple would be a safe place, but no, they decided to come horse around here as well. Even asking them to stop following me doesn''t seem to be working, so I give up for today and return home, where Luca is¡­ eating. Ignoring his choice of meal, I sit across from him and pull out a chess board, then set it up. Luca will play with me and not cause a headache. We''re both just as terrible at this as the other, though it still usually ends up with Luca winning for some reason. "You know they did it on purpose, right?" He asks. "I figured that." "It''s because you seem sulky," Luca says. "Max is hoping you''d join them in horsing around. He thinks it might lift your spirits. I told him to not be silly, and even whacked him on the head, but he didn''t believe me." "I seem sulky?" I ask, and he nods. "I''m more apprehensive than anything. I''m nervous of Bryce''s arrival and what it will mean." "Oh, that!" Luca''s face lights up. "Lord Zack says he should be here in no more than three days! I can''t wait to meet his brother! It''s going to be so much fun! I bet I''ll get twice as many sweets!" Right, Luca worships Zack, so him being excited about Bryce makes sense, since they''re brothers and quite similar in personality, at least according to everyone I''ve spoken with so far. "Yeah," I say. "Your move, Luca." As we play the game, I find myself calming somewhat. I think about Bryce, though. Will he get up to his mischief while he''s here? Everyone''s expecting him to go through several Ascensions and Power Jumps once he arrives. It would make sense, considering Zack''s gut feeling about something here resulting in the end of the war. But something tells me it might not be so simple. That it''s not something so obvious. Why?
(Braden) Good job, Max. He got Gavin to go do something other than try to meditate, since the meditation wouldn''t have worked, anyway. The three of us agreed that Gavin needed to actually do something, rather than try to take his mind off Zack''s brother coming. While they were doing that, I''ve been doing my own thing. Zack was showing me some cool knife tricks a little bit ago, but then Nik wanted to show him something, so we split off. I''m not interested in learning how to kill goblins in new ways, so I bid them farewell. Now, I''m just wandering around the City. Lost. Completely and entirely lost. I''m not even sure how that happened, since I have a good sense for direction. Oh, there''s Kit. "Hey, Kit." Kit dips his head to me, then scampers off, and I get the feeling he was embarrassed to be seen here. I don''t blame him, he''s still adjusting to his freedom. Freedom we''ll all be feeling soon, once Bryce arrives and the end comes. But something in my gut says that we''re all wrong about something. That the end comes about for other reasons. It makes me worried a little. Does Zack betray us, like Lord Dark of Water says Big S is scared will happen, now that the end is so close? For some reason, Big S believes Zack will side with the Shadow of Life, despite everything. It seems like it''s a belief made out of fear of evil winning to me, though. Now that I think about this and realize that Big S is probably just worried about it because of his fears of evil winning, I realize that it was my own patron who had me worried. Just realizing that one thing made the feeling go away. So it seems everything works out. That''s good.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Now¡­ how to get to where we''re staying? I''m hungry, and I don''t have any food in my Inventory? Well, Kit was here. I can follow the trail of his scent to navigate back.
(Zack) Nik and I stop sparring, then drink some water. He was showing me some cool techniques for killing goblins that don''t really matter anymore, just because we got bored. Gold is sitting off to the side, and holds up the chalkboard he was marking on, showing a score between Nik and me. Nik has fifteen, and I have twenty. Woo-hoo! I don''t know what that means, though, and neither does Nik. We don''t ask, either. "Thanks, Nik," I say. "I''m going to go scrub the sweat off, then I''ll meet you for lunch." Nik nods, and I head to the bathing rooms and scrub off the sweat, rinse of, dry off, then dress in fresh clothes before I head to the dining hall, where Nik and Gold are eating lunch, Kulkul serving our food. It''s been awhile since I last saw the demonic bear. He''s as adorable and cuddly as always. As we eat, I think over a gut feeling I have. Today. Today''s the day that it all ends. Yet Bryce isn''t here yet. Does he decide to pick up speed and arrive? Even as I use my sight, I''m unable to actually see what''s going on, unable to see what''s going to result in the end of the war. Once it''s over, I''m going to ask Big S what it is he knows about my betrayal to the Crystals. The betrayal that never has and never will come. I guess Bryce gets tired of just walking, since that''s the only explanation I can think