《The Prince of Heaven's Gate - Last Stand At World's End》 Chapter 1 Prologue ¡°I see things others can¡¯t.¡± A zing inferno raged across the capital city that once stood on the continent for thousands of years. ¡°Hear things others don¡¯t.¡±-. The sound of warcries, curses, and dying screams spread across the entire city as the invaders mercilessly attacked anything and everything in their path. ¡°Shed tears when others won¡¯t.¡± The sound of babies and children wailing in their mother¡¯s arms could be heard everywhere, as their parents desperately looked for a safe ce to hide in order to save themselves from the one-sided massacre that was happening around them. ¡°And fight when others don¡¯t.¡± A red-headed boy looked at the vast hordes of monsters that were about to destroy everything he held dear in his life. Even so, he walked towards them fearlessly as several men and women marched alongside him. ¡°I seek the monsters you fear the most,¡± The Half-Elf said softly as he raised his hand, summoning countless Undead to fight for his side. ¡°I chase the nightmares that gue your sweetest dreams.¡± ¡°I walk in the darkness so that others may see the light. I fight the creatures that threaten this world with all my might.¡± A giant bone dragonnded in front of the Half-Elf and bowed its head in respect. The red-headed boy patted its head before jumping on its back, preparing to fight alongside his Undead Legion. With one mighty p of its tattered wings, the bone dragon soared towards the sky and uttered a deafening roar of defiance. Its Master stood straight on its back like a sword, looking at the countless monsters that were slowly advancing in his direction. ¡°In a world where my existence has long been forgotten¡­¡± The Half-Elf stated as his bone dragon opened its mouth to unleash its Dragon Breath. ¡°I will let you know the error of the path you have trodden!¡± Chapter 2 Character Creation [Part 1] If you were given the chance to live that one perfect life you had always dreamed of¡­ would you do it even if there were strings attached? Some would dly take this chance, while others would feel more cautious or even ignore itpletely. Lucien chose the first option and decided to ept an Angel¡¯s offer to join the Heaven¡¯s Gate Project. He believed that this was an opportunity to live a life that was different from the pitiful one that he had lost just a few hours ago. With that said, Lucien found himself somewhere in the vast multiverse inside a shady office, being watched in disdain by a drop-dead gorgeous Angel, who had picked him up from Earth after he died. The Angel then brought him to the Celestial Realm. The chubby twenty-year-old was asked to fill up a character creation form that would be used as his temte for his next life. ¡ª¨C ¡°Hair color?¡± Lucien gazed at the options that were in front of him. The form was like a multiple choice questionnaire. He simply needed to shade in the small circle beside his choice and his answer would be finalized. ¡°Blonde is good¡­ but that is toomon. How about silver, or white?¡± the chubby young man mused as he scratched his head. This was only the first choice and he was already having a hard time choosing what he wanted for his next life. ¡°Let¡¯s go for red,¡± Lucien said with determination. He then shaded his choice using the pen that was given to him by the Angel behind him. After making his choice, the other hair options were grayed out, which meant that he couldn¡¯t take back his choice anymore. After answering the first question, the chubby young man scratched his head for the second time because the next one was just as difficult as the first. ¡ª- < Choose Eye Color > ¨C Blue ¨C Green ¨C Hazel ¨C Red ¨C Gold-. ¨C Gray ¨C Brown ¨C ¡­. ¨C ¡­. ¡ª¨C ¡°My hair color is red, so should I also go for the red eye color? Hmm¡­ oh, they also have the option for heterochromia.¡± After thinking for a few minutes, Lucien finally decided on green. For some reason, having red hair and green eyes reminded him of that handsome protagonist that he had read about in one of his favorite novels. ¡°Sex? Of course it should be Male,¡± Lucien muttered as he shaded in his option. ¡®I still n to reincarnate as a man in my next life. In my past life, I aplished nothing. This time around, I want to live my life to the fullest!¡¯ Weight¡­ Height¡­ Body Build¡­ Skin Color¡­ The chubby young man answered them all to his liking before ncing at the next set of choices. ¡ª < Facial Aesthetic > ( in ) ( Average ) ( Cute ) ( Attractive ) ( Handsome ) ( Casanova ) ( Hideyoshi ) ( Astolfo ) ¡ª- ¡®Umu, all of these options are good, but thest two choices seem dangerous,¡¯ Lucien thought. ¡®Just to be on the safe side, I¡¯ll just choose Handsome. Next!¡¯ ¡ª¨C < Race > ( Human ) ( Elf ) ( Dwarf ) ( Demon ) ( Beastkin ) ( Dragon ) ( ¡­.) ( ¡­. ) ¡ª¨C Lucien¡¯s first choice was, of course, Elf. Being good looking was a default characteristic of the Elves and they also had a very long lifespan, but after thinking things through, he decided to choose a different race. Why? The answer was simple. Because of diversity. If everyone was handsome and beautiful, wouldn¡¯t that make the Aesthetic Option lose its value? Elves had long lives. He also wanted to live a long life. However, he preferred to mingle with the Humans as well, so being a Half-Elf was a good option. Although he was worried about discrimination, he knew that it was a risk that he needed to take if he wanted to stand out from the crowd. In order to maximize his future good looks, he decided to choose a race that had the best of both worlds and that was Half-Elf. As the chubby young man shaded in his choice, all the other races grayed out. For some reason, he felt a sense of relief knowing that he couldn¡¯t change his decision after picking his desired race. ¡ª¨C < Lineage > ( Royalty Bloodline ) ( Noble Bloodline ) ( Influential n Bloodline ) ( Commoner Bloodline ) ¡ª¨C Lucien stared at these four options with a serious expression on his face. Having a Royal Bloodline was a tempting choice, but he had read many novels in which being part of the Royal Family was not only difficult but dangerous as well. Infighting for the throne and being backstabbed by his own brothers and sisters wasn¡¯t the life he wanted to live. ¡®If I want to stand out like a hero, going for themoner route is a good choice, but I don¡¯t know anything about the world I will be reincarnated into,¡¯ Lucien thought as he rubbed his chin. ¡®It might be dangerous or hard for amoner to rise up in society. It¡¯s a very risky choice too since I might be born as the son of a farmer or the son of a gangster.¡¯ Since his next life was precious to him, he decided on the Noble Bloodline so he would at least be able to live a life offort without being too high profile. However, when he looked at the next set of choices, he almost dropped his pen in disbelief because he didn¡¯t expect something like it to be included in the form he was filling up. ¡ª < PP Size > ¨C Take note that this option gives additional bonuses when you reincarnate into your next life. Please choose wisely. ¡ª ¡®Damn! They are giving me the power to freely choose the size of my ¡°Ahem¡±, and I can even get bonuses?¡¯ Lucien¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡®Bro, this is the best thing ever. I¡¯m going all in on this one!¡¯ ¡ª ( 2 Inches ) ¨C You will be given 6 Legendary Items of your choosing. ( 3 inches) ¨C You will be given 3 Legendary Items of your choosing. ( 4 inches ) ¨C You will be given 1 Legendary Item of your choosing. ( 5 Inches ) ¨C You will be given one rare item of your choosing ( 6 inches ) ¨C You will be given one pack of tissue papers. ( 7 inches ) ¨C You will be given two packs of tissue papers. ( 8 Inches ) ¨C Omaewa mou¡­ ( 9 Inches ) ¨C Bruh¡­ ( 10 Inches ) ¨C Are you nning to reincarnate as a horse? If yes then choose this option. ( 11 Inches ) ¨C Hey, that¡¯s hell you¡¯re walking into. ( 12 inches ) ¨C ¡­ Dear mother of ¡ª- The chubby young man almost spat blood after seeing the diabolical choicesid out in front of him. ¡®Wtf man? Baiting me with Legendary Items in exchange for my happiness?¡¯ Lucien gnashed his teeth in anger. ¡®Not cool bro, not cool.¡¯ After considering his future happiness, and his little brother¡¯s happiness, the chubby young man finally made his decision and shaded in the bubble next to his choice with gritted teeth. It was at that moment that he heard a chuckle filled with ridiculee from behind him. Lucien turned his head and gazed at the beautiful Angel who was looking back at him with a teasing smile. For some reason, he felt like he had made a mistake when he chose his PP size. ¡®Should I have chosen a bigger one?¡¯ Lucien thought as he continued to gaze at the Angel who continued to look at him with a teasing smile. Using all of his willpower, he averted his gaze from the beautiful Angel who made him feel a little salty. More questions came after that, and the chubby young man answered all of them to the best of his abilities. ¡®This is like creating a character in a game,¡¯ Luciel mused. ¡®Unfortunately, they don¡¯t have the preview option. It might have been easier if they had this option, what a shame¡­ truly a shame.¡¯ Chapter 3 Character Creation [Part 2] There were a few more questions on the list, but they were only minor questions. After double checking to make sure he had answered everything correctly, he gave the form to the Angel behind him. The Angel took it and gave it a quick nce to ensure that every question had been answered. After seeing that there was nothing wrong with the form, she nodded her head and told the chubby boy to follow behind her. Five minutester, they arrived in an open space where countless gxies could be seen in the sky. It was the most marvelous thing the boy had ever seen. He just stood there in awe, gazing at the heavens above him. ¡°Stop gawking and follow me. What are you, a country bumpkin?¡± the Angel asked in irritation. ¡°Sorry,¡± Lucien replied as he ran towards her. He had always thought of Angels as kind and benevolent beings. They were nowhere like this b*tchy Angel, who seemed to have a horrible personality. Ten minutester, they arrived at a small cottage located at the center of the amazing scenery. ¡°Your Excellency, Macuilxochitl, I brought the soul that you requested,¡± the Angel said as she opened the door. When they entered the room, the chubby boy saw an old man who had an infatuated look on his face as he gazed at the screen of hisputer. It didn¡¯t take long before the old geezer froze when he realized that he was no longer alone inside the room.-. The first thing he did was immediately stand up and use his body to block their view, so they wouldn¡¯t see the image on hisputer screen. Although it was only for a brief moment, Lucien had already seen the image of a half-naked anime girl on hisputer. Unfortunately, even though the old man managed to prevent his two guests from seeing everything, his attempt was suddenly ruined by the loud moans that yed through the surround sound speakers that hung all around his room. It was at that moment when the old man realized that he f*cked up. The Angel¡¯s expression immediately changed and she looked at the old man as if he was a piece of sh*t. The old geezer lightly coughed as he averted his gaze, unable to endure the disdainful stare that the Angel was giving him. ¡®Am I really going to be fine?¡¯ Lucien thought as he looked at the old man who was doing his best to act like a dignified person while failing miserably. Clearly, the old man didn¡¯t expect someone to barge inside his room without knocking first while he was watching something inappropriate for young audiences. ¡°Boy, what is your name?¡± the old man named Macuilxochitl asked as he pushed the power button of hisputer to forcefully turn it off. As a member of the Bros Before Hoes Brotherhood, the boy decided to y along with the old geezer¡¯s attempt to change the subject. ¡°My name is¡­ Lucien,¡± Lucien said with a slightly strained smile. ¡°Lucien? A good name,¡± the old manmented as he eyed Lucien from head to toe. ¡°Well then, Lucien. Did my assistant, Himea, exin everything to you already?¡± ¡°Yes. She said that I was chosen to participate in the Heaven¡¯s Gate Project.¡± ¡°And¡­ did she say anything else aside from that?¡± Lucien shook his head as he nced at the Angel who had her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°She said that this project is confidential,¡± Lucien answered. ¡°The only thing she asked me to do was to fill up the form for my rebirth.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Macuilxochitl said as he yed with the white beard on his chin. ¡°Very well. Before anything else let me properly introduce myself first. I am the God of Gamblers, Macuilxochitl. Since my name is a mouthful, just call me Max. ¡°I personally designed the Heaven¡¯s Gate Project in an attempt to send an individual to a particr world without being found out by the higher ups¨C I mean, to bypass certain old fogies who are sticklers to the rules.¡± ¡°Are we doing something illegal?¡± ¡°Hahaha! Of course not. It¡¯s not a crime unless someone reports it to the authorities. You¡¯ll be fine¡­ maybe.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ can I still back out?¡± Lucien asked whileughing nervously. Max ignored his question and immediately took another form out of his breast pocket, and presented it to Lucien. It looked simr to the form the boy just filled up, so he guessed that it might be a continuation of his character creation settings. ¡°Since I chose you to be my guinea pig¨C I mean, my hero who will participate in this glorious project, it is only normal that I give you some freebies,¡± Max said with a smile that would put all con-artists to shame. ¡°You may choose only one. So, take your time and choose wisely.¡± Lucien held the form that the God of Gamblers handed to him and read its contents without any expectations. However, half a minuteter Lucien¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he read the amazing ¡°freebies¡± that were written on the form he was holding. ¡ª- < Special Add-ons! You may choose only one. > ( System ) ¨C You will be given a random System upon reincarnation. Take note that the System you will get cannot be exchanged or refunded. If you ever get the Eunuch System, consider yourself fcked for life. ( Random High-Tier Skill ) ¨C You will receive a random High-Tier Skill at the get go. This Skill will be exclusive to you and will be bound to your soul. ( 20x Exp Gains ) ¨C If you Reincarnate in a world where you gain experience points, you will be able to grow 20x faster than the average person. ( Charm ) ¨C Your Charm Stat will be at its max value. Even a rock will fall in love with you if you stare at it long enough. ( Status Ailment Immunity ) ¨C You will gain immunity to Poison, Charm, Sleep, Petrify, Paralyze, and any other abilities that will have a harmful effect on your body and soul. ( Infinite Mana ) ¨C No matter what magic spell you cast, your mana will never run out. (Infinite Stamina) ¨C No matter how many rounds you do it with your lover, you will keep going, and going, and going¡­ and going¡­ (Unique Body Constitution) ¨C You will receive a special body constitution that will be the envy of mortals and immortals alike. [ Example: Divine Dragon Immortal¡¯s Body, Ice Phoenix Legacy, Thunder God Physique. ] ( 10x Gacha Pull ) ¨C Depending on the world you reincarnate on, the contents of the Gacha Pull will be modified to fit thews of that world. ¨C You are guaranteed to receive one SSR Item, Artifact, Weapon, Waifu, or Husbando Companion from this Gacha Pull. ¡ª ¡°S-Sh*t!¡± Lucien wasn¡¯t able to stop himself from cursing out loud after reading the options that were avable for him. ¡®Regardless of what I choose, I know that I will definitely gain a massive advantage as I reincarnate to my next life,¡¯ Lucien thought. ¡®If possible, I want all of them, but since his Excellency, Max, told me that I could only choose one, I need to take this matter seriously.¡¯ ¡°Well then, have you decided what option you want to choose?¡± Max asked the boy who was still seriously looking at his options after half an hour had passed. ¡°Yes.¡± Lucien nodded his head. He had already weighed the pros and cons of his decision, so he faced the God of Gamblers with determination. ¡°Your Excellency, I choose¡­¡± Chapter 4 The Gamble of the God of Gamblers Max yed with his beard as Lucien made his choice. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again,¡± Max said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°You want a random High-Tier Skill as your freebie, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lucien nodded. ¡°I choose this one, Your Excellency.¡± The Angel who had her arms crossed over her chest raised an eyebrow when she heard Lucien¡¯s choice. Clearly, she didn¡¯t expect the young man to choose this option. ¡°Understood.¡± Max smiled and pped his hands thrice. Suddenly, the form in Lucien¡¯s hand was set aze. The embers flew towards the young man¡¯s chest and merged with his body. However, Max wasn¡¯t finished yet. The form that Lucien had filled up earlier burst into mes, and its remains also flew towards his body. The young man felt his body be warm as an unknown power surged within his soul. While he was still basking in the afterglow of the surreal experience, he suddenly found himself floating in space, underneath the countless gxies that he had seen a while ago. Standing on his right was Max, the God of Gamblers, and standing on his left was Himea, the b*tchy angel who was suffering from her terminally bad personality. ¡°Lucien, do you know why I chose you out of the countless souls in the multiverse to be the first candidate to take part in the Heaven¡¯s Gate Project?¡± Max asked as he stared into the young man¡¯s eyes. ¡°No,¡± Lucien answered. He also didn¡¯t know why he was chosen to participate in the Heaven¡¯s Gate Project. Max smiled as he patted Lucien¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s because you struggled to live until the bitter end. You could have given up anytime, but you didn¡¯t choose the easy way out and end your life with your own hands.¡± Lucien looked back at the old man with a serious expression on his face. ¡°That is because I am a coward. I¡¯m afraid of death, so I struggled to live until the end. There¡¯s nothing glorious about it.¡± Max chuckled as he ruffled the young man¡¯s head. ¡°Perhaps you are right, but you are not a coward. Living requires courage, and I pray that you will be courageous in your next life.¡± Lucien looked up at the old man who was smiling back at him. This was the first time that someone had told him to live. When he was still alive, he grew up always hearing the words ¡°You¡¯re just baggage. You should just die¡± or ¡°You were a mistake. You shouldn¡¯t have been born.¡±-. These words were said to him over and over again. Thinking back, there were times when he wanted to end his own life in order to escape that living hell. However, he was afraid of death. Truly afraid of death, so he struggled to live until the bitter end. Lucien bit his lip because he felt like crying. He didn¡¯t know if souls could cry, but he would be damned if he let others see him cry. A few minutes passed before he finally regained hisposure. He then looked up at the God of Gamblers and asked the question that had been on his mind since he entered this unknown space, shrouded in mystery. ¡°Your Excellency, you still haven¡¯t said what the purpose of the Heaven¡¯s Gate project is,¡± Lucien said. ¡°Can you please tell me what it is?¡± ¡°Lucien, the goal of the Heaven¡¯s Gate Project is to change the Fate of a world. You are the chosen one that will usher in a new era that will lead it to a better and brighter tomorrow.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m qualified to take on such a big responsibility¡­¡± ¡°Beautiful women are waiting for you in that world! If you¡¯re lucky, you can even have more than one wife!¡± ¡°Leave this to me, Your Excellency!¡± his attitudepletely flipped and Lucien patted his chest as if he was a general that was about to go to war. ¡°You chose the right man for the job. I¡¯ll conquer the world for you!¡± ¡°World Conquest? Sure! I will allow it! A man should dream big after all! You either go all in or go home crying! Hahahaha!¡± The angel stared at the two useless lust driven idiots with scorn as she summoned a giant cannon. Her patience was already at its limit and she wanted to end this job as soon as possible. When Max saw the Angel¡¯s expression, a bitter smile appeared on his face as he made a gesture for Lucien toe closer. ¡°Come, Lucien,¡± Max ordered. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to start your journey.¡± The God of Gamblers waved his hand and a door appeared in front of them. He then opened it and walked inside, dragging the boy along with him. The Angel followed behind the two and closed the door behind her. They were headed to the testing area where the Hyper-Super-Mega-Rebirth-Cannon was waiting for them. ¡ª- ¡°Wow!¡± Lucien¡¯s eyes sparkled as he looked at the giant cannon in front of him. ¡°T-This is so cool!¡± Maxughed and patted the boy¡¯s shoulder because he was very pleased with his reaction. ¡°This thing cost a lot to build,¡± Max said with a smile. ¡°Himea, dear, can you start up the cannon and check if everything is ready?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the Angel replied. She then went towards the control panel and started pushing the buttons to let the cannon warm up and gather energy. While she was doing this task, Max was busy telling Lucien about how the cannon was made. ¡°The name of this cannon is Hyper-Super-Mega-Rebirth-Cannon, SIMP for short,¡± Max stated. ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Um? Sir Max, isn¡¯t it supposed to be HSMRC instead of SIMP?¡± Lucien asked back. ¡°Boy, don¡¯t sweat the small stuff. If I say this is a SIMP Cannon, it is a SIMP Cannon.¡± ¡°O-Okay.¡± Himea rolled her eyes at the God of Gamblers who was talking crap as always. If not for the fact that Max had taken care of her ever since she was born, she might have left him to serve other Gods who were more ¡°normal¡±, and didn¡¯t have mental issues. After checking the status of the cannon, Himea deemed that everything was in order. ¡°Your Excellency, the status of the cannon is all green,¡± Himea reported. ¡°We can start anytime.¡± Max nodded. He then patted Lucien¡¯s shoulder to tell the boy that the time hade. ¡°Lucien, are you ready?¡± Max asked in a teasing tone. ¡°Your new journey is about to begin.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Lucien answered. ¡°Good! Now, time to load you into the cannon.¡± ¡°Um, Sir, how will you do tha¡ªaahh!¡± Lucien wasn¡¯t even able to finish his words when Max grabbed his waist and flew up the tip of the cannon. ¡°Fire in the hole,¡± Max shouted as he tossed Lucien¡¯s body inside the barrel of the Cannon. Soon, a loud thud was heard followed by an ¡°Ouch!¡±. Which made Maxugh out loud. ¡°Boy, are you fine?¡± Max asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fine!¡± Lucien shouted back. Clearly, he didn¡¯t expect that he would be tossed like a cannonball inside the cannon. ¡°It hurts!¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to know that you¡¯re fine. Anyst words?¡± ¡°F*ck you!¡± Max snickered as he gave Himea the okay signal. ¡°Heaven¡¯s Gate Project initiated,¡± Himea said as she started tapping on the keypads of the control panel. ¡°Setting course¡­¡± The SIMP Cannon suddenly turned to its right side, aiming at a purple gxy in the distance. After the coordinates had been properly calibrated, Himea opened the ss casing that held the firing mechanism of the cannon. ¡°Sir, Cannon is ready to fire!¡± ¡°Start the countdown!¡± Max ordered. Himea nodded. ¡°Starting countdown. Ten, nine, eight, seven¡­ Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ ¡°Hyper-Super-Mega-Rebirth-Cannon Fire!¡± The beautiful angel pressed the red button, instantly starting the firing sequence. Lucien found himself turning into a ball of light as denseyers of concentrated magical energy wrapped around him. Not long after, a giant ball of energy appeared on the cannon¡¯s tip. It then started to gather the power of Divinity in order to shoot Lucien¡¯s soul across the multiverse. An electrical current snaked around the body of the cannon and smoke started to appear in some ces. Clearly, this was not a good sign and it made the God of Gamblers, as well as the angel, anxious. As if confirming their fears, a series of warning sounds started to spread across the testing area, telling them that something was terribly wrong with the cannon. ¡°Stop the firing sequence now!¡± Max ordered. He didn¡¯t anticipate something going wrong with his prized cannon at thest minute. He then raised his hand to wrap Lucien¡¯s soul in his Divinity to protect it from any form of damage. However, before his Divinity could reach the boy, the firing sequence waspleted. With a loud rumbling sound, a beam of magical energy streaked across the Celestial Realm, followed by a loud explosion. The cannon exploded and shattered into a thousand pieces, sending metal shards flying everywhere. Max teleported in front of Himea and used his Divine powers to create a shield to protect both of them. After the chaotic situation calmed down, the God of Gamblers looked at the wreckage in front of him before shifting his attention toward the sky. In the Heavens, a blueet streaked towards the purple gxy creating a trail of light. ¡°What is Lucien¡¯s status?¡± Max asked as he stared at the equipment that was still working. Himea typed on the keyboard and brought out the status of Lucien¡¯s Soul. ¡°No¡­ this can¡¯t be happening¡­,¡± Max couldn¡¯t believe the result of the images that appeared in front of him. Lucien¡¯s soul had received serious injury during the firing sequence and was on the verge of breaking. Only the safety mechanisms that Max had added to the cannon on a whim were keeping his soul from disintegratingpletely. ¡°Y-Your Excellency, I¡¯m afraid that Lucien wouldn¡¯t be able to undergo a normal rebirth in his current state,¡± Himea started to panic. ¡°In the worst case scenario, his soul might cease to exist.¡± Max took a deep breath because he was fully aware of Lucien¡¯s current situation. However, there was nothing he could do. The world he had sent the boy to was a world that had been abandoned by the Gods. Right now, there was only one person that could help them and that person was none other than Max¡¯s best friend, Eriol, the God of Games. ¡°Himea, look for Eriol,¡± Max ordered as his body floated in the air. ¡°Once you find him, exin our situation. He will know what to do.¡± Himea could see the resignation on Max¡¯s face and it made her feel anxious. ¡°Your Excellency, where are you going?¡± Himea asked. ¡°This is my fault,¡± Max replied as he gathered his Divinity around his body. ¡°The least I can do is to ensure that Lucien¡¯s soul won¡¯t cease to exist.¡± As soon as he finished his deration the God of Gamblers transformed into a gold and shot towards the Blue Comet that had started to enter the purple gxy. This was a race against time, and the God of Gamblers was betting everything he had to save the boy he had chosen to save this world. Chapter 5 Lets Go Home The sobs of a young elvendy permeated the night as she hugged the bundle of cloth, which held her baby in ce. Her tears fell like rain, as her parents, and members of their n looked at her with pity. All of them stood at the riverbank, under the light of the full moon. It was a beautiful night, with the stars shining brightly above them. Yet, the youngdy¡¯s sorrowful sobs made this wonderful scenery lose its luster. Several minutes passed, and the Patriarch of the Elven n patted the youngdy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I am sorry for your loss, Adeline,¡± the Patriarch said softly. ¡°But we cannot bury him in our ancestralnds. I hope you can understand.¡± Adeline nodded as the tears streamed down the side of her face. She knew about the tradition of their n, but it still broke her heart to part with her child who had died not long after he was born. Adeline¡¯s father sighed as he walked toward her daughter carrying a basket in his hands. The basket wasdened with a cloth to make itfortable for a baby to lie down in. Unfortunately, Adeline¡¯s child would not be able to feel its softness, for it had breathed itsst breath a day ago. The youngdy then kissed her baby¡¯s forehead before cing him inside the basket. She then took a wooden te from her storage ring and used her magic to carve a name on it. ¡°Although I wasn¡¯t able to give you love and happiness, I will not forget to give you a name,¡± Adeline said sadly as she finished writing her son¡¯s name on the wooden te. She had used themonnguage of the world to write her son¡¯s name in hopes that if anyone found her baby, they would give him a proper burial. Lux.-. That was the name that Adeline had given her son. After cing the wooden te inside the basket, Adeline¡¯s mother wrapped her arms around her daughter¡¯s body and held her tight. ¡°Let me send you off, my dear grandson,¡± Adeline¡¯s father said sadly. ¡°I pray that the spirits will guide your soul to the promised paradise, where we shall go when our time hase as well. Forgive us, for being unable to give you a proper burial.¡± The Patriarch of the Elven n of Entheas looked at the basket and sighed internally. ¡®Even though I want to make an exception, the elders will definitely not allow it,¡¯ the Patriarch thought. ¡®Half-Bloods have no ce in Ashe Entheas. Forgive us, child. My hands are tied.¡¯ Suddenly, a little elven girl started to sing. It was the song of parting that the Elves sang when their loved ones had departed the world. Soon, the other elves joined in the singing as they sent off the youngest member of their n on his journey to the afterlife. Adeline¡¯s father ced the basket on the river. He gave his grandson onest nce before finally letting go. Adeline wailed and her mother struggled to hold her in ce. She had a feeling that if she didn¡¯t hold her daughter properly, Adeline would jump into the river and bring back the basket to the shore. ¡°Sleep, child,¡± the Patriarch said as he cast a sleeping spell on the struggling youngdy. This was the only thing he could think of to prevent Adeline from acting recklessly. Soon, the youngdy stopped struggling and copsed in her mother¡¯s arms. Her tears continued to fall, for she knew that when she woke up, she would never see her son ever again. ¡ª¨C The basket floated on the Avonlea River and was carried away by the river currents, far from thend of Ashe Entheas, where he was not weed, even in death. Several hours passed, and the basket had already traveled many miles, unhindered by anyone or anything. Some of the creatures that lived in the river didn¡¯t pay it too much attention because they didn¡¯t detect any signs of life within the basket. They thought that it was just a piece of wood that floated on its surface, so they left it alone and minded their own businesses. Suddenly, high above the star-filled sky, a blueet streaked creating a dazzling trail in the heavens. As if attracted by the basket flowing on the river, theet shifted its course, as its body decreased in size with every passing second. Soon, only a small orb of blue light, the size of a tennis ball, was left of the blueet that once traveled from the other side of the multiverse. This small orbnded on the baby¡¯s chest and merged with its body. After a few minutes, the dead baby abruptly opened its mouth as if trying to suck up air to fill up its lungs that were deprived of oxygen. Little by little, the baby¡¯splexion improved, but it was still too weak to do anything. Soon, all movements stopped and the baby remained motionless inside the basket, asleep and unaware of the dangers that surrounded the basket that was carrying his fragile body. ¡ª¨C ¡°We¡¯re almost home, Sophie,¡± an old woman said as she softly patted the back of her mount. ¡°Let¡¯s speed up a bit so we can have breakfast with the others.¡± A short honk answered her request, as the head of a three-meter tall White Hippopotamus rose from the water. The old woman smiled as she looked at the distant stronghold that was known as Wildgarde. As they traversed the river, they noticed two giant crocodiles fighting against each other, while the rest of the group watched from the sides. This was a normal urrence in the Huntdeen River during this time of the year. The old woman and her mount, Sophie, steered clear of the two giant crocodiles fighting for dominance. It was their mating season, and these beasts were more aggressive during this time of the year. As they passed the two fighting behemoths, a sudden crying sound reached the old woman¡¯s ears. She turned around to search where the cry wasing from, and it was then that she saw the floating basket that was slowly heading toward the group of crocodiles. The old woman frowned because she could clearly hear the crying sound of a babying from the basket. ¡°Sophie, turn around! Now!¡± the old woman ordered. The white hippopotamus obeyed her master and hurriedly made a U-turn towards the basket that was only dozens of meters away from the giant crocodiles that were fighting for supremacy. It was not only the olddy that heard the young baby¡¯s cries. Several of the crocodiles had started to swim towards the basket with bloodshot eyes. For them, the baby¡¯s cry was like an invitation to a free meal. Soon, one of the crocodiles arrived a meter away from the basket and opened its massive jaws to swallow the basket and the baby that was inside it. However, before it could im its prey, a footnded on its snout and forcefully closed its jaws shut tight. The olddy picked up the basket with both hands before jumping away, using the crocodiles as stepping stones. With one final jump, shended deftly on the white hippopotamus¡¯ back and ordered it to flee as fast as it could. The enraged crocodiles roared as they charged toward the escaping thief who had stolen their prey. The two fighting crocodiles also stopped their battle and blocked the hippopotamus¡¯s path of escape. ¡°We don¡¯t have to make a big deal out of this small matter,¡± the olddy said to the two giant crocodiles whose bloodshot eyes had locked onto her small frame. ¡°I¡¯m taking this child with me, so get out of my way.¡± The two giant crocodiles roared, which made the olddy click her tongue in annoyance. ¡°So be it. Sophie, go forward,¡± the olddy ordered. The white hippopotamus obeyed and charged toward the two giants that blocked her way. When the olddy and her mount were only a dozen meters away from their location, the two giant crocodiles lunged at them with fury. While holding the basket with her left hand, the olddy moved the fingers in her right hand in a seemingly erratic manner. Soon, two figures materialized out of thin air and charged toward the two giant crocodiles, whose jaws filled with razor sharp teeth were only several meters away from the olddy and her mount. A deafening cracking sound reverberated in the surroundings as the two giant crocodiles were sent flying dozens of meters away. Their giant bodies smashed down on the river¡¯s surface, creating waves in all directions. The other crocodiles who saw this scene stopped their advance and looked at the olddy in horror. Their thoughts of finding trouble for her disappearedpletely after she had effectively dealt with the two dominant crocodiles with a single blow. The olddy sighed and shook her head helplessly. ¡°We¡¯re going to be a bitte for breakfast, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡± She then looked at the baby who was still crying inside the basket. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, little one. You are safe now,¡± the olddy said. She then used her finger to lightly caress the baby¡¯s cheeks in order to calm him down. Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps it was only the baby¡¯s natural instinct, but the moment his face was touched, his small hands reached out to hold the finger that was caressing his face. The olddy smiled when the baby stopped crying while firmly holding onto her finger. With a nce, she could tell that the baby had once again fallen asleep, so she sat down and carefully ced the basket on herp to secure it in ce. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sophie,¡± the olddy said softly. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Chapter 6 I Am The God Of Games A sixteen-year-old boy with short red hair, and green eyes grit his teeth as he ran after a horned rabbit with all of his might. ¡®No matter what happens, I must catch this rabbit!¡¯ the young boy vowed in his heart as he pushed himself to the limit. Several children, as well as adults, were cheering for him from the sidelines, giving him encouragement. They had seen him challenge this trial over and over for the past few years, and all of them sincerely hoped that the boy would be able to pass it this time around. As the stinging pain in his chest intensified, the young boy¡¯s breathing became erratic. Even so, he ignored the pain and ran as if his life depended on it. Watching him from a distance was an old woman sitting on top of a white hippopotamus. Although she had a calm expression on her face, deep inside she was worried about her adopted grandson¡¯s condition. ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± the boy roared as he reached out his hand to grab the rabbit who was now within reach. He had painstakingly closed the gap at thest second, using everything he had in order for his capture to seed. Just as his hands were about to touch the rabbit¡¯s fur, he felt his world spin for a brief moment before everything went dark. The boy fell to the ground face-first and all his movements stoppedpletely. A few secondster, the old woman appeared beside the fallen boy and gently rolled his body over so that he could lie on his back. The boy had several bruises on his head and all of them were bleeding. His lower lip had also been punctured and blood flowed ceaselessly. ¡°Lux,¡± the old woman felt her heart ache at seeing her adopted grandson¡¯s current state. ¡°Silly boy, why must you go this far?¡±-. The olddy took out a small bottle from her storage bag and sprinkled half of its contents over the boy¡¯s head and facial injuries. It was a high-quality healing potion that she always carried around in case of emergency. A few secondster, the wounds had started to close and heal at a rapid pace. The olddy then sprinkled the remaining half of the healing potion on the other injuries located on the boy¡¯s arms, legs, and chest. After making sure that she had dealt with all of her grandson¡¯s injuries, she picked him up and sighed in relief. It was at that moment a middle-aged man walked toward the old woman and looked at the boy in her arms. ¡°Vera, I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t allow Lux to enter Elysium,¡± the middle-aged man said. ¡°Sending him there is akin to sending him to his death. He is a hardworking and kind boy, but Wildgarde will forever be his home.¡± Vera sighed and nodded her head. ¡°I understand, Gerald. Thank you for epting Lux¡¯s request to take the trial.¡± Vera gave Gerald a brief bow before walking away while carrying her grandson. The residents of Wildgarde looked at the red-haired boy on Sophie¡¯s arms and sighed. ¡°He failed again this year.¡± ¡°Poor Lux. He has been training everyday, but his weak constitution won¡¯t allow him to seed.¡± ¡°Such a shame, but maybe this is for the best. Even if he can¡¯t enter Elysium, he is still a member of our stronghold.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. So what if he has a weak body? I know people stronger than him that have died inside Elysium. No matter how strong you are, it won¡¯t matter if you¡¯re dead!¡± ¡ª- When Lux opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a familiar room. It was the room where he had stayed up for most of his life and this discovery made him feel helpless. ¡®I failed again,¡¯ Lux thought as he covered his face with his left hand. Not long after, the sound of the boy¡¯s sobbing spread throughout the room. ¡®Why was I born a failure?¡¯ ¡®Why was I born useless?¡¯ ¡®The others were able to enter Elysium when they were fourteen. I¡¯m sixteen now and I¡¯m still here! Just what is my purpose in life? I failed Grandma again. I¡¯m too embarrassed to face her now¡­¡¯ Lux¡¯s tears flowed without stopping as the shame, embarrassment, and helplessness in his heart burst forth like a raging river. He had done everything within his power to make his grandma proud, but due to the unknown disease that gued his body, he would often lose consciousness even if he was just standing still. Because of this, he was unable to train and study properly. Usually, in the stronghold when kids turned twelve, they would officially begin their training regimen in order to enter Elysium. The Elysium Fields, or Elysium for short, was the world¡¯s primary source of resources. Only those that had met the necessary requirements were allowed to enter this special ce and help their stronghold expand in that strange, yet beautiful world that was so different from the world that they resided in. The veteran warriors of the Wildgarde Stronghold would then train these young children in order to prepare them for their exploration of this new world. When Lux turned twelve, he too trained alongside his friends. He thought that he would be able to join them on their adventures in Elysium, but reality gave him a hard p to the face. He suffered several injuries and injured many people due to his tendency to faint during training. When he was fourteen he fainted while swinging his sword and sent the weapon flying. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t hit anyone, but it had made others refrain from sparring against him. Stamina training¡ªAKA long distance running¡ªwas also a problem. Sometimes in the middle of running Lux would faint, forcing his friends to carry him until they returned to the stronghold. At first, they were able to tolerate it, but after it happened several times they politely told him that running long distances was something he shouldn¡¯t attempt without supervision. Thest incident he had was during bow practice. He fainted and identally released the arrow, hitting the instructor¡¯s butt in the process. Because of this, he was banned from participating in archery training again. Although he begged and pleaded with his instructors, all of them shook their heads and politely told him to just train under his Grandma¡¯s supervision. Vera was more than happy to train her grandson, but because of Lux¡¯s unstable condition, there were times when her grandson almost lost his life in the middle of training. In the end, Vera told Lux that being a warrior was not suitable for him. But Lux didn¡¯t want to hear this truth. Just like everyone else, Lux also wanted to go to Elysium. He wanted to make his grandma proud. Lux wanted to be a High-Ranker and show his grandma that she hadn¡¯t wasted her time raising him from infanthood. He didn¡¯t want to bebeled as a failure or a useless person. She was the only family Lux had in the world, and he wanted to show her that he was not useless. So to prove himself, he would train in secret. Since then, it had be a normal urrence in the stronghold to see kids dragging Lux¡¯s unconscious body back to his house every day. After half an hour, Lux finally regained hisposure. He wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and stared out the window of his room. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m not really meant to enter Elysium,¡± Lux said softly. This time, he really felt like giving up. Elysium was a ce where one can acquire many amazing things. Anyone who entered this world could gain riches, fame, glory, as well as realize their wildest dreams. This was a strange world that had appeared many years ago, right after the Hundred-Year War that had razed the world of Sis to the brink of copse. It was a new frontier that had the key to saving their world. This was why many people young and old wanted to enter and explore this unknown world. Lux was one of them. And yet, he was once again denied the opportunity due to his weak body that was unable to keep up with the desire in his heart. Just as he was trying to convince himself into giving up his dream, a hearty chuckle spread throughout his surroundings. ¡°You¡¯ve struggled all this time, and now you¡¯re giving up?¡± a teasing voice said by his ear. Lux almost jumped off his bed from fright due to the unexpected voice that came out of nowhere. He then hurriedly looked around his room to try and find where the voice wasing from. ¡°Just where are you looking?¡± the teasing voice asked. ¡°I¡¯m right here outside your window.¡± Lux walked towards the window and came face to face with a little boy with short, dark-blue hair and gray eyes, who seemed to be around ten years old, floating in the air in front of him. ¡°Who are you?¡± Lux asked as he stared at the little boy he¡¯d never seen before in the Wildgarde Stronghold. ¡°My name is Eriol,¡± Eriol said with a friendly smile that made Lux feel as if he had found a long lost friend. ¡°I am the God of Games and I came here to help my best friend, Macuilxochitl, finish the task he started.¡± Chapter 7 Do You Want To Enter Elysium? ¡°The God of Games?¡± Lux looked at the floating boy in front of him in confusion. ¡°Who is Macuilxochitl? Are you sure you didn¡¯t visit the wrong person? Are you perhaps looking for my Grandma?¡± Eriol sighed as he looked at Lux who had no recollection of the God of Gamblers, from the Heavenly Domain. ¡°It seems that the damage to your soul is quite severe,¡± Eriol said. ¡°You didn¡¯t reincarnate properly. This is why your current body and your soul are not synchronized and you keep fainting. They¡¯re notpatible.¡± Lux frowned as he listened to Eriol¡¯s words. ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? Are you sure you¡¯re not talking to the wrong person?¡± ¡°Does the name Lucien ring any bells to you?¡± ¡°Lucien? Who¡¯s that? My name is Lux.¡± Eriol smiled bitterly when he realized that Lux had no recollection of anything prior to his rebirth. He was like a te that had been wiped clean. ¡®Looks like I have to start from the beginning,¡¯ Eriol thought. He then looked at the red-haired boy in front of him who his best friend had chosen to take a gamble with. ¡°Neh~ Lux. Do you want to enter Elysium?¡± Eriol asked. ¡°¡­ I do,¡± Lux answered. ¡°But I don¡¯t have the qualifications to survive in that world.¡± Eriol nodded. ¡°True. The current you will just die a miserable and pitiful death if you enter Elysium now. However, what if I told you that I could help you meet the requirements to set foot in that world that you¡¯ve always dreamed of?¡± Lux narrowed his eyes as he focused his attention on Eriol who was looking back at him with a sad expression. ¡°What do I have to do in return?¡± Lux asked. He knew that there was no free lunch in the world. Although he didn¡¯t feel any kind of maliceing from Eriol, he was still someone Lux had met for the first time. He couldn¡¯t possibly put his trust in a stranger so easily, right? ¡°What I want you to do is struggle,¡± Eriol answered. ¡°Struggle to the bitter end. Regardless of whether you be a Hero or a Demon Lord, all I ask is that you do everything in your power to live. Can you promise me that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±-. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask me to give you my soul when I die?¡± It was at that moment a smile appeared on Eriol¡¯s face. ¡°Well if you want to give me your soul I can ept that too,¡± Eriol said in a teasing tone. ¡°Do you want to?¡± ¡°No way.¡± Lux firmly shook his head. ¡°I hear that those who sold their souls to the devil all had untimely ends. I don¡¯t want to suffer the same fate.¡± Eriol smirked as he waved his hand. Suddenly, Lux found himself standing on top of a clear blue sea that reflected the blue sky above. Before Lux could even do anything, he heard Eriol¡¯s voice behind him. ¡°This is a special domain I have created,¡± Eriol said. ¡°In here, no one will be able to hear our conversation. We don¡¯t have to worry about prying Gods who have too much time on their hands. I¡¯m sure that you have a lot of questions, but sadly I can¡¯t answer them all. My time in this world is limited, so for now please listen to my exnation. Okay?¡± Lux nodded his head. He wasn¡¯t sure where he was, but he had a feeling that if he didn¡¯t obey Eriol¡¯s words he would be stuck in this strange ce for a very long time. ¡°First, let me help you recover your memory,¡± Eriol stated as he pressed his hand on Lux¡¯s head. A few secondster, Lux¡¯s pained screams spread throughout the beautiful blue world that Eriol had created. Eriol didn¡¯t bat an eye as he continued to pour his Divinity through his hand in order to repair the memories that Lux had forgotten. Several minutester the red-headed boy panted on top of the blue sea, staring at his own reflection. ¡°Do you remember now?¡± Eriol asked as he crouched down beside Lux. ¡°I do,¡± Lux answered as he panted for breath. ¡°The Heaven¡¯s Gate Project¡­ Max, and Himea.¡± Eriol nodded. ¡°Because of the cannon¡¯s malfunction, your soul suffered irreparable damage. Do you remember anything after you were shot from the cannon?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Eriol rubbed his chin as he pondered his next move. After Lux regained hisposure, the God of Games eyed him with a serious expression. ¡°Okay, before anything else, let me tell you how you were born in this world,¡± Eriol said. ¡°After your soul survived its long journey, it didn¡¯t have the ability to be reborn the natural way. This is why the Divinity that Max gave you decided to look for the best next substitute toply with your character settings. ¡°Since a normal rebirth was impossible, your soul merged with the body of a newly born¡­ I mean, a newly-dead baby Half-elf. That is the current vessel that you are possessing right now.¡± Eriol patted Lux¡¯s shoulder, making the red-headed boy look back at the God of Games in disbelief. ¡°I know, it¡¯s hard to believe, but it¡¯s the truth and nothing but the truth,¡± Eriol stated. ¡°This is also the reason why you sometimes feel disconnected from your body. Every time you exert your will, your body rejects you. ¡°The reason for this is because your body and soul are not synchronized properly. Don¡¯t worry. I will fix that problem. Right here, right now.¡± Eriol tapped his finger on Lux¡¯s forehead and the boy¡¯s body stiffened. It was at that moment a series of words appeared inside his head, surprising Lux. ¡ª- < Starting Body and Soul Synchronization > < Ipatibility Ratio is 78% > < Looking for solution¡­ > < Solution Found! > < Looking for Compatible Body Physique¡­ > < Compatible Body Physique Found! > < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > < Synchronizing with Special Body Physique > < Synchronization Rate: 1% > < Synchronization Rate: 18% > < Synchronization Rate: 39% > < Synchronization Rate: 78% > < Synchronization Rate: 100% > < Ding! > < Congrattions! Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy had been set to be your primary body constitution! > ¡ª¨C A zing fire engulfed Lux¡¯s body and instantly incinerated his clothes until nothing was left. The red-headed boy started to panic because he thought that he was going to be burned alive. However, after iling his hands for half a minute, he realized that he wasn¡¯t feeling any kind of burning pain. Instead, he felt a soothing pleasure wash over his body. It was a very surreal feeling that he couldn¡¯t put into words. All he knew was that every fiber of his being was rejoicing as they were born anew, shedding their weak and pathetic selves behind them. When the ze disappeared, Lux¡¯s body appeared sitting cross legged in the air with his eyes closed. He was basking in the afterglow of his rebirth and trying to understand the changes that happened inside his body. In the past, whenever he tried to do anything, his body felt heavy as if it was weighed down with stones. There were also minor dys when he executed actions. Growing up, he thought that it was a normal thing. But now things have changed. He no longer felt burdened, the invisible shackles that held him back had all disappeared. He felt that if he challenged the trial again he had an 80% chance of seeding. When Lux opened his eyes, the happiness he felt was evident on his face. Eriol smiled in satisfaction after seeing that Lux¡¯s rebirth seeded. ¡°Now, take out your Soul Book, and see the changes that have been made to your body.¡± Eriol urged. Lux nodded and summoned his Soul Book. Every person in the world of Sis could summon their Soul Books to check their progress. Only the owner of the Soul Book would be able to see their stats. Of course, others could see them as well if the owner gave them his permission. ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Strength: 4 Intelligence: 5 Vitality: 4 Agility: 5 Dexterity: 4 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX] Special Body Constitution: Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy Title: None Note: You¡¯re still a mob character. Don¡¯t think too highly of yourself, weakling! ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] > ¨C This ability will allow you to evolve your skills once. ¨C Certain requirements must be met in order to evolve the skill of your choosing. < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: F Progress: 1/100 Conquest is not all about imingnds and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you. Abilities: (None) Note: Upgrading your special constitution will allow you to unlock its abilities. Chapter 8 Isn’t This Item A Little Too OP? Lux stared at his Soul Book with excitement. Although his stats had remained the same, he acquired a special ability as well as a body constitution that he never had before. After reading the information in his Soul Book, Lux held Eriol¡¯s hand and thanked him profusely for what he had done for him. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lux bowed repeatedly. ¡°With this, I can repay Grandma for raising me. I am no longer useless!¡± Eriol could only smile at Lux¡¯s passionate act of gratitude. ¡°Lux, I think you¡¯re having a very big misunderstanding here,¡± Eriol replied. ¡°Those abilities were rightfully yours from the start. However, due to what happened in the Heavenly Domain your soul was damaged, preventing you from using the blessings that my best friend, Macuilxochitl, had bestowed upon you. I am merely setting the record straight.¡± Lux still held Eriol¡¯s hand firmly as he stared at the boy¡¯s gray eyes that held a kind of maturity that didn¡¯t match his young appearance. ¡°Even so, without your help, the legacy that Max has left me would have been all for naught,¡± Lux stated. ¡°If you need anything from me, just say the word and I¡¯ll do my best to achieve it.¡± Eriol nced at the hands that were holding his own. It had been a while since a human had touched him, and aplicated feeling rose in his heart. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a task for you to do,¡± Eriol said as he raised his head to stare at Lux¡¯s light-green eyes. ¡°But for that to happen, you need to get the qualifications to enter Elysium. Even if your body has now synchronized with your soul, you are far too weak to aplish anything in that world. I also know that you¡¯re startingte whenpared to your peers, so I¡¯m going to give you a freebie as well to help you catch up,¡± Eriol said as he summoned a golden ticket in his hand. ¡°Are you familiar with Gacha Games?¡± ¡°Gacha games?¡± Lux blinked. ¡°Are you talking about those games where people gamble with their savings in order to get those Super Rare Characters and Weapons in order to be strong? Those P2W yers (Pay to Win)? Those bastards who use money to brute force their way into clearing the game and challenging F2P (Free to y) yers in PVP and trash talk them when they win?!¡± ¡°Bruh, chill out. The saltiness in you is strong. It¡¯s not their fault that they¡¯re rich, okay? What is wrong with spending money on gacha games?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an F2P, you know? I believe that you don¡¯t have to spend anything to enjoy a game. We demand equality!¡±-. Eriol looked at Lux with a pitiful gaze. Although he didn¡¯t say any word, his ¡°another salty F2P yer¡± gaze made the red-headed boy¡¯s liver itch. ¡°Well anyway, the reason why I asked is because this golden ticket in my hand will allow you to do a free pull on a gacha draw,¡± Eriol said. ¡°Of course, since this is a golden ticket, you are guaranteed to get one SSR weapon, artifact, or character.¡± ¡°You¡¯re giving it to me for free?¡± Lux stared at the golden ticket like a hungry beast. Only those who had yed gacha games would understand how tempting it was to get a free gacha draw with a guaranteed SSR Item. ¡°Yes,¡± Eriol nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you already know that there are three types of rarity that you can get from Gacha games. Rare (R), Super Rare (SR), and Super Super Rare (SSR). If we are going to convert the rarity of these items to the terms used in your world, they would be called Rare, Unique, and Mythical. ¡°Just like normal gacha games, these items correspond to colors as well, which are blue, purple, and gold respectively. The good news about these items is that you can use them inside and outside Elysium. Now, here is your golden ticket.¡± The God of Games handed the ticket to Lux, and thetter held it with both hands. He stared at it for a while before shifting his gaze back to Eriol who had his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°Can I use it now?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Eriol replied with a smile. The red-headed boy pressed his hands together in a prayer with the golden ticket between them. After finishing his prayer, he threw the golden ticket in the air and looked at it with expectation. The golden ticket glowed brightly and turned into a golden orb of light. Suddenly, the orb shattered and ten smaller orbs of different colors descended from the sky. They stopped two meters away from Lux and hovered around him, forming an encirclement. Lux looked around him and saw five blue orbs, three purple orbs, and two golden orbs. As a Gacha Gamer, the first things he checked were, of course, the two golden orbs that contained Mythical Items. When his hand touched one of the Golden Orbs, it immediately changed its shape and transformed into a golden book with intricate design. A series of texts appeared in Lux¡¯s vision as he read the information about the Mythical Item that he had acquired. ¡ª¨C < Elysium Grand Compendium > Rarity: Mythical ¨C This book contains important information about Elysium. ¨C Information about Monster Drops and their Locations. ¨C Information on Treasure Chests scattered around the world. ¨C Complete list of Herbs. ¨C Complete list of Metals. ¨C Complete list of Precious Gems. ¨C Complete list of ingredients and misceneous materials. ¨C Expert¡¯s guide to managing Viges, Towns, Cities. ¨C Beginner¡¯s guide to crafting. ¨C Beginner¡¯s guide to alchemy. ¨C Beginner¡¯s guide to cksmithing. ¡ª This Item is Soulbound to Lux Von Kaizer ¡ª ¡°You got really lucky with that one,¡± Eriolmented as he floated beside Lux. ¡°Thispendium is like a walkthrough of Elysium. If the Humans and other races knew that you had this in your possession they would definitely send all avable manpower to snatch this from your hands.¡± ¡°A walkthrough?¡± Lux scratched his head. ¡°You make it sound like this is a game. Only games have walkthroughs.¡± Eriol smirked, ¡°Life is a game. Knowledge is power. If you can use thispendium properly, you will be amazed at how fast you can progress when you enter Elysium.¡± Lux could only nod his head in response to Eriol¡¯s words. He still hadn¡¯t stepped inside that strange world, so his knowledge of it was limited. With thependium in his possession, the knowledge hecked would no longer be a problem. ¡°Okay, time for the next item¡­,¡± Lux said softly as he pressed his hand over the other golden orb beside him. The orb glowed brightly before transforming into a ck coffin with a golden cross embedded in its cover. Lux¡¯s body unconsciously shuddered as he looked at the ck coffin that was standing upright in front of him. He was about to run away due to fright, when he felt Eriol¡¯s small hand press down on his shoulder, holding him in ce. ¡°Rx, that coffin is empty,¡± Eriol said. He then looked at the ck coffin in front of them with aplicated expression on his face. ¡°Seriously, I don¡¯t know if you are lucky or unlucky to get this thing.¡± ¡°What kind of item is it?¡± Lux asked. Eriol sighed. ¡°It will be best if you read the information instead of asking me¡± Lux reluctantly nodded his head as he looked at the ck coffin to read its information. He had been too scared a while ago andpletely forgotten to appraise the item he received from the golden ticket. ¡ª- < ckfire, Oath of Eternal Glory > Rarity: Mythical Creatures in Storage: (0/4) Requirements to use transformation ability: 400 Combined Stat Points ¨C This coffin could store any humanoid type creature and randomly transform them into Higher-Undead, Fairies, Nymphs, Elementals, or Celestials. ¨C Only dead, or near-death creatures withplete bodies can be stored inside the coffin for transformation. ¨C Rates of transformation for each creature are as follows. (Higher Undead ¨C 40%) (Fairies ¨C 20%) (Nymphs ¨C 10%) (Elementals ¨C 5%) (Celestial ¨C .05%) ¨C You can offer Beast Cores as a sacrifice in order to increase the rarity of the creature you want to transform. The Rarer the Beast Core, the higher the chance for your desired creature to transform into an Apex Being. If your creature transformed into a Vampire, and you have sacrificed a Beast Core with high-rarity, there is a chance that the Vampire will transform into a Vampire Lord. ¨C All transformed creatures will be loyal to you. ¨C Each creature that you transform has a 25% chance to obtain the ability to evolve. This will allow them to be stronger and surpass their current forms, once certain requirements are met. ¨C The ckfire can only hold four creatures at a time. If the number of creatures exceeds that number, you will be given an option to remove one creature from the storage. Creatures that have been removed from the storage would be freed from the owner¡¯s control. Their loyalty may, or may not stay depending on their personality. ¨C If any of the creatures you own die in battle, you can revive them by offering a number of Beast Cores depending on their rank. The stronger the creature, the higher that offering will be. ¡ª This item is Soulbound to Lux Von Kaizer ¡ª- ¡®Isn¡¯t this item a little too OP?¡¯ Lux thought as he stared at the ck coffin that was floating in front of him. Although he couldn¡¯t use it right now because his stats didn¡¯t meet the requirements, he was confident that once he was able to use this artifact, his offensive capabilities would drastically increase. Even though there was a limitation to the number of creatures that it could store, it didn¡¯t change the fact that it would allow Lux to have strong allies that would help him on his journey through the world of Elysium. Chapter 9 My Legend Is About To Begin ¡°It is indeed a good artifact.¡± Eriolmented. ¡°But, you still need to reach a certain threshold before you can use it. So, work hard!¡± Lux nodded. He then looked at the purple orbs of light that were glowing around him. Choosing one at random, a ck sword appeared with runic symbols embedded on its de. The red-headed boy swung it a few times, to test it out. He had held wooden swords before during training. Although he wasn¡¯t an expert swordsman, he still knew the basics of wielding a weapon. Everyone in the stronghold was expected to enter Elysium, so they had basicbat training at an early age. Unfortunately, due to his fainting habit, Lux¡¯s progress was the slowest of all. Surprisingly, the sword in his hand wasn¡¯t as heavy as he expected. Although it was slightly heavier than a wooden sword, the bnce was perfect. Lux then checked the information of the sword in his hand with great expectations. ¡ª < Oathbreaker, Dark de of Eternity > Rarity: Unique (One Handed Sword) Requirement: 100 Combined Stats ¨C Attack: 100-145 Dark Damage ¨C Physical skills deal 20% more damage. ¨C Has a 10% chance to trigger double damage with each attack. This ability works with skills as well. ¨C ¡°Not bad,¡± Lux muttered as he once again appreciated the weapon in his hand. After checking the sword¡¯s information he opened all the purple orbs to see what other kinds of items they held. Although the purple items weren¡¯t as amazing as the golden orbs, they were still strong in their own right.-. ¡ª- < Storage Ring of Travelers > Rarity: Unique Item Slot: (0/300) ¨C This storage ring allows you to store up to 300 items. ¨C You cannot store living things inside the ring. ¨C The size and shape of items must not be taller than two meters, and not wider than one square meter. ¨C This ring has an independent storage for Gold Coins and Elysium Gold Coins. The maximum number of gold coins that can be stored in this ring is ten million. ¡ª- < Skill Book of Necromancy > Rarity: Unique Type: Skill Book (Consumable) Requirement: Dark Magic Affinity ¨C Allows you to learn Necromancy Magic ¨C Only those who have an affinity with Dark Magic will be able to learn the Arts of Necromancy. ¡ª- ¡°Magic Affinity?¡± Lux muttered. He suddenly remembered that his magic affinity still hadn¡¯t been tested because he didn¡¯t meet the requirements to enter Elysium. Everyone born in the world of Sis had the opportunity to learn skills by consuming Beast Cores inside Elysium. The only problem was that they could only learn the skills that matched their affinity. There was simply no way for someone to cast the skill, Fireball, if they didn¡¯t have affinity with Fire Magic. Fortunately, those that weren¡¯t born with any affinities were still able to learn certain skills that fell under the Non-Elemental category. Skills like sh, Long Jump, and Power Shot, were all Non-Elemental skills. These skills could be learned by anyone. Hence, they were often called Universal Skills. Some powerful skills that could be obtained from Beast Cores, had a very low chance of being acquired. There were even rumors that learning skills also depended on a person¡¯s luck. Skill Books could also be found on Elysium, but they are very rare. Most of them were found inside treasure chests, and auctioned at very high prices. ¡°Right, you still haven¡¯t checked your affinity.¡± Eriol smiled. ¡°This is a good opportunity to do so. However, since the things you acquired in the Gatcha were due to my golden ticket, there is a high chance that you are capable of wielding Dark Magic.¡± The God of Games took out a white crystal ball and presented it to Lux. ¡°Touch it,¡± Eriol said. ¡°Usually affinities are decided by your Body Constitution, and you acquired the Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy Physique, so I¡¯m curious to know the results.¡± Lux ced his hand over the white crystal ball. A few secondster, the crystal ball glowed and shot out a beam of light. A projection of five glowing orbs of different colors appeared in front of Lux and Eriol, and the God of Games smirked after seeing it. One Dark Orb surrounded by four smaller ones appeared in their vision. ¡°As expected of an Immortal Legacy,¡± Eriolmented. ¡°Well, as you can see, your main attribute is Dark Magic. With this you will have no issue learning that Necromancy Skill Book. ¡°You also have lesser affinities to Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water. This means that you can use low-level up to mid-tier Elemental Magic of the four elements. I¡¯m guessing that these lesser affinities of yours will get a boost once you upgrade your Body Constitution. If you don¡¯t die after entering Elysium then your future is very bright.¡± ¡°This is good,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°This means that I will not have trouble learning other skills rted to the four elements. I hit the jackpot!¡± Eriol nodded. He couldn¡¯t deny that Lux had indeed hit the jackpot when he randomly acquired the Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy, as his body constitution. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for the blue orbs.¡± Lux grinned as he touched all of them at the same time. ¡ª < Tranquility, Call of the Wolf > Rarity: Rare (One Handed Sword) ¨C Attack: 15 ¨C 20 ¨C Allows you to summon one Forest Wolf to aid you in battle (Forest Wolf) Health: 50 Attack: 5-10 ¡ª- < Dawne, Charm of Timeless Battles > Rarity: Rare (Round Shield) Requirement: Strength 10 ¨C Defense: 50 ¨C You can use the skills Shield Bash and Shield Throw when Dawn is equipped. (Shield Bash) ¨C Deals 10-15 Physical Damage to your target ¨C Has a chance to stun (Shield Throw) ¨C Deals 10-15 Physical Damage to your target ¨C When using this skill, the shield will be treated as a throwing weapon, and won¡¯t automatically return to its owner. ¡ª- < Harmony > Rarity: Rare (Magic Staff) Requirement: Intelligence 10 ¨C Magic Damage increase by 5% ¨C Able to use the skill Magic Missile (Magic Missile) ¨C Fires five magical darts at the enemies. ¨C Damage is equivalent to the Intelligence Stat of the caster ¡ª- < Dagger of Frost > Rarity: Rare (Dagger) ¨C Attack: 10 ¨C 15 Frost Damage ¨C Allows you to use the skill Ice sh (Ice sh) ¨C Deals 20-25 Frost AOE cone damage to creatures that are within five meters away from the user. ¨C Has a chance of freezing the user¡¯s enemy for five seconds ¨C Skill Cooldown: 2 minutes. ¡ª < Wolf¡¯s Leather Armor > ¨C Defense: 20 ¨C Pierce and shing damage reduced by 10% ¡ª- Lux grinned from ear to ear after seeing the items that he acquired from the Golden Ticket. With these items in hand, although he was startingte among his peers, he knew that he would be able to catch up to them in time. ¡°Wait for me, Elysium,¡± Lux said softly as he stored all the items he obtained inside his storage ring. ¡°My Legend is about to begin.¡± Chapter 10 The Arts Of Necromancy [Part 1] After dinner, Lux hurriedly went to the training room inside their residence and locked the door. His Grandma, Vera, didn¡¯t find this strange because Lux would train everyday, regardless of the time of the day. Vera¡¯s only condition was that Lux would train inside their residence when night came, so she wouldn¡¯t have to go look for him in the fields. After making sure that the door was properly locked, Lux took the Necromancy Skill book from his storage ring and pressed it over his head. Soon, the skill book turned into particles of light and flew towards Lux¡¯s forehead. Information about Necromancy appeared inside his mind, and the young boy immersed himself in the indescribable feeling of enlightenment, which he was experiencing for the first time. ¡°So, this is how it feels to learn skills,¡± Lux thought with a smile. Skill books were different from the skills that one could learn from Beast Cores. The skills that could be learned from Beast Cores, were skills that the monster possessed. Skill books, on the other hand, could let you learn a single spell, or a set of spells that belonged under a Legacy. Legacies often consisted of many spells under one branch of magic. For example, the Necromancy Skill Book allowed anyone to learn Basic Necromancy Magic, up to Advanced Necromancy Magic. This meant that Lux didn¡¯t have to hunt specific monsters in order to gain spells that fell under the Necromancy Branch of Magic. This was why Skill Books fetched for a high price, especially in Auction Houses. Anyone who was lucky enough to acquire one was set for life. After learning Necromancy, Lux summoned his Soul Book and opened it to the page where the different Skills he had learned could be found. Since it was his first time learning a Skill, he decided to read its information properly, so he would have a better understanding as to how the skill worked. ¡ª- < Necromancy > ¨C Use the Unholy Power to Summon the Undead and use Curses to weaken your enemies ¨C Basic Summoning Skill unlocked.-. ¨C Summon Golem (Locked) Requirement: Apostle Rank D. ¨C Curses (Locked) Requirement: Apostle Rank D. ¨C Intermediate Skills (Locked) Requirement: Initiate Rank. ¨C Advance Skills (Locked) Requirement: D-Ranker. ¡ª- < Basic Summoning Skills > Summon Skeleton Rating: F Energy: 5 Progress: (0/100) ¨C You can increase the Progression Rating when you use Beast Cores to upgrade this skill. ¨C Summons one Skeleton to fight for you ¨C Summon duration 1 hour ¨C Skill Cooldown: 5 minutes. ¡ª¨C ( Skeleton ) Health: 10 AttacK: 1 ¨C 5 Attack Type: Physical Damage ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > < Since the Skill is learned from a Skill Book and not from a Beastcore, evolution requirements will be waived. > < Choose which path of Evolution you wish to take. > Option 1: Summon two Skeletons to fight for you instead of one. Option 2: Upgrade Summon Skeleton Skill to Summon Skeleton Warrior. Option 3: Give your first Skeleton a name. Named creatures will be stronger and more intelligent than normal ones. Also, you can upgrade your named creature individually if you wish it. ¡ª- ¡°My Skill can be upgraded because of my Skill Evolution [EX]?!¡± Lux¡¯s eyes widened in shock and joy at this unexpected discovery. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean that I can upgrade all my Skills by one stage once I have unlocked their requirements? Amazing!¡± Lux looked at the three options carefully. The first and second options were good because he could understand what they meant. However, the third option baffled Lux. He didn¡¯t know what Named Creatures were and what kind of abilities they possessed. Even so, he still felt that the third option was the best choice among the three. ¡°If you are unsure about certain terms in regards to skill, you can always consult the Elysium Compendium for more details.¡± A lively voice spoke from behind Lux, which made thetter jump in fright. ¡°E-Eriol! Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± Lux gasped as his hand pressed over his chest in an attempt to regain his calm. ¡°Bro, you almost gave me a heart attack!¡± ¡°Bro?¡± Eriol looked at Lux with amusement. ¡°This is the first time someone has called me a Bro. Fine, I¡¯ll make an exemption this time and allow you to refer to me as such. Now, go on and check what a Named Creature is.¡± Lux nodded and summoned the Elysium Grand Compendium. As soon as he held the book in his hands, its pages automatically started to turn before they stopped at a certain page. The red-headed boy looked at the page and was surprised to see that it had stopped on the page with the information on Named Creatures. ¡ª¨C < Named Creatures > ¨C These are Creatures that have been bestowed names by their Masters. ¨C Creatures who were bestowed names are more powerful than the monsters of the same species and level. ¨C They also learn special Skills that are exclusive to them. ¨C Named Creatures also have the ability to evolve and transform into more powerful forms once they meet the necessary requirements. . ¨C A Named Creature will always be loyal to its master. ¡ª¨C After reading the information about named creatures, Lux shifted his gaze to his Soul Book and confidently chose the third option to name a creature. < You have chosen to give your first Skeleton a name. > < Please choose a name > ¡ª- Lux rubbed his chin as he ran a series of names inside his head. He knew how important names were, and he was blessed to have been given good names in both of his lifetimes. Because of this, he decided to give his firstpanion a name that would make anyone tremble whenever they heard it. ¡°Diablo,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°From now on, your name will be Diablo.¡± ¡ª¨C < You have chosen the name ¡°Diablo¡± as the name for your first Skeleton. > < Is this your final answer? > < Yes / No > ¡ª- Lux clicked yes to confirm his answer. As soon as he did, particles of light appeared in front of him and, from there, a Skeleton emerged. The skeleton stood at 174 cm (5¡¯7¡å) and Its bones were extremely white. On its forehead, some kind of mark that resembled a ck me could be seen easily. Lux opened Diablo¡¯s personal page in his Soul Book and checked its information ¡ª¨C < Diablo > ¡°Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!¡± ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Rating: F+ ¨C Energy: 10 ¨C Progress (0/100) Health: 15 Attack: 3 ¨C 10 Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Title: Firstborn ¨C Diablo is your first Named Creature and has been bestowed the title ¡°Firstborn¡±. ¨C This Named Creature has gained the ability to evolve. < Firstborn > ¨C Regardless of what happens in the future, this Named Creature will be forever loyal to you. ¨C Attacks made by this creature have a high chance of dealing critical damage. ¨C All attacks made by this Creature will deal Ethereal Damage. ¨C Ethereal Damage ignores armor and other kinds of defensive equipment. ¨C When you use Beast Cores to upgrade Diablo, its effects would be boosted by 50% Note: Congrattions! You got your firstckey! Yohoho! Here we go! Chapter 11 The Arts Of Necromancy [Part 2] Lux nodded his head in appreciation. He felt that he made the right choice after choosing the third option and giving his first Skeleton a name. After the naming waspleted, the red-headed boy checked the other Basic Summoning Skills that were avable to him. ¡ª¨C < Summon Skeleton Archer > Rating: D Energy: 10 Progress: (0/100) ¨C You can increase the Progression Rating when you use Beast Cores to upgrade this skill. ¨C Requirement: Summon Skeleton Rating C ¨C Summons one Skeleton Archer to fight for you ¨C Summon duration 1 hour ¨C Skill Cooldown: 5 minutes. ( Skeleton Archer ) Health: 20 Attack: 3 ¨C 10 -. Attack Type: Physical Damage ¡ª- < Summon Skeletal Mage > Rating: C Energy: 20 Progress: (0/100) ¨C You can increase the Progression Rating when you use Beast Cores to upgrade this skill. ¨C Requirement: Skeleton Archer Rating A ¨C Summons one Skeleton Mage to fight for you ¨C Summon duration 1 hour ¨C Skill Cooldown: 5 minutes. ( Skeleton Mage ) Health: 50 Attack: 5 ¨C 15 Attack Type: Elemental Damage ¡ª¨C ¡°Summon Skeleton Archer, and Summon Skeleton Mage,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°Not bad. But, this makes upgrading them more troublesome.¡± Lux scratched his head as he looked at the requirements of his two other Summoning Skills. He could already imagine the amount of resources that he would need to upgrade Diablo, as well as the Summon Skeleton Skill. Since both of them were separate Skills, upgrading them at the same time was not ideal. In the beginning, Lux was aware of how hard it was to gain Beast Cores. Those who passed the Stronghold¡¯s entry test to Elysium would gain the right to enter the ¡°Beginner¡¯s Area¡±. Inside this Beginner¡¯s Area were low-level creatures, andmon monsters that those who were twelve years old and above could practice on in order to refine their fighting abilities. When these creatures were killed, there was a ten percent chance that they would drop a Beast Core. When using a Beast Core, people would be given two options by their Soul Books. The first one was to upgrade their Personal Stats. Depending on the rarity of the Beast Core, they could gain up to a hundred points once it was consumed. The Beast Cores of low-tier Beasts usually give a ten percent chance to gain a Skill exclusive to the Creature that was in. Aside from that, one could also gain one to two stat points that could be allocated freely. The second option was to upgrade Skills. When one upgraded Skills, the progress bar of the Skill would rise until it reached 100% progression. The Skill would then be more powerful, and might even lead to a mutation that could unlock a more powerful version of the original Skill. This was simr to Lux¡¯s Skill Evolution [EX], but this instance only happened at a very, very, low probability. Usually, when people upgraded their Skills, they would only have their Skill¡¯s performance improved. This was why the Skill that Lux acquired from the God of Gamblers was a Skill that would make everyone in the world of Sis feel extremely envious. An ability that could evolve any kind of Skill was unheard of. If this was made public, many powerful factions would fight to have Lux under their wing, or eliminated, to prevent a future powerhouse from threatening their rule. Lux didn¡¯t think about these things because he had a more troublesome problem at hand. He felt conflicted if he should upgrade his Stats first, or his Skills first. This question had gued countless people soon after they had entered Elysium for the first time. The line drawn between internal and external strength, had long been a subject of debate for Rankers. Only those that were born without any Affinities would focus on enhancing their stats, instead of relying on Skills to be stronger. ¡°Eriol, what should I do?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Should I upgrade my Stats first, or Diablo¡¯s?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the choice you need to make, Lux,¡± Eriol replied. ¡°For now, you should think of what to do in the morning. Since you just failed the recent entrance test to Elysium, the Leader of this Stronghold, Gerald, will not allow you to take the test anytime soon. He doesn¡¯t want others to think that he is ying favorites, so you will have to wait a year to take Elysium¡¯s entrance exam again.¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t wait that long!¡± Lux stuttered. Now that he had unlocked his body¡¯s potential, as well as learned a Skill, not being able to go to Elysium would drive him crazy. Eriol nodded in understanding. ¡°How about this? I will lend you an artifact that will allow you to travel to a Beginner¡¯s Area that is located far away from territory that belongs to Wildgarde Fortress in Elysium. ¡°This way, not only will you be able to ess Elysium, no one will be able to recognize you as well. What do you think about this proposal of mine?¡± ¡°I ept!¡± Lux answered in a heartbeat. He was afraid that Eriol would take back his offer if he didn¡¯t answer right away. Eriol chuckled and looked at the over-excited youngster who was holding himself back from hugging him to oblivion. ¡°Okay. take this,¡± Eriol presented a ck ring to Lux. ¡°This ring is called the Ring of Arondight. It will take you to the Arondight Territory which is located at the Far South of Elysium. Ah, before I forget, do you know how big Elysium is?¡± ¡°ording to Grandma, Elysium is as big as this world?¡± ¡°Correct. But, do you know how big this world is?¡± Lux blinked as he gave Eriol a random answer. ¡°As big as Earth?¡± Eriol chuckled after hearing Lux¡¯s answer. He then gave the young boy a mischievous smile as he asked another question. ¡°Is Earth big?¡± Eriol asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Then, is Jupiter bigger than Earth?¡± ¡°It is bigger.¡± Lux was aware that Jupiter was the biggest in the Sr System. However, he didn¡¯t know just how big it was. ¡°Sis is the same size as Jupiter,¡± Eriol stated. ¡°Do you know how many Earths you can fit inside Jupiter?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°The answer is almost 1,300 Earths. Sis and Elysium are that big. So, when I told you that this ring would allow you to enter the Southern Area of Elysium, it meant that you would be several Earth¡¯s away from the Wildgarde Stronghold.¡± Lux¡¯s jaw hung open because he didn¡¯t expect that the world he was living on was that big. A that could fit almost 1,300 Earth¡¯s was beyond his understanding. When Eriol asked him if the Earth was big, he had answered yes. Now that he knew that Sis was as big as Jupiter, he realized that he would be hundreds of thousands of miles away from home. ¡°Um, is it possible to travel from Arondight to the territory of Wildgarde in Elysium?¡± Lux inquired. ¡°Definitely,¡± Eriol answered with confidence. ¡°However, the path will be extremely dangerous. Elysium has just recently opened, and the races of this world have only explored the tip of the iceberg. Even if they were given a thousand years, there would still be many unexplored regions waiting for the brave to discover. Also, the ces you can enter are only the Beginner Areas. ¡°If you really want to go to this Stronghold¡¯s territory in Elysium, it will be far safer to wait a year and take the test once again. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to give everyone a big surprise when they find out that you¡¯ve be so strong after staying at home for a year?¡± Eriol¡¯s yful words struck Lux¡¯s heartstrings. He could already see the shock in everyone¡¯s expressions after he took the next test, alongside the other twelve-year olds. As Lux was thinking of showing off an amazing performance in the future, he remembered his Grandma¡¯s worried expression during dinner. His sudden silence confused Eriol, and the God of Games thought that Lux was getting cold feet. Because of this, he decided to encourage the red-headed boy that everything was going to be fine. ¡°It¡¯s just a year of waiting,¡± Eriol said. ¡°After you pass the test with flying colors, your friends, and the adults here in the Stronghold will definitely see you in a better light.¡± Lux shook his head because that was not what he was thinking. ¡°Eriol, can I tell my grandma about this?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Since I will be going to Elysium, I will not be home. She might get worried and look for me everywhere. Knowing Grandma, she would turn thisnd upside down just to find me.¡± Eriol frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest. There were several issues with Lux¡¯s suggestion, and it might lead toplicationster. However, he also couldn¡¯t rule out the consequences of what would happen if Lux disappeared for a very long time. Although he hadn¡¯t passed the test to enter Elysium, everyone in the Stronghold cared about Lux. if the red-headed boy suddenly disappeared, it would certainly cause amotion and it might lead to head-ache inducing scenarios. If Lux and Eriol wanted to avoid this problem, they needed to bring Lux¡¯s grandma, Vera, in their inner circle. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s talk to your grandma,¡± Eriol replied after weighing the pros and cons of things. ¡°I will do the talking. You can just support me from the side.¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Good!¡± If possible, Lux didn¡¯t want to hide anything from his grandma. She was the only family he had ever known, and Vera had taken care of him since he was a baby. There was a certain trust between them that couldn¡¯t be spoken through words. This was also why Vera gave Lux her silent approval for wanting to train in secret in order to follow his dream to enter Elysium. Chapter 12 I Am No Quack Doctor Vera looked at her grandson with a serious expression on her face. She had known that Lux had wanted to go to Elysium to prove that he wasn¡¯t useless, but Vera had never treated him as someone who was. For her, Lux was a child that filled her lonely world with colors. Although he wasn¡¯t the healthiest of individuals, he would do his best in order to help her in any way that he could. If possible, Vera didn¡¯t want Lux to go to Elysium because she was afraid that the boy¡¯s life would be endangered. ¡°Lux, I know that you really wanted to be a warrior,¡± Vera said softly. ¡°But, even if your heart wills it, your body is not strong enough to see it through.¡± Vera wanted to say that Lux didn¡¯t have to think about anything else and just live a happy andfortable life, but she held these words back. She knew, more than anything else, what her grandson wanted to do in life. ¡°Grandma, I know that you love me and want only the best for me,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Also, I know that it is hard for you to believe me, but my body is now healed. I will no longer faint if I stress my body too much.¡± Vera shook her head firmly. ¡°Lux, life is very precious. I will not let you enter Elysium until I personally see with my own eyes that what you are telling me is the truth. However, this will also be thest time. If you fail to convince me, you will no longer insist on going to Elysium. Do we have a deal?¡± ¡°Do I have your word, Grandma?¡±-. ¡°When have I ever lied to you?¡± Lux breathed a sigh of relief. He grew up being spoiled by his grandma, and thetter treated him with great care. Although they¡¯d had several arguments in the past in regards to his dreams to go to Elysium, Vera had never rejected his dream, and allowed him to train as much as he could. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯d like to introduce you to someone,¡± Lux said. ¡°He is the one that helped cure my body.¡± ¡°¡­ don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s another one of those quack doctors you invited in the past?¡± Vera¡¯s face became stern. ¡°How many times have you been conned by people into buying those random potions that only made you sick? Have you not learned your lesson?¡± Lux coughed lightly because he couldn¡¯t refute his grandma¡¯s words. In the past, he had bought some shady strengthening tonics from the merchants that passed through their stronghold. Although these tonics looked good on the outside, their effects were horrible, causing Lux to suffer from rashes, or fever, for a few days. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. This time it¡¯s not a quack.¡± Lux patted his chest with confidence. ¡°In fact, he also came here to personally talk to you.¡± ¡°He wanted to talk to me?¡± Vera frowned. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°In my room.¡± ¡°¡­ Lux. Did you just invite a random stranger inside our house while I was away?¡± Vera¡¯s steady gaze made Lux feel like he was suffering from constipation. However, he gritted his teeth in order to take control of the situation. ¡°Grandma, let me just introduce him to you first,¡± Lux said. ¡°If he¡¯s really a suspicious quack, feel free to whack his head silly!¡± Vera reluctantly nodded her head and made a gesture for Lux to fetch the person that healed his body. She had already decided that if the quack was nning to hurt her grandson, she would strangle him and feed his body to the crocodiles in the river. A few minutester, a child, who seemed to be around twelve years old, followed behind Lux with a smile. Vera was surprised because she didn¡¯t expect that the person that Lux was talking about was actually a boy younger than him. Suddenly, Vera¡¯s expression became serious as she stared at the young boy with dark-blue hair and gray eyes. She was a warrior, so it was fairly easy for her to notice even the smallest of things when it came to people. The first thing that rmed her was that she couldn¡¯t sense the blue-haired boy¡¯s presence. It was as if the one following Lux was not a person, but just a passing breeze. The second thing she noticed were the boy¡¯s eyes. Those eyes didn¡¯t belong to someone young, but a wise person that seemed to have lived for many years. ¡®A High-Ranker?¡¯ Vera thought as she extended her senses towards the boy who was now sitting in front of her. ¡°Good day. My name is Eriol, and I am the one that helped Lux fix his body,¡± Eriol said with a smile. ¡°Before anything else, I would just like to say that I am no quack doctor. ¡°Lux is already healed and, although his body still hasn¡¯t reached the standards to enter Elysium, it is no longer burdened by its past weakness. If he trains properly then going to the Newbie Area will not be an issue.¡± ¡°Are you a ranker?¡± Vera asked. ¡°What is your rank?¡± Eriol blinked once then twice before realization hit him. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really a ranker¡­,¡± Eriol replied. ¡°But, if it will make you feel any better, you can think of me as one.¡± Vera narrowed her eyes. She didn¡¯t believe that someone like Eriol would randomly choose to help someone. There was no free lunch in this world, and she was sure that the blue-haired boy had some hidden agenda. ¡®Lux must have something he wants,¡¯ Vera thought. ¡®I better get rid of him before he can do something to my grandson.¡¯ ¡°Such scary thoughts,¡± Eriolmented with a smile. ¡°I swear by my name that I have no evil intentions in regards to Lux. If I nned something so sinister, I would not have gone out of my way to meet with you, right?¡± Vera¡¯s pupils shrank when she realized that the other person could read her thoughts. This was not the first time she had met someone with this ability. She had her fair share of fighting against these kinds of people in Sis and Elysium. The one thing that they all had inmon was that all of them were troublesome opponents. ¡°Please, can¡¯t we have a proper discussion without you thinking of ways to kill me?¡± Eriol said with a bitter smile. ¡°I came here to tell you that I will take Lux to Elysium with me and train him for a year. After that he will take the test here in the Wildgarde Stronghold so he can join your faction inside Elysium.¡± ¡°Take him to Elysium?¡± Vera raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re already a ranker. You can¡¯t possibly enter the Newbie Area.¡± Eriol briefly nodded his head in agreement. ¡°There arews in Elysium that divide thends that people can explore depending on their ranks. However, I can bypass thesews and go anywhere unhindered. ¡°But, we both know that you won¡¯t allow Lux to go to Elysium unless he has proven himself capable of surviving by himself, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Vera answered. ¡°Well then, since both of us are in agreement, how about we all go on a little trip outside this stronghold?¡± Eriol proposed. ¡°That way, you will be able to see with your own eyes if your beloved grandson had the qualifications to go to Elysium or not.¡± Vera didn¡¯t reply right away. Instead, she looked at her grandson who was giving her a pleading gaze. After a brief inner battle, Vera sighed and reluctantly nodded her head. ¡°Very well,¡± Vera said. ¡°We will leave at first light. I want to see if my grandson is really cured of his sickness. If you can show me that he has the means to survive in Elysium then I will allow him to go there. However, if you are lying to me¡­ I don¡¯t care who you are, or where you are from. I will ensure that you never see my grandson again. Do I make myself clear?¡± Eriol smiled and nodded his head. Vera¡¯s threats had no meaning to him, but he could understand how much she cared about Lux. Although the general n had been derailed from the start, he was still happy that the candidate they had chosen was well loved by his foster family. Chapter 13 Earning Veras Recognition Vera, Lux, and Eriol, sat on top of the White Hippopotamus, Sophie, as they traveled along the river. This was not the first time that Vera had taken Lux on a journey with her, so he was quite familiar with thendmarks that they were passing. After traveling for half a day, the White Hippopotamus swam towards the riverbank. After walking up tond, Vera, Lux, and Eriol dismounted from her back and observed their surroundings. ¡°Where are we, Grandma?¡± Lux asked. This was the first time that he had stepped into this ce, and he was not sure why Vera had brought him here alongside Eriol. ¡°This ce is called the Westmill Valley,¡± Vera answered. ¡°This is a ce where bothmon and ranked monsters can be found. Don¡¯t worry, the strongest monsters here are Rank 2 Monsters. As long as you don¡¯t go deep inside the valley, your chances of meeting them are slim. ¡° Lux gulped because ording to the knowledge he had, Rank 2 monsters were as strong as Grade C Apostles. In Sis, there were various ranks to measure the strength of an individual. Only those that had stepped on the Apostle Rank, were considered individuals that had surpassed the limits of mortality. Those who had be Apostles were eligible to enter the Intermediate Area of Elysium. It was also where stronger monsters and richer resources could be found. Children who were twelve and above were given the opportunity to enter the Beginner Area of Elysium, wheremon monsters, like the Horned Rabbit, could be found anywhere.-. This was the ce where they could hone theirbat abilities, in preparation to step into the Apostle Rank. Since Lux was not allowed to enter Elysium, Vera could only take him to a simr environment wheremon monsters could be found. This was the only way for her to gauge whether Lux and Eriol were lying to her. ¡°Come, let us make camp,¡± Vera ordered as she took out arge tent from her storage ring. Lux happily helped his grandma prepare the tent because it had been a few years since they had gone on a camping trip together. Even so, he was still very proficient in doing these simple chores, because he wanted to be useful to her whenever they left Wildgarde Stronghold to visit the nearby towns in their territory. After finishing the tent, Vera started to prepare their lunch. Lux busied himself with practicing his swordsmanship. He was holding the rare weapon, Tranquility, that allowed him to summon a Forest Wolf to aid him in battle. ¡°Go!¡± Lux shouted as he activated the summon skill. Immediately, a wolf with light-brown fur appeared in front of him. Lux gave his Grandma a side-long nce to see her reaction, but thetter didn¡¯t even raise her head as she stirred the dish inside the cooking pot. Eriol, who saw this scene, chuckled, because he knew what Lux was thinking. The God of Games was aware of Vera¡¯s level, and such a simple disy was usually not enough to move her heart, but a tinge of wariness or concern had touched it and she briefly shifted her eyes from the meal in front of her to her grandson. While weapons with summoning abilities were not that rare in Sis. Anyone who was able to get their hands on one could easily do what Lux had done. Of course, Lux wasn¡¯t aware of this. He thought that having a cool weapon was enough to impress his grandma, so her seemingly indifferent reaction made his heart ache. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be so down,¡± Eriol wasn¡¯t able to ignore Lux¡¯s depressed state, but nor would he reveal the subtle change that hade over Vera, when he decided to cheer him up. ¡°Your grandma just wants to know if you are capable of entering Elysium without relying on external strength.¡± Lux scratched his head as he looked up at Eriol who was sitting on a tree branch. ¡°Does that mean I can¡¯t summon the Forest Wolf and Diablo?¡± ¡°You can,¡± Eriol replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure that your grandma will notin as long as you understand that you shouldn¡¯t over rely on them. I¡¯ll give you an example. If you were to fight against a Summoner and his powerful summon, who would you attack first?¡± ¡°The Summoner?¡± Lux answered with uncertainty. Eriol nodded. ¡°Once the Summoner is dealt with, the summon will also disappear. So, although a summoned creature is strong, the Summoner must also have a way to defend himself. There are beasts with very high intellect. They would directly attack you and ignore your summons if you were to face them in battle.¡± Lux crossed his arms over his chest as he digested Eriol¡¯s words. He then nced at the Forest Wolf who took a sitting position in front of him. ¡°Should I upgrade my personal stats first and not strengthen Diablo then?¡± Lux inquired. Eriol smirked, ¡°Lux, whether you do, or do not, that decision will always be yours to make. Do not rely on others to make the decision for you. No one can decide what to do with your life, except you.¡± ¡°But, I don¡¯t know what to do? Can you give me a hint?¡± Lux pressed his hands together and pleaded. Eriol nced at Vera who was busy cooking their food. He knew that she was listening to their discussion, and testing him to see whether he was indeed a good mentor for Lux or not. Since that was the case, Eriol decided to give Lux some tips in order to make him understand the concept of roles in battle. ¡°Priests and Mages are almost always at the back of the party. Swordsmen, Defenders, and closebat professions will always be at the front.¡± Eriol exined. ¡°Archers will always be somewhere where they could snipe their enemies from a safe distance. ¡°Different strokes, for different folks. What you need to ask yourself is what role you want to y in the greater scheme of things. Do you n to go solo, or do you want to team up with others? Since you have learned Necromancy, you can have the best of both worlds. Even without people, you can form a party with your summoned creatures.¡± At the mention of Necromancy, Vera raised her head and looked at Lux who was deep in thought. ¡°Lux, is that true? Have you learned Necromancy?¡± Vera asked with a serious expression on her face. ¡°Yes, Grandma,¡± Lux answered. ¡°Show me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lux took a deep breath as he activated the Summon Skeleton Skill. ¡°Come forth! Diablo!¡± Lux ordered. A magic circle materialized on the ground in front of him. A secondter, a white Skeleton with a ck me mark on its head appeared holding a bone sword in its hand. Vera frowned because she knew that her grandson didn¡¯t have this kind of Necromantic ability in the past. In fact, she had been paying close attention and the boy hadn¡¯t shown anything that said he would have this kind of ability today. She was finding it hard to believe how her grandson, who always fainted during critical moments, could have learned Necromancy without her knowing it. As Vera appraised the white skeleton, her eyes widened in shock when she noticed something that only experts like her could see at a nce. ¡°A Named Creature!¡± Vera hurriedly approached the Skeleton. She then closely appraised it to ensure that her eyes were not deceiving her. ¡°How can this be?¡± Vera asked in confusion. ¡°How can you have a Named Creature in your current state? Is this your doing?¡± she finished, turning to face Eriol who was still seated on the tree branch. ¡°I only gave him the means,¡± Eriol replied. ¡°The one that made the choice for his first Skeleton to be named was Lux.¡± Vera was aware of how powerful a Named Creature could be. Unlike other creatures, a named creature could grow strong at a faster rate than others. Also, it possessed unique abilities that set them apart from normal creatures. ¡°What do you think, Grandma?¡± Lux patted his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I have what it takes to enter Elysium now?¡± Vera nced at Diablo before shifting her gaze to her grandson. She admitted that having a Named Creature would greatly help Lux in the long run, but the problem was his short term progression. ¡°Only if you don¡¯t faint in battle,¡± Vera ruffled Lux¡¯s hair fondly. ¡°If you faint, no matter how strong your summon is, it will just disappear into thin air.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. I will not faint anymore.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Eriol smiled as he watched the yful banter of the grandmother and grandson pair. Now that Vera had finally acknowledged Lux¡¯s potential, all that was left was to see how the red-headed boy was in actual battle. As long as Lux passed his grandma¡¯s test, the God of Games was sure that Vera would give Lux her full support and permit him to enter the Beginner¡¯s Area, using the backdoor that Eriol had prepared for him. Chapter 14 Vera’s Trial After lunch, Vera led Lux and Eriol on the Western outskirts of the valley. Every now and then, they woulde acrossmon monsters like the horned rabbits, foxes, wild cats, boars, and other beasts that would gaze at them in the distance. Although some of these creatures were aggressive by nature, Vera¡¯s presence, as well as that of the White Hippopotamus, Sophie, who had shrunk its size to a half a meter tall and a meter long, made them feel threatened. After walking for an hour, they finally arrived at their destination. Lux frowned because he could hear grunts, screams, and howlsing from the trees in front of them. In fact, some of the trees were even shaking because their residents had been alerted of their presence. ¡°This is the territory of the Barb Tailed Jester Monkeys,¡± Vera said. ¡°They are justmon creatures, but they are notorious for their ability to urately throw things like rocks and fruits at their enemies. ¡°What I want you to do is hunt ten of them. If you can do this, I will allow you to go to Elysium. However, if you fail, you will not talk about going to Elysium for a year, and continue your training at home. Do I make myself clear?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Okay, Grandma.¡± Lux was surprised by his grandma¡¯s sudden change of heart. He thought that she would prevent him from going to Elysiumpletely if he failed her test, but she merely said that he should continue to train at home, which was already a goodpromise. ¡°Good luck,¡± Eriol gave Lux a pat on the shoulder as a form of encouragement. ¡®Still, his grandma made things a little difficult for him to pass the test. Although it is not impossible, Lux has to be resourceful if he wants to clear this trial.¡±-. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°I got this!¡± Lux took a deep breath before taking a step forward. He was holding his sword, Tranquility, and paying close attention to the Monkeys, who were jumping up and down on the branches of the trees as they continued to scream at him. Just as Lux was thinking about what to do next, he heard a dull ringing sound in his head. What followed next were rows of text that appeared in front of him, as if they were being carved into the air. ¡ª¨C < Special Quest: Vera¡¯s Trial > ¨C Your grandmother asked you to defeat 10 Barb Tailed Jester Monkeys in order to gain her permission to enter Elysium. < Rewards > ¨C 5 Free Stats Points ¨C 10 Body Constitution Points ¨C 10 Skill Points ¡ª- ¡®A Quest?¡¯ Lux stared at the image in front of him in disbelief. ¡®What is this? Some kind of RPG Game?¡¯ Although Lux was confused about what was happening, he decided to put it aside for the time being because he needed to focus on the task at hand. After walking fifty steps forward, the two-foot-tall Monkeys became more agitated as they started jumping from tree branch to tree branch while increasing the decibels of their screeching noises. Suddenly, a nut that was as big as a human¡¯s fist came flying in his direction. Lux had already raised his awareness to its limits because he understood that the Monkeys were wild creatures, and their temperament was on the aggressive side. Because of this, he was able to dodge the nut that was thrown at him with ease. The monkeys seemed to find his dodging amusing, so they all started screeching and pping their hands like spectators at a theatrical performance. It was also at that moment when Lux saw several Monkeys raise their hands in the air in the act of throwing something. Lux¡¯s body stiffened when he realized that the Monkeys were now going to attack him for real. As soon as this thought came to his mind, several flying projectiles, namely fruit, wooden sticks, and rocks, descended on him like rain. The red-headed boy rolled over to his right side, and hid behind a tree in order to shield himself from the barrage of projectiles that were being aimed at him. The monkeys then started to jump from tree to tree, in order to encircle Lux and attack him from all directions. ¡°S-Sh*t!¡± Lux cursed loudly as he narrowly evaded a rock, that was as big as his head, that had been thrown from his left side. ¡°Diablo! Help me!¡± Lux ordered as he summoned his named creature to battle. A White Skeleton appeared in front of Lux and shed at the fruits that were being thrown at its master. Unfortunately, its movements were not that fast, and several of the fruits hit their intended target. Lux saw a couple of numbers pop up above Diablo¡¯s head, which he assumed were damages that the Skeleton received from the projectiles thrown at him. ¡ª- < Diablo > Health: 6 / 15 Attack: 3 ¨C 10 Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. ¡ª¨C Lux was rmed when he saw that Diablo¡¯s Health Points had decreased by more than half and knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to beat the Monkeys in his current situation. Because of this, he decided to take a strategic retreat and ran like his pants were on fire. Diablo ran after its Master and used its body, and weapon, to shield Lux from further attacks that came from the Monkeys. Only when Lux had escaped to his Grandma¡¯s side did the Monkeys stop their attacks. Vera¡¯s re was more than enough to scare them silly, and the Monkeys decided to stop attacking the red-headed boy who was hiding behind her back. Eriol chuckled at Lux¡¯sedic performance. Although he didn¡¯t have high hopes for him when it came to being able to beat a pack of Monkeys, he still believed that the red-headed boy¡¯s decision to retreat was wise. Vera, on the other hand, knew that her test was a bit unreasonable. Her true goal was to see if Lux would faint during an intense situation like he usually did. Although she was standing far away, Vera had already made preparations to deflect any attack that would prove lethal to her grandson. What she wanted to teach Lux was that there were times when he would find himself in a disadvantageous situation when he entered an unknown territory for the first time. The Beginner¡¯s Zone might seem like it is a safe ce for twelve-year-olds, but the truth was, it was a ce where they would hone their survival instincts. Several children often died in the Beginner Zone because they became too confident in their meager abilities. These kids would go to ces where monsters lived together and try to eliminate them, only to find themselves vastly outnumbered, and fighting with their lives on the line. Although these deaths were unfortunate, the adults could only me themselves for not teaching their kids properly before they entered the Elysian Fields. This was Vera¡¯s way of teaching Lux that the ce he wanted to go was a very dangerous ce. A ce where he could lose his life any moment if he was careless in his actions. ¡°Do you want to call it a day?¡± Vera rested her hand on Lux¡¯s shoulder and looked at him with tender eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can still try again tomorrow. I will give you one week toplete this test, so there¡¯s no need for you to hurry.