of. While his Ascension Trials would ordinarily take around a day each, I know that that''s just something Big S does. It isn''t actually necessary for them to take that long here in the Boundary, so Big S could very well make them take much less time. He''d be able to do four Ascension Trials for Bryce, too, since he has four storage crystals. Due to this being the end, he wouldn''t worry about hindering the System itself. Those thoughts drift away as I finish eating. "Thanks for the meal, cuddly bear," I tell Kulkul, who gives me a glare. "Later, Nik, Gold." They nod, and I leave the Dark Temple, going for a walk. Alexander''s been pushing even harder since we arrived at getting me to join him. It''s a clear sign he''s realized that he really will die soon. That''s he''s about to lose ¨C forever. Because of his crimes, he''s guaranteed to go to hell, and to the portion of it reserved for the worst beings out there. An individual''s power means nothing in the afterlife, and he''ll be eternally doomed the moment he dies. In hell, he''ll never escape, he''ll never become a ruler, nothing like that. Only Children of Existence receive true luxuries in keeping their powers, and that''s because it''s not just a part of our bodies, but our souls. As I walk, I notice Braden wandering around, looking a little lost, so I give him directions back to the house before continuing on my way. I don''t blame him for getting lost, even with his ability to remember paths and locations. This place is massive and empty, and there are far fewer scents than he''s used to. "Zack," a familiar voice says, and I sigh. "I figured you were going to approach me," I don''t even bother looking at the avatar as I continue walking. "What do you want this time?" "What reason do you truly have for not helping me?" He asks. "You''re evil." "Once this ends," he says, and I can hear him gesturing. "All of this will be gone, and you will move on to the afterlife. What then? You reincarnate? You''ll have to wait until your father has another child, as only those of his blood can hold the powers of Existence. That could be millions of years ¨C billions, even. You would be the first of his children to truly die and find themselves in the afterlife. It would be a lonely existence, Zack." "I can pop into his own realm anytime I want," I shake my head. "And I''d have Bryce with me." "Are you sure that would satisfy you?" He asks, and I sit on the edge of the bridge over a stream we were passing, facing him rather than the water. He looks worried when I use my sight to briefly check his expression. "I know you, Zack. You have too much mischief in you, but also too much desire to have friends and allies. To go on adventures, have your own pets, and more. You can''t do that, not truly, in the afterlife. Sure, it would be there, but it wouldn''t be satisfying. If you join me, Zack, you can live for as long as you want, just like your other brothers and your sisters." "And be a tyrant?" I laugh. "You''re delusional, Alexander. Why do you keep trying?" "Because I know the darkness in you," he steps closer. "Zack, you crave power. You crave control over others. Isn''t that why you treated your team the way you did when they first arrived? Isn''t that why you drove Luca''s own twin to doing something which killed him? If only you hadn''t done that, he''d have not died, you know. Or did you intend on that happened?" "Alexander, buddy," I roll my eyes. "You can try this guilt-trip thing all you want. I''m long-past blaming myself for what happened. I hadn''t intended on Braden dying, I intended on making him powerful, on helping him achieve his true potential. His death was an accident, a miscalculation on my part. I hadn''t realized that being so strict would cause that. For that, I''m sorry to him, and I hope that I''m able to approach him in the afterlife before he and Luca reincarnate, so that I can apologize. Even if he doesn''t know the full reason for it, I''ll still apologize. He''ll accept it from the stuff which happened in life." "Are you sure?" He asks. "Braden never liked you, the two of you always butted heads, Zack." "That doesn''t mean he won''t know I''m serious." "Zack," he says. "Why do you wait for Bryce? You could grow more powerful than you are now, try to challenge me. Visions can be diverted, you know. I know you want to be the one to kill me, the one to claim my life. Why-" "Are you serious?" I laugh. "What is even the point of this line of reasoning, Alexander? Do you want me to try, only for me to fail and die? Are you trying to destabilize Bryce? Because such an event would only bolster his hatred towards you, would only empower him further. Sure, I''d love to be the one to kill you, but really? Bryce or me, it doesn''t matter. You''ll be killed by a Child of Existence, as the vision showed." "Only one was destined to kill me," he says. "Yes," I draw my sword. "By running you through with his sword, just like this." He takes a step back, but I thrust my sword through his chest in exactly the manner I saw Bryce do in the vision. "Just. Like. This!" I pull my sword out, then sheathe it and watch as he fades away. And as he does, I realize that my father was right. I''ve known all along how to defeat the Shadow of Life with ease. I''ve realized what needs to be done to ensure his end. Chapter 0190 (Zack) The moment I realize what I can do to ensure the end of the Shadow of Life, I realize why my gut said today was the day it ended. Because for whatever reason this was the encounter with him that caused me to realize how he would end. Likely because I was thinking about the end and the vision and all sorts of other things. Regardless, I know for a fact that what I am about to do will end the Shadow of Life. That''s why he ends before Bryce arrives ¨C it was never Bryce that caused this gut feeling of mine. It was always that something which happened here set off the end. We wouldn''t be here right now had Bryce not set up the meeting, and we''d not have made the Shadow of Life so antsy by expecting Bryce to do several Ascensions in rapid succession after arriving here. If he hadn''t been antsy, he wouldn''t have continued to try to push me to join him. Bryce did, indeed, set off the end of the Shadow of Life, but he''s not the one to end him. The gut feeling was caused by me, by the Shadow of Life himself giving me the answer I needed. After overcoming this sense of shock and realization, I take off to the Dark Temple, and as soon as I''m on the sigil, I pull up the interface, sort by region, then sort alphabetically. Sealvar, the City closest to the Temple of the Elements in the other half of the Boundary. Immediately, I find myself there as I touch my tunic, sending it into my Inventory. My appearance startles several Dark Knights and other Adventurers, but I ignore them, adjusting my armor before I take on Eidolon Form. Without a moment of hesitation, I take off into the sky and fly straight towards the Temple of the Elements. Big S starts crying out in my mind, and I can feel him tugging at me, attempting to pull me into his temple. I resist it, able to feel the crystal magic he''s using and use my own crystal to protect myself. Big S, please just trust me. I''m not betraying anyone. I''m saving everyone. I know why he thought my realization caused a betrayal. Because if he only saw a little past it, then he''d see what might be seen as a betrayal. But it''s not, so please trust me on this, Big S. You simply didn''t see far enough. It takes me only a few minutes to reach the Temple of the Elements, with the eight pillars, alternating between light and dark, alternating between the elements in the carvings on them. I land before the altar of dark grey stone with lines of red, blue, white, brown, and violet, then place a hand on it. The other Crystals are trying to pull me now as well, but I ignore them. I only need a few moments of concentration to do this, so as long as I manage it before they succeed in overwhelming my resistance, I''m good to go. Accessing my special Inventory, the dimension where I can store things, I section off a portion of it, then pull in all of the power in the altar. If I don''t and simply shut it off for a moment, Big S would be able to turn it back on. The Dragons always destroyed them, which is why he can''t do it to the other. The moment all of the altar''s power fills my special dimension, power rushes through me. Accessing so much power, feeling it flow through me, awakened my innate senses of my powers. I know how to do everything available to a Child of Existence now. It forcibly disconnects me from the System, and I hear Big S cry out in pain when that happens, and the forces upon my inner crystal disappear. Sorry, Big S, I didn''t know it would do that. But I know my powers now, so I make the necessary adjustments as I open up a passage from here straight to Earth. Since I''m rather knew to this vast cosmic power, I''m only able to open it to somewhere I departed, and the place of arrival is at the amusement park, where the asshole killed me during my Ascension Trial. I step between two of the pillars of the Temple of the Elements, which has a second version now here, temporarily. People are staring, and most are probably terrified. With my appearance ¨C a demonic being with feathery wings wearing armor, a sword, and two knives ¨C I don''t blame them. My arrival likely makes them realize that hell is real and this world is about to be taken over by evil. Eidolon Form might have been a Skill, but Skills were just spells given a format in the System, made easier to use. Because of that, I still have it, and it''s still active, even after getting disconnected from the System. Now, it''s drawing on my true mana amount, and Big S wasn''t kidding when he told me how massive it was. It''s like a fucking galaxy in size. With the full awakening of