¡± Lux pondered for a bit before shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s still too early, Grandma. I want to give it another try.¡± ¡°Very well. Just be careful.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Vera smiled and lightly ruffled Lux¡¯s hair. She really thought that her grandson would faint earlier, but after observing him for a while, she could tell that Lux didn¡¯t lie when he said that his fainting habit had been fixed. Since that was the case, she was even more curious about how her grandson would clear the test that she had given him. Chapter 15 Lux’s Counterattack Lux stared at the Monkeys and the Monkeys stared back at him. After staring at each other for several minutes, the Monkeys started to chatter amongst themselves, while ncing at the red-headed boy who was eyeing their every move from a safe distance. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that boy look like a Monkey as well?¡± ¡°Maybe he is our distant cousin?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He doesn¡¯t have a tail.¡± ¡°Ah! He resembles those Red-Butt Baboons from the East!¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, Baboons don¡¯t have tails. Also, his face is just as red as theirs. He might be from their tribe.¡± ¡°Bastard! So he came here to show us his red butt?! How shameless! Let¡¯s beat him up!¡± ¡°I agree!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± If Lux were to know that he had beenbeled a Red-Butt Baboon by the Monkeys he was observing, he would have definitely been angered to death, and given all of them the middle finger. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t speak Monkeynguage, so he was able to continue observing the Monkeys without being taunted by their words. After arming themselves, the troop of Monkeys suddenly started screaming as they advanced toward Lux with determination. All of them carried fruit, rocks, and wooden sticks with them that they could use to throw at the Baboon that had entered their territory. Seeing that the Monkeys had finally started to move against him, Lux did what he needed to do and that was to¡­ run away!-. After a few minutes of chasing, the Monkeys gave up and returned to their territory. Lux, on the other hand, returned to observing them from a distance. The red-headed boy was trying to memorize the movements and behavioral patterns of the Barb Tailed Jester Monkeys. This strategy had been taught to him by the Elders in Wildgarde Stronghold when he had turned twelve years of age. Lux could recall these lessons by heart and now had the opportunity to apply this knowledge to his current situation. The Barb Tailed Jester Monkeys would jump from tree to tree using their hands, feet, and tail, on normal asions. When they were going to fight, however, both of their hands were upied by fruit, sticks, or rocks, which prevented them from using them. Even so, the Monkeys could still travel at a fast pace because their strong legs allowed them to jump from tree to tree with ease. At times, their tails would coil around branches and help the Monkeys maneuver through the tree-tops, while still being able to perform ranged attacks with deadly uracy. ¡®So they can only carry two to three items at most when they start to attack from the treetops,¡¯ Lux thought as he observed the Monkeys from afar. ¡®However, thependium said that they are also capable of engaging in closebat, using their fangs, ws, and tails like a deadly whip to injure their enemies.¡¯ After pondering for a while, Lux devised a n for how to beat the Monkeys in order to pass Vera¡¯s trial. Vera and Eriol, who were observing Lux from far away, smiled when they saw the red-headed boy collecting rocks from the ground and cing them inside his storage ring The next day, right after breakfast, Lux decided to put his n into motion. He had already made adequate preparations, and he was confident that he would be able to pull it off, as long as nothing out of the ordinary happened ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Eriol just gave Lux a brief nod of encouragement, and thetter gave the God of Games a thumbs up. ¡ª- ¡°Look. He¡¯s back again.¡± ¡°This Red-Butt Baboon still hasn¡¯t learned its lesson?¡± ¡°To arms!¡± ¡°Fight!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get hi¨Cargh!¡± One of the Monkeys fell off the tree branch when it wasn¡¯t able to dodge Lux¡¯s surprise rock throw from a distance. The other Monkeys were angered by this action and all of them started to screech while jumping from tree to tree, in order to encircle the red-headed boy who dared to hurt theirpanion. ¡ª¨C < Special Quest: Vera¡¯s Trial > Defeated Monkeys: 1 / 10 ¡ª- ¡®I knew it!¡¯ Luxughed internally as the notification materialized out of thin air. ¡®I don¡¯t have to kill them. Incapacitating them also counts as a defeat.¡¯ Lux dodged the attacks that he could, and used the trees as shields for those that he couldn¡¯t. He had stacked many fist sized rocks inside his storage ring, and he threw them one after the other whenever an opportunity arrived. The Monkeys might be proficient in the art of throwing things, but Lux wasn¡¯t a pushover either. After not being able to practice with weapons, due to his fainting condition, the red-headed boy spent his spare time throwing rocks at wooden targets as a means to pass the time. As a Half-Elf, he was blessed with a natural affinity when it came to using ranged weapons and projectiles. After practicing rock throwing for nearly four years, Lux¡¯s proficiency in throwing things surpassed even that of the Barb Tailed Jester Monkeys! It didn¡¯t take long before the Monkeys realized that the boy that they had bullied yesterday had be a changed man overnight. Six of their members had already fallen prey to his rock throwing, and were now squirming on the ground in pain. After emptying their hands of things to throw, the Monkeys then decided to take things up close and personal. As Lux was defending himself from the ranged attacks that wereing from the front, three Monkeys had snuck behind his back with blood-shot eyes. Without warning, they lunged at the boy from behind with their fangs and ws extended, going for the kill. Suddenly, two blurs appeared in their vision. Before the three Monkeys could even react, one of them was sent flying by a bone sword, while the other dealt with an excruciating swipe from the ws of a Forest Wolf. It was only a short exchange, but both Monkeys suffered from serious injuries. The third Monkey was the unluckiest of all because it found itself face to face with a sneering Half-Elf, who used the t side of his sheathed sword like a baseball bat to send the Monkey hurtling several meters away. The Monkey¡¯s pained scream spread across the jungle before it smashed into a tree, which knocked it unconscious. After seeing that their attacks had failed, the Monkeys panicked and ran away in fright. Lux watched them go, and didn¡¯t make any moves to pursue them. His goal was to only clear Vera¡¯s Trial and not to annihte their troop. Afterpleting his mission, a ringing sound once again sounded inside his head and a series of texts appeared in front of him. ¡ª- < Special Quest: Vera¡¯s Trial Completed! > < Rewards > ¨C 5 Free Stats Points ¨C 10 Body Constitution Points ¨C 10 Skill Points < Bonus Reward > Skill: urate Throw < urate Throw > ¨C Increase throwing skill uracy by 10% and damage by 10% < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > urate Throw will be upgraded into Power Shot once the requirements have been met. < Power Shot > ¨C Increase Throwing Skill uracy by 30% and damage by 30% ¨C Has a 5% chance to deal critical damage when using Power Shot Skill. ¨C Requirement to upgrade: Hit a moving target using urate Throw 100x ¨C Progress ( 0 / 100 ) ¡ª¨C Lux was quite surprised when he got a bonus reward out of the blue. He didn¡¯t expect to learn a Skill in this manner, but he was quite happy about it. The icing on the cake was that his special ability, Skill Evolution [EX], had upgraded thismon skill into a more powerful one. The Half-Elf was confident that he could easily meet the requirement for the Throwing Skill¡¯s evolution. After calming down, he then returned to the camp where Vera and Eriol were waiting for him. He could tell after seeing the rxed smile on his grandma¡¯s face that she was quite satisfied with his performance. After so many years of waiting, Lux finally saw the look of approval on his grandma¡¯s face. He knew that after they returned to the Wildgarde Stronghold, things would finally change for the better. Chapter 16 Our Heavens Gate Project Begins Here! Back at the camp, Vera praised her grandson for his wonderful performance. After seeing how the battle yed out, Vera was convinced that Lux had indeed recovered from the ailment that gued him all these years. She was now more at ease, knowing that her grandson would be able to enter the Beginner¡¯s Area of Elysium and survive there for a year under Eriol¡¯s guidance. On the way back to the Wildgarde Stronghold, Lux took out his Soul Book and started to allocate his rewards. ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Health: 20 Mana: 25 Strength: 4 Intelligence: 5 Vitality: 4 Agility: 5 Dexterity: 4-. Free Stat Points Avable: 5 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX]. Skills: urate Throw. Body Constitution: Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy ¡ª¨C ¡®I have received 5 free stat points, so I can enhance my stats easily,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®The problem is which stat should I prioritize?¡¯ After discussing a bit with Eriol, the God of Games told him that his stats were simr to that of a game character. His Strength Stat influenced his physical damage, and overall body strength. Allowing him to equip heavy armor, as well as carry heavy items. The Intelligence Stat didn¡¯t have any rtion to how smart a person was. This stat raised magical damage, mana capacity, and mana regeneration. Vitality, on the other hand, increases a person¡¯s natural defense and Health Points. To a certain extent, Vitality made the body sturdy, which would allow him to endure attacks from physical and magical damage. Dexterity yed a role in the body¡¯s reflexes and overall bnce. Performing dexterous maneuvers like backflips, and martial arts, required high Dexterity. This stat also allowed the user to wield weapons like bows with greater proficiency. Agility¡¯s role was to increase a person¡¯s movement speed, dodging ability, and capacity to run away from dangerous encounters. Aside from these stats, there were two other secret stats that couldn¡¯t be seen in the Soul Book. Those two stats were Charisma and Luck. ording to Eriol, these two stats were quite special, and the reason why they were hidden was to prevent others from purposely adding points to them. Everyone in Sis could ess their Soul Books and freely add points to their stats ording to their wishes. This setting was really simr to those RPG games that Lux had yed in the past. The only difference was that they were not yers who could resurrect an infinite number of times when they were killed. One mistake and it was a permanent game over for all of them. ¡®I can either fight alongside my summons, or support them from the rear,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®However, if given the choice, I would like to be strong enough to protect myself, so even if I get attacked, I can still give my attackers a nasty surprise.¡¯ After careful considerations, Lux decided to take a more bnced approach on things. ¡ª¨C Health: 25 Mana: 25 Strength: 6 Intelligence: 5 Vitality: 5 Agility: 6 Dexterity: 5 ¡ª¨C Lux added two points to Strength, one point to Vitality, one point to Agility, and one point to Dexterity. The red-headed boy immediately felt the effects in his body and it almost made him cry in happiness. For the past four years, his stats hadn¡¯t improved one bit. Even the twelve year olds in Wildgarde Stronghold were stronger than him, when it came to physical and magical strength. ¡®Now, for the other rewards¡­¡¯ Lux checked the extra rewards that he received after clearing his trial. ¡ª- ¨C 10 Body Constitution Points ¨C 10 Skill Points ¡ª¨C ¡®The 10 Body Constitution should have been automatically added to my Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy,¡¯ Lux thought as he went to his Body Constitution tab. Just as he expected, the progress bar had increased by ten points, which put his mind at ease. ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: F Progress: 11/100 Conquest is not all about imingnds, and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you. Abilities: (None) Note: Upgrading your special constitution will allow you to unlock its abilities. ¡ª¨C ¡®As for Skill points¡­¡¯ Lux opened the Skills tab and several options appeared in front of him. In the Skill Tab, he saw the Summoning Skeleton and Summon Diablo options. Both of their progress ratings were at zero, but for Lux, this was an easy choice to make. ¡®Let¡¯s go with quality over quantity,¡¯ Lux thought as he added the ten skill points to Summon Diablo. Immediately, the progression bar on his Named Summon increased by ten points. ¡ª¨C < Diablo > ¡°Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!¡± ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Rating: F+ ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress (10/100) Health: 15 Attack: 3 ¨C 10 Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Strength: 3 Intelligence: 2 Vitality: 3 Agility: 2 Dexterity: 2 Title: Firstborn ¡ª¨C After allocating all of his rewards, Lux unsummoned his skill book and hummed a song. Vera nced at her happy grandson and was unable to keep herself from smiling. Although she would be a bit lonely when Lux went to Elysium to start his training, she also understood that she couldn¡¯t keep him by her side forever. ¡°Lux, promise me one thing,¡± Vera said as she gave Lux a light hug. ¡°Anything for you, Grandma,¡± Lux replied as he hugged Vera back. ¡°Prioritize your safety. If the situation bes too dangerous, do not hesitate to run away. I have only three family members left in this world, and one of them is you. My heart will break if something terrible happens to you.¡± ¡°Grandma, I can¡¯t promise that I will not encounter a dangerous situation when I am in Elysium. However, I will promise you this. I will do everything in my power to live. I will do my best for you, Grandma.¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Vera nodded as she patted Lux¡¯s head. ¡°Make sure toe home from time to time, okay? I will be waiting for you.¡± ¡°I will. I promise,¡± Lux replied as he closed his eyes in happiness. Now that his grandma had given him permission to go to Elysium, there was nothing more that could hold him back. Eriol, who was also seated on the back of the white hippopotamus, Sophie, sighed in relief. Now that the wheels of Fate were finally set in motion, the n that he and Max had made for many years was about to officially start, finally. ¡®Max, don¡¯t worry. I will take it from here,¡¯ Eriol said in his heart while thinking of his best friend. ¡®Our Heaven¡¯s Gate Project begins here!¡¯ Chapter 17 People Will Always Be Afraid Of The Unknown ¡°Have you packed your clothes?¡± ¡°Yes, Grandma.¡± ¡°How about the food I prepared? Do you have that as well?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Vera looked at her grandson lovingly as she patted his head. ¡°Remember, if you face an enemy that is stronger than you, just run,¡± Vera said. ¡°The most important thing is to live to fight another day, do you understand, Lux?¡± ¡°Yes, Grandma,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I will do as you say.¡± Eriol watched this from the side without interrupting. Once Lux entered Elysium he coulde home anytime he wanted, but most people stayed in Elysium for weeks, or months at a time before returning home. A day in Sis was equivalent to two days in Elysium. This was something that Lux knew because of the lessons that he received when he was ten years old. Now that he was going to embark on the adventure that he had waited for all his life, he felt somewhat sad about leaving his grandma all alone in their residence. Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, Veraughed and lightly pinched his cheeks. ¡°Silly boy, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re getting cold feet now?¡± Vera said with a smile. ¡°Go and start your new journey. When you get tired and weary, I will be here waiting for you.¡± Lux nodded as he tried to hold back the sadness that was rising in his heart. Eriol chose this time to pat his shoulder and give him some reminders. ¡°Using the ring of Arondight, you will be able to go to Elysium at any time. However, you still haven¡¯t set your return point,¡± Eriol stated. ¡°When you exit Elysium, your return point will be in a fixed location.¡± ¡°Um, can I choose this residence as my return point?¡± ¡°Of course. But, which part of this residence would you like to register?¡±¡± Vera, who was listening to the side, made a suggestion.-. ¡°Why don¡¯t you register the training room as your return point?¡± Vera proposed. ¡°I have ced a ward over there to inform me when you are using the training room since that is the ce where you would often faint when you pushed yourself too hard. I think it is the most ideal location for this return point that you speak of.¡± ¡°Right! Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± Lux nced at Eriol who nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the training room then,¡± Eriol replied. A few minutester, Lux pressed the Arondight ring against the floor in the center of the training room in order to register it. ¡ª- < Return Point has been saved > < Whenever you leave Elysium, you will automatically teleport to this ce. > ¡ª¨C ¡°Now, you¡¯re good to go,¡± Eriol stated. ¡°To activate the ring, you just need to say the words, ¡®Open, Heaven¡¯s Gate¡¯. You can use this activation code to enter and leave Elysium.¡± Lux nodded and turned to his grandma. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m going now,¡± Lux said. ¡°Be safe, Lux,¡± Vera replied as she gazed proudly at her grandson. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for your safe return.¡± Lux gritted his teeth as he pressed his right hand over his chest. ¡°Open! Heaven¡¯s Gate!¡± ¡ª- When Lux opened his eyes, he found himself standing beside a floating blue crystal. It took him a while to regain hisposure as he looked around at his surroundings. He seemed to have appeared in some kind of za, where several people had gathered. Some of them were looking at him with curiosity, while others were looking at him in confusion. ¡°Is that a Human?¡± ¡°What is a Human doing in this ce?¡± ¡°Did he get lost or something?¡± ¡°Should we call the vige¡¯s guards?¡± Lux felt that something waspletely out of ce in his surroundings. Although there were people around him, some of them were only over three feet tall (95 cm). Their gazes pierced the red-headed boy as if he was some kind of trespasser in a ce that he shouldn¡¯t have stepped into. Suddenly, a cute little girl with blonde hair, holding a mace with both hands approached him. ¡°Um, Big Brother, are you lost?¡± the blonde girl asked. ¡°Are you a Human?¡± ¡°No. I am not lost,¡± Lux replied. ¡°And, I am a Half-Elf, so I¡¯m only half Human.¡± The little girl¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at Lux with great interest. ¡°A Half-Elf? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a Half-Elf.¡± Lux crouched down in order to have eye to eye contact with the blonde girl who was showing no signs of hostility to him. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen Half-Elves before?¡± The blonde girl shook her head. ¡°This is Dwarven Territory. It is very difficult to see other races here. You are the first non-dwarf that has appeared in this territory since Elysium opened.¡± ¡°Dwarven territory?¡± ¡°Yes. This ce is called Leaf Vige. One of the Beginner Areas exclusive to the Dwarven Race.¡± Lux finally understood why he felt out of ce. He now understood why everyone around him¡­ was short. ¡®So they¡¯re Dwarves,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Did Eriol identally make a mistake when he set my coordinates?¡¯ Lux didn¡¯t know if the God of Games had purposely sent him to the Dwarven Lands or not. However, one thing was certain. He was stuck in Leaf Vige until he broke through to the Apostle Grade. ¡°Um, Big Brother, how old are you?¡± the blonde girl asked. ¡°I am sixteen years old,¡± Lux answered. ¡°How about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m twelve! I just entered Elysium. My name is Colette!¡± ¡°Colette? You have a very beautiful name. It suits you perfectly.¡± The little Dwarven girl smiled sweetly after receiving Lux¡¯s praise. Lux was about to ask more questions when several Dwarves surrounded him and Colette. ¡°Colette, stay away from this Half-Elf!¡± a Dwarf with light-brown hair shouted as he raised his sword. Have you forgotten what our Elders told us? Humans can¡¯t be trusted!¡± ¡°But, he¡¯s not Human,¡± Colette argued. ¡°He is a Half-Elf.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still half Human!¡± the dwarven boy shouted. ¡°Humans cannot be trusted!¡± The other Dwarven kids also voiced their opinions, which made Colette unable to use reason to calm them down. In the end, Lux could only smile bitterly as he stood up and nced at Colette who had a troubled expression on her face. ¡°My name is Lux,¡± Lux said. ¡°See you around, Colette.¡± Without another world, Lux left the teleportation gate to explore Leaf Vige. If possible, he didn¡¯t want to start a conflict as soon as he entered Elysium. Since the situation was turning for the worse, he decided to just leave in order to prevent the worst case scenario from happening. He strolled around Leaf Vige and tried tomit itsndmarks to memory. Eriol and Vera told him that familiarizing himself with his first vige was part of the basics when entering Elysium for the first time. ¡®This is really like a game,¡¯ Lux thought as he visited the weapons shops, armor shops, alchemy shops, potion shops, and general stores that sold misceneous items. There were also the cksmith and merchant guilds that offered repairs, crafting services, and the trading of items. Of course, an RPG game wouldn¡¯t beplete without an Adventurer¡¯s Guild that gave quests depending on your rank. Leaf Vige wasn¡¯t big, so it only took Lux several hours to see everything he needed to see. The people in the vige, especially the shopkeepers, watched him vigntly. However, one kind olddy, named Annie, who sold sweets, told him that he shouldn¡¯t be too bothered by the unfriendly stares he was getting. ¡°People will always be afraid of the unknown,¡± the olddy dwarf said as she poured Lux some tea. ¡°You are the first Foreigner toe to this ce that is not of the Dwarven Race. It is only natural that people would find you ¡®different¡¯ from us. However, as long as you showed them that you meant them no harm, they will all warm up to you eventually. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandma Annie,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°I will do my best.¡± Grandma Annie smiled back. ¡°As long as you understand.¡± After having a talk with Grandma Annie, Lux went to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to register himself as an adventurer. The registration itself was quite quick. All he needed to do was drop his blood on a small nk card, and all of his information was registered automatically. ¡ª- < Guild Card > Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Registered in Leaf Vige ¡ª- ¡°Your registration isplete, Sir Lux,¡± a pretty dwarf with dark-brown hair bowed respectfully as she presented Lux¡¯s Guild Card to him. Unlike Colette who was only a little above three feet tall, the Guild Receptionist was at least 4¡¯5¡å (137 cm). Lux estimated that this was the average size of adult dwarves because most of the adults he met in Leaf Vige were around that height as well. After bidding goodbye to the receptionist, Lux decided to rest at an inn for the rest of the day, and explore the outskirts of the vige in the morning. Eriol had told him that he was going to give him a freebie of 100 Elysium Copper Coins, and 2 Silver Elysium Coins when he arrived in Elysium. Each Elysium Silver Coin was equivalent to 100 Copper Coins, and one Gold Elysium Coin was equivalent to a hundred Elysium Silver Coins. Elysium Coinage was the universal currency that was used in Elysium. The gold coins that Lux used in Sis had no value whatsoever in Elysium. For the Elysians, anything that belonged to Sis was no better than stones lying on the road. After paying 5 Elysium Copper Coins for his room, Lux was guided to his room by the innkeeper himself. It seemed that he was afraid that Lux would barge into the other rooms, and disturb his other guests, which would ruin his business. Although the treatment he was receiving was a bitter pill to swallow, Lux decided to do his best to win the hearts of the people in Leaf Vige. ¡®A year in Sis is equivalent to two years here,¡¯ Lux muttered. ¡®I wonder how strong I will be when the trials in Wildgarde Stronghold start next year?¡¯ Lux grinned as he envisioned his gloriouseback after several years of failure. He knew that when that day came, he would shock everyone speechless. ¡ª- (A/N: Foreigners are what the Elysians call the people that didn¡¯te from their world.) Chapter 18 Pests Of The Plains Inside his room, Lux was busy reading the information about Leaf Vige in the Elysium Compendium. ¡°So this vige is located in the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°The specialty of Leaf Vige is honey-vored leaf candies. It restores 50 Health Points and 50 Mana Points¡­¡± With thependium in hand, Lux was able to ess important information about anything in Elysium. Just like Eriol said, it was like a walkthrough that could help anyone who had it. When Lux clicked the image of Leaf Vige in the Compendium, he was given two options. The first option was the map of the vige, and the second one was the map of its surrounding areas. Since he had already explored the vige, the red-headed boy chose the information on its surrounding areas instead. ¡ª¨C < Leaf Vige > ¨C Beginner¡¯s Zone < North Zone > ¨C Figaro Gardens ¨C A ce where insectoid type monsters roam. < West Zone > ¨C Heartwood Forest ¨C The ce where the majority of people from the Leaf Vige hunt for food, and resources. < South Zone > ¨C Leaf Vige Cemetery ¨C A ce where low-level undead are sighted during the night. < East Zone > ¨C Aspiration ins ¨C A wide open in filled with monsters that travel in groups. ¡ª¨C-. ¡°I see, the Compendium also allows me to view the types of monsters that can be found in each area. This is amazing! I¡¯m d I got this from the Gacha Pull,¡± Lux felt truly blessed after getting the Compendium. ¡°It might not even take me a year to enter the Apostle Rank. Now, the only question is, where will I go first tomorrow?¡± Lux rubbed his chin as he checked the information regarding the various monsters exclusive to each zone. The Compendium even highlighted the location of the dangerous monsters that roamed their territories, known as Alpha Monsters. These monsters were often referred to as Newbie Killers because their strength could easily kill any neer who had unknowingly wandered in their territories. Aside from the Alpha Monsters, Lux also noticed that there was one ¡°Field Boss¡± in the territory of the Leaf Vige and it was found inside the Heartwood Forest. The name of the Field Boss was Forest Wolf King. Lux checked its stats to get a better idea of how strong a Field Boss was. ¡ª¨C < Forest Wolf King > ¨C Beginner Zone Field Boss ¨C King of the Forest ¨C Rank 4 Field Boss Monster Health: 100,000 / 100,000 Mana: 15,000 / 15,000 Strength: 200 Intelligence: 100 Vitality: 250 Agility: 250 Dexterity: 150 Skills: Windwalk, Wind de, Air st, Call of the Wild. ¡ª¨C Lux sucked in a deep breath because the stats of a Rank 4 Field Boss Monster truly made him feel insignificant. In Elysium, the mortal and the monster ranks depended on theirbined stats. This was the Basic Ranking System for Mortals. Grade A Apostles ¨C 800 Points Grade B Apostles ¨C 600 Points Grade C Apostles ¨C 400 Points Grade D Apostles ¨C 200 Points Beginners ¨C Anyone whose stats are below 200 ¡ª As for monsters, their Basic Ranking System was as follows. Rank 4 = 800 Rank 3 = 600 Rank 2 = 400 Rank 1 = 200 Common Monsters ¨C Below 200 Points ¡ª- After their points surpassed the 800 Point Mark, they would enter a new Ranking System. However, since this was only the Beginner¡¯s Area, anyone who surpassed 200 points would be forcefully teleported out of their starting zone after a week. ¡°Even if I reach the Apostle Rank, I would still not be able to beat the Field Boss alone,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°I can only fight it if I team up with other people. Challenging it alone is akin to suicide. It¡¯s a shame¡­ the rare drops I can obtain from killing it are very tempting.¡± Lux greedily eyed the monster drops of the Field Boss, which would be enough tost him until he became a Grade C Apostle. Still, he knew his capabilities, so he decided to just take things one step at a time. After memorizing the information of all the zones around Leaf Vige, Lux finally went to sleep. ¡ª- The next day¡­ Lux stood in front of the Bulletin Board where all the Guild Quests were posted. The quest rewards were mostly paid in copper or silver coins. Some of the quests offer low-grade Beast Cores as rewards, and these were the most popr among the Dwarven Adventurers who had chosen Leaf Vige as their starting area. ¡°Big Brother Lux!¡± A cute little Dwarf walked towards Lux with a smile. It was none other than Colette who had tried to befriend him a day ago. ¡°Good morning, Colette,¡± Lux greeted. ¡°Are you here to take some quests as well?¡± ¡°Un!¡± ¡°Goodluck.¡± Lux wanted to talk more, but the res from the Dwarves who apanied Colette were starting to make him feel ufortable. ¡®Well, at least they¡¯re not shouting at me today,¡¯ Lux thought as he eyed the little peepsqueaks who seemed to be part of Colette¡¯s fans club. The Dwarf that had pointed a sword at him yesterday was ring at him more intensely than the others. It was quite easy to tell that this Dwarf was among Colette¡¯s top admirers. After eyeing Colette¡¯s group of six, Lux once again shifted his attention to the bulletin board. He was looking for a decent quest to take, but most of the good ones were already taken. The only ones remaining were chores like gathering herbs, helping with vige repairs, and escort missions. After pondering for a while, Lux decided to choose the quest to pick the herbs that grew in the Aspiration ins, located in the East Zone of Leaf Vige. He had read all about the monsters that could be found in this area and he deemed that all of them were within his capabilities. After Lux registered the quest with the Guild Receptionist, he immediately headed to his destination and left through the Eastern Gate of Leaf Vige. After ten minutes of walking, he arrived in a wide open in that extended as far as the eye could see. He could see several monsters grazing on the grasnds, as well as Dwarves who were busypleting their own quests. ¡°Well then, time to find the Toyama Herb,¡± Lux muttered as he walked towards the Grasnd Area. ¡°I just hope I finish before lunch time.¡± Two hourster, Lux was able to gather six out of the fifteen Toyama Herbs needed to finish his mission. When he was about to get his seventh herb, a horned rabbit jumped out of nowhere and snatched the herb that he was just about to pull out of the ground. ¡°Bastard!¡± Lux shouted at the Horned Rabbit who had already bolted away after snatching his herb. ¡°You think I¡¯ll let you go that easily!¡± Lux summoned a fist-sized stone from his storage ring and threw it at the fleeing horned rabbit. ¡°urate Throw!¡± The rock flew straight and true, hitting the Horned Rabbit on its head dealing five damage. Horned Rabbits only had fifteen hit points, so Lux¡¯s single rock throw was enough to lower a third of its Health Points. The enraged Horned Rabbit immediately turned back and charged at Lux with a vengeance. ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± Lux summoned his sword, Tranquility, and prepared to fight the rabbit that was now hell-bent to stab him with the horn on its head. ¡°Kaizer Sword Art First Form,¡± Lux said as he thrust his sword forward. ¡°Piercing the Heavens!¡± With one fluid motion, Lux executed the sword thrust that Vera had taught him when he was ten years old. Tranquility¡¯s de, and the horn rabbit¡¯s horn collided, spreading a metallic sound in the surroundings. A secondter, a pained cry escaped the horned rabbit¡¯s lips as it flew several meters away after getting hit by Lux¡¯s perfect sword strike. ¡ª- < Ding! > < Repeatable Quest Activated > < This Quest can be repeated 10x > < Pests of the ins > ¨C Horned Rabbits are notorious for attacking beginners as well as interrupting those who are out to gather herbs in the fields. ¨C Kill ten of them to show them who¡¯s boss! ¨C Horned Rabbits Killed ( 1 / 10 ) < Rewards > ¨C 1 Free Stats Point ¨C 1 Body Constitution Point ¨C 5 Skill Point ¨C 10 Elysium Copper Coins ¡ª¨C Lux was slightly disappointed when he saw the rewards, but his mood gradually changed after realizing that the quest he received was a repeatable one. Meaning, he could do this quest over and over again in order to farm points that he could use to make himself grow stronger. Also, Lux realized that this was the perfect quest to help him upgrade his urate Throw into its stronger form, which was the Power Shot. ¡ª- < Power Shot > ¨C Increase Throwing Skill uracy by 30% and damage by 30% ¨C Has a 5% chance to deal critical damage when using Power Shot Skill. ¨C Requirement to upgrade: Hit a moving target using urate Throw 100x ¨C Progress ( 1 / 100 ) ¡ª ¡°One down, ny-nine to go.¡± Lux smirked. He then picked up the body of the foot-long horned rabbit to sell back at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild after he finished his herb gathering mission. Right now, he had limited funds. Even though the horned rabbit meat wasn¡¯t the most delicious meat in the Beginner¡¯s Area, it was still something that could be sold for one Elysium Copper Coin. Lux could also use the meat for his own consumption, which would lessen his food expenses. ¡®Back then, I couldn¡¯t even catch one Horned Rabbit,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®Now, I can kill them without any problems. Thank you, Grandma. Those years of hard training were not wasted.¡¯ After storing the Horned Rabbit¡¯s corpse inside his storage ring, Lux scanned the surroundings in order to hunt for more. Since he found one in the area, it was only a matter of time before he found more. At the corner of his vision, he found something moving fast in the grasnds. A smile appeared on Lux¡¯s face as he made his way towards his next target. Chapter 19 First Quest Completion < Congrattions you have learned Power Shot Skill! > Lux panted as he sat on the ground. After killing his hundredth horned rabbit, his skill had finally been upgraded sessfully. ¡®Finally.¡¯ Lux sighed in relief before checking his stats in his Soul Book. ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Health: 25 / 25 Mana: 4 / 25 Strength: 10-. Intelligence: 5 Vitality: 5 Agility: 9 Dexterity: 8 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX]. Skills: Power Shot. ¡ª¨C Elysium Copper Coins: 145 Elysium Silver Coins: 2 Elysium Gold Coins: 0 ¡ª¨C Lux allocated his 25 Skill Points to Diablo in order to help his named creature be more powerful. Right now, Diablo¡¯s progression rate was at thirty five percent. ¡ª¨C < Diablo > Progress: (35/100) ¡ª¨C The red-headed boy was quite excited to see what changes his Named Creature would have once he upgraded him. Lux was also looking forward to the new ability that he would learn once he had upgraded his body constitution to its next stage. ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: F Progress: (16/100) ¡ª¨C ¡®I guess it¡¯s time to head back,¡¯ Lux thought after looking at the sun that was about to set in the horizon. His whole body ached due to all the running he had done all over the ins as he chased the horned rabbits he¡¯d killed. He had alsopleted his gathering mission a few hours ago, and was only waiting until he had upgraded his urate Throw Skill into Power Shot before he headed back to Leaf Vige. On his return trip to the vige, the Dwarves who had been at the ins were staring at him in a weird manner. Some of them were even gossiping, while ncing in his direction every now and then. Lux knew that these Dwarves were younger than him. Although it was a bit embarrassing, he was without a doubt, the oldest ¡°Foreign¡± teenager in the Leaf Vige. Because of this, most of the Dwarves looked down on him because he started outtepared to their older brothers and sisters, who were already in the Intermediate Zones of Elysium. ¡ª¨C ¡°Everything seems to be in order,¡± the guild receptionist said with a trace of surprise. ¡°Have you handled herbs before?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°When I was younger I usually apanied my grandma to go foraging.¡± ¡°So that exins why all the herbs are in excellent condition. Usually, first timers didn¡¯t know how to gather them properly and just pull them up by the roots. Because of this, the herbs are damaged and lose their quality.¡± The receptionist smiled and handed Lux the reward money forpleting his mission. After checking hispensation, Lux frowned because he realized that he got more than the quest had beenmissioned for. ¡°Um, the Quest Rewards should only be seven copper coins, I have ten coins here,¡± Lux said as he tried to return the three coins that had been overpaid to him, but the guild receptionist only shook her head. ¡°Those whomissioned the herb gathering quest explicitly told us to add three more copper coins if the herbs that were handed into our care were in excellent condition,¡± the receptionist exined. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you are only getting what you deserve. Would you like to reserve the Herb Gathering Quest for tomorrow? I¡¯m sure that our client will have no problems if you are the one who will carry out their mission.¡± Lux pondered a bit before nodding his head in agreement. ¡°By the way, do you buy horned rabbit meat here?¡± ¡°We do. Depending on the quality of the corpse we will buy one horned rabbit for one copper coin,¡± the receptionist replied. ¡°But, if the corpse is damaged then the price is halved.¡± Lux nodded his head and took forty horned rabbit corpses out of his storage ring at the dismantling area of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The corner of the receptionist¡¯s lips twitched when she saw the battered corpses in front of her. As she inspected one of the horned rabbits, she noticed that most of them seemed to have been hit by a bludgeon type attack that damaged their fur, and body organs. Although she could understand that horned rabbits were difficult to kill, seeing the bludgeoned corpses in front of her made her feel pity for the so-called Pests of the ins. ¡°Sorry, but the prices will have to be lowered further due to the quality of these corpses,¡± the guild receptionist said. ¡°How about this, we will pay fifteen copper coins for these forty horned rabbits. Will that be fine with you?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± The red-headed boy felt slightly embarrassed because he had gotten carried away when he was hunting the horned rabbits. Instead of giving them a clean death, Lux had smacked their bodies using the fist-sized rocks he collected in order to train his urate Throw Skill. Only the first ten kills were in good condition, so he decided to keep them for himself to use as food rations during his travels. Meat that was stored inside a storage ring didn¡¯t rot, so he could be assured that the rabbits would remain fresh even if he carried them around for a long time. After earning an additional fifteen copper coins, Lux returned to his inn to rest for the night. ¡°The Alpha Beast of the ins of Aspiration is the Carbuncle,¡± Lux muttered as he opened his Elysium Compendium. ¡°It is the Lord of the Horned Rabbits. Fortunately, its territory is at the center of the ins, so I don¡¯t have to worry about meeting it anytime soon. But, just to be on the safe side, I won¡¯t wander too far into the ins tomorrow.¡± The Carbuncle was a meter-tall, blue rabbit with a red, diamond-shaped, crystal on its forehead. These so-called Red Diamonds were highly sought out by Mages, and Magic Swordsmen because of its ability to amplify magic. However, as an Alpha Creature, a party of six¡ªwhose members had stepped unto the Apostle Rank¡ªwas needed in order to challenge this quick and nimble beast. Although it was weaker than the Field Boss, Forest Wolf King, it was without a doubt one of the apex creatures in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. Chapter 20 Monster Outbreak [Part 1] Lux was sleeping peacefully when the loud tolling of several bells sounded in the middle of the night. The Half-Elf opened his eyes and opened the window of his room. He didn¡¯t know what was happening, so he decided to take a look outside to get a better understanding of what had caused thismotion sote into the night. It didn¡¯t take long for Lux to see several Dwarven patrolmen running towards the South Gate of the vige. Judging by the anxious expressions on their faces, Lux knew that something bad had happened. The red-headed boy immediately equipped the Wolf¡¯s Leather Armor that he had acquired in his Gacha Pull before leaving his room in haste. ¡ª- < Wolf¡¯s Leather Armor > ¨C Defense: 20 ¨C Pierce and shing damage reduced by 10%-. ¡ª- When he arrived at the first floor of the inn, several Dwarves were organizing themselves into parties. All of them were wearing armor, and they were holding their weapons firmly in their hands. ¡°Excuse me, but can you tell me what is happening?¡± Lux asked the innkeeper who was standing behind the bar and smoking a pipe. The Innkeeper took a deep drag of his pipe before answering Lux¡¯s question, ¡°Every once in a while, we get monster outbreaks. Right now, we have an Undead Outbreak and everyone¡¯s gathering at the South Gate in order to bolster our vige¡¯s defenses. Are you nning to participate in the vige¡¯s defense?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied in a heartbeat. ¡°Although I just arrived here in Leaf Vige, I feel that I should do my best in order to protect this ce.¡± The Innkeeper¡¯s gaze softened as he lightly patted Lux¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll give you something good for breakfastter. Go, but make sure that you don¡¯t get yourself killed.¡± Lux nodded with a smile as he headed towards the door. The Dwarves heard his discussion with the innkeeper and they were somewhat impressed by Lux¡¯s conviction to help the vige in its time of need. ¡°What are you numbskulls dawdling around for?¡± the Innkeeper shouted at the Dwarves who were still loitering at the tavern area of the Inn. ¡°Are you Dwarves or are you Goblins? Are you going to let that Half-Elf fight alone? If any of you don¡¯t want to fight then you can scram. I don¡¯t need useless brats here!¡± The Dwarves immediately left the inn because they were afraid that the Innkeeper would really throw them out if they didn¡¯t participate in the vige¡¯s defense. When everyone had left, the Innkeeper sighed as he looked up at the picture of a teenage Dwarf that hung on the wall. ¡°Times like this, I wish you were here, son,¡± the Innkeeper said as he sighed a second time. ¡°This ce will never be the same without you.¡± ¡ª¨C As Lux hurried towards the Southern Gate of Leaf Vige, he noticed several Dwarves running alongside him. ¡°Big Brother Lux!¡± Colette waved her hand as she ran alongside him. ¡°Are you going to participate in the vige¡¯s defense?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Colette, is it just me or are you pretty hyped about this thing?¡± ¡°Of course I am hyped! This is the first time I get to participate in a vige¡¯s defense. My Pa and Ma usually forbid me from doing dangerous things like this, but now I am here in Elysium, they won¡¯t be able to stop me!¡± ¡°¡­ Just do things in moderation, okay?¡± ¡°Un!¡± After having some small talk with Lux, Colette increased her running speed and left Lux behind. The Half-Elf had a dumbfounded expression on his face as he looked at the speedy little Dwarf who was already fifty meters ahead of him. ¡®She sure runs fast,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect Dwarves to run this fast.¡¯ A few minutester, Lux arrived at the South Gate, which had been shut tight. Several Dwarven patrol guards could be seen standing on the ramparts, holding crossbows in their hands. Colette and her party had also gathered on one side of the protective wall, just beside the entrance, and were looking at something in the distance. Lux didn¡¯t waste any time and also climbed the ramparts to see what kind of enemies they were fighting against. As soon as he stood on top of the vige¡¯s protective walls, his expression immediately became grim as he saw a countless number of skeletons and zombies, walking shakily towards Leaf Vige. ¡®This is a Monster Outbreak?¡¯ Lux frowned. He was not unfamiliar with a Monster Outbreak because Wildgarde Stronghold had experienced them as well in the past. However, the children would always be gathered into the underground shelter of the stronghold, preventing them from participating in or observing the battle. Now that Lux was facing a Monster Outbreak in Elysium, he now understood why the adults chose to safeguard the children, instead of letting them participate in a battle of this magnitude. ¡®Grandma always participated in the defense against Monster Outbreaks,¡¯ Lux thought as he clenched his fists to shake away the fear that was starting to take hold of his body. ¡®It¡¯s fine. As long as I stay here on the ramparts, I will be fine. The vige¡¯s guards are here, so I¡¯m sure that they will be able to handle the rest.¡¯ Lux tried to assure himself that everything was going to be fine, but the wild beating of his heart, and the pounding in his ears, prevented him from being able to calm his senses. It was at that moment when he felt a small hand hold his own. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother! I will protect you!¡± Colette said with a big smile on her face. ¡°Those skeletons and zombies are nothing. I can beat them with ease!¡± She noticed that Lux¡¯s expression was turning pale, so she decided to tell him the words that her sister always said to her, whenever they were up against a dangerous situation. Lux snapped out of his daze as he looked at the smiling little girl who was holding his right hand. ¡®Get a grip, Lux!¡¯ Lux berated himself internally. ¡®I am the oldest here! I should be the one protecting these kids! Grandma would definitely feel sad if she found out that I was hiding under the skirt of a girl that is younger than me by four years!¡± Lux lightly squeezed Colette¡¯s little hand as he gazed at the Undead Swarm that was only a few hundred meters away from the walls of the vige. ¡°You don¡¯t need to protect me,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of these weak skeletons and zombies. Heck, I can even summon a skeleton of my own. Do you want to see?¡± ¡°Really? You can summon a skeleton?¡± ¡°Of course I can. Just watch me. Come forth, Diablo!¡± Immediately, a white skeleton appeared in front of Lux. Colette¡¯s jaw dropped when she saw the skeleton that Lux had summoned. Before Lux could even brag about his Named Creature, several bolts flew in Diablo¡¯s direction. Fortunately, some of them passed harmlessly through his skeletal ribs, but a few hit its head, sending it flying away from its body. Chapter 21 Monster Outbreak [Part 2] ¡°W-Wait! Stop!¡± Lux cried out as he waved his hands toward the Dwarven Defenders. ¡°We are on the same side! This is my Summon!¡± The Dwarves looked at Lux with doubtful expressions, but they no longer shot the White Skeleton that had suddenly appeared on the ramparts. The Half-Elf ran to pick up Diablo¡¯s head that was chattering on the ground. For a brief moment, the red-headed boy thought that he heard Diabloin about getting hit by friendly fire. As soon as Lux returned the Skeleton¡¯s Head from its body, Diablo faced the Dwarven Defenders and raised its middle finger at them. The Half-Elf subconsciously covered Colette¡¯s eyes, to prevent her from seeing something that a twelve-year-old shouldn¡¯t see. Lux had never tried tomunicate with Diablo in the past, but now he could confirm that his Named Creature was an intelligent being. Because of this, he decided to tell him exactly what he had in mind. ¡°Diablo, stay close to me at all times,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°We will defend the vige with everything we have. Do you understand?¡± Diablo nodded its head once. He then stood behind Lux like a bodyguard that would strike anyone who dared to threaten his life. ¡°Wow! Mr. Skeleton looks cool!¡± Colette said. ¡°Just call him Diablo.¡± ¡°Okay. From now on, I will call him Mr. Diablo. Nice to meet you Mr. Diablo.¡± The White Skeleton looked down at the little Dwarf before chattering its teeth in greeting. Diablo then patted Colette¡¯s head as if telling her that she was a good girl. It was at this moment when the sword-bearing Dwarf approached and dragged Colette away from Lux. ¡°Hey, Matty, what do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Coletteined as she turned around to re at the Dwarven boy who always got in the way of her discussions with Lux.-. ¡°The battle is about to start,¡± Matty exined. ¡°You are the leader of our group, so your ce is here and not there! He is older than us, so he can fend for himself.¡± Matty then red at Lux. ¡°You don¡¯t need a little girl to protect you, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t need her protection,¡± Lux replied. ¡°My intention is to protect all of you.¡± Lux¡¯s deration made Colette¡¯s party look at him as if he had a loose screw in his head. ¡°We don¡¯t need your protection,¡± Matty snorted. ¡°Just focus on yourself. Looking at you, I bet you¡¯ll die during the first wave of the outbreak. Colette, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Colette snappily replied at Matty. ¡°Big Brother, just do your best! I will keep an eye on you, so don¡¯t worry. I wille running if you need help!¡± ¡°Haha, okay.¡± Lux nodded. He then shifted his attention to the young Dwarf who was staring daggers at him. ¡°Oi, Matty.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Keep Colette safe. You can do that, can¡¯t you?¡± Matty scoffed at Lux as he raised his short sword towards the Undead Army. ¡°The only way they are going to hurt her is through my dead body,¡± Matty dered. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Colette.¡± The little girl no longer resisted as she allowed Matty to drag her back to their party members. Lux only smirked at the little boy who seemed to be suffering from puppy love. In Lux¡¯s eyes, all of them were children, so he didn¡¯t intend to quarrel with them about every little thing. He shifted his gaze back to the Undead Swarm that was only a hundred meter away from the vige¡¯s defensive wall. Lux held a fist-sized rock in his right hand, while he held the Elysium Compendium in his left. ¡ª¨C < Undead Skeleton > Health: 15 Attack: 3 ¨C 10 < Skeleton Warrior > Health: 30 Attack: 5 ¨C 15 < Zombie > Health: 20 Attack: 5 ¨C 8 < Ghoul > Health: 50 Attack: 8 ¨C 15 ¡ª- ¡®Fortunately, they don¡¯t have any range type Undead,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Their numbers are the problem. There are too many of them.¡¯ In a battle of attrition, there was no doubt that the one who woulde out on top was the Undead Swarm. Lux scanned his surroundings and estimated that there were over seven hundred defenders protecting Leaf Vige. Three hundred of those were the vige¡¯s Guards and the other adults who were capable of fighting. The rest were the Dwarven children who were here in the Beginner¡¯s area to train themselves in order to advance to the Apostle Rank. Lux then pointed the Elysium Compendium towards the Undead Swarm in order to get an urate count of how many undead they were about to face. ¡ª¨C Undead Army: 9,889 ¡ª¨C ¡°Sh*t!¡± Lux cursed out loud after seeing the results. ¡°Almost ten thousand. Can we really survive this?¡± As if waiting for that moment, a row of text appeared in front of Lux, which made his expression turn grim. ¡ª¨C < Survive the Monster Outbreak > ¨C A monster outbreak is threatening to destroy the vige of Leaf Gate. ¨C Quest Objective: Survive for one hour. ¨C You are unable to teleport outside of or leave the vige at this time. ¨C Mission will automatically fail when you die. ¨C Outbreak Duration: 59:46 < Rewards > ¨C 10 Free Stat Points ¨C 100 Skill Points ¨C 50 Body Constitution Points ¨C 20 Elysium Silver Coins ¡ª¨C Lux gritted his teeth because the quest was clearly telling him that this was going to be a very hard battle. Although the rewards were good, he knew that needed to survive first, before he could enjoy its benefits. The bells in the vige continued to ring without stopping. It was at this moment when Lux heard the distinct sound of another bell that didn¡¯t originate from the vige. The Half-Elf narrowed his eyes as he extended his senses to pick up the direction of the bell that seemed to be answering their vige¡¯s request for aid. ¡®It¡¯sing from the North,¡¯ Lux thought as the sound of the bell in the North intensified. Suddenly a dawn of realization descended on him. ¡®I get it now!¡¯ Lux clenched his fist in determination. ¡®Reinforcements will arrive in an hour. We just need to hold out until then!¡¯ The Half-Elf didn¡¯t know if his hunch was correct or not. But, he would like to believe that he was right. If there really was helping from the North then that exined why they needed to endure the Monster Outbreak for an hour. ¡°Everyone listen to me!¡± a Dwarf wearing full body armor shouted as loud as he could. ¡°My name is Aron, and I am the Captain of the Guards here in Leaf Vige. Our reinforcements will arrive in an hour, so do everything in your power to protect the vige until then! Onest thing, none of you are allowed to die! Now, brace yourselves! They are almost here!¡± The sound of a blow horn reverberated in the night, heralding the battle that was about to start. ¡°Archers, take aim!¡± Aron ordered. All the archers, and crossbowmen loaded their bows, and crossbows with bolts and arrows and took aim at the approaching army. Lux took out a deep breath as he held the fist-sized rock in his hand and aimed at the nearest undead in front of him. ¡°Fire at will!¡± Aron ordered. Soon, a barrage of projectiles rained down on the Undead Swarm, destroying the Undead at the forefront of the battlefield. This was how Lux¡¯s first Monster Outbreak started¡­ But, the red-haired boy had no idea how it was going to end. Chapter 22 Do You Wish To Consume The Rank 1 Beast Core? Lux immediately realized how proficient the Vige¡¯s Guards were in defending Leaf Vige. Clearly, this was not the first time that a monster outbreak had happened, and all of them were veterans in this field. Even so, the sheer number of Undead was still a hurdle that couldn¡¯t be ovee by experience alone. Aside from the low-tier Undead, Lux also noticed some stronger Undead mixed in the Undead Swarm that was now at the base of the vige¡¯s protective walls. ¡°Foreigners, aim for the Skeletons and Zombies in front!¡± Aron ordered. ¡°The rest, aim for the Draugrs! Kill as many as you can. Don¡¯t let them get past the walls of the vige!¡± The Draugr were simr to zombies, but with one clear distinction. They had blue skin and wore light-weight armor. They were stronger than the regr undead and were Rank 1 Monsters, which were equivalent to Grade D Apostles. ¡ª¨C < Draugr > ¨C Undead ¨C Rank 1 Monster Health: 2,500 / 2,500 Mana: 400 / 400 Strength: 50 Intelligence: 20-. Vitality: 50 Agility: 40 Dexterity: 40 Skills: sh ¡ª¨C Lux knew that he was no match against these creatures, so he just focused on aiming at the Skeletons and Zombies that he could kill with two to three hits using Power Shot. After a few minutes, bones started to pile up at the base of the protective wall. However, before Lux could even take a breather, he gasped as the undead used the piles of bones as leverage in order to climb up the vige¡¯s walls, which were only three-meters tall. Some of the undead even used each other as adder in order to breach their defenses. Aron shouted one order after the other in order to stop the Undead¡¯s advance, but it was futile. A scream that came from a little Dwarf reached Lux¡¯s ears, so he immediately turned to his left side to see what was happening. A Draugur had managed to climb up the ramparts and pierce one of the Town¡¯s Guard¡¯s chest with its sword. Aron hurriedly charged at the Draugr and sent it flying back towards the Undead Army with one powerful strike of his Mithril Hammer. The Town¡¯s Guard that had been stabbed got lucky because the sword didn¡¯t pierce too deep due to his armor. The Half-Elf thought that the guard would immediately retreat to tend to his injuries, but to his surprise, the Dwarf kept on fighting. Lux could clearly see that the Dwarf was in pain, but he was still forcing himself to swing his mace at the Undead who were trying to breach the walls, with one hand pressing over his bloody chest. ¡°Someone heal him!¡± Lux shouted as Diablo parried a sword strike that Lux wasn¡¯t able to block due to his concern over the Guard¡¯s condition. The red-headed boy knew that although this world was simr to that of a game, it was not. The Elysians were not NPC¡¯s, but real breathing people. Eriol had hammered this fact into his head even before he hade to this strange new world, in the hope that Lux would not treat everything as if he was just ying an RPG game. ¡°Just focus on what¡¯s in front of you, boy!¡± one of the Town¡¯s Guards who was fighting near Lux shouted as he smashed his shield on a zombie¡¯s head. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine after a drink or twoter, so keep swinging ye damn sword at these bastards!¡± Lux was about to argue, but the skeleton sword that was about to sh his face prevented him from doing so. Raising his shield, Dawne, Lux blocked the attack, and used Shield Bash to smash the Skeleton¡¯s head to bits. ¡®How are we supposed to survive for an hour like this?!¡¯ Lux gritted his teeth as he and Diablo shed at the monsters that had now managed to climb up the ramparts to engage them in closebat. Everyone was fighting with everything they had. The Town¡¯s Guards, Colette and her party members, as well as the other Dwarves who were just basically little children. Lux ordered his Forest Wolf to grab a fallen Dwarf child from the ramparts and ordered it to take her to the vige to get some treatment. Although there were over a dozen clerics who could heal the injured, there were just too many people for them to attend to, and had no time to heal everyone. For their part, the Town¡¯s Guards did their best to protect the children who were fighting alongside them. These caused them to suffer grave injuries, while others died, alongside the children they were protecting, due to being ganged up by the Undead who had now taken a foothold in their first line of defense. Colette and Matty were being pushed back by the growing number of zombies, while the Town¡¯s Guard focused their attention on the Draugr¡¯s who posed a threat to the Foreigners who were only a match for the low-tier undead. Seeing that they would only suffer more casualties in this manner, Aron had no choice but to order everyone to retreat and use gueri tactics against the Undead. ¡°What about the vigers?¡± Colette asked one of the Town¡¯s Guards that was helping them retreat from the frontlines. ¡°Did they already evacuate?¡± ¡°Aye,ss,¡± the Town¡¯s Guard replied. ¡°They are now in the underground shelter. Rx, they¡¯re far safer there than we are out here. So, hurry along and don¡¯t let the Undead bite you!¡± The minutes passed by as the Defenders and the Undead shed against each other. Some of the vigers hadn¡¯t escaped to the shelter and were fighting against the Undead, by shooting crossbows at them from their rooftops. Others were on the ground and swinging their axes left and right in order to protect their families who were currently hiding in the shelter. Lux was doing his best to help transport the injured Dwarves at the rear of the battlefield, where the Clerics were currently treating everyone. At times, only the Forest Wolf or Lux would carry the Dwarves because he was afraid that the Defenders would kill Diablo by mistake. Although Diablo was a pure white Skeleton that stood out from the other Undead, it didn¡¯t change the fact that it was still an Undead. To prevent misunderstandings, he ordered his Named Creature to fight alongside Colette¡¯s party and protect them to the best of its abilities. Diablo had already died three times in an effort to protect Lux and the other Dwarves from the swarm of Undead that showed no signs of stopping their rampage. As Lux was carrying a Dwarf boy who had been stabbed by a Skeleton Warrior, he found himself blocked by a Draugr that had just killed one of the Town¡¯s Guards. Although the Rank 1 Monster was missing an arm, it was still a monster that was stronger than the Half-Elf, which made Lux¡¯s face turn pale. If he dropped the Dwarf boy he was carrying and escaped, he would probably be able to save his life, but the boy would surely lose his life in the process. Just as Lux was madly thinking of what to do next, the Draugr¡¯s body exploded in a fiery ze, leaving only a blue Beast Core behind. ¡°Go, Child,¡± a familiar voice reached Lux¡¯s ears. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you some time.¡± Lux gazed at the olddy Dwarf who was holding a wooden cane in her hand in disbelief. ¡°G-Grandma Annie?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Yes. it is me,¡± Annie said as she opened a small bottle and poured half of its contents on the boy¡¯s wound, before letting him drink the rest. A few secondster, the boy¡¯splexion became better, and he was able to stand on his feet, albeit shakily. ¡°Go. I¡¯ll take it from here,¡± Annie ordered as she tapped the end of her cane on the ground. Several small orbs of fire circled around her body as she faced off against the a dozen Skeletons that were headed in their direction. ¡°Go to the back of the vige,¡± Lux said to the Dwarf boy who was still not recovered enough to continue fighting. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with Grandma.¡± The Dwarf boy nodded as he fled from their location. ¡°Silly boy, I told you to go, didn¡¯t I?¡± Annie said as she pointed her finger at the approaching Skeletons. ¡°Fire Bullet Barrage!¡± The small orbs of fire that circled Annie¡¯s body shot out at the dozen approaching Skeleton Warriors, destroying their headspletely. The Skeleton bodies copsed in a heap of bones, never to stand up again. ¡°You¡¯ve done well, Child,¡± Annie picked up the blue beast core that the Draugr had dropped after dying and gave it to Lux. ¡°Here. Take this as a reward for trying your best to help everyone.¡± Lux stared at the blue beast core wanting to refuse the olddy¡¯s goodwill, but Annie¡¯s expression wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer. ¡°I know that you don¡¯t intend to stop, so just use that Beast Core to get a little stronger,¡± Annie said softly. ¡°As you can see, today is going to be a busy night. I might not be able to open my shop in the morning because of these trespassers.¡± The olddy gave the Undead that was swarming her vige a hateful gaze. ¡°Catch up to me after you¡¯re done,¡± Annie ordered. ¡°If you get lucky, we might be able to get more Beast Cores from the Draugr¡¯s wee across along the way.¡± As Annie walked away, Lux stared at the Beast Core in his hand before making a decision. ¡ª- < Ding! > < Do you wish to consume the Rank 1 Beast Core? > < Yes / No > ¡°Yes,¡± Lux said with determination. He knew that Grandma Annie was right. If he wanted to help more people, he needed to be stronger first. Chapter 23 Lets Fight Together! After choosing yes, two more options appeared in front of Lux. ¡ª¨C < Upgrade Stat Points > < Upgrade Skills> ¡ª¨C This was the question that stomped Lux in the past, but now, he understood what he needed to do. ¡®Upgrade Stat Points,¡¯ Lux ordered and the Beast Core in his hand was consumed. ¡ª¨C < Upgrade Stat Points has been chosen > < Are you sure about your decision? > < Yes / No > ¡ª¨C Lux said yes to confirm his decision. Immediately, the Beast Core turned into particles of light and was absorbed by his body. Several rows of text appeared in front of him, showing him the results of the Beast Core Consumption. ¡ª¨C Obtained 5 Free Stats Points Obtained 10 Body Constitution Points-. You have acquired the Skill sh < sh > Active Skill: Requires 2 Mana to use ¨C sh at your enemy dealing +20 Physical Damage < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > sh Skill will be upgraded into Fury sh once the requirements have been met. < Fury sh > Active Skill: Requires 5 Mana to use ¨C sh at your enemy dealing +40 Physical Damage ¨C If your target has less than half of its health remaining, deals an additional +40 damage to your attack. ¨C Requirements to upgrade: Use sh 100x ¨C Progress ( 0 / 100 ) ¡ª¨C Lux immediately put three of his stat points into Strength, and two into Vitality, increasing his attack power, defense, and Health Points. ( A/N: Although I didn¡¯t mention it in the previous chapters, One Vitality Point is equivalent to One Defense Point. ) ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Health: 35 / 35 Mana: 5 / 25 Strength: 13 Intelligence: 5 Vitality: 7 Agility: 9 Dexterity: 8 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX]. Skills: Power Shot, sh ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: F Progress: (26/100) ¡ª- Lux unsummoned his Soul Book as soon as he finished adding his stat points. He then ran after Grandma Annie, who was now actively shooting fire bullets at every Undead that she encountered. The Half-Elf could see her breathing raggedly, but the olddy kept on hurling fire bullets at the Undead who were about to strike the Defenders who were slowly losing ground with each passing minute. Lux was about to run past Grandma Annie to help Colette and her friends when the olddy stopped him. ¡°Take this, Lux,¡± Grandma Annie said as she handed him a dozen Honey-vored Leaf Candies that restored Health and Mana by fifty points. ¡°Don¡¯t use them sparingly. I have plenty of those, so if you run out, juste and find me.¡± Grandma Annie winked at Lux before putting a candy inside her mouth. Immediately, herplexion became better after replenishing her mana reserves. ¡°I will,¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Thank you, Grandma Annie.¡± Lux gave her a brief bow before running towards Colette, Matty, and Diablo, who were in an intense battle against several Undead that had encircled them. Just as he arrived at their location, Diablo turned into particles of light after getting shed by an Undead that was meant to hit Matty from behind. ¡°Rise and fight once more, Diablo!¡± Lux ordered and the White Skeleton reappeared beside him with red mes burning in its hollow eye sockets. Lux felt a bit light-headed because his mana had almost dropped to zero after summoning his named creature for the fourth time. He hurriedly ate one of the candies that Grandma Annie gave to him, and immediately felt better afterwards. ¡°Colette, take one and give the rest to your friends,¡± Lux ordered as he handed six candies to the little girl who was breathing heavily. Her tear-stained face, which was proof of the terrible things that she witnessed tonight, made his heart ache. ¡°These candies will help you recover your stamina, as well as your mana,¡± Lux exined. ¡°Do you see that olddy over there shooting fire bullets? If you need more candies, just go to her.¡± Colette was still in a daze, but she was able to nod her head in understanding. After passing the candies to his friends, she ate one, which immediately made her feel that her strength had returned to her. ¡°Let¡¯s fight together!¡± Lux said as he faced the Undead that had now gathered up in front of them. ¡°Right!¡± Colette gripped her mace with both hands. ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s fight!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± ¡°Summon Forest Wolf!¡± Lux ordered and a meter-tall forest wolf appeared beside him. Although the Forest Wolf was only slightly stronger than a Skeleton Warrior, having more allies was better than having none. ¡°Charge!¡± Lux shouted as he ran with Diablo and the Forest Wolf at his left and right side. Colette and her party was right behind him as they supported Grandma Annie in holding back the Undead. ¡°sh!¡± Lux shouted as he shed his sword in a wide arc, instantly beheading two zombies in front of him. ¡ª < Fury sh > ¨C Progress (1/100) ¡ª- The low-tier undead didn¡¯t drop Beast Cores. Only Ranked 1 Monsters and above¡ªlike the Draugr¡ªhad them. Unlike the Half-Elf, Colette and the others gained experience points from killing monsters. These points allowed them to level up, which gave them free stat points that they could distribute freely depending on their wishes. At first, Lux argued with Eriol that this was unfair treatment. Unlike the other Sians, who could level up, the Half-Elf didn¡¯t have this advantage. Eriol smiled at him at that time and told him the reason why he was unable to gain experience points by killing monsters. It was because his soul was damaged and wasn¡¯t able to be born naturally in the World of Sis. Because of this, thews of the world didn¡¯t apply to him because he was more of a transmigrator, than a reincarnator. However, Eriol assured him thatpared to Sians, Lux¡¯s progress was far superior. Instead of waiting to level up, he would receive quests that would directly upgrade his stats and skill points which Colette and her friends were unable to do. Also, Eriol added that each time a person in Sis leveled up, they would only get three stat points that they could distribute freely. Although they could progress faster in the earlier levels, when it came to the middle levels, unless their families were rich, and had many Beast Cores, and other resources in their possessions, Lux would leave them in the dust because of his ¡°no-leveling-up¡± stats and skill points upgrade. ¡°sh!¡± Lux faced three zombies and cut their bodies in half with the sword in his hand. ¡ª¨C < Fury sh > ¨C Progress ( 5 / 100 ) ¡ª¨C Checking his mana reserves, Lux sighed when he realized that he could at most use sh five more times before his mana points would be down to five. His mana regeneration of 1 mana point recovered every two minutes was not enough to obliterate the low-tier undead in his path. ¡®I¡¯ll add some points to Intelligenceter,¡¯ Lux thought as he used his shield to block the attack aimed at his chest. ¡®At this rate, I might choose the Magic Swordsman Profession when I get a total of 100bined stat points.¡¯ Just like in games, there was also a Job ss Change mechanic in Elysium. They could use this function by going to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, Temples, or Shrines that were scattered all over Elysium. Just as the red-headed boy was sighing over his limited mana capacity, Grandma Annie shouted for them to retreat. Lux backed off just in time to dodge a thrown sword headed in his direction. When the red-headed boy looked in the direction where the sword hade from, he found three Draugr¡¯s walking leisurely towards their group, which made his expression turn grim instantly. ¡ª¨C (A/N: Take note that Lux said stamina here instead of Health Points because it would make no sense if he told them that the candy would help them recover their ¡°Health Points¡±. So, he opted to tell them that it would help them recover their stamina which, in some cases, is almost the same, since it will make them feel that they had recovered their strength to fight again.) Chapter 24 Luxs Regrets ¡°Sh*t!¡± Lux cursed out loud at the three Rank 1 Monsters that hade to personally deal with them. ¡°Run!¡± Grandma Annie ordered. ¡°I can beat one of them, but I can¡¯t beat three at the same time! Let¡¯s retreat!¡± Colette and her friends supported the olddy as they retreated, but the Draugrs didn¡¯t n to just watch and let them escape. ¡°Block them!¡± Lux ordered. The Forest Wolf and Diablo moved forward to intercept the three Draugrs in order to buy them some time to escape their pursuit. Unfortunately, it only took one sh for the Forest Wolf and Diablo to turn into particles of light, which only brought them a few seconds of reprieve. Gritting his teeth, Lux stopped running and held his ground. Holding his shield, Dawne, and one-handed sword, Tranquility, he once again summoned Diablo and the Forest Wolf by his side. After doing so, he swapped his sword for the Dagger of Frost. ¡ª--. < Dagger of Frost > Rarity: Rare (Dagger) ¨C Attack: 10 ¨C 15 Frost Damage ¨C Allows you to use the skill Ice sh (Ice sh) ¨C Deals 20-25 Frost AOE cone damage to creatures that are within five meters away from the user. ¨C Has a chance of freezing the user¡¯s enemy for five seconds ¨C Skill Cooldown: 2 minutes. ¡ª- ¡°Ice sh!¡± Lux roared, sending a white, crescent, energy de, flying towards the three Draugrs that were running towards him. Two of the monsters were frozen in ice, while the third one brushed off the attack despite it dealing significant damage to its body. The Forest Wolf growled as it lunged at the Draugr, biting its neck. Diablo, on the other hand, shed at the Draugr¡¯s hand that carried its weapon in an attempt to disarm it. Unfortunately, the bone sword wasn¡¯t strong enough to cut the hand off making Diablo¡¯s attempt futile. This exchangested only for a few seconds before the Forest Wolf and Diablo, once again, turned into particles of light after receiving the Draugr¡¯s counterattack. During this brief period, Lux forcefully chewed another candy inside his mouth, recovering his mana at a fast rate. No sooner had the Draugr killed the two annoying pests, then the Wolf and the Skeleton reappeared in front of it to continue attacking it from both sides. It was also at this moment when the other two Draugrs broke out of their frozen state, roaring in anger. Their eyes locked on Lux¡¯s with the intention of tearing him apart. However, before the two Draugrs could even get close to the Half-Elf, the third Draugr had once again killed Diablo and the Forest Wolf. It then roared and sent a hate-filled punch towards the red-headed boy, who hurriedly raised his shield to defend himself. A loud crash reverberated in the air, followed by a pained cry as Lux was sent flying by the Draugr¡¯s attack. The boy¡¯s bodynded over a dozen meters away from where he previously stood and rolled on the ground for a few meters more before stoppingpletely. Lux¡¯s body was wracked in pain, especially his left arm, which was bent in an unnatural angle. It was so painful that the Half-Elf¡¯s vision blurred as tears streamed down his face, while he gasped for breath. With every breath he took, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and wondered how many of his ribs were broken. Gritting his teeth, he tried to stand up, but he couldn¡¯t muster any strength in his body. ¡°Grandma¡­ Vera¡­,¡± Lux said between pained breaths. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Lux looked up at the three Draugr¡¯s who were looking down on him, with their swords raised high. He knew that he no longer had the ability to dodge the assault of the three Rank 1 Monsters that surpassed his current abilities. His only regret was that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep his promises to his Grandma Vera, Eriol, and Max. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Lux sighed as he closed his eyes, waiting for the strikes that would end his life, but they never came. Instead, he felt a wave of hot air wash over his body, making him open his eyes abruptly. The three Draugrs in front of him were roaring in pain as their bodies were consumed by zing mes that illuminated the dark night. It was also at that moment when the mighty sound of a blowing horn reached Lux¡¯s ears. The ground trembled, as hundreds of hooves made their way towards the front lines of the battle. Suddenly, something jumped over Lux¡¯s body that was lying on the ground. As if time had slowed down, Lux was able to see the face of an armor wearing Dwarf, who looked down on him from the back of a meter and a half tall Mountain Goat. Their gazes met for what seemed like an eternity before time once again flowed naturally. ¡°Charge!¡± the Dwarf that had jumped over Lux¡¯s body shouted. ¡°Ride warriors of Norria! Push them back!¡± ¡°¡±Kill!¡±¡± Hundreds of mounted Goat Riders passed over Lux¡¯s body as they shouted their war cries. The goats rammed the Undead army, obliterating the Skeleton Warriors that blocked their way. The weakest of the Goat Riders were equivalent to Grade C Apostles (Rank 2 Monster), which was more than enough to easily beat two Draugrs simultaneously. Cheering broke out across the vige as their powerful reinforcements arrived. Lux felt his body easing up as he heard the sound of warcries spread across the vige because powerful reinforcements from the Stronghold of Norria had arrived. They cut through the Undead horde like a hot knife cutting through butter, immediately turning the tides of battle. Due to how intense the situation was, Lux hadpletely forgotten to check the remaining time of the quest that he had deemed almost impossible to clear. Soon, the Half-Elfy on the ground motionless. He had fallen unconscious due to exhaustion and relief. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t even stir at the ringing sound that marked the sessfulpletion of his quest, which had pushed his physical, mental, and emotional states to their limits. Chapter 25 Aftermath Of The Monster Outbreak When Lux opened his eyes, he found himself inside an unfamiliar room. After looking around, still half-asleep, the images of what happened a few hours ago shed inside his head, which woke him uppletely. ¡°The Monster Outbreak!¡± Lux immediately inspected his body and was surprised to find out that he didn¡¯t feel pain anywhere. Even his left arm that had been broken due to the Draugr¡¯s attack was working properly, which made the Half-Elf think that everything that happened was just a dream. ¡®Was that really just a dream?¡¯ Lux frowned. ¡®I¡¯d better confirm it.¡¯ The first thing Lux did was summon his Soul Book to see his stats. If it was really a dream then he wouldn¡¯t have an increase in stats points, nor would he have learned the skill sh. ¡®No. It wasn¡¯t a dream,¡¯ Lux sighed as he looked at his information. There had been a significant increase to his strength, as well as the gaining of the skill sh, which was on its way to evolve into Fury sh. Lux sighed as he walked towards the window of the room. The sun was already at its zenith, which meant that he had woken up veryte. The red-headed boy viewed the houses within his vision and noticed that some of them had been damaged here and there, but most of them remained intact. The Defenders had used some of the houses as strategic locations in order to use hit and run tactics against the Undead. As he was observing the surroundings, the Half-Elf noticed a Dwarf wearing armor mounted on a Mountain Goat. By the looks of it, he was patrolling the vige and making sure that everything was in order.-. Just as Lux was thinking about what to do next, he heard a knock on the door that broke him out of his daze. ¡°Come in,¡± Lux subconsciously called out to the one knocking on the door. When the door opened, the olddy Dwarf whom Lux was very familiar with, smiled when she saw him already awake. ¡°Although the Clerics healed your body a few hours ago, they might have missed a few spots,¡± Annie said as she walked towards Lux. ¡°Is there any ce that still hurts? I still have some healing potions with me.¡± Lux shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grandma Annie. What happened to Colette and the others?¡± ¡°Are you talking about those children who fought with usst night?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°They have also been treated by the Clerics. A few hours ago they went to the za before they returned home,¡± Annie answered. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, they said that they would report what happened here to their Elders. Many people diedst night. Fortunately, no more than a dozen children passed away due to the efforts of the Vige Guards, and the reinforcements that came from the Stronghold of Norria.¡± Grandma Annie had a very sad expression on her face as she talked about the deaths of the children. ¡°It is a bit embarrassing to say, but as an adult, we don¡¯t like to see children dying in front of us, even if they are Foreigners,¡± Annie stated. ¡°Thanks to them, we were able tost as long as we could until the reinforcements arrived.¡± Less than a dozen children had died during the hour of fighting due to the strong presence of Aron and the Vige Guards. ording to Grandma Annie, almost two hundred Vige Guards diedst night. That was almost two-thirds of the total number of guards that were protecting Leaf Vige. If only there hadn¡¯t been any Draugrs in the Undead Swarm, the number of casualties would have been much lower. Rank 1 Monsters that numbered in the hundreds, were a nightmare for a vige located in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. Aron was a Grade C Apostle, which was the equivalent of a Rank 2 Monster. The rest of the Town¡¯s Guards were Grade D Apostles, which meant they were only as strong as Rank 1 Monsters. ¡°Grandma Annie, do Monster Outbreaks happen often?¡± Lux asked as he sat on the couch, joining the olddy. Annie nodded. ¡°We get them once or twice a year. But, this time around, it was quite problematic. I¡¯m sure that the Stronghold will station at least a dozen or two of their Goat Riders here to protect the vige for the time being. With them around, we will probably survive the next Outbreak that is sure to happen in another half a year or so.¡± Lux sighed as he thought of the bi-yearly cmity that the Leaf Vige had to face. He asked Grandma Annie a few more questions, which thetter answered to the best of her abilities. Because of this, the Half-Elf was able to learn a lot of things. In the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven, viges would normally be built near a Dwarven Stronghold, which acted as its protector in times of need. The Stronghold of Norria for example was the protector of four viges, including Leaf Vige. The vigers used the bells tomunicate with the Stronghold over long distances when they were being attacked by a force that far surpassed their capabilities to defend against. In turn, the Stronghold would then dispatch its Goat Riders to assist the viges to resist the threat that hade knocking on their doors. However, due to the distance, they needed at least an hour to arrive, which was why Lux¡¯s survival quest asked him to survive for an hour, before the reinforcements came to their rescue. ¡°You were very bravest night, Lux,¡± Annie said as she held the red-headed boy¡¯s hand firmly. ¡°Also, thank you for standing up to those Draugrs to give us time to escape.¡± ¡°I only did what had to be done,¡± Lux replied. ¡°In the end, I was saved as well.¡± Lux wasn¡¯t delusional to think that he could have survived his predicament by himself. If not for the timely arrival of the Goat Riders, he might have been added to the list of casualties of the Monster Outbreak who had died protecting the vige. Although being regarded as a Dead Hero might be something that your bloodline could be proud of¡­ a dead hero is still¡­ a dead hero. Lux would rather be alive than dead, so he was very thankful that he was still alive after that nightmarish night that he would always remember in his memories. ¡°Before I forget, please, take this,¡± Annie took out three blue beast cores and handed them to Lux. ¡°Those belonged to the three bastards that tried to kill youst night.¡± Lux didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and gratefully epted the Beast Cores, which would allow him to grow stronger. ¡°Grandma, were you the one that saved mest night?¡± Lux inquired. ¡°If you were asking who was the one that burned those Draugrs then yes it was me,¡± Annie answered. ¡°But, it is not I who saved you, but it is you that saved me. If you didn¡¯t block their path, I and the children might have been grievously injured or, worse, dead. ¡°Also, you gave me enough time to cast a high-level spell, so it is still thanks to you that we were able to survive to live another day.¡± Lux smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else. As if waiting for this moment, his stomach growled in protest to tell him that he had not eaten breakfast. Grandma Annie chuckled and bid Lux to follow her down the dining area to have lunch with her. Naturally, the Half-Elf epted her offer and enjoyed rice porridge with egg that was prepared especially for him. After eating a filling lunch, Grandma Annie told him to rest more inside the guest room because the vige was still in a bad state. Lux nodded his head in agreement and thanked Grandma Annie for her hospitality. Right after he closed the door of his room, the red-headed boy sat on the couch and summoned his Soul Book. He opened the Quest Page and saw thepletion mark on top of it. He then eyed the rewards that he had no time to checkst night due to exhaustion. ¡ª¨C < Survive the Monster Outbreak > Status: Completed! < Rewards > ¨C 10 Free Stat Points ¨C 100 Skill Points ¨C 50 Body Constitution Points ¨C 20 Elysium Silver Coins < Bonus Reward > ¨C 100 Skill Points ¡ª¨C ¡®I gained a bonus of 100 Skill Points afterpleting the quest which gives me a total of 200 Skill Points,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®With this, I won¡¯t need to use the Beast Cores I earned to upgrade Diablo. I have enough points to upgrade him twice.¡¯ Last night, he realized how fragile Diablo was when facing a monster that was a tier higher than him. Just a single punch was enough to obliterate his Named Creature and it made Lux very sad to see his partner die like that. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, Diablo,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®I will ensure that no Draugr will be able to one-shot you in the future.¡¯ Lux had a determined look as he opened Diablo¡¯s personal page in his Soul book. He was quite excited to see how powerful his partner would be, after he was upgraded twice. Chapter 26 Diablos Upgrade < Diablo > Progress: (35/100) ¡ª¨C ¡°So, I need 65 Skill Points to upgrade Diablo once,¡± Lux muttered as he checked how much progress his Named Creature had made in the short time he had been in Elysium. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t bat an eye and used the needed skill points to upgrade his partner, who had fought alongside him during the greatest battle he had experienced in his lifetime. ¡ª- < Diablo > ¡°Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!¡± ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Rating: E ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress ( 0 / 100) Health: 55 / 55 Mana: 60 / 60 Attack: 8 ¨C 15 (+20 Damage from Tranquility) Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Strength: 13-. Intelligence: 12 Vitality: 11 Agility: 12 Dexterity: 12 Title: Firstborn Note: Congrattions! Your Named Creature is now capable of equipping items! Take note that it can only equip items that match its current stats. ¡ª- ¡°Equip Items?¡± Lux blinked as he gazed at the new bookmark that appeared in Diablo¡¯s profile. After clicking the Equipment Page, an idea suddenly appeared on Lux¡¯s head. ¡°Come forth, Diablo!¡± Lux ordered. A magic circle appeared on the ground in front of him and his trusted partner emerged from it. ¡°Can you equip this?¡± Lux asked as he handed Tranquility to Diablo, who didn¡¯t look any different from his pre-upgraded state. The White Skeleton unsummoned its Bone Sword and held Tranquility in a firm grip, giving it a few practice swings. Lux nced at Diablo¡¯s Equipment page and saw Tranquility appear in its right hand weapon slot. ¡°Okay, take these as well,¡± Lux ordered as he handed his shield, Dawne, and his Wolf¡¯s Leather Armor, over to Diablo, which made the Skeleton look like a decent Skeleton Warrior that was missing his pants. The Half-Elf chuckled when he looked at this funny scene. To his surprise, Diablo also chuckled with its jaws rattling non-stop. ¡°Okay, how do you feel?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Do you feel stronger now?¡± The White Skeleton nodded its head in affirmation to its Master¡¯s inquiry. The red-headed boy smiled as he gazed at his remaining Skill Points. ¡ª- Free Stat Points Avable: 10 Free Skill Points Avable: 135 ¡ª¨C Just as he nned, Lux used another 100 Skill Points to upgrade Diablo and made him stronger. ¡ª¨C < Diablo > ¡°Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!¡± ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Rating: E+ ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress ( 0 / 100) Health: 105 / 110 Mana: 110 / 110 Attack: 16 ¨C 25 (+20 Damage from Tranquility) Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Strength: 23 Intelligence: 22 Vitality: 21 Agility: 22 Dexterity: 22 Title: Firstborn Skills: sh Note: Not bad. Your Thug is now stronger than a typical mob character. They say that one good thing leads to another. On your next upgrade, your Named Creature will have a qualitative boost in its overall strength and performance. Look forward to it! ¡ª- Free Stat Points Avable: 10 Free Skill Points Avable: 35 ¡ª¨C ¡°Nice!¡± Lux wasn¡¯t able to hide his appreciation as he looked at Diablo¡¯s current stats. Just like the note at the end of his named character¡¯s profile said, Diablo had indeed be stronger than he was before. Also, just based on stats alone, the White Skeleton was even stronger than his master, Lux. who was looking at his partner with admiration. The other thing that made Lux happy was the information that Diablo would have a qualitative boost in his overall performance on his next upgrade! ¡°Partner, take care of me from now on,¡± Lux said as he extended his hand for a handshake. ¡°Kekeke,¡± Diablo chuckled as he extended his hand to shake his Master¡¯s hand. Lux was caught by surprise because although Diablo had shown signs that it was an intelligent creature, this was the first time that it had attempted to talk to him. Not only that, the White Skeleton¡¯s thoughts were clearer nowpared to how they were in the past. The Half-Elf could now understand it, even though it was not speaking any formalnguage. ¡°Amazing! You are amazing, Diablo!¡± ¡°Kekeke.¡± A few minutester, Lux unsummoned Diablo and stared at the three blue beast cores in front of him. He was hesitating about whether he should use them to upgrade Diablo or not, or use them to upgrade his own stat points. After much deliberation, the red-headed boy decided to use them to upgrade himself. The Monster Outbreak had shown him how much he wascking in terms ofbat ability. His mana was quite low, so he easily ran out of juice after using the sh Skill, and Summoning Diablo and the Forest Wolf several times to bolster his forces. ¡°Now that Diablo has Tranquility, he can summon the Forest Wolf by himself,¡± Lux muttered as he yed with one of the beast cores on the palm of his hand. ¡°He also learned sh, so he is capable of dealing greater damage to our enemies now. Although he is still weaker than a Draugr, he won¡¯t die after getting hit once.¡± After pondering for a while, Lux returned the beast cores to his storage ring and went to talk with Grandma Annie. ¡°You¡¯re going now?¡± Annie asked as she looked at Lux with concern. Lux nodded. ¡°Yes, Grandma Annie. I will return home for a while.¡± Annie smiled after finding out the red-headed boy¡¯s reason for leaving. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Annie replied. ¡°Let your loved ones know that you are safe. You can always return here whenever you want. My house is always open for you.¡± ¡°Thank you Grandma Annie for your care and hospitality. I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°Have a safe trip.¡± ¡ª¨C As Lux walked the streets of Leaf Vige, he genuinely felt the sadness of the people living in it. Just like Eriol had said, there were no NPC¡¯s in Elysium. In short, the people here were no different from him. All of them were alive and knew how to feel happiness, sadness, anger, and helplessness. But, aside from the sadness, Lux also noticed something had changed in the hearts of people around him. They no longer looked at him with a guarded expression. Some of them even went out of their way to give him a brief nod of acknowledgement as he passed through them. The vigers heard how the Half-Elf had fought tooth and nail, to defend their vige from the Monster Outbreak. They no longer treated him as an outsider, and had acknowledged his presence among them. For some reason, this made Lux feel warm, and made his eyes water a bit. Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he had been starving for recognition all his life. Recognition from the people in Wildgarde Stronghold. Recognition from his grandmother Vera. And recognition from the world he was living in. Now that he had finally taken a step into the world of Elysium, he understood more than ever how precious life was. Because of this, he wanted to return home to see his Grandma and feel the warmth of having a family, all over again. Chapter 27 Vera’s Equipment Collection ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Lux said softly as he reappeared inside the Training Room of their residence. Before he could even take a step forward, the door of the room opened and Vera appeared with a surprised expression on her face. ¡°I¡¯m back, Grandma.¡± Lux walked towards Vera and gave her a hug. ¡°Wee back.¡± Vera hugged her grandson in a loving embrace. For some reason, she felt that Lux¡¯s presence was differentpared to what it was before he went to Elysium. As someone who had experienced many things, she had a hunch that the red-headed boy had experienced something in Elysium that made him decide to go back home and see her. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Vera asked. ¡°I just had lunch, but I can easily prepare something for you.¡± Lux pulled back and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Grandma. I ate beforeing here.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to the living room,¡± Vera proposed as she lightly patted her grandson¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Tell me about your adventures in Elysium.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lux nodded. ¡ª- ¡°It must have been a scary experience,¡± Vera said as she pulled her grandson close to her. ¡°I¡¯m just d that you survived.¡± Lux had just finished his tale of the Monster Outbreak in Leaf Vige, which made Vera¡¯s feel as if her heart was being squeezed inside her chest. Lux was one of her three remaining family members, and the thought of losing him made her feel very anxious. ¡°I¡¯m d I survived as well, Grandma,¡± Lux replied with his eyes closed. ¡°During that time, I felt very sad about the possibility of leaving you all alone. In fact, I was more scared of you being alone than the thought of me dying. It¡¯s so painful that it hurts.¡± Vera held Lux tighter. It was not only Lux who felt that way. She was also very scared of losing the grandson that she had raised since he was a baby. ¡°Will you return to Elysium?¡±-. ¡°Yes. I need to go back. There¡¯s still many things I need to do.¡± Vera sighed, but she didn¡¯t try to dissuade her grandson from his decision. The only thing she could do was give him her support and pray that he would be safe as he explored the world that she had journeyed through several years ago. ¡°Is there anything that I can help you with?¡± Vera asked. ¡°As long as I have it, I will give it to you.¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Grandma. I need weapons, armor, and other equipment.¡± ¡°How about Beast Cores?¡± Vera asked. ¡°I have some as well.¡± ¡°Um, Grandma, don¡¯t the rules of Wildgarde Stronghold state that giving beast cores to beginners is not allowed?¡± Lux asked. Gerald, the Guardian of Wildgarde Stronghold, had made a rule that the adults couldn¡¯t spoil their children and give them Beast Cores to increase their stats at an early stage. He believed that this kind of practice would only prevent the children from striving to reach a higher rank. If they could jump tiers at the get go then they would not develop the proper mindset of warriors who had undergone the baptism of blood. It was simr to the spoiled second rich generations, who enjoyed their current status due to their parents¡¯ achievements and hard work. Gerald wanted to have a strongmunity. He had no use for useless people with high stats who would only serve as cannon fodder when the real fighting began. Vera frowned because she understood what Lux was trying to say. However, she cared about the survival of her grandson, so she decided to reach apromise with him. ¡°I will only give you Four Rank 1 Beast Cores,¡± Vera replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Having that many isn¡¯t a big deal. Gerald¡¯s rules are there to remind the adults to not spoil their kids too much. I¡¯m sure that he will not raise a fuss if I give you four low-grade beast cores.¡± Lux pondered for a bit before reluctantly nodding his head. He thought that it was indeed not a big deal if he had four low-grade Beast Cores. Besides, he was also itching to raise Diablo¡¯s strength to the next level. ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s talk about equipment,¡± Vera said. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the training area. The living room is not big enough to unload the items I want to give to you.¡± Lux was very keen to see what items his Grandma had prepared for him. Gerald didn¡¯t forbid the adults from giving their children equipment to be used in Elysium. His reasoning behind this was very simple. Certain requirements must be met before certain types of equipment could be equipped. Take Lux¡¯s shield for example. Dawne needed 10 points to Strength before it could be used. Twelve year olds weren¡¯t that strong at the beginning. It would take them a while to ¡°level up¡± and gain the strength necessary to equip the weapons, armor, and other artifacts that their parents had prepared for them. Also, these things could also be obtained in Elysium, so Gerald didn¡¯t see any problem in letting the kids have them. Since that was the case, the adults had an unwritten agreement that supplying their children with equipment was allowed, as long as they didn¡¯t tantly announce it to the world. Lux¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the sheer number of equipment that Vera presented to him. Truthfully, Vera was only nning to give them to Lux if her grandson asked for her help. The things that she had prepared for him were all rare and unique weapons. The Half-Elf appraised these items one by one. He found out that he could only use most of them after he had stepped into the Apostle Rank, which was still quite a distance from his current state. Even so, he still found some Set Equipment that made him smile from ear to ear. Set Equipment were items that gave decent boosts to attack, defense, and bonus stats when two or more of them were equipped. ¡°Come forth, Diablo!¡± Lux shouted and his trustypanion appeared beside him wearing the Fox Leather Armor, Dawne, and Tranquility. ¡°Change your armor to this!¡± Lux ordered as he pointed at a ck set of armor that he had specially chosen for his partner. Diablo nodded and took off the Wolf Leather¡¯s armor and returned it to Lux. ¡ª¨C < Wandering Knight Set > Set Requirement: 22 Points to Strength ¨C Wandering Knight Greaves +15 Defense ¨C Wandering Knight Tassets +15 Defense ¨C Wandering Knight Breastte +15 Defense ¨C Wandering Knight Bracers +15 Defense ¨C Wandering Knight Helmet +15 Defense < Wandering Knight Set Bonus > ¨C 2 Pieces of Equipment +1 to Strength ¨C 3 Pieces of Equipment +2 to Vitality ¨C 4 Pieces of Equipment +2 to Dexterity ¨C 5 Pieces of Equipment +50 Health Points +25 All Elemental Resistance + 2 to Agility 20% Damage Reduction from Physical Attacks ¡ª¨C Diablo had aplete makeover after putting on the ck set of armor. His glowing red eyes could be seen through the helmet¡¯s eye slits, which gave him a very intimidating presence. ¡°It would have been perfect if his sword and shield were ck as well,¡± Lux muttered as he rubbed his chin in contemtion. ¡°Still, this will have to do for now.¡± ¡ª¨C < Diablo > Health: 165 / 165 Mana: 110 / 110 Attack: 18 ¨C 27 (+20 Damage from Tranquility) Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Strength: 23 (+1) Intelligence: 22 Vitality: 21 (+2) Agility: 22 (+2) Dexterity: 22 (+2) Defense: 98 Title: Firstborn Skills: sh ¡ª¨C Vera was surprised when she saw that the White Skeleton was capable of equipping one of the armor sets that she had prepared for her grandson. She didn¡¯t expect Lux¡¯s Named Monster to have grown to such a degree. This gave her a feeling offort, knowing that there would be a dependable bodyguard following her grandson around in the world of Elysium. Chapter 28 The Story Of Elysium After admiring Diablo¡¯s new armor set for a while, Lux finally went to gather his own set of armor, which was called the ¡°Relentless Warrior¡± Equipment Set. < Relentless Warrior > Set Requirement: 15 Points to all Stats ¨C Relentless Warrior Circlet +1 to Intelligence ¨C Relentless Warrior Leather Armor +15 Defense ¨C Relentless Warrior Leather Tassets +10 Defense ¨C Relentless Warrior Arm Guard +10 Defense-. ¨C Relentless Warrior Boots +10 Defense < Relentless Warrior Set Bonus > ¨C 2 Pieces of Equipment +3 to Strength ¨C 3 Pieces of Equipment +3 to Agility ¨C 4 Pieces of Equipment +3 to Dexterity ¨C 5 Pieces of Equipment +150 Health Points +40 Defense +10 All Elemental Resistance 10% Damage Reduction from Physical Attacks ¡ª- Lux still didn¡¯t meet the requirements for this armor set, but with the help of the 7 Beast Cores in his possession, he was certain that he would be able to equip this set without any problem. For the record, Equipment Sets were not easy to get. They could only be farmed in certain Dungeons in Elysium that required a party of six or more toplete. ¡°Thank you, Grandma,¡± Lux said after storing the Relentless Warrior Set in his storage ring. ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± said Vera as she returned the other items into her storage ring. Several of the items in her possessions had very high requirements. The only reason why she had shown them to Lux was to tell her grandson that these items were avable to him at any time. Lux understood his grandma¡¯s gesture and was very happy inside his heart. Although some of the items he had seen would require him to reach the Apostle Grade, knowing that they were there made a difference. ¡°Grandma, you entered Elysium when you were young, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what your starting vige was like?¡± Lux inquired. ¡°Did it also have Monster Outbreaks?¡± Vera smiled as she made a gesture to Lux to follow her. Fifteen minutester, the grandma and grandson pair drank tea as they stared at the garden of their residence. ¡°Before I tell you the tale of my younger days, let me tell you first how Elysium appeared,¡± Vera said as she stared at the distance, relieving the memories of the past that appeared inside her head. ¡°The Hundred-Year War had just ended in Sis at that time, and the geography of this entire world had been changed forever. The living areas where people could live had decreased greatly. If you were to leave this territory, the only things you would see are wastnds. Much of thend has been changed so no nts can grow, no water can be found, and no animal can stay for long due to poisonous fumes that erupt from the ground from time to time.¡± In order to prevent the loss of more lives andnds, all the ruling nations came to an agreement. They agreed that no morerge-scale wars would be waged on the surface of Sis. In order to make this pact binding, they begged the Gods that had chosen to abandon this world to grant them thisst wish. Perhaps due to pity, or perhaps because they truly wished to cut all connections to this world, the Gods agreed. Since then, a universalw has enveloped this world to preventrge-scale wars from happening again.¡± ¡°Right now, the only points of conflict are border issues, but most of the time only small skirmishes happen. No one dares to vite the rule, because they won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences of their actions.¡± Vera drank her tea before continuing her tale. ¡°Several years passed, and everyone had been living their lives peacefully when they suddenly heard a voice filled with power reverberate across the heavens,¡± Vera said as she looked at her reflection on the tea¡¯s surface. ¡°The voice said, ¡®The world is dying, but the way to save it can be found in Elysium.¡± Suddenly, Teleportation Gates appeared in several ces around the world that allowed anyone to gain ess to Elysium. And the Wildgarde Stronghold was built to monopolize one of those passage ways.¡± ¡°Because of this, it became the Overlord of this territory. The viges and towns surrounding us send their children here in the hopes that they will be allowed entry into this unknown world that holds infinite possibilities.¡± Lux who was listening quietly on the side frowned. He had grown up within the walls of the Stronghold, and had seen these children travel to their Keep in order to pay tribute and get ess to the Teleportation Gate that led to Elysium. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve never thought of this before but, am I considered lucky?¡± Lux asked. ¡°All I need to do is pass the trial and I can enter Elysium. Others need to pay a fee before they can enter the teleportation gate. Could it be that I didn¡¯t notice how privileged I¡¯ve been all these years?¡± Vera chuckled. ¡°Well, it was very rare for you to leave the walls of the Stronghold, so you were not aware of the situation outside. In a way, you are indeed privileged. You don¡¯t need to worry about paying fees, and meeting strict requirements to enter Elysium. The other viges and towns in our Domain also pay taxes to us on a quarterly basis. ¡°But, in return for these offerings, the Stronghold is obligated to protect them from all forms of aggression, including the Beast Tides that happen every three to five years. The role we y is simr to the Stronghold of Norria that protects Leaf Vige.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Then, the kids of the other viges who enter Elysium. What bes of them?¡± ¡°They will randomly appear in one of the four viges that our faction belongs to in the Navarre Empire,¡± Vera answered. ¡°When we arrived at Elysium, there were already ruling families governing the territories we were teleported to. Some of us decided to build our own strongholds, so that we could gain a foothold in that world. Others, decided to form strong connections with the ruling families, and earned enough merits to be bestowed a noble title, which allowed them to gainnds.¡± ¡°The Founder of Wildgarde Stronghold chose the second option and did his best to gain enough merits until he could be granted the title of a Viscount. This was how our faction was able to have our own Domain in Elysium. It has grown since then. However, unlike the Leaf Vige, our side doesn¡¯t have to worry about Monster Outbreaks.¡± Lux nodded in understanding. ¡°Grandma, what happens if the kids from our Domain be Rankers? How does the Stronghold treat them?¡± ¡°Good Question.¡± Vera nodded her head in appreciation for her grandson¡¯s curiosity. ¡°As you already know, Rankers are special cases. They are known to be powerhouses, so they are treated in a way deserving of their rank. However, being a Ranker doesn¡¯t make your life any easier. ¡°You are almost always going out on missions for the Kingdom, Empire, or Dynasty that you belong to. Lux, you already know this, but Elysium is not a peaceful ce. Wars are no longer possible in Sis, but in Elysium it is a verymon thing. Battles between Parties, Gangs, ns, Factions, and Guilds happen on a daily basis. ¡°It¡¯s as if people have forgotten our true reason for going to Elysium, and that is to find a way to save our world. I¡¯m afraid that with the way things are going, everyone in Sis will just choose to migrate to Elysium, and abandon this ruined world for good.¡± Vera chuckled as she looked at her grandson who had a troubled look on his face. ¡°Child, this matter is not something that you should think about,¡± Vera said in a teasing tone. ¡°This is for the adults to worry about. As for you, just focus on getting stronger. Right now, a Rank 1 Monster can kill you with a single p. You don¡¯t have the qualifications to affect the bigger picture.¡± Lux looked at his grandma with aplicated expression on his face. He had a feeling that Vera would onlyugh at him, if he told her that his purpose foring into this world was to help save it. However, at the end of the day his grandma was right. Someone who would die from a single p of a Rank 1 Monster didn¡¯t really have the qualifications to make an impact on a world that was on the verge of copse. Chapter 29 Colettes Older Sister ¡°Big Sister, you should really meet Big Brother Lux,¡± Colette said with a smile. ¡°Although he is a Half-Elf, he is as brave as a Dwarf! Both of you are of the same age, and he is also very good looking!¡± A charming youngdy with long blonde hair, tied in a ponytail, smiled back at her little sister, who had been chattering non-stop about the Half-Elf she had met in Leaf Vige. Colette¡¯s older sister looked like a doll that was made to perfection. But, unlike the adorable Colette, her sister¡¯s charm was like a flower that was about to bloom. Her name was Aina, and she was recognized as one of the top prodigies in the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven, as well as the Dwarven Empire of Evarith in Sis. ¡°This is the first time that I¡¯ve heard of a Half-Elf, or any other race for that matter, appearing in the Beginner¡¯s Vige in the Dwarvennds of Elysium,¡± Aina said with undisguised interest. ¡°So, what is he like? Is he strong?