my powers after playing with the power of the altar and feeling it flood through me, I''m able to sense my own mana as well. I was not expecting this. "Thank you, Zack," Alexander says, and I turn to face evil itself. He''s dressed in simple pants and a brown tunic, brown leather boots upon his feet. This is his real appearance. He''s speaking in English, too, which means those around us can understand what he''s saying. "Though I''m a bit curious as to why you suddenly decided to assist me." I simply stare at him, and he shrugs, then walks out of the ring of pillars and past me, looking around. Evil itself takes in a deep breath, then lets it out with a sense of enjoyment. "Fresh air," he says as I turn to face him, the spawn of evil smiling lightly as he faces me. "Is not something I had in that prison, Zack. Thank you for releasing me."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Oh, don''t thank me too much," I tell him. "Why not?" He asks. "You betrayed the Crystals, you betrayed your friends, you even betrayed your brother. Such a change of heart, I knew you were turning over to my side." People are gathering around us, as idiots do. Some people are running away, but the majority of people are beginning to form a ring around us, watching the strange events unfolding before them. They aren''t in any danger, so I''ll ignore them for now. Big S has resumed talking to me, trying to ask me why I betrayed them. He''s wailing, saying he''s sorry for upsetting me and hurting me. What I say next will probably calm him down. "Nah," I say. "See, here''s the thing¡­ my father told me that I knew all along how to defeat you, Shadow of Life." "Not using my name anymore?" "You don''t deserve it," I add a little snarl to my voice. "You''re the spawn of all evil. You''re responsible for the deaths of many I knew and cared about. You''re responsible for the hell that many more went through. I don''t know why I ever graced you with using your name, but it''s not something you deserve anymore. Soon, you''ll just be a bad memory, and the truth of your name will be forgotten soon enough. Only I and a few others will ever remember it." "Interesting," he smirks. "So, Zack, what did your father tell you? That granting me victory would result in my death, or some such clich¨¦?" "No," I answer. "But, uh, it''s kind of true." "What do you mean?" "Do you know why you needed a Child of Existence?" Oh, great, now we''re being recorded! What is up with people and doing that? YOU HAVE DEMONIC-LOOKING PERSON HERE! GO AWAY! "Because only they could truly let me into reality," he answers. "I''ve been certain that Seal had some trick up his crystal to ensure only a Child of Existence could actually open the passage, even if both temples were destroyed." "Enh!" I make a sound to denote him giving a wrong answer. "Sorry, wrong answer, Shadow of Life! You''re from the previous version of reality." "So?" He asks. "Something the Crystals told me a long time ago," I say. "Is that only a Child of Existence can change the makeup of an existence of something from the previous version of reality so that it can exist within this one. In other words, you need a Child of Existence to change you so that you can exist here. Big S and the other Crystals spent billions of years fearing an evil as powerful as you ruling reality that they forgot this one crucial rule applied to you." He frowns, and I can see it starting to hit him. "They forgot," I say. "That the moment you enter this reality without me or one of my siblings adjusting the fabric of your existence to allow you to exist here, you''d begin to fade away." And my fucking father made it so fucking obvious! He''d tell me I already knew the answer, and then everything would fade away as I returned to where I was! The Shadow of Life looks down at himself, only to find that he''s become transparent. His eyes widen in panic as Big S stops yammering away, then the spawn of evil charges towards me, likely in an attempt to return to the Boundary, a realm where he can exist. It''s too late, though. I delayed him long enough, and he fades the rest of the way before he''s even halfway to me. Things not of reality cannot exist within it without a Child of Existence allowing it. The very reason the Crystals themselves cannot manifest themselves in this rule is the same reason the Shadow of Life is gone. For good. But as I said, the Crystals, mere children in their minds, spent billions of years fearing this great evil that they didn''t remember that rule applied to the evil as well. Had Alexander not kept trying to convince me to join him, especially while I was thinking about the end coming, Bryce would have been the one to slay him. Instead, him coming after me like that resulted in an even truer end to this evil. Looking around, I see the crowd around me. Time to have a little bit of fun, just to fuck with Big S and the humans here. I walk towards a girl sitting on