¡± Colette shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s not that strong, but he is very cool! During the battle, he prioritized saving Dwarves and transporting the injured to the treatment area, at the far end of the vige, away from the fighting.¡± Aina sipped the tea in her cup as she eyed her sister. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just scared of fighting, so he prioritized taking the injured as an excuse to not get killed.¡±-. ¡°Big Brother isn¡¯t like that!¡± Colette pouted. ¡°If he¡¯s afraid of fighting, he wouldn¡¯t have faced three Draugrs to let us escape! Those are three Rank 1 Monsters. If Big Brother didn¡¯t block them, I might have also died, you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Aina apologized after seeing her sister¡¯s teary-eyed face. ¡°He is indeed not a coward. He is a very brave person.¡± ¡°Yes! He is a very brave person! I already told Father that he saved my life, and he agreed to give him ten Rank 2 Beast Cores as a thank you gift.¡± ¡°Father sure is generous.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Aina smiled. She could already understand what her father was thinking. If her guess was right, her father was indeed very thankful to the Half-Elf for saving her sister¡¯s life. However, gifting the young generation was akin to spoiling them and making their lives easier. This would give them a fake sense of security seeing that their stat points would drastically increase due to the power of the Beast Cores. But, at the end of the day, even if they suddenly gained an increase in overall stats, there were still many dangers in Elysium that could end their lives if they weren¡¯t careful. ¡®Father¡¯s purpose is to let Lux graduate from the Beginner¡¯s Vige, so that Colette would no longer be able to meet up with him again,¡¯ Aina thought. ¡®I guess this is not a bad thing. Once he steps into the Intermediate Area, I will be able to see this ¡°Big Brother¡± that Colette is so proud of.¡¯ The Beginner Viges would only allow Foreigners to stay in them until they reached the Apostle Rank. Once they stepped into that realm, thews of the world would only give them a week before forcefully teleporting them away to the nearest Intermediate Area in the vicinity. ¡®The only question is, which Intermediate Area will he be transported to?¡¯ Aina frowned. The Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven had over twenty Intermediate Towns for Apostles, and five cities, including the Capital City, Aeronwen, where the Rankers of the realm stayed. Although twenty towns might seem like a small number, they were several miles apart from each other. Aina had only registered in three towns so far, which meant that she could teleport to these three towns whenever she liked. If Lux were to appear in any of the towns that she had visited before, she could personally thank the Half-Elf for saving her sister. ¡®Ten Rank 2 Beast Cores would be enough to give him at least a hundred stats points,¡¯ Aina calcted in her head. ¡®This meant that he would just need a hundred more in order to reach the limit of the Beginner¡¯s Vige. If he¡¯s talented enough, it would only take him two months before he reached the Apostle Rank.¡¯ Aina was using her knowledge about gaining experience from monster kills, and leveling up in order to gain stat points. What she was not aware of was that Lux didn¡¯t need to level up, and could directly earn points by finishing his quests. ¡°Big Sister, once Big Brother and Ie to the Intermediate Towns, make sure to take good care of us, okay?¡± Colette said while holding her sister¡¯s hands and looking up at her with puppy eyes. ¡°Okay,¡± Aina replied with a smile. ¡°However, you should understand that there will definitely be prejudiced people against him. Not many Dwarves like Humans, and although he is a Half-Elf, he might still be shunned because of his race.¡± Colette nodded in understanding. Their Dwarven Empire, Evarith, in Sis disliked Humans because of what happened in the Hundred-Year War. Up to this day, the Evarith Royal Family still held grudges against Humans, and refused to entertain discussions about reconciliation between the two races. ¡°So, when will you be going back to Elysium?¡± Aina asked. Colette pondered before raising two fingers. ¡°Mother said that I should stay for two days because she missed me terribly. Father is also preparing new equipment for me to ensure my safety. ¡°I already talked to Matty and he said that his parents were doing the same. It seems that what happened in Leaf Vige made them realize that it isn¡¯t as safe as the other Beginner Viges due to the Monster Outbreak.¡± Aina nodded in understanding. She, too, was surprised when she heard that a Monster Outbreak had happened in a Beginner¡¯s Vige. Although this was not the first time something like this had happened, it was still something that the adults didn¡¯t want to hear. After all, if their children were to appear in Leaf Vige at the wrong time then they might alsoe face to face with a Monster Outbreak, which would lead them to an untimely demise. ¡°Father issued a decree ordering parents to educate their children about the dangers of Leaf Vige,¡± Aina stated. ¡°If they were to encounter a Monster Outbreak, all of them were ordered to flee the vige, or hide in the Underground Shelter until the reinforcements from Norria arrive.¡± ¡°Should I do that as well, Big Sister?¡± ¡°Of course. Your life is very important. If a Monster Outbreak happens, just bring your party to the Underground Shelter. All of you are still children, so the people in Leaf Vige will not bat an eye and allow you to enter their shelter.¡± Colette nodded. ¡°Understood. I will hide when a Monster Outbreak appears. I¡¯m just wondering, will they also allow Big Brother to take shelter with us?¡± Aina frowned. She didn¡¯t know the answer to this question, so she didn¡¯t dare give her sister false hope. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they will allow him inside the Shelter or not,¡± Aina replied. ¡°But, it might be possible for him to leave Leaf Vige long before the next Monster Outbreak starts.¡± Chapter 30 For As Long As My Heart Keeps Beating < Ding! > < Do you wish to consume the Rank 1 Beast Core? > < Yes / No > ¡ª¨C < Upgrade Stat Points > < Upgrade Skills> ¡ª¨C Lux consumed the seven Beast Cores and upgraded his Stat Points, which in turn upgraded his Special Body Constitution. After the boost in stats, he was finally able to equip the Relentless Warrior set to his ¡°Battle Equipment Page¡±. Once someone had entered Elysium, their Clothes Inventory would be divided into two categories. The first category was Fashion and the other was Battle. As the name suggested, the Fashion Inventory would mostly store normal clothes, while the Battle Inventory would mostly store armors that people wore when they went to battle. Lux could easily swap between two sets depending on the situation. While other people liked to disy their amazing armor for everyone to see, the Half-Elf didn¡¯t feelfortable wearing it outside of battle. After allocating his points, Lux felt more confident about returning to Elysium and challenging the locations around Leaf Vige. ¡ª¨C-. Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Health: 225 / 225 Mana: 105 / 105 Strength: 20 (+3) Intelligence: 20 (+1) Vitality: 15 Agility: 17(+3) Dexterity: 15 (+3) Defense: 100 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX]. Skills: Power Shot, sh, Dark Arrow ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: F Progress: (96/100) Conquest is not all about imingnds, and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you. Abilities: (None) Note: Upgrading your special constitution will allow you to unlock its abilities. ¡ª¨C < Dark Arrow > (2 Mana) ¨C Hurls an arrow of darkness that has a small chance to blind your target. < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Dark Arrow will be upgraded into Void Arrow once the requirements have been met. < Void Arrow> ¨C Hurls an arrow of darkness that has an intermediate chance to blind your target. ¨C Requirement to upgrade: Sessfully blind a target 30x ¨C Progress ( 0 / 30 ) ¡ª¨C Lux was quite happy to receive the Dark Arrow Skill from the Beast Cores that he had received from his Grandma. ording to Vera, the Beast Cores came from the Rank 1 Monster called Night Shade Crow. This Crow only hunted at night, and it was notorious for preying on the Beginners who happened to step into its hunting grounds. Although the skills and the upgrade he received were good, there was still something that troubled the red-headed boy the most. Lux could feel his liver itching when he saw that his Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy only needed four more points before it couldplete its first upgrade. He was very curious about what kind of abilities it would unlock after it reached 100%. Because of this, Lux was hesitating whether or not he should ask his grandma for one more Beast Core in order toplete his upgrade. Vera could see his dilemma, but she only gave him a smile. She understood that look on her grandson¡¯s face, but she didn¡¯t want to spoil him too much. ¡°Lux, I believe in you,¡± Vera said as she patted her grandson¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I look forward to the day when you¡¯re able to surpass me.¡± Lux smiled and nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯m also hoping for that day toe, Grandma. That way, it will be my turn to protect and take care of you.¡± Vera chuckled as she ruffled her grandson¡¯s hair. ¡°No need to protect me. I¡¯m already old enough to handle myself.¡± ¡°Then, Grandma, is there anything you want? No matter what it is, I¡¯ll give it to you without fail,¡± Lux said with determination, which made Vera rub her chin in contemtion. After a few minutes, Vera shed a mischievous grin to Lux and said her dearest wish. ¡°I want to hold my great grandchild,¡± Vera replied. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be now, but I want to see them within seven years. Do you think you can grant this wish of mine?¡± Lux blushed because he didn¡¯t expect his grandma to ask him for a great grandchild. Even so, he summoned his thick skin to give the person who raised him a determined answer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma,¡± Lux said as he patted his chest with confidence. ¡°Your grandson is very handsome. I¡¯m sure that even if you cut the time down to five years, you¡¯ll be holding not just one, not just two, but many great grandchildren in your arms!¡± Vera pped her hands together. ¡°Wonderful. I didn¡¯t know that my grandson was so capable. Very well, I¡¯ll look forward to holding my great grandchildren. You better work hard in Elysium and find me some good daughter-inws.¡± Lux could feel his cheeks burning after his embarrassing deration. However, since he had already said it, he would definitely fulfill it. The only problem was that he still had to wait a year before he could use the Widlgarde Stronghold¡¯s Teleportation Gate to connect to Elysium in order to meet with Humans. Although the Dwarven Lands were good, he felt that the Dwarves wouldn¡¯t like to have a Half-Elf staying in their Domain for a very long time. ¡ª¨C ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m going now.¡± ¡°Take care, Lux. Come home when you get homesick.¡± Lux reluctantly took a step back after giving his grandma a hug. ¡°Be safe, always,¡± Vera said as she waved her grandson goodbye. Lux nodded. ¡°See you soon, Grandma.¡± ¡°Open! Heaven¡¯s Gate!¡± ¡ª¡ª Lux strolled the streets of Leaf Vige and saw that the houses that had been damaged during the Monster Outbreak were being repaired. While the Dwarven children yed on the streets, their parents busied themselves with helping their vige restore its previous state. Lux took a deep breath before taking steady steps towards the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. He also wanted to do his part to help Leaf Vige in his own way. This was why Lux made a vow to himself. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter how long it takes,¡¯ Lux thought as he walked towards the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. ¡®For as long as my heart keeps beating, I will do the right thing. That way, I can live this precious life given to me without any regrets.¡¯ Chapter 31 Colettes Gift A week had passed since the Monster Outbreak. The residents of Leaf Vige paid their respects to the brave men and women who had stood their ground to protect their vige from the Undead that had broken past their defenses. Because it was mainly the Vige¡¯s Guards who battled against the Monsters, they incurred the most casualties and only a little more than fifty had survived. Aron, who was the Captain of the Guards, had requested his counterparts from the Norria Stronghold to station thirty Goat Riders in their vige to help bolster their defenses. The Commander of Norria approved his request, and stationed a group of Dwarven Defenders, known as the ck Thorn, to guard Leaf Vige for the time being. These thirty mounted warriors had the rank of Grade C Apostles (Rank 2 Monster), led by their Rider Captain, Boreas, who was a Grade B Apostle (Rank 3 Monster). Due to the intensity of the battle, Aron had also broken through to the rank of a Grade B Apostle, and had be a staunch defender of the vige. It was quite unfortunate that his about fifty subordinates, who fought alongside him, didn¡¯t break through and remained as Grade D Apostles (Rank 1 Monster), falling short of reaching the next rank. All in all, more than eighty defenders were left in Leaf Vige as protectors. ¡ª- Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡­-. ¡°Big Brother, please, take this!¡± Colette said as she happily handed a storage bag to Lux. ¡°This is a thank you gift from my father for saving my life.¡± ¡°A thank you gift?¡± Lux asked. ¡°For saving your life? I don¡¯t remember doing that.¡± Matty, who was standing beside Colette, snorted. ¡°She is talking about the time when you held back those three Draugrs to let us escape.¡± The young Dwarf boy, who had never liked Lux, acted as obnoxious as always. However, although his words sounded a bit rude, it no longer contained the contempt it originally had when the two of them met for the first time. In his own way, Matty had recognized Lux¡¯s bravery, and no longer treated him with disdain. Lux epted the storage bag and checked its contents. The red-headed boy almost dropped the bag given to him when he saw the ten beast cores that were the size of tennis balls. ¡°I can¡¯t take this.¡± Lux tried to return the storage bag to Colette¡¯s hand, but the little girl ran behind Matty and stuck her tongue out at the Half-Elf who wanted to return her gift. ¡°Just take it already!¡± Matty shouted. He wanted to impress Colette, so he took a firm stance and prevented Lux from returning the storage bag to Colette. ¡°Are you really a man? If you don¡¯t like her gift, then give it to me. I¡¯ll use it myself!¡± ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ll use it yourself?! That¡¯s for Big Brother!¡± Colette red at Matty, which made the Dwarf boy blush, because he found her re very adorable. Colette then ced her hands on her hips and then turned her head to look up at Lux, who was struggling to keep himself from chuckling over Matty¡¯s submissive attitude. ¡°Big Brother, if you really feel bad about it, you can just help us with our Dungeon Expeditionter,¡± Colette tried to butter Lux up, so he would no longer think of returning her gift. ¡°Having a strong person join our party will definitely help us clear the dungeon.¡± ¡°Dungeon Expedition?¡± Lux frowned. ¡°Are you talking about raiding the Bronze Crypt?¡± There was only one dungeon in the Beginner¡¯s Area and it was the Bronze Crypt located in the South Zone of Leaf Vige. This was also where the Undead Swarm had broken out from not long ago. It made Lux wonder if it was a good idea to challenge it right now. ¡°Duh! There is only one dungeon here in the vige,¡± Matty once again found his courage and decided to vent his frustration on the person whom he hadbeled as his rival. ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me you developed a trauma against the Undead?¡± Thinking that Lux might have really developed a trauma after the Monster Outbreak, Colette tried to assure him that their Dungeon Expedition would be conducted in a safe manner. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother. We can buy teleportation crystals from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Colette stated. ¡°With the crystals, we will be able to automatically teleport outside of the Dungeon anytime we want.¡± Matty who was just listening to the side crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°You don¡¯t have toe with us, you know? Even without you, we can beat it just fine.¡± ¡°Shut up Matty! You¡¯re being mean to Big Brother!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lux snickered internally at the hen-pecked Dwarf boy who wouldn¡¯t dare defy Colette¡¯s wishes. In the end, he decided to agree to Colette¡¯s request. He was also curious to know about what it would be like to explore a Dungeon. In these past few days, the Half-Elf epted a couple of missions that focused on repairing the vige. He hadn¡¯t gone out to hunt, so his stats hadn¡¯t shown any signs of progression. Now that an opportunity was at hand, he thought that it would be a good way to test how strong he and Diablo had be. ¡°Okay,¡± Lux finally agreed to ept Colette¡¯s invitation. ¡°When do we leave?¡± Colette grinned as she looked at the clock hanging on the wall of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. ¡°Around six when the sun is about to set,¡± Colette replied. ¡°The Bronze Crypt only opens at that time.¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Okay. I will meet you thereter. Make sure to prepare everything, including the teleportation crystals.¡± ¡°Un!¡± Colette grinned. The red-headed boy bid them all farewell as he went back to his inn to use the Beast Cores that had been given to him. He was certain that the Beast Cores Colette gifted him were none other than cores that were looted from Rank 2 Monsters, which made him a bit excited. After closing the door of his room, Lux immediately took one of the cores from the storage bag and then walked towards the bed. ¡°These are indeed Rank 2 Beast Cores,¡± Lux muttered as he sat on top of the bed. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see how many points I get by consuming one.¡± ¡ª¨C < Ding! > < Do you wish to consume the Rank 2 Beast Core? > < Yes / No > ¡ª- Lux clicked yes and chose ¡°Upgrade Stat Points¡± from the next batch of options. Immediately, rows of text appeared in front of him, which made him grin. ¡ª¨C Obtained 10 Free Stats Points Obtained 10 Body Constitution Points ¡ª¨C ¡°So, Rank 2 Beast Cores will give me 10 free stat points,¡± Lux muttered as he rubbed his chin. ¡°It¡¯s quite unfortunate that I haven¡¯t learned any new skills and my body constitution points remain the same.¡± The Half-Elf didn¡¯t know from which monsters the beast cores were taken from, so he could only sigh in regret for not being able to acquire more skills to add to his arsenal. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to upgrade my Body Constitution.¡± Lux opened his Soul Book to allocate points to the Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy. He was looking forward to seeing what new abilities he would gain once the upgrade was finished. Chapter 32 Immortal Conquerors Legacy Upgrade < Ding! > < Congrattions! Your Body Constitution has been upgraded! > < Choose one from among these three options as your bonus reward! > (Option 1) ¨C +50 permanent points to Vitality (Options 2) ¨C Warcry: +30 Physical and Magical Damage to you and your allies Duration: 5 minutes Cooldown: 10 minutes (Options 3) ¨C Mana Drain: Absorbs the Mana of your target for five seconds. Mana absorbed is equivalent to 2% of Target¡¯s Maximum Mana. Range: 10 meters Duration: 5 seconds Cooldown: 30 seconds ¡ª¨C-. The Half-Elf almost drooled upon seeing the three bonus rewards that were presented to him. If possible, he would like to have all three. It was quite unfortunate that he could only choose one of them. ¡¯50 points to Vitality is good because it will increase my Health and Defense by a substantial amount,¡¯ Lux thought as he rubbed his chin in contemtion. ¡®However, I am leaning more towards the War Cry and Mana Drain skills.¡¯ Since Lux had learned necromancy, War Cry would provide an excellent boost to his summons, increasing their damage. Mana Drain, on the other hand, would allow him to drain his target¡¯s mana, allowing him to have an unlimited supply of energy to cast spells. For sses and professions that relied heavily on active skills and spells, this was an ability that they couldn¡¯t afford to pass up. The Half-Elf kept on scratching his head because both War Cry and Mana Drain were very important to him. ¡®I wonder if the same options will appear again as I continue to upgrade my Body Constitution,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®This is really a hard choice to make, but if I have to choose one over the other then I¡¯ll choose¡­ Mana Drain.¡¯ During the Monster Outbreak, Lux had been very depressed by his very low mana pool. If he¡¯d had more mana, he would have been able to continuously use his sh Skill, and summon Diablo and the Forest Wolf over and over again. Although he really wanted to choose Battle Cry,. Mana Drain was more important to him right now. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > < Since the Skill is learned from your Body Constitution Upgrade and not from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. > < Mana Drain [EX] > ¨C Absorb the Mana of your target for five seconds. Mana absorbed is equivalent to 5% of Target¡¯s Maximum Mana. Range: 10 meters Duration: 5 seconds Cooldown: 30 seconds ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: F+ Progress: (6/100) Conquest is not all about imingnds, and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you. Upgrade Rewards: +5 to All Stats, +200 Health Points, Mana Drain [EX] Note: Upgrading your special constitution will allow you to unlock its abilities. ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Health: 450 / 450 Mana: 130 / 130 Strength: 25 (+3) Intelligence: 25 (+1) Vitality: 20 Agility: 23 (+3) Dexterity: 20 (+3) Defense: 100 Free Stat Points Avable: 10 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX], Mana Drain [EX] Skills: Power Shot, sh, Dark Arrow ¡ª¨C After looking at his Soul Book, Lux eyed the nine remaining beast cores in his storage bag with determination. ¡°Mybined stat points right now is 93,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°If I convert all of the Beast Cores into stat points, I will have a total of 193bined stat points. I¡¯m only seven points away from bing an Apostle.¡± The Half-Elf didn¡¯t expect that he would be able to graduate from the Beginner¡¯s Vige in less than a month after arriving at Elysium. Now he understood how important it was to have many resources, especially a good supply of Beast Cores, to instantly raise a person¡¯s stats to a very high degree. Lux was, of course, very happy with how things turned out, but he also understood that he hadn¡¯t achieved his current status by his own abilities alone. Even so, his goal hadn¡¯t changed. Once he decided on something, he would carry it out to the best of his abilities. After taking a deep breath to regain hisposure, Lux took the beast cores out of the storage bag and consumed them one by one. There was still one more thing he had to do before meeting Colette in a few hours, and that was to visit the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to choose a Job ss. Once a person had umted 100bined stats. They would be eligible to pick a Job ss, which would give them a boost in overall strength. Not only that, they would also learn exclusive skills that belonged to their chosen profession. Lux was curious about what kind of Job sses would be avable to him when he visited the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. His Grandma Vera had told him that there were some hidden Job sses that could be found in Elysium as well. These sses were extremely powerful like the Dragon Rider ss, which allowed them to tame Dragons that could fight with them in battle. Just like everyone else, Lux also dreamed of having one of those hidden Job sses. Most people said that they found these rare sses through fortuitous encounters, while others said they were bestowed upon them by Masters who were looking for disciples to inherit their legacies. Lux sighed as he put aside these thoughts for the time being. He had finished consuming all of the Beast Cores, and prepared to leave his room to visit the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. He had no intention of leaving Leaf Vige anytime soon because he still needed to do a few things in order to prepare for the goal he had in mind. As long as this goal was achieved, he could leave Leaf Vige with a clear conscience. Lux decided to pave his own path in the world of Elysium, regardless of what people thought of him. As long as his Grandma Vera, Max, and Eriol believed in him, then he could walk the rough and winding road with his head held high. Chapter 33 Luxs Job Class [Part 1] ¡°A Job ss change? Certainly,¡± the guild receptionist said with a smile. ¡°Please follow me, Lux. We need to go to the back of the Guild where the shrine is.¡± ¡°Thank you Miss Amelia,¡± Lux replied. After walking for a few minutes, Amelia led Lux to a small shrine where a white crystal ball the size of a basketball ball was ced on a pedestal. On their short walk towards their destination, the guild receptionist gave Lux some tips when it came to choosing a Job ss. Lux had already asked his Grandma about changing professions in Elysium, so he already knew most of what Amelia was telling him. Even so, he appreciated the gesture because it meant that the receptionist cared for his well being. ¡°Just ce your hand on the crystal ball, Lux,¡± Amelia said. ¡°Make sure to think carefully before you choose your profession.¡± Lux nodded. ¡°I will. Thank you, Miss Amelia.¡± After taking a deep breath, Lux ced his palm over the crystal ball. A few secondster, it glowed and a projection appeared in front of him. ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaiser Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None)-. < Compatible Job sses > Swordsman Magic Knight ¨C (Rare) Magician ¨C Battle Mage ¨C (Rare) Summoner ¨C (Unique) Necromancer ¨C (Hidden ss) ¡ª¨C Lux blinked once then twice after seeing the Job ss options that were avable to him. He had already expected the Necromancer ss to appear in his choices, but he didn¡¯t expect that it was categorized as Hidden ss. In Elysium, there were several sses that people could choose from. They are further divided into different types. The first type was the Basic Job sses, which were avable to everyone. Examples of the Basic Job sses were Swordsman, Thief, Brawler, Magician, Archer, Fighter, and Healer. Then there were the Rare Job sses. These sses were usually a hybrid of the Basic Job sses. If a person was good in swordsmanship and capable of wielding magic then he could be a Magic Knight. Same with magicians who preferred to learn both closebat and magic spells. The option to be a Battle Mage would be allowed to them. As for Unique sses, these were professions that were rtively hard to find. Just like the Hidden ss, Unique sses could only be obtained through fortuitous encounters. These rare events, which would only happen out of the blue, usually blessed people to learn Job sses that were not avable to everyone. Hidden sses were simr to Unique sses. Only lucky or very unlucky people could bump into professions that no one usually had ess to. An example of this was Lux¡¯s Necromancer ss. If he didn¡¯t acquire the Necromancy Skill Book during his Gacha Pull, then there was no way that he would have ess to the Summoner and Necromancer Job sses from the get go. Of course, there were instances when people stumbled upon these hidden sses as they journeyed through the world of Elysium. If this happened, they could visit the Adventurer¡¯s Guilds, Temples, or Shrines, to change their professions and start from scratch. Thankfully, however, only the skills of the previous Job ss would be erased from the person¡¯s Soul Book. Their stat points would remain the same. After thinking for a while, Lux finally decided on the Necromancer Job ss. Since he had already intended to strengthen Diablo, picking this choice would be the optimal choice for his future progress in Elysium. ¡ª¨C < You have chosen the Necromancer Job ss > < Is this your final answer? > < Yes / No > ¡ª- Lux chose yes. After making his choice, the crystal ball glowed and enveloped Lux in a white light. This only happened for a brief moment, and yet, Lux felt a new kind of power start to flow inside his body. ¡ª¨C < Necromancer > ¡°Say hello to my Little Friends!¡± ¨C the Necromancer specializes in the practice of ck Magic, which is sometimes called Death Magic, that allows them tomunicate with and summon the dead. They are also capable of casting curses to weaken their enemies and allow their Undead Minions to deal them the final blow. < You already have learned the Necromancy Skills for this Job ss > < Calcting Job ss Change Bonus aspensation > < Job ss Change Bonus > 100% Mana Regeneration +500 to Health +1 to all Stats +1 to all Summoning Skills ¡ª¨C ¡°Wow!¡± Lux wasn¡¯t able to stop himself from voicing out his excitement after seeing the Job ss Bonus that he received. Usually, people who changed their professions wouldn¡¯t get the same kind of Bonus that Lux got. However, since he did not need to learn the Necromancer Skills, he was given a Job ss Change Bonus aspensation. Seeing Lux¡¯s expression, Amelia thought that he had been blessed by a Rare Job ss. She had witnessed this event happen many times in the past, so she just smiled and proceeded to do her job as the Guild¡¯s receptionist. ¡°Have you already chosen a Job ss?¡± Amelia asked. Lux nodded. ¡°Yes, Miss Amelia.¡± ¡°Then, please, give me your Guild Card. we will need to update your current information.¡± ¡°Ah! I almost forgot.¡± Lux presented his guild card to Amelia, and the receptionist asked the Half-Elf for a drop of his blood in order to upgrade his current information. The red-headed boyplied and the information on his guild card was updated.. ¡ª¨C < Guild Card > Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Job ss: Necromancer Registered in Leaf Vige ¡ª¨C ¡°N-Necromancer?!¡± Amelia almost dropped the guild card in her hand after seeing Lux¡¯s current Job ss. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a Hidden ss? How did you get this?!¡± Lux blinked as the gears in his head started to turn in overdrive as he thought of an excuse to exin how he gained this profession. Usually, Hidden sses weren¡¯t that easy to obtain. Any individual who acquired a Hidden Job ss would receive special attention from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. They could also gain ess to information that was exclusive to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild like current news in the neighboring kingdoms, or any monster sightings that required strong adventurers to exterminate. ¡°D-During the Monster Outbreak, I kind of felt a connection with the Undead after almost dying,¡± Lux replied. ¡°When I was attacked by the Draugr, I thought I was going to die. The thought of death might have unlocked something inside me, and allowed me to grasp the power of Necromancy.¡± Amalie listened to Lux¡¯s exnation with a serious expression on her face. ¡°This is a possibility.¡± Amelia nodded. ¡°There are certain people in history who have unlocked Hidden sses during life and death situations. This information has been in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Compendium. You¡¯re very lucky, Lux. Not many are able to get a Hidden ss. I¡¯m happy for you!¡± ¡°T-Thank you,¡± Lux replied. He was feeling a bit guilty for lying to Amelia, but he had no other choice. He couldn¡¯t possibly exin that he acquired the Necromancy Job ss through using a golden ticket for a Gacha Pull. Chapter 34 Luxs Job Class [Part 2] After leaving the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, Lux returned to the inn and went back to his room in order to tie up the loose ends of his ss Change. Lux stared at the 100 untouched Stat Points in his Soul Book and decided to start allocating them. After someone had acquired 200bined stat points, they would step into the ranks of a Grade D Apostle. This was the first step towards breaking through the limits of mortality, and would set the person apart frommoners. Therefore, after Lux stepped into this new realm, he would have to leave Leaf Vige and go to an Intermediate Town. But for the time being, Lux had no intention of leaving yet because he still had unfinished business in the Beginner¡¯s Area. Having considered this, he decided to limit his stats, so he wouldn¡¯t cross the threshold into that of Apostles. ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Health: 960 / 960 Mana: 940 / 940 Strength: 46 (+3) Intelligence: 46 (+1) Vitality: 31 Agility: 34 (+3) Dexterity: 31 (+3) Free Stat Points Avable: 30 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX], Mana Drain [EX] Active Skills: Power Shot, sh, Dark Arrow,-. Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: F+ Progress: (51/100) ¡ª¨C After limiting his stats, Lux was now only twelve points away from bing an Apostle. Although he had enough stats to do so, he decided to put them on hold until he was done upgrading all of his other skills to the limit of the Beginner¡¯s Area. His Health Points and Mana had risen drastically after he changed his profession, which made him feel more secure in fighting against the monsters that had easily beaten him in the past, just like the Draugr. His first skill Summon Skeleton that he acquired after he got + 1 to all Summoning Skills had also been upgraded. ¡ª¨C < Choose which upgrade you wish to take. > Option 1: Summon two Skeletons to fight for you instead of one. Option 2: Upgrade Summon Skeleton Skill to Summon Skeleton Warrior. ¡ª¨C After experiencing the Monster Outbreak, Lux¡¯s mentality had also changed. Instead of quantity, he now focused on quality. ¡°Let¡¯s go with Summon Skeleton Warrior,¡± Lux muttered as he clicked his choice. ¡ª¨C < Summon Skeleton Warrior > Rating: F+ Mana: 5 ¨C Summons one Skeleton Warrior to fight for you ¨C Summon duration: 1 hour ¨C Skill Cooldown: 5 minutes. < Skeleton Warrior > Health: 30 Attack: 5 ¨C 15 ¡ª¡ª Unlike Diablo, whose stats he could see, the stats of the Summoned Creatures were fixed. This was also an example advantage of having a Named Creature instead of normal Monsters. Their growth rate was at least two to three times faster whenpared to other Monsters of the same rank. Lux smirked before going to Diablo¡¯s Personal page. His Named Creature was also affected by the ¡°+1 to all Summoning Skills¡± bonus that he received from his ss Change. He remembered the note telling him that Diablo would go through a qualitative change after he was upgraded again, so Lux happily checked to see if the changes had already been implemented on his Named Creature¡¯s Status Page. ¡ª- < Diablo has reached the requirement for a Job Change > < Please Choose your named Creature¡¯s Job ss wisely > < Compatible Job sses > < Skeleton Barbarian > ¨C U MAD BRUH? The Skeleton Barbarian is always mad. Its sole purpose is to deal as much damage to the enemy without care for its own life. This is a pure offensive Job ss that brings fear to the hearts of anyone who faces them in battle. (Job ss Bonus) +20 Strength Active Skill: Berserk, Stone Body. ¡ª¨C < Skeleton Fighter > ¨C If you need ackey that handles everything like fighting, cooking, or doing theundry then the Skeleton Fighter is your best pick. It is not only a warrior, but also a tactician. It has well rounded abilities that allow it to both attack and defend, depending on the situation. (Job ss Bonus) +10 Strength +5 Agility +5 Dexterity Passive Skill: Parry, Tactician ¡ª¨C < Skeleton Shield Warrior > ¨C Need a meatshield? Look no further! The Skeleton Shield Warrior is the Masochist of the Skeletal Race. No matter if you are fighting a Dwarf, or a Dragon, this cannon fodder will always die before you! (Job ss Bonus) +20 Vitality +500 Health Points Active Skill: Taunt Passive Skill: Guts ¡ª- ¡°Diablo can also change Job sses?¡± Lux¡¯s eyes widened in shock after looking at the three options that were presented right in front of him. This also made Lux realize that he still hadn¡¯t given his Named Creature a role in his party. Roles were very important because it could make or break a team¡¯sposition, especially when going on raids and dungeon expeditions. ¡®Although a Barbarian is good, I don¡¯t want Diablo to be a mindless killing machine.¡¯ Lux rubbed his chin. ¡®A Skeleton Fighter is also good because it¡¯s an all rounder. As for the Shield Warrior, this is a must have in any party¡­¡¯ Currently, Lux was torn between a Skeleton Fighter and a Skeleton Shield Warrior. After spending a quarter of an hour thinking about the pros and cons of both, he finally settled for the Skeleton Fighter for its well rounded stats. It could both attack and defend. The Skeleton Fighter had the flexibility that neither the Skeleton Barbarian or the Skeleton Shield Warrior had. ¡ª¨C < Diablo > ¡°Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!¡± ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Skeleton Fighter ¨C Rating: D ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress ( 35 / 100) Health: 670 / 670 Mana: 640 / 640 Attack: 50 ¨C 65 (+20 Damage from Tranquility) Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Strength: 33 (+1) Intelligence: 32 Vitality: 31 (+2) Agility: 32 (+2) Dexterity: 32 (+2) Defense: 75 Title: Firstborn Active Skills: sh Passive Skills: Parry, Tactician Note: Congrattions! Your Partner has finally unlocked its first Job ss! Now things are going to get really interesting! ¡ª¨C After properly organizing his Soul Book, Lux unsummoned it andid on his bed. The Beast Cores that had been given to him by Colette also allowed him to learn the passive skill ¡°Fortitude¡±, which automatically upgraded itself to Enhanced Fortitude due to Lux¡¯s Skill Evolution [EX]. ¡ª¡ª < Enhanced Fortitude > (Passive Skill) ¨C Enhanced Fortitude decreases all damage received by 10%. ¡ª¨C Although a 10% decrease in damage might not seem much, this would prove very useful when he fought off stronger monsters because it worked for both physical and magical damage. ¡®Now I understand why Lord Gerald issued a decree to not allow any of the adults to spoil their children by giving them Beast Cores to boost their stats at the early stages,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®It gives them a false sense of security knowing that they will be able to outss the Monsters in the Beginner¡¯s Area. This carelessness might lead them to lower their guard, causing them tomit several mistakes because they thought that they were strong enough to handle anything the Monsters throw at them. ¡®I better be careful with my mindset, or else I might suffer the same fate as those sons of noble families who fearlessly challenged the Alpha Monsters and Field Bosses due to their boosted stats.¡¯ Lux nced at the clock on the wall and decided to take a nap for a few hours before meeting Colette and Matty at the Bronze Crypt. This had been a very eventful day, and he needed to rest his mind in order to be ready for his first ever Dungeon exploration. Chapter 35 Leaving A Legacy Behind ¡°So, you¡¯re finally here,¡± Matty said in an annoyed expression. ¡°What took you so long? I¡¯ve been waiting here for twenty minutes already!¡± ¡°Sorry, I woke up a littlete from my nap,¡± Lux apologized. ¡°Where is Colette?¡± After scanning the faces of the Dwarves in front of him, he found that only the adorable little girl was missing. As if waiting for that cue, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard in the clearing. ¡°Sorry, everyone!¡± Colette shouted as she ran towards her party members. ¡°I overslept. Did I make you guys wait for too long?¡± Matty smiled as he looked at the object of his affection. ¡°No. We just arrived here a minute ago. You¡¯re notte at all.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m d. I thought I made you guys wait.¡± ¡°No. I also overslept a bit. Hahaha.¡± Lux looked at the fawning Dwarf boy and forced down his urge to spit on Matty¡¯s face.-. ¡®When I was the one that waste, you got angry.¡¯ ¡®But, when the one you like iste, you turn a blind eye.¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s this? Discrimination much? Double standards!¡¯ ¡°Big Brother, did I make you wait for long?¡± Colette shifted her attention to Lux and held his hand. ¡°Sorry. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°I just arrived as well,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± This was the first time Lux would explore a Dungeon with a party, so he didn¡¯t want to create amotion and sh with Colette¡¯s friends. For now, he decided to turn a blind eye to Matty¡¯s behavior because he understood that the little Dwarf was a simp. ¡®This is really like a game,¡¯ Lux thought as a row of words appeared in front of him. < Do you want to join the Golden yers Party? > < Yes / No > Lux epted Colette¡¯s request and formally joined the Dwarven Party. Although there was no option to see each other¡¯s Health Points like in games, forming a party allowed everyone to share team buffs that increased their stats. This was simr to the skill War Cry that Lux didn¡¯t get because he chose Mana Drain instead. The moment he joined the party, he felt as if a refreshing breeze blew over him. Seeing his reaction, Matty immediately smirked and decided to tell him what was happening. ¡°Colette changed her profession to Pdin,¡± Matty exined. ¡°Everyone that is in her party gets a passive regeneration boost that heals minor injuries. However, if you get a fatal injury, don¡¯t expect it to save your life.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Lux nodded in understanding. ¡°You are amazing, Colette!¡± The little girl smiled after being praised by Lux. Due to her good mood, she grabbed Lux¡¯s hand and dragged him towards the entrance of the Bronze Crypt. ¡°Big Brother, take a look at this,¡± Colette said as she pointed at a bronze te located right beside the entrance of the cave. ¡°The names of the Top Three Party that have cleared this dungeon in Hell Mode are all written here. The rankings are based on their individual performance. But usually, the party who clears the dungeon faster will get in the Top Six spots.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Lux nced at the Bronze te and focused on the name that held the top spot. ¡®Aina Van Goldenyer¡­ wait! Goldenyer? Isn¡¯t that the name of our party?¡¯ Lux blinked once then twice before shifting his attention at the adorable little girl that was looking back at him with a big grin on her face. ¡°Aina Van Goldenyer is my Big Sister!¡± Colette said with pride. ¡°Ever since she cleared the dungeon in Hell Mode with her party members, her record has never been broken for the past four years. Isn¡¯t my Big Sister amazing?¡± ¡°She is amazing,¡± Lux agreed, ¡°but we can be more amazing than her! How about we beat Hell Mode and put our names on this te as well?¡± ¡°Hah? Are you stupid?¡± Matty, who suddenly appeared beside Colette red at Lux. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the boss in Hell Mode is a Rank 2 Berserker Barbarian Draugr? If you want to die, you can go in there by yourself! We¡¯re just challenging the Normal Mode!¡± The rules of Dungeons in Elysium were different from the rules of the outside world. In Elysium, all dungeons had two modes. Normal Mode and Hell Mode. Hell Mode was, of course, the hardest mode, but it also gave better rewards. However, it was very dangerous to choose this mode without proper preparation. Many parties had died for this reason. Fortunately, the penalty for dying inside a dungeon was more forgiving than dying in the open world. Those who died inside the Dungeons in Elysium wouldn¡¯t really die. They would respawn in the nearest town. But as a penalty, a quarter of their Status Points would be taken away. After dying, they had no choice but to regain their deducted experience points or consume Beast Cores to recover these lost points. Even so, this was still a better oue than challenging an unknown Dungeon and dying in the process. Lux was just teasing Colette when he said that they should challenge Hell Mode and let their names be written on the bronze te. The Half-Elf was aware that with his current strength, he would still need a bit more preparation before he could challenge the Hell Mode of the Bronze Crypt. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that we should challenge it now,¡± Lux replied to Matty. ¡°Before we leave Leaf Vige, most of us will be in the Apostle Rank. That is the perfect time to challenge the Hell Mode difficulty. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to leave your mark here to be seen by future generations?¡± Matty turned quiet after hearing Lux¡¯s words. Of course, he wanted to leave his name on the Bronze te, so others would know that he had once been here in the Leaf Vige and had aplished an amazing feat. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Colette said as she gazed at her sister¡¯s name in the Bronze te. ¡°Before we leave this vige, we should leave our mark here. Although I¡¯m not confident that we can beat my Big Sister¡¯s record, taking second ce is not impossible!¡± The members of Colette¡¯s party also nodded their heads in agreement. They also wanted to leave a memento behind. Having their names recorded on the Bronze te was the best thing they could do to preserve their legacy. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s do this!¡± Colette ced her hand on the Bronze Gate which would lead them inside the dungeon. The adorable dwarf chose Normal Difficulty. A secondter, the gate in front of them opened wide. ¡°Please, listen to my orders once we¡¯re inside,¡± Colette reminded everyone. ¡°Although this is just the Normal Difficulty, we might still be killed if we¡¯re not careful.¡± Everyone, including Lux nodded in agreement. Seeing that no one had anyints, Colette led the way and everyone else followed behind her. Chapter 36 Overcoming Your Fears [Part 1] ¡°Summon Skeleton Warrior!¡± A gray skeleton with a horned helmet, wielding a bone sword and a shield appeared in front of Lux. ¡®Hmm, not bad,¡¯ Lux thought as he observed his Skeleton Warrior. From the stats alone, he could already tell that it was stronger than Diablo back when it was still a Named Creature at its first level. ¡ª- < Skeleton Warrior > Health: 30 Attack: 5 ¨C 15 ¡ª¨C ¡°Is this the skeleton that fought alongside us back then?¡± Colette asked as she looked at the Skeleton Warrior. ¡°He looks stronger than before.¡± ¡°No. This is not Diablo,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I just want to see how this skeleton performs during a fight.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Colette nodded her head in understanding. ¡°Still, I think it is stronger than most monsters here in Normal Mode. Of course, except the dungeon boss called Dark Draugr.¡± Lux already knew that the only real threat in Normal Mode was the Boss, which was a monster that was at the peak of Rank 1 Monsters. This was why he had summoned his Skeleton Warrior in this stage. This dungeon was the perfect ce to test its fighting abilities. ¡°Well then, time to suit up,¡± Lux thought as he equipped his Relentless Warrior Armor and his new sword, Oathbreaker.-. ¡ª- < Oathbreaker, Dark de of Eternity > Rarity: Unique (One Handed Sword) Requirement: 100 Combined Stats ¨C Attack: 100-145 Dark Damage ¨C Physical skills deal 20% more damage. ¨C Has a 10% chance to trigger double damage with each attack. This ability works with skills as well. ¡ª¨C Lux¡¯s red armor and sword caught the party¡¯s attention because they looked so cool as a set. Even Matty, who liked nitpicking everything about him, was left speechless by his current attire. ¡°Big Brother, you look so cool!¡± Colette eximed as she looked at Lux with sparkling eyes. ¡°Where did you get that armor and sword? I¡¯m pretty sure that this set can¡¯t be found here in Leaf Vige.¡± ¡°My Grandma gave it to me. After hearing what happened during the Monster Outbreak, she thought that I needed equipment to protect myself in battle.¡± Earlier, Lux had been wearing his Wolf¡¯s Leather Armor, which was considered a fashionable set of armor. Since he had two interchangeable equipment slots, the Half-Elf decided to use the wolf¡¯s armor as his default Fashion Set to make others think that it was his only set of armor. ¡°This sword seems powerful.¡± Matty eyed Lux¡¯s weapon with great interest. He was a Dwarf Weaponmaster, which was a rare ss just like the Pdin. It was normal for Matty to have a great interest in swords, so he had always been familiar with them. He could naturally feel that Lux¡¯s swords were quite extraordinary. ¡°Its name is Oathbreaker,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a good sword.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After finishing their short chat, everyone started to pull their focus back to their mission. Lux, Colette, and Matty were the vanguards, while the mages Andy and Axel were at the rear. The only cleric in their party, Helen, was at the center of the formation, and she was protected by everyone. The Skeleton Warrior was used as a scout for detecting if there were any enemies ahead. It didn¡¯t take long before the Skeleton Warrior attacked the lone zombie that it had detected in front of it. The battle didn¡¯tst long. Naturally, the Skeleton Warrior came out victorious. Lux observed his Summon and found out that it wasn¡¯t as smart as Diablo when it came to making decisions in battle. Although its performance was passable, he had long gotten used to Diablo¡¯s style. The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s movement and attack patterns were too stiff for his taste. ¡®Maybe things will change after its next upgrade,¡¯ Lux thought as he continued to follow the skeleton from behind. On their way, their party encountered two skeletons and a zombie blocking the path they wanted to take. Colette, Matty, and the Skeleton Warrior only took a short time to deal with them because they were merely small fries. After experiencing the Monster Outbreak, these low level monsters were no longer a big deal to Colette¡¯s party. Just like Lux, their parents had given them Beast Cores to allow them to boost their stats and get their first Job ss. As a result, they had be stronger than they originally were during the attack on Leaf Vige. Lux could somewhat understand what Colette and the others were doing. They were trying to prove that they were no longer the weak little children who had almost lost their lives in a battle that was way out of their league. ¡®People grow through adversity,¡¯ Lux thought as he kept his stance to protect the mages and the cleric from any sudden attacks from their rear. Although everyone had a boost in their strength, none of them wanted to be toocent during their very first Dungeon expedition. An hour passed and, just as Lux expected, their party managed to reach the Boss Room without any hitch from themon Undead. ¡°This is the real thing,¡± Colette gazed at the door with determination. ¡°Everyone, please prepare to battle. Our opponent is a monster that is only a step away from bing a Rank 2 Monster. It is more powerful than the Draugr¡¯s we faced on the Monster Outbreak. Does everyone have their teleportation crystal?¡± Lux, Matt, and the rest of the party nodded their heads. If they really couldn¡¯t ovee their opponent, they would use the teleportation crystal to escape the battle. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go,¡± Colette stated as she pushed open the door. After everyone had entered the room, the bronze gate behind them closed, sealing their path from behind. The dim lighting from the glowing crystals in the room allowed them to see a figure seated on what seemed to be a small hill made of bones. Blue orbs of light glowed at the monster¡¯s eye sockets as the Dark Draugr slowly stood up from where he sat. ¡°It is about to attack,¡± Lux said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Colette, your orders?¡± Lux asked Colette, but thetter didn¡¯t reply to his question. ¡°Colette? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lux was about to pat her shoulder because she didn¡¯t give him any reply. However, before his hand could even reach her, the little girl copsed on the floor, breathing heavily. ¡°Colette?!¡± Lux immediately crouched down to check on the girl¡¯s condition, but all he could see was that Colette¡¯s body was trembling all over. ¡®D-Don¡¯t tell me this is some sort of trauma she developed from the Monster Outbreak?!¡¯ Lux shifted his attention to his other party members, and almost all of them were showing the same expressions as Colette. The Dark Draugr released a ferocious howl and charged towards them, holding a ck sword in each hand. ¡°Skeleton Warrior! Block him!¡± Lux ordered. The Skeleton Warrior charged at the Dark Draugr in an attempt to stop its charge, but as soon as the two Undead Warriors collided, the Skeleton Warrior shattered into pieces. The Dark Draugr continued its charge towards the Dwarves with no intention of showing any mercy. ¡°S-Sh*t!¡± Lux cursed out loud as he grabbed Colette from the ground and carried her towards the Bronze Gate. ¡°Matty, Andy, Axel, Helen! Use your teleportation crystals now!¡± Matty breathed heavily as sweat streamed down his forehead. His body shuddered uncontrobly as he forced himself to move, but the Draugr¡¯s intimidating presence froze him in ce. Andy, Axel, and Helen weren¡¯t faring any better. Lux had forgotten that these Dwarves were just twelve-year-old children. Although they had already changed their professions and became stronger, deep down inside, the Monster Outbreak had left a scar in their minds. The Half-Elf even had a hunch that the reason why their party decided to challenge the Bronze Crypt was to ovee the fear that had buried itself deep into their hearts. ¡°M-Mama¡­,¡± Matty¡¯s tears and snot poured out from his eyes and nose as the Dark Draugr raised its weapons to cut him to pieces. ¡°Matty!¡± Colette shouted as she looked helplessly at her friend who was about to get killed in front of her eyes. It was at that moment that a ck Knight suddenly appeared and smashed its shield against the side of the Draugr¡¯s body, sending thetter flying a few meters away. The Dark Draugr howled in anger as it stood back up, facing the enemy that had dared to get in its way. A ck Knight stood in front of the Dwarves, carrying the sword, Tranquility, and the shield, Dawne, in its hands. A pair of golden eyes glowed brightly inside the ck Knight¡¯s helmet as it stared at its opponent fearlessly. ¡°Diablo, don¡¯t let that bastard near the children!¡± Lux ordered. The ck Knight nodded its head before summoning a Forest Wolf to fight alongside it. Diablo, Lux¡¯s first Named Creature and trustedpanion, pointed its sword at the Dark Draugr¡¯s face and moved it in a taunting manner. After being upgraded and getting its First Job ss, Diablo¡¯s intelligence had risen to a higher level. He knew that his opponent was stronger than him, but he didn¡¯t care. Right now, he only had one duty, and that was to protect everyone in the Boss Room and ensure that all of them would be able to leave this ce alive. Chapter 37 Overcoming Your Fears [Part 2] ¡°Skeleton Warrior, go!¡± Lux ordered as he hastily carried Helen in a princess carry. The Skeleton Warrior, on the other hand, grabbed Andy and Axel, carrying them like sacks over its shoulders. Matty had somehow recovered his wits and ran alongside them. Only when all the children were at the edge of the room, with their backs against the Bronze Gate, did Lux finally breathe a sigh of relief. He then watched as Diablo and the Dark Draugr fought an intense one-on-one battle. The Dark Draugr¡¯s twin des glowed as it prepared to use its sh against the ck Knight in front of it. Diablo didn¡¯t back down as he, too, prepared to unleash his own sh Skill as well. When the two attacks met, the Dark Draugr took a step back, while Diablo skidded a few meters away. Even so, the golden embers that glowed brightly on the ck Knight¡¯s helmet never wavered. Diablo lunged towards the Dark Draugr, and thrust it sword forward. Thetter deflected it to the side and counter-attacked with a stab of its own, but it was blocked by Diablo¡¯s round shield. The two Undead exchanged several blows against each other, with Diablo being pushed back most of the time. Even so, Lux¡¯s Named Creature had sessfully activated his Parry Skill several times, dealing damage to the enemy in front of him.-. After watching the battle, the children had somewhat recovered theirposure and were able to think clearly. All of them were surprised that the skeleton that had fought alongside them during the Monster Outbreak had be so strong. They couldn¡¯t believe that in the short period of time that they hadn¡¯t seen Diablo, thetter was now able to stand up against a Rank 1 Monster by himself. ¡°A-Amazing,¡± Matty stuttered. ¡°Despite the difference in strength, Diablo is able to fight back.¡± ¡°Do you think Diablo can win?¡± Helen asked. ¡°No,¡± Lux replied. ¡°The Dark Draugr is stronger than Diablo right now, so he can¡¯t win by himself. However, he is not alone. All of you stay here, I¡¯ll help Diablo. Skeleton Warrior, protect the children.¡± Lux didn¡¯t wait for any of their replies and charged at the battlefield pointing his finger at their adversary. ¡°Dark Arrow!¡± An arrow of darkness shot out from Lux¡¯s finger and hit the Dark Draugr¡¯s face. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t trigger the Blind Effect that he was hoping for. The Dark Draugr nced at Lux¡¯s direction in annoyance, but before it could even attack the red-headed boy, a shield mmed into its body, sending it skidding several meters away. Just as the Dark Draugr was about to counter attack, the Forest Wolf jumped and wed the Undead¡¯s face once before running away. Ever since the battle had started, the Forest Wolf was doing hit and run tactics following Diablo¡¯s will. It was weaker than the Dark Draugr and would instantly die if thetter shed it once. However, Diablo used it effectively and only ordered it to attack whenever the Rank 1 Monster couldn¡¯t retaliate. ¡°Dark Arrow!¡± Another arrow of darknessnded on the Dark Draugr¡¯s head. This skill dealt no damage since its sole purpose was to blind its targets. Unfortunately, the Blind Effect didn¡¯t trigger, which made Lux wonder if their enemy was immune to Blind Spells. This time around the Dark Draugr was truly mad. Three enemies were attacking it at the same time in quick session, and it was having trouble deciding who among them it was going to attack first. Diablo had kept close proximity to the Draugr, ready to react to whatever kind of action it might take. The Named Creature¡¯s defenses and stats had been upgraded, so only a third of its Health Points had been shaved off by the enemy during their intense exchange earlier. Lux was also starting to familiarize himself with the Boss Monster¡¯s attack pattern. He was only waiting for an opportunity to strike and deal it a devastating blow. The Dark Draugr howled as it once again activated its sh Skill. Diablo received it with practiced defense, mitigating the damage he received. At the same time, the Forest Wolf and Lux charged at the Draugr from its left and right sides. ¡°sh!¡± Lux roared as Oathbreaker shone in a crimson glow. Its de shed the Undead¡¯s body, shaving off a tenth of its Health Points in a single blow. The Forest Wolf once again swiped its ws on the Draugr¡¯s head, dealing very little damage. The Dark Draugr took a step back, due to the force behind Lux¡¯s blow and raised both of its swords to a defensive position. Lux immediately backed away because he didn¡¯t want to continue attacking the Draugr that had opted to defend itself from further attacks. However, the Half-Elf didn¡¯t forget to fire a Dark Arrow on the immobile Undead to try his luck. This time around, the Blind Effect triggered and a ck mist oozed out of the Dark Draugr¡¯s eyes. ¡°Andy! Axel! Attack it now!¡± Lux shouted which brought the two Dwarf Mages back to their senses. ¡°T-That¡¯s right. We came here to fight, not to watch,¡± Andy muttered as he raised his staff and aimed it at the Undead that was suffering from blindness. After saying a short incantation, a ball of mes the size of a tennis ball appeared at the tip of his staff. ¡°Fire Bullet!¡± Just like Andy, Axel had also cast his own offensive spell and fired it at the same time his friend did. ¡°Water Bullet!¡± The two spells pushed the Dark Draugr another two steps from where it stood, making the two mages regain their confidence. ¡°We can do this!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°This is not a one-on-one battle! This is an eight versus one battle! We got the upper hand. There¡¯s no need to be scared. Diablo and I will protect all of you! So fight!¡± Colette, Matty, and Helen gripped their weapons firmly. After hearing Lux¡¯s encouragement and seeing Andy¡¯s and Axel¡¯s attacksnd on their enemy, their courage had once again been reignited. ¡°Charge!¡± Colette ordered as she ran towards the Dark Draugr with her mace ready to strike. Matty ran alongside Colette because there was no way he would let her fight alone. Holding his sword in a firm grip, he rushed ahead of her and shed at the Draugr that was wildly swinging its weapon around itself, in an attempt to hit something. As soon as Matty felt his sword hit the monster¡¯s body, his blood started to boil for battle. He no longer felt afraid and timed his attacks, alongside hispanions. ¡°Holy Smite!¡± Colette shouted as she smashed her mace against the Dark Draugr¡¯s right leg, forcing it to lose its bnce. Helen, the Cleric of the group chanted and an arrow of light shot out from the tip of her staff, flying towards the Undead that had haunted her dreams for the past few days. ¡°Holy Arrow!¡± The arrow of light hit the Undead¡¯s chest and made it shriek in pain. Holy and Life Magic were the bane of the Undead, which made Colette¡¯s and Helen¡¯s attack deal significant damage to it. Suddenly, the Dark Draugr roared and a red mist oozed out of its body. The Blind Effect had also lost its effect, which allowed the Rank 1 Monster to finally see the insects that were ganging up on it. ¡°Careful, it went berserk!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°Colette, Matty, back away! Let Diablo handle the aggro first! Andy, Axel, Helen, stop firing spells and wait for my signal!¡± The children obeyed Lux¡¯s orders without anyints and allowed Diablo to fight the Draugr head-on. They didn¡¯t realize that they had started to recognize Lux as the leader of the party instead of Colette. The Dwarves listened to his orders as they reorganized their formation. Although he couldn¡¯t see their enemy¡¯s Health Bar, Lux was sure that the damage that they had dealt had surpassed half of the Dark Draugr¡¯s Health Points, which forced it into a Berserked State. Chapter 38 Overcoming Your Fears [Part 3] Earlier, Diablo was forced in a passive position where it had no choice but to block, dodge, and parry the Dark Draugr¡¯s strengthened attacks, which slowly depleted its Health Points. ¡°Summon Diablo!¡± Lux shouted before his partner¡¯s life was reduced to zero. The first thing that Diablo did after being respawned was to use Shield Bash against its enemy in order to prevent it from targeting the children. After a short dy, three spells flew side by side and sted the Dark Draugr¡¯s several meters away from where it stood. ¡°Dark Arrow!¡± Lux shouted for the umpteenth time in the hope that it would once again trigger the Blind Effect. Unfortunately, nothing happened, which forced the Half-Elf to use his other skill. ¡°Mana Drain!¡± After using spell after spell, the Half-Elf¡¯s mana had decreased a considerable amount. Lux used Mana Drain after the skill¡¯s cooldown was over in order to replenish his dwindling mana reserves. Ten minutes passed as this intense battle continued. Diablo had been killed four times during that time, but it had sessfully fended off all attacks aimed at the children. Soon, the red mists surrounding the Dark Draugr faded. Lux and Diablo immediately closed the distance to deliver devastating blows, while their enemy entered a weakened state. ¡°sh!¡± Diablo swung his sword on the Draugr¡¯s left arm, while Lux¡¯s shed its right, sessfully cutting them off their enemy¡¯s body. ¡°Now! Do it!¡± Lux shouted as he grabbed what remained of the Draugr¡¯s right arm, and Diablo did the same with their enemy¡¯s left arm.-. After doing so, Colette and Matty unleashed devastating attacks on the Undead¡¯s body as if they were injected with chicken blood. Andy, Axel, and Helen watched this scene withplicated expressions on their faces. From their perspective, Diablo and Lux were like two Big Brothers who were pinning down a bully that had bullied their younger brother and sister. The two Dwarven children attacked without mercy as if venting out all of their frustrations on the person that bullied them, while their Big Brothers ensured that the Big Bad Bully couldn¡¯t fight back. The other three watched the one-sided beating and nced at each other. Soon, they also ran towards the Dark Draugr like little Gremlins shouting war cries. Half a minuteter, five little children were hacking, shing, and bashing the pitiful Undead who could only passively ept their beating. The two mages and Cleric smashed their staffs on the Draugr¡¯s face, while Colette and Matty bashed and hacked its body. Since the Dark Draugr was already at a weakened state, Diablo and Lux were able to hold it in ce due to their stats that hovered near the Apostle Rank. Lux could have ended the Draugr¡¯s life faster if he worked together with Diablo. However, he didn¡¯t do that for a simple reason. He wanted the children to ovee the trauma that had started to grow in their hearts. The only way for them to do that was to face their fears head on and ovee it. This was a verymon urrence for those that suffered in driving idents. Once those people sat behind the wheel again, they would have a distinct fear gripping their hearts. The best way to cure this feeling was to resume driving as soon as possible. If they dyed it, the trauma would just grow. It would make it harder for them to return to and regain their confidence in driving cars. Lux didn¡¯t want the children to suffer, so he decided to nip the problem in the bud, while it still hadn¡¯t fully grown. After five excruciating minutes, the Dark Draugr¡¯s body shattered into a pile of bones before turning into particles of light. It left behind a Beast Core as well as one of the Dark Swords it had wielded earlier. ¡°W-We did it!¡± Colette raised her weapon in excitement. ¡°We won!¡± Matty clenched his fist in triumph before giving Colette a High Five. The other children also cheered and hugged each other for a job well done. Lux watched the young Dwarves with satisfied expressions stered on their faces as they realized they had seeded in defeating the Boss Monster. It was also at that moment that a series of notifications appeared in front of him which made the smile on his face widen. ¡ª¨C < Achievement Unlocked! > < Clearing Bronze Crypt Normal Mode > < Rewards > ¨C 5 Free Stats Points ¨C 5 Body Constitution Points ¨C 5 Skill Points ¡ª¨C Lux didn¡¯t expect that he would get additional rewards for clearing the dungeon. Although the rewards weren¡¯t much, he was still happy to receive them. ¡°Big Brother, we did it!¡± Colette happily jumped up and down like a little kid that had won apetition. ¡°Yes, you did well,¡± Lux gave Colette a high five which made the adorable girl giggle. The Half-Elf raised his hand to also give the other children a high five, which they gave happily. Even Matty returned Lux¡¯s gesture, which proved that the Dwarf boy was in a good mood. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to divide the loot,¡± Colette said after calming down. All the Dwarves looked at the Beast Core and the sword lying on the ground and exchanged a nce with each other. ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± Matty said. ¡°Me, either,¡± Axel stated. ¡°Me, either.¡± Helen giggled. Colette smiled as she looked at Lux. ¡°Big Brother, you can have the Beast Core and the ck Sword. I also don¡¯t want it.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Alright. I will gratefully ept your wishes.¡± All the Dwarves looked up at him with smiles on their faces. They knew that if Lux wasn¡¯t there with them, all of them would have been killed by the Dark Draugr. The seed of fear and doubt that had started to grow in their hearts could have also grown bigger and haunted them for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, they had already managed to break free from its hold, and ovee their fears. Right now, all of them had the confidence that if they were to meet Draugr¡¯s in the future, their bodies would no longer freeze up like scared children that were waiting for themselves to be killed. ¡°Big Brother, do you have a moment?¡± Colette grabbed Lux¡¯s hand after their party had exited the Dungeon. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lux replied with a smile. ¡°Nothing much. I just want to tell you that I have a beautiful older sister that is of the same age as you,¡± Colette stated. ¡°I guarantee that she is a good person. Although you¡¯re not a Dwarf, I can y matchmaker and let the two of you meet. What do you say?¡± Lux blinked his eyes once then twice as he stared at the adorable girl that was looking back at him with the ¡°leave everything to me¡± expression. ¡°I will think about it,¡± Lux replied. Colette pouted. ¡°Big Brother, my Big Sister is very popr, you know? If you don¡¯t act fast you will miss the opportunity of a lifetime. My Big Sister is that good!¡± Lux didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry at Colette¡¯s attempt to y matchmaker. In the end, the little girl was able to make the Half-Elf promise that he would meet her sister, Aina, once he left Leaf Vige. After aplishing her goal, Colette and her friends walked towards the vige, while chattering happily. Lux walked behind them with a helpless smile on his face. For some reason, he was looking forward to his adventures with this little band of merry Dwarf children, while waiting for the day when he could leave Leaf Vige without any regrets. Chapter 39 Adventures That Would Be Remembered For A Lifetime After arriving in Leaf Vige, Lux parted with Colette and her friends and went back to the inn to check his spoils of war. He felt that it wasn¡¯t appropriate to appraise the loot that the monster had dropped while they were still in the Dungeon, so he decided that he would do it when he was alone. Lux summoned the Sword that the Dark Draugr had dropped and checked its information. ¡ª¨C < The ck de, Foe of the Covenant > Rarity: Rare (One Handed Sword) ¨C Attack: 30 ¨C 50 ¨C When equipped, the user will gain the Passive Skill ¡°Dual Wielding¡±. < Dual Wielding > ¨C Able to wield two one-handed weapons in each hand without receiving any penalty. You will be able to use both weapons as if you are wielding them with your dominant hand. ¡ª- ¡°Its attack is stronger than Tranquility, and allows its user to Dual Wield¡­,¡± Lux thought as he rubbed his chin. ¡°But, Tranquility can summon a Forest Wolf. Also, having Dawne on Diablo allows him to use Shield Bash to stun enemies for a brief moment. The reason why the Dark Draugr wasn¡¯t able to deal any powerful blows is due to Shield Bash.¡± After thinking things through, Lux decided not to swap the ck de with Tranquility. His only weapon right now was Oathbreaker. It was a unique weapon that could be considered a cheat item in his current level. -. ¡°I guess for now I can equip both Oathbreaker and the ck de,¡± Lux muttered as he returned the sword inside his storage ring. Lux also didn¡¯t forget to allocate his rewards to his Body Constitution and Diablo to increase their progression level. As for the free stat points he had, he didn¡¯t touch them for the time being because he had no intention of breaking through the Apostle Grade anytime soon. ¡ª- Free Stat Points Avable: 35 ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: F+ Progress: (56/100) ¡ª¨C < Diablo > Rating: D Progress ( 40 / 100) ¡ª¡ª Colette and the others invited him toe with them to the Figaro Garden located in the North Zone of Leaf Vige. This was a ce where insectoid monsters roamed. ording to the adorable little Dwarf girl, there were rumors that there was a Unique Weapon hidden in this area. This was also the reason why they nned to investigate by themselves and check if the rumors were true. As the owner of the Elysium Compendium, Lux was aware of all the Unique Quests that could be found in Leaf Vige. One of them was even a Mythical Quest that was exclusive only to Beginner Viges. The Mythical Quest would give out Mythical Ranked items as rewards. However, its difficulty was so high that no beginner in their right minds would dare and try to challenge it. Also, since Mythical Quests were extremely rare quests, the only way to acquire them was based on luck and fortuitous encounters. Currently, Lux had two Mythical Items in his possession. One was the Elysium Compendium, which had all the information about Elysium. The other one was the ck coffin in Lux¡¯s possession that went by the name ¡°ckfire¡±. The Elysium Compendium alone was already considered a priceless treasure. If Lux couldplete the Mythical Quest before he left Leaf Vige then he would gain another trump card on his journey through Elysium. Actually, the trigger of the quest was simpler than expected. All they needed to do was defeat all of the Alpha Monstres that were exclusive to each zone. However, even if the Dwarves defeated them, they would not be aware that they had triggered a Mythical Quest by ident. Until now, no one had managed toplete the Mythical Quest in the Beginner¡¯s Vige because of how random it was. ¡ª- < Mythical Quest > (Birth of a Legend) ¨C Defeat the Alpha Monster of the Aspiration ins. Carbuncle (0/1) ¨C Defeat the Alpha Monster of the Leaf Vige Cemetery Ghoul Beast (0/1) ¨C Defeat the Alpha Monster of Figaro Garden Red-eyed Terror Mantis (0/1) ¨C Defeat the Field Boss of Heartwood Forest Forest Wolf King (0/1) ¡ª¨C < Rewards > ¨C 500 Skill Points ¨C 50 Body Constitution Points ¨C 50 Stats Points ¨C Leaf Vige Equipment Set (Unique) ¨C One random Mythical Item exclusive to the Leaf Vige Note: The Mythical Item reward will depend on your overall performance. So you better do your best! ¡ª¨C Lux was sure that even if the Dwarves were able to defeat the three Alpha Monsters, the Field Boss, Forest Wolf King, was something that they wouldn¡¯t dare to fight. ¡ª¨C < Forest Wolf King > ¨C Beginner Zone Field Boss ¨C King of the Forest ¨C Rank 4 Field Boss Monster Health: 100,000 / 100,000 Mana: 15,000 / 15,000 Strength: 200 Intelligence: 100 Vitality: 250 Agility: 250 Dexterity: 150 Skills: Windwalk, Wind de, Air st, Call of the Wild. ¡ª¨C Lux estimated that only a hundred-men teamposed of Grade D up to Grade B Apostles, would be able to fight against this Field Boss, who was the Apex Creature within the boundaries of Leaf Vige. Field Bosses were different from Normal Rank 3 Monsters because of their strength and rarity. Simr to how Diablo was different from normal Skeletons, Field Bosses also had higher stats and powerful skills that surpassed monsters of the same rank. Clearing the Mythical Quest was only one of the two reasons why Lux was not in a hurry to leave Leaf Vige. His other goal was more important than the Mythical Quest, and it was on a more personal level. As long as this goal wasn¡¯t achieved, Lux wouldn¡¯t leave the Beginner¡¯s Vige even after hepleted the Mythical Quest that no one had cleared in the past. Lux closed his eyes and the images of Colette and the other dwarves appeared in his head. They were the firstpanions that he had met in Elysium, and thought that it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to go on adventures with them while he was still in Leaf Vige. ¡°Grandma, I think I¡¯ve made some new friends today,¡± Lux said softly as he closed his eyes. ¡°I hope that tomorrow will be another wonderful day.¡± A minuteter, Lux was already fast asleep. He dreamt a happy dream. A dream where he and the Dwarf children went on epic adventures all around Elysium. Adventures that would be remembered for a lifetime. Chapter 40 Graduation Turned Disaster? ¡°Big Brother, over here!¡± Colette called out to Lux as soon as he appeared at the Northern Gate of Leaf Vige. ¡°You guys are a bit early,¡± Lux said with a smile. In order to prevent making the children wait, he hade half an hour earlier from their appointment. However, it seemed that he was not the only one who thought of this because everyone else had already gathered, with the addition of one more Dwarf boy in the party. ¡°Big Brother, let me introduce you to our Ranger, Robin,¡± Colette said with a smile. ¡°He wasn¡¯t able to apany us yesterday because he was finishing a quest for his Job ss Promotion.¡± Lux eyed the young Dwarf with short dark-brown hair and hazel eyes, who was looking back at him with a frown. There was a hint of disapproval on Robin¡¯s face, but Lux had long been used to this kind of expression from the Dwarves in Leaf Vige. Only Colette, and the other children that had explored the Dungeon with Lux, treated him like a friend. ¡°Nice to meet you. Just call me Lux,¡± Luxmented. Robin gave the Half-Elf a brief nod before averting his gaze. Clearly, he wasn¡¯t interested in getting friendly with the new addition to their party. ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s go to the Figaro Gardens,¡± Colette stated. ¡°My acquaintance told me earlier that there are several ¡®Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes¡¯ wandering around in the middle areas of the Garden. Although we can fight them, it is best that we avoid them if possible. If any of you see one, alert everyone in the group so we can withdraw as fast as possible.¡± Everyone nodded their heads in understanding. The Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes were one of the most annoying monsters in Figaro Garden. All of them were a foot tall, and were known to always travel in groups. Their bite had a mild paralyzing effect, but it was not strong enough topletely render someone immobile. The problem was that, since they traveled in groups, the effect of each bite would stack. If someone were bitten more than six times, the paralyzing venom would take a hundred percent effect and render the victimpletely paralyzed. After that, they would have no choice but to watch in horror as these bloodsucking monsters drink their fill until they slowly lose consciousness due to blood loss. There was a saying in the Figaro Gardens.-. If the mosquitoes didn¡¯t kill you, the other bugs will. Unconscious prey was a wee meal to any insects that lived within the garden, that had already imed countless lives, since the world of Elysium had opened to the world of Sis. After traveling for fifteen minutes on foot, all of them finally arrived at their destination. Lux was mildly surprised when he found out that the Figaro Garden was actually a ce where giant nts grow. For a brief moment, he even thought that he had shrunk because of the sheer size of the flowers around them. ¡°It¡¯s like a forest of flowers,¡± Lux muttered as he followed behind Colette¡¯s group. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Colette asked with a smile. ¡°Yes, but I can also sense the danger in the surroundings,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I feel as if we will be attacked at any moment.¡± As if waiting for that cue, a meter tall Ant suddenly came out of the grass beside the Half-Elf, which made thetter jump back in fright. Colette, Matty, and the rest of the groupughed after seeing this funny scene. ¡°Damn, that almost gave me a heart attack,¡± Lux said as he pressed his hand over his chest. The Ant that had crawled out of the bushes created a clicking sound with its mandibles as if trying tomunicate with them. Lux did his research and read the information about all the monsters in the Figaro Garden. The Ants in the garden were considered pacifists and simply minded their own business as they scavenged for food. They would not actively attack anyone, and they were also known for carrying wounded Dwarves back to Leaf Vige if they stumbled upon them while they were foraging. Because of this, the people in Leaf Vige would always warn the Foreigners to never attack or, worse, kill the Ants because no matter how docile they usually were, once they were attacked, they would retaliate. If someone killed one of their members, they would attack in swarms and hunt down the offender all the way to Leaf Vige. Anyone whomitted this taboo would not be protected by the Town¡¯s Guards. They would be left to their own fate. As the Ant tried tomunicate with Colette and her friends, more Ants came out of the bushes carrying berries and other food stuff. They walked past the Dwarves as they headed back to their nest. Some of the Ants were even kind enough to offer berries to the Dwarves, which they politely declined. Lux watched this scene with great interest because this was the first time that he was interacting with the Ants of Figaro Garden. ¡°I see.¡± Robin nodded. ¡°Thank you for the warning. We greatly appreciate it.¡± The Ant clicked its mandible a few more times before leaving the group of Dwarves to go back to its nest. After the Ants disappeared, everyone looked at Robin in askance. He was the only Ranger in the group with the skill called Beast Empathy, which allowed him to understand thenguage of monsters on a basic level. ¡°They said that there are several Dwarves fighting against the Alpha Monster, roughly a kilometer in that direction,¡± Robin said as he pointed towards the East. ¡°The Ant also warned that dozens of Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes are loitering around the Northern area.¡± Colette frowned because ording to the rumors, the location of the Unique Weapon that they were searching for was said to be found in the Northern area of the garden. However, the presence of over a dozen Predator Mosquitoes was extremely bad news for them. Although they weren¡¯t as strong as a Rank 1 Monster, their sheer numbers and potential threat was more than enough for the little girl to reconsider their options. ¡°For the time being, why don¡¯t we head to the East?¡± Colette proposed. ¡°Since the Ant said that several dwarves are fighting against an Alpha Beast, it must be the Graduation Ceremony of Leaf Vige.¡± ¡°Graduation ceremony?¡± Lux asked. ¡°What Graduation Ceremony?¡± Helen, the party¡¯s cleric, patted Lux¡¯s arm in order to get his attention. ¡°Big Brother, the Graduation Ceremony is when the Dwarves challenge any of the Alpha Monsters after reaching the Apostle Rank,¡± Helen exined with a smile. ¡°For us Dwarves who go to Elysium, this is our Rite of Passage to bing full-fledged Warriors.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Lux nodded in understanding. ¡°Since this is a special asion, why don¡¯t we go and observe their fight against the Alpha Monster? This will allow us to prepare for our own Graduation Ceremony before we leave Leaf Vige.¡± Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and immediately walked towards the East. Lux didn¡¯t think that this so-called Graduation Ceremony was out of ce. In fact, he even thought that it was a very sensible thing to do. After breaking through the Apostle Rank, they would formally be known as true Warriors, and fighting an Alpha Beast was a good way to test their mettle before advancing onto their next journey in Elysium. Alpha Beasts were Peak Rank 2 Monsters. Although fighting them one-on-one was almost a suicide mission, fighting them as a party was doable. As they neared the territory of the Alpha Monster, they noticed that several dwarves were also headed into the same direction that they were. Graduation ceremonies were quite popr among the Dwarf children, and they all thought that it was a good opportunity to see just how strong an Alpha Beast was from a distance. Soon, sounds of metals shing against each other, and shouting reached their ears. In a wide clearing, a group of six Dwarves were fighting against the Alpha Monster of the Figaro Garden known as the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. A single nce was enough to tell Lux that the Dwarves had the upper hand in the battle. ¡°Amazing,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°Their teamwork is amazing.¡± Lux watched in awe as a Shield Warrior, a Swordsman, and a Spearman, took turns in keeping the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis from attacking their rear fighters. At the back, Two Mages fired spell after spell, while the Shaman erected a healing ward that passively regenerated the Health of everyone in the party. Whenever the Terror Mantis changed target and attacked the mages, the Shield Warrior would use a Taunt Skill to force the monster to drag its attention to him. Once they had sessfully shifted its attention, the swordsman and the spearman would unleash a barrage of attacks at the Alpha Monster making it shriek in pain. ¡ª¨C < Red-Eyed Terror Mantis > ¨C Figaro Garden Apex Creature ¨C Rank 2 Alpha Monster Health: 8,560 / 20,000 Mana: 2,250 / 5,000 Strength: 100 Intelligence: 50 Vitality: 100 Agility: 150 Dexterity: 100 Skills: Fury sh, Gust, Berserk. ¡ª¨C After the Health Points of the Terror Mantis was halved, the color of its body immediately turned red. This signaled the start of its berserked phase, which was also the most dangerous moment for the Dwarves who were currently facing it with their amazing teamwork. The Dwarves watching from afar clenched their fist in excitement because this was the turning point in the battle. All of them could feel their blood boiling as they watched the amazing disy of skills in front of them. While the battle between the berserked Terror Mantis and the Dwarves were about to reach its climax, a buzzing sound reached everyone¡¯s ears. All the Dwarves in the area unconsciously shuddered because this sound was very familiar to them. Anyone who had been exploring in the Figaro Gardens for a long time was very familiar with this sound because it was the sign that a swarm of Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes were headed in their direction. ¡°Everyone retreat to the South!!¡± the swordsman of the Dwarf party, that were facing off against the Terror Mantis, shouted. He was the leader of the group and knew more than anyone else how dire their current situation was. After issuing his order, his party immediately disengaged their battle with the Red Terror Mantis and hurriedly retreated. However, the Berserked Alpha Monster had no intention of letting them get away that easily. The other Dwarves, who had been observing the battle, also ran as if their pants were on fire. Lux¡¯s and Colette¡¯s group were among them and everyone¡¯s faces were grim. As they ran away in haste, Lux nced behind him and saw a dark cloud headed in their direction. The sound of buzzing wings became stronger as the Predator Mosquitoes drew near. The Half-Elf had no doubt in his mind that if any creature were unfortunate enough to be overtaken by the swarm of mosquitoes, the only fate that awaited them was turning into a dried husk with all of their blood sucked out of their bodies. Chapter 41 ? Fishing In Troubled Waters [Part 1] As everyone ran for their lives, the ground under their feet trembled and several monsters joined their exodus. Ants, ground beetles, bees, flies,dybugs, wolf spiders, butterflies, and several other insects¡ªthat Lux was seeing for the first time¡ªall fled in the opposite direction of the approaching swarm. A single Red-Striped Predator Mosquito was a monster that was far from being a threat. However, a swarm that numbered in the thousands was a different matter. It would only take ten bites to paralyze a Dwarf for an hour. In the face of thousands of mosquitoes, no creature in the Figaro Garden, no matter how strong and whether they were alone or in a group, would be able to resist their inevitable demise. For now, the Dwarves and beasts ignored each other and focused on looking for a safe ce to hide. ¡°Follow the Ants!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°Maybe we can hide in their nest or something.¡± Colette and her party subconsciously followed Lux¡¯s orders, with the exception of Robin. Even so, after seeing that his friends were now following the Half-Elf¡¯s orders, he decided to not say anything and ran after them. Shrieks and screeches could be heard in the surroundings, mostly from the insects that had been overtaken by the mosquito swarm. Although the Dwarves were small, they were one of the fastest runners in the world of Elysium. Sometimes, they were even faster than Beastkins at running away!-. As chaos ensued, the group of Ants headed South East to return to their nest. Lux¡¯s party and several other Dwarves, who had realized what they were nning, followed behind them. Fifteen minutester, they arrived at the Ant Nest where several Ant Guards were patrolling the area. ¡°Diablo, Skeleton Warrior,e forth!¡± Lux ordered and his two Undead Warriors appeared beside him. The Half-Elf had thought of an idea while they were fleeing the mosquitoes and decided to give it a try. Colette and the others looked at Lux strangely, but the Half-Elf only told them to follow the Ants inside the nest. Surprisingly, none of the Ant Guards stopped them and allowed the Dwarves to enter their colony. After giving his two Undead subordinates orders, Lux also entered the safe area, Ant Nest, alongside the other fleeing Ants that wereing from other ces of the garden. Only after thest Ant had entered the nest did the Guard Ants closed the entrance, which made the Dwarves and a certain Half-Elf breathe a collective sigh of relief. ¡°Damn, I thought I was a goner.¡± Andy pressed his palm over his chest to calm his wildly beating heart. Axel nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a bit of a shame. If the mosquitoes didn¡¯te, that graduating party would have been able beat the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis without a problem. Colette, Matty, Helen, and Robin nodded their heads in agreement. The Dwarves that had followed their party inside the Ant Nest shared the same thoughts. Only the Half-Elf didn¡¯t because he was not paying attention to their discussion. On the side, he silently sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. Right now, he was testing something that he had never done before. In his mind¡¯s eye, he looked at a gray world with no other colors in it. Suddenly, a group of mosquitoes appeared in his vision. Diablo stopped moving, and the mosquitoes flew past him without even bothering to give him a second nce. Clearly, a skeleton deprived of blood was something that they were not interested in. It was at that moment when a smile appeared on Lux¡¯s face. After testing to see that his theory was correct, he ordered Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior to look for traces of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. He shared a special connection with his Named Creature that allowed him tomunicate with the other party on a deeper level. It allowed Lux to see and hear what Diablo could see and hear, which made his personal bodyguard the perfect chess piece to take advantage of the chaos that was currently happening inside the garden. Lux saw several dried up corpses of insects littered in the surroundings, which made him realize just how devastating the sudden mosquito attack was. Fortunately, he still hadn¡¯t seen any Dwarf corpses, which gave him some peace of mind. The Half-Elf wasn¡¯t fond of seeing dead children, whether they were Dwarves or Humans. Suddenly, a loud shriek reached Diablo¡¯s ears. Lux immediately ordered his Named Creature to run in the direction where the shriek came from, and take a look at what was happening. As soon as Diablo arrived in the area, he heard an intense buzzing sound in the surroundings. Giant flowers were strewn across the ground alongside countless mosquitoes that had been sliced in half. In the distance, he saw a weakened Red-Eyed Terror Mantis that was being swarmed by the mosquitoes. The Terror Mantis¡¯ exoskeleton was very hard, so the mosquito bites couldn¡¯t make it past its defenses. However, that didn¡¯t stop the mosquitoes from trying to find an area they could prate with their blood suckers in order to incapacitate the strongest creature in the Figaro Garden. After letting out a resounding shriek of frustration, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis opened its wings and flew upwards. It then created powerful gusts of wind, which blew the mosquitoes away. Within the dense swarm of mosquitoes, a dozen ck mosquitoes, that were two timesrger than the normal Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes, appeared. The Half-Elf had read all the monsters living in the Figaro Garden from the Elysium Compendium and quickly recognized what they were. ¡°Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes,¡± Lux thought as he observed the Rank 1 Monsters from afar. Their bloodsuckers were very sharp and strong enough to prate the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis¡¯ exoskeleton. After seeing them, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis immediately flew away. Its berserked state had already ended just a few minutes ago, and it was now in a weakened state. In addition to its poor condition, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis also had a wound on its chest, which had been caused by the spearman of the party that had fought against it earlier. When the mosquitoes were attacking its body, it made sure to cover its wound with its ded ws, to prevent any of the mosquitoes from targeting a part where they could prate with their bloodsuckers. Naturally the mosquitoes didn¡¯t let their prize get away and chased after the Terror Mantis. On the ground, Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior followed them persistently. The chasested for ten minutes, until the weakened mantis finally crashed into a giant flower to help it break its fall. Knowing that it was backed into a corner, the Terror Mantis screeched and raised its ded ws to fight to the death. The Obsidian Mosquitoes didn¡¯t attack it right away. Instead, the Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes swarmed towards the Alpha Beast who was about to fall on itsst legs. Chapter 42 Fishing In Troubled Waters [Part 2] ¡°Big Brother, what are you doing?¡± Colette asked. ¡°Are you tired from running?¡± Lux opened his eyes and smiled. ¡°A little bit. Let¡¯s stay here for now. The Mosquito Swarm is still active outside. I¡¯m using Diablo to check the current situation. Once the coast is clear, we will leave immediately and return to the Leaf Vige for the time being.¡± ¡°Un!¡± Colette nodded her head in agreement. After reassuring his party members, Lux once again closed his eyes and strengthened his connection with Diablo. The fight was currently getting more intense. The Obsidian Mosquitoes encircled the Terror Mantis and applying hit and run tactics, using the ordinary mosquitoes as cannon fodder. Their goal was to leave a paralyzing venom inside their prey until it no longer had the ability to resist. After cutting over a hundred mosquitoes, the Terror Mantis¡¯ movements gradually turned sluggish due to exhaustion. The stack of mosquito venom was starting to spread inside its body.-. The Obsidian Mosquitoes didn¡¯t waste the opportunity and embedded their sharp suckers into any unprotected area of their prey. Several more minutes had passed when the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis screeched for thest time. Its screech was filled with unwillingness and frustration as its body copsed to the ground, paralyzed. After sending a few more ordinary mosquitoes to probe the fallen mantis, the Obsidian Mosquitoes finally went in to im their prize. Lux watched as a dozen Obsidian Mosquitoes impaled the Alpha Monster¡¯s body with their sharp suckers and began drinking its blood. Their bodies glowed as they absorbed the high-quality blood of their prey, simr to how the Dwarves leveled up after reaching the limit of their experience bars. After who knows how long, the feasting of the Obsidian Mosquitoes finally ended. They then issued a series of buzzing sounds and flew Northwards, followed by their underlings. Only after Lux was certain that all the mosquitoes had left did he order Diablo to move towards the corpse lying on the ground. Lux gazed at the once proud Apex Monster of the Figaro Garden, which was now only left with a dried up husk, bereft of blood. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t feel any pity for the Alpha Beast¡¯s demise. Instead, what he felt was excitement. He hurriedly ordered Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior to drag the corpse back to the Ant Nest where they were currently hiding. Since the Mantis no longer had any blood on its body, it had be much lighter and the two Undead didn¡¯t have any problems dragging it back to the nest in ordance to Lux¡¯s wishes. When the two faithful Undead arrived at their destination, the entrance of the nest opened and Lux hurriedly came out to im his prize. Colette and the other Dwarves, who had followed the Half-Elf outside, gasped in shock when they saw the Alpha Beast¡¯s bodyying in front of them. ¡°B-Big Brother, isn¡¯t this the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis?!¡± Colette wasn¡¯t able to contain her surprise as she poked the dead Alpha Monster with her finger. ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°The mosquitoes killed it a while ago, and I asked my Undead to drag it back here.¡± Lux couldn¡¯t hide the smugness on his face as he approached one of the strongest monsters in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. As he gazed at the dead beast in front of him, he had a feeling that if the Alpha Monster wasn¡¯t injured and in a weakened state, the Mosquitoes wouldn¡¯t have dared to fight it head-on. Fortunately, it was. Lux even got its corpse, which was filled with treasures, for himself. The Dwarves that had been with them weren¡¯t able to hide the envious looks on their faces as they stared at the Terror Mantis on the ground. The ded ws of the Terror Mantis could be given to a cksmith and crafted into a Pseudo-Unique Weapon. Its exoskeleton could also be used to create an extremely rare armor that was durable enough to withstand most attacks from most of the existing beasts that could be found in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. The true prize, of course, was its Beast Core, which gave people additional Stat Points and a chance to acquire one of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis¡¯ skills. The Alpha Beast had three skills, which were Fury sh, Gust, and Berserk. Any of those skills would prove useful even in thete Apostle Ranks. This was why most Dwarves performed the Graduation Ceremony before leaving. It would be helpful for their future journeys to acquire the Beast Cores of the Alpha Monsters in their respective Beginner Zones. Seeing the envious and greedy looksing from the Dwarves around him, Lux decided to use the ring that his Grandma Vera had given him before he left Wildgarde Stronghold. The ring was called ¡°Enchanted Beast Ring¡±, which allowed him to store the corpses of monsters of any size. The only downside was that it could only store ten monsters at a time. Even so, it was still a wonderful item that allowed its owner to carry their quarry back home, without worrying about hiring manpower for transport. Lux pressed his hand over the monster¡¯s corpse and activated the ring. Immediately, the Terror Mantis disappeared, leaving nothing behind. The Half-Elf was quite satisfied because he was able to take advantage of the current situation and even profited a lot from it. This reminded him of what his Grandma Vera had told him about fishing in troubled waters. Although he felt a little bad for the party that had challenged the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis earlier, he didn¡¯t feel guilty about taking the Alpha Monster for himself. After all, he wasn¡¯t the one responsible for the mosquito swarm, nor was he the one that killed their prey. He was merely a bystander that happened to find the corpse, pick it up, and take it back home. No one could find fault in what he did because if other people were in the same shoes as him, they would have done the same. Unfortunately, things didn¡¯t go the way Lux had nned after returning to the Leaf Vige. The Dwarves that had seen his exploits had spread the news to their friends. Naturally, this reached the ears of the Dwarf party that had fought tooth and nail with the Alpha Monster before the mosquito swarm invaded, which gave Lux a headache. After all, he now had to think about how to deal with the aftermath. Chapter 43 Lets Get This Duel Started [Part 1] In the za of the Leaf Vige, Lux stood still as he faced the group of six that fought against the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. Their leader, Frederick, had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked up at the Half-Elf who was taller than him. ¡°I heard that you brought back the corpse of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis after it was killed by the Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes. Is this true?¡± Frederick asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Lux answered. ¡°However, the ones that dealt the killing blows were the dozens of Obsidian Mosquitoes which were all Rank 1 Monsters.¡± Frederick nodded his head in acknowledgement. ¡°I know that you were not in the wrong, and simply took advantage of the situation, but it still didn¡¯t sit well with us. We can only stay here in Leaf Vige for a little more than four days, but the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis might not spawn again before we leave this ce.¡± ¡°You can keep the Beast Core if you like, but we need the Terror Mantis¡¯ ded ws and its exoskeleton. Can you give this to us as a sign of friendship?¡± ¡°And, if I refuse?¡± Lux asked. He didn¡¯t mind giving them the Terror Mantis¡¯ ded ws and exoskeleton because he was sure that he could farm these items before he left the Leaf Vige. However, the hateful res that Frederick¡¯s party members were giving him, which made it seem as if he was someone that had killed their family members, were ticking him off. ¡°Hah? You dare refuse?¡± the Shield Warrior of the group shouted. ¡°We are being civilized with you even though you stole our prey. If you are really an upstanding individual, you should hand the Beast Corpse over to us along with an apology!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Augustus is right. The Terror Mantis is rightfully ours, you thief!!¡± ¡°Give us back what is rightfully ours!¡±-. Although Frederick didn¡¯t say anything, he still didn¡¯t stop his party members from voicing theirints. His gaze remained calm as he just stared at Lux, waiting for his answer. Because of themotion that had happened in the Figaro Gardens, some of the Dwarves who were in Leaf Vige turned to look at the disturbance in the za. Soon a crowd formed and watched this scene with great interest. Dwarves were known to be a rowdy race, especially when it came to drinking. They were also not afraid of a brawl, so the other races had learned not to tick off the stubborn Dwarves, who were known to raise their war hammers at the first sign of conflict. ¡°How about you buy them from me?¡± Lux asked. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a fifty percent discount on the market price. How about it?¡± Before Frederick could give his reply, the Shield Warrior, Augustus, immediately raised a ruckus. ¡°You¡¯ve got guts I¡¯ll give you that!¡± Augustus shouted with a sneer. ¡°Selling something that originally belonged to us? Is this how Half-Elves operate?¡± ¡°Bastard!¡± ¡°Scum!¡± ¡°Thief!¡± The Dwarves in the crowd that had encircled them were starting to murmur to each other. Colette¡¯s group had also arrived at the scene and looked at the Half-Elf and Frederick with frowns on their faces. ¡°Frederick, are you bullying my Big Brother?!¡± Colette immediately stepped forward and stood between Lux and the party leader of the Shadow Tempest with her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°Although you were the ones that fought against the Terror Mantis, the ones that killed it were the mosquitoes. Meaning, it no longer belonged to any of you! How dare you gang up on Big Brother like this?¡± ¡°Oi, little girl from the Goldenyer family, it is best if you stay out of this!¡± Augustus didn¡¯t back down as he red at Colette. Both of them were children of Ducal Families in Sis. Although their territories were far from each other, the World of Elysium allowed the dwarves from Sis to appear in the Dwarven Lands ruled by the Dwarven Kings. This allowed these families to get to know each other, and form strong connections even though their territories were far apart. ¡°Hmp! You think you can scare me, you pig?!¡± Colette shot back. ¡°Come. I¡¯ll smash your face with my mace!¡± Lux hurriedly grabbed the little girl who had already taken out her weapon and was raring to fight against the Shield Warrior who was looking down at her in disdain. Clearly, Colette wasn¡¯t a match for the Shield Warrior, but she still made her stance known because she couldn¡¯t just sit and watch on the side as Lux got bullied by other Dwarves. ¡°Calm down, Colette,¡± Lux said as he tried to pacify the adorable girl whose cheeks were puffed up like a hamster. Deep inside, he felt very touched because the other Dwarves in the crowd were looking at him as if he was theirmon enemy. After spending some time with Colette and the others, Lux had almost forgotten that he was the only Half-Elf in this Beginner Vige that was filled with Dwarves. In a conflict between two races, it was only normal for every race to back their own. ¡°How do you want to settle this?¡± Lux asked Frederick who had kept his silence from the start of the conflict. Frederick gazed at him with a serious expression as he unsheathed his sword. ¡°A duel. If we win, you will give us the Terror Mantis¡¯ ded ws and exoskeleton.¡± ¡°And, if I win?¡± Lux asked. Frederick didn¡¯t answer right away. Instead, he looked at his party members to see if they had other opinions. All of them nodded their heads at the same time. Actually, he had already told his party about his n to duel Lux if the negotiations didn¡¯t turn out the way they wanted. Naturally, since this was a duel, they also needed to give something in return to make it fair in front of everyone. ¡°A favor,¡± Frederick replied. ¡°We will owe you one favor that you can ask of us when you meet us again in the future.¡± ording to his Grandma, Dwarves were known to honor their promises. This was why, when dealing with other races, most people would use Dwarves as intermediaries in negotiations. They knew that the Dwarves would uphold their part of the bargain. ¡°A favor? What if I ask you to explore a dungeon with me and I get all the loot, you¡¯re still willing to do that favor?¡± ¡°We are Dwarves. We will honor our word without fail.¡± The Dwarves who were watching from the side all nodded their heads in acknowledgement of Frederick¡¯s words. ¡°Fine,¡± Lux said as he patted Colette¡¯s head. ¡°Since you want a duel, I will give you one. What are the rules?¡± Frederick smiled. ¡°All you need to do is defeat me¡­¡± ¡°And me!¡± Augustus interjected. ¡°I also have a say in this. So you need to defeat me too!¡± Frederick and Augustus were both Apostles now, which meant that among the Dwarf children in Leaf Vige, they were the strongest. They also did an investigation about Lux¡¯s history and background and found out that he had only recently arrived in the Beginner¡¯s Vige. Since that was the case, there was no possible way for Lux to win against them in a one-on-one battle. After all, they were stronger than him. At least, this was what they believed, so they decided to go with a duel to make it look fair to everyone. Also, they were technically on the moral high ground, so no one would bat an eye and call them bullies. ¡°Big Brother, you can¡¯t beat them,¡± Colette grabbed Lux¡¯s hand and looked up at him. ¡°They are already Apostles. They¡¯re way stronger than you.¡± Lux smiled as he crouched down and whispered something in her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I fought the Dark Draugr, remember? I can handle them just fine.¡± Colette¡¯s eyes widened in shock because she had almost forgotten about Lux¡¯s bodyguard, Diablo. Although the Skeleton wasn¡¯t as strong as an Apostle, a two-versus-one battle would still prove difficult for someone that had just be an Apostle. ¡°Okay!¡± Colette nodded as she returned to where her party members were. ¡°Don¡¯t lose to them, Big Brother!¡± Lux gave her a thumbs up as he stood up. He knew that the majority of the Dwarves didn¡¯t like him, but that was fine. Duels that were held in town were quite safe because there was a universalw that prevented deaths from happening. This was one of the safeguards that the God of Games, Eriol, had made to settle disputes over disagreements that might lead to brawl. Of course both parties must ept the duel for this feature to work. Anyone who started a fight in any of the viges, towns, and cities without dering a duel, would be treated as a criminal and captured by the guards that patrolled these territories. Frederick dered a duel invitation directed to Lux, and almost immediately, a small orb of light appeared in front of him. The young swordsman pricked his fingertip with a dagger and dropped a drop of his blood on the floating orb to signal his intention to start the duel. After receiving his blood, the orb flew towards Lux. Summoning Oathbreaker, Lux did the same and dropped his blood on the orb, signaling his agreement to the duel. ¡°I recognize this duel,¡± a voice filled with Divinity said. ¡°The fight will begin in thirty seconds. Make your preparations.