a wheelchair wearing a skirt. She has only one leg, no prosthetic, and I can tell from her mind that she was injured in a car accident and it was recently amputated. It''s so easy to find out the details, even more easily than it was before. I''m in everyone''s mind right now. Well, everyone around me. With my full powers awakened, that little annoyance is happening again, and I''m doubting I''ll be able to suppress it right away. But it won''t matter for too long. The girl looks terrified. It''s her first time outside since the amputation, and she comes across a demonic-looking guy who decided to approach her. "D-don''t!" Her father moves in front of her, standing between the two of us. I can feel his fear. Everyone''s fear, now that the reality of the situation is starting to set in. They just saw me make a man disappear, and they haven''t fully processed what we were talking about yet. To them, it seems like a demon just erased someone. With a wave of my hand, I gently move him to the side, then kneel in front of the girl. Her fear increases when I smile. "It''s okay," I say softly, reaching forward and taking her right hand into mine. She tenses up. "I''m not going to hurt you. Just the opposite, in fact. I''m not a demon, but a god. A friendly, mischievous god, and that man you saw disappear? He was a powerful evil who wanted to rule this world." As I speak, I tap through this knowledge of my powers that has come to me, then use a modified version of the Restore Limb Skill I never bothered learning. At the same time, I use my magic to soothe her pain, so that she feels none of what she should feel from her leg regrowing. "You''re going to have a bit of an uneven tan," I release her hand once her leg has fully regrown, nearly kicking me before it dropped down to rest beside her other. "But that''ll change in a few years." I stand up as people look at me in shock, the fear beginning to mix with wonder. "As I said," I smile at the girl. "I''m a god, not a demon. This is just an unfortunate appearance I have when it comes to places like this world." Okay, I totally could have released my eidolon form, but then I''d be recognized as Zack Noruva, and I don''t want that. They might recognize my voice for those who hear it and know it already, but they''ll probably think it''s just a coincidence. "Anyway," I say as I feel a slight, hesitant tug on my inner crystal. "It''s time for me to go. You all enjoy your day, and you, little girl, enjoy your new leg." I turn and return to the passage to the Boundary, place my hand on the altar, and return its power to it. Immediately, the passage closes up, and the view of reality disappears. I turn off my form, returning back to my normal appearance. A moment later, I find myself in Big S''s temple, only it''s different than before. Epilogue (Zack) Big S''s temple now appears to be a mix of all nine of the Crystals'' temples. The eight elemental ones are arranged akin to how the pillars are in the Temple of the Elements, and Big S''s Crystal rests in the center. This is the true Temple of the Elements. There''s not a doubt in my mind about that. All nine of them have taken on their avatars and are gathered in front of Big S''s Crystal. Bryce is standing beside me as well, and both of us are wearing more modern clothes, rather than stuff from the Boundary. Jeans, tees, and sneakers. It fits us, too, despite our builds being different and both of us being a little bit taller than we were before we died. A trick of Big S''s, I''m sure. He''s probably also the reason I''m back in my normal form. "Zack," Big S says softly. "I''m sorry for misinterpreting seeing you open the passage as you joining him. I¡­ you were right, we''d never considered that. It was as you said, that we were too afraid of such a powerful evil that we didn''t consider the most obvious thing: that his victory would be his defeat." "I always figured you''d steal the spotlight," Bryce claps me on the back, grinning. "Something in my gut told me that if we met up somewhere where you''d be waiting for me, you''d get to do just that, so I put that theory to the test." "It worked," I grin back and give him a clap on the back. "Good to see you again, Bryce." "Yeah," he says, then we give each other a bro-hug for a moment before stepping away and looking at Big S. "So what did you bring us here for?" "We''re about to release the Boundary," Big S tells us. "I know you might want to say goodbye, Zack, but-" "It''s okay," I hold up a hand. "I''ve accepted that it''s time for them to move on. Us being there was just delaying death already." He nods, then suddenly, I become aware of all of the Boundary. Every inch and corner of it, and by Bryce''s gasp which mirrors my own, I know he''s gained the same awareness. As we watch, every person within it, including my team and our friends, turn into motes of light, which then fade away, their souls passing on to the afterlife. It''s a beautiful sight, and once it finishes, the Boundary itself begins to fade away, turning to nothingness as the realm itself disappears. A single storage crystal from each of the nine Crystals turns dark, their energy spent. "And that," Big S says. "Is the end of the Boundary and the end of a reality where only demigods have power. This is the true Temple of the Elements, as I''m sure the two of you have guessed. It exists outside of reality, but was not a part of the Boundary, merely connected to it. Once you two pass on to the afterlife, we''ll release this realm as well. We wanted to say goodbye before then, since we''ll cease to exist as well, as we aren''t of reality." "Big S," I say. "You have two Children of Existence here. We can work something out." "We''d never ask that of you," Big Flame shakes his head. "We''d choose for reincarnation where we''re completely wiped. The thing we want to do, we cannot, so that is the best option for us. It would be the same as being erased." Right, the one thing all nine of them desired. The ability to give quests to adventurers, bestow knowledge, items, and power upon them. Something they did, back when the Boundary was new and their minds were not so stretched. "Well," I step up and put a hand on Big S''s maw. "Before you guys do that, can you do something for me?" "What is it?" He asks. "Can you guys give me all of that power in your remaining three crystals?" I ask. "It''ll just be temporary, and since it''s going to waste, I thought it''d be cool to feel what it''s like to be you guys, only amped up." "This isn''t a good idea," Big S mutters. "But I say let''s do it just to see what happens." Bryce and I laugh, and we grin at each other as the other Crystals agree to it as well. Once all nine have agreed, the light from their storage crystals flows towards me, filling me up. My vast power becomes even greater, and it''s like I''m the universe itself. "PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER!" I exclaim. "WITH AN INFINITE LIVING SPACE!" Bryce cracks up laughing at my reference to the comedian, and I know I have to expel or expend this energy soon, or it''ll rip apart my form. "Now!" I exclaim. "I''m about to grant three wishes! No more, no less, and yet in the granting of those three wishes, many more shall be granted, but those are merely side-effects of me granting these three! However, none shall pick what they are but me myself! For I have already learned of the three wishes, and will grant them myself! Here we go!" "What?" Big S asks in a panic, the other Crystals also seeming to panic as Bryce laughs. "No! This was a bad idea! Abort the idea! Don''t do it!" "Too late!" I exclaim.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. With the full understanding of my powers I acquired a short bit ago by drawing into me that power from the temple, I already know how to do what I''m about to do. It''s as simple as thinking of what I want to do, and the knowledge comes to me. Being a Child of Existence is awesome. So I begin working my magic, using the power they gave me to locate a world which could have life on it, but doesn''t. Then, I begin reshaping it, altering its terrain as I add life to it. Plants and beasts of many types. As a Child of Existence with his full powers available, I know what''s necessary to do what I''m doing. Biology, geography, climates, chemistry ¨C everything necessary. All I need do is will it, and it happens. "He''s reshaping a world for some reason," Big S mutters. "He''s just playing like he''s a god to satisfy his own wishes." While some of the wishes might be mine, it''s not because of that I''m granting them. I continue my altering of the world, turning it into a land which flourishes. A land which many can find themselves in, with adventures and dungeons and more. I weave together several rules, adding them into the universe itself to determine who gets transported to that world. I also weave together an improved version of the System, fixing many of the flaws Big S''s System had as a result of it being thrown together in a hurry, then patched over many times. Inconsistencies are removed, bugs fixed, flaws smoothed out, and more, preparing it to perfection before I implement it. A System which needs no one to draw upon for power and sustenance. This System only affects those living upon that world, and will fade from anyone who leaves it, their data stored in case they return. Then, I locate a second world matching the same requirements as the first and do the same changes to it. The rules for entry are slightly different, and no System is implemented on it. "For the first wish," I say. "I grant the fantasy of those who desire adventure, who wish they could be whisked away to another world and go on an adventure as heroes." A world for those who would enjoy the System, and a world for those who would not. However, the chances of being whisked away are slim, and those who need the rescue