¡± A countdown timer appeared on the surface of the orb signaling that the duel was about to start. Lux equipped his Relentless Warrior Armor, which made Frederick and Augustus arch their eyebrows. They had not seen this set of armor before. When the countdown reached ten seconds, Lux pointed Oathbreaker towards Frederick and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t get surprised when you lose, okay?¡± Lux said with confidence. ¡°I won¡¯t be surprised,¡± Frederick replied as he pointed his own weapon at Lux. ¡°That¡¯s because I won¡¯t lose.¡± Chapter 44 Lets Get This Duel Started [Part 2] ¡°Duel Start!¡± As soon as the glowing white orb dered the start of the duel, both fighters swiftly shed against each other. They exchanged exactly three strikes before backing away, as they appraised the ability of their opponent. ¡®How can this be!?¡¯ Frederick was shocked after exchanging blows with Lux. ¡®He¡¯s almost as strong as me!¡¯ Just like everyone else, the leader of the Shadow Tempest thought that since he had already stepped into the Apostle Rank, the battle would easily end in his favor. However, after gauging the strength of his enemy, he realized that although he was still stronger than Lux, the gap between them wasn¡¯t that big. ¡®As expected, I can fight him head-on.¡¯ Lux smiled as he scanned the Dwarf in front of him. ¡®This kid needs to be taught a lesson!¡¯ The Half-Elf stomped his right foot on the ground, preparing to charge at his opponent. However, before he could even take another step, he felt a magical fluctuationing from Frederick¡¯s left hand, seemingly aimed at him. ¡°Stone Bullet!¡± Frederick shouted as a fist-sized stone flew towards Lux, which forced thetter to dodge to the side at thest second. Having his attacking stance broken, the Half-Elf had no choice but to evade the barrage of stone bullets that Frederick fired in his direction. ¡®Crap! He is a Magic Swordsman!¡¯ Lux cursed internally as he was left with no other option but to equip Dawne to block one of the Stone Bullets that he was unable to dodge. A resounding metallic sound spread across the za as Lux skidded a few meters away from where he stood.-. ¡°Sorry I underestimated you earlier,¡± Frederick announced as more magic circles appeared around him. ¡°I will now fight you seriously, so be prepare¨C.¡± Just before Frederick could finish his words, Lux picked a random rock on the ground and threw it at Frederick to stop his chanting. ¡°Stone Bullet!¡± Lux shouted. Frederick tilted his body to the side to dodge Lux¡¯s unexpected attack. This also interrupted him from casting the spell ¡°Stone Bullet Barrage¡± which was the machine gun version of Stone Bullet, firing bullets continuously at a rapid pace. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who can cast magic,¡± Lux dered as he pointed his thumb at his chest. ¡°I can do it too!¡± The lips of the Dwarves watching the duel twitched as they looked at the Half-Elf who was feeling proud of himself. ¡®Bruh¡­ you just picked up a rock and threw it. That¡¯s not how magic works. Aren¡¯t you feeling embarrassed for yourself?¡¯ That was the general summary of everyone¡¯s collective thoughts in the za. Colette, and her party members, on the other hand, covered their faces in embarrassment except Robin. He only nced at his party mates and purposefully took a few steps back as if telling the other Dwarves that he didn¡¯t know any of them. Frederick shrugged off Lux¡¯s words and decided to close the gap between them. He only used a ranged attack earlier to test and see if his enemy had any long range spells that could be used against him. Of course, he already knew that Lux was capable of summoning the Undead thanks to the Dwarves that were on the site the day. They all said that it was how he retrieved the body of the Alpha Monster. The only thing that confused Frederick was that the other party wasn¡¯t using any of his summons. Although he wasn¡¯t afraid of the other party¡¯s summoned monster, theck of it made Frederick think that his opponent wasn¡¯t taking him seriously. The two fighters once again shed against each other at close range. This time, each of their strikes sent sparks flying in the air. ¡°Tempest War Art First Form¡­,¡± Frederick shouted. ¡°Kaizer Sword Art Second Form¡­,¡± Lux dered. ¡°Whirlwind sh!¡± ¡°Crescent sh!¡± A powerful gust of wind erupted at the center of the za, creating a thick dust cloud which blocked everyone¡¯s views from the twobatants. However, Lux and Frederick didn¡¯t falter and unleashed several lethal sword strikes that could seriously injure their opponent. Within the dust cloud, the sound of weapons shing could be heard. Several shes of light could also be seen as both fighters fought toe-to-toe at point nk range. Bothbatants were losing their Health Points at a rapid pace every time their attacks grazed each other. With one powerful sh, Lux sent Frederick a few meters away from him, after the Dwarf had blocked his attack. What Lux didn¡¯t know was that the Leader of the Shadow Tempest had nned this all along. He used the strike of Lux¡¯s sh to gain momentum in order to distance himself from his opponent. Switching his grip on his weapon, Frederick stabbed his sword to the ground and shouted. ¡°Stone Spikes!¡± Lux¡¯s sixth sense kicked in, prompting the Half-Elf to summon his Skeleton Warrior in order to deal with the Dwarf¡¯s unexpected move. Several two-meter spikes jutted out of the ground around where Lux had initially been standing a moment ago, piercing their target from all directions. As the dust cloud settled, Frederick saw the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body copse in front of him, but the Half-Elf was nowhere to be found. Augustus, who used his detection skill, immediately located Lux and shouted to warn his leader where the enemy was. ¡°Frederick, above you!¡± Augustus hollered. Unfortunately, it was already toote. The Skeleton Warrior had propelled Lux high up in the air before the Earth Spikes hit it. This allowed the Half-Elf not only to escape the attack, but also initiate a counter attack of his own. ¡®Kaizer Sword Art Fourth Form!¡¯ Lux pulled his sword back in order to prepare his family¡¯s special attack that he had practiced, while jumping off the tree on their property. He had practiced this move so many times when he was twelve years old, to the point that he fainted every one out of three attempts. Now that he was no longer worried about fainting, Lux unleashed the attack that had made his Grandma Vera spank his bum numerous times for repeating this move over and over again until he fainted. ¡°Phoenix Descent!¡± A screeching sound that was simr to that of a phoenix, spread across the za as Lux¡¯s sword shone brightly. The crowd watched as the Half-Elf brushed through the Dwarf¡¯s body and skidded across the ground with his sword at his side. Phoenix¡¯s Descent was the only attack that his Grandma Vera had taught him that could be used while he was mid-air. It was also an attack that put great stress on the body due to the difficulty of its execution. But, the current Lux was now strong enough to execute this move without fail. Frederick knelt on the ground clutching his chest with his hand. He didn¡¯t expect that not only would someone survive his Earth Spikes, but also manage to counterattack against him. Although they didn¡¯t actually receive any injuries when Duel Mode was activated, they could still feel the pain of each attack. Lux¡¯sst strike made the dwarf feel as if his body was sliced in two. ¡°Duel Over!¡± ¡°Winner, Lux!¡± The Orb of Light announced the victor of the duel before fading away. Colette, who intently watched the battle, immediately ran towards Lux and jumped into his arms. The Half-Elf stored his weapon and caught the ever-lively little girl with both hands, and swung her around, and around, making Colette shout in joy. The Dwarves stared at the Half-Elf in disbelief because they hadn¡¯t expected this oue. As soon as the dust cloud settled, the battle had alsoe to an end. Augustus clenched his fist, because he couldn¡¯t believe that Frederick had lost against the Half-Elf. Now that his leader had lost the battle, it was now his turn to fight. ¡°You did well, Half-Elf,¡± Augustus said as he stepped forward. ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you a few minutes to rest.¡± Lux put Colette down on the ground as he looked at the Shield Warrior who had a serious expression on his face. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rest,¡± Lux said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste time. Let¡¯s just duel now.¡± This time, Lux was the one that initiated the duel and summoned the Orb of Light. After giving it a drop of his blood, the orb flew towards Augustus. ¡®Although I¡¯m not as proficient as Frederick in fighting, I am confident in my defense,¡¯ Augustus thought as he dropped a drop of his blood on the Orb of Light, signaling his eptance to Lux¡¯s challenge. ¡®No matter what kind of attack he makes, I can block them all!¡¯ ¡°I recognize this duel,¡± a voice filled with Divinity said. ¡°The fight will begin in thirty seconds. Make your preparations.¡± Augustus smirked at Lux, and thetter smirked back at him. When the timer ended, Augustus raised his shield and held his ground. As a Shield Warrior who specialized in defense, he had decided to use the counter-attack strategy on Lux, believing that he would be thest one standing between the two of them. However, the smile on the Dwarf¡¯s face stiffened when Lux raised his hand and summoned Diablo and his Skeleton Warrior to fight by his side. He hadpletely forgotten that his opponent was a Necromancer who didn¡¯t need to fight one-on-one battles with him! Chapter 45 Lets Get This Duel Started [Part 3] Augustus had equipped his full-te armor that covered his entire body. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose, so he decided to go all out and prove to the Half-Elf that he was a tough cookie to crack. Diablo summoned the Forest Wolf, making it a four versus one battle. Even so, Augustus wasn¡¯t worried. In his eyes, the only threat was Lux. Once the other party fell, the others would follow, so he decided to focus all of his attention on the Half-Elf. Lux charged at the Shield Warrior as he brandished Oathbreaker to check how tough the little Dwarf was. After executing sh, a metallic ring reverberated in the surroundings after Augustus sessfully blocked his attack. Diablo, the Skeleton Warrior, and the Forest Wolf also took this opportunity to attack the Shield Warrior from all sides. Aside from the shield in his right hand, the dwarf also had a peculiar looking short sword in his left hand, which he used to block Diablo¡¯s strike. For some reason, Augustus¡¯ instinct told him that Diablo was a creature he couldn¡¯t afford to look down on. After sessfully blocking Lux¡¯s and Diablo¡¯s attack, the Forest Wolf¡¯s jaws mped down on the Shield Warrior¡¯s head. At the same time, the Skeleton Warrior shed at the Dwarf¡¯s body. The Forest Wolf¡¯s teeth weren¡¯t able to prate through the helmet it had bitten on. The Skeleton Warrior was no different as its attack didn¡¯t even put a dent on Augustus¡¯ armor.-. One mighty roar suddenly sounded from the Shield Warrior, causing Lux and his subordinates to get blown a few meters away. Augustus unleashed his AOE Skill, Shield Warrior¡¯s Roar, which had a knockback effect. Although it didn¡¯t deal great damage, it was effective when it came to pushing enemies away especially when the user was getting mobbed. ¡°No matter what you do, you can¡¯t pierce my defense!¡± Augustus dered. Lux smiled as he took a fighting stance. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± This was the first time that the Half-Elf had seen a Shield Warrior in action, so he was quite curious about its abilities. From what he could tell, the Forest Wolf and the Skeleton Warrior practically did no damage to Augustus because of his full-te armor. Lux was sure that this armor was something that couldn¡¯t be obtained from Leaf Vige, so there was only one exnation. It was an armor that was given to the Dwarf before he entered Elysium. Seeing that Augustus focused on blocking his attacks, Lux knew that there was only one tactic he could use in order to breach the dwarf¡¯s solid defenses. Lux took a fighting stance and the sword in his hand glowed as he prepared to unleash one of his family¡¯s sword arts. ¡°Kaizer Sword Art First Form¡­,¡± Lux shouted as he charged at the Shield Warrior who had already raised his shield up to meet him. ¡°Piercing the Heavens!¡± Augustus shifted his body in order to deflect Lux¡¯s attack and weaken its momentum. However, just before he could properly block the Half-Elf¡¯s attack, a moan of pain and pleasure escaped his lips. Diablo had positioned himself behind the Dwarf and stabbed Augustus¡¯ bum. Although the Dwarf was wearing a full-te armor that covered his entire body, Diablo¡¯s attack dealt Ethereal Damage. It was an elemental damage that was simr to a spiritual attack that ignored all defenses. Diablo¡¯s attack had prated Augustus¡¯ weak spot, which made thetter cry out in pain and pleasure. Lux didn¡¯t continue his attack because the Dwarf had already copsed on the ground, with his hands covering his backside. ¡°I concede!¡± Augustus said as he rolled on the ground towards his party members. ¡°Duel Over!¡± ¡°Winner, Lux!¡± All the aspiring Shield Warriors, who were watching the battle, unconsciously covered their backside. For some reason, they could feel Augustus¡¯ pain. All of them shuddered as they looked at Diablo, who was looking at his sword in a weird manner. Augustus had already unequipped his te armor and returned to his normal attire. Beads of sweat could be seen in his forehead as he endured the pain that persisted in his backside. It was at that moment when a ck shadow covered his body. The shield warrior looked up only to see Diablo looking down on him. This made Augustus¡¯ body unconsciously shudder as he backed away while shielding his backside with both hands. ¡°The battle is already over!¡± Augustus stated in shame and embarrassment. ¡°What do you want?!¡± Diablo ignored him and simply walked toward the panicking Dwarf who was frantically hiding behind Frederick. Without another word, Diablo reached out to touch Augustus robe and did the unthinkable. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the Skeleton who was wearing a ck Armor used the Shield Warrior¡¯s robes to wipe its sword. Although it was hard to tell the facial expression on the skeleton¡¯s face, everyone could vaguely feel the trace of disgust in Diablo¡¯s face, as he wiped Tranquility¡¯s tip zealously. Lux didn¡¯t know if he shouldugh or cry at his Named Creature¡¯s actions. Just like everyone else, he was also caught off-guard by Diablo¡¯s act, which showed that it was a very intelligent creature. After making sure that his weapon was now clean, Diablo patted Augustus¡¯ head before walking towards its Master, Lux. The Half-Elf knew that he had to diffuse the situation, so he decided to settle things in a peaceful manner. ¡°That was a good fight,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°Although we all started off on the wrong foot, everything can be settled if we all sit down and talk in a civilized manner. Since you want the ded w and the Exoskeleton, I am willing to sell it to your party at a 90% Discount of the market price. ¡°You can buy the ded ws for five gold coins and the Exoskeleton for three gold coins. How does that sound?¡± Frederick knew that Lux was trying to settle things peacefully, so he readily agreed to his condition. Although they still had to pay a total of eight gold coins, it was already a very low price considering that these materials could be used to craft a high-quality weapon and set of armor. ¡°You have a deal,¡± Frederick said as he extended his hand for a handshake. Lux held the Dwarf¡¯s hand and shook it firmly. For him, the Terror Mantis¡¯ ded ws and Exoskeleton were not a big deal to give up. Anyway, he could simply hunt the Terror Mantises at his leisure when Diablo, and his other summons, achieved a higher rank. Making the Dwarves his enemies for materials that he could hoard in the future was simply not worth it. This was why he decided to take a step back and give Frederick and the Shadow Tempest Party a way to resolve the issue without escting things. After the sessful trade, Lux took Colette and her party members to the inn to eat. Robin politely declined, using the excuse that he still had things to do, and left without waiting for anyone¡¯s reply. Colette and the others watched him go with a sigh because they were used to Robin always doing things at his own pace. Lux didn¡¯t think much about it and herded the Golden yers off to eat and drink to their heart¡¯s content. ¡ª¨C In a house located inside Leaf Vige¡­ ¡°Find any information that you can about the Half-Elf,¡± Robin ordered the Dwarves who were kneeling in front of him. ¡°I want to know everything about him. Now, Go!¡± ¡°¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡± All the Dwarves left the house and headed in different directions. Since their master had given them an order, they would fulfill it to the best of their abilities. ¡°Lux Von Kaizer¡­,¡± Robin muttered. ¡°Just how did you arrive here in the Kingdom of Gweliven? Just what is your goal?¡± Robin was very wary of Lux because his father had warned him that associating with children from other races would just lead to trouble. Of course, he didn¡¯t believe this advicepletely because he hadn¡¯t met any other races in the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven. But although he didn¡¯t know if other races could be trusted or not, he was still very curious about the Half-Elf who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. ¡°I¡¯ll find out your true colors soon,¡± Robin said softly. ¡°If you are a threat to this kingdom¡­ I will make sure that you will never be heard from again.¡± Chapter 46 Luxs Business Partners Three days had passed since the duel between Lux and Shadow Tempest Party. Amotion happened in the Figaro Gardens, which made all the Dwarves leveling in the area abandon itpletely. ording to the report of those who managed to flee in time, the Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes and the Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes were regrly conducting swarm raids in the Figaro Gardens. Because of this, most of the Dwarves decided to boycott the North Zone of the Beginner Vige in fear of getting themselves surrounded by thousands of bloodsucking mosquitoes. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had also issued a ss B Extermination Mission to clear the pests that were bing a threat to the outer area of the Beginner¡¯s Vige. The Vige Chief, Cedwyn, was also worried that if things continued to get out of hand, another Monster Outbreak would ur and, this time, they would be fighting against swarms of mosquitoes that thirsted for blood. The Elders of Leaf Vige believed that the threat the Mosquito Swarm posed had even surpassed that of the Undead Army that had raided their vige not long ago. Grandma Annie, the old woman that had fought alongside Lux during the Monster Outbreak, had a grim expression on her face as she voiced her opinion. ¡°I think we need to stock more food in our underground shelter,¡± Grandma Annie proposed. ¡°Unlike the Undead Army, these mosquitoes can get past our defenses because they can fly. Also, the paralyzing effect of their bites can cause countless casualties on our side. It is best to not fight them, and just wait until they leave the vige.¡± Cedwyn and the Elders of the vige nodded their heads. ¡°Fortunately, all the houses and other establishments of our vige have underground basements,¡± Cedwyn said. ¡°If going to the shelter is impossible, hiding in the underground basement is also an option. As long as the mosquitoes don¡¯t see any live targets, they will leave on their own.¡± One of the elders rubbed his beard as he made his concern known. ¡°Has there been any news from the Stronghold of Norria? We sent someone to inform them of the current threat we are facing a day ago. We should have gotten an answer from them by this time.¡±-. Cedwyn sighed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Stronghold is busy right now. Our neighboring vige, Lindow, was attacked by a notorious bandit group. The Warriors of Norria are scouring the nearby areas to find their main camp, but the bastards are like slippery eels that couldn¡¯t get caught. It will take a while before they can spare us some manpower to handle this threat.¡± Grandma Annie shook her head in disappointment after hearing the news, but there was nothing that they could do about it. They were not the only viges that were under the protection of the Stronghold of Norria. Other people needed help from them as well, so they needed to handle the situation on their own for the time being. ¡°Tell the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to issue an announcement to the vigers, as well as the Foreigners, that going to the Figaro Garden is forbidden,¡± Grandma Annie stated. ¡°Although it is impossible to close off the entire area, giving a warning to everyone should at least have enough effect.¡± Everyone in the room nodded their heads as they concluded their meeting. They set out to do their assigned tasks to ensure that their vige would not suffer many casualties if another Monster Outbreak were to happen. ¡ª¨C East Zone, Aspiration ins¡­ ¡°It¡¯s too bad. We can¡¯t go to the Figaro Gardens,¡± Colette said. She was sitting on top of a carriage. ¡°I heard that there have already been two casualties due to the Mosquitoes Mob Strikes in the garden,¡± Mattymented from the side. ¡°It is better to stay away from that ce for the time being.¡± Helen, the Cleric of the group, nodded. ¡°Let the adults handle this matter. This is something that is beyond our abilities. By the way, where is Big Brother?¡± Helen had started to imitate Colette, calling Lux Big Brother as well. It didn¡¯t seem wrong either since he was the oldest and tallest in their party. ¡°Big Brother said that he still has other things to do, so he can¡¯t apany us on this escort mission.¡± Colette pouted. ¡°I wonder what he is up to¡­¡± The Goldenyer Party had taken an escort mission to protect a merchant caravan from bandits and wild monsters. They were headed to a vige called Lindow Vige, which was one of the trade partners of Leaf Vige within the territory of Norria. Robin, who was also seated in the carriage, had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked outside the window. The investigation about Lux¡¯s identity was not proceeding smoothly because they couldn¡¯t gather any information about how he appeared in Leaf Vige. Although Foreigners could visit the Kingdom of Gweliven from their homeworld of Sis, all of them were Dwarves. There had not been a single instance where a different race had appeared in the Dwarven Lands, which was why Lux¡¯s case was being investigated critically. Even the Stronghold of Norria had been keeping an eye on the Half-Elf¡¯s movements through the men that they had stationed in Leaf Vige. As Colette¡¯s party continued their journey, the Half-Elf who didn¡¯t apany them was busy getting chummy with the Ants inside the Figaro Garden. Using the Elysium Compendium as a trantor, Luxmunicated with the Ants while he hid in their underground colony. He asked them of thetest news of what was happening inside the garden. ording to the information he gathered, the number of Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes was growing at a fast rate. This was due to them drinking the blood of stronger monsters as they terrorized the ecosystem that had lost their Alpha Beast. ording to the Elysium Compendium, it would take a week for Alpha Monsters to spawn after they were killed. This prevented newly ranked Apostle Parties from hunting them indiscriminately. Also, the Ants told him some information that made him frown. The dozen Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes that had feasted on the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis had all evolved into Iron Scaled Torment Mosquitoes, which were Rank 2 Monsters. In the Beginner¡¯s Area, the strongest monster was the Field Boss, Forest Wolf King, followed by the Alpha Monsters. The tiers below them were Rank 1 and Rank 2 Monsters. For a party that had just arrived in the Beginner¡¯s Vige, they could at most handlemon monsters like Horned Rabbits, Skeletons, Lady Bugs, and Forest Wolves. After they became stronger, they could then challenge Rank 1 Monsters. After they get used to fighting strong monsters, they could then challenge the Rank 2 Monsters, which would help them level up faster. This would also allow them to gain enough stat points in order to deal with the Alpha Monsters in each zone of the Beginner¡¯s Vige. In the absence of the Alpha Monster, the current big boss of the Figaro Garden were now the Mosquitoes. No creature within it would dare to poke their noses out while these bloodsuckers were bing more and more active in their territory. While Lux was chatting with the Ants about mundane things, Diablo gave him a mental message which made the Half-Elf grin. ¡®I knew it!¡¯ Lux thought as he gave an order to his Named Creature. ¡®This is the perfect opportunity to farm points!¡¯ Lux was different from the Elysians and Sians. He didn¡¯t get experience points through killing monsters. He received points directly after absorbing Beast Cores and finishing quests. Right now, no Dwarves were loitering in the Figaro Gardens, which made this the perfect spot for him to loot the goods that the mosquitoes left behind. The mosquitoes only cared about blood. They would immediately leave the body of their prey once all of its blood had been sucked out of its body. What did this mean? It meant that Lux could get Beast Cores without having to do anything! Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior would scout the areas where the Mosquito Swarm had just passed through. He got the information about the monster raids from the Ants, who shared information through their colony. With such a powerful informationwork, which covered the entirety of the Figaro Garden, aiding him, Lux could collect Beast Cores without any problems, even if the mosquitoes were still active in the area. After all, Diablo and the Skeleton Warriors were just walking bones. As long as they didn¡¯t actively attack the Mosquitoes, the Swarm would just leave them alone. This created the perfect opportunity for Lux to collect Beast Cores and materials which he could sell back in Leaf Vige to earn coins. Of course, the Ants also got some benefits from cooperating with Lux. They had agreed into a seventy-thirty split. Seventy percent goes to the Ants, while thirty percent goes to him. The Figaro Garden was a very big ce, and Lux understood that he couldn¡¯t cover them all. This was why he had made the Ants his business partners for a win-win scenario. His Skeletons would scout the area to tell them if the coast was clear. After that, the Ants would then send their scavenging parties to haul the dead bodies of the Monsters back to their colonies. This partnership allowed the Ants to safely stock up on their food sources, without worrying about being targeted by the troublesome Mosquitoes that could poke them to death. Lux would then get thirty percent of the Beast Cores of Rank 1 and 2 Monsters, as well as their materials after the Ants had collected their bodies. Although the number of Rank 1 and 2 Monsters only numbered about a dozen or so, having two to five Beast Cores a day was something that Lux wouldn¡¯t dare pass up. ¡ª- (A/N: In case I haven¡¯t mentioned it before, the people in Sis that go to Elysium can level up to be stronger. Likewise, the people of Elysium also level up by fighting monsters and using Beast Cores. Once theirbined stat points reached a certain threshold, they would be able to break through the Rankings.) Chapter 47 I Just Did What Was Needed To Be Done A week had passed since Lux had holed himself up in the Figaro Garden and he was still conducting his business with the Ants. Although the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had announced that going to the Figaro Gardens was forbidden, some stubborn Dwarves would still secretly go there to kill monsters and collect herbs and other ingredients. Due to the decrease of people visiting the ce, the Dwarves didn¡¯t have muchpetition in herb collecting, monster killing, and foraging. This made them bolder, so most of them decided to go deeper inside the garden, which was a big mistake on their part. ¡°Run!¡± A party of Dwarves had ventured too deep in their exploration, and came in contact with one of the mosquito swarms that were active in the area. The buzzing sounds of the mosquitoes¡¯ wings became louder as they closed their gap between the Dwarves who were rich in blood. While they were running away, the healer of the party suddenly tripped on one of the roots of the nts that was on his way. ¡°Help!¡± the healer cried out, but his party members only gave him a side-long nce before running away. ¡°Nooooo! Stay away!¡± The healer screamed as the mosquitoes pierced his body with their bloodsuckers. His blood curdling screams spread across the garden, which scared those who heard it increase the pace of their running.-. The ranger of the party, a girl with long brown hair, had been enduring the sudden pain in her ankle as she ran with all of her might, but she had finally reached her limit. She fell face first on the ground as tears streamed down her eyes. The Dwarf girl knew what fate awaited her, but there was nothing else she could do. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to die!¡± the girl shouted. ¡°Mama! Save me, Mama!¡± It was at that moment when her body was grabbed by something, making her scream with all of her might. Her screaming onlysted for only a brief moment, before it disappearedpletely. ¡®Sh*t! We shouldn¡¯t havee!¡¯ the Leader of the party cursed internally. ¡®We should have only stayed on the outskirts. I have been too greedy!¡¯ No matter how much he cursed himself, it was already toote. Another scream echoed in the garden which made the Leader subconsciously shudder. He had asked his teammates to spread out in order to increase their chances of survival. However, the screams he just heard sounded close to his location. It only meant one thing and that was that the Monster Swarm was hot on his trail. Using everything he had, the Dwarf ran as fast as he could like there was no tomorrow. Even though he could already feel a stinging pain in his chest, he ignored it and only ran as fast as he could. This allowed him to widen the gap between him and the Mosquito Swarm. A few hourster, he woulde to discover that he was one of the only three survivors of his party of six. ¡ª¨C The Dwarf girl, who had sprained her ankle earlier, hung limply in Diablo¡¯s arm. He had discovered her crying when he was exploring the area where the mosquitoes were currently active. Naturally, Lux ordered Diablo to save her, as well as one of herpanions that was nearby. After running for a few minutes, Diablo saw the Skeleton Warrior carrying an unconscious Dwarf boy in his arms. The two immediately headed to one of the Ant Holes that were scattered around the Figaro Gardens to hide from the Mosquito Swarm that was still hunting the members of the Dwarf party. Although they wanted to save more Dwarves, there were only two of them, and the things they could do were limited. After running in the underground tunnel for half an hour, the two Undead Finally arrived at a wide cavern where Lux was waiting for them. Unlike the unconscious Dwarf boy, the ranger was awake and saw everything that had transpired. After arriving at the cavern, Diablo handed the ranger to Lux, while the Skeleton Warriorid the unconscious boy to the ground. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Lux asked. The ranger nodded. ¡°Just a sprain, but I¡¯m mostly alright. Thank you for saving me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Lux replied as he gentlyid her on the ground to tend to her injuries. The Half-Elf deftly removed the ranger¡¯s boots from her feet, before taking out a healing potion from his storage ring. He poured half of the bottle¡¯s contents on the swelling ankle before checking the other Dwarf¡¯s condition. The Dwarf girl watched Lux tend to herpanion and felt gratitude welling up in her heart. Deep inside, she felt relieved that she was able to survive this incident. If Diablo hadn¡¯te to her rescue, she might have already turned into a dried husk right about now, and would never see her mother ever again. After delivering the two Dwarf children, Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior once again left the Ant Nest. They would look for the girl¡¯s other party members and bring them here to see if they could still be saved. Even if they were dead, Lux ordered them to bring their corpses back inside the Ant Nest, so that he could return them to Leaf Vige. Later, they could be taken back home to Sis, to be given a proper burial. A few hours passed, before Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior returned. The ranger girl turned pale after seeing the remains of herpanions, who were bereft of blood. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Lux watched this scene with a sigh. The Figaro Gardens was currently an off-limit zone, and this Dwarf party thought that they were strong and smart enough to survive it. Unfortunately, they thought too highly of themselves, which led to this tragic ending. Half an hourter, the unconscious boy awoke from his slumber. What followed next was a screaming fit after he saw what remained of hispanions. It took a while for Lux to calm the panicking Dwarf. Fortunately, in the end, he regained hisposure. ¡°Stay here for the time being,¡± Lux said to the two surviving Dwarves before cing the remains of theirpanions inside his ck Coffin. The coffin could store dead and dying humanoid creatures inside them, but Lux couldn¡¯t use its main ability because he hadn¡¯t met the necessary requirements. Also, he didn¡¯t want to do it as well. If he were to turn the Dwarves into Undead, he was sure that every Dwarf in Leaf Vige would hate him, even if his intentions were good. Since that was the case, the least he could do was bring their bodies back to the vige and let their friends return them to Sis to get buried. ¡°A swarm is currently active near the exit of the Garden,¡± Lux said to the two Dwarves after receiving Diablo¡¯s report. ¡°We will return to the vige once they decide to return to their nest.¡± The two dwarves could only nod their heads as they sat and hugged their legs while staring at the small fire that Lux had made to cook some barbecue skewers made from horned rabbit meat. ¡°Thank you for saving me,¡± the Dwarf boy said after a while. ¡°My name is Glenn, thirteen years old. I am a third son of a viscount in the Dwarven Empire of Evarith. I will do my best to repay your kindness in the future.¡± The Dwarf girl raised her head as she stared at Lux with an embarrassed expression on her face. She hadpletely forgotten to introduce herself to the Half-Elf after he had saved her. ¡°My name is Megan. Fourteen years old.¡± Megan bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m only ofmoner birth, but I thank you for saving me. I can¡¯t give you a reward because my family is poor, but if there¡¯s any way I can repay you, just ask. I will do my best to return the favor.¡± Lux nodded as he also introduced himself to the two Dwarves who were looking at him with grateful expressions on their faces. ¡°Lux,¡± Lux said. ¡°I don¡¯t need any repayment. I just did what needed to be done. I¡¯m sure that if you were in my shoes, both of you would have done the same.¡± Glen and Megan lowered their heads. They felt ashamed because back then, they only thought about saving themselves, and didn¡¯t care if theirrades were going to die or not. After all, they were just a temporary party that was made out of necessity. Lux didn¡¯t know what the two Dwarves were thinking as he took two skewers from the fire pit and gave them to the two of them to eat. ¡°Eat first,¡± Lux stated. ¡°Both of you will need your strength when we leave this ce.¡± The two dwarves thanked Lux for his generosity and ate the barbecue in silence. The Half-Elf was about to give them more when his sensitive ears picked up a buzzing sounding from one of the tunnels leading to their cavern. Seeing the look of concern on Lux¡¯s face, the two Dwarves frowned. They couldn¡¯t hear what the red-headed teenager was hearing, so they were not aware that the Mosquitoes had discovered one of the hidden entrances that led into the colony. ¡°Both of you stay here,¡± Lux said as he ran towards one of the tunnels to help the Ants resist the invaders. Right now, he and the Ants were allies, so it was only natural for him to extend his help during their time of need. Glenn and Megan nced at each other before nodding their heads at the same time. They stood up and ran after their savior. Although they didn¡¯t know what had caused Lux to have that anxious look on his face, they were sure that it was not something good. Chapter 48 Skirmish Inside the Ant Nest As soon as Lux arrived near one of the entrances leading to the colony, he could see several Ants and Mosquitoes already fighting against each other. Dozens of Mosquitoes led by an Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito (Rank 2 Monster), and four Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes (Rank 1 Monster) started to sh against the defenders. Fortunately, the Ants weren¡¯t pushovers. Although they were pacifists, when push came to shove, they were willing to fight back against any invaders. The Guards of the Ant Nest, which were the Horned Army Ant (Rank 1) spat formic acid at the mosquitoes that attempted to enter their domain. The Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes shrieked in pain after their bodies were drenched in acid. The Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes, on the other hand, received minor injuries, but they were still capable of battling. Only the Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito was unaffected by the acid sprays that fell on its body. It boldly impaled one of the defender Ants with its spear-like bloosuckers and started to suck its blood. The Ants screeched in anger as they called for backup within their colony. Soon, more Horned Army Ants emerged and started to bombard their foes with formic acid. Due to the overwhelming difference in numbers, the numbers of Mosquitoes decreased drastically. Even the Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes couldn¡¯t escape the army¡¯s advance. The only problem was the Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito, whose body was resilient to the acid sprays that the Ants were shooting at it.-. After seeing that all of its bodyguards had died, the Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito nned to make its escape, but the Ants were adamant to prevent it from getting away. They had blocked the entrance leading outside of their nest, effectively trapping thest invading monster within. The Ants had climbed the walls and the ceiling of their nest, and lunged at the invader who was trying its best to remain in the air. However, after several ants had taken hold of its body, it lost its ability to fly, and fell to the ground. It was at that moment when the Ants showed their superiority as they mobbed the Scaled Torment Mosquito like a bunch of gangsters out for blood. Shrieks and screeches emerged from the cavern as the ants bit, pulled, and tore the mosquito apart. When the helpless mosquito had lost its ability to fly, three ants that were two-meter tall emerged from the depths of the Ant Nest. Lux knew the name of this Ant Species because he had seen them while traversing the countless passages of the underground maze that had been built by the Ants. ¡°Armored Jaws,¡± Lux muttered as he saw the Rank 2 defenders of the Ant Colony. The bodies of these ants were as hard as steel. Using their powerful mandibles, they grabbed hold of the Iron Scaled Torment Mosquito¡¯s body and tore it apart. Lux watched this scene unfold with a calm expression on his face. The reason why he was confident in having the Ants be his business partners was due to the fact that they were the true Overlords of the Figaro Garden. The Mosquitoes were scary because they numbered in the tens of thousands, but it didn¡¯t mean that they could beat the Ants which numbered in the hundreds of thousands. When talking about superiority between the two races, the ants were clearly the winner. If not for their pacifist attitude, they would have long be the true rulers of the Figaro Garden. After the battle, the Ants carried the bodies of the Mosquitoes back to their Queen so she could feast upon them. They also carried off the bodies of their fallenrades, which they would bury at a specialized location called the graveyard of the ants. Earlier, Lux wanted to help, but when he saw that the Ants didn¡¯t need it, he held his hand and simply watched the battle unfold. Glenn and Megan looked at the dead Mosquitoes with lingering fear because they knew that if it weren¡¯t for Lux¡¯s help, they would have died a very painful and horrific death. Lux approached one of the Guard Ants and took out his Elysium Compendium tomunicate. After getting the information he needed, he bid the Ant goodbye and signaled for Glenn and Megan to follow him. ¡°This tunnel will lead us to the surface. It is also the entrance that the Mosquitoes used to infiltrate the Ant Nest,¡± Lux exined. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry, the Mosquitoes in this area have all been killed, so it is safe to use this passage to return to Leaf Vige.¡± The two Dwarves nodded in understanding. ¡°Diablo,e forth!¡± Lux ordered. ¡°Skeleton Warrior, youe here as well!¡± Immediately, a ck knight , and a skeleton warrior appeared in front of them. ¡°Check the entrance and the surrounding area for any Mosquitoes.¡± Luxmanded. ¡°Make sure to extend your search, to ensure that the path towards Leaf Vige doesn¡¯t have any danger.¡± Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior nodded their heads as they ran towards the surface. Several Horned Army Ants walked past Lux and the two Dwarves to resume their duties in guarding their nest. The three followed behind the Ants because it would be safer that way. After a quarter of an hour of scouting, Diablo informed the Half-Elf that the coast was clear, and no threats were in sight. Hearing his trusted subordinate¡¯s report, Lux led the two Dwarves back to Leaf Vige without encountering any monsters along their path. ¡°Thank you for saving me again,¡± Glenn bowed. ¡°I promise to repay this favor in the future.¡± ¡°Me, too,¡± Megan said firmly. ¡°I will return this favor.¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Please, take care of the bodies of yourrades and return them to their families.¡± Glenn and Megan sadly nodded their heads because this was the least that they could do for their party members that had fallen in battle. ¡°Glenn! Megan! Thank goodness you are alive!¡± a Dwarf shouted as he ran in their direction. Glenn and Megan looked at their party leader, Oman, with sad expressions on their faces. When thetter had told all of them to separate, they knew that it was the only way to increase the number of survivors in their party. They simply couldn¡¯t fight against hundreds of Mosquitoes at the same time. Doing so would only lead to a pointless death. As the Dwarf neared their location, Lux unloaded the bodies of the three Dwarves that he had ced inside sacks to be brought back home in Sis. ¡°Oman, this is Lux,¡± Glenn said after the three had their reunion. ¡°He is the one who saved us, and brought the bodies of our friends back to us.¡± Oman¡¯s face paled after seeing the three sacks on the ground. After having escaped the Mosquitos¡¯ pursuit, the Dwarf had kept on ming himself for what happened to his party members. He really thought that he was the only one that survived and was ridden with guilt. Before seeing Glenn and Megan, Oman had already resolved to go back to the Figaro Garden to find the bodies of his party members and give them a proper burial. ¡°Thank you, Sir Lux,¡± Oman bowed his head. ¡°If therees a time that you will need my help, just say a word. Even at the cost of my life, I will help you to the best of my ability.¡± Oman tapped his chest three times with his closed fist. This was a gesture that Dwarves did when they made an absolute pledge to someone with their life on the line. Lux looked at the Dwarf who had blonde hair and brown eyes who was looking at him with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Understood,¡± Lux replied. ¡°If there will reallye a time when I will need your help, I will not hesitate to call you.¡± After spending time with the Dwarves, the Half-Elf already understood how serious they were when it came to pledges. Because of this, he epted Oman¡¯s promise because it was the right thing to do. ¡°Just return the bodies of your friends to their loved ones, and do not step into the Figaro Gardens again for the time being,¡± Lux stated. ¡°The environment there is too dangerous for you kids. Also, do not throw your lives away because of greed. We only have one life. Treasure it and live it to the fullest.¡± Lux bid the Dwarves goodbye and returned to the inn. He had stayed in the Figaro Gardens for a week, and he hadn¡¯t had a good sleep for the past few days. Also, he needed to take a bath badly, so he decided to take the rest of the day off. As he walked towards his inn, he thought about his own party mates that had epted an Escort Mission. He kinda missed the rowdy bunch of Dwarves, especially Colette who was always brimming with positivity. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, they will be back in another two weeks,¡± Lux muttered as he made his way towards his room. ¡°When they return, I think I¡¯ll ask them to help me hunt the Carbuncle in the Aspiration ins.¡± The Carbuncle was the Alpha Beast of the Aspiration ins. Although it was a Rank 3 Monster, it didn¡¯t specialize in attacks. Instead it was a support type monster that had the power to heal and buff the minions that fought for it. It was the weakest among the three Alpha Beasts in the Beginner¡¯s Vige. Lux was confident that if they all worked together, they would be able to hunt it down without any problems. ¡°All of you, please be safe,¡± Lux said softly as he looked to the East where Lindow Vige was located. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to go adventuring with you guys again.¡± Chapter 49 Lux’s Dilemma Twenty-six Beast Cores. That was the total number of Beast Cores that were currently in Lux¡¯s possession. One of these cores belonged to the Alpha Beast, Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. The Half-Elf looked at these cores, not with happiness, but with a serious expression on his face. He was torn whether he should use these cores to upgrade himself or to upgrade his summons. If Lux chose to use these Beast Cores for himself, he wouldn¡¯t be able to add any points to his existing stats anymore because it would kick him out of the Beginner¡¯s Zone. The Half-Elf knew this, but there was one more thing that was making him hesitate and that was not knowing what skills could be learned from the Beast Cores. If he used the Cores for his Summons, he would no longer have the chance to learn the skills from them. Although the chances of learning a skill from a Beast Core was small, the possibility still existed. This was why he was hesitant to not use them to strengthen himself. ¡°Soul Book,¡± Lux muttered as he raised his hand. Immediately his Soul Book appeared. The Half-Elf then checked his stats to see what he could do about his current predicament. ¡ª¡ª Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Health: 960 / 960 Mana: 940 / 940 Strength: 46 (+3) Intelligence: 46 (+1) Vitality: 31 Agility: 34 (+3)-. Dexterity: 31 (+3) Free Stat Points Avable: 35 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX], Mana Drain [EX] Active Skills: Power Shot, sh, Dark Arrow, Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude ¡ª¨C Elysium Copper Coins: 170 Elysium Silver Coins: 24 Elysium Gold Coins: 8 ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: F+ Progress: (56/100) Conquest is not all about imingnds, and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you. Upgrade Rewards: +5 to All Stats, +200 Health Points, Mana Drain [EX] Note: Upgrading your special constitution will allow you to unlock its abilities. ¡ª < Diablo > ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Skeleton Fighter ¨C Rating: D ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress ( 40 / 100) ¡ª- < Skeleton Warrior > Rating: F+ Mana: 5 ¨C Summons one Skeleton Warrior to fight for you ¨C Summon duration: 1 hour ¨C Skill Cooldown: 5 minutes. Progress ( 0 / 100) ¡ª¨C Lux gazed at this status page as he held the Rank 3 Beast Core of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis in his hand. ¡®I need 44 Points to upgrade my Body Constitution to its next stage,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®With a Rank 3 Beast Core, I can get 15 free Status Points, and 15 Body Constitution Points.¡¯ The Half-Elf had long decided that he would be using the Alpha Beast Core on himself, because the Terror Mantis had three skills and they were Fury sh, Gust, and Berserk. Right now, his sh skill was on its way to evolving into Fury sh. Among the three skills that could be learned from the Beast Core, Fury sh was not something he wanted to acquire. Gust was a Wind Elemental Skill that created powerful gusts of wind that dealt damage and blew away one¡¯s enemies. Berserk, on the other hand, was a very useful ability that doubles one¡¯s stat points for a brief period of time. However, it had a downside. When the berserked state faded away, the user would have their stats halved as they fell into a weakened state for a period of time. This was also why the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis fell to the Mosquito Swarm. After losing half its health points, the bacsh of the weakened state made it unable to resist the Mosquitoes and died under their suppression. ¡®Okay, I will upgrade my Body Constitution then focus the remaining upgrades on Diablo and the Skeleton Warrior.¡¯ Lux clenched his fist as he made up his mind to upgrade his Body Constitution. When he upgraded his Body Constitution for the first time, the overall upgrade to his body was fantastic. Also, the Half-Elf was hoping that the free options that would be avable to him after his upgrade would include the War Cry skill. Last time, he was forced to choose Mana Drain in order tost longer during battles, which had been a great boon. Now that another upgrade was on the way, Lux wanted to choose the skill War Cry so that his subordinates would have increased bonus damage that would make their attacks stronger. ¡®Okay. Let¡¯s do this!¡¯ Lux held the Beast Core with both of his hands and willed his thoughts to consume it. ¡ª¨C < Ding! > < Do you wish to consume the Rank 3 Beast Core? > < Yes / No > ¡ª¨C Lux naturally chose yes and picked the Upgrade Stat Points option. ¡ª¨C Obtained 15 Free Stats Points Obtained 15 Body Constitution Points You have acquired the Fury sh ¡ª¨C The corner of Lux¡¯s lips twitched when he saw that the skill that he acquired was the skill that he didn¡¯t want to learn! The Half-Elf was about to curse out loud when a series of notifications appeared in his Soul Book. ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected that the skill sh was on its way to evolving into Fury sh. > < Forcefully upgrading sh to Fury sh. > < Upgrade Sessful! > < Skill Evolution [EX] has detected that the skill Fury sh can be upgraded one more time. > < New Skill Unlocked! > < Double Fury sh > Active Skill: Requires 10 Mana to use ¨C sh the enemy twice forming an X dealing Heavy Physical Damage with a very high chance of dealing critical damage. ¨C Deals +100 Damage with high chance of dealing critical damage. ¨C If your target has less than half of its health remaining, it deals an additional +100 damage to your attack with a high chance of dealing critical damage. ¨C Requirements to upgrade: Use Fury sh 10x Progress: (0/10) ¨C You can use Fury sh and Double Fury sh anytime once the requirement has been met. ¡ª¡ª Lux blinked at the information in front of him before his initial annoyance turned into happiness. ¡°Not bad!¡± Lux grinned after seeing the new skill that was added in his collection. The Half-Elf then used three more Rank 1 Beast Cores and sessfully upgraded his Body Constitution to the next level. ¡ª¨C < Ding! > < Congrattions! Your Body Constitution has been upgraded! > < Choose one from among these three options as your bonus reward! > (Option 1) ¨C +50 permanent points to Vitality (Options 2) ¨C Warcry: +30 Physical and Magical Damage to you and your allies Duration: 5 minutes Cooldown: 10 minutes (Options 3) ¨C Item Transmutation ¨C Transfer a skill from one item to another. Once the skill has been sessfully transferred, the item will be immediately destroyed. ¡ª¨C As expected, the skill War Cry was avable after Lux had upgraded his Body Constitution. However, a new skill had caught his interest and it was none other than Item Transmutation. After using the Elysium Compendium, Lux found out that the skill ¡°Item Transmutation¡± was a Pseudo-Mythical Tier Skill that could only be learned by Grandmaster Alchemists, Grandmaster cksmiths, Grand Master Jewelers, and other Grandmaster Artisans that specialized in creating items. In a nutshell, if Lux were to sacrifice Tranquility and transfer its ability to summon a Forest Wolf to Oathbreaker, the Unique Sword would gain a ¡°bonus skill¡±. But, it wouldn¡¯t end there. If Lux could acquire other items with special abilities then he could transfer all of them to his equipment, making them more powerful. ¡°¡­ Damn! Why must you make things difficult for me?!¡± Lux was both happy and frustrated at the third choice that appeared after he had upgraded his Body Constitution. His initial choice was to get War Cry. But now that the skill Item Transmutation has appeared, he was having a hard time deciding between the two. Right now, Lux was in a dilemma. Just likest time, he wasn¡¯t sure if the skill Item Transmutation would still be there after he upgraded his Body Constitution again. For him, a Pseudo-Mythical Skill like Item Transmutation would allow him to have Overpowered Equipment if he yed his cards right. Lux could see the skill¡¯s potential. He even thought of buying cheap equipment with special skills so he could attach them to his own equipment. Simply put, this was a money burning skill with great payoff. Chapter 50 A Fun Thing To See ¡°Fine,¡± Lux muttered after an intense internal struggle. ¡°So be it. I choose you, Item Transmutation!¡± ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > < Since the Skill is learned from your Body Constitution Upgrade and not from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. > < Item Transmutation [EX] > ¨C Transfer up to two skills, or weapon attributes, from one item to another. Once the skills or attributes have been sessfully transferred, the sacrificed item will immediately be destroyed. ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: E Progress: (0/200) Conquest is not all about imingnds, and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you. Upgrade Rewards: +1000 Health Points, Item Transmutation [EX] Bonus Reward: +1 Summon Skeleton Skill ¨C You will be able to summon two more skeletons to fight for you. Note: Upgrading your special constitution will allow you to unlock its abilities. ¡ª¡ª ¡°Yes!¡± Lux raised his hand in excitement after seeing the bonuses that he got after upgrading his body constitution. ¡°This is so freaking awesome!¡± He already expected that the Item Transmutation skill could evolve to its next form, but the thing that he didn¡¯t expect was that he would get a bonus reward for his summoning skill. Before, he could only summon one Skeleton Warrior, but now he could summon three. Counting Diablo and his other Skeleton Warriors, he now had a total of four summons he could use to fight along his side. This greatly increased his manpower in one fell swoop. ¡°Twenty Four Beast Core Remaining.¡± Lux eyed the Beast Cores in his possession. Twenty of those Beast Cores were from Rank 1 Monsters, while four were from Rank 2 Monsters. -. Lux opened up Diablo¡¯s page in the Soul Book to check the points he needed to upgrade his trusted partner. ¡ª¨C < Diablo > ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Skeleton Fighter ¨C Rating: D ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress ( 40 / 100) ¡ª¨C Diablo had the title Firstborn. As Lux¡¯s first Named Creature Diablo had gained the special ability to increase the number of skill points he would get when upgraded by a Beast Core. Normally¡­ A Rank 1 Beast Core would give 10 Skill Points. A Rank 2 Beast Core would give 20 Skill Points. But if Lux were to use a Rank 1 Beast Core on Diable, thetter would gain 15 points. With a Rank 2 Core, thetter would gain 30 points. Without batting an eye, Lux used two Rank 2 Beast Cores to upgrade his Named Creature, raising Diablo¡¯s overall performance. ¡ª¨C < Diablo > ¡°Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!¡± ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Skeleton Fighter ¨C Rating: D+ ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress ( 0 / 300) Health: 1,275 / 1,275 Mana: 840 / 840 Attack: 70 ¨C 95 (+20 Damage from Tranquility) Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Strength: 43 (+1) Intelligence: 42 Vitality: 41 (+2) Agility: 42 (+2) Dexterity: 42 (+2) Defense: 75 (+100 Defense) (New!) Title: Firstborn, Squad Captain (New!) Active Skills: sh, Heavy sh (New!), Bone Spear (New!) Passive Skills: Parry, Tactician, Improved Dodge Note: This Skeleton is going to be the next Pirate King! ¡ª¨C Lux nodded his head in satisfaction. With the upgrade, Diablo¡¯s strength had officially broken through the Apostle Grade, which was equivalent to a Rank 1 Monster. Not only that, Lux¡¯s Named Creature also acquired several bonuses like increased defense, a new title, two active skills, and one passive skill. ¡ª¨C < Squad Captain > ¨C Increases the attack and defense of any unit under the Named Creature¡¯s Command by 20% ¡ª¨C < Bone Spear > Mana: 10 ¨C Throws a spear made of bones at a target. ¨C Deals +100 Damage to target ¨C Has a medium chance to deal Critical Damage ¨C Skill Cooldown: 30 Seconds ¡ª¨C < Improved Dodge > ¨C Enhances the chance to dodge any attack during battle. ¡ª- ¡°The title, Squad Captain, came at the right time,¡± Lux said as he rubbed his chin. ¡°Without War Cry, I have no way of increasing the damage of my Undead Summons. This skill will have to do for the time being. Now, it¡¯s time to upgrade my Skeleton Warriors.¡± Lux preferred quality over quantity, but since his Body Cultivation had given him additional manpower free of charge, he would use it to his full advantage. Lux consumed ten Rank 1 Beast Cores, bringing his stash of cores to twelve. ¡ª- < Choose which path of Evolution you wish to take. > Option 1: Summon Four Skeleton Warriors to fight for you instead of three. Option 2: Upgrade Summon Skeleton Skill to Summon Skeleton Fighter. ¡ª- ¡°Um? Skeleton Fighters? Isn¡¯t this Diablo¡¯s current ss?¡± Lux muttered as he looked at the two options avable to him. ¡°I need to make them stronger, so Skeleton Fighter it is!¡± ¡ª¨C < Summon Skeleton Fighter > Rating: E+ Mana: 5 Max Summons: (0/3) ¨C Summons one Skeleton Fighter to fight for you ¨C Summon duration: 1 hour Progress ( 0 / 100) ¡ª¡ª After upgrading the Skeleton Warrior to Skeleton Fighter, it had also gained the Passive Skill Parry, which allowed it to deflect attacks then follow up with a counter attack. Lux used ten more Beast Cores to upgrade his Skeleton Fighters one more time, bringing his stockpile of Beast Cores down to two. ¡ª¨C < Choose which path of Evolution you wish to take. > Option 1: Summon Four Skeleton Fighters to fight for you instead of three. Option 2: Allow Skeleton Fighters to use Basic Tactical Formations in battle, allowing them to effectively fight as a team. ¡ª¨C ¡°Option two it is.¡± Lux chose the second option without batting an eye. Teamwork was important in any battle. The Half-Elf understood this concept. With Diablo as the Squad Captain of the group, they would be able tounch effective attacks against their enemies, and use their numbers as an advantage. ¡ª¨C < Summon Skeleton Fighter > Rating: D Mana: 5 Max Summons: (0/3) Progress ( 0 / 200) ¨C Summons one Skeleton Fighter to fight for you ¨C Summon duration: 1 hour Health Points: 250 Attack: 20 ¨C 35 Active Skills: sh Passive Skills: Parry Note: Your Skeleton Fighters will gain great improvements on their next upgrade. ¡ª¡ª Lux sighed after looking at his Soul Book. He already knew that being a necromancer would require him to use many resources. Unlike most of the other Job sses which only required others to strengthen themselves, Lux needed to constantly upgrade his skills which allowed his minions to be stronger separately. He knew that this path would be a difficult road to travel, but he had already made up his mind to go through with it until the end. ¡°Perhaps a month or two from now, I will have enough Skeleton Warriors to challenge the Hell Mode of the Bronze Crypt even if I am alone.¡± Lux pondered. ¡°When that happens, I will be able to constantly farm Rank 2 Beast Cores without needing to share them with anyone.¡± Lux chuckled as an ingenious idea appeared in his mind. ¡°I wonder how Colette will react if I manage to break her Big Sister¡¯s record in the Bronze Crypt? That will be a fun thing to see.¡± The Half-Elf grinned while thinking of the not so distant future. Now that he and his Summons had undergone an upgrade, he would be able to farm more Beast Cores in the Figaro Gardens, while waiting for his Dwarf friends to return from their escort mission. He was sure that the next time they saw him, they would be surprised at how much he improved while they were away. Chapter 51 There Is No Coincidence In The World A day after Lux finished upgrading his Soul Book, he went to visit the cksmith in Leaf Vige. His goal was to purchase cheap weapons that had skills imbued in them, so he could transfer the skills to make his own equipment stronger. ¡°Sir Randolph, good morning!¡± Lux greeted the cksmith who was taking a break from his smithing. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Lux,¡± Randolph greeted the Half-Elf who had be his regr supplier of Beast Parts that hailed from the Figaro Garden. ¡°Are you going to sell me some materials today?¡± Lux shook his head. ¡°No. This time, I am here to buy weapons and armor.¡± Randolph chuckled as he gestured to the weapons and armors that were on disy in his shop. Lux held the Elysium Compendium in his hand and the detailed information of the items in front of him materialized in his sight. The Elysium Compendium could also work as an appraising tool. After all, its main feature was ess to detailed information about almost anything in Elysium. The Half-Elf looked at the War Axe in front of him and immediately saw the information he was looking for. ¡ª- Axe of Onught Weapon Type: Axe Rarity: Rare Damage: 40 ¨C 75 Durability: 300/300 Required Strength: 30 Skill: Critical Strike-. ¨C Each attack has a 10% chance to do critical damage. Price: 20 Gold ¡ª¨C Lux scratched his head as he looked at the price of the Axe of Onught, and the coins he had in his possession. ¡ª¨C Elysium Copper Coins: 200 Elysium Silver Coins: 50 Elysium Gold Coins: 12 ¡ª¨C Even after selling all of those valuable monster parts to Randolph, his current funds still weren¡¯t enough to buy the Axe in front of him. With a heavy heart, Lux could only force himself to look at the other weapons beside the Axe and wondered if they would fit his budget. ¡ª¨C Sting Weapon Type: One-handed Sword Rarity: Rare Damage: 20 ¨C 32 Durability: 200/200 Required Strength: 15 Required Dexterity: 15 Skill: Envenom Mana: 10 ¨C Has a low chance to poison your target. Price: 10 Gold ¡ª- Fanged Kris Weapon Type: Dagger Rarity: Rare Damage: 15 ¨C 25 Strength Requirement: 10 Dexterity Requirement: 20 Durability: 200/200 Skill: Thorn ¨C has a 5% chance to apply the Bleeding effect to your target with every strike. ¨C Bleeding effect reduces your target¡¯s Health Points by 1% of its Maximum Health Points every 2 seconds. ¨C Bleed Effect Duration: 10 seconds. Price: 15 Gold ¡ª¡ª Lux checked all the items in Randolph¡¯s shop. In conclusion, all of them were pretty expensive. Some of them had skills imbued to them, while others didn¡¯t have any. But the thing that made him depressed the most was how pretty darn expensive they all were. The normal weapons were obviously cheaper, but since they didn¡¯t possess any Skills whatsoever, it was useless to buy them. Only superior weapons and sets of armor in Randolph¡¯s shop had skills, but aside from being expensive, there was only a limited number of them. It was at that moment when Lux understood how much of a money burning skill the Item Transmutation [EX] was. Without any item in hand, he wouldn¡¯t be able to maximize the skill that he had gained after his upgrade. While Lux was having a dilemma, a sudden idea popped inside his head. ¡°Um, Sir Randolph, do you have any defective products for sale?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Even scrapped weapons will do.¡± Randolph frowned as he looked at the Half-Elf who had just asked him something unreasonable. ¡°Boy, I don¡¯t sell defective products in my shop,¡± Raymond replied with a snort. ¡°No Dwarf cksmith that cares about their name and reputation would do such a thing. If you ask me something like this again in the future, I¡¯ll hit you with my Smithing Hammer to knock some senses into you!¡± Lux hurriedly apologized to the fuming Dwarf and exined that it wasn¡¯t his intention to belittle him or anything. He made an excuse that he was very interested in cksmithing and he wanted to see what defective products looked like, so when he forged his own weapons and sets of armor, he would have an idea on what was defective or not. ¡°You want to learn cksmithing?¡± Randolph sized up the Half-Elf half and down. ¡°Well, I guess anyone can learn it as long as they are passionate about the craft. Do you want to be my apprentice then?¡± Beads of sweat formed in Lux¡¯s forehead because he couldn¡¯t believe that Randolph had taken his excuse seriously. He didn¡¯t n to learn cksmithing at the moment because he was still nning to monopolize the loots in the Figaro Gardens and collect as many monster parts and Beast Cores as possible while the mosquitoes were still atrge. However, before he could politely reject Randolph¡¯s offer, a notification materialized in front of him. ¡ª- < Special Quest: The Art of cksmithing > ¨C Randolph is currently looking for an apprentice to pass his craft on to. If you decide to ept this quest, you will gain the cksmith Subss as a reward. ¨C This is an optional quest. You can choose to decline his offer if you don¡¯t want it. < Rewards > ¨C cksmith Sub ss ¨C Title: Apprentice cksmith < Would you like to ept this Subss Quest? > < Yes / No > ¡ª¨C Lux¡¯s body stiffened because he didn¡¯t expect that he would gain a special quest out of the blue. He was not new to the Subss option in games because most games had this feature. ording to his understanding, his Main ss was Necromancer, allowing him to summon the Undead, use curses, and other abilities connected to his profession. A Subss, however, would allow him to use the abilities of other Job sses without any conflict with his Main ss. Meaning, Lux could be a Necromancer and an Apprentice cksmith at the same time. Lux weighed the pros and cons of epting Randolph¡¯s offer inside his head. ¡®If I became an Apprentice cksmith, I will be able to learn how to create weapons and armor,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®If in the process of cksmithing, I happen to make an exceptional weapon with an attached skill, I can transfer it to my weapon without any problem. ¡®The only downside is that I will need to constantly craft weapons in order to raise the rank of my cksmithing Skills.¡¯ The Elysium Compendium in Lux¡¯s hand had supplied him with information about the Artisan sses in the world of Elysium. These craftsmen who pursued different fields couldn¡¯t raise their Skill Proficiencies by using Beast Cores. They needed to pursue their passion devotedly in order to gain a higher understanding of their craft. In Elysium, people could have up to a maximum of three Subsses. If they were to exceed that number, they would have to acquire special tokens from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to increase the number of Subsses up to five. However, earning these tokens would require them to achieve an unbelievable feat that would be recognized by the ruler of the territory that they were staying in. ¡®There are no coincidences in the world,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. All I need to do is take a leap of faith and see where this road will take me.¡¯ After finalizing his decision, Lux faced the Dwarf who was looking at him with a serious expression. ¡°If you¡¯re really fine with me then I dly ept your offer to be your apprentice,¡± Lux replied. ¡°However, I can¡¯t always be with you, Sir Randolph, because I am an adventurer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Randolph replied. ¡°I was also an adventurer like you in the past but I took an arrow to the knee and decided to retire and be a cksmith.¡± ¡°We can focus on your training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I don¡¯t care what you do on the other days, but you have to be here on the days I mentioned.¡± Lux nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Understood, Master.¡± ¡°Master¡­,¡± Randolph yed with his beard as he looked at the Half-Elf with a satisfied expression. ¡°I like the sound of that.¡± The Dwarf then extended his hand for a handshake, and Lux epted it with a smile. When their two hands sped each other, Lux immediately felt the hidden strength in Randolph¡¯s grip. The calluses on the Dwarf¡¯s hand made the Half-Elf realize that he couldn¡¯t take this apprenticeship half-heartedly. Doing so would be the same as ridiculing Randolph¡¯s passion for his profession, and this was something that was against Lux¡¯s principles. After the two shook hands, Randolph happily closed his shop and took Lux to the tavern to celebrate his apprenticeship. Although he didn¡¯t know if he would be a sessful Apprentice cksmith in the future, he was sure that he would definitely do his best, not only for Randolph¡¯s sake, but for his own sake as well. Chapter 52 Big Brother! Please, Help Us! After epting Randolph¡¯s proposal, Lux spent his days practicing cksmithing, as well as going to the Figaro Gardens to help the Ants retrieve the bodies of insects in by the Mosquitoes. The Half-Elf¡¯s cksmithing apprenticeship wasn¡¯t going smoothly. Until now, he still hadn¡¯t managed to forge anything decent. All of his attempts ended up in failure, but Randolph said it was all normal. Seven dayster, Lux returned to Leaf Vige carrying some monster parts that he had obtained through the partnership he had with the Ants. All in all, he earned sixteen new Beast Cores, bringing his total number to eighteen. Just as soon as he arrived at the za, he noticed a crowd of Dwarves, making him curious about what was happening. Since he was taller than them, he effortlessly saw through the crowd and noticed a wounded Dwarf who was begging and clinging to Aron, the Guard Captain of Leaf Vige, to help save herrades. At first, Lux didn¡¯t recognize her, but after hearing her constant pleading, her voice finally registered in his head. ¡°Helen?!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°Please, let me through! That is my friend!¡±-. The Dwarves made a path for him and the Half-Elf hurried over to the Dwarf girl who had turned her head to look in his direction. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Helen cried out. ¡°Please! Help us! Colette and the others had been captured by the bandits!¡± The little Dwarf tried to stand in order to run to Lux¡¯s direction, but she was seriously injured, so she was only able to take a few steps before her legs lost their strength, causing her to fall down on the ground. However, just before Helen couldpletely fall, a pair of strong hands grabbed her and supported her body. ¡°Big Brother! Wuwuwu!¡± Helen cried out with snot and tears streaming on her face. ¡°Save Colette and the others. Please! I beg you!¡± Lux hurriedly took out a healing potion and poured it over Helen¡¯s body. The little Dwarf ignored her injuries because the only thing on her mind was to go and seek help from Leaf Vige in order to save herpanions. ¡°Calm down,¡± Lux said as he poured another health potion on the wounds on her body. ¡°Tell me everything right from the start.¡± Helen gradually regained her rity of mind as her injuries started to recover. She immediately told Lux about what had happened to the members of the Golden yer Party. ording to Helen, after their group left Lindow Vige, the caravan traveled to the next vige called Millwood Vige. Everything was going smoothly, but they were suddenly ambushed by dozens of Kobolds while they were camping to rest for the night. The bandit group was led by a Kobold Chieftain with Draconic Blood. The leader¡¯s strength was the reason why the bandits managed to overwhelm the defenders. The Chieftain¡¯s strength was on par with an Alpha Beast¡¯s. The Kobolds heavily injured the defenders and killed a few of them. Colette and her party mates were mostly injured, but their lives weren¡¯t in danger. Since Helen had been given a special teleport scroll by her family, she immediately used it to return to Leaf Vige to ask for help. After hearing the details of the incident, Aron frowned because this was not within the scope of his duties. First and foremost, he was the Guard Captain of Leaf Vige. His duty was to ensure the Vige¡¯s safety, not travel several miles to aid the Foreignerspleting their rescue mission. Suddenly, several Dwarves appeared and surrounded Lux and Helen. ¡°Was Master Robin also taken by those bandits?¡± a middle-aged Dwarf with blonde hair asked. Helen nodded her head. ¡°Robin was knocked unconscious by the Kobolds, but he wasn¡¯t killed by them. I used the teleport scroll when I was about to be captured by the Kobolds, so I don¡¯t know what happened after that.¡± The middle-aged Dwarf¡¯s expression became grim as he continued pressing Helen for more details. ¡°You were attacked between Lindow Vige and Millwood Vige, right?¡± the middle-aged Dwarf asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Helen answered. ¡°Please! Help save them! I beg of you!¡± The middle-aged Dwarf nodded his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will save Master Robin without fail.¡± The Dwarf then turned to one of hisrades and whispered something in his ear. The middle-aged Dwarf¡¯s subordinate nodded his head and ran towards the North where the Goat Riders were stationed. After getting all the details from Helen, the Dwarf and his subordinates left the scene, leaving Lux and the crying Helen behind. ¡°Big Brother! Please help us!¡± Helen sobbed in Lux¡¯s chest as the Half-Elf held her tight. ¡°I will,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I need some time to prepare. For the time being,e with me and rest at Grandma Annie¡¯s ce. We will leave at sunset to rescue Colette and the others.¡± Helen nodded. Even though the healing potion had allowed her body to heal, her mental and emotional injury from what she had just experienced made her exhausted. For this reason, shepletely lost all of the strength in her body and Lux had to carry her all the way to Grandma Annie¡¯s shop. Fifteen minutester, Luxid the sleeping girl on the bed and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure that Aron will not send any help for the little ones,¡± Grandma Annie said as she sat on a chair. ¡°This is outside of his duties. I¡¯m sorry Lux, but don¡¯t expect any help from the Vige.¡± ¡°I understand, Grandma Annie,¡± Lux answered. ¡°Please, look after Helen for me. I will go and speak with Master Randolph for the time being.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Grandma Annie nodded. ¡°Leave her to me.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°This is just a small matter, but are you really going to go and save those kids? A Draconian Kobold Chieftain is no easy opponent. Besides, he would definitely have strongckeys that are all Rank 1 and Rank 2 Monsters.¡± Lux already knew about this, but he didn¡¯t care. Colette, Matty, Andy, Axel, and Helen, were his friends. He would be damned if he left them under the mercy of the kobold group. Seeing his determined gaze, Grandma Annie only shook her head because she already knew the answer to her question. Actually, she had already expected this to happen, but still felt sad because, in her eyes, Lux was merely going to throw his life away if he faced the bandit group alone. Chapter 53 Randolphs Mythical Weapon ¡°You¡¯re going to save your friends from a Kobold Bandit Group?¡± Randolph rubbed his chin. ¡°That is not an easy task, my boy. Are you sure of this?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Yes, Master. This is also why I would like to ask a favor from you.¡± ¡°Favor? Very well. What do you want from me?¡± ¡°Please, let me borrow the sword in your basement.¡± Randolph¡¯s casual expression immediately turned serious upon hearing Lux¡¯s request. After epting Lux as his apprentice, he had shown thetter his greatest creation, which was the Mythical Sword that he had kept hidden from everyone¡¯s eyes. In fact, this was the only Mythical Weapon in Leaf Vige. No one knew about its existence except Lux, who had be Randolph¡¯s apprentice. ¡°You want to borrow Blood Moon?¡± Randolph asked with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Lux bowed. ¡°Please, let me borrow your Named Weapon.¡± A minute of silence descended inside the smithy as Randolph gazed at his apprentice whose head had remained bowed. ¡°Even if I let you borrow it, your stats are not enough to wield it,¡± Randolph replied. ¡°Blood Moon requires all of your stats to be at least fifty, which is impossible for anyone who is still here in Leaf Vige. It is simply out of the question for you to use it with your current strength.¡± Lux raised his head. ¡°Master, I may not be able to wield it, but Diablo can. Please, let me borrow it to save my friends. I swear upon my name and honor that I will return it to you without fail.¡± Randolph sighed as he leaned on the wall of his smithy. ¡°Without fail? I¡¯ve heard that the leader of the Kobolds is a Rank Three Monster at its peak,¡± Randolph stated. ¡°Even if Diablo can wield Blood Moon, he will still fall short against that Monster. Aside from that, the Kobold Chieftain has plenty of subordinates to back him up. My weapon alone will not be enough to turn the tide of battle.¡± ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry about that. I have a n.¡± ¡°Oh? Let me hear it then.¡± Lux told Randolph that he had a way to locate the location of the Bandit Group. He added that the Riders of Norria were also riding for the Bandit Group. If he were to give them the information about where their headquarters were located, he would have many strong helpers to fight alongside him. ¡°This will certainly work, but there is just one problem, Lux,¡± Randolph stated. ¡°You said that you have a way of finding their location, but will the Riders of Norria believe you?¡± ¡°¡­ To be honest I don¡¯t know.¡±-. ¡°Then how about this? Once you convince Boreas, the Rider Captain, to take you with them, I will lend Blood Moon to you. This is the only way that I will allow you to take Blood Moon from my treasury.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Understood. I will go and talk to Sir Boreas now.¡± The Half-Elf didn¡¯t even wait for Randolph¡¯s reply and hurriedly left the Smithy to look for the Guard Captain. When he arrived at the Rider¡¯s temporary barracks, the riders were already mounted on their Goat mounts and were about to depart. Lux saw the middle-aged man who hade to interrogate Helen earlier. He was already sitting on a goat mount beside Boreas. Clearly, if the middle-aged man managed to mobilize the Riders of Norria to help save Robin from the bandits, he was no ordinary Dwarf. ¡°Sir Boreas, please wait!¡± Lux ran towards the Rider Captain. Several of the mounted riders blocked Lux¡¯s path and drew their weapons towards him. ¡°Boy, we are on an important mission,¡± an annoyed looking dwarf said. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to listen to your nonsense.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± another dwarfmented. ¡°We have more pressing issues to address, and we obviously have no time to y with a Half-Elf.¡± Lux ignored the two Dwarves as he shouted towards Boreas who was also looking in his direction. ¡°I know the location of the Bandit Group!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°Take me with you and I¡¯ll lead you to them!¡± ¡°You brat! Stop spouting nonsense!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If you keep on interfering with our mission, don¡¯t me us for not being merciful!¡± The two mounted Dwarfs that had stopped Lux from approaching their Captain raised their weapons in anger. They had always disliked everyone from other races and had long thought of Lux as an eyesore in Leaf Vige. If not for the fact that their Captain had ordered them to not harm the boy, they would have already taught him a lesson or two. ¡°Halt!¡± A dignified shout stopped the two from hitting the Half-Elf who didn¡¯t even make any effort to defend himself. The two Dwarfs immediately ceased their hostilities and reluctantly lowered their weapons. It was at that moment when Boreas, one of the Captains of Norria, urged his mount to walk towards Lux and eyed him from head to foot. ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± Boreas asked. ¡°This mission is of the utmost importance to us. Failure is not an option. If you are lying to us, I will make sure that you suffer a fate worse than death.¡± Instead of answering them, Lux summoned his Elysium Compendium and opened its pages. Immediately, a projection appeared in front of everyone showing them a map of Norria. In a ce between the Vige of Lindow and Vige of Millwood vige, a golden dot blinked on the map. ¡°Before my friends left to do their escort mission, I put a special tracking spell on them that allows me to know their location,¡± Lux answered. ¡°I am not familiar with the topography of thisnd, but as you can see, I can pinpoint their location using my ability. ¡°If you don¡¯t take me with you, the chances of you finding Robin are very slim. However, that will be solved if Ie along. So, what do you think, Sir Boreas? Can you take me with you? I also want to save my friends.¡± All the Dwarven Riders looked at their Captain and waited for his decision. Boreas was the strongest Warrior in Leaf Vige. He was a Grade B Apostle, which was equivalent to a Rank 3 Monster. With him around, their chances of winning against the Draconic Kobold would be higher. ¡°Understood, you cane with us,¡± Boreas answered. ¡°However, if you are lying to us, I will make you regret it.¡± Lux breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Boreas¡¯ answer. With this, he would be able to borrow his Master¡¯s Mythical Weapon to make Diablo more formidable. ¡°Sir Boreas, I have a favor to ask,¡± Lux said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Can youe with me to the Smithy and tell my Master, Randolph, that you will be taking me with you on your expedition. He said that he won¡¯t allow me to go unless I get your permission to let me go with you.¡± ¡°You are Randolph¡¯s apprentice?¡± Boreas widened his eyes in shock as he looked at the Half-Elf in disbelief. ¡°That old coot actually epted you as his apprentice? Is the world going to end?¡± ¡°Who are you calling old coot, you f*cker?!¡± Randolph barged inside the barracks with a flushed face as he red at the Rider Captain, Boreas. ¡°Bastard, since you are taking my apprentice with you, I expect you to bring him back safely!¡± Randolph shouted at Boreas, making the other Dwarf Riders look at the cksmith in disbelief. Boreas was a very stern Dwarf, and not even their Commander dared to shout at him like the cksmith of Leaf Vige was doing. ¡°I am not his nanny,¡± Boreas replied in an indifferent tone. ¡°We¡¯re not going on an excursion. If he can¡¯t even protect himself then he should just stay here and y house with you.¡± ¡°Hmph! Fine. Since you want my apprentice to y house with me then so be it. Come, Lux. Let these eggheads handle this mission without you. Let¡¯s see if they find that Robin brat on their own.¡± Randolph didn¡¯t even wait for Lux¡¯s reply and dragged the Half-Elf away from the barracks. ¡°M-Master, I want to go and save my frie¨C¡± ¡°Hush! Let¡¯s talk when we¡¯re back in the Smithy. Don¡¯t worry. Knowing Boreas, he wille knocking on my door sooner orter.¡± Little did the Half-Elf know that Randolph was doing this for his sake. The cksmith wanted the Riders of Norria to officially ask his apprentice to be their guide, so that he would receivepensation from them. Also, he didn¡¯t have any n to let the Dwarves see the Mythical Weapon in his possession. He needed to pass it to Lux secretly in order to avoid any future problems. After the two arrived at the smithy, Randolph hurriedly locked the doors and made a gesture for Lux to follow him into the basement. ¡°I originally nned to bestow Blood Moon to a person that had the bearings of a hero,¡± Randolph grumbled. ¡°Who would have thought that the first one who will wield it is not even a Dwarf, but a Skeleton?! Fate sure knows how to y with my heart.¡± Lux endured Randolph¡¯s ramblings until they arrived at his hidden treasure house, which was buried deep under the Smithy. A few minutester, the Master and apprentice pair arrived at a small altar where a sheathed sword was held on a silver pedestal. It was Randolph¡¯s greatest creation, the Mythical Sword, Blood Moon. ¡ª¨C Blood Moon Weapon Type: One Handed Sword Rarity: Mythical Damage: 225 ¨C 350 Requirement: All stats must be fifty or above. Additional Requirement: Only those recognized by Randolph could wield this weapon. Passive Skills: Sharp de, Swift de, Life Steal, Thorn, Indestructible < Sharp de > ¨C The de of this sword will always be sharp and will never dull. ¡ª¨C < Swift de > ¨C The sword feels very light which helps its wielder brandish it with ease. Able to strike very fast in quick sessions. ¡ª¨C < Life Steal > ¨C Each attack heals the user with 5% of their Max Health Points. ¡ª¨C < Bleed > ¨C has a 5% chance to apply the Bleeding effect to your target with every strike. ¨C Bleeding effect reduces your target¡¯s Health Points by 1% of its Maximum Health Points every 2 seconds. ¨C Bleed Effect Duration: 10 seconds. ¡ª¨C < Indestructible > ¨C This weapon is indestructible. It cannot be destroyed. ¡ª¨C The reason why Randolph decided to show Lux the mythical weapon in the first ce was to encourage his apprentice to do better. He believed that once Lux realized how amazing being a cksmith was, the more serious thetter would be in his studies. Although this was already Lux¡¯s second time seeing Blood Moon, his admiration for the weapon never waned. On the contrary, the more he looked at it, the more determined he became to increase the proficiency of his smithing skill, so that he would be able to create his own Mythical Weapon. Randolph took the weapon from the pedestal with both hands before presenting it to Lux. ¡°Take it,¡± Randolph said. ¡°Remember, I¡¯m only loaning it to you for a short while. Go and save your friends and make sure that you return in one piece.¡± Lux epted the sword with both hands and looked at his Master with a grateful expression. ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I will not let you down.¡± As he held the Mythical Weapon in his hand, Lux believed that once Diablo equipped this weapon, his Named Creature would be able to easily handle Rank 1 and 2 Monster with ease. ¡®Wait for me, Colette,¡¯ Lux thought as he gripped the sword firmly in his hands. ¡®I aming to save you guys!¡¯ The adorable little Dwarf was Lux¡¯s first friend in Leaf Vige. Even without the help of the Riders of Norria, he would still do his best to go and save her, as well as the other members of the Goldenyer Party. Right now, Diablo was still unable to wield Blood Moon as he still needed to be upgraded one more time before he could do so. Fortunately, Lux had acquired more than enough Beast Cores to upgrade his Named Creature. As the Half-Elf was about to return to the room in his inn to make preparations, Boreas appeared in Randolf¡¯s Smithy to formally invite the Half-Elf to join them on their rescue mission. An hourter, Lux, Helen, and the Riders of Norria, left Leaf Vige together in haste. Their destination was the bandit hideout, which was located somewhere in the mountainous region between Lindow Vige and Millwood Vige. Chapter 54 The Real Protagonist Lux and Helen were seated in a carriage pulled by two horses. They were procured by the middle-aged man who had asked Helen about Robin¡¯s whereabouts. They all traveled non-stop and, ording to Lux¡¯s estimate, with this speed, they would arrive at their destination within two days. Although he was very worried about Colette and the others, there¡¯s nothing he could do but pray to the Gods that they were safe. For the time being, Lux shifted all his attention to his Soul Book. He had eighteen Beast Cores in hand, and half of them were Rank 2 Beast Cores. The Ants had been very generous in giving him these Beast Cores because his scouting massively helped them to forage safely in the areas where the mosquitoes had just finished feeding. Now that he was dealing with an emergency situation, he immediately used the Rank 2 Beast Cores to upgrade Diablo¡¯s progression to the next stage. After using nine Rank 2 Beast Cores, Lux managed to upgrade Diablo¡¯s Progression Bar, but it still fell short of his target. ¡ª- Progress: 270/300 ¡ª- Left with no other alternative, Lux used two Rank 1 Beast Cores which gave him exactly thirty additional Skill Points, bringing his stockpile of Beast Cores to seven. ¡ª¨C < Ding! > < Your Named Creature, Diablo has reached a milestone! >-. < Please, choose two options from the bonus upgrades avable for him! > ¨C Option 1: Increase Health Points by 3,000 ¨C Option 2: Learn Active Skill: Whirlwind sh ¨C Option 3: Learn Active Skill: Duel [EX] ¨C Option 4: Learn Passive Skill: Guts ¨C Option 5: Upgrade Skeleton Warrior to Skeleton Knight ¨C Option 6: Upgrade Skeleton Warrior to Skeleton Rider ¡ª¨C Lux ignored option one because a mere three thousand Health Points since it wouldn¡¯t change anything at this point. After checking the Elysium Compendium, he found the information he was looking for about the skills that appeared in the list of Diablo¡¯s Bonus Upgrade options. ¡®Whirlwind sh is an AOE skill that hits multiple targets. This is good if Diablo is surrounded by enemies,¡¯ Lux thought as he rubbed his chin. ¡®Duel [EX] is simr to taunt skill, but this skill would force your opponent to exchange one blow with you no matter what. It has a one minute cooldown, which is a good option, since I don¡¯t have any taunting skill at the moment. ¡®Guts will allow Diablo to survive One-Hit Attacks that could instantly kill him. This skill is useful, but only at the higher levels.¡¯ The Half-Elf then eyed the two Job Upgrades that became avable for Diablo. His Named Creature had only be a Skeleton Fighter recently, but due to the milestone, Diablo could once again upgrade his profession to a higher ss free of charge. Skeleton Knight is a bnced Job ss simr to Skeleton Fighter, but stronger,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®As for Skeleton Rider, it is a mounted unit that specializes in mobility, and has many other advantages. ¡®The only problem is that it¡¯s not very useful when raiding dungeons because of the cramped space. However, it is good for open world exploration because it allows Diablo to tame Monsters as his mount.¡¯ Lux scratched his head when he realized that his Named Creature was more of a Protagonist than him. Diablo kept on getting more powerful with each upgrade he got, even faster than the Master. After a long internal struggle, the Half-Elf chose the third and fifth option. ¡ª¨C < You have chosen the skill, Duel [EX], and Upgrade Skeleton Warrior to Skeleton Rider > < Is this your final answer? > < Yes / No > ¡ª¨C Lux chose yes, and immediately several more notifications appeared on Diablo¡¯s Soul Page. ¡ª¨C < Job Change Bonus > ¨C All stats +20 ¨C Skill Union of Skeleton and Beast has been acquired. ¨C Skill Tame Mount has been acquired ¨C Title Relentless Charger has been acquired. ¡ª¨C Union of Skeleton and Beast allowed Diablo to effectively fight while riding on a mount. This passive skill allowed him to remain seated even if he received attacks that should¡¯ve been able to dismount him. Tame Mount, as the name suggested, allowed Diablo to tame a Mount that he could ride in battle. The chances of taming a Mount would depend on how strong it was. If the creature was weaker than Diablo, thetter would be able to tame it without a problem. However, if the creature was stronger, the chances of taming it would be lower, which made it extremely difficult. Also, Diablo couldn¡¯t tame creatures that were two ranks higher than it. These limitations were to prevent the Named Creature from obtaining strong mounts that exceeded its current strength. Relentless Charger, on the other hand, gave Diablo an additional 30% damage and increased chances of dealing critical strikes, while mounted. ¡ª¨C < Diablo > ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Skeleton Rider ¨C Rating: C ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress ( 0 / 500) Health: 2,500 / 2,500 Mana: 1,240 / 1,240 Attack: 125 ¨C 170 (+20 Damage from Tranquility) Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Strength: 63 (+1) Intelligence: 62 Vitality: 61 (+2) Agility: 62 (+2) Dexterity: 62 (+2) Defense: 75 (+100 Defense) Title: Firstborn, Squad Captain, Relentless Charger. Active Skills: sh, Heavy sh, Bone Spear, Duel [EX] Passive Skills: Parry, Tactician, Improved Dodge, Union of Man and Beast. Note: Sh*t just got real! ¡ª¨C ¡®Diablo has 317 Combined Stat Points. He is now in the middle stages of Grade D Apostles.¡¯ Lux thought as he started to feel slightly envious of his Partner in Crime, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Diablo didn¡¯t have to follow thews of the Beginner Vige because he was a Summoned Creature, but Lux couldn¡¯t. After sighing internally, he equipped Blood Moon in Diablo¡¯s Equipment Page. The blood-red sword, which was Randolph¡¯s greatest creation, shone with an eerie glow. With the Mythical Sword in hand, Diablo was a menace and had more than enough leeway to fight against Rank 2 Monsters without problem. It was also possible to fight Rank 3 Monsters because of the Mythical Weapon¡¯s attributes. As long as Diablo could hit the target, his Health Points would be replenished without problem. Now that his preparations wereplete, Lux checked Colette¡¯s Condition in the Elysium Compendium. ording to the information he could ess, Colette had received minor injuries, but there was no danger to her life. Matty, Robin, Andy, and Axel, had more serious injuries, but their current status told Lux that they were far from kicking the bucket. With the safety of the children confirmed, Lux was able to gain some peace of mind, as he coordinated with Boreas to lead the group in the general direction of where his friends were. ¡°If all goes well, we will arrive at our destination faster than we expected,¡± Boreas said as he looked at the ce Lux had pointed out on his map. ¡°Now I understand why the patrollers can never seem to find the bandits, they are hiding inside the mountain. This will be a bit tricky¡­¡± At the moment, their current forces wereposed of Thirty Goat Riders, twelve Warriors (including the middle-aged Dwarf), Lux, and Helen. Theirbined forces were only forty-five in headcount and they didn¡¯t know how many enemies they would be facing. Even so, they had no choice but to deal with the current situation as quickly as possible. Boreas had also sent a messenger bird to the Stronghold of Noria asking for backup. The Dwarf Captain had shared the information that Lux had given to him to his superior, and he hoped that reinforcements would arrive by the time they reached their destination. Lux could only see the location of his friends. He didn¡¯t know how many enemies there were, but he was confident that if they all worked together, they would be able to save everyone without any casualties on their side. Chapter 55 Time Waits For No Man, Nor Dwarf ¡°So, this is why we can¡¯t find them,¡± Boreas said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°These Kobolds chose this ce to build their nest.¡± They were all looking at the entrance of a cave that was guarded by three Kobold Warriors. They were just Rank 1 Monsters and didn¡¯t pose a threat to their team. However, the problem now was that they didn¡¯t know how many Kobolds they were going to deal with. Kobolds¡¯ nests usually consisted of thousands of individuals. Among the humanoid creatures, these demonic looking dogs reproduce at a very rming rate. Legend has it that they also had Draconian blood flowing through their bloodlines, which sometimes led to a birth of a Draconic Kobold whom they treated with reverence. The middle-aged dwarf, who went by the name Nevreal, was the assigned leader of this expedition, which caught Lux by surprise. Lux already had a feeling that the Nevreal was someone important, but he never expected that the Rider Captain of Norria would give the middle-aged man full authority over this rescue mission. Nevreal yed with his beard as he weighed their options. Right now, the reinforcements of Norria were on their way. ording to his estimates, they would arrive after a day. He was only concerned about Robin¡¯s safety. Although waiting was the best option right now, he didn¡¯t know Robin¡¯s current condition. He was afraid that if they waited another day, the Kobolds might do something to the boy. If Robin died on this mission, the consequences were something that Nevreal, and the Stronghold of Norria, couldn¡¯t afford to shoulder.-. No matter what, they had to save Robin at all costs! ¡°Using our mounts inside is not possible,¡± Nevreal said after careful consideration. ¡°We have no choice, but to engage them on foot. The only problem is that the Kobold¡¯s nest is very big. It will take us some time to find Robin¡¯s location.¡± The Dwarves nodded their heads in unison. Lux on the other hand frowned. He understood that their priority was to rescue Robin, but they seem to forget that he was not the only one that needed saving. For him, his priority was to rescue Colette, Matty, Andy, and Axel. He would prioritize the lives of those little Dwarves over Robin any day. Lux opened his Elysium Compendium and used it to scan the location of the children in the Kobold¡¯s nest. Colette, Matty, and Axel, seemed to be in the same ce, while Robin and Andy were in another location. Colette¡¯s group was in the Northeastern part of the nest, while Robin¡¯s was on the Northwestern side. Lux knew that if he told the rescue party that he knew where Robin was located, they would not hesitate to prioritize him over the other Dwarf children. While he was thinking about what to do next, he noticed that Robin¡¯s status had changed. Right now, the information about Robin stated that he was seriously injured. A few secondster, Andy¡¯s condition had also changed to seriously injured. It meant that they were currently being harmed by the Kobold, which left Lux no choice but toe up with a crucial decision on the spot. While the Dwarves were arguing on what to do next, Lux cleared his throat and made his presence known. ¡°I know where Robin is inside the nest,¡± Lux said. Immediately everyone stopped talking and looked in his direction. ¡°Right now, he is seriously injured,¡± Lux continued his exnation. ¡°If we don¡¯t hurry, we might not be able to arrive in time.¡± ¡°Then what are we waiting for?!¡± Nevreal replied with urgency. ¡°Boy, if Robin is rescued you will be able to gain great merits. So, let¡¯s hurry up and save him.¡± However, Lux shook his head as he stared back at Nevreal with a serious expression on his face. ¡°I will help you on this mission on one condition. All of you will swear to the Earth Goddess that you will also save Colette and the others.¡± Nevreal narrowed his eyes. He was a veteran and, looking at Lux¡¯s expression, something was telling him that this wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed. ¡°Are they not in the same location?¡± Nevreal asked. This was the only conclusion that he coulde to as to why Lux was asking them to make an oath to their Goddess. Lux nodded. ¡°Colette and my friends are located at the deepest part of the nest. Robin and Andy are in the middle area. However, I will not tell you their location if you don¡¯t make an oath to the Earth Goddess to save my friends.¡± ¡°Oi, boy, do you think we are your hired goons or something?¡± one of the Dwarves asked in an intimidating tone. ¡°Do you really think we don¡¯t have ways to make you talk?¡± another Dwarf red at Lux. ¡°If you refuse to cooperate, I don¡¯t mind skinning you alive.¡± Lux remained unfazed as he stared at Nevreal. Although he didn¡¯t know what Robin¡¯s real identity was, he could tell that the person in front of him and the riders of Norria, seemed to ce Robin¡¯s safety above all else. This meant that he was a very important person to them! Using this as leverage, the Half-Elf faced them head on with a devilish smile. ¡®Since you¡¯re threatening me, don¡¯t think that I can¡¯t threaten you back,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®You¡¯re not the only one who knows how to y dirty.¡¯ The Half-Elf suffered in both of his lifetimes, so he was already used to pain. Right now, he was the one who had the upper hand, which he could use to his advantage no matter what. If the Riders of Norria refused to help Colette and the others, then he wouldn¡¯t help them either! ¡°Sure, you want to skin me alive? Go ahead,¡± Lux replied. ¡°However, I already told you that Robin is seriously injured. Who knows? By the time you finish skinning me properly, he might be taking his journey to the afterlife.¡± Lux sneered at the Dwarf whose face had turned beet red from anger. In a battle of wits, the first one to back down was the loser. The Half-Elf had no intention of losing. He had promised Helen that he would save Colette and the others, and he would be damned if he allowed himself to be intimidated by Dwarves who thought they could bully him into submission. ¡°Oh, no! Robin¡¯s condition is now Fatally Injured. I don¡¯t think he will survive more than five minutes,¡± Lux said with a serious expression. Just as he expected, all the Dwarves surrounding him all had grim expressions on their faces. In truth, Lux was lying. Robin¡¯s and Andy¡¯s status told him that they were still seriously injured. He was merely testing them to see how important Robin was to the Dwarves. Back on Earth, this whole scenario could be described in one word¡ªckmail. Yes. Lux was using ckmail to force the Dwarves to make an oath, so that they wouldn¡¯t abandon his friends after they saved their precious Robin from the Kobolds. ¡°Boy, you¡¯re lying,¡± Nevreal said through gritted teeth. Lux shrugged as he gazed at the Dwarf who was looking at him with a deadly stare. ¡°You¡¯ll know whether I¡¯m lying or not in five minutes. By then, it will be toote for all of you. I don¡¯t know who Robin is, but judging from your expressions, he must be a very important person.¡± ¡°Are you all prepared to suffer the consequences if he died in this ce? Let me tell you, his life and death does not mean anything to me. Now, choose.¡± ¡°Swear that you will save my friends to the best of your abilities. You will also swear that you will not harm us in any way and lead us safely back to Leaf Vige. If you fail to abide by this oath, not only will all of your souls be damned by the Earth Goddess, the entire Stronghold of Norria, as well as those in your seven generations will also be damned for eternity!¡± ¡°Bastard!¡± one of the Dwarves growled. He was about to smash Lux¡¯s head with his hammer when the other Dwarves stopped him from taking a single step from his ce. ¡°This is why I hate other races.¡± another Dwarf spat on the ground. ¡°Bastards, the lot of them.¡± Lux remained indifferent to the words and the res of the Dwarves. However, Helen couldn¡¯t do the same.. She was still young and inexperienced, so the res of the adults made her little body shudder. Lux noticed this and moved to stand in front of her, so that she wouldn¡¯t have to see the hateful stares that were being thrown in their direction. ¡°Aren¡¯t all of you ashamed?¡± Lux said with disdain. ¡°Bullying a child of your own race just because she wants to save her friends? If you don¡¯t want to go then we will go on our own. You can stay here until tomorrow if you want, but I will assure you that it will be toote by then. Let¡¯s go, Helen.¡± Lux held the little girl¡¯s hand and turned to take her away from the Dwarf¡¯s camp. He was serious when he said that he would go alone if he had to. Fortunately, a hand grabbed his arm and held him in ce. The Half-Elf breathed a sigh internally because he knew that he had won the gamble he made. ¡°Fine, I will make an oath,¡± Nevreal said through gritted teeth. It was quite obvious that he didn¡¯t like being forced to do something against his will, but the current circumstance left him with no other alternative. Robin was very precious to the Stronghold of Norria, and one wrong move could send them all to the execution grounds if they failed to bring him back safely. The Half-Elf turned around and stared back at Nevreal whose eyes screamed of murder. ¡°Make the oath, and let¡¯s start saving people,¡± Lux replied unfazed by the fact that Nevreal¡¯s gaze was filled with killing intent. ¡°Time waits for no Man, nor Dwarf.¡± Chapter 56 Bloody Battle Inside The Kobolds Nest All the Dwarves that were part of the expedition swore an oath to the Earth Goddess, who they worshiped. This was the greatest oath a Dwarf could make. Even the Dwarfs in Sis shared the same mentality. Once they made an oath, they had to do it no matter what. Failure to do so would weigh terribly in their conscience because it would mean that once they died, their souls would be cast away, forever banished from the Earth Mother¡¯s embrace. ¡°Keep your word, Half-Elf, or I swear by the Earth Goddess that you will not keep your life,¡± Nevreal said in a threatening tone. ¡°We¡¯ll see whose oath will be broken first,¡± Lux replied with a calm expression on his face. ¡°Now, listen to me. Our first goal is to eliminate the guards as fast as we can and prevent rming the kobolds inside the nest.¡± ¡°Of course, this will only work at the early stages of our rescue mission. The moment we encounter a single Kobold in the nest, we will be in for a tough battle. Our n is simple, strike fast, and run fast. The sooner we rescue the hostages, the sooner we leave.¡± ¡°I will not interfere with themands of the Dwarves. I also know that it is unrealistic to think that we will be able to rescue our targets all at once with the current manpower we have. Since your priority is to save Robin then you can go ahead and save him.¡± ¡°However, once he is safe and sound, you will then coordinate with the reinforcementsing from the Stronghold of Norria to raid the nest, and rescue my friends. Do we all have an understanding?¡± Nevreal and Boreas nodded. Deep inside they felt relieved that Lux was still thinking logically. It was simply impossible for their current manpower to fight an entire Kobold Nest on their own. ¡°If you are all ready, we can begin the operation,¡± Lux stated. ¡°Helen, stay close to me. No matter what happens, stay by my side.¡± The little Dwarf nodded her head in understanding. Even if Lux didn¡¯t remind her, she would still stick to him because the adult Dwarves scared her. ¡ª¨C The Kobold Warriors stood in their position in a carefree manner. For them, doing this was a boring job.