the most are the ones with even the slightest chance of finding themselves there. And there''s a chance of a certain species of people forming on those worlds as well¡­ I haven''t forgotten the beastborn, after all! I''m sure Max''s reincarnation will be fun. "You¡­ what?" Big S asks in shock as he uses his own powers to see what I did. "That''s¡­ a lot different than I was expecting." "I''m a nice guy at heart," I smile at him. "Now for the second wish." I assess how much power I''ll need for the third wish, then I use all which I will have left after that to grant the second wish. All across the universe, every person is healed of all ailments. All diseases, scarring, missing limbs or bones or organs. Cancer is cured in everyone. If they had pins, plates, or other things inside of them to help them, those are removed as things are fixed or cured. Same with external aids such as prosthetics. For awhile, I''d contemplated on what to do for the second wish I was granting, but after seeing that girl at the amusement park, I decided to grant happiness. I''m sure I just healed a lot of really nasty people, but I know I also just healed and restored far more pleasant people and people who truly needed it. "For the second wish," I say. "I heal all people, on all worlds." Big S sighs. He knows just how much of an issue that''s going to cause to the people of the universe, and the weird religion that will probably arise from my actions. "And now," I approach him again and put a hand on the side of him once more. "For the third and final wish." This time, I make sure to craft the spell carefully, paying even more attention to this Knowledge of Existence I possess to ensure it''s done properly. "For the third wish," I say. "I grant the nine of you the ability to do the one thing you all want to do most: grant quests, knowledge, power, and items upon people once more. To interact among mortals as the great deities you truly are." They can do so to either world I reshaped, temples created for each of them in them, along with a special one, my own version of their Temple of the Elements. They are no longer necessary for the System, so they do not need to worry about that ever again. In addition, I''ve ensured they can choose to pass on to the afterlife, should they ever want to. I''ve also adjusted their powers a little bit so that they can choose their appearances. I''ve even restored Big S''s ability to take on a human form, which he notices immediately and does. Rather than taking on the form of the little boy he really is, he takes on the form of someone the same age as the other Crystals, dressed in black pants and a violet tunic. "Z-Zack," he says. "Y-you¡­ that''s why you were asking us what we could do, if the Boundary was no longer necessary and we were in reality and all that." "It is," I nod. "You''ve been planning this for months?" He asks. "I have," I nod. "I knew you guys would give me the remaining power just to see what mischief I''d get up to." He tackles me in a hug, then everyone else joins in, turning it into a massive group hug with nine sobbing kids. They''re happy, I can sense that in their minds. They know that they''ll be able to stop, should they ever want to. Over time, they''ll discover other little things I''ve granted to them. Nothing nasty, just fun stuff I know they''ll enjoy. Once the group hug ends, I look at Bryce. "We''ve only known each other a short time," I tell him. "And most of that was spent with us playing a game of sight-tag, but it was fun." "Yeah," he grins. "So what should we do in the afterlife? Since that''s where we''re going once this realm is dismissed." "First," I say. "I want to meet up with people who meant things to me, if possible. I hope Luca and Braden haven''t reincarnated yet. They won''t remember the Boundary, but I still want to apologize to Braden and see Luca again." "Yeah," he nods. "I''ll probably do the same. Tell you what ¨C why don''t we do our things, then opt for reincarnation? The moment we choose that, we''ll enter a stasis until our father has more children, and you can bet that we''ll be first in line for sons, since we already exist." "And knowing him," I grin. "We''ll be born near each other in time and space specifically for his enjoyment of watching the universe churn with our presences once again." "That''s a bad idea," Big S mutters. "But Father would definitely do that." "Yeah," Bryce says. "Even if we won''t remember this, Zack, let''s meet up again in our next life and see what kind of chaos we can cause." "Sounds like a plan to me!" I say, then turn to the Crystals. "I guess this is goodbye ¨C until the day you guys see us in your temples in our next lives." "Yeah," Big S nods. "Goodbye." We bid our goodbyes to everyone, then Bryce and I bid each other goodbye. Only then does Big S release the Temple of Elements from existing, and Bryce and I move on to the afterlife. This was one hell of an adventure.