-. Although there were wandering beasts in the mountains that were stronger than them, none of the Kobolds were afraid of being attacked. They always had the mentality that nothing couldn¡¯t be ovee by sheer numbers. As one of the humanoid races that specialized in reproduction, the Kobolds were one of the most annoying monsters to fight due to their quantity vs quality mindset. While the three guards were casually chatting with each other, several throwing axes flew in their direction. All three guards died almost at the same time as the axes embedded themselves on the kobold¡¯s heads, back, necks, and chests. As soon as the Kobolds copsed on the ground, several Dwarves sprang up from their hiding ces, and dragged the in kobolds away to hide them. Just for good measure, Boreas stabbed the chests of all three kobolds to make sure that all of them were really dead. Once the deed was done, the Dwarf rescue party entered the nest to find Robin as soon as possible. On the other hand, Lux summoned Diablo and his four Skeletal Fighters to guard the rear of the group to inform them if there were any Kobolds returning to the nest. Nevreal and Boreas nodded their heads in appreciation because they couldn¡¯t spare any of their men to do this job. Fortunately, Lux had enough manpower to do this important job, making the Dwarves¡¯ anger from being ckmailed earlier to simmer down a bit. Unknown to them, Lux had other reasons for letting Diablo and his Skeletal Fighters stay at the rear, aside from keeping a lookout for possible backstabbers that the Half-Elf had kept to himself. Three minutester, the rescue party encountered a group of kobolds patrolling the nest. Immediately a scuffle broke out. Fortunately, the vanguard of the Dwarves, led by Nevreal and Boreas, were all Grade D and C Apostles, which were equivalent in stats to Rank 1 and 2 Monsters respectively. Normal Kobold Warriors were not a match to them. The true problem happened when they neared the first spacious cavern in the underground pathways. After checking the surroundings, Nevreal and Boreas knew that it would be impossible to proceed without the Kobolds raising the rms. Over a hundred Kobolds stayed in the cavern. Some of them were cooking, some were loafing around, while others were sharpening their weapons. It was amunal area where some of the Kobold Warriors stayed, while waiting for their Chief to give them orders. Near the back of the Cavern were three ck Kobolds that wererger than the others. These were the Kobold Leaders, who were tasked to lead their own troops to hunt or participate in banditry depending on the orders of the Kobold Chieftain. Every Kobold Nest had thesemunal caverns near the entrance of the nest that served as the main line of defense in case they got invaded. Its main role was to alert the entire nest if there was a need for everyone to move into action, so they could repel the invaders together. Lux frowned because just like Nevreal and Boreas, he knew that an all-out battle was inevitable. Boreas raised his hand and made a gesture, signaling all the other Dwarves to get ready. Half a minuteter, the group charged inside and started to massacre the Kobolds that were in their way. The two Kobold Leaders immediately sprang up in action in order to face them in battle. The other Kobolds then started to make noise, with some of them running deeper inside the nest to raise a ruckus and rming their brethren that their home was being invaded. The Dwarves worked quickly and efficiently, killing all of their enemies in less than five minutes. Nevreal and Boreas didn¡¯t hold back, using their Rank 3 prowess to overwhelm the Kobolds who were caught by surprise. ¡°Where next?¡± Nevreal asked Lux who had just killed two Kobolds that had tried to attack Helen beside him. ¡°We go straight and turn left at the third intersection on the way. From there, we just continue heading West until we arrive at the ce where Robin and Andy are being held captive.¡± Nevreal nodded and led the charge alongside Boreas. Lux, Helen, and the other Dwarves followed, leaving the scene of carnage behind them. A minuteter, Diablo, as well as three Skeletal Fighters arrived at the cavern. Lux had tasked them with an important mission. A mission that they would follow without fail. Screams, and shrieks resounded inside the Nest as the Kobolds and the Dwarf Party shed. Although the Kobolds were not a match for the Dwarves, the Riders of Norria still suffered several injuries to their bodies. Some of them were unlucky and received serious injuries during the intense battle being fought at close range. Fortunately, Helen was a Cleric. The little Dwarf healed everyone to the best of her ability, while munching on the honey-vored-candies that were being provided to her by Lux. The Half-Elf made sure to visit his Grandma Annie back in Leaf Vige to buy all the candies she had in stock for this mission. Naturally, the olddy was more than happy to sell all the candies she had to her regr customer, which helped both of them greatly. Because of this, the Dwarves¡¯ attitude towards Helen changed. Boreas even assigned two of his subordinates to guard the little girl and ensure that no Kobold would put her life in danger. Lux was quite happy with this arrangement, because it gave an addedyer to Helen¡¯s security. The pathway that led to the ce where Robin and Andy were being held was drenched with blood. This was the first time that Lux had witnessed such a bloody battle. His heightened senses, especially his sense of smell, made him feel very ufortable because of the heavy smell of blood in the surroundings. He was also in awe of how the Kobolds fearlessly engaged them without care for their lives. They were like Kamikaze fighters whose only intention was to deal as much damage to their enemies as they could before they died. When one Kobold died, another took its ce. They came with forty five members, and in that short amount of time, five dwarves had already died in battle, which showed that even if the warriors of Norria were stronger, they were still not a match against the overwhelming disparity in numbers. Their only saving grace was that the Kobold Nest wasrge. Even if the Kobolds swarmed in droves, it would still take the rest of their brethren some time before they could reach their location. ¡°Robin and Andy are over there!¡± Lux shouted as he pointed at several cages in the distance that were made from wood. Nevreal broke out of the scuffle, followed by four of his men, and ran towards the cages. Boreas and his men held their ground and continued to fight against the Kobolds whose numbers kept on increasing. Lux gritted his teeth as he stood in front of Helen and fought off any Kobolds that had managed to break through the vanguard¡¯s defenses. His arm was already aching from constantly swinging his sword without rest. It was at that moment when he knew that everyone in the rescue team was nearing their limits. Even Helen who was constantly healing the Dwarves were starting to breathe heavily. Sweat streamed down her face, as she chanted without stopping, to prevent anyone from dying. ¡°Retreat!¡± Nevreal shouted as he carried an unconscious Robin on his shoulder like a sack of rice. Andy was also safe and being carried by another one of Nevreal¡¯s subordinates. The group hurriedly made their way back to the entrance with Boreas and the stronger warriors of Norria guarding the rear. Unfortunately, they encountered a group of Kobolds in the intersection leading to the entrance, and another bloody battle took ce. This time, the Big Shots of the Kobold Race were present, which made the battle more difficult. Four Rank 3 Kobold Mages cast fireball spells which severely injured four of the Dwarves. Seeing that they were in a difficult situation, Nevreal no longer hesitated and ordered everyone to break through the encirclement. Suddenly, one of the Kobold Mages unleashed the skill Earth Tremor. Which made the ground under everyone¡¯s feet tremble. Lux sensed that the ground under his and Helen¡¯s feet was about to give way, so he decisively lifted the little girl and threw her towards Boreas with all of his might. ¡°Sir Boreas! Catch her!¡± Lux shouted as the ground under his feet copsed. Boreas heard Lux¡¯s shout and hurriedly caught the little girl who was screaming her lungs out. That was thest thing the Half-Elf saw before he fell into the deepest part of the Kobold¡¯s Nest. The Dwarves knew that Lux was a goner, and there was nothing they could do to save him. Right now, even their own lives were in danger. The Dwarves hurriedly retreated with everything they had, while an angry mob of Kobolds ran after them with only one thought in mind, and that was to hunt them down before they managed to escape their nestpletely. Chapter 57 I Aint Following A Damn Half-Elf Lux felt his entire body aching, and almost couldn¡¯t move a muscle due to the injuries he received from the fall. Fortunately, he had no broken bones, only a badly bruised body that made him want to scream in pain. ¡°Diablo,e,¡± Lux ordered and his trusted partner appeared beside him. The Half-Elf willed the storage ring in his hand to take out a few potions, which Diablo took to spray over his injured body. The rest, he helped Lux drink, which allowed the Half-Elf to recover from his injured state. Although he fell deeper inside the Kobold¡¯s Nest, there were no Kobolds in the vicinity. All of them were busy chasing after the Dwarves, who were running towards the exit with their lives on the line. Lux summoned his Soul Book to check where he was currently at. He could see Helen¡¯s marker going further and further away from him, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°Let¡¯s go save Colette and the others first,¡± Lux said as he checked the pathways he needed to take in order to reach his friends. Diablo nodded his head and soon followed the red-headed teenager as they ran within the underground maze that the Kobolds had built. Their journey wasn¡¯t that smooth since Lux and Diablo had to prioritize their safety. Right now, the Half-Elf was behind enemy lines, and one small slip could end his life in a matter of minutes. After almost an hour of traversing the nearly abandoned lower levels of the Kobold¡¯s Nest, they finally arrived at their destination. Just like Robin and Andy, Lux found his friends trapped in cages. However, they were not alone. Several other dwarves were also imprisoned there, which caught the Half-Elf by surprise.-. ¡®Well, since I¡¯m already here, might as well free them all,¡¯ Lux thought as he ordered Diablo to hack apart the wooden nks that kept the other Dwarves imprisoned. The Half-Elf prioritized freeing his friends, because they were the main reason why he had braved the dangers of the Kobold¡¯s Nest in the first ce. ¡°B-Big Brother?¡± Colette asked in surprise and confusion. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± ¡°I came to rescue you guys,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Shhh, don¡¯t raise your voice. We might get discovered if you do.¡± Colette nodded her head in understanding and kept her mouth shut. After she was freed, she went to the wooden crates in the corner of the room to retrieve her equipment, and storage rings. Matty and Axel did the same, as well as the other Dwarves whom Lux and Diablo had freed. After distributing Health Potions to everyone, most of their injuries had been treated, making them capable of fighting against the Kobolds that had taken them captive. A Dwarf who had blonde hair and blue eyes walked towards Lux while carrying an Axe. He thanked Lux for rescuing them and introduced himself as Hans. He was one of the prominent merchants in the Kingdom of Gweliven, and his base of operations were the viges and towns near the Stronghold of Norria. The blond-haired dwarf was also the leader of the merchant group that had hired Colette¡¯s and several other adventurer parties as escorts for his trade expedition. Unfortunately, they got captured by the Kobolds, and all of their wares were seized. Lux shook hands with the Dwarf before addressing everyone at the cavern. ¡°Before anything else, let me exin the current situation first,¡± Lux said. ¡°Right now, a group of Riders from Norria havee here for a rescue operation. I was their guide and led them to this location. Unfortunately, we were forced to retreat after saving only a few individuals because of the sheer numbers of the Kobolds.¡± ¡°After a great battle, I fell down to thisyer, due to the spells of the Kobold Mages. As for the main force, they are headed towards the exit of this nest as we speak.¡± ¡°However, none of you have to worry. Once the reinforcements from the Stronghold of Norria arrives, they will conduct another rescue operation and deal with the Kobolds inside this nest.¡± Lux made sure to emphasize that he was the one that led the Riders of Norria to the nest in order to show his importance to the Dwarves in front of him. After hearing his report, the majority of the Dwarves sighed in relief because there was still a chance for them to leave the ce alive. ¡°You said that you can navigate through this terrain,¡± Hans said with a determined look on his face. ¡°Can you also lead us to the exit?¡± Lux nodded. However, his next words dampened the mood of everyone inside the cavern. ¡°Although I can lead you all to the exit, I cannot do that at this point in time,¡± Lux answered. ¡°The only reason why I managed to reach this ce unharmed is because the majority of the Kobolds have climbed to the upper level to pursue the trespassers to their domain. If we go up right now, we will just be hacked to pieces. Our best course of action is to wait for reinforcements to arrive.¡± Colette, who had been listening to the side, voiced her concern about their current situation. ¡°Big Brother, what do we do now?¡± Colette asked. ¡°Are we just going to stay here?¡± Lux shook his head. ¡°This ce is too big, and it¡¯s hard to defend ourselves here. We need to find a good hiding ce while we wait for the rescuers to arrive.¡± Lux summoned the Elysium Compendium to look for possible hiding spots small enough for them to effectively defend against a horde of Kobolds that were out for blood. ¡°Follow me,¡± Lux said. ¡°I found a ce where we can hide.¡± ¡°And why should we follow you?¡± a grumpy Dwarf asked back. ¡°I ain¡¯t following a damn Half-Elf.¡± Lux didn¡¯t even bother to nce at the grumpy Dwarf as he herded Colette and the others to follow him. He had already done what he could for the captives. Whether they wanted to follow him or not was none of his business. Seeing his indifferent attitude, the grumpy Dwarf cursed under his breath. Hans, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes as he followed behind the Half-Elf who obviously didn¡¯t give a damn about them. The blonde-dwarf was a merchant. When it came to making transactions, and forming connections with potential business partners, he always trusted his instincts. Right now, his instinct was telling him to follow Lux, so that was what he nned to do. Seeing Hans¡¯ action, a couple of the Dwarves, which were his subordinates, followed behind him as well. The rest of the Dwarves, who were not part of the merchant group, who had been kidnapped from other ces, merely nced at each other in dismay. Wandering around the Kobold Nest without an urate map was useless. Also, the Dwarves knew that the Half-Elf was right. If they tried to go to the exit at this point in time, what awaited them was an untimely death at the hands of the Kobold Horde that had been rubbed off the wrong way. After navigating through the underground tunnels, Lux led his friends to a smaller cavern that seemed to be used as a garbage dump by the Kobolds. The rotten smell permeated the air, and it made the Dwarves wrinkle their noses, but they currently had no choice in the matter. Even Hans thought that this was a good ce to hide, because no Kobolds would go actively looking for them in this area. The pathway leading to the garbage dump was also very narrow. It was only big enough for a single adult dwarf to walk down, and the ceiling was a head shorter than the Half-Elf who was forced to crouch down a little when he walked down the tunnel. After arriving at their destination, Lux used the empty storage rings that he had acquired in the prisoner¡¯s cell to store as much garbage as he could. The Dwarves like Colette, who had special skills like the Cleansing Spell did their best to reduce the abominable smell that permeated the cavern. Several minutes passed before the annoying smell disappeared, which made the dwarves quite thankful. Even though the cavern was smaller than the ce where they had been held as prisoners, it was more than enough to house all of them. ¡°Listen, I will just like to make some rules while we are here,¡± Lux said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°First of all, talking is not allowed. On the off chance that a Kobold or a group of Kobolds were toe to this ce, our priority should be to kill them as fast as possible before they can raise an rm.¡± All the Dwarves nodded their heads in agreement. They had noint whatsoever with the rule that Lux had stated. ¡°The second rule is that we should make as little noise as possible. Everyone should just rest for the time being. We will need every bit of strength we have in order to leave this ce.¡± The Dwarves once again nodded their heads in approval. ¡°Lastly, if the worst case scenario happens, and we are discovered, everyone should stay as calm as possible,¡± Lux stated. ¡°I am confident that we will be able to stand our ground if we work together as a cohesive unit. ¡°My Skeletons will serve as the first line of defense and block the entrance of this cavern should the Koboldsunch an all out attack. If they fall, all able-bodied men will help block the entrance alongside me to ensure that they won¡¯t be able to break through our defenses.¡± The Dwarves nodded their heads for thest time and rested to conserve their strength. Lux sat beside the entrance of the cavern to use his sensitive hearing to detect anyone who was headed in their direction. Colette, Matty, and Axel were very tired, so all of them slept, leaving the defenses to Lux. The little Dwarves had developed an unwavering faith in the Half-Elf, especially after seeing that he had braved the danger to rescue all of them. Lux watched the children sleep with a smile on his face. Now that they had finally settled down, it was now time to make his preparations for the uing battle. Diablo walked towards him and handed the Half-Elf a ck storage ring. Lux gratefully epted it and peered at its contents. Hundreds of Beast Cores could be seen inside the ring, which made Lux quite happy. The main reason he had left Diablo and the Skeletal Fighters behind was to loot the Beast cores from the Kobolds¡¯ corpses. The Half-Elf knew that the Riders of Norria weren¡¯t in the mood to pick up the cores as they bulldozed their way through the nest to save Robin. Since that was the case, Lux was more than happy to receive the free loot that was presented to him. He knew that if things went South, he could only rely on himself to save his friends. The red-headed teenager took a Beast Core out of the storage ring and started converting it into Skill Points. He would use as many cores as possible to upgrade himself, Diablo, and his Skeletal Fighters. That way, even if they were faced with Rank 3 Monsters, they would be able to hold their ground, and show the Kobolds that it was a futile endeavor to kill what was already dead. Chapter 58 In The Midst Of Every Crisis, Lies Great Opportunity After looking at his stockpile, Lux decided to upgrade his Partner, and make him more formidable. After all, thetter would be the main fighting force in this rescue operation. Since Diablo had a special title, First Born, the amount of skill points he received everytime Lux used a Beast Core to upgrade him was increased. ¡ª¨C < Diablo > ¨C Progress ( 0 / 500) ¡ª¨C Lux didn¡¯t bat an eye as he used thirty-four Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Diablo to the next stage. ¡ª¡ª < Diablo > ¨C Progress: (10 / 600 ) ¡ª¨C Lux decided to upgrade Diablo one more time, turning his First Named Creature into a Rank 2 Monster. With the Mythical Sword Blood Moon in his possession, Diablo could now fight Rank 3 Monsters on even ground. ¡ª¨C < Diablo > ¡°Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!¡± ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Skeleton Rider ¨C Rating: B ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress ( 10 / 600) Health: 7,500 / 7,500 Mana: 1,640 / 1,640 Attack: 250 ¨C 300 (+300 Damage from Blood Moon)-. Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Strength: 83 (+1) Intelligence: 82 Vitality: 81 (+2) Agility: 82 (+2) Dexterity: 82 (+2) Defense: 83 (+200 Defense) Title: Firstborn, Squad Captain, Relentless Charger. Active Skills: sh, Heavy sh, Bone Spear, Duel [EX], Whirlwind sh (New), Leap (New). Passive Skills: Parry, Tactician, Improved Dodge, Union of Man and Beast, Enhanced Fortitude (New) Note: Can you teach me how to Dougie? ¡ª¨C Diablo had managed to collect 268 Beast Cores from the corpses that the Dwarves had left behind. Ten of them were Rank 2 Cores, while the rest were Rank 1 Beast Cores. Since Lux had used a total of seventy four Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Diablo twice, his stockpile was brought down to one hundred and ny four. Now that he had upgraded Diablo twice, it was now time for him to upgrade himself! Lux was quite happy when Diablo learned the AOE skill, Whirlwind sh, which would ensure that even if thetter got surrounded on all sides, Diablo would still be able to take out his enemies as long as he wanted to. The second skill Diablo obtained was Leap. This skill allowed him to jump several meters in the air, beforending in his desired location, causing a small tremor that would deal AOE Physical damage in a four-meter radius that was simr to Whirlwind sh. Aside from that, the massive boost in Diablo¡¯s Health Points and Defense made Lux feel more secure because this meant that his Partner could take more hits. This would allow Diablo extensive survivability on the battlefield. After admiring Diablo¡¯s Stats for a full minute, Lux decided to upgrade his own Body Constitution, so he wouldn¡¯tg behind his Partner in Crime. Checking his progression, Lux used twenty Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade his Body Constitution to the next stage. ¡ª¨C < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: E+ Progress: (0/400) ¡ª¨C < Ding! > < Congrattions! Your Body Constitution has been upgraded! > < Choose one from among these three options as your bonus reward! > (Option 1) ¨C +50 permanent points to Vitality (Options 2) ¨C Warcry: +30 Physical and Magical Damage to you and your allies Duration: 5 minutes Cooldown: 10 minutes (Options 3) ¨C Guts: A Skill that will allow you to withstand a lethal blow without dying. No matter how powerful the attack is, it will always leave you with One Health Point after the damage has been dealt. ¡ª¡ª- This time around, Lux firmly chose the skill War Cry. This was the skill he needed the most, and he would be a fool if he didn¡¯t choose the skill at this critical moment. Just as the Half-Elf expected, his handy, dandy, Special Evolution [EX] Skill kicked in and upgraded the skill that he had chosen. ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected the skill Warcry. > < War Cry will be upgraded into Battlecry once the requirements have been made. > < Since the Skill is learned from your Body Constitution Upgrade and not from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. > < Battle Cry > +100 Physical and Magical Damage to you and your allies Duration: 5 minutes Cooldown: 10 minutes ¡ª¡ª < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: D Progress: (0/600) < Bonus Rewards > +5,000 Health Points, Battle Cry, Additional Reward: +2 Summon Skeleton Skill ¨C You will be able to summon four more skeletons to fight for you. ¡ª¨C ¡®Hell yeah!¡¯ Lux wanted to scream so badly, but he held his excitement in. The only skill that the Rank 1 Kobold Monsters could use was the sh skill. Since Lux already had it and its upgrade, he didn¡¯t learn any other skills from it. Even so, he was quite happy with the overall improvement in his strength after his upgrade. Before, he could only summon four Skeletal Warriors to fight for him. With the additional +2 in his Summon Skeleton Skill, he could now summon seven skeletal fighters, which made him a one-man party. Not only that, he also gained an additional 100 Stat Points that he could distribute freely. However, since Lux had no intention of leaving the Leaf Vige for the time being, he merely hoarded his stat points and didn¡¯t add any of them to his current stats. ¡®One more time,¡¯ Lux resolved himself to upgrade himself one more time, in order to cope with any variable that might arise during their escape from the Kobold¡¯s Nest. After spending sixty Rank 1 Beast Cores from his stockpile, Lux was once again given a choice between three options to choose as a reward for his Body Constitution Upgrade. ¡ª¨C < Ding! > < Congrattions! Your Body Constitution has been upgraded! > < Choose one from among these three options as your bonus reward! > (Option 1) ¨C +50 permanent points to Vitality (Options 2) ¨C Guts: A Skill that will allow you to withstand a lethal blow without dying. No matter how powerful the attack is, it will always leave you with One Health Point after the damage has been dealt. (Option 3) ¨C Parry: A passive skill that gives you a high chance to deflect a physical melee, or ranged attack, using your weapon. By breaking your opponent¡¯s stance, you will be able to unleash a counter attack. ¡ª¨C Lux chose the passive skill, Parry, because this was what he currently needed the most. This skill would be very helpful in the uing battle with the Kobolds. Besides, being able to sessfully parry against a multitude of attacks would be really handy, regardless who the enemy he was fighting against. < Skill Evolution [EX] detected the skill Parry. > < Parry will be upgraded into Expert Parry once the requirements have been made. > < Since the Skill is learned from your Body Constitution Upgrade and not from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. > < Expert Parry > ¨C A passive skill that gives you a higher chance to deflect a physical melee, or ranged attack, using your weapon. By breaking your opponent¡¯s stance, you will be able to unleash a counter attack that has a very high chance to deal critical damage to your enemy. ¡ª¡ª < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: D+ Progress: (0/800) < Bonus Rewards > +5,000 Health Points, Expert Parry, Additional Reward: +1 Summon Skeleton Archer Skill ¨C You will be able to summon two more skeleton archers to fight for you. ¨C This additional reward cannot be used at this time because the requirement to unlock Summon Skeleton Archer has not been met. Once the Skeleton Archer Skill bes avable, the effect of this reward will automatically activate. Conquest is not all about imingnds, and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you. Note: You¡¯re starting to look like a real Novel Protagonist! ¡ª¡ª Lux smirked as he looked at his current stats with a satisfied look on his face. He had now surpassed Diablo¡¯s Health Points, which made him more confident in the uing battle. Not only that, his free stat points were almost 500, which was more than enough for him to step into the ranks of a Grade B Apostle. The Half-Elf was not willing yet to take that step because he still had many things to do in Leaf Vige. There were still plenty of unique quests that he hadn¡¯t taken because he was still too weak. However, right now, even without a party to help him, Lux was confident that he could bulldoze his way through the different areas to fight against the Alpha Beasts, which were the Apex Creatures in the Beginner¡¯s zone. ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Health: 11,960 / 11,960 Mana: 940 / 940 Strength: 46 (+3) Intelligence: 46 (+1) Vitality: 31 Agility: 34 (+3) Dexterity: 31 (+3) Free Stat Points Avable: 480 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX], Mana Drain [EX], Item Transmutation [EX] Active Skills: Power Shot, Dark Arrow, Fury sh, Double Fury sh, Battle Cry Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude, Expert Parry, ¡ª¨C There was a famous saying back on Earth that ¡°In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity¡±. If not for the fact that Colette and the others were kidnapped by Kobolds, Lux would never have the opportunity to upgrade his skills to his current level. Lux also knew this, but since it had alreadye to this point, all he could do was to take advantage of his current situation. They were still trapped inside the Kobold¡¯s Nest and waiting for rescue. Unless he, his friends, and the other Dwarves could escape this deadly prison, he wouldn¡¯t be able to celebrate the rewards that he had already received from this rescue mission. ¡®I still have 114 Beast Cores with me,¡¯ Lux thought with a smile. ¡®I think this is more than enough to upgrade the Skeletal Fighters to Rank C, which will unlock the Summon Skeleton Archer Skill.¡¯ The Half-Elf then started to absorb the remaining Beast Cores in his possession to upgrade his Skeletal Fighters twice. More than anything else, he was curious about the options he would be given after he unlocked the Summon Skeletal Archer Skill. If things went ording to the script, then there was a high chance that Lux would have another Named Creature fighting on his side. Chapter 59 The Forgotten Queen Nevreal, Boreas, Helen, and the rest of the Dwarves had sessfully escaped the Kobold¡¯s Nest. Their numbers had greatly fallen after some Dwarf Warriors sacrificed their lives in order to buy time for everyone else to escape. Aside from Helen, Robin, and Andy, only eighteen other Dwarves remained, which included Nevreal and Boreas. Boreas had a pained expression on his face as he carried Helen on his shoulders. Many of his subordinates had died in this rescue mission, but he knew that if those men didn¡¯t take the initiative to hold the Monster Horde back by sacrificing themselves, more Dwarf Warriors would have died. Right now, he only had one thought in his mind. It was none other than to wait for the reinforcements from the Stronghold of Norria, and then to wipe the entire Kobold Nest from the face of the Gweliven Kingdom! After finding a safe ce to hide, the Dwarves tended to their injuries and sharpened their weapons. Helen looked after the unconscious Robin and Andy and thought of her Big Brother Lux, as well as Colette and her other friends. ¡®Please, be safe everyone,¡¯ Helen silently prayed in her heart. ¡®I hope that when the reinforcements arrive, I will once again be reunited with my friends.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª After the Summon Skeletal Fighter was upgraded twice, the requirements to upgrade to Summon Skeleton Archer had been reached and the option is now unlocked. Lux only had forty four Rank 1 Beast Cores and ten Rank 2 Beast Cores left in his stockpile. However, he didn¡¯t regret using them one bit. What was the point of having a stockpile of Beast Cores if you do not live long enough to use them? ¡®Now, time to activate this new summoning skill,¡¯ Lux thought as he used ten Rank 1 Beast Cores and put his new skill to the test. ¡ª¡ª < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > < Since the Skill is learned from a Skill Book and not from a Beastcore, evolution requirements will be waived. > < Choose which path of Evolution you wish to take. > Option 1: Summon two Skeleton Archers to fight for you instead of one. Option 2: Upgrade Summon Skeleton Archer Skill to Summon Skeleton Hunter. Option 3: Give your first Skeleton Archer a name. Named creatures will be stronger and more intelligent than normal ones. Also, you can upgrade your named creature individually if you wish it. ¡ª¨C Lux decisively chose the third option and a row of text materialized in front of him.-. < You have chosen to give your first Skeleton Archer a name. > < Know that your first Skeleton Archer is a female. Although it is already a skeleton, giving it an appropriate name will raise its loyalty towards you. < Please choose a name > ¡ª- Lux blinked once then twice as he read the part which said that his first Skeleton Archer was a female. He had already thought of a cool name for his Skeleton Archer, which was Gilgamesh, but after seeing its gender, he had to scrap his ns entirely. After thinking for a few minutes, he finally settled for a name and made sure to spell it properly. ¡ª¨C < You have chosen the name ¡°Ishtar¡± as the name for your first Skeleton Archer. > < Is this your final answer? > < Yes / No > ¡ª- As soon as Lux clicked yes, another page appeared in his Soul Book, this time it was a page dedicated to his new Named Creature, Ishtar. ¡ª¨C < Ishtar > ¡°Let the living beware.¡± ¨C Named Skeleton Archer ¨C Rating: F ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress (0/100) Health: 200 Attack: 20 ¨C 30 Attack Type: Ranged Ice Damage Strength: 10 Intelligence: 15 Vitality: 10 Agility: 10 Dexterity: 15 Title: The Forgotten Queen ¨C Ishtar is your second Named Creature and has been bestowed the title ¡°The Forgotten Queen¡±. ¨C This Named Creature has gained the ability to evolve. < Forgotten Queen > ¨C Regardless of what happens in the future, this Named Creature will be forever loyal to you. ¨C All attacks made by Ishtar will deal Ice Damage. ¨C Ice Damage can slow and even freeze those hit by Ishtar¡¯s deadly arrows. ¨C As someone who bore the title, Forgotten Queen, Ishtar¡¯s stats increase by 50% during the night. ¨C When you use Beast Cores to upgrade your Named Creature, its effects will be increased by 50% Note: Let phantom arrows fly! ¡ª¨C Lux used seven Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Ishtar. Thanks to the 50% points boost, Lux¡¯s Beast Core consumption was reduced by a good margin. However, he wasn¡¯t satisfied yet so he used another thirteen Rank 1 Beast Cores to further boost Ishtar¡¯s stats, which raised her Rating to D. After seeing her stats, Lux consumed the ten Rank 2 Beast Cores in his possession, and an additional seven Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Ishtar¡¯s rating to D+. ¡ª¨C < Ishtar has reached the requirement needed to change a Job ss > < Please Choose your named Creature¡¯s Job ss wisely > < Compatible Job sses > ¡ª¨C < Skeleton Hunter > ¨C A Hunter doesn¡¯t only hunt animals. Anything living or dead can be hunted. If you are foolish enough to hunt a Hunter then be prepared to be hunted as well. ¨C This skill specializes in long rangebat, as well as setting traps to ensnare their prey. They are one of the deadliest range professions around, and anyone should be wary of being marked by one of them. (Job ss Bonus) +30 Dexterity Active Skill: ¨C Hunter¡¯s Mark: ce a tracker on your target. Ishtar will be able to know her target¡¯s location as long as they are within a three-mile radius around her. Up to three markers can be active at any given time. ¨C Set Traps: ce traps anywhere to bind, injure, or even cripple those who are unlucky enough to set foot upon them. Up to five traps can be active at any given time. More traps will be avable on the next upgrade. Passive Skill: Fast Reload ¡ª¨C < Skeleton Ranger > ¨C Rangers are natural protectors and have a strong empathy with wild beasts. They can wield bows, daggers, or short swords with great proficiency and are masters in both ranged and closebat fighting. They are also proficient Beast Tamers, which allows them to have Beast Companions to fight for their side. (Job ss Bonus) +15 Dexterity +15Agility Active Skill: ¨C Beast Taming: Tames a Beast to be the Skeleton Ranger¡¯s Beast Companion. A Maximum of four Beast can be tamed, but only one can be present at any given time. When the number of Tamed Beasts exceeds four, the Skeleton Ranger will be given an option to release the Beasts that they have already tamed, in order to make room for another. ¨C Stealth: Blend in with the surroundings to decrease the chance of getting detected by the enemy. ¡ª¨C After a brief internal struggle, Lux decided to choose the Skeleton Hunter Job ss for Ishtar. No matter how good the Skeleton Ranger was, what he needed right now was a dedicated damage dealer. He already had the Diablo and the Skeletal Fighters to swarm the enemy with numbers. Adding a few more Beast Companions may bolster their troops and even increase their survivability, but the Hunter¡¯s Skills like Set Traps and Hunter¡¯s Mark, were nothing to sneeze at. Setting traps was a no brainer. A properly set trap could make an enemy feel a world of pain, and it would also weaken them greatly. Hunter¡¯s Mark on the other hand, would allow Ishtar to trace any target that she had set her sights on. Lux was only able to track Colette and the others because they were part of his party. If they weren¡¯t, the Half-Elf wouldn¡¯t have any idea that his friends had been taken by the Kobolds nor where the Kobolds hid them. This was why a tracking skill was necessary. This was especially true for enemies. As long as Lux knew of their location, he could hunt them down anytime as long as they were within Ishtar¡¯s range. ¡ª- After the binge upgrading, Lux was only left with twenty Rank 1 Beast Cores, but he regretted nothing. The red-headed teenager looked at Ishtar¡¯s stats and nodded his head in satisfaction. ¡ª¡ª- < Ishtar > ¨C Named Skeleton Hunter ¨C Rating: D+ ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress (0/600) Health: 2,500 / 2,500 Mana: 900 / 900 Attack: 115 ¨C 135 Attack Type: Ranged Ice Damage Strength: 50 Intelligence: 55 Vitality: 50 Agility: 55 Dexterity: 85 Active Skill: Hunter¡¯s Mark, Set Trap Passive Skill: Equip Item Title: The Forgotten Queen Note: Screaming helps¡­ not at all. ¡ª¨C ¡®Not bad,¡¯ Lux thought as he gazed at Ishtar¡¯s stats. ¡®She now gets fifteen free stat points every time she is upgraded. This is good. She will be able to catch up to Diablo easily.¡¯ The Half-Elf knew that he had already done everything in his power to prepare himself for the tough fight ahead. His second named creature, Ishtar, had the strength of a Rank 1 Monster. Aside from Ishtar, he could also summon an additional two skeleton archers to fight for his side. But these extra summons were just cannon fodders that would die from a single attack from Kobold Warriors. Even so, Lux still had uses for them. He immediately put their uses into action while waiting for their rescuers to arrive. Chapter 60 Learning Things The Hard Way After the Dwarves escaped the Kobold¡¯s Nest, the majority of the Kobolds returned to tend to their duties. However, when the guards of the prison returned to their posts, they noticed that all of their captives had escaped. This immediately brought a new round of rms that could be heard through the entirety of the nest. The expressions of Lux and the other Dwarves turned serious. They didn¡¯t know why the Kobolds raised the rms. However, they all knew that this was a dangerous time for all of them. Just as the Half-Elf had expected, the Kobolds performed a thorough search for the prisoners that had escaped from their cages. They looked in every nook and cranny of their nest, with the exception of the dump site where they threw their trash. For them, going there was a waste of time, and they didn¡¯t believe that the Dwarves would go to that ce to hide. An hour passed then two, followed by the third. The tension in Lux and the Dwarves was at an all time high as the hours passed by. In the end, Lux told the nonbatants to just rest, and thebatants to alternate between guarding and sleeping. The red-headed teenager had be the temporary leader of the Dwarf survivors, and everyone listened to him. The grumpy Dwarf who had made things difficult for him earlier was no exception. All of them wanted to live, and Lux saved their lives. Since they all owe him and they had seen his capabilities, the least they could do was trust his judgment until they managed to leave the Kobold¡¯s Nest. Lux positioned himself near the entrance of the cavern they were staying in. He was resting, but he would wake up at a moment¡¯s notice. This was one of the techniques that his Grandma Vera had taught him a year ago, to allow himself to rest but still be able to react to any situation at any given time.-. Hans, the head of the Dwarf merchant group, was paying close attention to the Half-Elf who had saved them. For some reason, he had a feeling that if he followed Lux¡¯s orders, he would be able to leave this ce alive. Merchants usually followed their gut instinct, and his instincts were telling him that he had to stick with the Half-Elf no matter what. Because he was paying close attention to Lux, he immediately noticed when thetter opened his eyes and made a gesture to everyone, signaling them to stop whatever they were doing. This was a signal that Lux had established with them beforehand to let them know that Kobolds were approaching the dump site. Earlier, he had summoned the two Skeletal Archers and ced their heads outside of the cavern. He ced them on the path facing the tunnels, and ordered them to keep a lookout for any enemies that were headed their way. Since his connection with the Skeleton Archers wasn¡¯t as strong as his Named Creatures, he gave them an additional order to mention the number of the approaching enemy if they saw any. Right now, the skulls of his Skeleton Archers had just told him that three Kobolds Warriors were approaching the dump site. Since the path was narrow, the Kobolds didn¡¯t have any other choice but to walk single file down the tunnel. This was the main reason why Lux chose this ce. The topography would render any advantage in numberspletely useless. Lux had summoned his sword in preparation to kill the Kobolds before they could alert anyone of their position. Hans also gripped his axe in order to help the red-headed teenager quickly deal with their enemies the moment they showed up. The leader of the Merchant Group was a Grade C Apostle (Rank 2 Monster). The only reason why he allowed himself to get captured was because he knew that he didn¡¯t stand a chance against the numbers of Kobolds that had ambushed them. However, when backed to a corner, he would be willing to fight to the death if needed. He was standing near the entrance of the cavern as well, facing Lux. The two nodded their heads in unison as they held the weapons in their hands firmly. When the first Kobold entered the cavern, Lux immediately summoned Diablo behind the three Kobold Warriors, so they would have nowhere to run. Diablo stabbed the back of the Kobold that was right in front of him, piercing through its chest, killing it in one hit. Hans hacked his axe at the neck of the Kobold that had just entered the cavern, and decapitated it in one strike. Lux, on the other hand activated his skill, Double Fury sh, dealing critical damage and killing the second Kobold before it could even shout for help. Lux, Diablo, and Hans, hurriedly dragged the dead monsters inside the cavern, so that they wouldn¡¯t be easily discovered. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t rule out the fact that they might have been sent here by their superiors to check if their prisoners were hiding inside the dump site. Diablo took out the three Beast Cores from the Kobold¡¯s chests, and presented them to his Master, who took them without another word. Hans didn¡¯t have anyints because, for him, Rank 1 Beast Cores were useless. He would not fight Lux over them and ruin the bigger picture. ¡°If these are scouts then we can expect that their superior will send some other Kobolds to look for their whereabouts,¡± Hans said. Lux nodded because he was also thinking of the same thing. ¡°If we get lucky they willpletely forget about this matter and only remember it in a few hours.¡± Hans smiled. He knew that what the red-headed teenager was saying was only wishful thinking, but he also hoped that it was the case. Unfortunately, an hourter, the Skeleton Archers once again issued a warning, and this time around, they said that there were a dozen Kobold Warriors headed in their direction, with one of them being a Kobold Leader, which was a Rank 2 Monster. When Lux ryed this information to Hans and his subordinates, all of their expressions became serious. They knew that they would have to kill these Kobolds as fast as they could and prevent them from leaving the ce alive. Aside from Diablo, Hans was the strongest warrior in their group. The Dwarf also had six subordinates under hismand, who were all Grade D Apostles (Rank 1 Monster). All of them were willing to fight for their survival, but Lux told them that they didn¡¯t have to fight. This perplexed the Dwarves, which made them think that the Half-Elf had given up all hope. However, when they saw Lux summon Diablo and seven Skeleton Warriors, they immediately understood why he asked them to stand down. Right now, every Dwarf was indispensable. If they died fighting against the Kobolds, it would be one less fighter on their side. However, the skeletons were different. As long as Lux had mana, he could summon them over and over again, and they were not afraid of dying. All the other Dwarves had backed away to the very corner of the cavern, so that they wouldn¡¯t be involved in the fighting. Colette had asked Lux to let them join the fight, but the Half-Elf rejected their proposal. Lux only told the adorable little Dwarf to protect the nonbatants and ensure that no Kobolds would harm them. Everyone became tense when the sounds of footsteps reached their ears. The n was rtively simple, and had no room for error. The moment the first Kobold entered the cavern, Hans immediately decapitated it, while Diablo charged and stabbed the Kobold behind it. The Kobold Leader was in the middle of the formation, so all it could do was bark orders for those behind it to retreat. However, who was Lux? Naturally, he already expected that this was going to happen, so he had ced a key figure at the back of the tunnel, which was none other than Ishtar. Lux¡¯s second Named Creature had a peculiar ability. She was able to disassemble her body, and scatter her body parts to where she wanted them to be. Ishtar was also the one that warned Lux that there was a Rank 2 Monster amidst the group of Kobolds. As soon as the fight began, the Skeleton Hunter assembled her body parts once again and ced traps in front of her. After doing that, she immediately began shooting her arrows into the rear of the Kobold formation, trapping them in a pincer attack. Diablo had a strength equivalent to a Rank 3 Monster because of the Mythical Weapon, Blood Moon. With this powerful weapon in hand, Diablo made short work of the Kobolds and killed the Kobold Leader without mercy. By the time the battle was over, Diablo had killed six, Isthar killed seven, and Hans killed one. Just likest time, they dragged the dead bodies inside the cave, took their beast cores, and incinerated them with fire magic. The smell of burning flesh permeated the room, but with the cleansing magic, the smell disappearedpletely. Now that they had killed the scouting party, Lux, Hans, and the Dwarves knew that they were now only on borrowed time. They couldn¡¯t leave their hiding spot because it was the only ce they could defend themselves with the numbers they currently had. Lux gazed at everyone with a serious expression. ¡°The next time the Kobolds appear here, we will all be fighting for our lives. I hope that when that timees, all of you will do your best to remain calm and listen to my orders.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No matter how many of theme, I am confident that we will be able to hold them back. The tunnel only allows one person at a time to pass through it. Even if there were thousands of them, they will have no choice but to go down this one path. As long as we block this one entrance, they will not be able to overwhelm us with numbers.¡± Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. After hearing Lux¡¯s strategy, all of them felt a little better. They had seen how strong the skeletons were, so they believed that they would be able to hold the Kobolds at bay no matter what. Technically, they weren¡¯t wrong. However, they had forgotten one thing. Kobolds may not be the smartest monsters around, but they were not stupid. Because of this, Lux, and the other Dwarves didn¡¯t remember that even a well thought out n could go terribly wrong if they did not understand the true nature of their enemies. This was a lesson that the red-headed teenager would learn the hard way. Chapter 61 Are You Dwarves, Or Are You Goblins? Half a day after Robin and Andy were rescued, the Riders of Norria arrived at the ce where Nevreal had asked them to meet. Due to the importance of this endeavor, the Stronghold had dispatched almost half of its manpower, which numbered a little over five hundred Dwarf Warriors. Four Hundred Grade D Apostles. Ny Five Grade C Apostles Eight Grade B Apostles. This level of manpower was strong enough to wipe out any hostile forces within the territory of Norria. However, even Nevreal still doubted whether it was enough to raid the Kobold Nest. Usually, a Kobold¡¯s Nest housed thousands of Kobolds. The Kobold Warriors were the weakest, followed by the Kobold Leaders. The Kobold Mages were stronger than the rest, and some of the older ones could reach Rank 3. As for the Draconic Kobolds, their Ranks were at Rank 3 Minimum. These special Kobolds were known to break through to Rank 5 once they got older. If there were a handful of Rank 4 Draconic Kobolds, or even one Rank 5 Kobold. The Riders of Norria would be in for a tough battle. Usually, Rank 5 creatures wouldn¡¯t be found in any Beginner Areas. Simply put, they could be considered ¡°World Bosses¡±, because no one in the Beginner¡¯s Territory would be able to fight them one on one.-. At most, a group of a hundred people that wasposed of Grade B (Rank 3) and A Apostles (Rank 4) could fight it in a Boss Raid. ¡°Since Robin is already safe then there¡¯s no need for us to risk our lives trying to raid the Kobold¡¯s Nest,¡± one of the Rider Captains of Norria, who was a Grade B Apostle, said. ¡°We should just return to the Stronghold and call it a day.¡± The other riders nodded their heads in agreement. If Robin was still inside the Kobold¡¯s Nest then they would surely charge in and do everything in their power to rescue him. However, since he was already rescued, the Warriors of Norria didn¡¯t feel the need to rescue the Dwarves who had been captured by the Kobolds. For Riders of Norria, they were not that important. ¡°Normally, I would agree with you,¡± Boreas said, ¡°but this time it¡¯s different. We made an oath to the person that served as our guide to find this ce that we would rescue his friends no matter what happens. We made this vow to the Earth Goddess, so our hands are tied.¡± Nevreal nodded his head, which made the Dwarf Captains groan. The Commander of the Stronghold hade to personally supervise the rescue operation. He was the only Grade A Apostle (Rank 4) in the territory of Norria, which made him the absolute decision maker at all times. His name was Thoram, the Commander of the Stronghold of Norria. Thoram wore a serious expression on his face. He knew that he had to make a difficult choice. If he chose to ignore the oath made by Boreas and Nevreal, it was tantamount to abandoning them to their Fate. If he did this then his subordinates would no doubt be safe, but they would always have reservations when it came to following his orders. Nobody wanted to follow a leader who readily abandoned his men with only a moment¡¯s notice. This was not the way of the Dwarves, and doing so would tarnish his reputation. On the other hand, if he chose to honor the oath, he would be gambling the life of his men to fight against an unknown number of Kobolds. It was impossible not to have any casualties when raiding a monster den, especially a Kobold¡¯s Den. Thoram didn¡¯t want to see his men die in droves if they were to encounter a Draconic Kobold, whose rank surpassed theirs. Just as he was hesitating to decide what to do, a voice spoke out from behind him. ¡°We will go and rescue Colette and the others.¡± All the Dwarf Warriors turned around to look at Robin who stood before them with a serious expression on his face. ¡°I owe that Half-Elf a life,¡± Robin stated. ¡°I will not be able to sleep at night knowing that I abandoned the one that saved me when he needed me the most. I am a Dwarf, not a Goblin. I will not turn my back on those that had made their oath to the Earth Goddess.¡± Robin scanned the faces of all the Dwarf Warriors who were looking at him withplicated expressions on their faces. ¡°So, tell me¡­¡± Robin sneered. ¡°Are you Dwarves, or are you Goblins who abandon their kin at the first signs of trouble? The Kingdom of Gweliven has no need for Goblins. I am a Dwarf, so I will do what Dwarves do best. All of you can return to the stronghold if you want, I¡¯m going to go and save my friends even if I have to do it alone.¡± Andy and Helen stood beside Robin with determined expressions on their faces. Clearly, they also wanted to enter the cavern and save their friends to the best of their abilities. Thoram sighed as he knelt in front of Robin. ¡°I, Thoram, son of Malrom of Thordrom, hereby swear that I will wield my axe to pave the path to victory! I swear this upon the honor of the Earth Goddess!¡± All the Warriors of Norria knelt toward Robin and thumped their weapons on the ground to voice out their approval. Robin nodded his head in acknowledgement as he patted Thoram¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Fight for victory,¡± Robin stated. ¡°Fight for Gweliven!¡± ¡°¡±For Gweliven!¡±¡± It was at that moment that the five hundred strong Dwarf Battalion of Norria marched towards the Kobold Nest with one goal in mind. To rescue Robin¡¯s friends, and fulfill their oaths to the Half-Elf who was now currently fighting for his life. ¡ª¨C Kobold Nest¡­ ¡°Sh*t!¡± Lux cursed as he and the Dwarves held their weapons firmly in their hands. All of them were staring at the walls of their hiding ce, as the sound of digging became stronger. Just as he expected, the Kobolds had discovered that the men that they had sent to scout the Dump Site hadn¡¯t returned after an hour. The Kobold Chieftain and the Kobold Sorcerer dispatched a hundred kobolds led by a Kobold Mage and four Kobold Leaders to the Dump Site and made them check what was going on. A great battle ensued when they arrived at their destination. Out of the hundred Kobolds, seventy were able to retreat and report their findings to their Kobold Chieftain. After discovering that the escaped prisoners had holed themselves up in the Dump Site, the Kobold Chieftain sent the Kobold Sorcerer, who was the leader of the Kobold Mages, to takemand of the Kobold Army. Instead of forcing their way into the narrow tunnel which led to their destination, the Kobold Sorcerer ordered the Kobolds to do what they did best. Naturally, that was mining! Thousands of Kobolds started to chip away at the walls that led to the Dump Site, while they positioned some of their troops to observe the tunnel that led to where the Dwarves were hiding. This development had far surpassed Lux¡¯s understanding, which made him grit his teeth in frustration. After three hours of nerve-wracking tension, the sounds of the mining stopped, which made Lux frown. ¡°The sound of mining has stopped,¡± Lux informed everyone. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re nning, but everyone, brace yourselves.¡± Diablo and the Skeletal Fighters raised their shields as they faced the wall. Ishtar was standing in front of the main entrance of the tunnel, ready to snipe the Kobolds who would use that route to pincer attack them. Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, a loud explosion broke the wall in front of them. Dirt and rubble flew in different directions as the wall copsed. It was hit by a fireball made by the Kobold Sorcerer. When the dust had settled down, a two-meter wide hole appeared in front of everyone. Soon, the blood curdling war cries of the Kobolds were heard as they charged down the path made by their brethren. Diablo and the Skeletal Fighters immediately formed a defensive wall using their bodies, continuously hacking the Kobolds who were trying to overpower them with sheer numbers. If Lux hadn¡¯t upgraded his minions, the Kobold might have stood a chance, but with Diablo¡¯s strength, which was now at the peak of a Rank 3 Monster, the Rank 1 Kobold Warriors quickly died under his mythical de. Lux and the Dwarves could feel their hearts rising towards their throats as the battle turned more intense. Soon, even Ishtar, who was standing far away from them, had started to fire arrows at the main tunnel leading to their hiding ce. Just like Lux had anticipated, the Kobolds nned to do a pincer attack. Thanks to Ishtar¡¯s Ice Elemental Damage, Kobolds¡¯ advance was slowed down. Even so, it was merely dying the inevitable. ¡°Everyone, get ready. Go to your positions!¡± Lux ordered ¡°This is a do or die moment, so do everything in your power to resist. Once the Kobold breaks past our defenses, it¡¯s all over. So fight with everything you¡¯ve got!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± As the battle in the Dump Site area intensified, the Warriors of Norria had just killed the guards that were manning the entrance of the Kobold Nest. Over five-hundred strong warriors, with Thoram at the lead, ran through the passageway that led to the depths of the Nest. A battle that had never before seen in the territory of Norria was about to begin. Chapter 62 Show These Lizards Whose Boss ¡°FIght!¡± Lux roared as he activated his skill, Battle Cry. This was the skill that added +100 to both Physical and Magical attacks for all of his allies. With this boost of strength, his ordinary Skeletal Fighters¡¯ physical damage had reached Rank 2, making them more formidable as they held back the charging Kobolds. Diablo and five Skeleton Fighters blocked the newly created passage made by the Kobolds, while Ishtar and other two of the Skeletal Fighters blocked the original narrow tunnel that the Kobolds were using to form a pincer attack. The nonbatants hurriedly retreated to the very back of the cavern, leaving all those who could fight standing behind the Skeletal Fighters, who were ready to rece thetter the moment they died. Colette held her weapon firmly. But on the contrary, she couldn¡¯t stop her body from shaking. As someone who had already been defeated by the Kobolds once in battle, she was well aware of how tenacious they were. They were one of the races that could use the strategy of overwhelming their enemies through sheer numbers with kamikaze attacks. It was at that moment when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, gripping it firmly. ¡°Are you scared?¡± Lux asked with a smile. Colette bit her lip. Her father had told her that she mustn¡¯t show any weakness, especially during a battle. She was a member of the Goldenyer n, a family of Pdins. It was their duty to stand at the forefront of battle and lead their people to victory. And yet, right now, she was truly scared. Although she was doing her best to fight the growing fear in her heart, she was still unable to stop her body from shaking. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t bring herself to answer, Lux raised the hand he had ced on her shoulder and rested it over the little girl¡¯s head. ¡°I am scared, too,¡± Lux said as he shifted his attention to his subordinates who were keeping their enemies at bay using everything in their arsenal. ¡°But, I have a goal in life. For the sake of that goal, I must make a stand, even if my heart trembles inside my chest.¡±-. One of the Skeletons fighting alongside Diablo shattered into pieces, and the Half-Elf raised his hand to summon another one to take its ce. ¡°For that goal, I must wield my weapons to fight,¡± Lux added. ¡°Also, there is someone¡­ waiting for me back home; someone that raised me with love and care. If I fall here, she will be heartbroken, so no matter what happens, I must return alive.¡± Lux smiled as he summoned another Skeleton Fighter after another died. Colette looked up at the Half-Elf who was like a strong pir, who gave her and everyone in that cavern, hope. ¡°What is your goal, Big Brother?¡± Colette asked. She wanted to know what the Half-Elf, who came from a distantnd, wanted to aplish bying to Elysium. ¡°To save a dying world from destruction,¡± Lux answered as he lightly patted her head. ¡°And prevent it from being destroyed a second time.¡± The red-headed teenager took a step forward as he summoned another Skeletal Fighter to block the narrow tunnel where the Kobolds were advancing slowly. ¡°That¡¯s why I asked all of you to trust me, and fight with me until the end,¡± Lux dered. ¡°We will not lose. I promise that I will lead all of you to the surface. So, children of the Earth Goddess, I bid all of you to stand¡­ and carve a path to victory!¡± The Half-Elf then charged forward as one of his Skeletal Fighters shattered. He took its ce and engaged against Kobolds in closebat, preventing them from breaking past their defenses. Colette and the other Dwarves felt their blood boiling inside their chest. Although they were still feeling fearful, a small ze of courage was rekindled in their hearts. The little blonde girl raised her mace and charged forward the moment another Skeletal Fighter got destroyed. She activated her Pdin Aura to strengthen her allies, and then continued fighting side by side with Lux and Diablo. ¡°Diablo! Push them back!¡± Lux ordered. ¡°Show these Lizards who¡¯s boss!¡± The glowing embers in Diablo¡¯s eyes burned brightly as he rammed the Kobold in front of him with his shield. Lux¡¯s First Born then pulled back his arm as he activated his AOE Skill ¡°Whirlwind sh.¡± Lux¡¯s first Named Creature annihted all the Kobolds in front of him as he assumed a protective stance to defend Lux and Colette from the Kobolds, who had momentarily stopped their advance due to the pressure that he was releasing. ¡°Kekeke.¡± Diabloughed as if he was finding his enemies¡¯ reaction very funny. Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t too worried about the monsters that he was facing. As a monster that had reached Rank 3, very few monsters in the Kobold¡¯s Nest could beat him. Not to mention that Blood Moon was a cheat-like Mythical Weapon that broke thews of the Beginner¡¯s Area. ¡ª- < Blood Moon > Weapon Type: One Handed Sword Rarity: Mythical Damage: 225 ¨C 350 Requirement: All stats must be fifty or above. Additional Requirement: Only those recognized by Randolph can wield this weapon. Passive Skills: Sharp de, Swift de, Life Steal, Thorn, Indestructible < Sharp de > ¨C The de of this sword will always be sharp and will never dull. ¡ª¨C < Swift de > ¨C The sword feels very light which helps its wielder brandish it with ease. Able to strike very fast in quick session. ¡ª¨C < Life Steal > ¨C Each attack heals the user with 10% of the damage they deal to their enemies. ¡ª¨C < Bleed > ¨C Has a 5% chance to apply the Bleeding effect to your target with every strike. ¨C Bleeding effect reduces your target¡¯s Health Points by 1% of its Maximum Health Points every 2 seconds. ¨C Bleed Effect Duration: 10 seconds. ¡ª¨C < Indestructible > ¨C This weapon is indestructible. It cannot be destroyed. ¡ª- Diablo¡¯s defense was quite high, so he only received minimal damage from the Kobold¡¯s attacks. With the help of the ¡°Life Steal¡± ability that was imbued in his weapon, his health points were almost always full. Simply put, even if Diablo fought against a hundred Rank 1 Monsters, a single Whirlwind sh was enough to fully restore his Health Points. Seeing that things were not going their way, the Kobold Sorcerer decided to intervene and shot a fireball towards the defenders. Just like Diablo, it was a Rank 3 Monster who was very close to breaking through Rank 4. The moment the Kobold Sorcerer cast its fireball, Diablo threw its Bone Spear which met the attack head-on. When the two spells collided, a powerful explosion took ce, negating each other¡¯s attack. ¡°Kekeke.¡± Diablo raised his sword and made a taunting gesture to the Kobold Sorcerer who was at the back of the Kobold Formation. The Kobold Sorcerer snorted as it unleashed fireball after fireball with the intention of obliterating the arrogant Undead that dared to provoke it. Diablo continued to unleash his Bone Spears to meet the fireballs head on. The loud explosions made the walls of the cavern tremble, causing Lux to frown due to the possibility of the cave crumbling. He had already dragged Colette back to the safety of the cavern, while Diablo stood in front and continued his barrage of Bone Spears. Just as the Half-Elf expected, the impromptu tunnel that the Kobolds had made wasn¡¯t stable enough to handle the powerful explosion, which resulted in a cave-in. This sent dust clouds billowing in Lux¡¯s direction, forcing everyone to cover their faces to prevent themselves from getting dirt in their eyes. When the dust cloud receded, Lux nced in the direction of his Named Creature and sighed internally. The cavern¡¯s entrance had beenpletely blocked by rubble, preventing the Kobolds from continuing their assault on two fronts. It was at that moment when Diablo turned his head to look at Lux and gave him a thumbs up. Although it couldn¡¯t talk, its confident pose gave everyone the impression that it was saying the words ¡°Just as nned!¡±. Lux smirked because the feeling of smugnessing from his Named Creature was being transmitted back to him. It was at that moment when he wondered if it was possible for Diablo to talk after a few more upgrades. The Half-Elf reluctantly put this matter aside as he summoned more of his Skeletal Fighters. Their fight was far from over, and he had no intention of letting his guard down until reinforcements arrived. Chapter 63 The Kobold Chieftains Decision Due to the battle happening at the loweryers of the Kobold¡¯s Nest, Lux had no idea that the reinforcements he had been waiting for had already arrived. Led by Thoram, the Commander of Norria, the Dwarf Warriors used brute force to st their way through the Kobolds, which had detected their advance. After the incident of the other¡¯s escape, the Nest was on high alert, so the Kobolds immediately noticed the arrival of the uninvited guests in their domain. The Kobold Chieftain frowned after hearing his subordinates¡¯ report. Right now, their strongest warrior, the Kobold Champion, was currently leading their main force to subdue the Goblins that had built arge settlement near their territory. It would take their reinforcements a full day before they could return to the nest, so the Chieftain was contemting his choices about what they could do for the time being. Just like the Kobold Sorcerer, the Kobold Chieftain was at the peak of a Rank 3 Monster. Their Champion, the Draconic Kobold, was at the peak of Rank 4 and was only a step away from breaking through to Rank 5. The other Draconic Kobolds, which ranged from Rank 3 and Rank 4, had apanied him to battle, leaving only the Kobold Chieftain and the Kobold Sorcerer to look after the nest. Because of this, only seven thousand Kobolds remained inside the nest. Although Kobolds weren¡¯t afraid to fight to the death, they still didn¡¯t like meaningless deaths. After knowing the strength of their opponents, the Kobold Chieftain estimated that they wouldn¡¯t be able to beat the Dwarf Warriors who hade to raid them. Since that was the case, he decided to personally handle the issue and came out to have a dialogue with the invaders. ¡ª¨C Thoram and his men brute forced their way against a horde of Kobolds. Although the majority of them were rank one, there were dozens of Rank 2 Kobolds mixed within their group. The battle was bloody as both sides fought tooth and nail against each other. After two hours of non-stop battle, blood dyed the ground making Helen¡¯s expression very pale. Although the dwarves were stronger, they still lost over a hundred men as over a thousand Kobolds fought them with a ferocity that made even the most arrogant of dwarves feel respect towards their enemies. After the battle ended, Thoram and the Dwarves took a short rest as they tended to their injured. They knew that there would be more battles up ahead, so they decided to recuperate for a short period of time before continuing their rescue mission.-. An hourter, they once again formed their ranks and braced themselves for another hard battle. Thoram and his men noticed that the Kobold Nest was surprisingly empty after they explored the middle levels of the Nest. They didn¡¯t know that the Kobold Chieftain had issued amand for all the Kobolds to retreat to the lower levels, in order to prevent them from dying needlessly. Word had also been sent to the Kobold Sorcerer about the new threat, so they decided to pull their forces, which were currently raiding the Dump Site, to regroup with their Secondary Force. Just as the Warriors of Norria arrived near the end of the Kobold Nest¡¯s middle level, they noticed seven Kobolds standing in a spacious cavern, as if waiting for their arrival. None of the Kobolds were carrying any weapons, but they did hold wooden sticks with a white cloth tied to them. Thoram frowned, but he made a gesture for his men to not do anything reckless. After seeing their reaction, the Kobold Chieftain briefly nodded its head and spoke using the universalnguage of the realm. ¡°What is your reason foring here, Dwarves?¡± the Kobold Chieftain asked. Thoram took a step forward as he faced the Kobold¡¯s Chieftain¡¯s indifferent expression. ¡°You terrorize ournds and capture our people, yet, you still dare to ask why we¡¯vee?¡± The Kobold Chieftain¡¯s expression remained calm as he eyed the Dwarf who seemed to be the leader of the raiding party. ¡°Dwarves kill us Kobolds, and steal the treasures we mine underground,¡± the Kobold Chieftain stated. ¡°Naturally we kill them back. It has always been like this, and will always be in the future.¡± This time, it was Thoram¡¯s turn to frown. To the Dwarves, the Kobolds were a race that liked to mine. Although Dwarves liked to mine themselves, their passion didn¡¯te close to what the Kobolds felt about mining. There were times when these two races met underground while they were creating mazes in the depths of the Earth. Wars between them were verymon, and Thoram would not lower his dignity to refute the Kobold Chieftain¡¯s words. Since that was the case, he decided to get to the point and see whether both he and the Kobold Chieftain could reach apromise. ¡°We¡¯ve onlye here to rescue our people,¡± Thoram dered. ¡°If you give them to us and promise to not attack any more Dwarves in the territory of Norria, we can have a non-aggression pact between our parties.¡± ¡°Do you have the qualifications to make this pact hold true?¡± the Kobold Chieftain asked. Right now, their priority was to wage war on the other monsters in the area in order to secure the safety of their Nest. Also, they were patiently waiting for their Draconic Champion to Evolve into a Rank 5 Monster. Once that happened, there would be very few creatures that could threaten their existence in the territory of Norria. ¡°I am Thoram, the Commander of the Stronghold of Norria,¡± Thoram replied. ¡°This territory is under my jurisdiction, so yes, I have the authority to make this pact binding.¡± Thoram didn¡¯t want to lose any more of their men in a fight against the Kobolds because they had more pressing issues at hand. The Beast Tide Season was nearing, and they would need every Dwarf Fighter to protect the walls of Norria from the Beast Invasion. They simply didn¡¯t have time to deal with the Kobolds at this point. If the Stronghold of Norria could form a non-aggression pact with them, that meant that they could focus all of their attention in other areas that required their assistance. ¡°Very well.¡± The Kobold Chieftain nodded. Since both sides didn¡¯t want to wage a full blown war against each other, apromise was a wee topic between the two forces. ¡°Make an Oath to your Earth Goddess,¡± the Kobold Chieftain stated. ¡°And you make an oath to the Dragon King,¡± Thoram countered. To the Dwarves, the Oath to the Earth Goddess was a sacred oath. Although the Dragon King was not a God, for Kobolds it was the ultimate existence they would offer everything to, even their lives. After the two sides made their oaths, the Kobold Chieftain asked one of his Elite Warriors to escort Thoram, and his subordinates to the loweryers, where Lux and the other Dwarves had holed themselves in. ¡ª¨C Lux and the other Dwarves were in a state of tension as they waited for the Kobolds to continue their attacks. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t know why the Kobolds¡¯ relentless assault had suddenly stopped, so he merely advised everyone to be on their guard. Two hourster, the Half-Elf heard some noises that seemed to be heading towards their direction. When the Half-Elf stood up and went towards the exit, all the Dwarves prepared themselves to fight once again. However, before they could even raise their fighting spirit, Helen¡¯s voice echoed down the tunnel. ¡°Big Brother! Colette! Matty! Axel! Are you guys alright?¡± Helen shouted as soon as she appeared in the narrow tunnel leading to the Dump Site. ¡°Helen?¡± Lux couldn¡¯t believe that the little Dwarf girl would appear on the lower floors of the Kobold Nest looking practically unharmed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°We¡¯vee to rescue everyone!¡± Helen shouted as she ran towards the opening of the cavern, and hugged Colette. The red-headed teenager nced down the tunnel and saw several Dwarves wearing armor. Clearly, these were the reinforcements they had been waiting for. However, he felt that something was off. ¡°Helen, did you meet any Kobolds along the way?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Un! The Kobold Chieftain came to negotiate with the Commander,¡± Helen answered. ¡°We now have a non-aggression pact with the Kobolds. We can all leave this ce safely.¡± When Lux and the Dwarves heard Helen¡¯s words, most of them didn¡¯t believe it at the start, but after seeing that no Kobolds were attacking the Dwarves, they finally understood why the attack on their location had stopped. Lux breathed in a sigh of relief after confirming that Helen¡¯s words were true. Although he kept on showing a confident expression on his face to prevent Colette and the other Dwarves from panicking, deep inside, he was standing on pins and needles. After losing the tension in his body, his legs buckled and he almost copsed on the ground. Fortunately, Diablo was standing beside him and managed to support him in time. ¡°Big Brother, what¡¯s this? Getting soft all of a sudden?¡± Colette teased. Now that they had been saved, the little girl¡¯s cheekiness had returned. The Half-Elf only chuckled and ruffled Colette¡¯s hair in order to get back at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Leaf Vige,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°I want to take a long nice rest and a few days off from adventures.¡± Colette and the other Dwarves felt the same way. With the protection of the Warriors of Norria, all of them left the Kobolds Nest safely. Thoram had sent fifty of his men to apany Lux, Colette, and the rest of her party to escort them back to Leaf Vige. Along the way, Nevreal and Lux had a private talk. The middle-aged dwarf had directly asked the Half-Elf what kind of reward he wanted for his help in guiding them to the Kobold¡¯s Nest, where Robin was held captive. Lux didn¡¯t n to y the goody-two-shoes and reject the free rewards that were being offered to him. ¡°I want weapons and armor,¡± Lux stated. ¡°The higher the quality, the better. Of course, if you n to give me a Mythical Weapon, I will dly ept it with open arms.¡± Nevreal stared at Lux with a hawk-like gaze before leaving the Half-Elf¡¯s side. The red-headed teenager watched him go with a smile on his face. He was just teasing the middle-aged Dwarf about the Mythical Weapon, but he wasn¡¯t lying when he said that he wanted weapons and armor. His summoned minions had gained the Equip Item Skill, which meant that they could equip weapons, armor, essories, and other misceneous items. If Lux could arm all of them to the teeth, then the forces he could wield would not lose to a Dwarf Party who had broken through the Apostle Rank. Chapter 64 I Miss You The swishing sound of a broom could be faintly heard in the surrounding area as Vera gathered the leaves that had fallen in front of their house. She had been doing this almost every single day ever since Lux left because she had nothing else to do. After gathering the leaves into a pile, she took them to a part of the garden where she used them as mulch for other nts. After finishing her task, she went back inside the house and headed to Lux¡¯s room. Upon entering, she scanned the surroundings to see if there was anything amiss. Seeing nothing out of ce, she waved her hand and used cleaning magic to clean it. A gentle breeze swept across the room, leaving a refreshing fragrance behind. Vera made sure to clean her grandson¡¯s room everyday using magic to ensure that Lux¡¯s stay would be afortable one if ever he came back home to rest. She nodded her head in satisfaction once the cleaning spell ended. Just as she was about to leave, her gazended on a rainbow ball that sat on top of Lux¡¯s desk. It was something that she had bought from a passing merchant when Lux was only two years old. After picking up the ball, a nostalgic smile appeared on Vera¡¯s face as she remembered her adopted grandson¡¯s hardship when he was only two years old. ¡ª¨C Two years after Vera saved Lux from the Giant Crocodiles¡­ ¡°Good morning Grandma Vera; good morning Lux!¡± ¡°Are the two of you going out for a walk?¡± ¡°Lux is growing up fast. It was just like yesterday when you adopted him as your grandson. After a few more years, he will definitely be a handsome boy.¡± Vera smiled as she chatted with the residents of Wildgarde Stronghold. Lux was a special existence within the Stronghold, not because he was a Half-Elf, but because he was Vera¡¯s adopted grandson.-. The Stronghold had Nine Protectors which ensured that it remained the Overlord of the territory. There had been many asions when the local and foreign warlords tried to invade the Fortress in order to expand their Domains. However, all of their ambitions were turned to ashes after these Nine Protectors made their move. Vera was one of those Protectors, so her status in Wildgarde Stronghold was very high. As someone who their Protector had adopted, Lux became a hot topic among the residents. Lux, who was being carried by Vera in her arms, sucked his thumb as he curiously eyed his surroundings. Whenever someone tried to lightly rub his cheeks, he would cry. Even if a beautiful girl kissed him, he would still cry. If someone attempted to talk to him, he would cry as well. This made Vera feel very helpless. Her grandson didn¡¯t like to be touched, kissed, or talked to by other people at all. As Vera neared the vast yground, where most of the children in the Stronghold gathered, the thumb-sucking baby in her arms raised his head and looked at the children with great interest. His grandma would often bring him here to watch the other children y. But, today was different. Vera took him to the yground so that he could interact with children of his age. As the olddy walked towards the left side of the yground, where a group of toddlers could be found, several of thedies who had gathered there to look after their children stood up and gave her a brief bow. Vera waved her hand to put them at ease before cing Lux down on the ground. As a two year old, Lux was able to stand up on his own, but most of the time, he still preferred to crawl on all fours to get to where he wanted. ¡°Lux, y with the other kids,¡± Vera said as she coaxed her grandson to go to where the other children were ying. The toddler¡¯s area had a special protection magic around it that ensured that nothing dangerous would happen to any of the children. Vera had only taken a few steps away when she saw Lux following behind her. When she stopped, Lux grabbed hold of her leg andughed. This made thedies who had been watching over their children giggle. They had seen Lux several times in the past, but he was mostly carried along by Vera whenever she walked around the stronghold for her regr patrol. Seeing the little Half-Elf follow his grandma around like a little duckling made the hearts of thedies melt. They couldn¡¯t help but think about how endearing he was. ¡°Lux, don¡¯t you want to y with the other kids?¡± Vera asked. ¡°Look, they are having fun over there.¡± Vera pointed at a bunch of two to four year old kids ying with colorful balls and small boxes that littered the ying area. Lux nced at the ce where Vera was pointing at and started to suck on his thumb once again. Seeing that an opportunity had arrived, the olddy lightly pried Lux¡¯s left hand, which was still clinging at her leg off, and jumped to the top of a tree where Lux wouldn¡¯t be able to see her. Since Lux was still a baby, he didn¡¯t notice right away that his grandma had disappeared from beside him. The moment he turned his head to look back, Vera was no longer in sight. The little Half-Elf turned his head in every way, searching his surroundings, trying to find his grandma. A minuteter, when Lux still couldn¡¯t find Vera, he started crying, calling out to his grandma. ¡°Manma! Waaaaaaaah! Manmaaa!¡± (A/N: Manma is Mama and Grandmabined.) The Little Half-Elf was bawling his eyes out, making thedies who were watching him earlier get a strong urge to hug and coax him until he no longer cried. However, they didn¡¯t dare move from their location because they knew that Vera was just up in the tree beside her grandson, observing his every move. ¡°Manmaaaa! Manmaaa!¡± Lux cried and called out repeatedly until his face became flushed. Anyone who saw him right now would feel heartbroken because of how pitiful he looked. Vera sighed because she realized that Lux might not be ready yet to y with the other children. Just as she was about to jump off the tree, Lux suddenly copsed andid on the ground without moving. Thedies who saw what happened cried out in rm and stood from their seats. They were about to go and help Lux when Vera appeared by his side. The olddy picked up her grandson, and immediately checked his condition with a spell. The result baffled Vera because ording to her medical knowledge, Lux was perfectly fine. The olddy then wiped the tears and snot on her grandson¡¯s face before leaving the scene to visit her friend, who was Wildgarde Stronghold¡¯s healer. She was not a medical expert, so she decided to let her friend do a full diagnostic check on her grandson to find out what had happened to him. ¡ª¨C ¡°He¡¯s not in any serious danger. At least, for now,¡± the strongest Cleric in Wildgarde Stronghold, Natasha, said with a frown. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with his body. But, do you remember what I told you when you brought him to me after you returned to the Stronghold with him?¡± Vera nodded. ¡°You said that he might have been exposed to a soul damaging spell, which may leave him with some problems growing up.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Natasha stated. ¡°Back then, he was still too young, so these problems weren¡¯t obviously showing. Now, it¡¯s different. This is a side-effect of his soul being damaged.¡± ¡°Although it is too early to tell, I have a feeling that he will lose consciousness anytime he is faced with very strenuous situations. Worst case scenario, it might be triggered when he experiences any kind of strong emotions like happiness, anger, sadness, or depression.¡± Vera looked at her grandson with an anxious expression before looking back at her friend, who was still in the middle of casting a diagnostic spell. ¡°Is there any way to cure him?¡± Vera asked. ¡°Just tell me what things you need, I¡¯ll get them for you.¡± Natasha sighed and shook her head. ¡°This is beyond my capabilities. I¡¯ve already tried to use my powers, and even gave him a very strong elixir a year ago. I thought that it would help his soul heal over time, but it didn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Then, what should I do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let him feel any stress or encounter stressful situations. Bring him to me for regr checkups so I can observe his condition all the time. Maybe, just maybe, we will be able to figure out a way to rid him of this sickness before he bes old enough to enter Elysium.¡± After leaving her friend¡¯s house, Vera carried her grandson back to their residence. When she was halfway through their journey, Lux opened his eyes and looked drowsily at Vera. After seeing that his Grandma was in front of him. He hurriedly wrapped his arms around her neck and once again started to cry. Clearly, the little Half-Elf had been scared silly earlier, and still hadn¡¯t gotten over the fact that Vera had disappeared without him noticing. ¡°There, there, don¡¯t cry,¡± Vera coaxed as she lightly patted Lux¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma will not leave you again, okay? So stop crying.¡± It took Vera a full five minutes to coax Lux enough to get him to stop crying. It was at this moment when she passed by a merchant stall in which several items wereid out for sale. In order to apologize to her grandson, Vera bought the rainbow-colored ball from the merchant and gave it to Lux to y with. Surprisingly, the little Half-Elf loved Vera¡¯s gift and yed with it a lot. There were even times when he would faint while ying with the ball due to how excited he was, which had made Vera panic several times because of how sudden it was. ¡ª¨C ¡°Time flies so fast,¡± Vera muttered as she lovingly ced the ball back on top of the desk. She missed the days when Lux was still young, but she also understood that he couldn¡¯t remain a child forever. This was why when Lux decided to go to Elysium, she had given him her silent consent and passed her family¡¯s Special Techniques to him. Vera hoped that it would be enough to keep Lux safe when he faced dangerous situations. Just as she was wondering what to cook for lunch, she felt a fluctuation inside the house. Vera didn¡¯t hesitate and ran towards the training room. The moment she opened the door, a handsome Half-Elf with red hair, and eyes as green as emeralds turned his head to look at her. ¡°I¡¯m back, Grandma,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°I missed you.¡± The olddy walked towards her grandson and hugged him tightly. It had been more than a month since Lux hade to Elysium, so she had also missed him terribly. ¡°Wee back, Lux,¡± Vera replied as she lightly ruffled her grandson¡¯s head like usual. ¡°Your hair has grown a bit long, do you want me to cut it for you?¡± ¡°Is it that long already?¡± Lux asked as he scratched his head. ¡°Yes,¡± Vera answered with a smile. ¡°But, we can do thatter. Have you eaten? What do you want to eat for lunch?¡± That day, Vera cooked all of Lux¡¯s favorite dishes. The Half-Elf ate a lot because it was tasty and he had missed his Grandma¡¯s cooking. After the meal, Lux told Vera about his adventures in Elysium. Vera smiled as she listened to her grandson¡¯s bragging. She found it funny when Lux told her that he single-handedly fought a Kobold¡¯s Nest. As someone that had fought these monsters in the past, how could she possibly believe her grandson¡¯s exaggerated tale? ¡®Well, as long as he is safe, that is all that matters,¡¯ Vera thought as she praised Lux for his amazing performance. They had been finally reunited after more than a month of parting, so Vera had no intention of ruining Lux¡¯s good mood, and allowed him to brag as much as he wanted. While the Grandma and Grandson pair were spending some quality time together, news of what happened in the Kobold¡¯s Nest had reached the ears of the high-ranking personages in the Kingdom of Gweliven. By the time that the Half-Elf returned to Leaf Vige to continue his adventures, he would understand that the Dwarf Race was not a race that should be taken lightly. Chapter 65 Will You Please… Marry… ¡°I¡¯m going now, Grandma,¡± Lux said as he hugged Vera. ¡°I¡¯lle and visit as often as I can.¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Vera hummed as she lightly patted her adopted grandson¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ll always be here waiting. Be safe, Lux.¡± The red-headed teenager reluctantly took a step back as he looked at his grandma¡¯s gaze filled with affection. It was the face that had watched over him all these years and showered him with love and tenderness. In his past lifetime, Lux had no goals in life. This time around, he had two goals in mind. The first one was to help save the world from destruction. And the second, goal was to make his Grandma proud of him. He wanted her to know that all the sacrifices she had made for him all these years were worth it. More than anything else, he wanted the world to give Vera the recognition she deserved. And for that to happen, he must return to Elysium. Back to the world that held the secrets on how Sis could be saved from its predetermined destruction. ¡°Take care, Grandma. I love you,¡± Lux said as he pressed his fist over his chest. ¡°Open, Heaven¡¯s Gate!¡± Lux turned into particles of light and disappeared. Vera smiled as she ced a hand over her chest. She was very happy that her grandson was doing well in Elysium. She knew that this parting wouldn¡¯tst forever, for in time, the little Half-Elf¡ªwho she had raised since he was a baby¡ªwould return to her side once more after he grew tired from his adventures. ¡ª¡ª Leaf Vige¡­ After returning to Leaf Vige, the first thing that Lux did was to visit his cksmith Master, Randolph. He had already returned Blood Moon to his Master¡¯s custody because the mission had ended. However, Lux was thinking if he could borrow it again for a short period of time to aplish a great undertaking for the vige.-. Although he didn¡¯t want to rely on the Mythical Weapon for help, the mission he nned to aplish was impossible toplete without it. However, just as Lux entered the business district of the vige, several familiar faces ran towards him with smiles on their faces. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Colette called out as she happily jumped at him with her arms opened wide. The Half-Elf had no choice but to catch the adorable little girl who seemed to have be more lively after spending a few days back home. After the battle in the Kobold¡¯s Nest, Colette and her friends returned to Sis in order to see their families. This was a very natural custom for Dwarves, especially after managing to survive a near-death experience. After swinging the little Dwarf round and round a few times, Lux ced her back on the ground and lightly patted her head. Colette, on the other hand, grabbed hold of Lux¡¯s hands and held it firmly in her two little hands. ¡°Big Brother, I have thought about this for a long time. You have risked your life a few times to save me, and for that I am very grateful,¡± Colette said with a serious expression on her face. ¡°That¡¯s why, in order to repay you, will you please¡­ marry¡­¡± Lux gulped because Colette was looking at him with a flushed expression on her face. The Half-Elf waited with bated breath as the little dwarf finished what she wanted to say. Matty, who was watching this scene, immediately became rmed. He then gave Lux the ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you if you marry Colette!¡± re, which made the red-headed teenager have the strong urge to p him. ¡°Will you please¡­ marry¡­ my Big Sister?¡± Colette pleaded. ¡°That way, you will be part of our family!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Matty, who was about to draw his sword, ready to hack Lux into pieces, stopped midway. He then looked at Colette and patted his chest in relief before ring back at Lux, who had a dumbfounded expression on his face. ¡°Marry your Big Sister?¡± Lux blinked once then twice in confusion. ¡°Yes!¡± Colette nodded her head. ¡°My Big Sister is very beautiful! She has many suitors, but if I help you, your chances of marrying her will be very high! Don¡¯t worry, even if you are not a dwarf, I will vouch for you!¡± Lux wanted to scratch his head using his left hand, since his right was firmly held by the excited little Dwarf who was looking up at him with sparkling eyes. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Lux replied in helplessness. He felt that if he rejected Colette¡¯s offer right away, the little girl would throw a tantrum and pester him until he said yes. ¡°Good.¡± Colette smiled. For now, she was satisfied with Lux¡¯s answer. After going back home, she had told her parents and her sister about how Lux had saved them inside the Kobold¡¯s Nest. Colette¡¯s parents and older sister were quite surprised because they understood how difficult it was to fight against a horde of Kobolds inside their nest. Because of this, the little girl¡¯s father even prepared several gifts to repay Lux for saving his daughter¡¯s life. ¡°Big Brother, this is for you. This came from my Family. It¡¯s a thank you gift for saving our lives.¡± Colette procured a silver ring from her magic bag and gave it to Lux. ¡°Please, ept it.¡± Lux didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and epted the silver ring from Colette¡¯s hands. Right now, he wouldn¡¯t reject any goodwill that would help him be stronger in Elysium. When the Half-Elf nced at the contents of the ring, he found twenty Rank 2 Beast Cores and a blue bow with intricate designs. Out of curiosity, Lux took out the bow from the storage ring to give it a closer look. ¡°It¡¯s a good bow,¡± Lux said as he held it in his hands. Right now, he didn¡¯t have the ability to appraise things because he still hadn¡¯t learned the skill yet, but it was not a problem because he had the Elysium Compendium. Any item that could be found in Elysium was recorded inside the Mythical Item that Lux had acquired through Gacha. After summoning thependium in his hand, the information for the bow appeared, and Lux wasn¡¯t able to stop himself from whistling after reading its contents. ¡ª¨C < Heartstriker: Bow of the Forest > Weapon Type: Longbow Rarity: Unique Requirement: Dexterity 80 ¨C Damage: 125 ¨C 160 ¨C Increase Range Attack damage by 20% Passive Skill: Shot to the Heart < Shot to the Heart > ¨C Deals double damage if your attack hits the heart area of your target ¨C This ability works with normal and skill based attacks. ¡ª¡ª ¡°Thank you, Colette,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°This is just the thing that I need.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you liked it, Big Brother!¡± Colette smiled back. She was quite happy that Lux liked the gift that her father had prepared for him. Although she hadn¡¯t seen Lux use a bow before, she believed that since her Big Brother was a Half-Elf, he was blessed with the ability to use a bow perfectly. What the cute little Dwarf didn¡¯t know was that the reason why Lux was happy was because he was looking for a weapon to give to his Skeleton Hunter, Ishtar. With Heartstriker in her possession, her long range attacks would be even more deadly. Matty, Helen, Axel, and Andy also gave Lux various gifts that came from their family. Although they didn¡¯t present Lux with any weapons, all of them gave him ten Rank 2 Beast Cores, which made the Half-Elf very happy. ¡°Are you angels?¡± Lux asked as he epted the Beast Cores with gratitude. ¡°Thest time I checked, today is not my birthday.¡± ¡°Hah? Did the Kobolds clobber your head on our return trip?¡± Matty snorted. ¡°This is just our family being grateful to you for saving our lives. Mark my word, this won¡¯t happen ever again. I will never, ever, be ced in a situation again where someone else needs to rescue me!¡± Colette, Helen, Axel, and Andy all nodded their heads in agreement. Their experience inside the Kobold¡¯s Nest wasn¡¯t a good one. Because of this experience, they wanted to be stronger. The next time a simr situation happened, they wouldn¡¯t be as helpless as they had been previously. Lux could understand what they were feeling because he also thought the same. As long as he could be stronger than his enemies, then he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being ced into a dangerous position. ¡°Big Brother, what are your ns for today?¡± Colette asked. ¡°We nned to look for the Carbuncle in the Aspiration ins. Would you like to join us?¡± ¡°Carbuncle?¡± Lux frowned as he returned the bow to his storage ring. The Carbuncle was the Alpha Beast of the Aspiration ins. It was the Lord of the Horned Rabbits and a Support Type Monster that healed and buffed its allies in battle. Of course, when put to a pinch, this meter-tall beast was capable of attacking its enemies with physical and magical attacks. It was also very fast, which made it a difficult adversary for a party whose members still hadn¡¯t stepped into the Apostle Rank. The reason why Colette proposed to attack the Carbuncle was due to Lux¡¯s performance in the Kobold¡¯s Nest. After seeing Diablo¡¯s strength, as well as the other skeletons under the Half-Elf¡¯smand, she was very confident that they would be able to beat the weakest of the Alpha Beasts of Leaf Vige. Colette¡¯s offer was very tempting, and Lux also knew that they were indeed capable of challenging the Carbuncle. However, the n he had in mind must take precedence. Now that the Riders of Norria had a non-aggression pact with the Kobolds, who had resorted to banditry in the past, their hands were now more free to handle some tasks that they had set aside beforehand. One of these tasks was dealing with the mosquito infestation that was still happening in the Figaro Gardens. Lux wanted to deal with this menace, before the Riders of Norria were dispatched to the scene. As long as he could borrow Blood Moon from his Master, Randolph, again Lux was confident that his skeleton party would be able to decimate the mosquitoes that had forced the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to prevent everyone from entering the Figaro Gardens. ¡°There is something that I need to do first, but I¡¯ll probably be back within three days,¡± Lux replied after organizing his thoughts. ¡°If you can wait till then, I will be more than happy to challenge the Carbuncle with all of you.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Colette readily agreed to Lux¡¯s proposal. ¡°Let¡¯s fight the Carbuncle in three days. This is a promise. Right, Big Brother?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°I promise. I will return in three days and fight the Carbuncle with all of you. Also, I won¡¯t fight with any of you for the monster drops. All of you can have it.¡± ¡°Big Brother, you are the best!¡± Colette grinned as she gave Lux a thumbs up. After talking about a few more things, the group parted and went to deal with their own business. Lux resumed his journey to his Master¡¯s workshop while time was still on his side. He hoped that before the Riders of Norria arrived, he would be able to finish the task that he had set out to do. Chapter 66 Striking While The Iron Was Hot ¡°Hmm¡­ your purpose is good, but can¡¯t you just wait until the Riders of Norria handle this mission?¡± Randolph, the cksmith of Leaf Vige, asked. ¡°Now that the Kobolds are no longer a problem, it is only a matter of time before they resume handling the problems that they have set aside due to the Kobold¡¯s wanton banditry.¡± ¡°It is exactly because of this reason that we should strike now, Master,¡± Lux countered. ¡°Right now, there are so many monster materials that can be looted from the Figaro Gardens. Are we going to let the Riders of Norria take them all?¡± Randolph¡¯s expression eased up a bit, and Lux knew that he was faltering. All he needed to do was give his Master one more push before thetter agreed to lend him Blood Moon for a few days. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to be honest. It does tempt me, but the answer is still no,¡± Randolph replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Listen, Lux, I don¡¯t want you to rely on the Mythical Weapon to boost your progress. Since you are my Disciple, I want you to resume your studies of cksmithing. I¡¯m sure that after a few years, you will be able to craft Mythical Weapons.¡± ¡°No, Master.¡± Lux corrected. ¡°I won¡¯t settle for Mythical Weapons, I will go for Legendary Weapons.¡±-. Randolph looked at Lux with a dumbfounded expression before roaring inughter. ¡°Hahaha! Yes, you¡¯re right!¡± Randolph patted Lux¡¯s shoulder in a good mood. ¡°As my Disciple, you are bound to create Legendary Weapons. This is something I expect from the person I have chosen.¡± Lux grinned because he was only just a step away from achieving his n. Now that he had stroked Randolph¡¯s ego, it was now time to strike while the iron was hot. ¡°Master, I will be honest with you, I have a feeling that the Mosquitoes growth is suspicious,¡± Lux said. ¡°There has been no record that such a thing has happened in the past. Something must be causing it, and the secret lies in the North end of the Figaro Garden.¡± Randolph rubbed his chin because he couldn¡¯t refute Lux¡¯s hypothesis. Just as he said, there had been no incidences in the past where a mosquito swarm of such magnitude had appeared in the ce where Insectoid Monsters roamed. Although the Elders of the Vige looked calm on the surface, deep inside they must be very worried. A Mosquito Monster outbreak wasn¡¯t a joke, andpared to the Undead outbreak they had experienced not long ago, this one was potentially more dangerous. It was so dangerous that the houses which still didn¡¯t have basements that the residents could hide in, had no choice but to cooperate with the Earth Mages of the vige. These Earth Mages used their magic to dig an underground shelter to be used for an emergency, in the off chance that they didn¡¯t have time to go to the main shelter. ¡°Lux, I know that your main purpose in asking for Blood Moon is to take advantage of the situation,¡± Randolph stated. ¡°However, as one of the Elders of the Vige, I still have to consider the well-being of everyone that lives here. If I lend you Blood Moon for a few days, are you confident that you will be able to deal with the Mosquito Swarm?¡± Lux smiled as he held up two fingers from his hand. ¡°Without Blood Moon, my chances to aplish my goal is only twenty percent,¡± Lux admitted. ¡°However, if I have Blood Moon, my chances will rise to sixty percent. Master, I think it is worth it to take a gamble.¡± ¡°I know you have Skeleton Summons to handle the dangerous stuff for you, but can you assure your safety in this mission?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Lux patted his chest with confidence. He had no intention of dying in Elysium because he knew that his grandma would be sad. So more than anything else, he had always prioritized his safety above all others. This was why he wanted Randolph to lend him Blood Moon. It was to ensure that his mission would be a huge sess. ¡°Very well,¡± Randolph relented. ¡°I will lend you Blood Moon, but only for a few days. After you finish this expedition, you will not ask me to lend it to you ever again. Do I make myself clear?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± The two talked about the details of how Lux would safely aplish his mission. Hearing his n made Randolph scratch his head in disbelief. He had thought that Lux had only nned a simple means to keep himself safe, so he was surprised to hear that his Disciple also nned to hide in the underground tunnels of the Ant Nest to ensure that no mosquito would find him. After knowing that his sole Disciple was truly going to y it safe, Randolph lent Blood Moon to Lux with peace of mind. As long as the Half-Elf wouldn¡¯t risk his life to fight against thousands of mosquitoes, the cksmith of Leaf Vige was willing to entrust him with the greatest creation that he had made in his lifetime. ¡°Ah, Master, I need another favor from you,¡± Lux said after receiving Blood Moon and re-equipping it in Diablo¡¯s equipment slot. There was one more important thing that he needed to do in order to maximize the rewards of his expedition. ¡°Well, as long as it¡¯s not unreasonable, I will think about it,¡± Randolph replied. Since he had already agreed to lend the Half-Elf his weapon, a little favor wouldn¡¯t hurt. Lux smiled as he told his Master the contents of his favor. After hearing his request, Randolph nodded his head in agreement. Now that his goal has been achieved, Lux made preparations to enter the Figaro Garden under the cover of darkness. The mosquitoes were more active around this time, and Lux was sure to find them instantly. Looking at the Beast Cores that had been gifted to him by the parents of his friends, Lux nned to upgrade his Skeleton Party and have them attack the mosquitoes, and collect as many monster parts as possible during his expedition in the Figaro Gardens. Chapter 67 I Will Show Them How Awesome Your Grandson Is! Lux locked himself up inside his room in the inn and looked at the Beast Cores he had in his possession. From fighting with his life on the line in the Kobold¡¯s Nest, as well as the rewards that were given to him by the parents of Colette, Matty, Helen, Axel, and Andy, the Half-Elf had acquired a good number of Beast Cores which would make his team a lot stronger. One Hundred and Fifty One Rank 1 Beast Cores, and Eighty Rank 2 Beast Cores. That was the total number of Beast Cores that Lux currently possessed, which made him feel giddy whenever he thought of it. ¡°I¡¯ll upgrade Ishtar and the Skeleton Archers for now,¡± Lux muttered as he held a Rank 2 Beast Core in his hand. ¡°Our opponents are flying creatures, so range attacks will be more effective than melee attacks.¡± Lux then checked Ishtar¡¯s current rank as he applied one Beast Core after another. After using twenty Rank 2 Beast Cores, Ishtar¡¯s Rating went up from D+ to C, which upgraded her overall stats. She also learned the passive skill Hunter¡¯s Eye, which allowed Ishtar¡¯s to lock on a single target and attack it with greater uracy from great distances. Lux spent an additional twenty-seven Rank 2 Beast Cores to raise her Rating to C+, which allowed her to learn two active skills, namely Arrow Shower and Piercing Arrow. Arrow Shower, as the name suggested, allowed Ishtar to shoot a magical arrow where it would split into multiple arrows that would rain down on her enemies. This was a very effective AOE attack especially when dealing with enemies that were grouped together. Piercing Arrow, on the other hand, was a skill that allowed Ishtar to fire a charged arrow that could pierce through armored units, or monsters that had very tough skin like dragon scales, exoskeletons, etc. Of course, when certain arrows were paired up with the Piercing Arrow skill, their effectiveness would increase, turning them deadlier. For example, an Adamantium arrow was an arrow that was strong enough to pierce through Dragon Scales. If Ishtar were to use the Piercing Arrow Skill, alongside the Adamantium Arrow, the arrow would embed itself deeper inside the monster¡¯s body, causing greater damage. ¡ª¡ª < Ishtar > ¨C Named Skeleton Hunter-. ¨C Rating: C+ ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress (0/1,000) Health: 5,500 / 5,500 Mana: 2,550 / 2,550 Attack: 180 ¨C 215 (+160 Heartstriker) Attack Type: Ranged Ice Damage Strength: 80 Intelligence: 85 Vitality: 80 Agility: 85 Dexterity: 115 Active Skill: Hunter¡¯s Mark, Set Trap, Arrow Shower, Piercing Arrow Passive Skill: Equip Item, Hunter¡¯s Eye. Title: The Forgotten Queen Note: Sometimes I aim to please. But, most of the time, I aim to Kill! ¡ª¡ª Lux smiled after seeing Ishtar¡¯s character information in his soul book. After admiring her stats and skills for a minute, he then shifted his attention to his Skeleton Archers, whom he intended to upgrade until they matched the strength of his Skeleton Fighters. ¡°Let¡¯s go bigtime on this one,¡± Lux smirked as he consumed all One-Hundred and Fifty One Rank 1 Beast Cores, and turned them into 1510 Skill Points. ¡ª¡ª Lux used 1,300 Skill Points and upgraded his Skeleton Archers four times, which made them evolve into Skeleton Grand Archers. These upgraded Skeleton Archers had also acquired powerful skills like the Crippling Volley, and Vulture¡¯s Eye, which gave Lux the confidence that he would be able to aplish his goal without fail. ¡ª¨C < Crippling Volley > ¨C When four or more Skeleton Grand Archers are together, they will be able to activate this unique ability that allows them to fire a volley of magical arrows that have a high chance to paralyze their enemies. < Vulture¡¯s Eye > ¨C Allows the Skeleton Grand Archer to see further by two hundred meters ¡ª- < Summon Skeleton Grand Archer > Rating: B Mana: 10 Progress: (0/800) ¨C Summons Four Skeleton Grand Archer to fight for you ¨C Summon duration: 4 hour ¨C Skill Cooldown: 1 minute. Health Points: 2000 Attack: 100 ¨C 150 Attack Type: Physical Range Damage Active Skills: Triple Shot, Crippling Volley. Passive Skills: Fast Reload, Vulture¡¯s Eye ¡ª- Just to be on the safe side, Lux used seventeen Rank 2 Beast Cores to upgrade Diablo once, making his vanguard even stronger. The Skeleton Rider was already his party¡¯s strongest melee unit. However, since Diablo was also the wielder of Blood Moon, Lux decided to strengthen him to make him more formidable in battle. ¡ª¡ª < Diablo > ¡°Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be Legendary!¡± ¨C Named Skeleton ¨C Skeleton Rider ¨C Rating: B+ ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress ( 10 / 800) Health: 10,500 / 10,500 Mana: 1,940 / 1,940 Attack: 280 ¨C 335 (+300 Damage from Blood Moon) Attack Type: Ethereal Damage. Strength: 98 (+1) Intelligence: 97 Vitality: 96 (+2) Agility: 97 (+2) Dexterity: 97 (+2) Defense: 83 (+250 Defense) Title: Firstborn, Squad Captain, Relentless Charger. Active Skills: sh, Heavy sh, Bone Spear, Duel [EX], Whirlwind sh, Leap. Passive Skills: Parry, Tactician, Improved Dodge, Union of Man and Beast, Enhanced Fortitude, Intimidate (New) ¡ª¨C Lux still had 220 Skill Points remaining, which he set aside for the time being so they could be used for future upgrades. Diablo had also learned the skill Intimidate, which struck fear in monsters that were equal or weaker than it in rank. Monsters affected by the Intimidate skill would have their attack speed and movement speed decreased by 30% ¡®Diablo and Ishtar are now Rank 2 Monsters, while my other summons are at the middle stage of Rank 1 Monsters,¡¯ Lux thought as he nced at the information of all the creatures under hismand. Back then, he thought that it would take him a long while to gather resources in order to fully upgrade his minions. Gathering Beast Cores was not an easy task, especially at the start when one was going solo. If not for the fact that he had been generously rewarded by Colette¡¯s parents at the beginning, as well as having the chance to take advantage of the Figaro Garden and Kobold Nest incidents, Lux would not have reached the stage he was in right now. Now that his minions had all evolved and became stronger, Lux was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as he finally overcame the insecurity he¡¯d felt over the past few years. For four years, he was barred entry to Elysium because of his weak body. Now, even though he had been left behind by his friends in Wildgarde Stronghold, who had gone to the higher areas of Elysium, Lux no longer felt envious of them For he knew that after just a year, he could catch up to them. And a year after that, he would surpass all of them. ¡°Grandma, just wait for me,¡± Lux said as she stood up to leave his room. ¡°A few months from now, I will surprise everyone in Wildgarde Stronghold. I will show them how awesome your grandson is!¡± The Half-Elf left the inn with a serious expression on his face. His destination was the Figaro Garden, and he would not return until his storage bags, storage rings, and his Enchanted Beast Ring, were filled to the brim with resources that would make his Master Randolph,ugh until all of his teeth fell out of their sockets. Chapter 68 Luxs Masterplan The buzzing of mosquitoes could be heard in the darkness of the night. Ever since Lux had left to save Colette and the others, the numbers of mosquitoes had increased significantly. In fact, there were now so many of them that the ecosystem of the Figaro Garden was in danger of being overturned. The first thing that the Half-Elf did when he entered the garden was to look for the nearest Ant Nest where he could hide. The Ants recognized Lux right away because he was the only Half-Elf that visited the garden, not to mention that he had be their business partner as well. After chatting with the Ants for a bit in order to get a general situation of the garden, Lux immediately summoned his skeletons and put them to work. Diablo, along with Seven Skeletal Fighters, stood at the ready. Ishtar as well as four Skeleton Grand Archers were waiting for Lux to give them orders. Lux admired his team of Skeletons and grinned evilly as he gave them the order to move out. Their first destination was their of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, who¡ªording to the Ants¡ªhad already spawned after it was killed a few weeks ago. After his nice long chat with the Ants, he hade to the understanding that all the other insects were now rallying behind the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis in order to resist the Red-Striped Predator Mosquitoes (Common Monster), Obsidian Spite Mosquitoes (Rank 1 Monster), and Scaled Torment Mosquitoes (Rank 2 Monster). Truth be told, Lux had a feeling that there might be mosquitoes whose tiers might have reached Rank 3, or worse, Rank 4. This was something that the Half-Elf didn¡¯t want to see. He was afraid that if a mosquito had really reached Rank 4, there would be a new boss in the Figaro Gardens and it wouldn¡¯t be the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. A mosquito boss would be much harder to deal with.-. As they drew closer to their designated location, the buzzing sound also intensified. The red-headed teenager was monitoring the situation using Diablo¡¯s eyes and ears, while hiding inside the Ant¡¯s Nest. There was simply no way that he would take the risk and apany his summons¡¯ to fight against thousands of mosquitoes that could suck his blood dry and turn him into a dried husk. His team of Skeletons slowed their movements as they observed the on-going battle from afar. A never seen before team battle between hundreds of the Insects that resided in the Figaro Garden against the Mosquito Swarm that outnumbered them five to one. The Half-Elf was delighted as he watched such a scene because, for him, all of the monsters were simply Free Skill and Stats Points that were waiting to be imed by him. As body parts of monsters piled up on the ground, Lux noticed that the majority of those that had died were simply Common Monsters. In the Monster World, Common Monsters were merely cannon fodder that could be used to exhaust the enemies. The truebatants were the Rank 1 and Rank 2 Monsters, who were engaged in mortalbat. While everyone was fighting, Lux was looking for the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, who was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, several giant flowers were sliced apart as the Alpha Beast of the Figaro Gardens entered the scene. However, the Half-Elf noticed that the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis didn¡¯t enter the fray right away. Instead, it looked in the distance, eyeing a dozen meter-long mosquitoes, whose exoskeleton had taken a greenish hue. After using his Elysium Compendium to identify the new monsters, the red-headed teenager found that his fears became a reality. ¡°Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°Rank 3 Monsters.¡± Although these dozen Rank 3 Monsters were weaker than the Alpha Beast, their numbers still posed a problem. Just like the name implied, these Mosquitoes carried a powerful venom in their bites, which had a high chance of poisoning their target. Aside from that, there was also a medium chance that their victims would be paralyzed in just one bite as well. With this deadlybination, the Rank 3 Mosquitoes were something that the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis wouldn¡¯t dare attack recklessly. Since the big shots were simply eyeing each other and not making any moves, the battle of the lower ranks raged on. The fight was so intense that the Half-Elf thought that their skirmish would end in less than fifteen minutes. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Should I help the insects? Or should I help the mosquitoes?¡± The red-headed teenager pondered this question for a bit as he eyed the battlefield with a serious expression on his face. After weighing the pros and cons on who to help, the Half-Elf ordered his Skeletons to¡­ help the Mosquitoes vanquish their enemies! Although he knew that this was the wrong thing to do, Lux simply went ahead with his n due to one simple reason. ¡°Mosquitoes only drink blood, they don¡¯t eat Beast Cores,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°Since that is the case, I¡¯ll just help them kill the other Insects faster. Don¡¯t think badly of me, this is just pure business.¡± After receiving Lux¡¯s orders, the Skeletons sprang into action. They immediately attacked the Insects and targeted their wings and legs, crippling them and allowing the Mosquitoes to go in for the kill. Diablo¡¯s, Ishtar¡¯s, and the Skeletons¡¯ appearance had a profound effect on the battle. They were high-ranking Monsters, so their battle prowess was enough to tilt the advantage in favor of the Mosquitoes. The Red-Eyed Terror Mantis screeched in anger as it opened its wings to fly towards Diablo and the others. However, Ishtar¡¯s ranged attacks, that were imbued with the ice element, slowed its movement by a good margin. Seeing that an opportunity arrived, the Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes joined in and attacked the Alpha Beast from all sides. This was the effect that Lux had wanted to achieve, and he couldn¡¯t help butugh madly, while he was inside the Ant Nest. ¡°That¡¯s it! Die and give your Beast Cores to me!¡± Luxughed. No matter what happened, he would get the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis¡¯ body parts this time without fail. Back then, he was forced topromise and sell the parts of the Alpha Monster to Frederick and his party. Now, it was different. He was hunting the Alpha Beast solo, while using the Mosquitoes as a way to weaken it. The monster parts of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis were very valuable. Its exoskeleton could be used as armor, while its ws could be used to forge a unique sword. However, Lux didn¡¯t n to forge the weapon right away. The reason? Because the Elysium Compendium had reminded him that a better weapon could be crafted using ten ws from the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. If crafted properly, the weapon had a high chance of bing a Pseudo Mythical Weapon, that had a sharpness that could cut through steel. In order to achieve this, the red-headed teenager needed to fight the Alpha Monster five times, in order to collect five sets of ws. This was something that beginners knew nothing about. In fact, there were only a handful of individuals in the entirety of the Gweliven Kingdom who knew about this, and all of them were Master and Grandmaster cksmiths. Randolph was a Master cksmith, so he also knew the recipe of this Pseudo Mythical Weapon. However, he kept his lips shut tight and would only buy these monster parts from the dwarves, at a very high price, silently. In fact, Blood Moon was made with five sets of ws from the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, teeth from the Forest Wolf King, and the Beast Cores of three high-ranking Noble Vampires, whose rank was no lower than Viscount. Creating this weapon was no easy feat because the chances of failure were high. Fortunately, against all odds, Randolph had seeded and the Mythical Weapon Blood Moon was born. As Randolph¡¯s Disciple, he had learned the recipe from his Master, which made him want to craft a Blood Moon of his own. Because of this, he decided to just collect the parts he needed, while he was still in Leaf Vige. That way, he would be able to craft the weapon that made Diablo a killing machine. After the Mosquitoes gained the advantage in battle, Lux ordered his Skeletons to slowly back away to the outskirts of the battlefield. He was quite far from the location of the battle, and he didn¡¯t want to lose any more of his forces. Among the seven Skeleton Fighters, three had died in battle. The Skeleton Grand Archers suffered no losses because they were attacking from a safe distance, and were protected by Ishtar. The Half-Elf had also ordered Diablo to not use any of his shy moves, so that Blood Moon¡¯s ability would be hidden from the high-ranking Monsters. He nned to deliver the coup de grace when they least expect it, giving them no time to evade the deadly blow that would end their lives. Just like the Mantis stalking the Cicada, unaware of the Oriole from behind, Lux manipted his forces to attack the Insects that were a safe distance from the battle being waged between the Rank 3 Mosquitoes and the Alpha Monster that ruled the Figaro Garden. The red-headed teenager knew that the Alpha Monster was not an easy opponent to beat, but he would be damned if he allowed the rascal to get away after he had decided to im its monster parts as his own. ¡°Diablo, pay extra close attention to the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°Once it enters its berserked state, pull out as fast as you can. Stop all hostilities against the insects and get as far from the battlefield as possible.¡± The Half-Elf knew that in that brief period of time when the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis enter berserk mode, its stats would double, and it would be unstoppable. He nned to wait patiently until the berserk effect wore off, before going in for the kill. In the meantime, Lux had re-summoned the Skeletal Fighters that died and ordered them to regroup with everyone in battle. Although the journey from Lux¡¯s location to Diablo¡¯s was several minutes away, he figured that it was enough time for his forces to regroup and take advantage of the weakened Alpha Monster so they could end its life once and for all. Chapter 69 Once In A Lifetime Opportunity Due to Ishtar¡¯s and the Skeleton Grand Archer¡¯s harassment of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, the Mosquitoes were able to take advantage of the situation and collectively bombarded the Mantis with Venomous Sprays that whittled its health away. The other Insects who realized that their leaders were losing the battle decided to shift their attention to the Skeletons that had appeared out of nowhere. However, Diablo stood in front of his subordinates and fought with Blood Moon in hand. Although two more Skeleton Fighters died during the collision, Diablo was more than enough to hold off several enemies at once. After all, he was a Rank 2 Monster, and he had a Mythical Weapon on hand. The Mosquitoes had figured out that the Skeletons were on their side, so they used this opportunity to deal significant losses to their enemies. In the end, Diablo and only two other Skeletal Fighters remained as the vanguard, while Ishtar and the Skeleton Grand Archers fired volley after volley of attacks aimed at the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis in the distance. Five minutester, the eyes of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis glowed brightly. This was a sign that it was about to use its Berserk Skill, which Lux and Diablo had been waiting for. As soon as the Alpha Monster showed signs of going berserk, the Skeletons immediately stopped attacking and ran away like there was no tomorrow!-. A few seconds after they left the battlefield, an angry screech that was simr to nails scratching a steel resounded in the surroundings. The Red-Eyed Terror Mantis¡¯ berserked state doesn¡¯t happen right away. It was a gradual strengthening that increased all of its stats by 50% after several minutes had passed. The best way to fight against it was to let it activate Berserk, then run away until its duration ended. All Alpha Beasts and Field Bosses had Berserk Skills. This was why they were the hardest to fight, and also why they were more dangerous than normal monsters. The Red-Eyed Terror Mantis was a High-Tiered Rank 2 Beast. Although it was only Rank 2, it was stronger than most Rank 3 Monsters. Once it entered its berserked state, its strength would reach the middle stages of Rank 3, which would put it on par with a Rank 4 Monster at its peak. Since it was a High-Tiered Monster, its Health and Defenses were stronger than most, so it was impossible to fight it alone, even if the opponent was also a Rank 4 Monster. Lux had looked for all of the information rted to the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis because it was one of the most dangerous Alpha Beast in the Beginner¡¯s Zone, only second to the Field Boss, the Forest Wolf King. Those who had reached the Rank of Apostles would usually challenge this Alpha Monster as proof of their strength before leaving the Leaf Vige, just like Frederick¡¯s Party did when their party had reached the Apostle Rank. Powerful gusts of wind blew in every direction as the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis unleashed a devastating attack against the mosquitoes that had encircled it. Its sharp ws sliced anything in its path, including the Rank 2 Monsters, the Scaled Torment Mosquitoes. The Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes, who were Rank 3 Monsters, stayed outside of its attack zone and only hurled Venomous Sprays from afar. The Alpha Beasts knew that it was fighting on borrowed time so it jumped towards one of the Rank 3 Mosquitoes like a cannonball. It then opened its wings for an extra burst of speed, closing the distance in two heartbeats. The Mantis ws sliced the Ruthless Venom Mosquito¡¯s wings cleanly off its body, which made the Rank 3 Monster fall to the ground. Surprisingly, the Mantis didn¡¯t go for the kill. In fact, the moment itnded on the ground, it leapt towards another mosquito and sliced its wings in half. Mosquitoes can walk and crawl, but their speed was nothingpared to how fast they could fly in the air. The moment theynded on the ground, several angry insects, who were weaker than the mosquitoes mobbed them, despite thetter being stronger. One by one, the Rank 3 Mosquitoes fell on the ground until only four were left. These mosquitoes had already flown to a height that couldn¡¯t be reached by the Mantis, which prevented the Alpha Monster from continuing its rampage. Since that was the case, the Mantis focused its attention on the Rank 3 Monsters that it had crippled earlier and were now being attacked by the angry insects that they had terrorized for days. Even so, these Mosquitoes were still Rank 3 Monsters, so they overpowered their enemies and killed them one by one. The Red-Eyed Mantis was really the only one that could cut through their defenses, and that was what it did. It shed at them repeatedly until green blood oozed out of their bodies. After killing thest Ruthless Venom Mosquito, the glow on the Alpha Monster¡¯s eye waned, signaling that its berserked state had passed. This was the moment that Lux and the Mosquitoes were waiting for. After seeing that their nemesis had stopped moving, the remaining Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes swooped in for the kill. This was a once in a lifetime chance to suck the Alpha Monster¡¯s blood dry, and gain the chance to evolve into a higher specie. This was the ultimate goal of all creatures. Even Common Monsters had the ability to evolve, but only if they consumed enough Beast Cores, or if the requirements for their evolution was met. The Skeletons, who had now returned to the outskirts of the battlefield, observed this from afar. Although they were all made up of bones, a look of anticipation could be seen in the flickering lights within their hollow eye sockets. Lux, who was safely hidden inside the Ant Nest, smiled evilly as he waited for the battle to end. The Alpha Beast was on itsst legs, and it was only a matter of time before it fell. Right now, it was a race against time for both the Mosquitoes and the Insects that were putting up a strong resistance until the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis recovered from its weakened state. Chapter 70 One-Sided Beating The four remaining Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes swooped down from the sky and then sprayed Venomous Sprays at the Mantis which had just transitioned into its weakened state after using its berserk skill. The Alpha Beast was helpless against the ranged attacks that rained down on its body. The most it could do was raise its ws, taking on a defensive stance, covering as much of its body as it could. Its strong and sturdy exoskeleton was covered in Venomous Sprays in no time, but the Terror Mantis was mostly unaffected by the Mosquitoes¡¯ attack. Feeling impatient at theirck of progress, the Ruthless Venomous Mosquitoes decided to try some hit and run tactics and used their sharp and powerful needles to pierce the Mantis¡¯ protective armor in an attempt to inject their venom directly inside thetter¡¯s body. Out of the four Mosquitoes, the Mantis was able to seriously injure one of them after it came close to its strike range. The other two the Mosquitoes were able to pierce its armor and inject their Venom, but the fourth barely evaded a ferocious swipe that was aimed at its head. Seeing this scene, Lux knew that he needed to do something, or the Alpha Beast would recover from its lethargic state. He no longer cared about being the one to deal the finishing blow to the Mantis. All he cared about was that it died. Ishtar and the Skeleton Archers fired volley after volley of arrows, while Diablo and the two remaining Skeleton Fighters stood in front of them, serving as shields and protecting them from insects whose attention had shifted to them. Ishtar¡¯s attack was incredibly deadly, especially when it was up against an unmoving target. The Skeleton Hunter used her bow¡¯s exclusive passive skill ¡°Shot to the Heart¡±, which dealt double damage if it sessfully hit the spot where the target¡¯s heart was located. Although the Alpha Beast was using its ws to shield that part of its body, Ishtar didn¡¯t care. -. For her, it didn¡¯t matter whether the Mantis was blocking her attack or not. If the Alpha Beast chose to block her attack then the Mosquitoes would be able to attack its blindspot, using their sharp needle-like mouths to pierce its body. Ishtar activated her skill Piercing Arrow, which pushed the Alpha Beast from where it stood with its powerful impact. Just as Lux expected, the Mosquitoes used this opportunity to attack the Mantis in its blind spots, making it shriek in pain. Ishtar didn¡¯t relent in her attacks, and fired one Piercing Shot after the other. Soon, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis decided that it had had enough and decided to go all out and kill as many as it could before it died. Unfortunately for him, Ishtar¡¯s passive ability to shoot ice arrows had greatly slowed its movement and attack speed, which made itsst attempts futile. It was also at that moment that Ishtar¡¯s arrow pierced its chest, making it shriek in frustration. The passive skill Shot to the Heart activated, dealing great damage to the Mantis, pushing it one step closer to its death. Two minutester, the Alpha Beast of the Figaro Garden uttered a blood-curdling shriek before copsing on the ground. It had breathed itsst, which signaled the end of the battle. The surviving insects hurriedly escaped because they knew that, without their leader, they no longer stood a chance against the Mosquitoes. The Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes greedily pounced on the dead Mantis and sucked its blood. It was the reason why they had attacked its Domain, and they wouldn¡¯t leave until they had drained all of its blood. The lower ranking Mosquitoes, on the other hand, flew after the insects that ran away. Because they knew that there was no way that they would get a share of the Alpha Beast, they chose to settle for the other insects who were running away in every direction. While the Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes focused their attention on the Mantis, they didn¡¯t notice that a small team of Skeletons had already made their way to their location. Without any warning, Diablo leapt through the air and stabbed Blood Moon on the back of the head of one of the Mosquitoes that had received a serious injury during the battle against the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. The Ruthless Venom Mosquito instantly lost its life, not knowing how it died. Itspanions were a bit slow to react, so Diablo was able to thrust its sword to another mosquito, aiming at its left eye. At that exact moment, a whistling sound was simultaneously heard and a magic arrow pierced the mosquito¡¯s right eye, embedding itself directly into its brain, dealing critical damage. Diablo¡¯s sword also pierced the Mosquito¡¯s left eye at that exact moment, which dealt critical damage as well. Thebined attack between Lux¡¯s two Named Creatures was executed with perfection that their target had no time to react, which led to its death. Suddenly, a shower of arrows poured like rain on the location where the two other Mosquitoes were about to take flight. The Grand Skeleton Archers had activated their team attack, Crippling Volley, which had a high chance to paralyze their enemies. The two mosquitoes¡¯ bodies stiffened as the paralyzing effects of the attack activated. Diablo kicked one of the Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes, sending its body flying into the air before targeting the other Mosquito which was struggling to move on the ground. A magical arrow flew straight and true, piercing a spot on the back of the mosquito¡¯s body where its heart was located. Ishtar and the Grand Skeletal Archers focused fire on the fallen mosquito, while Diablo and the two remaining Skeletal Fighters gangbanged the other one. The Mosquitoes looked at the Skeletons in anger because they thought that they were on the same side. What they didn¡¯t know was Lux and his team weren¡¯t on anyone¡¯s side. Their goal was to take advantage of the situation and collect as many Beast Cores and Monster parts as possible. After a few minutes of one-sided beating, the two Rank 3 Mosquitoes finally died. Diablo hurriedly activated the Enchanted Beast Ring and stored the body of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, as well as the bodies of the four Mosquitoes had just been in. Ishtar and the other Grand Archer Skeletons regrouped with Diablo and began the tedious process of Beast Core Collection. Lux¡¯s Skeletons had acquired an inventory after they got upgraded. Although it wasn¡¯t big, it was more than enough to store a hundred Beast Cores per Skeleton Monster. The fun part about this item inventory skill was that Lux could directly transfer those items from the skeletons¡¯ inventory into his through the Soul Book! This was something that was never heard before in Elysium, and the Half-Elf felt that Eriol had ¡°tweaked¡± his Soul Book to allow such things to happen. It was the only exnation Lux could think of, and he was more than happy to abuse this feature. ¡°It¡¯s too bad that the Monster Storage Ring has a limit,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°If possible I¡¯d like a few more of those.¡± The Half-Elf knew that storage items that could store the Monsters¡¯ entire bodies cost a lot. However, he understood well that buying those would be worth it. If he happened to kill a rare monster in the future, bringing it back, instead of dismantling its body and only taking the most important part of its body, would be more profitable. While Lux¡¯s Skeletons were busy prying the Beast Cores from the dead insects on the ground, the sound of buzzing once again permeated the air. The red-headed teenager knew that their time was up. Although he wanted to get as many cores as possible at this time, he couldn¡¯t allow his cover to be blown at this point in time. The Mosquitoes thought of Diablo and the others as allies, so it would be a shame to not take advantage of it. In the end, Lux unsummoned his skeletons to make sure that no traces would be left behind. This was a safer option than letting the mosquitoes discover what they had been doing while they were going after the fleeting insects that had escaped the battlefield. ¡®Five of my Skeletal Fighters are already on their way to that location,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®It will be more than enough time to let the Mosquitoes drink their fill before I order them to resume the collection of Beast Cores.¡¯ Lux grinned evilly as he summoned Diablo, Ishtar, and the rest of his skeletons one by one. They would return to the Leaf Vige and dispose of the Monster Parts in his Master¡¯s smithy, so that they could free up some space for the second round of looting. He was sure that Randolph wouldn¡¯t mind if he left those monster bodies behind. In fact, he believed thay the Dwarf would be more than happy to take the monster¡¯s bodies off his hands, especially the body of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. They made a deal earlier that Randolph would take the Mantis¡¯ parts, except for the ws, aspensation for letting Lux use Blood Moon. Lux didn¡¯t mind sharing those things with his Master because this would not be the first andst time that he would be fighting the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. He was nning on collecting enough Mantis ws until he had enough to forge his own Blood Moon. This way, he would no longer need to borrow his Master¡¯s Mythical Weapon. Lux believed that with hard work, he would be able to craft a Mythical Weapon of his own. All he needed to do was patiently collect the items that were needed before leaving the Beginner¡¯s Area, the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven. Chapter 71 This ls What You Call lnvestment ¡°You did well, Lux,¡± Randolph said as he looked at the corpse of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis that was strewn across the ground of his warehouse. ¡°Can you tell me the current situation in the Figaro Gardens?¡± Lux nodded his head and exined how the battle of Mosquitoes and the insects yed out. He also told him about how they interfered with the battle and how he backstabbed the Mosquitoes when they least expected it. Randolph listened as he rubbed his beard. After Lux finished his tale, the Dwarf sighed before he patted his Disciple¡¯s back. ¡°You¡¯re one god damn backstabber.¡± Randolph chuckled. ¡°Are you going back to the Figaro Gardens?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°The night is still young and there are still many corpses to be collected. It will be a waste if I leave them behind.¡± Randolph understood that Lux was right. Even so, he was concerned about his safety, so he reminded him to not do anything reckless, and just let his Skeletons do the fighting. After bidding his Master goodbye, Lux once again slipped into the Figaro Gardens and headed towards the location of the Ant Nest. However, along the way, he heard the buzzing sounds of Mosquitoes, so he hurriedly took cover in order to hide from them. Diablo and the rest were with him, so he wasn¡¯t too worried about his safety. His only concern was that the number of the mosquitoes would be too much for him and his small team to handle. All the Skeletons each held a torch in their right hand, which served as a distraction that prevented the mosquitoes from sensing Lux¡¯s warm blood. Fortunately, after ncing in their direction, the mosquitoes didn¡¯t bother to take a closer look. They just focused on their mission which was to look for the Insects that were currently grouping with each other to resist their overwhelming numbers.-. Even after the Mosquitoes had left the scene, Lux didn¡¯t move from where he was hiding. He sent four Skeletal Fighters to scout in different directions to ensure that there was nothing that could threaten his life within the radius of five hundred meters. Only after making sure that it was indeed safe to move did the Half-Elf hurry towards the nearest entrance to the Ant Nest in order to seek shelter. Just like usual, the Ants happily weed him after he shared the location of where thetest battle had been fought. Lux¡¯s skeletons had already taken the Beast Cores that he could take from them, so he didn¡¯t mind sharing the dead bodies with the Ants, who always made sure to keep him safe while he was inside their colony. The Mosquitoes were not too keen to fight the Ants in their underground tunnels. Theck of maneuverability as well as the cramped space prevented them from being able to use their advantage in numbers. One could even say that, among the Insects in the Figaro Gardens, it was the Ants which were least affected by the one-sided ughter that was happening on the surface. After arriving to safety, Lux didn¡¯t hurry to send out his Skeletons. The first thing he was going to do was upgrade them in order to make them stronger. Lux had a dozen Rank 3 Beast Cores, as well as the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis¡¯ Alpha Core which glowed crimson red. He also managed to acquire a total of fifty Rank 2 Beast Cores and two hundred twenty-two Rank 1 Beast Cores, which was more than enough to strengthen his skeleton army by a few grades. Lux still had several Beast Cores in his collection, which he still hadn¡¯t used. After taking a quick look in his inventory, to see just how many beast cores he had, he saw three hundred seventy Rank 1 Beast Cores, Sixty Six Rank 2 Beast Cores, twelve Rank 3 Beast Cores, and 1 Alpha Beast Core. This was a staggering number. If his Grandma Vera were to know how her grandson was faring inside the Beginner¡¯s Vige, she would definitely be surprised and would question him about how he had managed to acquire so many Beast Cores on his own. No matter how one looked at it, Lux was simply a cheat-like character who was abusing the mechanics of the rules inside the Beginner¡¯s Vige. Although his rank was still below the Apostle Grade, his summons had long exceeded the limit of the rank of anyone that could stay in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. Lux was like one of those gamers who liked to over-level themselves before taking on the first boss of the game. This would ensure that the enemy wouldn¡¯t pose any threat to him, and he would be able to gain the upper hand in any of the battles that would take ce within the different zones of the Beginner¡¯s Vige. The Half-Elf used forty-three Rank 2 Beast Cores in order to upgrade Diablo twice. He knew that the one who would decide the sess of this mission would be none other than his First Named Creature, whosebined stats had reached five hundred and sixty, making him a Rank 2 Monster in the middle stages. Diablo also learned the skill Expert Trainer, which allowed him to sessfully train any kind of Monster which rank didn¡¯t surpass his by two tiers. For example, Diablo was currently a Rank 2 Monster. He could tame monsters that he could use as his mount as long as they were Rank 4 and below. Of course, for higher-leveled monsters, he would have to weaken them first before he could make them submit to be his Beast Mount. For higher ranked monsters, even if they were near-death, Diablo wouldn¡¯t be able to tame them because his rank would prevent him from doing so. Ishtar was the next one that Lux upgraded. As the dedicated long-range damage dealer, it was only natural for him to buff up the former who would also y a vital role in the uing battle. Just like Diablo, Lux upgraded Ishtar twice, which brought up herbined stat points to five hundred and ny five. She also learned the skill Siege Stance, that rendered her immobile with the tradeoff of increasing her attack by 100% ¡ª¨C < Siege Stance > Increases damage output by 100% and has a high chance of dealing critical damage for ten seconds. While in siege stance, the user is unable to move from their spot, and can only shoot at their enemies like a siege tower. Moving away, jumping, or breaking this stance will cancel the effect of the skill. This Skill stacks with any other long-ranged skills. ¡ª¨C Lux also upgraded his Skeletal Fighters once and his Skeleton Grand Archers twice, greatly reducing his stockpile of Beast Cores, but Lux had no regrets. After all those upgrades, he no longer had any Rank 1 Beast Cores remaining and only eight Rank 2 Beast Core was left in his inventory. He didn¡¯t touch the Rank 3 Beast Cores, as well as the Alpha Cores, because he nned to use those for himself after he left Leaf Vige. His Skeletal Fighters learned the skill Whirlwind sh, which allowed them to deal AOE damage, while the Skeleton Grand Archers learned Poison Arrow, which made their attacks very deadly. ¡°This is what you call investment,¡± Lux muttered as he gazed at his Skeleton Team that had be stronger. Although his way of doing things burned more resources whenpared to Colette and the others, the payback was very satisfying. Right now, aside from Diablo and Ishtar, Lux¡¯s army was only wearing the basic weapons and armor that he had bought from his Master at a very cheap price. If only he could arm them all to the teeth, then forget about forming a party for the dungeon. He could go solo and kill the Boss all by himself, as long as his Skeletons had the right equipment for the job. ¡°Now, let¡¯s address the main goal of this trip. Diablo, lead everyone towards the North of the Figaro Gardens,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°It¡¯s time to raid the Mosquito Nest and see what is causing this massive outbreak.¡± Lux and Randolph both agreed that what was happening inside the Figaro Garden was a bit abnormal. He wanted to get into the bottom of things, and in order to do that, his forces would first need to travel to the North, and investigate the source of the problem. ¡ª- North Region of the Figaro Gardens¡­ Someone, who was wearing a dark robe, frowned upon hearing the report of the Scaled Torment Mosquito (Rank 2 Monster) that he had tasked to supervise the attack on the other regions of the garden. He needed the Beast Core of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis for the ritual he was nning to make, but its corpse was nowhere to be found. Also, the Ruthless Venom Mosquitoes that led the attack had been all wiped out, which made the frown on his face deepen. He didn¡¯t believe that the Alpha Beast was the one that killed them all, so he conducted a thorough investigation and interrogated the scouting parties that he had assigned to patrol the garden on a regr basis. ¡°Did any of you see anything unusual?¡± the dark-robed figure asked. ¡°It could be anything that you don¡¯t always see in this territory. ¡°Bzzzt.¡± one of the Red-Striped Mosquitoes flew towards him and spoke about the Skeletons that it saw when it was patrolling the area. After hearing his subordinate¡¯s report, the person wearing the dark-robed smashed his fist on his make-shift table, breaking it in half. After panting for half a minute, he regained hisposure as he stared at the giant cocoon that was pulsing beside him like a beating heart. ¡°So, we have a rat in our midst,¡± the dark-robed figure gnashed his teeth. ¡°All of you, find the location of those Skeletons. Do not alert them, just simply encircle the area where they are located. Find any Dwarf that you see and bring them to me alive. I would like to have a nice¡­ long talk with the person that is getting on my way.¡± The dark-robed person assumed that the one that was getting on his way was a Dwarf. He could not be med for thinking that way because the Gweliven Kingdom was a Dwarf Kingdom. No other races could be seen within itsnds, so he deemed that only a Dwarf could pose a threat to his ns. Now that he was only one step away from realizing his goals, he would ensure that no more mishaps happened. Although losing the Beast Core of the Alpha Beast was troublesome, he had other substitutes that he could use in order to take its ce. However, what concerned him was the identity of his enemy. Right now, he was increasing the pace of his experiment because he had heard that the Riders of Norria had just dealt with the Kobold Bandits that were terrorizing thends. He thought that he still had a few more days before his experiment wasplete, but it seemed that Fate had other ns for him. Since that was the case, he had no choice but to find the perpetrator, and offer their blood to the new breed of Monster that would make him and his organization the overlords. An organization that wished to control the Dwarf Kingdom of Gweliven from the shadows. Chapter 72 Birth Of An Abomination In the middle of the night, the intense buzzing sounds of insect wings spread across the Figaro Gardens. Diablo, Ishtar, and the other Skeletons, were sneakily moving towards the North using the darkness as cover. The Mosquitoes weren¡¯t able to detect them because their bodies didn¡¯t give off any heat, making them practically invisible in the former¡¯s eyes. As the elite Skeleton party neared their destination, they noticed that the Monster Nest was mostly empty. The robed-man had ordered the Mosquitoes to look for the traces of the Skeletons, and capture their summoner. Fortunately, Diablo and his team had been using plenty of the underground tunnels the Ants had made to reach the Northern Regions, which allowed them to bypass the Mosquitoes that were looking for them. Diablo gazed at Ishtar and thetter nodded her head. She then nocked an arrow on her bow and took aim. The Skeleton Grand Archers followed her lead and also prepared to shoot, only waiting for her signal to attack. A few secondster, a shower of arrows killed the Red-Striped Mosquitoes that were loitering around the entrance of the Monster Nest. Since they were Common Monsters, they instantly died from the surprise attack that Ishtar and her Archers had unleashed. After making sure that no other Monsters were in sight, the group hurriedly entered the Nest. Lux, who was watching everything through the eyes of Diablo, frowned. He thought that he and the Skeletons would be fighting their way through vast swarms of Mosquitoes, but after arriving at their destination, the Mosquitoes were nowhere to be found. The Half-Elf wasn¡¯t aware that the majority of them were currently sweeping the FIgaro Garden in search of Diablo and him. As the skeletons traveled deeper inside the Nest, they arrived in what seemed to be a spacious cavern, where a four-meter-tall glowing cocoony at its center. Beside it was the robed person who was busy chanting incantations, as if reinforcing the cocoon and strengthening whatever was inside it. Before Lux could even assess what was going on, a notification sounded and a series of text materialized in front of him. ¡ª¡ª < Birth Of An Abomination >-. Mission Rating: S ¨C An unknown organization is conducting an experiment within the Beginners Area of the Gweliven Kingdom. Their goal is to create a monster that could potentially make them the Overlords of the Dwarf Kingdom to overturn the rule of the Royal Family. ¨C Their ns are still in the initial stages and it is up to you to stop them! < Quest Objective > ¨C Kill the Abomination. ¨C No matter what happens, the creature must be killed at all cost. ¨C Gather information about the unknown organization and pass it to the Knights of Norria. ¨C Quest Duration: 1 Hour ¨C Quest will automatically fail if you fail to subjugate the Abomination within the allotted time. < Rewards > 100 Free Stat Points 100 Skill Points 100 Body Constitution Points 500 Elysium Gold Coins 500 Riders of Norria Reputation Points 100 Kingdom Reputation Points (Exclusive to Kingdom of Gweliven) 2000 Leaf Vige Reputation Points ¡ª¨C ¡®A Rank S Mission?!¡¯ Lux gasped internally after reading the information that had suddenly shed in front of him. ¡®And I only have one hour to aplish it?!¡¯ After staying inside the Leaf Vige for a few months, he found that there was not a single Rank S Mission avable for people in the Beginner Zone. The highest mission avable was the subjugation of the Field Boss, Forest Wolf King, but even that was only a Rank A Mission. What did that mean? It meant that this Mission was harder than subjugating a Field Boss. It also meant that an Elite Party of Apostles was needed to finish such a task. ¡®Fortunately, I upgraded Diablo, Ishtar, and my other skeleton summons,¡¯ Lux thought as he observed the robed-person through Diablo¡¯s eyes. ¡®Perhaps they will be able to finish this mission, if things y out right.¡¯ Right now, the robed person still hadn¡¯t discovered that he was no longer alone inside the cavern. Lux assumed that the identity of the figure was a male dwarf, whose rank was unknown to him. ¡®We have the element of surprise in our side,¡¯ Lux mused as he used Diablo¡¯s eyes to look at the cocoon that was pulsing like a human heart. ¡®I bet he didn¡¯t expect that someone would venture deep inside this Nest and discover his sinister ns.¡¯ Lux decided to act quickly because he didn¡¯t know when the Mosquito Swarm would return to their nest. Also, the timer was ticking and he had less than an hour to finish this task before the mission failed. Ishtar nted her feet firmly on the ground as she activated her Siege Stance, which would increase all of her attacks by 100%. The Skeleton Grand Archers also posed to fire a Crippling Volley to paralyze the robed figure, allowing Diablo to close the gap and deal with him. Diablo and the Skeleton Fighters took a charging position in preparation for their united assault. After everyone had taken their position, Lux gave the order and Ishtar¡¯s Piercing Arrow flew towards the robed figure, at the same time the Crippling Volley was activated. As the whistling of the arrow echoed within the cavern, the robed figure moved his body to the side, barely evading the arrow that grazed the side of his cheek. Ishtar had aimed for his head in order to deal a lethal blow, but her opponent was a veteran that had fought in the battlefield before joining the secret organization. The moment he heard the whistling wind, his body had unconsciously moved to the side, allowing him to barely escape Ishtar¡¯s deadly attack. When the rain of arrows, that were imbued with paralyzing effects, rained down on him, the dwarf raised a staff and created a barrier that repelled the attacks that were meant to incapacitate him. ¡°Who are you?!¡± the Dwarf shouted. ¡°What faction do you belon¨Cguh!¡± The robed man was forced to stop his questioning when Ishtar¡¯s second Piercing Arrow collided with his shield, breaking it apart. In desperation, he rolled to the ground to evade the arrow that held considerable power to threaten his life. Unfortunately, after rolling to the side, the robed Dwarf came face to face with Diablo, who had used his Leap Attack to smash Blood Moon onto the robed Dwarf¡¯s head. ¡°Protection!¡± the Dwarf shouted as another barrier appeared in front of him. He hoped that it would be enough to block the unusual attack of the ck Knight that was wielding a red sword in his hand. What followed next was a scream of pain that made Lux breath a sigh of relief from inside the Ant Nest. Diablo¡¯s Heavy sh managed to shatter the barrier, but it didn¡¯t end there. The Dwarf had used a blink spell to escape, but Diablo¡¯s Bone Spear had already materialized in the air. In one swift motion, the bone spear pierced the left arm of the robed figure, making thetter scream in pain. Lux watched as the robe of the dwarf fell down on the ground, revealing his body. The man¡¯s scarred face, who seemed to be in histe thirties, appeared in Lux¡¯s vision. The Dwarf¡¯s hair was tied up in a braid, and there were ear piercings on his mouth, and nose, making him look intimidating. Fortunately, Lux was not intimidated as he ordered Diablo to engage the Dwarf and knock him unconscious. To his surprise, the Dwarf once again blinked away, and even summoned a Fireball that sent Diablo crashing to the wall of the cavern. ¡°Bastards!¡± the Dwarf shouted as he fired Fireball after Fireball at the Skeletons, who did their best to evade. Although his left arm was seriously injured and couldn¡¯t be used at this point in time, his tenacity gave the Skeletons a very difficult time. ¡®At least Grade A Apostle,¡¯ Lux thought with a grim expression on his face. ¡®This won¡¯t do. I need to change my tactics!¡¯ Lux immediately gave his orders, which Diablo obeyed without fail. The Named Creature used its Leap and swung its sword at the cocoon at the center of the Cavern. ¡°Noooo!¡± the Dwarf shouted as he stopped hurling Fireballs at Ishtar and the Skeleton Grand Archers, who were using long ranged attacks against him. Just like their leader, the Skeletal Fighters also started to hack the cocoon, using it as a shield to prevent the Wizard from firing Fireballs at him. ¡°sted Undead!¡± the Dwarf screamed as he tapped the butt of his staff on the ground thrice, activating a magic circle. He couldn¡¯t possibly just watch as the mission that was entrusted to him was destroyed right in front of his eyes. The Dwarf regretted sending all, but a few Mosquitos out to look for the Skeletons. Because of what he did, the Monster Nest was left unprotected, which allowed the Skeletons to sneak up on him. ¡®Dammit!¡¯ the Dwarf cursed internally. ¡®Just one more day and everything would have gone ording to n. Why now?!¡¯ Knowing that he was left with no other alternative, the Dwarf forcefully awoke the creature that was inside the cocoon. Although it was going to be a premature birth, it was better than dying at the hands of the Skeletons who were hacking its body like crazy. ¡°Rise and trample these fools!¡± the Dwarfmanded. ¡°Come forth! Ash Wing!¡± One of the Skeletons that were hacking the cocoon was blown away when a spiny leg emerged from the cocoon. Diablo hurriedly ordered the other Skeletons to back away as they observed the Beast that was emerging from its shell. A four meter tall, ash-colored Mosquito with golden stripes appeared in everyone¡¯s vision. Its golden eyes glowed brightly, as it red hatefully at the Skeletons who had hurt its body. What made Lux shudder was the fact that the monster had three heads instead of one, which was something he didn¡¯t expect from the mosquito. Although the newly born beast looked powerful, it was still in a weakened state after forcefully breaking through its shell. Its wings were quite small, perhaps due to the fact that it was born prematurely, depriving it of its ability to fly, which made the Half-Elf feel thankful. Just as Lux was about to recover from his shock, an arrow flew to the air and pierced the monster¡¯s back, where its heart was located. The Ash Wing screamed in pain, as it tried to move its body closer to the wall, in order to prevent it from getting hit from behind. Diablo quickly made his move and used Heavy sh repeatedly on one of its legs, cutting it in two. Another loud shriek echoed inside the cavern as the giant mosquito¡¯s three heads screamed in unison. It then kicked Diablo away, sending him smashing towards the cave wall in order to stop him from continuing to hack at its remaining legs. The other Skeletal Fighters immediately retreated because they knew that a single kick from the Mosquito would be enough to kill them. Although it was still in a weakened state, the fact still remained that it was simr to a Field Boss that was in the peak stage of Rank 3. Chapter 73 This ls Checkmate ¡°It¡¯s iplete. This monster cannot be used to further our goals in the Gweliven Kingdom.¡± The dwarf clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been impatient. I should have continued to y it safe until this thing was born properly. Now, it¡¯s toote. This project has failed.¡± The Dwarf broke the bone spear that had pierced his arm, and poured a healing potion over it. His wounds healed uppletely, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to fully use his arm for a few days. Since his ns had failed, he decided to leave and start from scratch. As the man was about to leave, he heard a whistling sounding from behind his back, and he was forced to roll to his right side to evade whatever it was. Grazing the side of his waist, an arrow shot past him, almost dealing a lethal injury to him had it hit its designated target, which was his heart. ¡°Dammit!¡± The Dwarf cursed as he opened another healing potion and poured its contents on his injury. Ishtar had shot at him due to Lux¡¯s orders. The dwarf couldn¡¯t be let go yet because one of Lux¡¯s mission objectives was to collect information about the unknown organization and pass it to the Knights of Norria. Since that was the case, he couldn¡¯t possibly allow the man to escape at all costs. Diablo, who also received Lux¡¯s orders, leapt from the ground and aimed to deliver a fatal blow to the Dwarf who seemed to be an Apostle Grade Mage who specialized in Fire Magic. ¡°Barrier!¡± The Dwarf shouted just in time to block Diablo¡¯s Heavy sh and prevent thetter from giving him a serious injury. The barrier shattered, but the Dwarf was able to use his blink ability to gain distance from his attacker. Just as he was about to cast a fireball at the skeleton in front of him, several whistling sounds reached his ears, which prevented him from doing what he wanted. The Dwarf mmed the butt of his staff against the ground, which created a powerful shockwave that repelled the arrows that Ishtar had shot in his direction.-. Right now, the Skeleton Grand Archers, and the Skeleton Warriors were keeping the Ash Wing¡¯s attention, allowing Diablo and Ishtar to work in tandem to defeat the Dwarf Mage, who was responsible for overturning the bnce inside the Figaro Gardens. Ten minutes passed as Diablo and Ishtar fought together against the Dwarf, whom Lux had determined to be at least a Grade B Apostle (Rank 3 Monster). The Dwarf was hard pressed in dealing with the deadly long range and short range attacks that were forcing him to use all of his abilities to their fullest. Meanwhile, the Ash Wing was being attacked by the hit and run tactics by the Skeleton Fighters, constantly being pummeled by volleys of long range attacks, and gradually increasing the injuries that it had received in total. After fighting against the Abomination, Lux realized that aside from its strength and size, the Ash Wing didn¡¯t know how to fight. Simply put, it just uses its legs to deliver blows that could be avoided as long as one paid attention to its movements. Just as the dwarf had mentioned, the Beast was a failed project because it was born prematurely. None of its deadly weapons were fully developed. The Ash Wing was just an oversized meat shield in a nutshell, which made Lux breathe a sigh of relief. However, although its attacks were very basic, the fact still remained that a single blow from it would be enough to annihte the Skeletons that were running around it. After being locked in a deadly battle with Diablo and Ishtar, the Dwarf Mage was finally able to take a breather when he sessfully blew Diablo away with a fireball that was fired at point nk range. The Dwarf immediately used this opportunity to blink away from the battlefield, and he seeded. He was quite familiar with the terrain of the Monster Nest and had already created several paths of escape to be used once the project had sessfully beenpleted. His clothes were drenched in blood because the battle had truly been intense. Even so, he just kept on running while pouring Health Potions over his body. Everytime the duration of the skill, Blink, became avable, he would blink away again. This caused his mana to drop at a rapid rate, but he didn¡¯t care. Right now, his priority was to escape the Figaro Garden and report his findings to their organization. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Right after he blinked to a location, the ground underneath his feet exploded. The Dwarf found his left arm being pierced through by a sword, which made him scream in pain. Lux was riding on top of a Silver Ant, and he used the momentum of its charge to impale the dwarf who was the ringleader of everything. However, his attack was not over yet. ¡°Mana Drain!¡± Lux shouted as he grabbed hold of the Dwarf¡¯s left arm, which he had pierced with his sword. Mana Drain was a range spell that absorbed 2% of the target¡¯s maximum mana for five seconds. Lux knew that his current stats were not strong enough to fight against the enemy, so he decided to use the only thing that he could do and that was to prevent him from using magic. The Dwarf panicked as he felt his remaining mana be taken away from him. As a Mage, all of his attacks relied on Mana. His mana was already dangerously low, and now even that was being taken away from him. ¡°Who are you?!¡± the Dwarf screamed in anger as he tried to break free from Lux¡¯s firm hold. ¡°Why are you getting in our way?!¡± Lux didn¡¯t bother to answer the dwarf¡¯s question, as he pulled his sword out of the Dwarf¡¯s arm so he could stab his enemy¡¯s chest. Unfortunately, the dwarf was stronger than him, so thetter managed to kick Lux away the moment he pulled the sword that was piercing his arm out. After escaping from Lux¡¯s grasp, the Dwarf ran away, only to be pinned down by the Silver Ant that Lux was using as a mount. The name of the Ant was the Speedy Silver Ant and, just as the name suggested, it was the fastest ant in the Ant Colony. Lux had asked for its help in order to reach the Nest as soon as possible, to help his Summons deal with the situation. The duration of the mission was only an hour, so the Half-Elf decided to go to the site, and personally handle the matter in order to clear his mission. ¡°Annoying Ant!¡± the dwarf roared in anger. ¡°Fire Bullet!¡± The Silver Ant screamed after it was hit by the magical attack, which allowed the Mage to use his Blink Skill to distance himself from the Rank 1 Monster, whose only merit was its fast running speed. This time around, the Dwarf had been drainedpletely of his mana reserves. However, just like everyone in his organization, he had brought several potions with him, and two of them were mana potions. Unfortunately, just as he was about to drink one of them, the bottle he was holding in his hand shattered when an arrow passed through it. A secondter, his chest was impaled by a bone spear, which pinned him to a nearby tree. The Dwarf spat a mouthful of blood as he looked in disbelief at the enemies that had appeared in front of him. ¡°I knew that the Hunter¡¯s Mark is indispensable when hunting prey,¡± Lux stated as he walked towards the Dwarf who was barely clinging onto life. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know that the first thing I would be hunting was not a beast, but a Dwarf. Sorry, Mr. Dwarf. This is checkmate.¡± Lux raised his hand and sneered at the slippery Dwarf who always used his Blink Skill to escape the battle. ¡°Mana Drain!¡± The Dwarf spat a mouthful of blood before his entire body stiffened. For magicians, and other spell casters, being deprived of mana was the same as being deprived of their health. When a magician loses all of his mana, and goes into a deficit, their whole body enters a state of shock, which knocks them unconscious. When they entered this state, they wouldn¡¯t be able to regenerate mana for 24 hours, and their bodies would enter a weakened state, making it impossible for them to cast spells. Diablo pulled the Bone Spear embedded on the dwarf¡¯s chest out, which made thetter fall to the ground. Lux poured just a bit of healing potion on the bloody hole to close it up. The Half-Elf had no intention of healing his enemy, he just wanted to keep him alive until he handed him personally to the Riders of Norria who were stationed in Leaf Vige. The Half-Elf rummaged through the Dwarf¡¯s belongings and took everything of value from his body. Storage rings, storage bags, his staff, and other misceneous items. He had no time to inspect them all because the battle was not over. For the time being, he stored all of these items in his inventory for safekeeping. The red-headed teenager then took ropes out from his storage ring and tied the Dwarf up properly and tight in order to prevent him from escaping. Just to be on the safe side, he had Ishtar cast another Hunter¡¯s Mark on the Dwarf as insurance, if he happened to wake up before they finished dealing with the Abomination. ¡°Speedy, can you take him to your nest for the time being?¡± Lux asked the Silver Ant that had brought him to the battlefield. Speedy clicked its mandibles and nodded its head before picking up the Dwarf on the ground. He then carried him towards the hole that he had made earlier, and disappeared from Lux¡¯s sight. The Half-Elf finally breathed a sigh of relief as he stared at Diablo and Ishtar who stood a few meters away from him. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°There¡¯s onest pest remaining.¡± Lux ran towards the entrance of the Nest along with Diablo and Ishtar. Now that the ringleader was defeated, all they needed to do was whittle the Ash Wing¡¯s health away, and put an end to the Abomination that threatened the lives of everyone inside the Figaro Gardens. Chapter 74 Mission Completion A blood curdling screech reverberated across the Monster Nest as the Ash Wing Mosquito went berserk. This was itsst resort to kill Lux and his skeletons that had backed it into a corner. Lux panted as he distanced himself from the monster who was nearing its end. Although his health and mana was still full, the mental exhaustion he received from fighting the Dwarf andmanding his Skeletons piled up and took a toll on his body. Diablo and the Skeleton Fighters had died plenty of times because Lux had ordered them to do suicide attacks, with the intention of cutting of the monster¡¯s legs, to prevent it from moving around. In the end, they seeded, and only one leg remained on the Diabolical Beast¡¯s body. And even though it had entered a berserked state, the only thing it could do was re at Lux and his skeletons while helplessly epting their beating. The red-headed teenager did his best to calm his breathing as he stared at the dying monster in front of him. He was quite thankful that the Dwarf had been forced to make the monster be born prematurely, which rendered all of its fighting abilities iplete. Without wings to fly, it was no different from a stationary target that the Skeletons, whom the Half-Elf could summon over and over again, could beat up. Five minutester, the crimson eyes of the three headed Abomination, which red hatefully at them, eventually lost their luster and turned dim. The Abomination¡¯s body copsed on the ground, dead. Lux didn¡¯t move from his spot until he heard the notification which said that his mission had sessfully beenpleted. Several words appeared in front of him, congratting him on his victory against the Diabolical Monster. ¡ª¡ª-. < Birth Of An Abomination > Mission Rating: S ( COMPLETED! ) < Rewards > 100 Free Stat Points 100 Skill Points 100 Body Constitution Points 500 Elysium Gold Coins 500 Riders of Norria Reputation Points 100 Kingdom Reputation Points (Exclusive to the Kingdom of Gweliven) 2000 Leaf Vige Reputation Points. < Bonus Reward. > Choose one among these options. < Option 1: Hell Horse > ¨C A hellish creature known for its cruelty as it terrorizes its victims until they draw theirst breath. They are found in ces where the miasma is thick, or in ancient battlefields where they are known to spawn from the malevolent stench of death that lingers after the lives of thousands have been imed. ¨C This monster¡¯s rank would always be equivalent to the rank of its Master. < Option 2: Golden Token of Gweliven > ¨C This token is one of the thirteen tokens that the founder of the Gweliven Kingdom had made when he was crowned King of the Dwarves¡¯nds. After several years had passed, these tokens changed owners many times before disappearing over the course of history. ¨C It is said that if you present this Token to the reigning King of the Kingdom, you will be given the title of ¡°Honorary Knight¡±, which would give you certain benefits within the Dwarf Kingdom. < Option 3: Monster Egg > ¨C An unknown monster egg, which you can hatch at the nearest bestiary near you. ¨C Depending on your luck, the Monsters that could be born from the egg can be Common Monsters, Rare Monsters, Unique Monsters, Mythical Monsters, or Legendary Monsters. < Option 4: Teleport Scroll 4 Pieces. > ¨C This scroll will directly send you to any ces that you have visited, regardless of the restrictions that were set in ce. ¨C For example, if you have be an Apostle or a High Ranker and you wish to return to the Leaf Vige, using this scroll will allow you to return without suffering any bacsh from the restrictions. ¨C If you want to bully children, this is the perfect item to satisfy your sadistic desires. ¡ª¨C Lux whistled after seeing the list of Bonus Rewards that he could choose from afterpleting the mission. Although each option was good and picking one of them now was tempting, the Half-Elf decided to set it aside for now because he was still not safe from danger. The first thing Lux did was to take the Beast Core out from the dead Monster¡¯s body, before storing the body inside his Enchanted Beast Ring, which was capable of storing the corpses of any monster regardless of their size. After safely storing his prize, Lux hurriedly ran towards the hole that his friend, Speedy, had made. Surprisingly, the Silver Ant was still by the time he arrived, as if waiting to carry the Half-Elf for the return trip back inside their Ant Nest. Lux didn¡¯t hesitate and mounted the Silver Ant¡¯s back, which was almost a meter and a half tall. Just as Speedy entered the underground tunnel that it had temporarily made along the way, the red-headed teenager heard the buzzing sounds of thousands of wings. The Half-Elf breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of.their very timely escape out of the monster nest. Even though Diablo, Ishtar, and the rest of his Skeletons were strong, they were still not a match against the thousands of Mosquitoes that had been looking for them for several hours in the Figaro Gardens. ¡ª¡ª Several hourster inside Leaf Vige¡­ ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± the Vige Head of Leaf Vige, Cedwyn, asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°If not, I wouldn¡¯t have asked Master Randolph to call all of you out in the middle of the night.¡± Cedwyn¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked down at the tied-up dwarf who wasying on the floor. The Elders of the vige, as well as Boreas, the Captain of the Riders of Norria who were stationed in the vige, were also present in the scene. All the Dwarves had grim expressions on their faces as they gazed at the unconscious man. ¡°Do you have any other proof?¡± Boreas asked. ¡°Cedwyn has already passed the documents to me, but this can be forged easily. Don¡¯t get me wrong. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m doubting you. But for something major like this, I need more concrete proof before I can report this to my superior.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. ¡°I have proof, but it will not fit this ce. Let¡¯s go outside.¡± The Half-Elf didn¡¯t wait for the Dwarf¡¯s reply before leaving the room. Boreas signaled for two of his men to watch the unconscious Dwarf before following behind Lux. Cedwyn, Randolph, and the other Elders of the vige also followed the red-headed teeanager outside the house. They were very curious about what kind of proof Lux would present to them, so that they would be convinced that he was telling them the truth. Only Randolph, who was Lux¡¯s cksmith Master, had a smug smile on his face. He had already seen the Ash Wing, which had given him a fright. He and Lux were confident that after everyone had seen the corpse of the Beast, they would understand that Leaf Vige had survived a close call due to Lux¡¯s intervention. Chapter 75 lm Just Happy To Help ¡°Dear Goddess¡­¡± Cedwyn muttered as he stared at the three-headed Abomination whose body Lux had summoned behind the Vige Chief¡¯s residence. This was the first time Cedwyn had seen such a creature in his life, and he was sure that this was not a natural born monster. The only exnation for its existence was that it was artificially bred from an experiment which forced it to mutate and turn into the horrific creature they were looking at. Boreas circled the beast and appraised its entire body. After inspecting it for a few minutes, he nced at Lux as he gave his verdict. ¡°Rank 3 Alpha Beast,¡± Boreas dered. ¡°How did you kill it?¡± With a nce, the Captain of the Riders of Norria, who was often stationed in leaf vige, could tell that if the creature stood on its legs, it would be four-meters tall at the bare minimum. Just thinking about a Mosquito with a size as big as this was enough to make everyone¡¯s hearts tremble.-. ¡°Take a good look at its wings,¡± Lux replied. He had already prepared a story about his confrontation with the monster, in order to make it sound that he just got lucky with the encounter. ¡°As you can see, its wings were undeveloped, so it was incapable of flight,¡± Lux exined. ¡°I attacked it while it was still inside its cocoon, so it was helpless under my assault. I hacked it over and over until it died. After that, I hurriedly left the scene and returned here to the vige.¡± Boreas frowned. As someone who had fought powerful monsters in the past, this was not his first time seeing such a high-tiered creature. What concerned him was that Lux wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat this monster on his own. He had been there when the Half-Elf had been carried to the make-shift infirmary site that the Dwarves of Leaf Vige had made after the monster outbreak of the Undead Army. Back then, Lux was unable to defeat even a Rank 1 Monster. The Abomination in front of him was an Alpha Beast, which Boreas assumed to be at least a Rank 3 Monster. In simpler terms, it was extremely powerful. Even though he believed that Lux was just lucky and killed the beast while it was inside its cocoon, that couldn¡¯t exin how he managed to capture the Dwarf Mage that was inside the Monster Nest as well. Only a fool would dare to raid a Monster Nest alone, because anyone would know that doing so was suicide. Boreas decided to just wait until he had time to talk with the Commander of Norria, who was currently in their Stronghold. ¡°Very well, I will interrogate the Dwarf Mage and get into the bottom of this mess,¡± Boreas said after much contemtion. ¡°However, I will need to bring this monster to our Stronghold, so that our specialists can study its body. Perhaps, we will be able to better understand how this Abomination was made.¡± Lux nodded in understanding. In truth, he didn¡¯t know what to do with the Giant Mosquito because even his Master, Randolph, said that its parts weren¡¯t good enough as a material to forge weapons and armor. At most, the alchemists could use its body parts and organs as ingredients to concoct potions and other misceneous items that might be useful to him in the future. ¡°What about the Beast Core?¡± Boreas asked. ¡°Did you take it?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Afterall, it was my kill.¡± Boreas nodded. Although it was regrettable that they wouldn¡¯t be able to study the Beast Core, as the one who killed the beast, it was Lux¡¯s right to take possession of it. Giving them the whole corpse was already a generous move on the Half-Elf¡¯s part, so Boreas didn¡¯t ask for more. ¡°I expect that the Riders of Norria will give some rewards to Lux as well,¡± Randolph, the Half-Elf¡¯s cksmith Master said. ¡°If he hadn¡¯t stopped this organization¡¯s ns then this territory might have beenpromisedpletely. Tell that to your Commander as well.¡± Boreas sighed and reluctantly nodded his head. He couldn¡¯t refute Randolph¡¯s words because it was the truth. He believed that if the Monster was born properly and had the time to grow to its fullest, the possibility of it reaching Rank 5 was very high. A Rank 5 Alpha Beast in the Beginner¡¯s area waspletely unheard of. The damage the Monster and itsckeys could have brought to the poption of Norria would have definitely been astounding. It might have been able to force the Dwarves to leave the Vige just to escape from the cmity that was about to befall them. ¡°I will make sure to report your good deed to my Commander,¡± Boreas said as he looked at Lux. ¡°You have done the Kingdom a great service.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just happy to help,¡± Lux replied. ¡°However, the problem in the Figaro Gardens still persists. If possible, the Riders of Norria should still perform an extermination to ensure that such a beast can¡¯t be born again.¡± ¡°Understood. I will request for more reinforcements from our Stronghold.¡± Boreas promised. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave so we can make the necessary preparations.¡± After saying his parting words, Boreas gave a brief nod to Cedwyn before heading to the makeshift barracks where his subordinates were staying. This was an important event, and the sooner he reported it to his Commander, the sooner it would be taken care of. Lux sighed in relief because Boreas didn¡¯t ask him anything else. Right now, the only thing he wanted was to go back to his room in the inn and get some rest. The battle in the Figaro Garden had drained him physically and mentally. Seeing his exhausted expression, Cedwyn announced that the meeting was adjourned and once again thanked Lux for the meritorious service that he had made to their vige. Because of this, he decided to reward the other party at ater day, after he had discussed this matter in full with the other Elders of the vige. After bidding his goodbye to Cedwyn, the Elders and, Lux¡¯s Master, Randolph, Lux finally got to go back to the inn where he, upon entering the room, copsed on the bed. He didn¡¯t even bother changing his clothes, and simplyid on top of the bed after removing his shoes. He had aplished his main goal of going to the Figaro Gardens. As for the mosquito swarm, he would just leave the rest of it in the hands of the Riders of Norria. As the Half-Elf slept a dreamless sleep, Cedwyn and the Elders continued their discussion about Lux¡¯s rewards. Randolph made sure that the other Elders weren¡¯t too stingy with their proposed rewards, which made Grandma Annie, the olddy Dwarf who had a close rtionship with Lux, smile. She didn¡¯t expect that the Half-Elf, who had appeared in their small vige several weeks ago, would be a promising individual that would catch everyone¡¯s eyes. Chapter 76 Colette The Matchmaker Lux scratched his head in confusion as he walked towards the East Gate of Leaf Vige. After waking up and leaving his room, he realized that there was a sudden change in the way the Dwarves of Leaf Vige look at him. Ever since he helped them defend Leaf Vige during the Monster Outbreak, the Dwarves stopped distancing themselves from him and even treated him civilly during his stay. However, it was different as to how they were being extra friendly now, which made the Half-Elf wonder if he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. The Tavern Owner even gave him two additional eggs when he ordered his usual order for breakfast, bacon and eggs. The middle-aged Dwarf insisted that it was in the house, and didn¡¯t ask Lux to pay for the extra. The people in the tavern would also give him a brief smile whenever he met their gaze, which made Lux wonder if they were pranking him or something. This series of unexpected changes followed the Half-Elf as he walked towards the East Gate to meet with Colette and the others. Everyone was looking at him in a kind and friendly manner, which made him pinch himself several times to ensure that he wasn¡¯t still dreaming. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Big Brother!¡± Colette said as she ran and jumped into Lux¡¯s arms, which, as usual, made Matty shoot daggers using his eyes to the Half-Elf, who hurriedly opened his arms to catch the lively-little-cannonball that jumped at him so early in the morning. ¡°Have you been good while I wasn¡¯t around?¡± Lux asked after sessfully catching the giggling little Dwarf. ¡°Un!¡± Colette replied. ¡°Yesterday we defeated a Berserked Horned Rabbit with just the five of us!¡±-. ¡°Wow. That¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°Right?!¡± Lux chuckled as he patted Colette¡¯s head. A Berserked Horned Rabbit was a Rank 2 Monster, which could be found near the center of the Aspiration ins where the Carbuncle resided. He guessed that the Goldenyer Party, headed by Colette, was preparing for their inevitable battle with the Carbuncle. The Half-Elf had assumed that they had already consumed Beast Cores that were given to them by their parents in order to boost their ranks. Lux had a feeling that the little Dwarves, who had epted him as one of their party members, were nearing the Apostle Rank. ¡®Soon, they will be leaving this ce behind,¡¯ Lux thought with a sigh as he gazed at the Dwarves who were looking at him with happy expressions, with the exception of Matty, who was looking at him with envy and jealousy. ¡®I feel sorry for this hen-pecked shrimp.¡¯ Lux chuckled internally as he shed a smug smile to Matty, which made thetter give him the middle finger. ¡°How did the fight against the Berserked Horned Rabbit end?¡± Lux asked. ¡°It took us fifteen minutes to defeat it,¡± Colette reported. ¡°It was very fast and very strong. ording to the information we gathered, the Carbuncle is always apanied by two of them. This is the reason we decided to familiarize ourselves with its attack patterns.¡± ¡°That is a very good n,¡± Lux nodded in agreement. Knowing the fight patterns of the Monsters you would be fighting against would greatly increase the probability of defeating them. This was especially true for strong Monsters like the Carbuncle, which was the Aspiration in¡¯s Alpha Monster. ¡°You better pay attention when we fight the Berserked-Horned Rabbitter,¡± Matty snorted. ¡°That Monster is a meter tall and packs a punch. You don¡¯t want its horn stuck into your butt, right, Big Brother?¡± Matty¡¯s words didn¡¯t hide his wish for Lux to suffer from a butt-attack from the Rank 2 monster who was known for its speed and short temper. ¡°You should worry about yourself,¡± Lux replied. ¡°A mere Berserked-Horned Rabbit is no match against me. I even fought against an Alpha Monster¡­¡± ¡°Alone?¡± Colette asked as she looked at Lux with sparkling eyes. Lux shook his head. ¡°No. It was fourteen against one.¡± Colette, Matty, and the rest of the Golden yers party, looked at Lux with a weird expression on their faces. While the adorable blonde-haired Colette didn¡¯t say anything, Matty used this opportunity to bring Lux down a peg. ¡°What? Fourteen against one?¡± Matty asked with an amused expression on his face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ashamed, Big Brother? Even the Dwarf Parties here in the Beginner¡¯s Zone only fight Alpha Beasts with up to seven members. You on the other hand fought them with twice the number? That¡¯s not something to be proud of!¡± Colette and Helen, the two girls of the party, giggled as they looked at Lux¡¯s proud expression. What Matty said was true, and there was no sense of achievement in fighting an Alpha Beast with twice the number of regr party members. Although there was nothing fundamentally wrong with this strategy, many Dwarves looked down on this practice because they would not feel any satisfaction from this. They preferred to fight Alpha Monsters with a single party, in order to prove that party¡¯s overall strength. Lux just shrugged Matty¡¯s words because for him, fighting a monster one-on-one, or fighting it in a group was not a big deal. Since he was a necromancer, it would be a great waste if he didn¡¯t bring his Skeletons to fight alongside him. ¡°Where is Robin?¡± Lux asked. After scanning his partymates, he found out that the boy, whom the Riders of Norria had been very keen to rescue, wasn¡¯t around. ¡°Robin is handling some family matters, and will be away for some time,¡± Colette replied. ¡°He said that he will return once he is able to and told us not to wait for him.¡± ¡°Robines and goes as he pleases,¡± Helenmented as she walked towards Lux. ¡°He¡¯s a free spirited boy and is only a temporary member of our party.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. Until now, he had been wondering about Robin¡¯s real identity. For thetter to be treated so highly by the Riders of Norria, that could only mean that the Dwarf boy was not an ordinary person. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Big Brother.¡± Colette smiled as she held onto Lux¡¯s right arm and dragged him towards the gate. ¡°We¡¯ll hunt for the Carbuncle and try to defeat it. I¡¯m sure that if all of us worked together, we will emerge victorious! Oh, before I forget, do you want to marry my Big Sister? I talked to my father about it when I returned, and he said that he would love to meet you and go fishing with you.¡± The corner of Lux¡¯s lips twitched when he heard Colette¡¯s innocent words. Deep inside, he knew that Colette¡¯s father didn¡¯t want to go fishing with him. The Half-Elf had a feeling that if he really were to meet Colette¡¯s father, whichever fishing area it was, thetter would definitely feed him to the fishes if he ever yed along with Colette¡¯s wishes and asked Colette¡¯s sister for her hand in marriage. ¡°Colette, why are you so intent on making me your Big Sister¡¯s fiance?¡± Lux asked as they passed through the gate. The little blonde Dwarf was humming a tune before she turned her head to look up at Lux. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I want Big Brother to be part of my family.¡± ¡°Um, that is what is bothering me. Why do you want me to be part of your family?¡± Colette gave Lux a mischievous smile before replying to his question. ¡°Because, Big Sister once told me that she didn¡¯t n on getting married,¡± Colette answered. ¡°When I pressed her for answers, she said that there was no Dwarf that had caught her attention. Since no Dwarves can satisfy her, I thought that you might be able to do that. After all, Big Brother is not a Dwarf, right?¡± Lux didn¡¯t know if he shouldugh or cry at Colette¡¯s innocent words. He found the reasoning silly, buting from Colette, he thought that it was very likely of her toe up with such a conclusion. ¡®I¡¯m sure that your sister just said that she didn¡¯t n to marry in order to pursue her goals here in Elysium,¡¯ Lux thought as he walked hand in hand with Colette who had started to hum a song. For the little girl, her sister was her idol. Her sister was one of the Prodigies of their country, and she was simply perfect. Many noble families in Sis and Elysium had tried to y matchmaker in order to form a strong connection with her, but all of them were politely rejected by her. Aina, who was Colette¡¯s older sister, had a grand goal in life and, for that to happen, she had to expand her influence in Elysium to simultaneously build the foundation of her dream. Colette was not aware of her sister¡¯s circumstance, so she was doing her best to y matchmaker for Lux and Aina. After being rescued by Lux in the Kobold¡¯s Nest, her respect and admiration for the Half-Elf had grown in leaps and bounds. Colette wasn¡¯t aware that the more she talked about Lux to the members of her family, the more her father wished that he could go to the Beginner Zone and hack Lux to pieces. Fortunately, he couldn¡¯t do that because of the rules that bound the world of Elysium. As the Dwarves and the Half-Elf headed towards the center of the Aspiration ins, a purple-skinned menace with red eyes and a red jewel on its head, opened its eyes. It let out a soft cry, and four Berserked Horned Rabbits ran to its side. It was now time for it to hunt, and everyone in the Aspiration ins was its prey, ready for the taking. Chapter 77 Alpha Monster of the AspirationPlains [Part 1] As they traveled towards their destination, Lux pondered which among the four options that he obtained from his Bonus Reward was the most ideal choice. He must choose the one that would give him the most benefits. ¡ª¨C Hell Horse Golden Token of Gweliven Monster Egg Teleport Scroll 4 pcs ¡ª¨C In truth, if he wanted an immediate upgrade, the Hell Horse was the most ideal option. Not only would it allow Diablo¡¯s Skeleton Rider ss to show its full potential, the mount would also grow along with its rider. For example, if someday, Diablo became a High-Ranker, the Hell Horse would also be a High-Ranker, Lux would automatically have two powerful creatures under hismand. The Golden Token of Gweliven might have useful functions, but it was only effective within the Dwarven Kingdom. -. The egg was either a hit or miss. Lux might gain a decent monster or an extremely good monster after hatching. Unfortunately, the Half-Elf didn¡¯t trust his luck too much, and he wasn¡¯t confident enough to choose the egg and hatch it. As for the Teleport Scroll, Lux believed that it would be extremely useful in the future after he left the Beginner¡¯s Vige. It could be used as a life saving item if he had to escape from a dangerous situation. The teleport scroll had different functions depending on the situation, which made it a very valuable item to possess. ¡®Fortunately, choosing a reward doesn¡¯t have a time limit,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®For the time being, I¡¯ll keep it on hold and decide when something unexpected happens. I don¡¯t need to hurry.¡¯ Lux knew that his current strength was enough to deal with anything in the Leaf Vige, as long as he didn¡¯t do anything stupid like challenge the Field Boss, which was the Forest Wolf King. The Half-Elf nced at the Dwarves, who were seated with him, in the horse wagon, which they had rented back at the vige. In the front, Matty was tasked to be the coachman, while the rest were assigned to scan the surroundings. The children were being extra alert because of what happened with the Kobolds during their escort mission. All of them were holding their weapons at the ready, prepared to react instantly at the first sign of danger. Even Helen, the group¡¯s cleric, had a serious expression on her face as she observed her surroundings with a critical eye. When Lux saw that, it made him smile. Most of the time, he would almost forget that they were just children because of how strong-willed they were. ¡°Two Berserked Horned Rabbits at eight o¡¯clock!!¡± Colette shouted. Everyone immediately looked in the direction where the little blonde Dwarf was pointing. Two red Rabbits that were a meter tall were running in their direction. They were Rank 2 Monsters that were known for their speed and their aggressive attitude towards those that had entered their territory. ¡°Battle Formation!¡± Colette shouted as she jumped off the horse wagon, holding the mace in her hands. Matty stood beside her, while Andy, Axel, and Helen were in the rear. Colette¡¯s profession was a Pdin. She was a hybrid offensive warrior that excelled in closebat, could use magic, and tank enemies if needed be. As the leader of the group, she was always on the front line alongside Matty, who was a pure offensive fighter. Lux also stood beside the two children as he raised his hand and summoned Diablo and Ishtar. It had been a while since he had fought side-by-side with his friends, so he was wondering how much they had improved during the time they weren¡¯t together. ¡°I¡¯ll handle one of the Berserked Horned Rabbit,¡± Lux said. ¡°The rest of you deal with the other one.¡± ¡°Okay, Big Brother!¡± Colette agreed as she braced herself to collide with the horned rabbit whose horn was poised to strike her. The sound of metal hitting a hard object reverberated in the surroundings as Colette and the Horned Rabbit shed. The little girl¡¯s feet skidded across the ground by a meter, but her stance didn¡¯t break as she stopped the Berserked Horned Rabbit¡¯s charge. Matty took this opportunity to deliver two powerful shes to the Horned Rabbit¡¯s right leg making it cry out in pain. ¡°Fire Bullet!¡± ¡°Water Bullet!¡± Andy and Axel fired their respective spells whichnded on the Berserked Horned Rabbit¡¯s body, pushing it back. Diablo on the other hand, smashed his shield against the Berserked Horned Rabbit¡¯s head, stunning it before delivering a Heavy sh on the side of its body. Ishtar, on the other hand, used Siege Stance, and fired a piercing arrow into the Berserked Horned Rabbit¡¯s leg, crippling it. Diablo used this opportunity to strike the Monster¡¯s other foot, preventing it from running away. The Horned Rabbit¡¯s main weapons were its powerful legs as well as the horn on its head, both which were often used to attack its enemies with a charging attack. As long as its legs were immobilized, it would effectively lose more than seventy percent of itsbat abilities. Diablo was no longer ignorant of the ways of battle after he had fought in the Undead Outbreak, then against the Kobolds, the Mosquitoes, and the Dwarf Mage, which they had recently defeated. As a Named Creature, its intelligence was quite high. With each battle it fought, its Tactical Ability grew more and more. Diablo and Ishtar worked together in order to kill the incapacitated monster, which they did with rtive ease. Lux didn¡¯t do anything and simply stood still, while he observed the battle of his friends. Matty had also attacked the legs of the Berserked Horned Rabbit after the initial sh, with practiced movements. Colette, on the other hand, used her mace to give the horned rabbit an uppercut, which made Lux subconsciously massage his jaw due to the imaginary second-hand pain that he had felt. ¡°Fire Lance!¡± ¡°Water Lance!¡± Andy¡¯s and Axel¡¯s attacks pierced the Monster¡¯s chest, making it screech in pain and frustration. With just a nce, Lux could see that the kids were also just a few points away from reaching the Apostle Rank. Their current performance reflected this. ¡®So, this is why you want to fight Carbuncle,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®You guys are about to graduate, and are nning to fight against the Alpha Monsters of the Beginner¡¯s Vige as proof of your strength and courage.¡¯ Lux felt a little sad at the knowledge that his friends would be leaving Leaf Vige soon. The Half-Elf guessed that due to the Kobold Incident, the parents of his friends decided to give them Beast Cores, in order to help them break through to the Apostle Rank. ¡®Ah, if I remember correctly, Colette¡¯s Big Sister is also an Apostle,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®Maybe Colette¡¯s parents want her to babysit her little sister and keep her safe.¡¯ Although he felt a little sad knowing that the children were preparing for their graduation in the Beginner¡¯s Vige, he was also very happy for them. A few minutester, the two Berserked Rabbits were dead, and the Goldenyers Party rejoiced for their easy win. ¡°Big Brother, how did Mr. Diablo be so strong?¡± Colette asked as she patted one of Diablo¡¯s legs, which was covered with ck armor. Diablo must have been amused by the little girl who was patting him all over, so he patted her head and even yfully ruffled Colette¡¯s hair, which made her giggle. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen this skeleton,¡± Matty said as he pointed at Ishtar who was looking at Colette¡¯s and Diablo¡¯s interaction with a curious gaze. ¡°Is he your new Summon, Lux?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Her name is Ishtar, and she is a Skeleton Hunter.¡± ¡°Skeleton hunter? First time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± Matty crossed his arms over his chest as he pondered. ¡°I only know about Skeleton Archers. This Skeleton Hunter doesn¡¯t ring a bell.¡± Andy and Axel used their own Enchanted Beast Rings to store the corpse of the two Monsters, which they would bring back to Leaf Vige to sell after they finished their goal ining to the Aspiration ins. ¡°You can think of her as a more powerful version of a Skeleton Archer,¡± Lux exined. He was about to say more when he suddenly heard a screeching from behind them. A two-meter tall, purple Monster with a red jewel on its forehead charged in their direction. Lux¡¯s expression turned grim when he saw that the Monster wasn¡¯t alone. Running alongside it were four Berserked Horned Rabbit, whose red eyes glowed with fury. ¡°Everyone brace yourselves!¡± Colette shouted as she stood in front of her party members. ¡°That is a Mutated Carbuncle! It¡¯s stronger than the normal Carbuncle, and its strength is equivalent to a peak Rank 3 Alpha Monster!¡± Lux frowned because this was the first time he heard the term ¡°Mutated¡± and it made him wonder if there was something special about this Monster that was now headed in their direction. Chapter 78 Alpha Monster of the AspirationPlains [Part 2] The red jewel on the Mutated Carbuncle¡¯s head glowed brightly, signifying its increase in movement speed as well as the increase in speed of the Berserked Horned Rabbits with it. Lux already knew that the Carbuncle was more of a support type monster, rather than an offensive one. Just like the Berserked Horned Rabbits, the Carbuncle was only supposed to be a meter tall. However, the one that they were facing right now was at least two-meters tall, which was why Colette called it a mutated monster. Lux didn¡¯t have time to open the Elysium Compendium and check what that ¡®mutated¡¯ meant, but he didn¡¯t have to be a genius to understand that it was a stronger version of the original monster. ¡®I just hope that it is still a support focused monst¨C¡¯ Lux was unable to finish his thought because the carbuncle opened its mouth and released a barrage of sparkling golden diamonds, all of which were the size of fingernails. ¡°Skeleton fighters!¡± Lux summoned his Skeletons, which stood in front of the Dwarves and used their shields to block the unexpected magical attack from the mutated Alpha Beast. When the dazzling attack receded, a third of the Skeletal Fighters¡¯ health was lost, which made Lux¡¯s face turn serious. However, before he could even think of a way to counter the Carbuncle¡¯s offensive, the four Berserked Horned Rabbits had already closed the distance, and rammed their horns on the Skeleton Fighters¡¯ shields, which sent them flying away. Fortunately, although Colette and the others were young, they were not helpless little kids. After the Skeleton Fighters were blown away, Colette, Matty, Diablo, and Ishtar all used their strongest skills to attack the legs of the Berserked Horned Rabbits, in order to lower their mobility.-. The attacks sessfully connected, which gave them the ideal results they were aiming for, but, before any of them could celebrate, the red jewel on the Carbuncle¡¯s forehead glowed once again. A green light enveloped the Berserked Horned Rabbits, and the injuries that they had received got healed, allowing them to evade the follow up attacks of Colette and the others. Lux summoned his Skeleton Grand Archers in order to deal range damage to the Carbuncle who stood behind all of his minions. The Alpha Beast deftly evaded the rain of arrows that was aimed at it with its incredible speed. No matter what kind of attack was fired at it, the Carbuncle dodged it without fail, which made things difficult for Lux and the others. There were times when they were able to seriously injure the Berserked Horned Rabbits, but because of the Carbuncle¡¯s healing abilities, the injuries the monsters received recovered at a rapid pace. ¡°This is not going anywhere, Big Brother!¡± Colette said as she smashed her mace on the head of the Berserked Horned Rabbit that had attacked Matty, who stood beside her. ¡°We need to deal with the Mutated Carbuncle first!¡± ¡°Got it! Diablo, Ishtar, let¡¯s deal with that Alpha Beast first!¡± Lux ordered before activating his Battle Cry, which raised the physical and magical attacks of his allies. He then ordered his Skeleton Fighters and Skeleton Grand Archers to assist Colette and the others in dealing with the Alpha Beast¡¯s minions. The Skeleton Fighters, as well as the Skeleton Archers, were at the peak of Rank 1 Monsters. The Berserked Horned Rabbits might be stronger than them, but the gap between the two parties wasn¡¯t that wide. The Dwarves were surprised when they realized how strong Lux¡¯s summoned Skeletons were. It hadn¡¯t been long since they fought against the Dark Draugr in the Bronze Crypt and came out victorious. Because of that, they thought that if they added Lux and Diablo to their party, they would be able to fight the Carbuncle if all of them worked together. Never in their wildest dreams did they think that one of Lux¡¯s Skeleton Fighters were just as strong as them! ¡®Unbelievable,¡¯ Colette thought. ¡®Big Brother is really amazing!¡¯ Matty who was fighting alongside Colette had also noticed the strength of the Skeletons fighting by his side and was dumbfounded. ¡®Just how did he get this strong in such a short period of time?¡¯ Matty couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Although he knew that Lux had been rewarded with several Beast Cores by their families, it wasn¡¯t enough to create this many powerful Summons at the get go. Without the help of the Carbuncle, the Berserked Horned Rabbits were slowly losing their ground in the head-on confrontation. ¡°I feel more powerful!¡± Axel gasped when the effects of the Battle Cry affected him. Axel nodded as he fired spell after spell at the Berserked Horned Rabbit that was being pinned down by Lux¡¯s skeleton fighters. ¡°We can win this!¡± Helen chanted as she cast her own support spells to help her teammates be stronger. The battle was quite intense, with neither side wanting to back down. The Mutated Carbuncle was fighting a three against one battle, while his minions were fighting four against sixteen. Seeing that its minions¡¯ health had already fallen past fifty percent, the Carbuncle decided to use its healing ability to restore their health. However, Lux and Diablo were waiting for this exact moment. Diablo pointed his sword at the Mutated Carbuncle and activated his special skill Duel [EX], which forced his enemies to exchange one blow with him. It was simr to a taunting skill, but the difference between the two skills was that the Taunt Skill could be resisted, while the Duel [EX] couldn¡¯t. With an effective range of three hundred meters, Diablo could practically taunt anything that he had set his eyes on. Although the skill had a one minute cooldown, it was still a very useful ability to break the enemy¡¯s momentum. After executing the skill, the Mutated Carbuncle faced Diablo and screeched. Its healing skill was interrupted, and was now forced to charge in the Named Creature¡¯s direction. Diablo, who was wearing his ck knight armor, stood steadily in order to sh with the Alpha Beast that it had angered. Ishtar had taken a siege stance and fired a Piercing Arrow, which flew towards the chest of the Carbuncle, making it howl in pain. Lux extended his hand and shouted ¡°Mana Drain¡± in order to deplete the Alpha Beast¡¯s mana reserves. The Half-Elf knew that this was going to be a battle of attrition, so he prioritized draining the Carbuncle¡¯s mana to stop it from being able to cast spells that would help its minions recover from the one-sided beating that they were currently suffering from. The sword in Diablo¡¯s hand glowed briefly as he activated his skill, Heavy sh. His sword met the Mutated Carbuncle¡¯s swiping attack. The sound of metal hitting metal spread throughout the surroundings. Diablo¡¯s feet skidded against the ground, while the Mutated Carbuncle took two steps back after their collision. Another arrow flew through the air and pierced Carbuncle¡¯s chest making it shriek in pain. Ishtar was a very opportunistic hunter and timed her attack at the right moment to deal significant damage to the Alpha Beast. Lux also fired a Dark Arrow at the Mutated Carbuncle, hoping to blind it, but it failed. It was at that moment when one of the Berserked Horned Rabbits let out a blood curdling screech before copsing on the ground dead. The Alpha Beast was immediately rmed because it hadpletely forgotten about its minions since it was entangled by Lux and his two Named Creatures. Just as it was about to cast its healing magic on the survivors, Diablo smashed his shield against the Alpha Beast¡¯s face, interrupting its healing magic for the second time. Lux understood that the only reason why they could overpower the Mutated Monster was because of the Carbuncle originally being only a support type monster. Among the Alpha Beasts in the Beginner¡¯s Vige, it was the weakest. To deal with it, everyone just had to kill its minions first before encircling it and hacking it to death. This was the typical strategy used when fighting against the Carbuncle, which had been proven effective over time. Because it was unable to heal its allies due to Diablo¡¯s interference, the remaining Berserked Horned Rabbits fell one by one. Just as everyone was about to encircle the Mutated Alpha Monster, it leapt high into the air in an attempt to run away. Diablo also used his own Leap Skill, following its enemy into the air, while Ishtar released another Piercing Arrow. Although the sound of the whistling wind reached the Mutated Carbuncle¡¯s ears, the arrow was almost impossible to avoid while in air. Unable to evade, the arrow pierced its chest, breaking its stance. Diablo¡¯s Heavy sh immediately followed after the arrow had struck true, smashing its back and sending it towards the ground. The Dwarves and the Skeletons didn¡¯t miss this opportunity and ran towards the fallen Alpha Beast. However, Lux¡¯s shout made them all take a defensive stance as the Carbuncle once again unleashed another Diamond Storm as itsst resort. Just like before, the Skeletal Fighters stood in front of the Dwarves and shielded them from the unique attack of the Mutated Beast. When the attack ended, the Skeleton Fighters¡¯ bodies shattered because their health was already low after fighting against the Berserked Horned Rabbits. However, this wasn¡¯t a big issue. ¡°Arise!¡± Lux ordered and his Skeleton Fighters rose once again to beat the crap out of the oversized rabbit that had killed them just a moment ago. The pitiful Alpha Monster then found itself surrounded on all sides with nowhere to go. Diablo and Ishtar had already dealt significant damage to its legs. However, its ability to heal itself was getting annoying. To deal with this, Lux used Mana Drain every time the Skill¡¯s cooldown ended. After a grueling thirty minutes, the Mutated Alpha Monster finally fell, transforming into particles of light. It left several items on the ground, including an egg that was two-feet tall, which made Colette jump up and down due to happiness. Chapter 79 Special Quest Rewards Colette and the other Dwarves flocked to the items that were dropped by the Mutated Carbuncle. The monster egg stood at the center of it all, catching everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°This egg is without a doubt a Carbuncle¡¯s egg,¡± Colette said with sparkling eyes. She then began to gently touch the egg as if it was a priceless treasure that she had seen for the very first time. Helen also touched the egg just like Colette. This was the first time she had seen a monster drop an egg, so she was quite surprised when she saw it. Since the two girls were busy touching the egg all over, Matty and the others busied themselves with organizing the rest of the loot that they had acquired. One of them was a red jewel that was as big as Lux¡¯s hand. This jewel, which could be found on the Carbuncle¡¯s forehead, was very precious, and many merchants were willing to buy it at a very high price. The second item was the Mutated Carbuncle¡¯s purple fur. This was another top tier item that could be used as a carpet, a nket, and even clothes which were perfect to wear in ces with cold weather. The third item was the monster¡¯s meat, which also fetched a decent price in the market. Since rabbit meat is quite popr in Leaf Vige, the meat of this Alpha Beast was considered to be a rare delicacy. Last, but not the least, was the Mutated Carbuncle¡¯s Beast Core. It was the size of a bowling ball and had a bright purple color. Although it was a Rank 3 Beast Core, it was bigger than a regr one, which meant that the number of skill or stat points that could be gained from it would not be less than fifty. ¡°Nice haul,¡± Lux said as he crossed his arms on his chest. ¡°Congrattions for beating your first Alpha Beast.¡±-. The Dwarves who were in cloud nine were broken out of their daze after they heard Lux¡¯s words. All of them stopped what they were doing and looked in his direction as if they hadpletely forgotten about him. It was at that moment when they remembered that the one who yed a major role in subjugating the Mutated Carbuncle was none other than the Half-Elf in front of them. If Lux wasn¡¯t there, all of them might have been seriously injured. As for the worst case scenario? They might have all died fighting the Mutated Monster that came out of nowhere. ¡°B-Big Brother, these spoils of war should belong to you,¡± Colette stuttered while looking at Lux with teary eyes. Her hands were stilltched onto the egg like a Ko hugging a tree, which made the red-headed teenagerugh due to how adorable she looked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, all the loot for this hunt is for you guys,¡± Lux replied. ¡°As you can see, with my current strength, it will not be a problem for me to hunt another Carbuncle. If you still find this unfair then just think of it as an older brother giving gifts to his little brothers and sisters. It¡¯s fine that way, right?¡± Colette immediately let go of the Monster Egg and ran towards Lux, jumping into his arms. ¡°Big Brother, you are the best!¡± Colette shouted happily as Lux spun her round and round. After spinning the little girl a few times, Lux finally set her back down on the ground. Colette then nced at the egg then back at Lux before voicing her thoughts. ¡°Big Brother, you can take the egg,¡± Colette said. ¡°The eggs of Alpha Beasts are very rare, especially mutated ones. Even my sister didn¡¯t get one when she was in the Beginner¡¯s Vige.¡± Lux shook his head firmly. ¡°No. I don¡¯t need it. However, promise me that you will raise that Carbuncle with love and care. Since it is a support type monster, it will help you and Helen heal your party members when things get rough. ¡°I will be able to have more peace of mind knowing that you guys have an extra healer supporting you in your adventures. So, just take the egg and the other items.¡± ¡°Big Brother, are you sure you really don¡¯t want it?¡± Colette asked with a serious expression on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sure. Just keep everything for yourselves.¡± Lux smiled as he nced at the rewards that he had obtained from killing the Mutated Carbuncle in his Soul Book. ¡ª¨C < Special Quest > ¨C Encounter with a Mutated Monster Mission Rating: B Status: Completed! < Quest Objective > ¨C Kill the Mutated Carbuncle < Rewards > ¨C 50 Free Stat Points ¨C 50 Skill Points ¨C 50 Body Constitution Points ¨C Mutated Carbuncle¡¯s Jewel ¨C Mutated Carbuncle¡¯s Meat ¨C Mutated Carbuncle¡¯s Fur ¨C Rank 3 Alpha Beast Core < Bonus Reward > ¨C Alpha Monster Egg ¨C Hatching the egg will give you a random baby monster that is equivalent or higher than an Alpha Monster that could be found in the entirety of the Territory of Norria. ¨C You can hatch this egg with the help of a Monster Breeder ¡ª¡ª The reason why Lux didn¡¯t want to fight the children with the distribution of the loot was due to the fact that he had already acquired a set of items on his own. Since that was the case, asking for more would be too greedy of him. Besides, he really liked Colette and the others. He thought that it would be best to just let the kids enjoy their first attempt at challenging an Alpha Monster as a team. Since the egg wasn¡¯t an item that could be stored inside the Enchanted Beast Ring, Lux and the others carefully ced it inside the carriage. Matty was assigned to put the egg on hisp to ensure that the bumps on the road wouldn¡¯t break it. Everyone was in a good mood as they returned to Leaf Vige. The distribution of the loots was done as follows. Colette would take the monster egg because she was the leader of the group. The boys decided to give the monster fur to Helen aspensation. Matty, Andy, and Axel, on the other hand, would sell the Carbuncle¡¯s Jewel, and share the profits that they would gain from it. Since Lux didn¡¯t get anything, Colette decided to scribble something on a piece of paper and handed it to Lux. The Half-Elf couldn¡¯t help but chuckle after reading its contents, which made Colette¡¯s face turn beet red due to embarrassment. One Shoulder Massage Ticket. That was what was written on the piece of paper that Colette gave Lux, which made Matty extremely envious. If possible, he would give Lux his share of the gold coins they would receive for selling the Carbuncle¡¯s Jewel in exchange for the shoulder massage ticket in his hand. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t voice this out loud, so he had no choice but to re at the Half-Elf who acquired a very precious ticket that he would fight to get. As soon as their merry little band entered Leaf Vige, Lux noticed Boreas, as well as the middle-aged Dwarf, Nevreal, who was also Robin¡¯s caretaker, standing by one of the sides of the gate. There were other Goat Riders beside them, which made Lux wonder if they were nning to go on a mission somewhere. However, before their carriage could drive past them, Boreas called out to Lux. ¡°Lux Von Kaizer, do you have some time today?¡± Boreas asked. ¡°There is something very important that we need to talk about. Why don¡¯t you follow me to the barracks for now?¡± Lux frowned, but still nodded his head. Although he didn¡¯t know why Boreas and Nevreal were waiting for him at the gates of the vige, he could tell that the matter they wanted to discuss was a serious one. Chapter 80 Rewards From The Dwarven King Lux and the important people in Leaf Vige sat in a conference room. Boreas had called for all of them because the matter he was going to discuss was about the recent incident that happened in the Figaro Gardens. ¡°My Commander, Lord Thoram, took the remains of the Abomination to the capital and had an audience with his Majesty,¡± Boreas said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°The mages there examined the corpse and found some highly-confidential information that I will share with all of you right now. ¡°Make no mistake, this information mustn¡¯t be revealed to anyone. The only reason why I¡¯ve been given permission to mention this to everyone present is because this new organization is currently performing their experiments in the viges near the borders of the Kingdom.¡± ¡°After his Majesty gave the order, a massive operation was set in motion, and various border Strongholds managed to capture four more members of the organization in the other Dwarf viges.¡± ¡°These ces also encountered an unusual increase of a specific type of monster in their area. Unfortunately, in two of those ces, the monster was born sessfully, which made subjugation very difficult. Many lives were lost, so his Majesty was forced to send Initiates to handle the situation.¡± ¡°After a gruesome battle, those two Abominations were in. However, after examining all of their bodies, the mages discovered that these monsters had the power to evolve¡­¡± The faces of the Elders of Leaf Vige immediately went pale when they heard the word ¡°evolve¡±. Certain monsters had this particr ability, so it was not that surprising. However, creatures that had the strength of field bosses after being born, and still had the power to evolve, was bad news for everyone. If left undiscovered, they could step into a high rank, which was strong enough to wipe out entire viges and towns, whose defenders didn¡¯t have the strength to defeat it. ¡°Lux Von Kaizer, Lord Thoram, and the other Commanders of the Border Guards are very grateful for your contribution in this matter,¡± Boreas gave Lux a brief bow before passing him a wooden box. ¡°His Majesty wanted to hold a ceremony for you to be an Honorary Knight of our Kingdom, but his advisers advised against it.¡±-. ¡°Although the Kingdom of Gweliven does trade with other races, their presence in our Kingdom is very rare. Usually less than ten people from the other nations are allowed entry to our borders. The advisers said that if you were knighted publicly, it might cause unrest for the people, and would in turn create unnecessary trouble in the future. ¡°This was why, instead of His Majesty, I havee to present to you the medal that bestows upon you the rank of an Honorary Knight within our Kingdom. Although you are conferred this title, you will not be awarded with anynds.¡± ¡°However, you will receive discounts in any shops or for any services that this nation provides. Please, ept his Majesty¡¯s well wishes, and know that you are now known to him and he regards you in high esteem.¡± Lux opened the wooden box and saw a golden medal with the insignia of a war axe. It was carved with a very intricate design, which made the Half-Elf quite happy. It was because as soon as he received the medal of knighthood, he received a series of notifications telling him that he had acquired the Honorary Knight Title. ¡ª- Title: Honorary Knight ¨C You have performed an outstanding service for the Kingdom of Gweliven, and his Majesty, King Maximilian Von Gweliven, hereby recognizes you as an honorary Knight. ¨C Grants additional 100 Reputation Points to the Kingdom of Gweliven ¨C You will receive a 10% increase in attack and defense if you are fighting within the Kingdom of Gweliven ¡ª¨C ¡®Very nice,¡¯ Lux thought. However, that was the only beginning. After receiving the medal, the Reputation Function in his Soul Book activated. Lux checked the effect of the reputation points he had gained, and was quite happy with the oue. ¡ª¨C Kingdom of Gweliven Reputation Points: 200 Rtionship Status: Good ¨C You will get up to a 20% discount for all services within the Kingdom ¨C Thew abiding Dwarves in the Kingdom will not find any trouble for you. ¡ª¨C Riders of Norria Reputation Points: 500 Rtionship Status: Friendly ¨C Gives you the privilege to enter the Stronghold of Norria and explore the services avable there. ¨C You will get up to a 20% discount on all services inside the Stronghold. ¨C You will be able to gain their assistance if you wish for it. Every time you ask for their help, your reputation points will be decreased by 500 Points. ¡ª¨C Leaf Vige Reputation Points: 2000 Rtionship Status: Benefactor ¨C As someone who had saved the entire Vige from a catastrophe, you will be treated politely by all of its residents. ¨C Certain services that are not avable to foreigners will be open to you. ¨C You will get up to a 50% discount on all services inside Leaf Vige. ¨C You will be able to ask for the help of the City Guards if you wish for it. Each time you use this service, 250 Reputation Points will be deducted. ¨C Points will not be deducted when you ask for their help, as long as the task will benefit Leaf Vige as a whole. ¡ª ¡®Interesting,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®I will be able to ask for their assistance if need be. I never thought that reputation worked like this. Although the price for asking for the assistance from the Stronghold of Norria would immediately bring his reputation points to zero, Lux thought that it was a good trade-off since he would have their full assistance. The Stronghold had hundreds of Warriors, whose Ranks ranged from Grade D up to Grade A Disciples. It was the strongest force within the territory of Norria, and Lux felt having them as a backup was a worthwhile thing. ¡°Aside from the Medal of Knighthood, you will be given other rewards,¡± Boreas continued. ¡°Sir Nevreal said that you are looking for weapons and armor. ording to the information that we have on you, your profession is a Necromancer. Do you perhaps n to arm your minions with these weapons?¡± Lux had a dumbfounded look on his face as he gave Boreas the ¡°how did you know about that?¡± gaze, which made the Rider Captain chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to guess,¡± Boreas exined. ¡°You already have good weapons and armor, so I¡¯m guessing that the weapons and armor that you requested from us will be equipped by your Skeletons. Worry not, our Stronghold will allow you to receive fifteen sets of weapons and armor which are in the same level as the standard equipment for Riders of Norria. Just go to the Stronghold and collect the things you need.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Lux replied excitedly. He would initially get a headache whenever he thought about how he would even arm his ordinary Summons with stronger gear. Now that they would receive the equipment from the Stronghold of Norria, this problem was solved for the time being. Nevreal, who had kept silent for the duration of Boreas¡¯ speech, suddenly cleared his throat in order to catch Lux¡¯s attention. ¡°His Majesty also passed a decree to me before we came here to see you,¡± Nevreal said. ¡°He said that if you have something you want, as long as it doesn¡¯t go past the limit of his generosity, he will bestow it upon you. So, is there something that you want as a reward for your services to the Kingdom?¡± Lux¡¯s smile widened after hearing Nevreal¡¯s words. He knew that this was a good opportunity, so he decided to see if he could get the thing he needed most right now. ¡°Um, if it¡¯s not too much of a bother, can His Majesty give me a Hell Horse?¡± Lux asked. Nevreal frowned. ¡°A Hell Horse? What do you n to do with one? They are malevolent Beasts and it is very hard to tame one. Although there are several of them roaming near the borders of the Kingdom, we mostly leave them alone because acquiring one is more trouble than they¡¯re worth.¡± ¡°I want one,¡± Lux replied. ¡°This is the reward that I want his Majesty to bestow upon me.¡± Nevreal and Boreas nced at each other before shifting their attention back to Lux. ¡°I¡¯ll pass your message to His Majesty,¡± Nevreal said after pondering for a moment. ¡°From what I can tell, you n to get a mount that has an evil personality. Although we don¡¯t have a Hell Horse in our possession, we do have something simr called a Nightmare. ¡°If you are interested, I¡¯ll ask his Majesty to bestow this beast to you. However, if it causes any trouble to the Kingdom, you will take responsibility for its actions. Do you understand?¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. After getting Nevreal¡¯s promise, the Half-Elf felt like all the effort he put into investigating the abnormality in the Figaro Gardens had finally paid off. Chapter 81 l Need Her Good Luck After an hour, Lux left the conference room, while the others remained. The Captain of the Riders of Norria and the Elders of Leaf Vige were about to discuss something on a national level, so the Half-Elf politely took his leave. He didn¡¯t want to meddle in those affairs. What he cared about were the weapons and the mount that were promised to him by both Boreas and Nevreal. ¡®Fortunately I haven¡¯t chosen anything from my mission rewards yet,¡¯ Lux thought as he praised himself for not being in a hurry to choose rewards from the Abomination Mission that he had cleared recently. Now that he had an Alpha Monster Egg, which could spawn a monster that waspletely random, an Honorary Title, and a mount for Diablo, he no longer needed to choose those things from the four choices that were avable to him. ¡®Now, I just have to choose between the Golden Token of Gweliven, and the four Teleport Scrolls that could take me anywhere I have visited previously,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®I guess, I¡¯ll just wait for a good opportunity to use either of those two rewards in the future.¡¯ As soon as Lux stepped onto the street, he saw Colette and the others waiting for him on the opposite side. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Colette waved her hand enthusiastically the moment she saw Lux. in truth, she and the others had been worried because they thought that the Half-Elf was in trouble. After seeing him unharmed, and his expression which implied that he seemed to be in a good mood, their worries disappearedpletely.-. ¡°You guys waited for me?¡± Lux asked. Deep inside he was quite touched. He had really gotten close to the Dwarf children, which had been his first party members in the world of Elysium. ¡°It¡¯s not that we care about you. We just came here to apany Colette,¡± Matthew replied in a cranky manner. ¡°Don¡¯t get the wrong idea, okay?¡± Lux smirked as he looked at the future hen-pecked-boyfriend, who was doing his best to look irritated. The Half-Elf then patted Colette¡¯s head as he gave her some good news. ¡°I¡¯ll be traveling to the Stronghold of Norria ten days from now,¡± Lux said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you guyse with me? They might have some interesting things over there that we can¡¯t find in the Beginner Zones.¡± Colette blinked once then twice beforetching onto Lux¡¯s arm and looking up at him with a serious expression on her face. ¡°You¡¯re not lying right, Big Brother?¡± Colette asked. ¡°Can we really go with you?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Of course. I asked Captain Boreas earlier if I could bring you guys, and he said that he didn¡¯t mind as long as we don¡¯t cause trouble when we are there.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t cause trouble!¡± Colette replied happily. ¡°Hehehe, even my sister wasn¡¯t able to go to the Stronghold of Norria. I bet she will be surprised when I tell her about this.¡± ¡°Eh? Your sister hasn¡¯t been there? Howe?¡± ¡°Big Brother, the Stronghold of Norria is off limits to everyone. Only high-ranking nobles and those with high-status are allowed to enter the fortress.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding as he gave Colette a knowing smile. He knew that the adorable, little, blonde Dwarf adored her older sister like an idol that she hoped to be like her sister someday. Colette always boasted that her sister was a genius, very beautiful, and had many suitors. She also constantly reminded Lux that she would be more than happy to y matchmaker, and pair him up with her sister in marriage. The Half-Elf justughed it off because he thought that Colette was just being childish and teasing him. Although he had to admit that he was quite curious to meet the little girl¡¯s sister, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to do so. ¡°Well then, do you guys have any ns for the time being?¡± Lux asked. Colette gave Lux a sweet smile as she told him that she nned to return home for a few days in order to have the monster egg that she had received from their battle hatched in their family¡¯s residence. Although she could hatch it in Leaf Vige, Colette wanted her sister to be there to see the hatching process with her. Helen also nned to return home to ask her parents for advice on what to do with the Carbuncle Fur that she got from the expedition. As for the three boys, they nned to go back to Sis in order to sell the Carbuncle¡¯s Jewel. They would then split the coins among the three of them and get better gear from their parents, in preparation for their graduation from Leaf Vige. Everyone parted ways and promised to meet again after ten days in Elysium. Lux¡¯s main purpose in going back was to also hatch the egg that he caught. However, the one that would be hatching it wasn¡¯t him, but someone who he considered to be blessed with Lady Luck. Since the monster that woulde out of the egg waspletely random, he decided to let someone lucky do the honors, so he would get the best possible results. ¡ª¨C ¡°Wee back, Lux,¡± Vera said with a smile on her face as she arrived at the training room. ¡°Have you eaten? I was just about to eat dinner. Why don¡¯t you join me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m back, Grandma,¡± Lux replied as he gave Vera a loving hug. ¡°What¡¯s for dinner?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you wereing, so I just made rice porridge. Do you want something specific to eat? Just tell me. I will prepare it for you.¡± ¡°Porridge is fine. Actually, I ate a bit beforeing back home, so I¡¯m not that hungry.¡± Vera smiled as she led Lux to the dining table. The two of them ate, and after that, Vera asked her grandson about his adventures in Elysium. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t hide anything from his grandma and told her everything. He told her about the member of the secret organization that he fought, the Abomination Monster that had threatened the safety of Leaf Vige, the rewards he had received, and rewards that he was about to receive. Vera listened with a calm expression on her face, but deep inside, she was greatly shocked about the experiences that her grandson had faced while he was away from home. ¡°That is very generous of you to give the monster drops to your friends,¡± Vera said. ¡°But, make sure to also think of your own benefits in the future, okay?¡± ¡°Um, about that Grandma, I need to tell you something,¡± Lux replied. He then exined that he had obtained a reward after the Mutated Carbuncle was in, which led him to take a pass on the distribution items after the Alpha Monster was killed. ¡°Strange,¡± Vera thought. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of this phenomenon before¡­¡± Vera thought long and hard, but she didn¡¯t know anyone that could receive items directly into their Soul Book after killing an Alpha Monster. ¡°Lux, keep this a secret for the time being,¡± Vera stated. ¡°This is a good thing, but since I haven¡¯t heard of this incident happening in the past, those who also have the same ability must have made sure to keep it to themselves. I mean, when you think about it, isn¡¯t this a fantastic ability? You don¡¯t have to fight for Monster drops because you get them directly. ¡°If anyone discovers this, they will be very jealous. During dungeon expeditions, and fighting against Field Monsters, parties often distribute the monster drops due to merit. This allows only a select few to benefit from the hunt, but you don¡¯t have this problem.¡± Vera smiled because her grandson had this cheat-like ability. Back then, she was worried that Lux would be too nice, and people would take advantage of him. Now that the Half-Elf had this ability, she wouldn¡¯t worry about Lux not getting enough resources, or being treated harshly in Elysium. ¡®With this, Lux will definitely not lose out when forming teams with other people,¡¯ Vera thought. ¡®Although I feel sorry for his party members, this is still a good thing for my grandson.¡¯ Lux, who had just finished drinking his tea, looked at his grandma with a hopeful expression. ¡°Grandma, I need a favor,¡± Lux said. ¡°As long as it is within my ability, I will do it,¡± Vera replied. As long as it was for her grandson, she would do her best to make it happen. ¡°Grandma, I want to see Iris,¡± Lux stated. ¡°I need her goodluck.¡± Chapter 82 welcome To Barbatos Academy Both Lux and Vera stared at the towering, and majestic structure in the distance as they sat on the back of a White Hippopotamus. They had traveled through a teleportation gate from within the Wildgarde Stronghold, and got transported at the closest ry station from their destination. Even then, they still had to travel onnd for a day and on water for half a day. But since they had Sophie, the White Hippopotamus, the length of their journey was cut in half. Whenpared to most boats in the water, Sophie was still faster. As they neared their destination, Lux wasn¡¯t able to keep a sigh from escaping his lips as he looked at one of the grandest academies in Sis. ¡°Barbatos Academy,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°It has been nearly a year since west came here to visit them. Right, grandma?¡± Vera nodded. ¡°Indeed. You were so preupied with training and trying to pass the entrance test to Elysium that you refused to visit your step sister. I¡¯m sure Iris still feels bad about it. Make sure to treat her nicely this time around, okay?¡± Lux scratched his cheek as he nodded his head. Vera only had three family members in the entirety of Sis. The first one was her son, Alexander, and the second was her granddaughter, Iris. The third was Lux, of course, whom she had adopted as her grandson, making him Iris¡¯ stepbrother. ¡°Ah, by the way, Iris sent me a letter two months ago,¡± Vera said with a smile. ¡°She is asking me when you are going to see her. I only said that you are busy with your training because you failed again this year. Even so, I promised that both of us would visit her before her birthday six months from now.¡±-. ¡°Time sure flies quickly,¡± Luxmented. ¡°She will be sixteen this year.¡± ¡°And you will be seventeen, Lux. Should we proceed with making Iris your fiance? My son is acting stubborn about it, but if I smack his head, I¡¯m sure that he will agree. So, would you like Iris to be your future wife?¡± ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t think smacking the head of a Saint is a good idea. Besides, Uncle Alex only wants what is best for Iris. There are more eligible candidates aside from me that can make her happy.¡± Vera snorted as she ruffled Lux¡¯s hair. ¡°I only n to share good things with my family,¡± Vera stated. ¡°Since both of my grandchildren are good, why not match them up? That way, the bonds of our family will be stronger.¡± ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s talk about this when I be a Ranker.¡± ¡°Nonsense. By the time you be a Ranker, a moron might have already swept Iris off her feet! I¡¯m not going to wait that long. Besides, Iris keeps on pestering me to ensure that no flies will gather around you until shees of age. We just need to wait for a few months. After her birthday, the two of you can get married the very next day.¡± Lux subconsciously gulped. He knew that his grandma was serious about pairing him and Iris together. Truth be told, Iris had told him time and time and again that she would only marry him when she grew up. The Half-Elf found her words amusing back then, and even casually replied that he would wait for her to grow up and marry her every time. Iris took his words seriously back then and even told Vera about it. Vera was overjoyed and even agreed to it on the spot. Lux and Iris were only twelve and eleven years old back then and, for some reason, he felt that he had shot himself on the foot when he made that promise to her. Naturally, Alexander didn¡¯t agree to it. As Iris¡¯ father, he was very overprotective of his daughter. Even though Lux was Vera¡¯s adoptive grandson, he rejected his mother¡¯s proposal to let Iris be Lux¡¯s fiance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to convince that no-good-son of mine,¡± Vera promised. ¡°All you have to do is say yes, and we will host the wedding right away.¡± Lux chuckled nervously as he stared at the looming academy that was hailed as one of the best in the Western Regions of Sis. Barbatos Academy was right at the center of six kingdoms. Most children of the nobility, as well as the members of the Royal Family, all went there to study and expand their horizons. Just like the Wildgarde Stronghold, the Barbatos Academy had its own faction in Elysium and was based in the Regulus Empire. The Wildgarde Stronghold¡¯s faction was stationed in the Azrael Kingdom, which was a neighbor of the Regulus Empire. Both of them were allies, and enjoyed trade, as well as other lucrative businesses between their two nations. ¡®I just hope Iris doesn¡¯t mention anything about marriage when we meet her,¡¯ Lux thought as he felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Truth be told, he didn¡¯t dislike Iris. In fact, he was very fond of her and treated her like a real sister. As for his feelings for her, he would be lying if he said that he didn¡¯t like her. In fact, there had been times when he thought that it would be nice if she could be his fiance, but he would also remember the things that he needed to do in Elysium. With his priorities shifted a bit, he would often brush off that thought. ¡®Also, I¡¯m sure that Uncle will make it difficult for the two of us to be together,¡¯ Lux sighed internally. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t have to worry about these things. If grandma really wants us to be together, she will turn the world upside down to make it happen. For now, I¡¯m sure that she is holding back, in order to respect Uncle¡¯s wishes.¡¯ When Vera adopted Lux, his uncle, Alexander, registered his name in their family tree. Their rtionship was civil enough, but Lux couldn¡¯t really tell if they were close or not. While Alexander never made any effort to make Lux feel that he was happy with thetter, he also never made any effort to keep him at arm¡¯s length. If Lux could use a word to describe their rtionship, it would definitely be ¡°lukewarm¡±. Iris was the only one that could make the cold and indifferent man, who was respected and feared by many, break out into a smile. ¡°We¡¯re here, Lux.¡± Vera¡¯s words broke Lux out of his daydream as they neared the portside of the academy. Sophie swam towards the shore, which caught the attention of several people who were present in the area. After Lux and Vera dismounted from her back, Sophie¡¯s size shrank to only half a meter tall. This was the form that she took whenever she was in the Wildgarde Stronghold, because her original size prevented her from entering into most of the houses in the stronghold. ¡°Wee to Barbatos Academy, Lady Vera,¡± ady who was wearing the uniform of the academy, and seemed to be in her early thirties, said as she bowed her head towards Vera. ¡°Alicia, have you been well?¡± Vera replied with a smile. ¡°I hope my no-good son is not overworking you.¡± Alicia waved her hand as a tinge of redness spread across her face. ¡°The Headmaster isn¡¯t making things difficult for me. I am happy with my current work, Lady Vera.¡± Alicia then shifted her gaze to Lux and grinned. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Young Master Lux,¡± Alicia said as he gave Lux a brief bow. ¡°It seems that you have gotten a little taller since west met.¡± Lux smirked as nodded his head in acknowledgement. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Alicia. You¡¯ve gotten more beautiful since thest time I saw you.¡± ¡°Keep that up, Young Master, and you will not have a hard time finding a lover,¡± Alicia replied, ¡°but make sure to hide your affair from Lady Iris. She will definitely throw a tantrum if she finds out that you are meeting girls behind her back.¡± Lux chuckled nervously because it seemed that Iris had managed to make Alicia one of her people. If he wanted to enjoy his short visit to Barbatos Academy, he¡¯d better stay clear of the young nobledies, who usually flirted with him whenever he visited the academy with Vera. After seeing Lux¡¯s nervous expression, a smile appeared on Alicia¡¯s lips before shifting her gaze to Vera. ¡°Lady Vera, please,e with me,¡± Alicia said respectfully. ¡°The Headmaster has been waiting for your arrival.¡± Vera nodded as she held Lux¡¯s hand. The academy had many beautiful girls in it, so she decided to keep Lux by her side to ensure that no random girl would ensnare him during their visit. After all, she was dead set on making her two grandchildren a couple. That way, she could have the best of both worlds. She wouldn¡¯t have to worry about other people trying to use Iris as a political tool in order to form connections with her son, Alexander, who was the Headmaster of the strongest military academy in the Western Regions of Sis. Chapter 83 That Was My First Kiss! ¡°Headmaster, Lady Vera has arrived.¡± ¡°Let them in.¡± Alicia bowed to Vera as she opened the door, weing thetter and Lux to enter. She remained outside because this was a family affair and she didn¡¯t want Lux teasing her after their meeting with the Headmaster. As soon as Lux entered the room, he saw a man who seemed to be in histe twenties signing a few documents that were piled up on top of his table. With just a nce, one could tell that he wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. Although he did his best to suppress it, his overwhelming powers would fluctuate from time to time, causing the air around him to ripple. Contrary to his very young appearance, Alexander Von Kaizer was already fifty-five years old. He had attained Sainthood at a very young age, so his growth had drastically slowed down. In fact, Lux wouldn¡¯t be surprised if his Uncle looked like someone in his early thirties once thetter reached a hundred years old. This was one of the perks in breaking through the limits of the mortal realm in the world of Sis. When Vera and Lux sat on the seats in front of him, the Headmaster ced thest document at his side and looked at his mother with a smile. ¡°Mother, it¡¯s good to see that you are doing well,¡± Alexander said. He then shifted his attention to Lux and gave him a brief nod. ¡°Boy, ording to my informant in Wildgarde Stronghold, you once again failed the entrance exam to Elysium. You better man up if you want to have even the slightest chance of leaving your mark in the world.¡± Lux¡¯s neck shrank because his Uncle didn¡¯t bother to mince words when telling him that he needed to ¡°Git Gud¡±. Vera, on the other hand, chuckled when she saw this exchange. She knew her son¡¯s temper better than anyone else because she was the one that raised him. The fact that he even bothered to remind Lux to step up his game meant that he didn¡¯t want the Half-Elf to spend his time feeling sorry for himself. What Alexander wanted was for Lux to think of ways to improve himself, instead of moping like a useless bum. ¡®I guess, there is still hope in making my grandchildren be partners in life,¡¯ Vera thought as looked at her son with satisfaction. Thetter rolled his eyes at his mother, whom he could read like an open book.-. ¡°I¡¯ve received your letter, Mother,¡± Alexander stated. ¡°I don¡¯t think that you should spoil Lux so much. You even got him a rare monster egg for him to raise. How will he grow up to be an outstanding man if you spoon feed him each and every time?¡± Lux lowered his head because he didn¡¯t want his uncle to see the smirk that was about to appear on his face. He and his grandma, Vera, both agreed that they should keep his entry to Elysium a secret for now. The two wanted to surprise, not only the Wildgarde Stronghold, but also Alexander, at the next Gathering of Heroes by showing them how awesome Lux was. Once every four years, a grand tournament would be held in Barbatos Academy to showcase the young talents within the Western Regions of Sis. All participants must be Grade A Apostle or below in order to join this prestigious event. The Final Four would receive amazing prizes from the sponsors of the event. The six kingdoms that backed Barbatos Academy often used this opportunity to gather young talents and bestow upon them the rank of nobility in order to bring them under their wing. Naturally, those who wished to serve a different king could take this opportunity to jump ship, and start their careers in greener pastures. This had been the established rule since the tournament was created. If a ruler were to lose a talented individual, it just meant that the benefits they presented weren¡¯t enticing enough to make the young prodigies serve them. In the end, the only one that they could me was themselves for being stingy. Vera wanted her grandson to step on that grand stage and show the world how awesome he was. That way, the past grievances that Lux had suffered would be washed awaypletely, which in turn would force everyone to look at him in a new light. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Alex,¡± Vera replied. ¡°Lux was the one that found the egg while we were out camping. We just don¡¯t know what kind of monster is inside it, so I proposed that we bring it here so that Iris could help him hatch it.¡± ¡°A good tale, but I don¡¯t buy it, Mother.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t force you. Now, where is Iris? I want to see my granddaughter.¡± Alexander sighed as he rang a small bell in order to call for Alicia. The moment the prettydy stepped inside the office, Alexander ordered her to escort Vera and Lux to the training area. The Barbatos Academy followed a strict rule. All students could stay in Elysium for the duration of five days before they needed to return to the academy, then they had to stay there for two days in order to give their reports to the academy. Just like Wildgarde Stronghold, the Barbatos Academy had managed to create a kingdom of their own within Elysium. It was jointly managed by a council,posed of representatives from each of the six kingdoms, as well as Alexander, who served as the Head of the Council. As a Saint, he held the strongest deterrence force that kept those who eyed the academy, as well as their kingdom in Elysium¡ªthat they had named the Barbatos Kingdom¡ªat bay. The purpose of the students inside the academy was to be stronger and help expand their Domain. Only those who had attained the rank of Apostle were allowed to enroll at Barbatos Academy. They simply had no need for the weak to join their ranks, which was the main reason why Lux wasn¡¯t one of their students. As they neared the training area, Lux and Vera could hear the cheering of a crowd. A few minutester, they saw two youngbatants fighting an intense battle in an arena. Lux could tell that both fighters were at least the Grade B Apostles due to the intensity of their battle. Vera gave her grandson a side-long nce to see his expression, and was quite satisfied with what she saw. The Half-Elf was currently focusing on the match, and watching the twobatants very closely. He was trying to put himself in the shoes of the two opponents and was trying to emte how to best dodge or counter-attack their moves. ¡®He has really grown up after entering Elysium,¡¯ Vera thought with a smile. She then shifted her attention back to the two young fighters, who seemed to be fighting with their life and honor on the line as they continued to sh against each other. Five minutester, a young man with light-brown hair and blue eyes raised his sword towards the heavens to dere his victory. The crowd cheered and gave him a thunderous apuse. ¡°Sir Lawrence is so amazing!¡± ¡°Yes! Simply the best among the other boys in his year.¡± ¡°I feel faint whenever I see him fight. I wonder if he has a girlfriend yet?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t have one. As if you don¡¯t know, he only has eyes for Lady Iris.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so jealous! She¡¯s such a lucky girl!¡± The girls talked among themselves, while the boys looked at Lawrence in envy. He was simply too perfect in their eyes, and someone whom they aspired to be. ¡°I have won, My Lady Iris,¡± Lawrence said as he gave a respectful bow to a young beauty with light-blue hair and eyes, which made anyone who saw them feel as if they were looking at a beautiful painting. ¡°Un, congrattions,¡± Iris gave Lawrence an awkward smile. This whole battle started because thebatant that Lawrence fought had confessed his feelings to Iris a day ago. Iris politely declined his confession and told him that she already had someone in her heart. It should have ended then and there, but when Lawrence heard that someone had confessed to the girl he liked, he immediately challenged that person to a duel. Since the other guy had just been rejected, he wanted to vent out his frustrations, so the young man was more than happy to ept Lawrence¡¯s challenge. And so, this duel, which Iris didn¡¯t want to happen in the first ce, happened, and had turned into a spectacle for hundreds of people who were looking for entertainment inside the academy. Just as Iris was thinking about how to get out of this mess, she saw something red appear in the corner of her vision, which made her turn her head. It was at that moment when she saw Lux, who was standing beside her grandma, waving at her. ¡°Brother!¡± Iris immediately shouted as she broke free from the crowd and left the handsome Lawrence behind with a confused look on his face. The crowd parted for Iris because she was a very important figure within the academy, and was treated like a princess. ¡°Brother Lux! I missed you!¡± Iris said as she gave Lux a very tight hug, which thetter returned by lightly wrapping his arms around her waist. ¡°I missed you too, Iris,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Have you gotten a bit taller?¡± ¡°Have I?¡± ¡°Yes. By a few centimeters I think.¡± Lawrence frowned when he saw someone whom he hadn¡¯t seen before hugging the apple of his eye. He immediately walked towards the stranger with the intention of knowing who he was. Iris, who hadn¡¯t seen Lux for a very long time, stood on tiptoe and pressed her soft lips against his, kissing him in front of all the students who were present at the training ground. ¡®Oh my!¡¯ Vera covered her own lips as she gave her granddaughter two thumbs up in her heart. ¡®She really has the Kazier bloodline flowing inside her veins. She¡¯s so bold.¡¯ Lawrence¡¯s body froze after seeing the scene unfold in front of him. He was not the only one to react this way. Several boys, as well as girls, looked at the unexpected incident in front of them with shock and disbelief. Even Lux, who had just been kissed by Iris, stiffened after realizing what just transpired. The youngdy in question pulled back with a smile. However, her smile didn¡¯tst long as the realization of what she had just done hit her. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Iris stuttered as her whole face turned beet red. ¡°I missed Brother Lux so much that my brain momentarily went nk! That was my first kiss! I was hoping to do it in a more romantic way. Oh, no! What have I done?!¡± The beautiful youngdy was about to panic when she found herself being wrapped up in a protective embrace. ¡°I missed you, Iris,¡± Vera said as she kissed her granddaughter¡¯s forehead. ¡°Why don¡¯t we visit your father, so that our family can have afternoon tea together?¡± ¡°Y-Yes! Let¡¯s do that, Grandma!¡± Iris immediately grabbed Vera¡¯s hand because it was the perfect excuse to get out of this tricky situation. She half-dragged her grandma towards the exit of the training ground. ¡°Let¡¯s have afternoon tea together! Alicia, please, prepare some snacks as well!¡± ¡°As you wish, My Lady,¡± Alicia bowed, but wasn¡¯t able to hide the smirk on her lips upon seeing Iris¡¯ flustered expression. When the young beauty felt that there was something amiss, Iris immediately remembered that Lux was still rooted on the spot and was looking at them with a dazed expression. ¡°Brother Lux! What are you zoning about there for?¡± Iris asked with an embarrassed look on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you fainted standing up? Let¡¯s go have tea together!¡± Iris let go of her grandma¡¯s hand and ran back towards Lux. She then grabbed his hand and ran back to Vera¡¯s side, forcefully dragging the Half-Elf along. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go,¡± Iris said as she held the hands of the two most important people in her life, aside from her father. She led them towards the exit of the Training Ground, leaving a dumbfounded crowd behind. Lawrence, who had initially wanted to confront the red-headed stranger, stood rooted on the spot, as he watched them leave with a frustrated look on his face. It was at that moment when the young man realized that the students inside the academy, who also pursued Iris, weren¡¯t his true love rivals. His greatest rival was none other than the red-headed teenager who stole his crush¡¯s first kiss! Chapter 84 Brother Lux, Our Baby ls FinallyBorn! ¡°Brother, say Ahhhh!¡± ¡°¡­. Ahhh.¡± Iris happily spoonfed Lux some apple pie with a sweet smile on her face. Vera looked at his scene happily. Ever since Lux turned ten and Iris turned nine, she had been thinking of pairing the two of them together. Both of them were her grandchildren and she wanted the two of them to live a happy life together. Fortunately, Iris was more than happy with the idea, and even asked her Grandma to make sure that no other girls became close with Lux while he was in Wildgarde Stronghold. Truth be told, there were many girls that had a crush on Lux in the stronghold, but their parents told them that it would be better to choose someone else. The first reason was due to Lux¡¯s sickly constitution, the other reason being his inability to go to Elysium. The people of Sispursued strength, stability, and resources. Lux might be good looking, but that was all he had. He neither had power, stability, nor resources. His good looks made him popr, but good looks and poprity alone wouldn¡¯t put food on the table. When it came to choosing a son-inw, the parents would prefer men who were strong enough to protect his wife. This was why Lux was not a good prospect in the eyes of those who lived in Wildgarde Stronghold. But Iris didn¡¯t care whether Lux was strong or not. She had fallen in love with him because, although he was sickly, he always yed with her and did his best to be there for her whenever her father was away.-. Admittedly, Vera also yed a vital role in how the two became close because. She always created opportunities for the two of them to always be together. However, the time they spent together became scarce as Lux focused on his training in order to enter Elysium. Iris did the same, but her environment was special. As the daughter of a Saint, she was well protected at all times. Iris¡¯ profession was a Beast Tamer, who also specialized in Monster Breeding. The reason Lux came to see her was because there was something that not many people knew about Iris, and that was her unbelievable luck. It would not be an exaggeration to call her Lady Luck¡¯s daughter. If a flock of birds were to drop their poop on a crowd of people. You could be certain that everyone would get hit, except her. She also stumbled upon monster eggs in the fields and, when she hatched them, rare and legendary monsters would be born 100% of the time. Right now, Iris had five Beast Companions that she had raised from eggs. A Blue Dragon, a White Tiger, a Red Phoenix, a ck Turtle, and a Unicorn. Lux had even joked at one time that if she nned to rule the world, it would definitely be a reality. After Iris¡¯ one-sided disy of affection which was sweet enough to rot Lux¡¯s teeth, the Half-Elf brought up why he hade to see her. ¡°An Egg that came from an Alpha Beast?¡± Iris¡¯ eyes sparkled immediately at the mention of the monster egg. ¡°Fufufu. So, Brother came to see me so I could hatch your egg, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lux nodded as he took his egg out of the special storage ring that Vera had given him, which was exclusively used for carrying monster eggs. ¡°Please, help me, Iris.¡± Iris smiled as she ced the two-foot-tall monster egg on herp, and lightly caressed its surface. ¡°I can sense its strong will to live,¡± Irismented as she closed her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will hatch you soon.¡± The young beauty with light-blue hair smiled as she carried the egg towards the Bestiary. Lux followed behind her because he was quite excited to see the kind of monster that would be born from the egg. Neither Vera nor Alicia had gone with them because they didn¡¯t want to get in the way of the two youngsters. ¡ª- ¡°Fufufu. Brother Lux, somehow, I feel like I¡¯m going to hatch our baby,¡± Iris said as she ced the egg on an incubator. ¡°So, what would you like to have? A boy or a girl?¡± ¡°Um, either one is fine,¡± Lux replied. ¡°As long as they are born healthy.¡± Because it had been a while since he had seen Iris, Lux hadpletely forgotten what kind of girl she was. The young beauty beside him was aplete brocon. However, Iris wasn¡¯t just an ordinary brocon. She was the kind of brocon who had the intention of marrying her bro. Iris smiled as she nodded her head. ¡°Yes. That is the important part. Don¡¯t worry, I will make sure to give birth to our baby properly.¡± Lux was already used to Iris¡¯ way of speaking after spending many years with her, so he decided to remain silent and pretend that he didn¡¯t hear what she just said. Iris chanted as her hands wrote runic engravings on the surface of the monster egg. Usually, monster breeders had the ability to inject some of their magical powers, as well as their lifeforce, in order to assist the birth of a monster. This would ensure that the monster would be born safely and, at times, awaken a rare skill or ability that would set it apart from monsters of its kind, simr to Named Creatures like Diablo and Ishtar. After she finished her chanting, the egg started to glow, and a small crack appeared on its surface. Soon, the cracks spread until the entire egg was covered by them. Lux stared at it with bated breath as he thought about the monster that would be born from it. ¡®Knowing Iris, this will definitely be a mythical monster. Could this be a dragon? Or perhaps a phoenix? Wait. She already has both of them, so what is the thing that is missing from her lineup? The only one I can think of is a Qilin¡­¡± Lux then pushed this thought aside because the egg finally split apart revealing the monster inside it. ¡°Brother Lux, our baby is finally born!¡± Iris happily picked up the monster and gave her a kiss. ¡°Isn¡¯t she cute? Um, from now on, your name will be Eiko.¡± The newly born monster, Eiko, pressed her body against Iris¡¯ right cheek, as if returning the kiss that she gave her. Lux, on the other hand, looked at the monster in Iris¡¯ hand with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He was expecting that he would get a mythical or legendary Alpha Beast, after getting Iris¡¯ help, but the monster that had been hatched was a verymon monster, which made Lux question whether Iris had somehow used up all of her luck hatching her own beastpanions. ¡°Brother Lux, isn¡¯t she adorable?¡± Iris asked as she presented the baby monster to Lux. ¡°Y-Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°She looks so¡­ jiggly.¡± Iris giggled as she once again nted a kiss on the baby monster before cing her in Lux¡¯s hands. The Half-Elf stared at Eiko, and Eiko stared back at him. This was their first meeting, and it also marked the start of Eiko¡¯s journey alongside Lux, as they explored the world where miracles, and wishes, could be a reality. Chapter 85 Mamas And Papas Girl Lux had a confused look on his face as he stared at his baby monster, Eiko. The Half-Elf had no idea how a two-foot tall egg could give birth to a blue slime that was only as big as his hand. ¡°Brother, you still need to give her a drop of your blood,¡± Iris reminded. ¡°This is how we put our imprint on baby monsters, so that they will fully recognize us as their parents.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Lux thought as he allowed Iris to lightly prick his left index finger to draw blood. He wasn¡¯t an expert when ites to monster breeding, so he decided to let his step sister guide him to do the finishing touches. Once enough blood pooled on the tip of his fingertip, Lux then ced it over Eiko¡¯s head, but the baby slime did something unexpected. As if sensing Lux¡¯s blood, Eiko raised her head and extended her body to bite his fingertip. The Half-Elf almost jumped back in shock, but was able to stop at thest minute out of sheer willpower. After consuming his blood, Eiko¡¯s body glowed briefly and rows of text appeared inside Lux¡¯s Soul Book. Iris giggled as she picked up Eiko with both of her hands. She then used an ability of hers to draw blood from her fingertip, and allowed Eiko to absorb her blood as well. Just like what happened after Eiko had taken Lux¡¯s blood, Eiko¡¯s body glowed briefly, which meant that Eiko recognized Iris as her parent as well. ¡°With this, I will be your Mama and Brother will be your Papa,¡± Iris smiled sweetly as she gave Lux a sidelong nce, before giving Eiko a kiss, which made the blue slime¡¯s small body jiggle. The red-headed teenager could only scratch the back of his head because he didn¡¯t know how he should react to Iris¡¯ teasing. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll just check on Eiko¡¯s stats first,¡¯ Lux thought as he opened his Soul Book. Just as he expected, a new page had appeared that was exclusive for Eiko. However, what he saw in the information sheet of the baby slime made Lux wonder if he was just seeing things. ¡ª¨C < Eiko >-. ¡°The world is my oyster!¡± ¨C Named Slime Monster ¨C Rating: E- ¨C Progress (0 / 1000) Health: 40 / 40 Mana: 400 / 400 Strength: 2 Intelligence: 20 Vitality: 2 Agility: 2 Dexterity: 2 Special Abilities: Mimicry [EX], Regeneration [EX] Active Skill: None Passive Skill: None Title: Mama¡¯s and Papa¡¯s Girl Note: This baby slime will someday rule the world. ¡ª- < Mimicry [EX] > ¨C Eiko is able to copy up to six skills or abilities from anyone, and anything, within a fifty meter radius around her. ¨C Copied skills are only temporary and onlyst for a maximum of two hours before disappearingpletely. ¨C This skill can also copy the appearance of the target creature, allowing Eiko to transform into that form. Duration of transformationsts for a maximum of one hour. ¨C Eiko¡¯s stats remain as they are, regardless of what type of creature, or non-living creature, she copied. Even if she transforms herself into a dragon, her stats will remain the same. ¡ª- < Regeneration [EX] > ¨C Increase Health and Mana Regeneration by 500% ¨C This ability can also regenerate any injuries that Eiko received in battle. Even if she was cut into a hundred pieces, as long as a part of her exists, she will be able to fully regenerate her body without fail. ¡ª¨C Title: Mama¡¯s and Papa¡¯s Girl ¨C If either Lux Von Kaizer or Iris Von Kaizer is within a fifty-square meter radius of Eiko, all of her stats will increase by 50% during battle. ¨C If both of them are present, Eiko will receive a 100% increase in all of her stats during battle. ¡ª- ¡®¡­ Dafuk is this sh*t?¡¯ Lux cursed internally as he looked at the cheat-like abilities that were avable on Eiko¡¯s Status Page. The first thing that he noticed was the incredibly high progression rating that Eiko currently had. Even Diablo¡¯s and Ishtar¡¯s ratings started with only a 100 points, but Eiko¡¯s rating had jumped straight to 1,000! This was something unexpected, and Lux was starting to feel his head aching at the thought of how he would be able to get Eiko to upgrade with the measly amount of resources he currently had. Also, unlike his two other Named Creatures, Diablo and Ishtar, Eiko didn¡¯t have a 50% bonus when absorbing beast cores. This meant that the baby slime needed to eat one hundred Rank 1 Beast Cores, in order to get her first upgrade. Lux also believed that Eiko¡¯s two skills, Mimicry [EX], and Regeneration [EX], were nothing to scoff at. Those two skills alone was enough to tell him how powerful Eiko would be if she reached a higher rank. ¡®I knew that I would get something insane if I left the hatching of the egg to Iris, but I didn¡¯t expect to learn that this kind of insanity existed,¡¯ Lux pinched the bridge of his nose because his stepsister was truly ady blessed by luck. Just as Lux was wondering how to upgrade Eiko to the next level, he saw Iris holding a blue Rank 1 Beast Core that was the size of a quail¡¯s egg, and fed it to the baby slime in her hands. The Half-Elf watched this endearing scene with a smile on his face, but his smile froze when a row of text once again appeared on Eiko¡¯s Status Page, catching himpletely by surprise. ¡ª- ¨C Eiko has learned the skill Water Bullet! < Water Bullet > (Mana: 5) ¨C Shoot a small ball ofpressed water at your target dealing 20 ¨C 30 Magical Damage. ¨C Deals 100% additional damage to Fire Type Monsters. ¡ª¨C Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]! ¨C Target Lux Von Kaizer. ¨C Sessfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]! ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Water Bullet will be upgraded into Hydro Ball once the requirements have been met. < Hydro Ball > ¨C Shoot a ball ofpressed water at your target dealing 100 ¨C 200 Magical Damage. ¨C Deals 100% additional damage to Fire Type Monsters ¨C Requirements to upgrade: Use Water Bullet 10x ¨C Progress ( 0 / 10 ) ¡ª¨C Before Lux could even digest the words that he had read, Eiko turned around and spat a blob of water at the floor. She did this ten times, with an interval of a few seconds in between. Immediately after that, Lux received a notification that Eiko¡¯s Water Bullet Skill had sessfully evolved into Hydro Ball. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re amazing Eiko!¡± Iris praised the baby monster who jiggled in her hand in happiness. ¡°But, let¡¯s go outside, okay? We don¡¯t want you damaging this ce.¡± Iris happily left the Bestiary and headed to her personal training ground with the baby slime in her arms. Lux could only stare at them in disbelief as he tried to understand what had just transpired a moment ago. ¡®I think I discovered a bug in the system,¡¯ Lux thought as he forced himself to follow Iris and Eiko to her private training room. Deep inside, he was starting to have a feeling of anticipation. Although Eiko was still a baby right now, her possibilities were endless. The Half-Elf couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of upgrade the baby slime would have, once she consumed the necessary amount of beast cores to upgrade her rank to the next level. Chapter 86 Not An Ordinary Baby Slime Iris hummed, holding Eiko in her arms, as she headed to her personal training field, while Lux followed a few steps behind them. The Half-Elf had lent her his Soul Book, so she could also see Eiko¡¯s stats. Lux was hoping that Iris would be surprised after seeing Eiko¡¯s status page, but the blue-haired beauty didn¡¯t even bat an eye after seeing the information that was in front of her. ¡°Iris, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Eiko¡¯s progression bar requires 1000 Points although she¡¯s only at Rank E-. Isn¡¯t this a bit too much?¡± Iris stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look at Lux with a confused expression on her face. ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal?¡± Iris blinked. ¡°My Beast Companions had the same progression point when they were hatched from their eggs.¡± The corner of Lux¡¯s lips twitched when he realized that he had forgotten that Iris¡¯ Beast Companions were all Mythical Beasts. Her standards for normal were already very high at the start, which made Lux feel sorry for his own Summoned Creatures, like Diablo and Ishtar, which started at 100 Progression Points at their lowest rank. ¡°Oh! Are you worried about raising her rank, Brother?¡± Iris smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will give Eiko a hundred Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade her Rank. This is my responsibility as her Mama. But, the rest will have to depend on her Papa, okay?¡± Iris winked at Lux before she continued walking towards their destination while humming a song. Lux could only scratch his head. Iris was really treated like a Princess in Barbatos Academy. A hundred Rank 1 Beast Cores were nothing to her. On the contrary, he had to fight against hordes of monsters in order to secure the same amount of Beast Cores. ¡®Well, I guess this is also a good thing,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®My supply of Beast Cores has dwindled as ofte. I don¡¯t even have enough to upgrade Diablo, Ishtar, and the other skeletons. I guess I¡¯ll have to farm beast cores when I return to Leaf Vige.¡¯ While Lux was still thinking about the most ideal ce to go to hunt for Beast Cores in the Beginner Zone, they finally arrived at their destination. The moment Iris appeared in the training room, two monsters immediately ran up to her. One was a White Tiger, and the other was a Unicorn. Both monsters were two meters tall, which would have been intimidating to those who were not familiar with them. However, since Lux had visited Iris many times in the past, her two guardian beasts recognized him immediately. The White Tiger nudged its head against Lux¡¯s chest, and thetter rubbed its neck, which made the tiger purr. ¡°Have you been a good boy, Hanz?¡± Lux asked the White Tiger who seemed to be enjoying the attention he was receiving from Lux.-. Hanz growled lightly as if replying to Lux¡¯s question. Among Iris¡¯ Beast Companions, the White Tiger and the Half-Elf got along the most, and would y with each other whenever Lux visited Iris in the academy. The Unicorn stared at the blue slime in Iris¡¯ arm and neighed. Clearly, it wasn¡¯t happy seeing its owner pamper a monster aside from them. It even moved its head closer to look at Eiko who was also looking back at it. ¡°Eiko, this is Astra,¡± Iris introduced her unicorn to the slime that was looking at it with curiosity. ¡°Astra, this is Eiko. She is mine and Brother¡¯s baby. Please, get along with her, okay?¡± The Unicorn gave a light snort, as it moved its head closer to the baby slime. Astra didn¡¯t like it when other monsters, aside from itspanions, got near Iris. Unicorns get jealous very easily. This was why it decided to intimidate the baby slime, who was currently monopolizing its Master¡¯s good graces. Eiko stared at the unicorn for a few seconds before spitting a blob of water at its head, drenching itpletely. The Unicorn hastily backed away as it shook its head to dry itself from the unexpected attack from the baby monster. The baby slime giggled after seeing the unicorn¡¯s antics, and immediately spat one water bullet after the other. Astra raised its head arrogantly as it easily dodged Eiko¡¯s attack, making the baby¡¯s smile turn into a pout. Seeing that its attacks weren¡¯t hitting its target, Eiko stopped spitting Water Bullets and cried! ¡°Oh, don¡¯t cry little Eiko,¡± Iris coaxed the baby slime as she cradled her in her arms like a baby. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Astra will y with you some other time.¡± The baby slime instantly quieted down when Iris started to feed it Beast Cores. However, she didn¡¯t expect that what she was doing could make anyone green with jealousy if only they were able to see Eiko¡¯s Status Page. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Fire Bullet will be upgraded into Fire Bolt once the requirements have been met. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Wind Bullet will be upgraded into Aero Ball once the requirements have been met. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Stone Bullet will be upgraded into Stone Spike once the requirements have been met. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Shadow Bullet will be upgraded into Shadow Ball once the requirements have been met. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Blink will be upgraded into Teleport once the requirements have been met. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Cure will be upgraded into Cure-All once the requirements have been met. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Dodge will be automatically upgraded into Uncanny Dodge. ¡ª- Although his Soul Book was currently in Iris¡¯ hand, the rows of text that appeared in front of Lux made his throat dry. Iris kept on feeding Eiko until her progression bar hit 1,000 points, which allowed the baby slime to upgrade its rank. ¡ª¨C Eiko has acquired the skill Family Bond. < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Since the skill Family Bond is not learned from a Beast Core, it will automatically be upgraded to Family Bond [EX]. ¡ª- < Family Bond [EX] ¨C Twice a day, Eiko will be able to teleport to Lux Von Kaizer¡¯s, or Iris Von Kaizer¡¯s, location wherever they may be. ¨C This skill works even if they are inside a dungeon, a domain, or a special ne of existence. ¡ª¨C Eiko has acquired the skill Speech. < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Since the skill Speech is not learned from a Beast Core, it will automatically be upgraded to Speech [EX]. ¡ª¨C < Speech [EX] > ¨C Eiko will be able to talk to any creature, as long as they use some kind of means tomunicate. ¡ª¨C < Select two options from the list to bestow upon Eiko. > ¨C Health +2000 ¨C Intelligence +100 ¨C Underwater Breathing ¨C Lava Walking ¨C Air Steps ¨C Dig ¨C Summon Metal Slime ¨C Summon Fire Slime ¨C Summon Water Slime ¨C Summon Rock Slime ¨C Summon Aero Slime ¨C Summon Saber Slime ¨C Summon Berserker Slime ¨C Summon Hunter Slime ¨C Summon Shadow Slime ¨C Summon Devil Slime ¨C Summon Angel Slime ¡ª¨C ¡°¡­ Damn,¡± Lux muttered as he scanned the long list of bonuses that Eiko gained after being upgraded once. He finally understood that the baby slime in his stepsister¡¯s arms was definitely not an ordinary baby slime, but a baby slime that matched the power of the mythical beasts in Iris¡¯ Bestiary. Chapter 87 Eiko Vs.Astra [Part 1] ¡°Eiko, say Mama.¡± ¡°Ma.¡± ¡°Mama.¡± ¡°Ma.¡± ¡°My baby is so smart!¡± Iris said as she rubbed her cheek against Eiko¡¯s body, which made the baby slime giggle. On the other side, the Unicorn snorted in irritation. Lux and Hanz only looked at this scene with amused expressions on their faces. ¡®I¡¯ll choose two from the optionster, once I have a better understanding of what would be more beneficial for Eiko,¡¯ Lux thought as he walked towards Iris who was humming happily, while dancing with the baby slime in her hands. ¡°Thank you, Iris,¡± Lux said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to upgrade Eiko¡¯s rank without your help.¡± Iris stopped dancing and smiled at the red-headed teenager who rarely visited her due to his training. ¡°You¡¯re wee, Brother,¡± Iris replied as she presented Eiko to Lux. ¡°Eiko, call him Papa.¡±-. The little slime looked at Lux with curiosity before spraying water on his face, drenching himpletely. Iris hurriedly took a step back and moved Eiko away, preventing the mischievous baby slime from continuing to spray water on her beloved brother. Eiko stopped spraying water before giggling like a naughty kid that had seeded in its prank. Iris then gave Lux an apologetic look, while thetter just waved his hand to tell her that he was fine. As Lux dried his face with a towel, Iris admonished Eiko for being naughty, which made the baby slime look at her with a teary-eyed face. Seeing her adorable daughter look at her that way, Iris couldn¡¯t find it in herself to further chastise the baby in her hand. ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again, okay?¡± Iris said in a gentle tone. ¡°That is your Papa. you should always treat him as you treat me. We¡¯re family, so you shouldn¡¯t y pranks on your Papa, okay?¡± ¡°Family,¡± Eiko repeated Iris¡¯ words before nodding her head in understanding. Iris smiled with satisfaction ¡°Good girl! Now let¡¯s say sorry to your Papa, okay?¡± ¡°Un!¡± Eiko nodded. Iris once again approached Lux with Eiko in hand. The Half-Elf had just finished wiping his head, and looked at the baby slime with a guarded expression on his face. Eiko looked at Lux innocently as Iris held her up until the baby slime was only two feet away from Lux¡¯s face. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko said. Lux smiled and lightly patted Eiko¡¯s head. ¡°Mmm.¡± Eiko didn¡¯t move and allowed Lux to lightly pat her head. When the Half-Elf pulled his hand away, the baby slime jumped off of Iris¡¯ hand andnded on her Papa¡¯s head with excellent precision. The baby slime then turned around to face Iris with a smile on its face. ¡°Ma!¡± ¡°Well done, Eiko!¡± Iris pped her hand as she praised her baby. ¡°That¡¯s my baby girl!¡± Her praise made Eiko giggle, which made the baby slime jump back to her. The youngdy caught the mischievous baby effortlessly. Iris had a lot of experience from raising many monsters that had been left behind by their owners in the academy because they were still too young to apany them on their journey to Elysium. Baby Monsters were often targeted by other monsters because they were deemed as easy prey, which in turn resulted in their early demise. To prevent this from happening, Barbatos Academy had opened up a nursery for these monsters. Their owners only had to prepare a good number of beast cores in order to hasten their growth. Iris was a Beast Tamer, so she would frequent the nursery in order to take care of the baby monsters that were left behind. She was not new to the mischievous antics of these monsters because, most of the time, newly born monsters just wanted to seek the attention of their owners. Depending on their personality, some would y pranks to their owners because this was their way of showing their affection to them. ¡°Big Brother, I think Eiko is a prankster,¡± Iris said as she lightly patted Eiko¡¯s head as she faced her stepbrother. ¡°Monsters like these are very hard to raise because they do things at their own pace. Sometimes, they will even take the initiative to attack other monsters out of curiosity, which often leads to them getting seriously injured. ¡°If you n to take Eiko with you to Elysium, make sure to always have an eye on her, so she doesn¡¯t go and cause trouble for anyone.¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Thanks for the reminder. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± As someone who had no experience with raising pets, Iris¡¯ insight was very helpful to him. Eiko was his first Beast Companion, so he needed to understand her character. This way, he would know how to handle certain situations when he was traveling, while bringing her with him. Iris was about to say something else, but she stopped after hearing Astra¡¯s irritated neigh. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Astra?¡± Iris asked. Astra once again neighed as it used its horn to point at the baby slime who had crawled on top of Iris¡¯ head. Eiko nced at the Unicorn and narrowed her eyes. Because of her ability to understand all creatures, she understood that the Unicorn wanted her to leave her Mama¡¯s head. The baby slime didn¡¯t want to leave, so she decided to show the arrogant Unicorn that she wasn¡¯t someone that it could mess with. Eiko spat several Fire Bullets in rapid session towards the Unicorn that was trying to make her stay away from her Mama. Astra had already expected that this would happen, so it casually dodged Eiko¡¯s attack with ease, while looking at her in contempt. The arrogant expression on the Unicorn¡¯s face didn¡¯t sit well with Eiko, so she unleashed a barrage of spells that she had just recently learned. Astra neighed with disdain as the little Slime pelted it with elemental attacks in rapid session. As a monster that had been cared for by Iris for many years, Astra¡¯s rank was equivalent to a Rank 3 Monster. Since the Unicorn specialized in speed, it was very easy for it to dodge the attacks of a low-level monster like Eiko. After seeing that her attacks weren¡¯t connecting, Eiko¡¯s body glowed briefly as it shouted with its adorable voice. ¡°Arise!¡± Suddenly, a scene that Lux and Iris didn¡¯t expect to happen in front of them happened. Seven Skeleton Fighters, and Four Skeleton Grand Archers appeared in front of Iris. Eiko raised its head and shouted. ¡°Attack!¡± The Slime¡¯s seven Skeleton Fighters charged at the Unicorn with fury. The Skeleton Grand Archers also used their Crippling Volley attack in order to limit the number of ces that Astra could move. The Unicorn was caught by surprise, but it wasn¡¯t entirely helpless either. As one of Iris¡¯ guardians, it had faced this situation numerous times when it apanied her to Elysium. Astra disappeared from where it stood using its Blink ability, then fired a beam of light from the tip of its horn at the approaching skeletons. The attack blew the Skeleton Fighters away, and shaved off half of their health. The Unicorn once again Blinked and instantly appeared behind the Skeleton Grand Archers and used its Thrash attack, kicking them in different directions. Lux had already pulled Iris and helped her back away from the intense battle, so she wasn¡¯t in any danger from the battle that was currently being waged by Eiko¡¯s summons as well as Astra¡¯s skills. Hanz stood in front of his Master, ready to block any wayward spells or attacks that might head in her direction. Unknown to the three of them, Eiko had Blinked away from Iris¡¯ head, and was currently jumping towards her minions in order to fight alongside them. Astra wanted Eiko to stay away from Iris, which upset the baby Slime. Because of this, she decided to fight against the annoying Unicorn, and show it that she was not someone that could be bullied easily. Chapter 88 Eiko Vs.Astra[Part 2] ¡°Brother, what is happening?¡± Iris asked. ¡°Where did those skeletonse from?¡± ¡°Eiko copied my Summoning Skills,¡± Lux answered. ¡°Iris, the baby Slime you hatched from the egg I gave you might be the strongest Slime in existence.¡± ¡°Brother, Eiko is our daughter. Of course, she¡¯s bound to be the strongest.¡± ¡°Um. Now that you mention it, how can my daughter be a weakling?¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡ª- While Lux and Iris were spectating from the side, Eiko was spitting one spell after another at the Unicorn that was trying to bully her. Astra merely looked at the baby Slime with contempt as it deftly evaded her attacks with ease. For the attacks that were impossible to evade, it would just use Blink and instantly appear several meters away from its original position. If Astra didn¡¯t have the Blink skill, it would be hard pressed to fight against the skeletons that Eiko had summoned. However, since it could use Blink, it hadplete control of the current pace of the battle. Not wanting to lose, Eiko copied Lux¡¯s skill, Mana Drain [EX], and tried to drain the Unicorn¡¯s mana in an attempt to prevent it from Blinking away. When the baby Slime activated her Mana Drain skill, the Unicorn instantly felt that some of its mana was being siphoned to the baby Slime who had its mouth open wide. Neighing in anger, Astra Blinked towards Eiko¡¯s location, wanting to punish her for trying to defy it. However, just as Astra appeared in front of Eiko, the baby slime disappeared using her own Blink ability.-. As soon as Eiko reappeared in the distance, she spat a Void Arrow towards the Unicorn, nning to blind it. Unfortunately for her, the one she was fighting against was a veteran beast. Astra also blinked away, and this time, it Blinked behind Eiko. Sensing that the enemy was behind her, Eiko Blinked away, preventing herself from being pressed down by Astra¡¯s hoof. Starting from that moment, both beasts fought by using Blinks consecutively. The Unicorn was doing its best to get close to the baby slime, while Eiko was doing her best to escape from Astra. This game of tagsted for two-full minutes before the baby slime reappeared in the corner of the room, panting for breath. Eiko had used all of her mana with the constant Blinking, and could no longer move away from the Unicorn who had a devilish smile on its face. Just as Astra was about to close in on the baby Slime, whose body had almost turned into a small puddle due to fatigue, a skeleton with burning golden eyes in its sockets appeared in front of it. Soon, a ng resounded in the training field as Astra¡¯s horn met Diablo¡¯s shield head-on. Lux¡¯s Named Creature held his ground, as he blocked Astra¡¯s attack. Although Astra was stronger than Diablo, his appearance had unnerved the Unicorn, which made thetter unable to use its full power, resulting in their sh bing a tie. ¡°Alright Astra, I think that¡¯s enough,¡± Lux said as he extended both of his hands to scoop up the exhausted baby slime that was lying on the floor. ¡°Eiko is still a baby. Don¡¯t bully her too much.¡± The Unicorn snorted, but it no longer pursued the matter. Its main reason was because it felt that it was beneath it to keep bullying a newborn baby monster. Astra only wanted to teach Eiko a lesson for trying to disobey her superior. It didn¡¯t expect Eiko to have a stubborn personality with no intention of backing down, which resulted in the short skirmish between the two of them. Iris looked at this scene with a smile on her face. As a Beast Tamer, she understood that Astra was just feeling a bit jealous of Eiko because Iris was pampering her. Among her five mythical beasts, it was Astra who had the least tolerance towards strangers approaching Iris casually. Luckily, after repeatedly reminding it to not attack the students in the academy who were trying to get close to Iris, the Unicorn finally managed to reign in its emotions. Unfortunately, while it had developed sufficient tolerance against Humans, it still didn¡¯t like other Monsters being chummy with its mother tamer. ¡°Pa¡­,¡± Eiko said as she weakly raised her head. ¡°Wuwuwuwu.¡± The baby slime started to cry, and tears streamed down from her eyes. Lux lightly patted her head and allowed Eiko to cry on his chest. Truth be told, he was shocked at how much of a Battle Junky Eiko was. Maybe she knew deep inside that Astra wouldn¡¯t really hurt her, so she decided to fight against the Unicorn in order to get back at it. Unfortunately, the baby Slime was still a baby. Even with her cheat-like abilities, she was still not a match for a battle-hardened veteran that had protected Iris from the dangers of Elysium. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Eiko,¡± Lux coaxed the baby slime. ¡°Let¡¯s get back at it when you grow stronger, okay? Just give it a year and we will be pping Astra¡¯s butt cheeks.¡± Astra neighed angrily at Lux as if telling him ¡°Bro, what the f*ck? You are a bad influence on your daughter!¡± Iris, who had also approached the crying baby, pouted as she lightly pinched Lux¡¯s ears. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t teach Eiko to carry a grudge,¡± Iris said with a serious expression. ¡°She¡¯s still young and must be taught what is right and wrong. Do you want her to grow up to be a rebellious child?¡± Lux only smiled as he continued to pat the crying slime¡¯s head. Although he was still struggling to grasp the concept of treating a Monster as his daughter, he thought that it might not be such a bad idea. Perhaps, feeling his change of heart, Eiko¡¯s body rxed in his hand and fell asleep. Iris peered at the sleeping baby¡¯s face with a smile. ¡°Brother, raising a Monster is not easy,¡± Iris said. ¡°Some people treat them as pets. Others treat them as friends, while the majority treat them as tools. I hope that you won¡¯t treat Eiko as a tool in order to advance in Elysium. If you do, I¡¯ll make sure to take her away from you. Anyway, I can raise our daughter myself!¡± Lux nced at the youngdy who was staring at him with a serious expression on her face. Clearly, she meant every word that she had said, and would definitely take Eiko away from him if he treated thetter wrongly. ¡°I promise that I won¡¯t treat her as a tool,¡± Lux met Iris¡¯ serious gaze with his own. ¡°I will also not treat her as a pet. Since you wanted to raise her as part of our family then I will do my best to treat her as one. However, I admit that this concept is new to me. Please, give me time to adjust.¡± ¡°Oh~ You don¡¯t have to worry about that, Brother. If you¡¯re notfortable calling Eiko your daughter, that¡¯s fine too. When I turn sixteen, I¡¯ll ask grandma to help me prepare our wedding,¡± Iris said with a smile. ¡°When that happens, we can make a real baby. That way, you will have plenty of time to practice how to be a father.¡± ¡®¡­ Well, that escted rather quickly,¡¯ Lux thought as he took a step back, while looking at the young beauty whose eyes started to turn dreamy. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t reject the idea of the two of them getting married. However, after regaining his memories, he remembered his main goal and the reason why he had to go to Elysium. In order to make his stepsister and his grandmother happy, he must do his best to find a way to keep the world of Sis from dying. Only by doing so would they have a future and a ce where they could raise a family together. As Lux was lost in his thoughts, working out how he would achieve his goal, Iris had already closed the distance and wrapped her arms around him. She didn¡¯t hold him tightly, and even allowed the Half-Elf to break out of her hold if he really wanted to do it. ¡°Brother Lux, I know that you might be tired of hearing me repeat things over and over again, but these are my real feelings,¡± Iris said softly as she gazed at her beloved stepbrother¡¯s beautiful green eyes that she liked so much. ¡°Although it was Grandma who tried to matchmake the two of us, I sincerely hope that you will consider making me your wife.¡± ¡°I promise that I will do my best to make you happy. I know that for the longest time, your goal has been to go to Elysium. I respect that, and I wish for you to seed as well. However, know this, I have liked you for a very long time.¡± Iris smiled as she pressed her finger over Lux¡¯s lips in order to stop him from saying anything. ¡°Don¡¯t give me an answer now.¡± Iris looked at him with a tender gaze. ¡°Think about it and give me your answer in a year or two. But know this, if your answer is no then I will have no choice but to ask for Grandma¡¯s help to tie you up and have the two of us wed whether you like it or not.¡± The corner of Lux¡¯s lips twitched. Iris had managed to pluck his heartstrings with the first half of her confession. However, everything went south at the end, which made him unable to decide whether he shouldugh or cry at her subtle threat of a shotgun wedding. ¡°Understood.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. He had long known that Iris liked him, and he was no longer a child who would pretend that he didn¡¯t understand. Since that was the case, he would also be open with his own feelings, and ask her a question that had been in his mind for quite some time. ¡°Um, Iris, I have a serious question to ask you.¡± ¡°Go ahead, brother.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say, for example, that I fell in love with someone else. What would you do then?¡± The corner of Iris¡¯ lips curled up into a smirk as she looked at Lux¡¯s handsome face. ¡°Whoever they may be, they must first get my approval,¡± Iris answered. ¡°Then and only then will I allow them to enter your harem.¡± Lux blinked as he stared back at Iris who was looking back at him with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re not angry about me having otherdies aside from you?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Well, I will be lying if I said that I don¡¯t feel sad about it,¡± Iris replied. ¡°However, if they were capable of making you fall in love with them then that means they have the qualifications to get my approval. So, dear brother of mine, promise me this. If you truly find someone that you love, do not hide her from me, okay?¡± ¡°Understood. I can make this promise to you.¡± ¡°Good. That is all I ask, Brother.¡± Iris reluctantly took a step back as she looked at the Half-Elf in front of her, who had grown up with her since she was young. Even now, she didn¡¯t know if the feelings she had for him were familial love or true love. However, one thing was clear. She liked Lux from the bottom of her heart. She also knew that Lux liked her, too. It was only her father, Alexander, who opposed their rtionship. Although the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy never talked about it, Iris could tell that he didn¡¯t think that Lux was worthy of bing her groom due to thetter¡¯s repeated failures to get the qualifications to enter Elysium. ¡®Just you wait, Father,¡¯ Iris thought with an amused expression on her face. ¡®Brother Lux isn¡¯t the ipetent person that you thought he was. I can¡¯t wait to see the look on your face when he wins the tournament that you have prepared in order to look for my fiance.¡¯ The Princess of Barbatos Academy smiled sweetly. Although there were many geniuses that would join thepetition to win her hand in marriage, for some reason, she wasn¡¯t afraid. She didn¡¯t know where this confidence of hers wasing from, but after seeing Lux¡¯s Soul Book today, she understood that his potential was limitless. Deep inside, she was very happy. How could she not be? She knew that if Lux was given a year or two, he would definitely surpass all those so-called geniuses that had graduated from the Apostle Grade and stepped into the rank of Initiates. Her gaze softened when she saw Eiko crawl towards Lux¡¯s neck to give him a kiss. Although this little family of theirs might look like they were merely ¡®ying house¡¯ to other people, Iris firmly believed that one day her wishes, and dreams, would finally be a reality. Chapter 89 l Dont Have Much Time Left After Eiko¡¯s battle with Astra, the baby slime slept peacefully in Lux¡¯s arms. Iris walked beside Lux as they went to find Vera in the Sky Garden of Barbatos Academy. This particr garden was divided into four areas. The first one was for the students withmoner backgrounds. The second was for those with noble backgrounds. The third was for the elite students of the academy who had shown exceptional talent in Elysium. This special area didn¡¯t care whether you were a noble or not. As long as you had results, you would be a part of this exclusive club. Everyone wanted to enter this circle of the Elites because they were truly the recognized prodigies of the six kingdoms that backed Barbatos Academy. Even Princes and Princesses could not enter the Elite Circle, regardless of how much influence and money they tried to use. Andst, but not the least, was the private sanctuary of the Kaizer family. Since Alexander was one of the strongest humans in the Western Regions of Sis, no one dared to defy him whenever he made a decision. This was also the case for the part of the garden where Iris usually stayed with her Beast Companions whenever she wasn¡¯t training. -. When Lux and Iris arrived at the garden, they saw Vera enjoying some tea, while being served by Alicia, who wanted to score some brownie points with Alexander¡¯s mother. Vera knew that the beautiful secretary admired her son, and had already approved of her. However, Alexander had be distant and indifferent after Iris¡¯ mother died due to her poor health. Since then, he never remarried nor even looked at otherdies with the intention of marrying them. For him, Alicia was only his secretary and their rtionship was pure business. Nothing more, nothing less. ¡®Poor girl,¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the beautifuldy, who was trying to aim for the moon, but was given rice crackers instead. ¡°Grandma!¡± Iris smiled brightly as she ran towards Vera to give her a hug, and a kiss on her left cheek. After giving her greeting, the young beauty gave Lux a side-long nce before whispering something in Vera¡¯s ear, which made the old woman smile sweetly. As if it was a nned move, bothdies gazed at Lux¡¯s with faces that screamed ¡°Mission Aplished!¡± The Half-Elf could only chuckle nervously because he could already hear the wedding bells ringing in the distance. His only hope was his stepfather, Alexander, getting in the way of the twodies¡¯ ns. ¡°Grandma, please meet your great granddaughter,¡± Lux said with a teasing tone as he presented the still sleeping baby Slime to his grandmother. As if sensing someone staring at her, Eiko opened her eyes and saw an old woman staring at her with an amused expression on her face. ¡°Manma!¡± Eiko said happily as she looked at Vera. Lux was quite surprised that his baby Slime had called Vera ¡°Manma¡±, which was the endearment he used to call her when he was young. Vera was also surprised and gave Lux a nce, as if asking him if he had asked Eiko to call her in this manner. The Half-Elf shook his head firmly in response, which made Vera shift her attention back to the little Slime who was lightly jumping on Lux¡¯s hands. ¡°Come here, Little One,¡± Vera picked up the baby slime with both hands and brought her close to her face, to take a better look at Eiko. Eiko didn¡¯t resist, in fact when Vera tried to scoop her up, she jumped on Vera¡¯s hands and giggled. Perhaps, she thought that her great grandmother was ying a game with her, so she decided to y with her. ¡°Manma! Kiss!¡± Eiko said as she jumped up and down on Vera¡¯s hands. Vera chuckled because this was the first time she had seen a Slime act like a spoiled child, which tickled her heart. The olddy then kissed Eiko¡¯s cheeks, and the baby Slime returned the favor. After sharing a kiss, Eiko crawled from Vera¡¯s hand, to her shoulder, until she stood beside her neck. Vera then picked up a small cookie from her te and fed it to the baby Slime, who was more than happy to eat some snacks after her battle with the Unicorn, who bullied her. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t expect that my first granddaughter would be a Slime, this feeling isn¡¯t half bad,¡± Veramented as she gave Eiko another cookie. ¡°But Lux, make sure to give me another great grandchild in five years, okay? I don¡¯t have much time left, and I still want to hold your baby.¡± ¡°Grandma, you¡¯re still young,¡± Lux replied as he rested a hand on his grandma¡¯s other shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll be able to live for another hundred years.¡± ¡°Silly boy, my ears are not as long as yours.¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Lux suddenly felt sad after seeing the wrinkles on his grandma¡¯s face. He hadn¡¯t paid any attention to this in the past because, for him, Vera was strong and healthy. Also, Vera rarely showed any signs of weakness. For her to tell him that she didn¡¯t have much time, and wanted to see her great grandchild, made him realize that he had only been thinking of himself as ofte. He had never paused to consider his Grandma who had raised him since he was a baby. The Half-Elf thought that because Vera was strong, she would be able to live longer. The people in Sis lived longer lifespans,pared to the Humans back on Earth. Most of them could live up to two hundred years old without any problems. Lux had never asked Vera how hold she was because he had long been told that asking a woman¡¯s age was disrespectful. But, seeing how old Vera looked, the red-headed teenager felt a tightening in his heart, as he thought about a future without her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°I promise you that before I turn twenty, you will be holding another great grandchild in your hands.¡± Vera looked at her grandson and nodded her head with satisfaction. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Iris who was listening from the side held her burning cheeks with both hands as her face turned beet red. ¡°Grandma, I will also do my best,¡± Irismented. ¡°What do you want? A girl or a boy?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s a girl or a boy. As long as they are born healthy.¡± ¡°Understood! Let¡¯s do our best, Brother!¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Eiko, who was listening to their conversation, also smiled. It was as if she was also excited to see her future brother or sister, who would be born a few years from now. Chapter 90 Feeling Like A Novel Protagonist ¡°Look after your Papa for me, okay?¡± ¡°Ma!¡± ¡°Make sure he doesn¡¯t cheat on me, okay?¡± ¡°Ma?¡± Vera chuckled as she patted Iris¡¯ head. ¡°Don¡¯t teach Eiko things like this, Iris,¡± Vera said with a smile. ¡°She¡¯s still a baby.¡± Iris stuck her tongue out at Lux, while thetter just shook his head helplessly. After spending a few days in Barbatos Academy, the Half-Elf had been targeted by several students who had a crush on Iris. Naturally, Lux didn¡¯t fight them and simply told them that he was Iris¡¯ stepbrother. Instead of feeling relieved, the boys became even more aggressive, and some even cursed him saying how jealous they were of him. Fortunately, Vera was always with him whenever he toured the academy, so no actual harm came to him. However, Lux¡¯s grandma told him that if he wanted the harassment to stop, all he needed to do was marry Iris after she turned sixteen and the problem would be solved. Lux knew that his grandma was being serious about it, so he chose to stay silent and just turn a blind eye on it. He and Iris had already had a heart-to-heart talk about this and came to an agreement. For now, the Half-Elf would focus his attention on the thing that mattered, and that was to get stronger in Elysium, and find a way to save the world of Sis from destruction. That was his reason for being born in the world. After Iris clung to Lux for five-full minutes, under the res of thousands of teenage boys who were wishing for his death, the young beauty finally took a step back and gazed at Lux with eyes filled with tenderness. ¡°Make sure to take care of our daughter, Papa,¡± Iris said in a volume that was only loud enough for Lux to hear. ¡°If anything happens to Eiko, I¡¯ll make sure to give you a piece of my mind.¡± Lux smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Since Eiko and him were now bounded together by Fate, Lux decided to take good care of the baby slime and ensure that she became a strong monster. ¡°Goodbye, Grandma,¡± Iris hugged Vera affectionately. ¡°Please, visit as often as you can. Just a few days is not enough for me to tie up big brother and give you your great grandson.¡±-. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, next time, I¡¯ll tie him up personally,¡± Vera replied as she hugged the young beauty back. ¡°Take care, Iris. Also, make sure that your father doesn¡¯t overwork himself.¡± Iris nodded. ¡°Un!¡± The White Hippopotamus, Sophie, transformed and became bigger, allowing Vera and Lux to mount her back. Lux wanted to stay a bit longer to allow his grandma to spend more time with her son, and granddaughter, but he was on a tight schedule. He had made a promise to go to the Stronghold of Norria with Colette and the others, so he needed to return to Elysium as soon as possible. The Half-Elf and his grandmother looked in the distance as the academy slowly disappeared from their sights. ¡°Lux, did Iris tell you about the uing tournament?¡± Vera inquired. Lux nodded. ¡°Mmm.¡± ¡°Are you nning to enter?¡± ¡°Yes. If I don¡¯t, Iris will get mad at me. She will shout like a mandrake and wake up the dead.¡± Vera chuckled as she rested her hand on her grandson¡¯s shoulder. She knew what her son was nning as a reward in the tournament, but she didn¡¯t say anything about it. Even though Lux might not be the champion, Vera would not allow her granddaughter to marry anyone else. After an uneventful journey, the two safely arrived in Wildgarde Stronghold. Lux decided to rest in his room for a bit and have dinner with his grandma before returning to Elysium in the morning. There was also the matter of Eiko¡¯s skills, which he still hadn¡¯t chosen. Lux decided to rule out the summoning options that were avable to her because she didn¡¯t need those at this point in time. This removed more than half the options from the list, allowing the Half-Elf to focus his attention on the remaining choices. ¡ª- ¨C Health +2000 ¨C Intelligence +100 ¨C Underwater Breathing ¨C Lava Walking ¨C Air Steps ¨C Dig ¡ª- ¡°There are no volcanoes here in the Beginner¡¯s Area so I can skip Lava Walking for now,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°Underwater breathing is good, but slimes can already float in the water, and are good swimmers. She didn¡¯t need to be a submarine. The additional 100 Bonus to intelligence is good, so I guess I¡¯ll choose this one. As for thest one¡­¡± Lux had to choose between Air Steps and Dig. in order to better understand them, Lux decided to look at the information about the two Skills, so he could finalize his decision. ¡ª- < Air Steps > ¨C Allows Eiko to move in the air as if she was moving onnd. This skill consumes five Mana Point every thirty seconds, up to a maximum of a minute. ¨C Skill Cooldown: 2 minutes. ¡ª¨C < Dig > ¨C Allows Eiko to dig a hole and move underground. This skill consumes fifty Mana Points every thirty seconds. ¨C This skill has no cooldown and can be used as long as Eiko has mana. ¡ª Lux rubbed his chin as he gazed at the two choices. Both were self exnatory, but he was still finding a hard time to decide which skill to pick for the baby slime. If he chose Air Steps, Eiko would be able to maneuver in the air, assisting him in battle. Dig, on the other hand, would allow her to safely dig underground, preventing anyone from running after her. Both were life saving skills, and their only difference was their usage. After a long struggle, Lux finally decided to choose Air Steps. Although Dig was a good choice, Air Steps was more versatile. It also gave Eiko the ability to attack from above as she unleashed a barrage of spells that she had learned after absorbing the Beast Cores that Iris gave her. ¡ª¨C You have chosen the skill Air Steps. ¡ª¨C Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]! ¨C Target Lux Von Kaizer. ¨C Sessfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]! ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > < Since the Skill is not learned from a Beastcore, evolution requirements will be waived. > ¨C Air Steps has sessfully been upgraded to Air Strider [EX]! < Air Strider [EX] > ¨C Aside from traversing on air, this skill also gives Eiko the ability to fly for a short period of time. ¨C This skill consumes five Mana Points every thirty seconds, up to a maximum of a minute when traversing on air. ¨C This skill consumes fifty Mana Points every thirty seconds, up to a maximum of five minutes while flying in the air. ¡ª- < Eiko > ¡°The world is my oyster!¡± ¨C Named Slime Monster ¨C Rating: E ¨C Progress ( 0 / 2000) Health: 340 / 340 Mana: 4,500 / 4,500 Strength: 17 Intelligence: 150 Vitality: 17 Agility: 17 Dexterity: 17 Special Abilities: Mimicry [EX], Regeneration [EX], Family Bond [EX], Speech [EX], Air Strider [EX] Active Skill: Water Bullet, Hydro Ball. Fire Bullet, Fire Bolt, Wind Bullet, Aero Ball, Stone Bullet, Stone Spike, Shadow Bullet, Shadow Ball, Blink, Teleport, Cure, Cure-All. Passive Skill: Uncanny Dodge Title: Mama¡¯s and Papa¡¯s Girl Note: One small step for men, one giant leap for baby slime. ¡ª¡ª After looking at Eiko¡¯s stats, Lux couldn¡¯t stop the corner of his lips from twitching at the cheat-like abilities that his baby Slime possessed. Looking at her stats alone, Eiko was now considered a Rank 1 Monster because herbined stats had already surpassed 200 points. Not only that, she had a vast array of skills at her disposal. The best thing of all was that she could copy any move with the help of her Skill, Mimicry [EX], This allowed her to double Lux¡¯s Skeleton Army in a heartbeat. With such a cute baby Slime by his side, Lux felt that he was like one of those novel protagonists, whose cheat-like abilities would make the readers reading it scream ¡°OP!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s sleep, Eiko,¡± Lux said as he lightly patted the baby Slime that was yawning on his pillow. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll let you meet my friends. I¡¯m sure that you will get along with them.¡± ¡°Fwen?¡± Eiko sleepily muttered before closing her eyes to sleep. Lux smiled as he envisioned Colette¡¯s and Helen¡¯s reactions after seeing Eiko. Knowing the two little girls, they would surely pamper and spoil the baby Slime, who would give them a wonderful surprise as they continued their journey in Elysium. Chapter 91 This ls My Baby Monster Eiko ¡°Take care of yourselves, okay?¡± Vera said as she ced her left hand on Lux¡¯s shoulder, and patted Eiko¡¯s head with her right. ¡°Visit me often.¡± ¡°We will be careful, Grandma,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Please, take care of yourself as well.¡± ¡°I love Manma!¡± Eiko stated, which made Vera smile. Vera kissed her adopted great granddaughter¡¯s head, causing thetter to giggle. After looking at the father and daughter pair, Vera reluctantly stepped back. Whenever Lux returned to Elysium, she would feel worried about him. However, the red-headed teenager made sure toe home as much as he could, and each of his stayssted for a few days before he left again. Also, Lux would show her his Soul Book each time, just like a student who would show their parents their report cards, so they could see how well they were doing. The Half-Elf wanted to assure his grandma that she didn¡¯t need to worry about his safety in the Beginner¡¯s Zone because he was getting strong. Since Vera already knew the extent of Lux¡¯s progress, her worries diminished a bit. But, just like a doting parent, she still felt sad whenever the two of them parted. After taking care of him for over sixteen years, the olddy knew that Lux had to take the path he had chosen on his own. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. We will return safely,¡± Lux said after seeing the worried expression that Vera wasn¡¯t able to hide as she looked at him. Vera nodded. ¡°I will be waiting for the two of you to return. May the Gods watch over the two of you.¡±-. Lux smiled as he ced his right hand over his chest. ¡°Open! Heaven¡¯s Gate!¡± ¡ª¡ª- Eiko, who had imed the top of Lux¡¯s head as her nest, looked at her surroundings with great curiosity. As the Half-Elf strolled through Leaf Vige, several Dwarfs greeted him, while others gave him a brief nod as he passed through them. After defeating the Abomination, the reputation points that he gained after finishing his quest made the locals of Leaf Vige treat him as a friend. The little Slime on his head also caught the attention of some Dwarf children. Most of them would often look at Eiko with great curiosity as thetter walked alongside Lux. It was at that moment when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him in the distance. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Lux nced at the balcony of the tavern he usually went to with Colette and saw the adorable little Dwarf waving at him. He also saw Helen, Andy, Axel, as well as the Simp, Matty, who was looking at him with an annoyed expression. Lux waved back as he walked towards the tavern where his friends were at. Today was the tenth day since theyst saw each other. They were also nning to go to the Stronghold of Norriater in the afternoon. The red-headed teenager still had the special permits that Boreas had given him to gain ess to the checkpoints that they would be passing through along the way. ¡°What took you so long?¡± That was the first thing that Matty asked when Lux joined their table. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for two hours already.¡± ¡°Sorry, I was dyed a bit because I had breakfast with Grandma,¡± Lux replied. Matty clicked his tongue but didn¡¯t say anything else. Andy and Axel greeted Lux in a friendly manner, while Colette and Helen looked at the Blue Slime on Lux¡¯s head with curious gazes. Seeing the two girls¡¯ reaction, the Half-Elf decided to introduce Eiko to them. ¡°Everyone, this is my baby monster, Eiko,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°Eiko, they are your Big Sis Colette and Helen. These are your Big Brothers Andy, and Axel, and that Dwarf over there, just call him Simp.¡± Matty rolled his eyes, before drinking the ale in his mug. He was not interested in whatever the baby Slime called him because he didn¡¯t care about its existence. ¡°Sis!¡± Eiko said as she crawled down from Lux¡¯s head towards the table. She stopped in front of Colette and looked up at her with innocent eyes, which melted the little Dwarf¡¯s heart. ¡°No good, I may not be able to kill Slimes anymore,¡± Colette said as she lightly poked Eiko¡¯s cheeks, making the baby Slime giggle. ¡°Eiko, do you like pancakes? You can have some of mine,¡± Helenmented as she used her fork to feed Eiko the pancake on her te. Eiko moved towards Helen¡¯s location and opened her mouth, allowing Helen to feed her. ¡°Is it good?¡± Helen asked. ¡°Un!¡± Eiko nodded happily, which prompted Colette and Helen to both feed her. The baby Slime happily ate everything that the two girls gave her. Since Eiko had a transparent body, everyone was able to see how she digested it all. ¡°Do slimes digest things this fast?¡± Lux asked Colette, who had just finished feeding the baby Slime a small sausage. The Half-Elf hadn¡¯t seen any Slime in the past, so she didn¡¯t know if Eiko¡¯s digestion speed was normal or not. Each bite of food that was given to her would be digested in less than five seconds, which made him wonder if all slimes were like Eiko. Colette and Helen paused as they considered this question. Suddenly both of them looked at Eiko in disbelief when they realized that what they were seeing wasn¡¯t normal. ¡°As far as I know, it takes Slimes a few hours to digest anything they eat,¡± Colette said as she looked at Eiko in a different light. ¡°Even the Gluttonous Slime, that eats just about anything, takes at least half an hour to digest the things it eats.¡± Right after Colette finished talking, Eiko let out a burp before crawling back towards Lux¡¯s hand. Soon, she crawled back up to the Half-Elf¡¯s head before closing her eyes to sleep. ¡®I think I need to do a bit more research about Slimes,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Good thing, I have the Elysium Compendium. I will take a good look at itter.¡¯ Looking at the baby Slime that was peacefully sleeping on Lux¡¯s head, Colette and Helen asked the red-headed teenager where he got Eiko. Since Lux couldn¡¯t possibly tell them that Eiko came from the egg that he had received as a bonus reward after killing Carbuncle, he just told them that she was given to him by his Grandma Vera. The two Dwarves didn¡¯t find this strange because it was verymon for parents to give their children gifts whenever they do something praiseworthy in Elysium. An hourter, all of them left the tavern and went to the Merchant¡¯s Guild to hire a carriage that would take them to the Stronghold of Norria. Before he left to return to Sis, Nevreal told him that they would bring the Nightmare Horse that he requested from the Stronghold while he was away. Lux was quite happy with this arrangement because he was also going there to pick up weapons and armor for his Skeleton Army. He believed that even if they were just wielding the standard weapons that the Riders of Norria used, the strength of his minions would be raised to a higher level, allowing them to deal more damage, and be more resistant to the physical and magical damage that came from their enemies. Chapter 92 lt ls Not Only Kobolds That KeepGrudges As their carriage traveled towards the Stronghold of Norria, Colette and Helen took care of Eiko. Lux, on the other hand, was busy reading the Elysium Compendium and doing his best to learn more about Slimes. However, the more he read, the more his confusion grew. Eiko was a Blue Slime. It was the mostmon type of Slime, and yet her abilities far exceeded that of ordinary Slimes, which made it very hard for Lux to identify what kind of slime she really was. ¡®There¡¯s no doubt that she¡¯s a Blue Slime,¡¯ Lux thought as he scratched his head. ¡®Well, I guess I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised. After all, the one who hatched her was Iris.¡¯ His stepsister¡¯s luck was off the charts, so any egg that she personally hatched would definitely be a Mythical Monster at the minimum. After reading for two hours, Lux closed the book and watched the baby Slime lightly hop on top of Colette¡¯s palms, making thetter and the other Dwarf girl giggle. Lux watched this scene with a smile. However, his expression immediately changed when something suddenly descended from the sky, blocking the road in front of them. The horse pulling the carriage abruptly halted as it neighed in fear, but the coachman managed to reign it in. Even so, he looked at the monster in front of him with a guarded expression on his face. The Dwarves immediately summoned their weapons, while Eiko hurriedly crawled towards Lux and hid behind him. All of them looked at the Draconic creature with wings behind his back, who was staring at them with a hint of amusement. Colette and her friends immediately recognized the monster, which made their faces turn grim. How could they possibly forget the one that was responsible for sabotaging their mission by attacking the caravan that they were guarding? They were even kidnapped and brought into thetter¡¯s nest as prisoners. ¡°I remember you Dwarves¡­,¡± the creature said as soon as his eyesnded on Colette and her friends, which made them flinch. It then chuckled lightly after seeing the fear on their faces. After having its fill, it then shifted his gaze to the Half-Elf who stood out from the rest. ¡°You are the one that the Chieftain mentioned some time ago. The Half-Elf that led the Warriors of Norria to our nest and started a massacre while I was away.¡± The Draconic Kobold released faint traces of killing intent as his gaze locked on Lux. Clearly, it didn¡¯t like the fact that its brethren were killed while he was fighting the Goblins that were trying to annex their territory. Lux faced the monster with a fearless gaze, but deep inside he was feeling anxious. The Elysium Compendium had identified the creature that was blocking their way. The red-headed teenager didn¡¯t expect that he would meet this creature on their way to the Stronghold of Norria. Looking at its information, he knew that even if he fought alongside his friends, in addition to summoning all his creatures, the ending would still be the same. All of them would perish under the creature¡¯s overpowering might.-. ¡ª¨C < Draconic Kobold > ¨C Kobold Wyrmling ¨C Rank 5 Alpha Monster Health: 400,000 / 400,000 Mana: 350,000 / 350,000 Strength: 300 Intelligence: 350 Vitality: 300 Agility: 300 Dexterity: 300 Active Skills: Dragon Breath, Dragon w, Dragon Tail, Dragon Fear, Berserk Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude ¡ª- < Enhanced Fortitude > ¨C Reduce all damage taken by 30% ¡ª- ¡®Sh*t,¡¯ Lux thought as he read the information that appeared in front of him. He also had the Enhanced Fortitude Skill as a passive skill, so he understood how troublesome it would be if he fought against the Draconic Kobold in front of him. All Dragon Monsters had this skill. Lux was only able to obtain this skill because Vera had given him a beast core that contained the skill Fortitude, which the Skill Evolution [EX] upgraded to a higher rank, giving him the same resistance as the Dragon Race. However,pared to the foe in front of them, his resistance was equivalent to toilet paper. Rustling sounds were heard around them as several more Kobolds appeared to surround their carriage. Although none of them held any weapons, the Draconic Kobold that was eyeing their group was more than enough to make Lux and the others forget about this small detail. ¡°What do you want?¡± Lux asked the two-meter tall monster who was eyeing him like a predator that had found his prey. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that your race and the Dwarves have signed a nonaggression pact treaty? You are no longer allowed to antagonize the citizens of this Domain.¡± The Draconic Kobold snorted as his eyes locked on to Lux¡¯s body. ¡°True,¡± the Draconic Kobold agreed. ¡°But that only applies to Dwarves. You are not included in that treaty.¡¯ ¡®Oh, f*ck¡­¡± Lux cursed internally because he hadpletely forgotten that he wasn¡¯t a Dwarf. The agreement between the Kobold Chieftain as well as Boreas, the Commander of Norria, only stated that they would no longer trouble the Dwarves in their territory. ¡°You areing with me today, Half-Elf,¡± the Draconic Kobold dered. ¡°Take him. But, do not hurt the Dwarves.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t let you touch Big Brother!¡± Colette shouted as she gripped her mace firmly in her hands. Although she knew that she wasn¡¯t a match against the enemy in front of her, she just couldn¡¯t possibly stand by and let them take Lux just like that. ¡°Surround Big Brother now!¡± Colette ordered. Matty, Andy, Axel, and Helen, understood Colette¡¯s intentions. As long as they used their bodies as a shield to protect Lux, the Kobold wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to them or they would break the agreement between the Kobolds and the Dwarves. ¡°Foolish children,¡± the Draconic Kobold said as it unleashed its Dragon Fear. Immediately, Colette and the others were subjected to an incredible pressure that made their knees buckle. They simply didn¡¯t have the ability to resist the fear-inducing effect of the Dragon Fear, which made them almost lose their consciousness. Suddenly, the sound of hooves was heard in the distance. The Draconic Kobold turned its head to see six riders, mounted on goats, charging in their direction. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± the Captain of the Riders asked when it saw the Kobolds surrounding the carriage. ¡°Are you nning on breaking the agreement, Kobold? How dare you harm our people?¡± The Draconic Kobold scoffed as it pointed its reptilian finger at Lux. ¡°I¡¯m not harming your people. I only want him.¡± The Dwarf Captain frowned as he looked at the red-headed teenager, who was being surrounded by the Dwarf children. ¡°You can¡¯t take him,¡± the Dwarven Captain said. ¡°He is one of us.¡± ¡°One of you?¡± the Draconic Kobold smirked. ¡°Do you think I am blind, Dwarf?¡± The Dwarf Captain ignored the Kobold and pointed at Lux. ¡°You there, do you have the medal bestowed unto you by his Majesty?¡± the Dwarf Captain asked. Lux nodded and took the wooden box out of his storage ring. He then opened it and showed the Dwarf Captain the medal that had been given to him by the King of the Dwarves. ¡°Take a good look at that, Kobold,¡± the Dwarf Captain said. ¡°Although he is not one of our kind, he is considered a Noble of our Kingdom. This means that he is one of us, and our King treats him with high regard. You already know the punishment for those who try to kill the Nobles of this Kingdom, right?¡± The Draconic Kobold walked towards the Half-Elf with steady steps. Colette and the others tried to move their bodies to block him, but Lux stopped them from doing so. The mere thought of letting the children get hurt because of him didn¡¯t sit well with him. Since the Dwarf Captain was around, he knew that the Draconic Kobold wouldn¡¯t do anything that would break the agreement that their race had with the Dwarves. The Draconic Kobold picked the golden medal up from the wooden box and scrutinized it. As one of the most intelligent creatures from its race, it knew the value of such trinkets. Seeing the insignia of the Gweliven Kingdom embedded on the medal, the Draconic Kobold had no choice but to recognize that what the Dwarf Captain said was true. ¡°Just this once, I will let this slide,¡± the Draconic Kobold said as he returned the medal to the wooden box. ¡°What is your name, Half-Elf?¡± ¡°Lux,¡± Lux answered. ¡°Lux Von Kaizer.¡± ¡°I will remember you, Lux,¡± the Draconic Kobold said with an evil smirk on its face. His face was only inches away from Lux¡¯s and his razor sharp teeth made the Half-Elf wonder when the Draconic Kobold had brushed its teethst. ¡°My name is Cadmus,¡± Cadmus introduced himself as he rested his ws on Lux¡¯s shoulders, holding him in a vice grip. ¡°The next time we see each other, you better pray that I am not in a bad mood.¡± Cadmus sneered at the Half-Elf before making a gesture for his subordinates to leave. Its meeting with Lux and his friends had beenpletely by ident. The Draconic Kobold was only able to detect Lux¡¯s location because the Kobold Sorcerer that the Half-Elf fought in the Kobold¡¯s Nest had subtly left a faint magical mark on his body. This allowed any Kobold to sense his general direction. Lux didn¡¯t know that after the raid on their nest, the Kobolds had made him their public enemy number one. They were a race that kept grudges, especially grudges that involved the death of their kin. The Half-Elf watched the Draconic Kobold spread its wings and fly towards the sky. He knew that if the Dwarf Captain hadn¡¯t arrived, he would have definitely been captured, and perhaps dragged back to their nest to be tortured. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I felt this way,¡¯ Lux thought as he clenched his right fist. ¡®This feeling of helplessness. I hate this feeling.¡¯ Lux remembered the times when he fainted after exerting his body. After he regained consciousness, that feeling of helplessness would wash over him, making him feel depressed. However, this time it was different. He was no longer the same Half-Elf that he was a year ago. Now, he had been given a chance to be strong and catch up to his friends who had started their own journeys many years ago. It was not only Kobolds who carried a grudge. Lux could also be petty at times, so he took Cadmus¡¯ words to heart. Although he was much weaker than the Rank 5 Monster that looked down on him, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he caught up to it. Lux had only been in Elysium for a few months, but hisbined stats had already far exceeded the requirements of the Beginner Zone. As the Half-Elf gazed at his Soul Book, a sneer appeared on his face. ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: (None) Health: 11,960 / 11,960 Mana: 940 / 940 Strength: 46 (+3) Intelligence: 46 (+1) Vitality: 31 Agility: 34 (+3) Dexterity: 31 (+3) Free Stat Points Avable: 480 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX], Mana Drain [EX], Item Transmutation [EX] Active Skills: Power Shot, Dark Arrow, Fury sh, Double Fury sh, Battle Cry Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude, Expert Parry, ¡ª¨C ¡®Your name is Cadmus, right?¡¯ Lux thought as he stared at the monster that was flying away from his location. ¡®I¡¯ll remember your name.¡¯ Lux knew that there woulde a day when his strength surpassed the arrogant Draconic Kobold. Although he and the Kobolds¡¯ conflict was over for now, his grudge against Cadmus, who intended to capture him, would remain. Elysium was a world where only the strong survived. Since that was the case, then the other party shouldn¡¯t me him for being cruel when the timees. He was certain that Cadmus would be forced to leave the Territory of Norria after his rank broke through a certain threshold. Although the chances were slim, Lux believed that he would meet Cadmus again in the future. When that time came, the grudge that bloomed on this day would be repaid in full. Chapter 93 Chasing A Nightmare [Part 1] ¡°It¡¯s fine, Eiko. The ugly Kobold is gone,¡± Lux said as he lightly patted the still-shivering baby Slime on his shoulder. Eiko had been subjected to the skill, Dragon¡¯s Fear, that Cadmus had released to make Colette and his friends lose their strength and will to fight. This was the first time that Eiko met such a fearsome monster, so she was unable to stop her natural instinct from taking hold of her body when the Dragon Fear hit her. After a few more minutes of coaxing, the baby slime finally settled down as she hid inside Lux¡¯s robe, in order to feel safe and warm. ¡°Still, that was a close call, Big Brother,¡± Colette said. If one listened carefully, they could trace the lingering fear in her words. ¡°If you didn¡¯t have the medal with you, things might have gotten out of hand.¡± Helen, who was seated beside Colette, nodded her head in agreement. ¡°Big Brother, I didn¡¯t know that you were now an Honorary Knight of this Kingdom,¡± Helenmented. ¡°You are the third person I know that has received an Honorary Knight title from his Majesty.¡± Matty eyed Lux with an envious look on his face, as he tried to pry answers out of him. ¡°How did you get that medal of honor?¡± Matty asked. ¡°What kind of achievement did you do in order to get enough merit to receive an Honorary Knight title?¡±-. Lux nced at the Simp Dwarf, as he proudly raised his chin. ¡°Did you forget? I saved your bum in the Kobold¡¯s Nest,¡± Lux replied. ¡°The Dwarf King thought that what I did was awesome, so he bestowed this reward on me. If you want to be like me, you better git gud you hen-pecked Simp!¡± ¡°Simp!¡± Eiko poked out of Lux¡¯s robes as she joined her Papa in teasing Matty. The baby Slime even giggled and called Matty Simp one more time before going back inside Lux¡¯s robes. ¡°Who are you calling a hen-pecked Simp?! I¡¯m not a Simp!¡± Matty rebuked Lux¡¯s statement. ¡°Matty, be quiet,¡± Colette said as she red at the Dwarf. He instantly folded and immediately shut his trap. ¡°You might scare Eiko.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Matty replied before ring at Lux. Lux chuckled and wanted to say ¡°See?¡± But in the end, he chose to hold back and give Matty some face. Although the Simp Dwarf bickered with him whenever an opportunity arose, Lux finally understood that it was just Matty¡¯s way of interacting with him. The Riders of Norria, who hade due to the appearance of the Draconic Kobold, could only shake their heads due to how silly the children¡¯s conversations were. In order to prevent the Kobolds from sneak attacking Lux once again, they decided to just escort him straight to their Stronghold and prevent any trouble from arising. The group traveled for half a day, before arriving at the base of a mountain, where the Stronghold of Norria stood. Lux was quite surprised because the Stronghold was just as big as the Wildgarde Stronghold where he had grown up since he was a baby. ¡°Wee to the Stronghold of Norria,¡± the Captain of the Riders said with a smile. ¡°We don¡¯t usually allow outsiders to enter our Domain, but you guys are an exception. Please, follow me and do not wander around after we¡¯ve arrived at our destination.¡± Lux and the Dwarves nodded their heads in understanding. Although they wanted to take a stroll inside the Stronghold, they held back this urge for the time being until they got permission from Thoram, who was the Supreme Commander of the Stronghold. Without taking any detours, the Dwarf Captain took their guests to the Barracks where another Dwarf Captain was waiting for them. Before Lux and the others left the vige, they had asked the Dwarf Captain, Boreas, who was stationed in Leaf Vige to send a message to the Stronghold to announce their arrival. Because of this, Thoram was able to make preparations beforehand and even sent the Dwarf Captain to escort them to their Domain. Fortunately, he had done that or else Lux might have been captured by the Draconic Kobold and might have suffered a lot from their thirst for revenge. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the stables first,¡± the Dwarf Captain named Gustall said with a smile. ¡°Lord Nevreal is there and is already waiting for your arrival.¡± Lux¡¯s eyes were suddenly filled with expectations because Nevreal had promised him several things before the two of them parted not too long ago. Five minutester, they arrived at the stables where several Dwarves were looking at a two-meter tall horse, whose body waspletely ck. Purplish mes zed brightly near its feet and the edge of the mane and tail, which made it seem intimidating to those that were seeing it for the first time. ¡°Beautiful.¡± This was the word that escaped Lux¡¯s lips as he stared at the majestic creature in front of him. ¡°d you like it,¡± Nevreal said as he walked towards Lux with a smug expression on his face. ¡°Took me some time to bring the Nightmare to this ce. However, are you sure you will be able to tame this beast? Not that I doubt your words, but even the stablemaster in the Royal Capital couldn¡¯t make it obedient.¡± Lux scratched his head because he also didn¡¯t know if Diablo would be able to tame the beast or not. The only thing he knew was that his Named Creature was a Skeletal Rider, and was well-versed in taming beasts that could serve as its mount. ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± Lux said. ¡°Come forth, Diablo!¡± Lux¡¯s First Born appeared in front of him and gazed at the Nightmare Horse in the distance. As if sensing its gaze, the Nightmare also turned its head towards Diablo who was seizing him up. The two monsters stared at each other for a full minute before Diablo leaped towards the enclosed area where the Nightmare was currently being held in. The Nightmare neighed fiercely as it stomped its foot, while looking at the Skeleton in front of it. Clearly, it didn¡¯t like anyone intruding on its personal space. ¡°Kekeke,¡± Diablo chuckled as it summoned its shield and sword. The Dwarves who were standing behind the fence all cheered as they waited for a good show to start. All of them tried to tame the Nightmare, but thetter was too aggressive to be tamed. The Beast was currently a Rank 2 Monster, which spelled trouble for those that were weaker than it. It was fast, and had both short and long ranged attacks in its arsenal, making it a troublesome opponent for those who attempted to deal with it unprepared. ¡°5 gold coins that the Nightmare will smash that Skeleton to pieces,¡± one of the Dwarves said as he started to bet with his friends. ¡°10 gold coins for the Nightmare!¡± ¡°5 gold coins for the Skeleton. Although I¡¯m not confident in its chances, I like to bet on the underdogs.¡± The Dwarves became rowdy as they started to pool gold coins for their bets. Colette and the others were itching to join them, but were stopped by Lux. ¡°Kids shouldn¡¯t gamble,¡± Lux told them with a serious expression on his face. ¡°It might turn into an addiction.¡± Because of this, the young Dwarves reluctantly nodded their heads and simply watched the two Monsters that were facing each other. Eiko found this fight to be interesting too, so she perched on top of Lux¡¯s head to get a better view of the battle. As a battle junkie herself, Eiko wanted to learn as many strategies as she could about how to fight. This way, she would be able to beat the Unicorn, Astra, the next time she visited her Mama in Barbatos Academy. ¡°Goodluck, Diablo,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°Make that Nightmare submit to your will.¡± Lux had full confidence that Diablo would be able to tame the proud monster whose body started to ze fiercely. Clearly, the Nightmare had deemed Diablo as a strong opponent, so it didn¡¯t n on holding back. Diablo, on the other hand, gazed at the Nightmare Horse in front of him. It had long wanted to use its ability to its fullest, but theck of a mount made him unable to do so. Now that an opportunity presented itself, he would not hesitate to use everything in his power to make the Nightmare yield and be his new mount. Chapter 94 Chasing A Nightmare [Part 2] The loud neighing of the Nightmare made everyone pay attention to the battle that was about to start. Diablo was like a ck knight as it held a sword and a shield in each hand in a defensive position. Nevreal scratched his head as he looked at Lux¡¯s Summon before ncing at the Half-Elf who was cheering for the Skeleton, alongside the baby slime on his head. ¡°Is this how you n to tame the Nightmare?¡± Nevreal asked with a dumbfounded look on his face. ¡°Mmm.¡± Lux hummed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone. It is a trade secret.¡± ¡°What a bunch of nonsense.¡± ¡°Rx. Just watch and learn.¡± Lux looked confident on the surface, but deep inside, he was wondering if Diablo¡¯s strategy to tame the wild Nightmare was going to work. -. The fiery horse was a true Rank 2 Monster, which was of the same Rank as Diablo. Lux wanted to think that both were evenly matched, but there was one small problem. Skeletons were weak against Fire, Life, Healing, and Holy Magic. The Nightmare was able to conjure purple mes to aid it in battle, which made the untamed mount Diablo¡¯s worst matchup. Even so, the Half-Elf felt that everything would just be fine. After all, his Named Creature had never let him down when it really mattered. Suddenly, the Nightmare coated its entire body in purplish mes as it ran towards Diablo with the intention to ram him. The Dwarves who were watching the battle smirked because they anticipated that the Skeleton¡¯s body would crumble even if it was just grazed by the Nightmare¡¯s attack. However, to their surprise, Diablo did something unthinkable. Diablo leaped high up in the air before throwing his shield like a frisbee towards the Nightmare¡¯s head. A metallic sound reverberated in the surroundings the moment the shield collided with the Nightmare¡¯s head, dispelling the mes that coated its body. But, Diablo¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t over yet. After throwing the shield, Dawne, to disorient the monster in front of him, Lux¡¯s Named Skeleton took another shield out of its inventory. He then charged towards the side of the nightmare, ramming its body, which sent it skidding a few meters away, and neighing in pain. As a Rank 2 Monster, the Nightmare quickly recovered its footing and summoned two firences, and shot them in Diablo¡¯s direction. Diablo didn¡¯t back down and fired two bone spears consecutively, which negated the attacks that were aimed at him. After the battle against the Kobold Sorcerer in the Kobold¡¯s Nest, Diablo had learned how to fight against spellcasters with long ranged attacks. Also, Lux had helped him a bit by casting Battlecry, which raised his physical and magical damage by 100 points, allowing him to ovee his elemental weakness. ¡°Go Diablo!¡± Colette raised her fist as she cheered. ¡°Diablo go!¡± Eiko lightly jumped on Lux¡¯s head, as she also cheered for her Papa¡¯s Named Creature. Nevreal rubbed his chin as he looked at the two monsters inside the monster pen. ¡°Not bad,¡± Nevreal stated. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder you were able to capture the mastermind behind the Figaro incident.¡± Lux didn¡¯t say anything and simply smiled. Although it didn¡¯t show on his face, he was worried about Diablo¡¯s chances of taking down the Nightmare. By this time, the fiery horse had already realized that its opponent wasn¡¯t a pushover. However, because of its stubborn nature, it refused to believe that Diablo was better than it. As the mes on its body burned brightly, eight mingnces appeared around it. Their tip was pointed at the Skeleton that was currently standing perfectly still, as if he was just a mere target that was waiting for destruction. However, before the Nightmare could even fire thences that it had conjured, Diablo pointed his sword at the Nightmare, which made its body involuntarily charged forward. Due to the loss of concentration, the spears that it had summoned disappeared, leaving only traces of ember behind. Diablo had activated its skill, Duel [EX], which forced his target to exchange one blow with him. As the Nightmare angrily charged forward, Diablo leaped up to the air at thest minute and fired a Bone Spear at his opponent¡¯s backside. Everyone who saw this scene flinched, and some of them even subconsciously ced their hands over their backside, as their faces winced in pain. The Nightmare neighed in pain as well as shame, as Diablo¡¯s Bone Spear pierced the one ce that would make anyone go down on their knees. The corner of Nevreal¡¯s lips twitched when he saw this shameless disy of skill. Although this seemed to be an effective way to tame the wild mounts that refused to submit to anyone, he still found Diablo¡¯s method too¡­ crude and unorthodox. ¡®If I mentioned this method to the Royal Stablemaster, he would definitely shout in anger and call me mad,¡¯ Nevreal thought as he tossed the idea to the back of his mind. The dwarf then watched as Diablo walked towards the horse that had fallen on the ground and lightly stepped on the Bone Spear that was still embedded on its backside. ¡°Kekeke.¡± Diablo chuckled as it looked at the Nightmare¡¯s defiant expression. However, that stubbornness soon disappeared after it saw Diablo summoning another Bone Spear in its hand. Seeing that his opponent had surrendered, Diablo ced his hand over its head as he activated the taming spell. The Nightmare was enveloped with a purplish glow before disappearing from the Monster Pen. Lux then summoned his Soul Book as he went to check Diablo¡¯s Page to see the status of his mount. To his surprise, the Mount received a page of its own, which also showed its stats and abilities. Diablo walked up to Lux as it peeked at his Soul Book to look at his new partner in crime. ¡°Do you want to give him a name?¡± Lux asked because the Nightmare¡¯s Page allowed him to bestow a name to Diablo¡¯s new mount. Diablo rubbed his chin before nodding his head. He then tapped Lux¡¯s chest twice, before tapping the Nightmare¡¯s portrait, indicating his intention of letting his Master choose a name for his new steed. ¡°Understood.¡± Lux nodded as he thought of a good name for the stubborn horse that refused to be tamed in the past. After several minutes had passed, Lux lightly tapped the Nightmare¡¯s Page as he used his finger to write the name that he had thought of. ¡°Arion,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°From now on, your name will be Arion. The mighty horse that the heroes rode into battle.¡± Diablo nodded his head in satisfaction before turning into particles of light. Now that he had his own mount to carry him into battle, he would finally be able to unleash the full power of the Skeleton Rider ss, which Lux had bestowed unto him. Chapter 95 Diablos Preference ¡°Here are the weapons and armor that you wanted,¡± Nevreal said as he led Lux to the warehouse. ¡°All of them were made by the cksmith here in Norria, and their quality is a cut from the rest. Use them well.¡± Lux looked at the rows of weapons and sets of armor that Nevreal had prepared for him. He then secretly used the Elysium Compendium to appraise them and see their stats. ¡ª¨C < One Handed Steel Sword > Rating: Rare ¨C Standard Weaponry of the Warriors of Norria ¨C Increase physical damage by 10% Attack: 35 ¨C 50 ¡ª¨C-. < Longbow of Norria > Rarity: Rare ¨C Standard Weaponry of the Warriors of Norria ¨C Increase range damage by 10% Attack: 45 ¨C 60 ¡ª¨C < Norria Light-te Armor Set > Rarity: Rare ¨C Standard Armor of the Warriors of Norria ¨C Decrease Physical Damage Received by 10% Defense: 100 ¡ª¨C Lux smiled in satisfaction as he gazed at the twenty sets of weapons and armor that Nevreal generously gave him. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lux said. ¡°This means a lot to me.¡± Nevreal waved his hand as if this wasn¡¯t a big deal to him. ¡°With this, all debts have been settled,¡± Nevreal replied. ¡°We no longer owe you anything.¡± Lux nodded as he acknowledged Nevreal¡¯s words. The Dwarves had generously rewarded him for his help during the raid in the Kobold¡¯s Nest in order to save Robin. Although the Half-Elf now had a hunch of who the snobbish Dwarf boy was, he had no intention of revealing this to the others. After all, it was only a hunch at the moment, and until it was verified, he shouldn¡¯t tell anyone about it. ¡°I have also talked to the Commander about your other request¡­,¡± Nevreal frowned as he gazed at the red-headed teenager in front of him. ¡°Are you sure you want to enter the C-Rank Dungeon that is under the jurisdiction of the Stronghold of Norria? It might still be too early for you and those kids. Are you sure you want to do it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we are just going to take a look inside,¡± Lux answered. ¡°If it¡¯s really too much then we will just use our teleport crystals to leave that ce.¡± Nevreal could only reluctantly nod his head after hearing Lux¡¯s words. The C-Rank Dungeon, Orc Dominion, was a twelve-man team Dungeon. Although it could be challenged even if the number of people in the party didn¡¯t reach twelve, it was still highly rmended to challenge it using a full party. These Dungeons were quite special, and they also had another name and that was ¡°Instance Dungeons¡±. Instance Dungeons were Dungeons that would generate a simr copy of the entire Dungeon for every party that entered it. Meaning, although everyone was challenging the same Dungeon, they would be in a different version of the Dungeon, allowing each team to challenge it without worrying about other people interfering with their expedition. A twelve-men Dungeon meant that it was highly rmended to challenge it with twelve people instead of the usual party of six or seven. There were also fifty-men Dungeons, and hundred-men Dungeons. On very rare asions, SSR-Ranked Dungeons would suddenly appear in Elysium. This type of Dungeon required a thousand people in order to clear it. This Dungeon was an open world Dungeon, in which they needed to fight a Cmity-Ranked World Boss, which could drop Legendary Items once it was defeated. ¡°Okay, I will wait for you at the barracks while you finish storing the equipment,¡± Nevreal said before leaving the warehouse. Although he was very doubtful whether Lux and his friends would be able to clear the Dungeon or not, he still gave the Half-Elf the benefit of the doubt. The Orc Dominion Dungeon was the ce where the warriors of Norria would train after they had be Grade C Apostles. The Boss Monster inside it was a Rank 3 Alpha Monster called the Dark-Skinned Orc Chieftain. It was a monster that was slightly stronger than the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, and was very hard to kill because of its strength and tenacity. It also had a berserk ability which made it extremely dangerous once its health was dangerously low. ¡°Okay guys, time to suit up,¡± Lux smirked as he opened his Soul Book and equipped the weapons and armor to his Skeleton Fighters and Skeleton Grand Archers. Ishtar wore the new armor as well, increasing her defense. Although she would be attacking her enemies from a distance, having armor was still better than not having any. To Lux¡¯s surprise when it was Diablo¡¯s turn to equip the armor, his Named Creature decided to turn it down. When Lux asked him why, his Named Creature used his sword to write down two words on the ground. ck Armor. Those were the words that Diablo wrote, which made Lux scratch his head. This was the first time that Diablo told him his preferences, so he decided to respect his decision. ¡®I guess I better look for Dark Armor sets for him in the future,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®I¡¯ll ask Grandma if she still has some ck Armor avable. If not, I¡¯ll just have it custom made for him.¡± When all of his Summons had properly equipped their weapons and armor, the Half-Elf stored the rest of it in his inventory. He was sure that he would be able to use them in the future after the number of his Summons had increased. For now, he left the warehouse in a good mood as he looked for Colette and the others who were busy sparring with the veteran soldiers of Norria. The little Dwarfs were steadily getting stronger, and were nearing the Apostle Rank. Lux knew that it was only a matter of time before they parted ways with each other, so he decided to challenge the C-Rank Dungeon with them. Although he didn¡¯t know if they would agree to his request or not, he hoped that they would. After all, he was confident that if they all worked together, they would be able to ovee the Alpha Monster that was considered to be one of the strongest monsters in the territory of Norria. Chapter 96 Orc Dominion ¡°So, do you guys want toe with me and challenge a C-Rank Dungeon?¡± Lux asked the Dwarves who were currently having afternoon tea together. ¡°Eh?¡± Colette blinked once then twice before tilting her head to the side. ¡°A C-Rank Dungeon?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Yes. It is a dungeon that belongs to the Stronghold of Norria. Only their elite warriors can challenge it. Lucky for us, I got permission to challenge it. So, do you guys want toe along or not?¡± Helen, who was currently holding Eiko in her hand, looked at Lux with eyes that were as wide as saucers. ¡°Big Brother, arent C-Ranked Dungeons too advanced for our current ranks?¡± Helen asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t even entered the Apostle Rank yet. If I remember correctly, Monsters inside a C-Rank dungeon are all Rank 2 up to Rank 3 Monsters. Their bosses are also Rank 3 Alpha Monsters. I don¡¯t think that we can handle it.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re wrong Helen,¡± Mattymented. ¡°That is only applicable for the Normal Mode of a C-Rank Dungeon. In Nightmare Mode, all of the monsters are Rank 3, and the Boss is a Rank 4 Alpha Beast.¡± The Dwarf boy stared at Lux with a serious expression on his face. ¡°If he is with us, clearing the Normal Mode is possible. But, Nightmare Mode is just in suicide.¡± Although Rank 3 Monsters were strong, they were weaker than the Carbuncle that they had fought in the Aspiration ins. Matty believed that they still had a chance to beat them if they entered the Normal Mode. The only problem would be the Boss Monster. It was a Rank 3 Alpha Beast, which was even stronger than the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis that they had no hope of beating with their current strength. ¡°B-Big Brother, are you going to challenge the Nightmare Mode?¡± Colette asked in a worried tone. ¡°Of course not,¡± Lux shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Lux knew that challenging the Nightmare Mode of Orc Dominion was indeed suicide. However, that didn¡¯t mean that he wouldn¡¯t challenge it in the future. The Elysium Compendium had told him about the quest that could be acquired inside the Orc Dominion even if it was in Normal Mode. The rewards were also amazing, but this was a once in forever deal. If someone had finished the quest already then the reward would be gone forever. Lux wanted to know if someone had already cleared this hidden mission. If not, he would be more than happy to share the rewards with his friends.-. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lux assured them. ¡°We can always use teleport crystals to leave the Dungeon if it¡¯s too much for us.¡± Matty crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°How about the split of the Beast Cores and Monster Drops?¡± Unlike the Monsters in the outside world, when the Monsters inside of a dungeon died, their bodies would disappear and they would drop items like Beast Cores, Weapons, and other monster parts exclusive to them. ¡°Matty!¡± Colette red at the Dwarf boy, but Matty didn¡¯t budge. Although he liked Colette a lot, he would not allow others to take advantage of her kindness. ¡°We will split the rewards evenly among all of us,¡± Lux answered with a smile. He had no intention of taking all the Monster loot for himself. The only thing he was really after was the generous rewards attached to the hidden mission for those who were the first to clear it. ¡ª- Hidden Mission: I Wish For Dominion ¨C The First Orc Chief, who founded this empire hundreds of years ago, left his relics scattered across his territory. Those who are lucky enough to stumble upon them will gain the treasures that he left behind for the future generations. < Rewards > ¨C Potion of Vitality This potion adds +50 permanent Vitality Points to the one who consumes it. You can only consume one Potion of Vitality in your lifetime. ¨C Rank 3 Skill Book of your choice. You will be able to choose any Skill that is Rank 3 and below from the treasury of the Orc Empire. < Bonus Rewards > ¨C ??? ¡ª¡ª These were the rewards that were avable for the Hidden Quest inside the Orc Dominion Dungeon. When Lux found out about it, he was already dead-set on checking to see if the quest was still avable. Although the Potion of Vitality didn¡¯t seem much, it was quite precious for those who were just starting their journey in Elysium. However, the real prize that Lux coveted was the Rank 3 Skill Book of his choice. With his special ability, Skill Evolution [EX], an ordinary skill would be upgraded one stage higher, making it more powerful. These rewards would be avable to all, meaning Colette and the others would also get a Potion of Vitality, as well as the Rank 3 Skill of their choice. As for the Bonus Rewards? Lux was also very curious on what kind of rewards he would be able to get from a C-Rank Dungeon¡¯s Hidden Quest. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Big Brother!¡± Colette raised her hand readily. ¡°Me, too!¡± Helen also raised her hand with a smile on her face. She still hadn¡¯t returned Lux¡¯s favor of saving her friends, so she was more than willing to apany him on his Dungeon expedition. ¡°Ei!¡± Eiko also jumped up and down from Helen¡¯s palm. It was her way of telling Lux that she wanted to go as well. Andy and Axel also nodded their heads. As for Matty? Lux didn¡¯t even need to ask if the henpecked boy was going or not. As long as Colette wanted to go, the Simp Dwarf was going to follow. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± Lux said with a smile. After everyone prepared their gear, they went to find Nevreal, who took them to a hidden door inside the barracks that led them underground. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a Silver Gate that was guarded by a dozen Riders of Norria. If one looked closely, the face of an Orc could be seen etched on the surface of the gate. It was a ferocious looking image that seemed to intimidate those who wished to enter its domain. Helen, who was the most timid in the group, flinched when she saw the image on the gate. Seeing this, Colette immediately held her hand, and gave it a light squeeze offort. Lux smiled when he noticed this scene and affirmed that Colette really had what it takes to be a leader. Her great observation skills allowed her to notice minute changes in her friend¡¯s bodynguage and use the most appropriate method to deal with it. Lux then shifted his attention to Nevreal and the Dwarf who seemed to be the Captain that guarded this Dungeon. He knew that Nevreal had to pull some strings in order for them to be allowed to challenge the Dungeon that was exclusively used by the Riders of Norria. ¡°Lord Nevreal, are they the ones who n to challenge the Orc Dominion?¡± the Captain of the Dwarves that were assigned to guard the Dungeon¡¯s entrance asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Nevreal nodded. The Dwarf Captain looked at the Half-Elf as well as the little Dwarves with aplicated expression on his face. ¡°But they¡¯re not even of the Apostle Rank,¡± the Dwarf Captainmented. ¡°Also, there are only six people. This dungeon is meant for twelve people. I don¡¯t think that they are fit to challenge this Dungeon.¡± Nevreal frowned. He also understood this matter, and also thought that Lux was eating more than he could chew. However, before he could even reply, Lux stepped forward and smiled at the guard. ¡°Captain, we are just here to experience what it is like to fight against stronger opponents,¡± Lux exined. ¡°We wanted to know what we could do once we met Monsters of simr rank in the wild. As you know, there are times when we encounter Monsters that are leagues above our rank. ¡°I want my friends and me to experience what it is like to face such monsters, so in the future, we will not freeze up and be paralyzed with fear. Although this may sound silly right now, I believe that the ability to adapt to such situations will save our lives in the future.¡± The guards who were guarding the entrance couldn¡¯t stop themselves from nodding their heads in agreement. As soldiers of the Kingdom, they were duty bound to ensure that the Territory of Norria was safe from all threats. There were asions like Monster Outbreaks, in which Mutated Monsters would suddenly appear out of nowhere, posing great danger to everyone. The ability to quickly make decisions in the face of life and death situations would indeed increase their chances of survival. ¡°Very well,¡± the Dwarf Captain reluctantly nodded his head to acknowledge Lux¡¯s exnation. ¡°Each of you will take one teleport crystal that is exclusive to this Dungeon. ¡°If you really can¡¯t hang on, just use it. Being stubborn will only lead to death, which will automatically eject you out of the dungeon. The penalty is harsh, butpared to dying in real life, it is a small price to pay.¡± Lux happily took the teleport crystal that was handed to him by one of the guards. He understood that this was just a safety precaution, and he would really not want to lose his current stats just because of stubbornness. After Colette and the others were given their own teleport crystals, the Dwarf Captain stepped aside and made a gesture for Lux to step forward. The Half-Elf nodded his head and pressed his palm over the gate of the dungeon. A row of text appeared in front of him. ¡ª- < Choose Your Difficulty Setting > ¨C Normal ¨C Nightmare ¡ª- Just as Lux was about to click the Normal Mode with his finger tip, Eiko jumped from Lux¡¯s head andnded on the back of Lux¡¯s hand, making him press the Nightmare Mode by mistake. Immediately, his group disappeared from the entrance of the dungeon. A few secondster, Nevreal, the Dwarf Captain as well as the other Dwarf Guards gasped in shock because the eyes of the Orc that was etched on the gate¡¯s surface zed a fiery red. This only meant one thing, and one thing only. ¡°That brat¡­¡± the Dwarf Captain scratched his head in frustration because he didn¡¯t know if he should smack Lux or not due to his stupidity. ¡°Fortunately they have their teleport crystals in hand,¡± Nevreal patted the Dwarf Captain¡¯s shoulder to calm him down. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for a bit. I¡¯m sure that they wille out sooner orter.¡± The Dwarf Captain sighed and nodded his head. Since it was already done, the only thing they could do was to wait for Lux¡¯s group to return after experiencing the Nightmare Mode of Orc Dominion. Chapter 97 First Encounter Lux looked at the baby slime on his hands, who was also looking back at him with a smile. After checking his Elysium Compendium, which had activated its Dungeon Exploration Function, Lux was able to see the difficulty level of the dungeon that they were about to challenge. ¡°Orc Dominion: Nightmare Mode¡±. ¡®Sh*t,¡¯ Lux cursed internally as he confirmed his worst fears. The Half-Elf scanned his surroundings and found himself in what seemed to be a valley. With several trees scattered all around. In the distance, he could see a fortress-like stronghold that had a g fluttering in the wind that depicted two axes crossed over the other. The Dwarves who were standing beside him had pale expressions on their faces because they clearly heard a voice in their head say that they had now entered the Nightmare Difficulty of Orc Dominion. ¡°Um¡­ Big Brother?¡± Colette asked. ¡°I thought we were just going to challenge the Normal Mode?¡± ¡°¡­ That was the n,¡± Lux replied. ¡°But, Eiko jumped on my hand and identally made me choose the wrong difficulty.¡± The baby slime tilted its head innocently to the side, as if she didn¡¯t have an idea about what she did. Lux could only pick up Eiko and put her back on top of his head before turning to face the Dwarves beside him. ¡°Okay, we now have two choices. The first one is to use our teleportation crystals to leave this ce,¡± Lux said. ¡°As you know, this is a one time consumable item. If we want another one, we need to pay ten gold coins for it.¡± ¡°Although I¡¯m sure that we can pay for the expense, I say that we check this ce out first. Just make sure to ce your teleport crystal where you can reach it immediately in case of an emergency.¡±-. The Dwarves nodded and ced the teleport stones in their pockets. They knew that they were biting off more than they could chew, but they were also very curious about what kind of Monsters they would be fighting against inside the Nightmare Mode of Orc Dominion. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go,¡± Lux said as he stepped forward. The first thing he wanted to know was whether the quest had beenpleted or not. The Elysium Compendium could only show the locations inside the Dungeon that would activate the Hidden Quest. It didn¡¯t know if the quest had beenpleted in the past or not. ¡°For now, follow me,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°If we meet any Monsters along the way, we will first assess if we can beat them or not. The challenge rating we chose is the Nightmare Mode of a C-Ranked Dungeon. At the very least, the weakest enemy that is roaming around this area are all Rank 2 Monsters.¡± The Dwarves nodded their heads in understanding. The strongest Monsters that they had fought so far were Berserked Horned Rabbits (Rank 2 Monster), and the Mutated Carbuncle (Rank 3 Peak Alpha Monster). The Orc Dominion Instance Dungeon was not the typical dungeon where those who entered needed to challenge each floor in order to advance. This dungeon was an open world, fortress assault, type of dungeon, and the only way to beat the game was by defeating the Orc Chieftain who could be found inside the Stronghold. In short, this dungeon was a training ground for how to raid an Orc Stronghold with an elite team of fighters. All of the Warriors of Norria needed to undergo this trial in order to officially join the Riders of Norria, and be part of the Gweliven Border Army. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Clover!¡± Colette raised her hand and a half-a-meter tall Carbuncle appeared beside her. After going back to Sis, Colette had asked the Monster Breeder in their family to help hatch the egg. Right now, Clover had the strength of a Rank 1 Monster. It specialized in healing its allies, and increasing their movement speed with haste. Once it had grown into an adult, it would be capable of bing a mount, which would allow Colette to increase her mobility during mounted battles. After walking for five minutes, Lux raised his hand to gesture for everyone to stop. He then made a gesture for them to crouch down and follow him to the bushes. After a while, he pointed in a direction, and the Dwarves found the reason why Lux had asked them to hide. Two pig-like monsters, which had green skin, sauntered through the trees. They were at least two meters tall and armed with a war axe. They were regr Orc Warriors that made up the bulk of the Orc Army. ¡®Orc Warriors,¡± Lux thought. Each of them were Rank 2 Monsters and was a rookie¡¯s worst nightmare if they happen to encounter them in the wild alone. The reason why Lux was able to know their location was due to the Map that the Elysium Compendium provided. After experimenting with thependium, Lux found out that it had a special auto-mode function that gave him ess to features such as appraise, show map, show quest locations, and many more things after he merged it with his Soul Book. Simr to a game, Lux could see a mini map at the upper right side of his vision which he could expand anytime he wanted. Naturally, if he went to a ce that he had never gone before, the map would be nk. However, because of its special function, the Elysium Compendium allowed Lux to detect enemies within a hundred meters, even if they were in an unexplored area of his map. After making sure that there were indeed only two enemies in the immediate area, Lux nced at the Dwarves, and they all nodded back to him. ¡°I¡¯ll take the one on the left,¡± Lux said. ¡°All of you handle the one on the right.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Colette replied as she firmly gripped the mace in her hand. ¡°We¡¯re ready, Big Brother.¡± Lux nodded as he summoned four of his Skeletal Fighters. He didn¡¯t want to summon Diablo yet, because he wanted to see how his regr warriors handled facing off against a Rank 2 Monster with their current strength. ¡°Battlecry!¡± Lux activated his skill that added +100 points to physical and magical attacks. He then ordered for his Skeletal Fighters to charge at the two Orcs, giving Colette and the others ample time to prepare. Just as expected, when the two Orcs saw the Skeletons, they immediately turned to confront them head-on. ¡°Now!¡± Colette ordered. The blonde-haired Dwarf, as well as her side-kick, Matty, sprang into action and charged at one of the Orcs that had engaged their enemies inbat. Both of them were nearing the Apostle Rank, so they could be considered as strong as Rank 1 Monsters. Of course, the one they were fighting against was a bonafide Rank 2 Monster, so they were taking this battle seriously. Andy and Axel chanted their spells and waited for the perfect opportunity to use them. Colette smashed her mace against the Orc¡¯s Legs with a growl which didn¡¯t lookpatible with her adorable appearance. The Orc screamed in pain and was about to sh her with its weapon when a fire bullet and a water bullet hit its chest consecutively, pushing it back. Matty took this opportunity to use his two short swords to sh at its legs, drawing blood. Unfortunately, the Orc Warrior was able to recover right away and swatted Colette and Matty away with the War Axe in his hand. Colette blocked its de, but she was still sent flying a few meters away due to the Orc¡¯s incredible strength. Matty on the other hand was able to evade the Orc¡¯s attack, and even managed to counterattack by stabbing the Orc¡¯s right leg. The Orc growled in anger and back handed Matty, sending him skidding across the ground. The Dwarf boy¡¯s face contorted in pain because the blow almost broke his right arm. If not for the fact that Helen had given him a protective spell that mitigated the damage he received from the Orc¡¯s attack, he might have ended up with more than just a simple break. Clover ran in Matty¡¯s direction and cast a healing spell on him, allowing him to recover just in time to evade the Orc¡¯s follow up attack. Andy and Axel followed up with their magical spells in order to give Matty enough time to distance himself from the Rank 2 Monster. Thetter was quite difficult to take down due to its high strength and vitality. It was at that moment when one of Lux¡¯s Skeletons was smashed into pieces by the Orc that they were fighting against. Although the Orc Warrior was wounded all over due to the four Skeleton¡¯s teamwork, its ferocity was something that Lux admired. The three remaining Skeletons immediately felt the increasing pressure after the death of one of theirrades in battle. They found themselves being pushed back by the Orc Warrior¡¯s powerful blows. It was at this moment when a stone spike pierced the Orc¡¯s shoulder, making it scream in pain. ¡°Spike!¡± Eiko shouted and fired another Earth Spike at the enemy, which embedded itself in her target¡¯s waist. Lux had allowed her to join the battle so he could see how Eiko fared against a Rank 2 Monster, while being nked by his Skeletal Fighters. The Orc then roared in anger as he swept its weapon in one mighty swing, using its skill called ¡°Cleave¡±. The Skeletal Fighters raised their shields to block the attack, but they were still sent skidding a few meters away due to the impact. Eiko, on the other hand, took this opportunity to shoot another Earth Spike, which conveniently hit the Orc¡¯s chest, causing it to cough blood. Wanting to continue her attack, the baby Slime teleported two meters away from the Orc¡¯s face and unleashed one of her upgraded spells. ¡°Fireball!¡± Eiko shouted and a ball of me materialized in front of her, which exploded in the Orc¡¯s face, burning it to a crisp. The Orc had been heavily injured by the Skeletal Fighters and Eiko¡¯s earlier sneak attacks. All it needed was a finishing blow to end its life, and the baby Slime didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to deliver the finishing blow. A few secondster, a green-colored beast core dropped on the ground, alongside the War Axe that the Orc was carrying. Eiko unceremoniously ate the Beast Core, before blinking consecutively until shended on Lux¡¯s head with a satisfied expression on his face. She was quite proud of her performance and decided to eat the Beast Core as her reward, which made Lux feel helpless. ¡®Well, as long as she is happy, I guess it¡¯s fine?¡¯ Lux thought as he shifted his attention to the Orc that Colette and Matty were nking. After a shout that was filled with unwillingness, the Orc Finally copsed on the ground, leaving a Beast Core and its weapon behind. Immediately after that, Colette, and Matty sat on the ground, panting for breath. It was then that the little Dwarves realized how hard it was to challenge a Rank-C Dungeon in Nightmare Mode with their current level of strength. Chapter 98 l Wish For Dominion [Part 1] Eiko happily chewed the Beast Core she just stuffed in her mouth as she looked at Colette¡¯s and Matty¡¯s exhausted expressions after they defeated the Orc Warrior that was assigned to them. Unlike the Berserk Horned Rabbits that specialized in speed, their opponent specialized in strength and it also had very high health. Although both were Rank 2 Monsters, the difference in their fighting style was obvious to the naked eye. Lux rubbed his chin as he checked the health of his Skeleton Fighters after the battle. Most of them were almost out of health, which showed how tough the battle was for them. ¡®If I summoned all seven Skeletal Fighters, Diablo, Ishtar, and the Skeleton Grand Archers, to fight side by side with Colette and the others, I estimate that we can fight against five to seven Rank 2 Monsters at the same time,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®If there is a Rank 3 Monster among the group, we can at most fight three to four Rank 2 Monsters, while Diablo keeps the stronger monster at bay.¡¯ Suddenly, a notification broke Lux out of his pondering. After reading the notification, he was unable to stop his lips from twitching. ¡ª- Eiko learned the Passive Skill Tough < Tough > ¨C Add +30 Points to Vitality. Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]! ¨C Target Lux Von Kaizer. ¨C Sessfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]!-. ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > ¨C Since the skill Tough is a passive skill, it will automatically be upgraded to Very Tough. < Very Tough > ¨C Adds +60 Points to Vitality. ¡ª- < Eiko > ¡°The world is my oyster!¡± ¨C Named Slime Monster ¨C Rating: E ¨C Progress ( 20 / 2000) Health: 1,540 / 1,540 Mana: 1,000 / 1,000 Strength: 17 Intelligence: 150 Vitality: 77 Agility: 17 Dexterity: 17 ¡ª- ¡®Very Tough? Seriously?¡¯ Lux didn¡¯t know if he shouldugh or cry due to his baby Slime¡¯s cheat-like ability. Eiko managed to get a massive boost to her Vitality Points just from eating a single Beast Core thanks to Lux¡¯s skill. Of course, Lux was also very happy for her because the stronger the baby Slime became, the more help she would be to him in Elysium. ¡®If only she wasn¡¯t a troublemaker,¡¯ Lux shook his head helplessly. However, he now had a better understanding of one of the Skills that was avable to Orc Warriors after Eiko had consumed the Beast Core. ¡®I need that Tough Skill as well. Diablo and Ishtar would benefit from it too.¡¯ After Colette and Matty each consumed a stamina potion, the group once again continued to follow Lux as he guided them to their destination. ¡®We¡¯re here,¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the small wooden cottage that was built in an inconspicuous ce which wouldn¡¯t be noticed by someone who traveled along the main road. He hurriedly went inside to check if the item he was looking for was still there, which would confirm whether someone had already cleared the hidden quest or not. When he opened the door, the sight of a properly maintained cottage could be seen. There were no cobwebs, or any other signs that it hadn¡¯t been tended to for a long time. Clearly, someone was still living, or recently lived, inside the cottage for it to look like this. ¡°This is a good ce to rest,¡± Colette said as she stepped inside the room. ¡°Is this the ce you want to take us to, Big Brother?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Yes, but we didn¡¯te here to rest. I¡¯m here to check something out.¡± ¡°Check something out?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Lux walked straight towards the firece and stared at the bull ornament above it. An adult Dwarf wouldn¡¯t be able to reach it, unless they used a chair or something simr to help them gain that added leverage. Orcs could easily reach it if they wanted to, but Lux crossed that possibility off. Since this was a dungeon for Orcs, the mission didn¡¯t include them in it. Lux was still growing, so he wasn¡¯t that tall. Also, due to the imbnce between his soul and body for the past few years, he hadn¡¯t reached his growth spurt yet. Only after Eriol helped him stabilize his body, did his bodily functions finally get back on the right track. ording to his estimate, he would be able to reach his optimal height after a year. Since that was the case, he lowered his pride and reached out for a chair, which made the Dwarves look at him with curiosity. Now that he stood on top of a chair, Lux could easily reach the ornament. He held the two horns of the bull and pushed it upwards. The sound of something moving was heard inside the cottage, which made the Dwarves scan their surroundings in rm. ¡°Rx. Everything is fine,¡± Lux assured them as he climbed down from the chair and headed towards therge bed, located in the upper left corner of the room. ¡°Matty, Alex, Andy, help me move this bed to the side,¡± Lux said as he asked the Dwarves for help. Matty grumbled but he still went to help Lux move the bed ording to his instructions. Colette and Helen, who remained standing to the side, just watched the boys move therge bed that could easily fit an Orc. A few momentster, everyone saw a set of stairs that seemed to be leading underground. ¡°You guys stay here,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°I¡¯ll go in by myself.¡± Lux could hear his heartbeat drumming as he walked down the set of stairs. Although the ce was dark, Half-Elves were able to see through it with very minimal light. In his hand was a small glowstone that emitted just enough light for him to see a few meters in front. He was silently praying that no one had taken the Hidden Quest before him. If someone really managed to do it, then there was nothing he could do about it. After walking straight for half a minute, Lux saw arge wooden chest that was covered in a thickyer of dirt. The Half-Elf took a deep breath before opening the chest with both hands. There, lying inside the chest was some kind of ragged nket that didn¡¯t seem special. However, after seeing this, Lux breathed out a sigh of relief. It was the item he was looking for. ¡°Fortunately, I am the first one to discover this quest,¡± Lux muttered as he reached out to touch the item that would activate the Hidden Quest that he wanted toplete. < You have acquired the g of the ckrock n > ¡ª- Ding! ¨C You have discovered the Hidden Quest ¡°I Wish For Dominion¡±. ¨C Would you like to ept this quest? < Yes / No > ¡ª- Lux decisively clicked the Yes option, and a notification prompted him that the quest was now active. He was not the only one that received this notice. Colette and the others heard a voice inside their head that they had epted the Hidden Quest. Lux knew that he didn¡¯t need to beat the Boss of the Dungeon in order to clear the quest. As long as he managed toplete it, he would get the full rewards of the mission, as well as the rewards from the Dungeon, as if he had defeated the final boss. This was why Hidden Quests were so good. It gave twice the reward for half the effort. However, before Lux could even fully rejoice his discovery, a loud roar was heard in the living room of the cottage, followed by the shouts of Colette and the others. Lux hurriedly climbed back up the stairs to see what was happening, only to find Colette and Matty standing in front of the others with their weapons drawn. In front of them was a Half-Orc holding a greatsword in its hands. Its angry and bloodshot eyes red at them. Clearly, it was not too happy to see what the uninvited guests had done to its home. Chapter 99 l wish For Dominion [Part 2] ¡°Who are you lot, and what are you doing inside my cottage?!¡± the Half-Orc shouted as it threatened to brandish its sword towards the Dwarves, who had taken a defensive stance against it. ¡°Wee in peace,¡± Lux stepped forward and stood between the Dwarves and the Half-Orc with his hands raised in surrender. ¡°Peace?¡± the Half-Orc snorted. ¡°Youe and steal from my house and you say youe in peace? Give me one good reason why I shouldn¡¯t kill you, right here, right now?¡± Lux frowned because ording to the data that the Elysium Compendium was giving him, the Half-Orc in front of him was a Rank 4 Alpha Monster. At first, Lux didn¡¯t want to believe it, but after looking at the information for the second time, he realized that it was indeed correct. The Half-Elf could feel beads of sweat forming on top of his head because he knew that if they really offended this Half-Orc in front of them, all of them would be sliced cheese in a matter of seconds. Fortunately, before he could even reply to the Half-Orc¡¯s question, a row of texts appeared in front of him, giving him some options to choose from. ¡ª¨C ¨C Option 1 (Chaotic Evil) ¡°We came here to burn this cottage and kill you, foul creature! A filthy half-blood like you deserves death! ¨C Option 2-. (Lawful Good) ¡°Sorry for intruding into your cottage, good sir. We came here with the good intention of inviting you to a seminar on how to earn money while you sleep.¡± ¨C Option 3 (True Neutral) ¡°We do not wish for conflict, and would like to talk things out. However, if you are adamant in using force, we will reply in kind. ¨C Option 4 ¡°We came here to help you with your wish for Dominion.¡± ¡ª¨C Lux knew that the first choice would instantly send all of them to the afterlife. The second option was funny, but he doubted that the Half-Orc was in the mood to humor them with their answer. The third choice was rather tame and Lux was initially tempted to choose it, but he knew that these weren¡¯t the right words to say in their current circumstance either. ¡°Sir, we came here to help you with your wish for Dominion,¡± Lux said. Immediately the Half-Orc¡¯s rage changed into that of confusion. After a while, it lowered its greatsword and looked at Lux with a serious expression on its face. ¡°How did you know?¡± the Half-Orc asked. ¡°How do you know that I wish for Dominion?¡± Lux sighed in relief as he read the next row of text that was the answer to the Half-Orc¡¯s question. ¡°An Orc shouldn¡¯t be judged whether he is full-blooded or not. The only thing that is important to the Orcs is strength! Only the strong can rule andmand the Horde!¡± ¡°Well said!¡± the Half-Orc replied as it patted Lux¡¯s shoulder with its hand. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know how or why you came to know my goal, I believe that fate has brought us together. My name is Barca, tell me your name¡­ Half-Elf.¡± ¡°My name is Lux, and these are my friends,¡± Lux made a gesture to introduce Colette and her friends to the Half-Orc. After the introduction the Half-Orc walked towards his bed and pushed it back to where it once was. He then moved the horns of the bull ornament to its original position. ¡°Did you take it?¡± Barca asked. He didn¡¯t ask what Lux took, but the meaning behind his words was very obvious to the Half-Elf. ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I took it.¡± Barca nodded his head in understanding. The Half-Orc then sat on the floor beside the bed and took out his whetstone to sharpen his greatsword. ¡°My mother was the daughter of a Tribal Chief, and my father was a mighty General in the Human army. They met by ident, and somehow fell in love, and I was born as a result. I will not bore you with the other details, because they are not important. Since you said that you wish to help me then are you prepared to ensure that I be the next Orc Chieftain?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°That is why I am here.¡± ¡°Then prove it.¡± Barca took a map out of his belongings and ced it on the floor. The Elysium Compendium automatically recorded the map in Lux¡¯s Soulbook, allowing him to view it normally. ¡°The current Orc Chieftain, Orobak, has four warlords that support him,¡± Barca said as he pointed at the marked locations in the map. ¡°Tanabur of the South, Baronar of the West, Oreg of the North, and Mogazar of the East.¡± ¡°As long as you are able to help me defeat or convince these Warlords to join my side, Orobak will lose his loyal supporters. This will give me the opportunity to challenge him in a duel in front of the other warriors for the position of Orc Chieftain.¡± A series of notifications once again rang inside Lux¡¯s Head as the information of the Hidden Quest was updated. ¡ª Hidden Quest: I Wish For Dominion Bonus Rewards will be calcted depending on the choices you make in this mission. ¡ª¨C < Kill the Four Orc Warlords > +500 Riders of Norria Reputation Points ¨C Gain one random Pseudo-Mythical weapon, armor, or artifact, that belonged to each of the Warlord that you have in. ¨C Gain the Orc yer Title ( Orc yer Title ) ¨C Increase damage to all Orcs by 20% ¨C Orcs will feel threatened by your presence ¡ª- < Negotiate with the Orc Warlords > +1000 Riders of Norria Reputation Points +200 Kingdom of Gweliven Reputation Points (Exclusive to Kingdom of Gweliven) +200 Gold Coins ¨C Gain Negotiator Title ( Negotiator Title ) ¨C When dealing with Nobles or Royalty, your chances of closing a sessful deal is increased by 10% ¡ª- The Half-Elf rubbed his chin as he pondered his next move. ¡®A Chain Quest,¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the information of the four warlords. ¡®If I choose not to kill them then I will gain reputation points, gold coins, and a title¡­¡¯ The Half-Elf then nced at the other option, which sounded more tempting to him. ¡®Although I will not gain as many reputation points and gold coins if I chose to kill the Warlords, getting four random pieces of Pseudo-Mythical Gear is not a bad trade off.¡¯ Lux understood that he was far from reaching the requirements to be able to craft Mythical Items. First, hecked the materials he could practice on and his current Smithing rank wasn¡¯t high enough. Aside from that, the best weapon he could make with the items avable in the Beginner¡¯s Zone were rare weapons. The Half-Elf was not satisfied by that, especially after experiencing the power of his Master Randolph¡¯s Mythical Weapon, Blood Moon. Barca was closely observing Lux¡¯s expression, and the moment both of their eyes met, the Half-Elf as well as the Half-Orc smiled evilly. As if waiting for that moment, both of themughed at the same time, which made the Dwarves look at them as if the two had gone crazy. Eiko, looked at her Papa, and the Half-Orc before joining them inughter. Although she didn¡¯t understand what was going on, she felt like it would be fun if he followed her Papa¡¯s actions. Lux and Barca understood that there was only one way to get what they wanted. For that to happen, only one option was left for both of them, and that was their opponent¡¯splete and utter destruction. Chapter 100 Observing The Orc Encampment Since the Orc Warlord closest to their location was Baronar, Lux didn¡¯t hesitate to tell Barca who his first target was. The Half-Orc agreed and set out with them in their mission to deal with one of Orobak¡¯s loyal supporters. After checking the details of the quest in the Elysium Compendium multiple times, Lux found out that Barca¡¯s role was just like an extra fighter in their party. Meaning, he would help them fight with the enemies in order to help ensure the sess of the mission. The Half-Elf was quite happy about having a Rank 4 Alpha Monster on their side. After all, it would greatly increase their fighting power. However, there was a catch. If Barca died, the mission would automatically fail and Lux would gain a -1000 Reputation Points Penalty with the Riders of Norria, and -200 Reputation Points Penalty with the Kingdom of Gweliven. He didn¡¯t know what would happen if his reputation points dropped into the negatives, so he consulted the Elysium Compendium about it. ording to thependium, if his reputation points became negative and went lower than -500 points, he would be treated as a criminal in the Gweliven Kingdom. A reputation of -1000 Negative Points would mean that the Dwarf King would ce a bounty on his head, and any Dwarves that he came across would automatically be hostile towards him. When one gained a negative reputation points of -5000 Points, that was when things would take a nosedive. The King would order the High-Rankers of the Kingdom to hunt you down and kill you. Even if you hid in the Beginner¡¯s Zone, the High Rankers would ignore the level requirement just to deal with you personally. -. Lux took note of this matter seriously and decided to never allow himself to fall to that point, so he could avoid inviting trouble to his front door. ¡°We are here,¡± Barca said as he gestured for Lux¡¯s group to not make any noise as they traveled the secret trail that he had discovered back when he was searching for ways to infiltrate Baronar¡¯s Camp. Lux nced at the Orc Encampment that was surrounded by a three-meter tall stone wall. Several tents, which were made of animal skins, could be seen inside, and there were at least a dozen guards manning the outposts and making sure that everything was in order. With the features of Elysium Compendium, Lux was able to identify the ranks of the enemies, which made him frown. ¡®The Orc Captain as well as the Orc Guards are all Rank 3.¡¯ Lux rubbed his chin. ¡®And it seems that these Orc Warriors are merely the cannon fodder of their army. I guess this is the custom settings of the Nightmare Mode.¡¯ Among the twelve Orcs that were guarding the perimeter of the encampment, there was one wearing a ck armor. It was the Orc Captain and ording to the data shown in thependium, the Captain was at the peak of Rank 3. An ordinary Rank 3 Monster might be weaker than an Alpha Beast, but its threat level was simr to the Kobold Sorcerer that Diablo had faced off against in the past. Of course, it was not a problem for Barca, but for them, it was a tough hurdle. Not to mention, the Captain¡¯s subordinates were also Rank 3 monsters, making the situation very tricky. ¡®A direct fight is out of the question,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Although I don¡¯t know how strong Baronar is, there is a possibility that he is at Barca¡¯s level. If that is the case, our strongest fighter shouldn¡¯t waste his strength in fighting the other mobs.¡¯ Boss Monsters usually had some goons protecting them, especially high-leveled ones. Lux was certain that aside from the twelve Orcs guarding the camp, Baronar would still have other subordinates who would aid him in battle. However, Lux didn¡¯t know how many there would be. Fortunately, most of the warriors of the Stronghold were out patrolling their territory. This greatly reduced the number of Monsters that Lux¡¯s party had to fight, but it was still a very tricky situation. ¡°What is your n, Lux?¡± Barca asked. ¡°Should we charge and fight our way in?¡± Lux shook his head. He knew that Barca was only testing him. The Half-Orc was keen on knowing what kind of warrior the Half-Elf was. ¡°A head-on battle is out of the question,¡± Lux replied. ¡°We are both outmatched in quantity and quality.¡± The Half-Elf then nced at the sun on the horizon. It was almost sunset, so a night attack would be the ideal opportunity to create chaos in the camp. ¡°Tell me, Barca, do you know how strong Baronar is?¡± Lux asked as he nced at the Half-Orc beside him. The Half-Orc crossed his arm over his chest as he pondered. ¡°Baronar is an Orc Shaman,¡± Barca replied after organizing his thoughts. ¡°He specializes in curses and other spells. If I can get close to him, I will be able to subdue him. But if I can¡¯t, then my chances of defeating him are slim.¡± ¡°Orc Shaman? That is indeed a troublesome opponent.¡± Lux nodded his head in agreement. It was at that moment when Baronar¡¯s information appeared in his Mission Page. ¡ª¨C < Baronar > ¨C Orc Shaman ¨C Rank 4 Alpha Monster Health: 160,000 / 160,000 Mana: 272,000 / 272,000 Strength: 50 Intelligence: 340 Vitality: 200 Agility: 100 Dexterity: 200 Skills: Summon Elite Orc Spirit Warriors, Envenom, Fear, Frostfire, Life Drain, Soul Shield, Dim Vision, Amplify Damage. ¡ª- Lux scratched his head. The Orc Shaman¡¯s Skills spelled trouble. ording to the provided information, Baronar could summon two Elite Orc Spirit Warriors, which were peak Rank 3 Summons. Although he was confident that Barca could deal with them just fine, the Orc Shaman¡¯s other skills would make things very difficult for the Half-Orc. Especially Envenom, Dim Vision, Amplify Damage, and Life Drain. Lux understood that this mission allowing Barca to apany him in battle didn¡¯t mean that the mission would be smooth sailing. Just by looking at the current hurdle that they had to ovee made him finally understand why twelve people were needed to finish this mission. It was at the level of difficulty in which the power of a single party was not enough to tip the bnce in their favor. ¡®Fortunately I have my summons and Eiko with me,¡¯ Lux thought as he formted a n of action in his head. The Half-Elf knew that if he wanted to defeat the first Orc Warlord in his list, he had to do some careful nning and designate positions to their limited forces in order to deal with the mission that would test their teamwork to its limits. Chapter 101 Luxs Carefully PlannedSlaughterhouse While the Orc Guards were manning their posts, they casually conversed with each other. Several Orc Warriors entered and left the camp from time to time, allowing Lux to get a general idea of how many forces were in or around Baronar¡¯s encampment at any given time. The numbers gave him a headache and made him wonder if there had been others who had tried to clear the quest in the past, but were unable to do so due to the sheer difficulty of the mission. ¡®If my estimate is correct, aside from the twelve Orc Guards, there are still at least forty Orc Warriors in the encampment,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®Baronar is located at the Central Tent, and is mostly spending his time alone, performing some experiments. I just hope my n works.¡¯ After waiting half an hour longer, Lux sent a mental message to Diablo and Ishtar to immediately start their operation. Immediately, several fiery lights appeared in the distance. A momentter, a rain of arrows fell on the Orc Encampment, setting the tent where the food reserves were stored on fire. The Orc Guards immediately blew a horn to alert everyone in the camp that they were under attack. Several of the Orc Warriors ran towards the food storage tent, attempting to extinguish the mes that were already turning their food supply to ashes. However, that was the least of their problems. The rain of arrows continued, setting more tents in the Orc Encampment on fire, creating more and more chaos. The Skeletal Grand Archers kept on firing fire arrows that were imbued with the mes of Diablo¡¯s Nightmare Mount, Airon.-. It was at that moment that the Guard Captain roared and ordered the Guards to attack the Skeleton Archers in the distance. A dozen Orc Warriors joined the Guards and charged towards their enemies as they shouted their war cries. Seeing this development, Diablo and the Skeleton Grand Archers made a strategic retreat towards the forest. Their role was to lure as many Orcs away from their encampment as possible so that Lux¡¯s forces could kill them off one by one and weaken Baronar¡¯s forces. Ishtar, the Forgotten Queen, shot her deadly arrows at the Orc Warriors that were at the rear of the formation. She was like a wraith that moved from tree to tree as she unleashed deadly rain of arrows that were coated in frost, which slowed the Orcs down in their pursuit after getting hit. The Skeleton Grand Archers had learned the skill Poison Arrow which they repeatedly shot at the Orcs, making their high health decrease by a good margin. With Eiko¡¯s ability to copy Lux¡¯s skills, the number of Skeleton Grand Archers on Lux¡¯s side rose to eight in total. Although their numbers were few, the way they had used their poison arrows to cripple their enemies had slowly taken its toll. Naturally, once an Orc got near one of the Skeletons, it only took them five swings of their weapons topletely shatter the bodies of the Skeleton Grand Archers. But, that was not a problem. ¡°EI! Ei! Ei!¡± Eiko shouted as she summoned her new Skeleton Grand Archers to rece those that had died in battle. Lux was doing the same. The Half-Elf and the Slime were currently on top of a tree, watching the battle unfold from their vantage point. Diablo with his mighty steed, Airon, yed their role well and were a force to be reckoned with. The two of them were peak Rank 2 Monsters, but although they were weaker than the Orc Guards, they weren¡¯t fighting alone. It was the typical 1+1 = 2 scenario in which Diablo and his mount, Airon, attacked their enemies in unison. The Nightmare fired me Lances left and right, while Diablo hacked away at the Orc Guards with his sword, and blocked their blows with his shield. If it weren¡¯t for the Skeletal Fighters that Lux and Eiko summoned, which numbered a total of fourteen, Diablo would have a harder time in the battle. Over twenty-four Orcs charged towards the forest, and all of them fell into Lux¡¯s carefully designed ughterhouse. Naturally, some of the Orcs decided to retreat, but it was toote by then. Ishtar had ced traps on the forest floor right after the Orcs had charged deeper in the forest. As a Skeleton Hunter, one of her abilities was Set Trap. Although she could only ce five traps with her current rank, those five traps were more than enough to cripple or severely injure those that stepped on them. The traps that Isthar had set in this fight were ¡°Steel Bear Traps¡±. These were steel, jagged traps that would leave anyone who stepped on them feel a world of pain. When the number of Orcs had decreased to ten individuals, the attacksing from the Skeletons intensified as well. ¡°Here. Drink this, Eiko,¡± Lux said as he allowed the baby Slime to drink a mana potion in order to recover her almost depleted mana reserves. Eiko had very high regeneration, and the bonuses she received whenever Lux, or Iris, was around was also quite powerful. It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem for the baby Slime were it not for the fact that the Skeletons were clearly no match against the Orc Warriors that could kill them with few swings. Whenever Diablo was about to die, Lux would unsummon him and resummon him in a different location, allowing the Skeletal Rider to continue his rampage. Even Airon¡¯s eyes glowed brightly as the battle lust engulfed it. It was at that moment when Colette and her party joined the battle. The Orcs were a mostly spent force at this point, and the damage they had received from the poison in their bodies made their movements more and more sluggish. ¡°Should I join as well?¡± Barca asked as he cracked his knuckles. ¡°This will serve as a good warmup.¡± ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t exert yourself too much,¡± Lux replied. ¡°We need you at your peak condition when we fight Baronar. Don¡¯t underestimate your opponents.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Barca grinned as he charged towards the battle holding his Greatsword. After Colette, her party, and Barca joined the battle, the Orcs could no longer offer any resistance and were gangbanged on all sides. Lux watched this one-sided massacre, while he and Eiko chugged down another bottle of Mana Potion. At most, he had only halved the forces under Baronar¡¯smand. They had yet to deal with the other half, and their battle was far from over. After thest Orc Warrior fell on the ground, the bodies of Colette and her friends glowed briefly. ¡°They leveled up?¡± Lux chuckled when he saw the little Dwarves jump up and down due to happiness. Usually, Sians would learn ss Specific Skills and Abilities when they level up, aside from getting Free Stats and Skill Points that they could distribute freely. Unlike Sians, Lux was unable to level up, but for him, this wasn¡¯t too big of an issue since everyone could increase their stats by absorbing Beast Cores, in addition to being able to learn skills in the same manner, so¡ªfor now¡ªthe difference between him and Colette¡¯s group was almost negligible. Of course, Lux¡¯s friends, who had entered Elysium four years ago, were certainly stronger than him. However, the Half-Elf knew that it would only be a matter of time before he caught up to them. Lux felt giddy at the thought of letting his childhood friends see how strong he had be. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t n on meeting with them until his goals in the Kingdom of Gweliven had been met. For the time being, he tossed this idea to the back of his mind. His Hidden Quest was still not over and he couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted. Baronar was still alive, and he still had to deal with the other half of Baronar¡¯s forces remaining. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for step two of the n,¡± Lux muttered as he lightly patted Eiko¡¯s head. ¡°Eiko, I will leave it up to you.¡± The baby Slime nodded her head happily. ¡°Pa!¡± The father and daughter pairughed evilly as they moved into Phase 2 of their n. This was the first time that Lux had given Eiko a mission, and the baby Slime was more than happy to do her best. If their n worked perfectly then Baronar and the rest of the Orcs would be in for a very, very, nasty surprise. Chapter 102 Baronars Fate [Part 1] ¡°Baronar! Come out, you swine!¡± Barca shouted After Lux and his group finished collecting their spoils of war, they decided to strike while the iron was still hot. Barca had already given Lux the item that would help him subdue Baronar without risking his life during their duel. The Half-Elf then passed it to Eiko who had snuck inside the Orc Encampment, waiting for an opportunity to carry out her mission. The Orc Shaman angrily came out of his tent, followed by his two elite guards, who he had summoned after hearing Barca¡¯s shout. After hearing what happened to their stockpile of food, the Orc Shaman¡¯s temper was at an all time high. A minute after Baronar left his tent to face off against Barca, a baby Slime poked out her head out of one of the tents near the Orc Shaman¡¯s residence. Seeing that her target had left his abode, Eiko hurriedly crawled towards the tent to start her mission.-. The baby Slime looked around for a bit before she moved towards the table. As a Slime, she could practically walk on any surface without a problem. Once she was on top of the table, she saw a half finished te of roasted meat, a wooden cup, and a jug of some kind of drink that Eiko had no idea about. The baby slime used her Air Strider [EX] skill to float in the air and hover above the jug of what seemed to be some kind of Orc Beer. Earlier, Barca had given Lux a bottle of slow-acting Mage Poison. Although it had the word poison on it, it wasn¡¯t lethal enough to kill a mage just because they drank it. However, it could prevent the Mage from being able to harness the mana in their bodies, therefore rendering them unable to cast spells. And even if they could still manage to cast a spell, it would be a very difficult endeavor for them to do. Barca intended to limit Baronar¡¯s offensive abilities and whittle him down in front of his men. The Orc race was a race that obeyed the strong. Unless Barca was able to defeat Baronar in a duel, they would never recognize him as their new Master. The only downside of this poison was the amount of time needed before it starts to take effect, which was at least an hour or two. ¡®Pour all the contents of the bottle inside that jar, Eiko,¡¯ Lux ordered. Using his connection with Eiko, he checked on her progress. This was simr to how Lux was able to observe Diablo¡¯s surroundings as long as he entered a meditative state. It also allowed him to see and hear their immediate surroundings. The baby Slime nodded her head and took out a ss vial from inside her mouth. She then opened it and poured its contents inside the jug as Lux ordered. After the deed was done, the Half-Elf ordered Eiko to leave because Baronar might return at any moment. Just as Eiko was about to leave the tent, she heard the sounds of footsteps headed in her direction. The baby Slime immediately turned her head left and right in order to find a ce to hide. A few momentster, the p of the tent opened and Baronar came inside along with his two elite warriors. ¡°That bastard, Barca! How dare he do this to me?!¡± Baronar growled in anger as he mmed the butt of his bone staff on the ground. ¡°Challenge me to a duel in two hours? Hah! It seems that being a Half-Blood made him stupid. I knew that I should have killed him back then when I had the chance.¡± Baronar walked towards the table in anger and poured himself a cup of mead. He chugged everything down in less than five seconds and poured himself another cup. After regaining his calm, he resumed eating his dinner. Since he would be fighting against Barca in two hours, he needed to replenish his strength. The Orc Shaman wasn¡¯t afraid of his opponent. He had been challenged many times in the past, and the skulls of all those challengers had been added to his collection. Truth be told, among the four Orc Warlords, Baronar was the strongest. Even the reigning Orc Chieftain, Orobak, treated him with respect. After finishing his meal, the Orc Shamanid down on the bed to recover his strength. However, before doing so, he ordered one of his Elite Orc Warriors to get him some water. The Orc Warrior casually grabbed one of the y jugs near the door to take it to the river behind the camp to get some water. As he was headed towards his destination, he suddenly heard a giggling sound near him. The Orc Warrior became alert and looked around him. He was still holding the jug in his left hand, while he held a War Axe in his right. Looking at his surroundings, he saw no one, and yet, the giggling sound continued. The Orc Warrior tried to locate the source of the sound. After a while, he realized that the sound came from somewhere beside him. When he looked at his hand, he saw the y jug trembling. This confused the Orc Warrior because this was the first time he saw a giggling y jug. What he didn¡¯t know was that Eiko had transformed into one of the y jugs near the door in order to hide from them. Unfortunately, the baby Slime was quite a bit ticklish. When the Orc Warrior carried her along, she wasn¡¯t able to stop herself from giggling because the y jug was her body. Before the Orc Warrior could even decide what to do, a hand covered his mouth, and a greatsword pierced through his chest from behind. This loosened his grip on the y jug, causing it to fall towards the ground. However, before itnded, it transformed into a baby Blue Slime that bounced off the ground once before giggling happily. Clearly, Eiko still hadn¡¯t recovered from her ticklish experience. ¡°Good job,¡± Barca said as he looked down on the baby Slime that had carried out her mission well. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Un!¡± Eiko replied, then happily ate the Beast Core that had dropped to the ground before jumping on Barca¡¯s right shoulder. The baby Slime didn¡¯t consume the Beast Core, but simply stored it inside her body so she could give it to her Papater. Although she was a battle junkie and a glutton, she would never consume a Beast Core when her Papa wasn¡¯t near. Lux had told Barca to retrieve Eiko from the camp after the Orc Warrior left Baronar¡¯s tent. Since Phase 2 of their n waspleted, all he needed to do was wait for the promised time, so that Barca could duel the weakened Baronar in front of his subordinates. Chapter 103 Baronars Fate [Part 2] Two hourster¡­ Most of the patrolling Orc Warriors had returned to the Orc Encampment after hearing the signal horn. Because of this, the total number of Orc Warriors inside the camp now numbered a hundred. All of them gathered to watch the battle between Barca and Baronar, interested to see whether they would have a new Warlord to follow. Duels for the position of power usually ended with one party¡¯s death. No defending Warlord liked to have their position taken away from them, so they would do their best to kill their opponent to ensure that they wouldn¡¯t challenge them again in the future. Of course, Baronar could have refused the duel entirely. However, after suffering losses from Barca¡¯s night raid, the Orc Shaman wanted nothing more than to kill the upstart Half-Orc who thought that it could win against him. Under the gazes of over a hundred Orc Warriors, Barca stood with his greatsword in his hands. He looked so intimidating and powerful that some of the Orcs were impressed by him. ¡°Are you ready to die, Barca?¡± Baronar asked as he held the skull staff in his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be sure to add your head to my collection.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯te here to die,¡± Barca replied as he pointed his greatsword in Baronar¡¯s direction. ¡°I came here to kill you.¡± ¡°Big words from a Half-Blood.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll soon see what this Half-Blood can do.¡± Lux and the others were watching the battle from a distance. Although Barca assured them that the Orcs wouldn¡¯t attack them because a duel was sacred, he still didn¡¯t like taking his chances against over a hundred words with Barca¡¯s assurance. The Dwarves had solemn expressions on their faces because they didn¡¯t know if the serum that Baronar had drunk was going to work. Usually, when Fighters and Magicians fought, the magician always had the upper hand. The reason for this was mainly their ability to use powerful range attacks that could potentially kill the Fighters before they could evene close. The twobatants stared at each other for half a minute before their battle officially began.-. The first thing that Baronar did was to summon two Elite Orc Spirit Warriors to fight for him. They were Rank 3 Monsters, which were capable of stalling the Orc Shaman¡¯s enemies, while thetter chanted his curses and offensive spells to whittle down their opponent¡¯s health. That was exactly Baronar¡¯s n. However, after he summoned his two Elite Orc Spirit Warriors, he felt that something was wrong with his body. He couldn¡¯t gather mana as fast as he wanted to, which caused the spells he cast to get dyed. This dy didn¡¯t escape Barca¡¯s gaze, as he used brute force to make his way past the two Elite Orc Spirit Warriors. He didn¡¯t waste his time attacking them because he didn¡¯t want to miss the golden opportunity that was presented to him. ¡°Frostfire!¡± Baronar shouted as he unleashed an icy blue me at point nk range. Sadly, the power of the mes was halved because he wasn¡¯t able to gather enough mana to activate its full destructive power. Barca roared as he swung his sword and split the blue fireball into two halves, making them explode. Although the Half-Orc received damage to his body, he ignored it and continued to charge at the Orc Shaman who had just barely managed to summon his Soul Shield. ¡°Die, you old turtle!!¡± Barca shouted as he swung his great sword towards the barrier that prevented him from taking Baronar¡¯s life. A crack appeared on the Soul Shield¡¯s surface after receiving Barca¡¯s full strike. A momentter, the Half-Orc swung his sword again, shattering the shieldpletely. ¡°Envenom!¡± Baronar roared as he fired a green glowing dart from his fingertips. The green dart pierced Barca¡¯s chest, but thetter shrugged off the pain and swung his sword with fury. His high resistance prevented the poisonous effect of the skill from manifesting, making Baronar¡¯sst resort futile. A scream was heard in the night as the Half-Orc¡¯s greatsword sliced through the Orc Shaman¡¯s right arm, cutting it offpletely. Barca was initially going to cut Baronar in half, but the Orc Shaman managed to twist his body just in time. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t able to dodge the attackpletely, losing his arm in the process. ¡°Stop! I concede!¡± Baronar shouted as he kneeled on the ground. ¡°I recognize you as the new Orc Warlord. Don¡¯t kill me!¡± Barca stopped his greatsword mid-swing, and looked at the Orc Shaman that had surrendered. ¡°You recognize me as your new Chieftain?¡± Barca asked. ¡°Yes! I recognize you! I will serve you well!¡± Baronar pleaded. Lux who was watching this scene blinked because he didn¡¯t think that the Orc Shaman would beg for his life. Barca then nced in the Half-Elf¡¯s direction and asked him a question. ¡°Should we kill him or not?¡± Barca asked. Lux naturally wanted Baronar dead because he wanted to gain the Pseudo-Rare item that the Orc Shaman would drop after his death. However, before he could shout the word ¡°Kill!¡±, a series of texts appeared in front of him. ¡ª- < Baronar¡¯s Fate > The Orc Shaman had pleaded for you to spare his life. What would you like to do? ¨C Option 1 Kill Baronar. Receive one random Pseudo-Mythical Equipment that belongs to him. ¨C Option 2 Spare Baronar Receive one random Skill from his Skill Set. Possible skills that can be acquired: Summon Elite Orc Spirit Warrior, Envenom, Fear, Frostfire, Life Drain, Soul Shield, Dim Vision, Amplify Damage. ¨C Option 3 You can negotiate your terms. The sess of the negotiation will depend on your Charisma stat. ¡ª- The sudden notification made Lux hold back the words he was about to say. Barca eyed him with a calm expression as he waited for the Half-Elf¡¯s answer. The Half-Orc didn¡¯t care whether Baronar lived or died. This was why he was fine in letting the Half-Elf decide the Orc Shaman¡¯s fate. This would also allow him to gauge Lux¡¯s character more and see if the red-headed teenager had what it takes to help him in his quest for dominion. ¡®Um?¡¯ Lux blinked as he gazed at the options before him. Originally, he was dead-set on acquiring a Pseudo-Mythical Weapon after the Orc Shaman¡¯s death. However, acquiring a random skill was also a good option since his special ability, Skill Evolution [EX], would upgrade the skill without fail. As for the third option, although he was good looking, Lux didn¡¯t know if he had enough Charisma Points to seed in the negotiations. There were two hidden Stats that couldn¡¯t be seen using the Soul Book. The two Stats were Luck and Charisma. Back then, he pestered the God of Games, Eriol, to let him see his Charisma and Luck Stats, but thetter refused. No matter how much the Half-Elf pleaded, the God of Games didn¡¯t budge. This was why Lux didn¡¯t know if he was lucky or unlucky. ¡®Option 3 is a gamble,¡¯ Lux thought. It was at that moment when he remembered the God of Gamblers, Max. The old man had once told him that either he went all in or did nothing at all. However, after remembering how the God of Gamblers¡¯ SIMP Cannon malfunctioned when he sent Lux to Sis, the Half-Elf shuddered uncontrobly. ¡®No. I can¡¯t take chances. I¡¯ll just go with Option 2.¡¯ Lux thought. Right now, he couldn¡¯t bet on his Charisma and Luck. since that was the case, he would just choose the option which would work wonders for him. Lux walked towards Baronar and only stopped when he was two meters away from the Orc Shaman. ¡°Spare him,¡± Lux said. ¡°Having an Orc Shaman serve under you when you be Orc Chieftain is better than having none.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Barca asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Barca faced Baronar and extended his hand to him. Thetter looked at the offered hand for a brief moment before sping it with his own. The Orc Warriors that were watching from the side raised their weapons and cheered. At that exact time, Lux received a series of notifications. ¡ª¨C Quest: Baronar¡¯s Fate (Completed!) < Rewards > One Random Skill Ticket received. ¨C You will obtain one of the skills that belongs to the Orc Shaman, Baronar. < Bonus Reward > You gained 125 Orc Warriors under yourmand! Baronar became your ally! +500 ckrock Reputation Points 10 Medium Quality Rejuvenation Potions ¡ª- Lux smiled, thinking that the Bonus Reward was truly unexpected. Although he assumed that Baronar and the Orc Warriors would be their allies, this wasn¡¯t a guarantee. Seeing that they had be part of their team, the Half-Elf became more confident that he would be able to clear the mission faster with the help of the strongest Orc Warlord on their side. Chapter 104 Luxs Demonic Defender Eiko was sleeping peacefully on top of Lux¡¯s chest. Thettery on the grass, looking up at the star-filled sky. It had been two hours since Baronar became their ally, so he decided to tell Colette and the others to rest because their quest would continue the next morning. It had been a long night, and he knew that the Dwarves were exhausted from the battles that they had fought earlier. ¡®I guess now is a good time to use the skill ticket I received earlier,¡¯ Lux thought as he summoned the red ticket from his Soul Book. All of Baronar¡¯s skills were good, so he wasn¡¯t picky about whichever skill he would end up acquiring. Activating the ticket in his hand, Lux immediately saw a row of text appear in front of him. ¡ª¨C You have acquired the ¡°Summon Elite Spirit Warrior¡± Skill. ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > < Since the Skill is obtained from a reward not from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. > < Choose which path of Evolution you wish to take. > Option 1: Summon two Elite Spirit Warriors to fight for you instead of one. Option 2: Upgrade Summon Elite Spirit Warrior to one of the three options. ¨C Upgrade to Spirit Shield Warrior ¨C Upgrade to Spirit Raider ¨C Upgrade to Spirit Skirmisher Option 3: Give your first Elite Spirit Warrior a name. Named creatures will be stronger and more intelligent than normal creatures. Also, you can upgrade your named creature individually if you wish it. ¡ª¨C ¡°Oh? I get to have another named minion, not bad,¡± Lux muttered as he decisively clicked the third option, adding a third Named Creature in his team.-. ¡ª- < You have chosen to give your first Elite Spirit Warrior a name. > < Please choose a name > ¡ª- ¡°Pazuzu,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°From now on, your name will be Pazuzu.¡± ¡ª¨C < You have chosen the name ¡°Pazuzu¡± as the name for your first Elite Spirit Warrior. > < Is this your final answer? > < Yes / No > ¡ª- After choosing yes, a very fat spirit warrior with a pair of ck wings on its back appeared in front of Lux. It had a very hideous appearance, which would have been enough to make Eiko cry out in fear if she saw him right now. It was holding a tower shield in its left hand, and a mace on its right. Its height was over two meters, and its body was fat enough to block the entrance of a cave, preventing others froming in or out of it. Even Lux flinched when his gazended on his Spirit Warrior¡¯s face due to how scary it was. In the end, Pazuzu gave Lux a brief nod as a greeting before disappearing without a trace. Lux looked at the new page that appeared in his Soul Book and read the information about his new Summoned Creature. ¡ª¨C < Pazuzu > ¡°Have no fear! Pazuzu is here!¡± ¨C Named Elite Spirit Warrior ¨C Protector Spirit ¨C Rating: C ¨C Mana 10 ¨C Progress (0/500) Health: 13,000 / 13,000 Mana: 400 / 400 Strength: 20 Intelligence: 20 Vitality: 260 Agility: 20 Dexterity: 20 Attack: 20 ¨C 40 Attack Type: Bludgeon Physical Damage Defense: 360 Active Skill: Duel [EX], Taunt, Shield Bash, Body m, Mad Rush, Shield Wall. Passive Skill: Equip Item, Guts, Very Tough, Enhanced Fortitude, Intimidate Title: Demonic Defender ¡ª¨C ¨C Pazuzu is your third Named Creature and has been bestowed the title of Demonic Defender. ¨C This Named Creature has gained the ability to evolve. < Demonic Defender > ¨C Regardless of what happens in the future, this Named Creature will be forever loyal to you. ¨C All attacks made by Pazuzu will have a small chance to instill fear in your enemies. ¨C Enemies under the effect of fear will run away from Pazuzu. ¨C As someone who bears the title, Demonic Defender, Pazuzu¡¯s defense will increase by 100% if his Health is reduced by half. ¨C When you use Beast Cores to upgrade your Named Creature, its effects will be increased by 50% Note: After this, we share a drink! Do you like goat¡¯s milk? ¡ª- ¡®A defender type? Not bad,¡¯ Lux mused as he finished reading the information about his third Named Creature. Pazuzu¡¯s stats made him a Rank 1 Monster in its middle stages. Since he specialized in defense, he would be able to tank the attacks of Rank 2 up to Rank 3 Monsters without fail. One particr skill caught Lux¡¯s attention and he clicked it out of curiosity. It was Pazuzu¡¯s Mad Rush. ¡ª- < Mad Rush > ¨C Pazuzu¡¯s speed will drastically increase, allowing him to travel up to 200 mph onnd and in the air for twenty seconds. ¨C Skill Cooldown: 10 minutes ¡ª- ¡®What a mad,¡¯ Lux scratched his head after seeing the skill¡¯s information. He could feel his teeth itch at the thought of Pazuzu using the Mad Rush alongside the skill, Shield Bash, with the full weight of his body. The Half-Elf believed that even Barca would feel a world of pain if Pazuzu¡¯s attack hit him directly. ¡®Finally I have a defender ss Summon,¡¯ Lux thought as he let the new Named Creature equip a Norria Light-te Armor Set, which further increased Pazuzu¡¯s already high defense to a total of 460. The Half-Elf knew that Diablo couldn¡¯t y the tanker position in his party because he was more of a mobile damage dealer. Lux always had this as one of his greatest concerns, so he was quite happy that he finally got a meat shield that would serve as the vanguard for his team. It was at that moment when he heard the sound of footsteps headed in his direction. Turning his head to the side, he saw Colette walking towards him, with Matty trailing not far behind her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, can¡¯t sleep?¡± Lux asked the adorable Dwarf girl who served as the vanguard for his friends. Colette nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Colette sat beside Lux, and Matty sat beside her. ¡°Big Brother, I have a feeling that after we clear this dungeon, all of us will finally reach the Apostle Grade,¡± Colette said with a trace of excitement in her voice. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± Lux asked. ¡°As soon as you step on the Apostle Grade, you will be able to go to where your sister is.¡± ¡°Yes. I am also looking forward to it,¡± Colette replied, ¡°but Big Brother, what about you?¡± ¡°Hmm? What about me?¡± ¡°What are your future ns after clearing this dungeon? Won¡¯t you also reach the Apostle Grade when this expedition is over?¡± Lux smiled before nodding his head. He couldn¡¯t possibly tell Colette that he could have graduated from the Beginner¡¯s Zone long ago because had more than enough free stat points to level up. ¡°I n to stay in Leaf Vige for a little while longer after we finish this expedition,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I see.¡± Colette nodded her head in understanding. ¡°We can stay in the Beginner¡¯s Vige for ten more days after we reach the Apostle Grade. After that, we will forcefully be teleported out of the Beginner¡¯s Zone.¡± ¡°No. That is not what I mean.¡± Lux shook his head. ¡°I will not step into the Apostle Grade for now. I still have things to do in Leaf Vige.¡± ¡°Things to do?¡± ¡°Mmm. I made a promise to myself that I will only leave Leaf Vige once I tie up some loose ends.¡± Colette became silent for a while before she lightly patted the sleeping baby Slime on Lux¡¯s chest. ¡°Understood,¡± Colette said after a while. ¡°When you decide to step into the Apostle Grade, look for us in Whitebridge City. My sister¡¯s Guild, Eternal, is based over there. I will be joining her guild as well.¡± ¡°Eternal Guild?¡± Lux muttered. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make sure to drop by for a visit.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Colette smiled sweetly as she looked at Lux¡¯s face. She really enjoyed traveling with Lux in Elysium because he acted like a Big Brother looking out for his younger siblings. Colette had a real big brother as well, but the time they spent together was very little. Her brother was very busy managing their family¡¯s main guild known as Golden yers. He didn¡¯t even have enough time to visit home, and only talked to them using amunication crystal whenever he wasn¡¯t too busy with the guild¡¯s affairs. This was why she longed for the feeling of having a big brother spoil her, and Lux yed that role really well. Especially when he saved her in the Kobold¡¯s Nest. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t talk much about the affair, but Helen did. Colette¡¯s best friend told them how the red-headed teenager ckmailed the Riders of Norria and forced them to take an oath in order to force them to save not only Robin, but Colette and the others as well. ¡°Big Brother.¡± ¡°Mmm?¡± ¡°Please marry my sister, okay?¡± Colette said with a smile. ¡°That way, you will officially be my big brother, and be part of my family.¡± Lux chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re still ying matchmaker? Besides, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works. Once I be your sister¡¯s husband, I will be your brother-inw, and not your big brother.¡± ¡°Big brother is big brother,¡± Colette insisted. ¡®Nothing will change.¡± ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯ll think about it first.¡± Lux could only scratch his head in order to change the topic. ¡°Go to sleep. We need to leave early tomorrow morning and head to the location of the next Orc Warlord. It would not be good if you don¡¯t have the strength to fight when you need it the most.¡± Colette nodded and bid Lux goodnight. Matty gave Lux a side-long nce before following behind the adorable Dwarf girl that had been his childhood friend for many years. Lux watched the two of them go, and a hint of sadness spread across his face. ¡°I guess, parting ways is inevitable,¡± Lux muttered as he lightly patted the baby Slime on his chest who was still in a deep sleep. He had long expected that this time woulde, but now that it did, he still felt sad. Colette and her party mates were the first friends he had made in Elysium and seeing them leave made his heart ache. But, he knew that this was part of the journey that he had to take in order to find a way to help save Sis from its fate. Chapter 105 Ill Make You My Own Mount ¡®I think I greatly underestimated Baronar¡¯s strength,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®Making him our ally made this entire expedition so much easier.¡¯ Before they set out to their next target, the Orc Shaman advised that they should deal with Tanabur first before targeting the other Orc Warlords. There were two reasons why Baronar told them to target Tanabur first before the others. First, Baronar and Tanabur didn¡¯t get along well with each other. However, that was not the main reason why the former insisted that thetter Orc Warlord should be attacked first. It was because Tanaburmanded the Orcs¡¯ Warg Cavalry. Wargs were Demonic Wolves that Orcs usually used as mounts. They were fast, strong, and very agile creatures that would not hesitate to attack bigger enemies. They were especially more fearless when they traveled in packs. Tanabur could easily send his reinforcements to the other Warlords if they were under attack. Baronar was sure that his rival could¡¯ve helped him. It was just that thetter chose to turn a blind eye on the battle horns that had sounded as a signal to ask for assistance when their camp was being targeted by Lux and Barca. ¡°As long as he is taken out, you won¡¯t have to fight a two-versus-two battle against the other Orc Warlords,¡± Baronar exined. ¡°Once he is taken down, you can choose any other warlord you like without worrying about getting attacked from the rear.¡± Lux and Barca found this suggestion very sound, so they immediately marched to the South to deal with the Orc Warlord Tanabur. Using Eiko to infiltrate their camp to drug their well water with a deadly colorless poison that Baronar had concocted, the Wargs, as well as the Orcs who mounted them, fell asleep and the attack on the Southern Camp went off without a hitch. Tanabury on the ground panting for breath, while Barca¡¯s greatsword was positioned just an inch away from his neck. ¡°Baronar, you filthy traitor!¡± Tanabur shouted in anger. ¡°I knew you couldn¡¯t be trusted!¡± Tanabur gnashed his teeth in anger as he red at the Orc Shaman,pletely ignoring the de that could cut his neck at any moment. ¡°All of this is due to your stupidity, Tanabur,¡± Baronar sneered. ¡°I bet you wereughing when youmanded your subordinates to not send reinforcements to my camp. This is just the consequences of your shortsightedness!¡± ¡°Bah! Shut up you weakling bone collector!¡± ¡°At least I¡¯m not an Orc who screws his Warg because women won¡¯t look at him!¡± ¡°Bastard! Fight me!¡±-. ¡°Hah! Come! Who¡¯s scared of who?!¡± Matty had covered Colette¡¯s ears so that she wouldn¡¯t hear the foulnguages that the two Orc Warlords were spouting in front of them. Lux did the same to Helen because the two Orc Warlords had now started to call each other ¡°Warg P*ssy¡± and ¡°Dead F*cker¡±. It was at this moment when the Half-Elf realized that after unlocking the Hidden Quest, the settings of the dungeon had changed. Instead of a regr dungeon run, where they just killed monsters until they reached the Boss Monster, the dungeon had activated its ¡°Story Mode¡±. It was like they were re-enacting events that had happened long ago, while giving the Dungeon¡¯s challenger free reign to decide how the story would end. ¡°Should we kill him?¡± Barca shifted his gaze on Lux. ¡°It¡¯s your call.¡± As soon as the Half-Orc said these words, a series of notifications appeared in front of Lux. ¡ª¨C < Tanabur¡¯s Fate> Barca doesn¡¯t know if he should spare the Orc Raider, Tanabur, or not. He wants you to decide the Orc Warlord¡¯s Fate. ¨C Option 1 Kill Tanabur. Reward: Receive one random Pseudo-Mythical Equipment that belongs to him. ¨C Option 2 Spare Tanabur. Reward: Receive twenty five Wargs aspensation. These wargs can be used as battle mounts and all of them are Rank 2 Monsters. ¨C Option 3 You can negotiate your terms. The sess of the negotiation will depend on your Charisma stat. ¡ª¡ª ¡®Mounts?¡¯ Lux¡¯s eyes widened in shock when he read the reward for sparing Tanabur. ¡®Are you freaking serious? Twenty five Rank 2 Monsters as mounts?!¡¯ The red-headed teenager¡¯s jaw almost dropped after seeing the second option. Only fools would pass up such an opportunity. Because of this option, the Half-Elf decided that he would choose a Rider ss upgrade for his Skeleton Fighters once the opportunity appeared. ¡°Spare him,¡± Lux said with a serious expression. ¡°But, I¡¯ll take twenty five of his Wargs as my reward.¡± Barca nodded his head. ¡°This is eptable. Very well, you may take twenty five Wargs from his Bestiary. You are free to choose which one you take in as your own.¡± Lux smiled as he happily looked at the rewards that he received upon the Side Mission¡¯s Completion. ¡ª¨C Quest: Tanabur¡¯s Fate (Completed!) < Rewards > Twenty Five Elite Wargs < Bonus Reward > Tanabur has be your ally! +500 ckrock Reputation Points ¡ª- Colette, Matty, and the other Dwarves who were just listening to the conversation to the side looked at Lux with envy. The Wargs were at least two-meters tall, and looked very intimidating. Although they didn¡¯t want to admit it, the thought of riding one had crossed their minds after seeing them in action. ¡°You heard him,¡± Lux chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°All of you pick a Warg for yourself. From now on, they will be your personal mounts.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Colette blinked as she pointed her finger to her face. ¡°Ours?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Lux asked in a teasing tone. ¡°I want!¡± ¡°Then choose one. Helen, Andy, Axel, and Simp get to choose as well.¡± ¡°Oi! Who are you calling Simp?!¡± Matty red up as he raised his hand menacingly. ¡°Simp!¡± Eiko giggled. ¡°Simp! Simp!¡± The baby Slime had developed a tendency to tease Matty after seeing her Papa always do it. For her, whatever Lux did was right, so she copied her Papa as if he was the only role model for her. ¡°Tch!¡± Matty could only click his tongue as he walked towards the Wargs that were now slowly regaining their consciousness from the sleeping drug that had been given to them earlier. Since the quest rewards had been activated, none of them attacked the children. They even allowed the little Dwarves to touch them all over, as they decided whether or not they were good enough to be their mounts. There were over three hundred Wargs in the camp, so Lux cheated and checked the Elysium Compendium to automatically choose the top twenty Wargs from among the rest. Lux was surprised when he found out that there was one Rank 3 Warg among the rest. It was a ck Warg with a scar above its right eye, a feature that made it stand out from the others. The Half-Elf looked at the Warg, and thetter looked back at him. Its predatory eyes observed the red-headed teenager in front of him, but made no move to attack. ¡°I¡¯ll make you my own mount,¡± Lux said as he looked at the Warg with a serious expression. Sensing that it had been chosen by the Half-Elf in front of it. The Warg lowered its head and allowed Lux to touch its forehead. The moment Lux¡¯s hand rested on the Warg¡¯s head, a notification appeared in front of him. ¡ª¨C Would you like this Elite Warg to be your mount? < Yes / No > ¡ª¨C Lux clicked yes and a new notification appeared in front of him. ¡ª¨C Would you like to give this Elite Warg a name? < Yes / No > ¡ª- Lux pondered for a bit before saying the name that came to his mind. ¡°Jed,¡± Lux said. ¡°That will be your name from now on.¡± The Warg turned into particles of light and flew towards Lux¡¯s Soul Book. What Eriol didn¡¯t tell Lux was that the Soul Book held a miniature world of that person¡¯s soul. One could call it a spiritual world, where the creatures that served them could stay, while they weren¡¯t active in the real world. This was where Beast Tamers like Iris stored their Beast Companions whenever they weren¡¯t present in the real world. Colette and the others had also finished choosing their mounts, and just like what happened with Lux, they also turned into particles of light and flew into their Soul Books. They could be summoned any time their Master wished, and serve as their mount for as long as they needed to be. Naturally, these mounts also feel thirst and hunger, so having many Mounts, or Beast Companions required that you feed them on a regr basis, or else their loyalty would decrease and they would leave you the next opportunity they got. Lux summoned Jed once again and attempted to ride on his back. He had ridden on Sophie¡¯s back many times before, but the White Hippo was a gentle beast. She would not move very fast to ensure that the Half-Elf didn¡¯t fall off her back. Now that Lux had his own mount, he wanted to get used to riding it, so that he could also fight battles while mounted if the situation called for it. Colette and her friends had the same idea, so they also summoned their beasts to try and mount them. However, since the wargs were taller than the Dwarves, they had to order them to lie down on the ground so that they could ride on their backs. Barca and Baronar also chose a mount for themselves as they prepared to head to their next destination. Now that two of the Four Warlords had been subjugated, only two remained. Their next destination was the Orc Warlord, Morgazar. He was an Exceptional Orc Hunter that ruled the East, and was known for raising an elite army of Orc Archers who specialized in rangebat. Lux nced at Barca who was currently riding at the head of their formation. He didn¡¯t know if this Hidden Story Quest was something that had happened in the real world or not. If it did, the Half-Elf wondered if Barca originally spared or killed the Orc Warlords that were serving Orobak. ¡®I guess, I¡¯ll never know,¡¯ Lux thought as he followed behind the Half-Orc whose wish was to form his own Orc Dominion. Chapter 106 Too Bad You Are Already Dead ¡°I¡¯d rather die than be your subordinate!¡± This roar of anger resonated in the surroundings as Morgazar firmly held the Warbow in his hand like a sword, ready to strike at any moment. The Orc Hunter¡¯s encampment was easily subdued due to the strategic trickery that Tanabur had suggested to Barca. Since the Orc Raiders often visited the camps of the other Orc Warlords, Morgazar and his subordinates automatically assumed that this was just part of their regr inspections to ensure that everything was in order. Unfortunately, Barca had already subdued Tanabur and thetter used this method to sneak Barca inside Morgazar¡¯s Orc Encampment and trap the Orc Warlord, forcing him to fight Barca one-on-one. Although the Orc Hunter was capable of fighting like a rogue when it came to closebat, his true specialtyy in ranged attacks. It didn¡¯t even take Barca two minutes topletely subdue the Orc Hunter, who was now ring at the Half-Orc with fury. ¡°Just kill me!¡± Morgazar shouted. ¡°I will never recognize you as our Chieftain!¡± ¡ª- < Morgazar¡¯s Fate > The Orc Hunter had no intention in joining Barca¡¯s rebellion. He would rather die than allow himself to serve someone who didn¡¯t earn his respect. ¨C Option 1 Kill Morgazar. Reward: Receive one random Pseudo-Mythical Equipment that belongs to him. ¨C Option 2 Try to convince Morgazar to join Barca¡¯s faction. Reward: ??? ¡ª¨C-. Lux frowned as he looked at the two options. The fastest way to deal with this matter was to kill Morgazar, which would reward Lux one of the other party¡¯s Pseudo-Mythical Equipment. However, after sparing Baronar and Tanabur, the Half-Elf had gained lucrative rewards. Having considered this, he was more inclined to have Morgazar join Barca¡¯s side, so he would get an unexpected bonus as a reward for his troubles. ¡®The reason why Morgazar refused to be Barca¡¯s subordinate is because the Half-Orc wasn¡¯t able to gain his respect,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®So, I need to make him respect Barca?¡¯ The Orcs were a race that followed the strong. As long as they acknowledged you as stronger than them, they were willing to listen to your words and consider them seriously.¡± Barca had already nced at the Half-Elf¡¯s direction, asking Lux how he wanted to deal with the Orc Hunter, who refused to submit no matter what. Lux shook his head as he approached the Orc Warlord who stood arrogantly in front of them. Since he had no other choice, the only thing he could do was do his best, and take the chance to see whether he could salvage the current situation in their favor. ¡°I challenge you to a duel,¡± Lux said. ¡°You are free to choose what type of duel you want, and I will be the one to choose who your opponent will be. If I win, you will join Barca¡¯s side and support him to be the Orc Chieftain. If you win, we will leave this ce peacefully, on the condition that you will not intervene with our fight for the seat of Orc Chieftain.¡± ¡°You? Challenge me?¡± Morgazar snorted. ¡°A mere half-blood? But, this is indeed intriguing. Are you sure you want me to be the one to choose what type of duel I want?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°That way, you will have no excuse when you lose.¡± The Orc Hunter growled as he eyed Lux menacingly. ¡°Trying to rile me up? Very well, I want to see how you try to beat me at my own game. The Duel I want is simple. It will be a point-nk range battle!¡± The Orc Hunter raised his bow. ¡°My opponent and I will fight in our stronghold¡¯s special arena. We will only be fifty meters apart from each other, and whoever gets hit by an arrow first loses.¡± ¡°Can the twobatants approach each other?¡± ¡°Of course. It doesn¡¯t matter if we fight each other in close quarters, using only an arrow. The important rule is that the first one to get hit by an arrow will automatically lose. Anything goes!¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Very well, I ept this duel,¡± Lux replied. ¡°So, who will be fighting on your side?¡± Morgazar asked. His voice was filled with arrogance and confidence. Clearly, he didn¡¯t think that he would lose to anybody. ¡°Ishtar,e forth,¡± Lux ordered. A Skeleton Hunter materialized beside the Half-Elf. The moment the Skeleton appeared, Morgazar narrowed his eyes as if sizing up his opponent. Surprisingly, Ishtar did the same and the golden glow in her eyes burned brighter. It was as if she was looking at a worthy adversary who specialize in the same profession as she did. ¡°Good!¡± Morgazar said. ¡°This is more like it!¡± Ten minutester¡­ Morgazar and Ishtar stood fifty meters from each other in a closed arena inside the Orc Encampment. The arena was a special training ground where the Elite Orc Archers under Morgazar trained on a regr basis. This helped the Orc Archers improve their closebat fighting skills whenever their opponents managed to close the gap between them. ¡°Are both of you ready?¡± Lux asked. Isthar and Morgazar nodded at the same time. ¡°Let the battle begin!¡± Lux shouted. Immediately after that, the two proud hunters unleashed a barrage of arrows at each other. They were first testing each other¡¯s abilities to have a better grasp of their opponent¡¯s strength and weakness. Both of them dodged, and fired arrows at an amazing speed that made Lux wonder if the Orc weighed like air. Although he was quite big, Morgazar was able to perform incredible maneuvers of dodging and counter-attacking despite his size. Ishtar on the other hand, side stepped, jumped, rolled, and performed other feats in order to evade Morgazar¡¯s deadly arrows that seemed to have a life of its own. ¡°Morgazar is stronger,¡± Barca muttered. Baronar, Tanabur, and Lux nodded their heads in agreement. Just like Barca, Morgazar was a Rank 4 Alpha Beast. His expertise and skills far surpassed Ishtar¡¯s. The only saving grace was that when the two dueled, the settings of the Dungeon lowered his rank to match Ishtar¡¯s. This was perhaps the consequence of Lux¡¯s choice to give the Orc Hunter the right to choose which duel he wanted. Because of this, Morgazar found it was beneath him to bully someone that had a lower rank than him. This then prompted the changes of his current rank, making him on the same level as his opponent. Although his rank had regressed, his skills and expertise remained the same. Just as Lux was wondering how Ishtar would be able to ovee her opponent, the Orc Hunter shot a barrage of arrows that had forced Ishtar into a corner. ¡°This is my win!¡± Morgazar dered as he fired a ming arrow, merely twenty meters away from Ishtar, who had stumbled on the ground due to his earlier arrow barrage. Just as the ming arrow was about to hit Ishtar¡¯s body, the Skeleton Hunter summoned a steep trap in her hand and used it as a shield. A metallic rang reverberated inside the arena as the arrow was deflected by the trap in Ishtar¡¯s hand, surprising everyone that was watching the duel. The Skeleton Hunter didn¡¯t let the opportunity slip by, and threw the Steel Trap towards her opponent. Morgazar was forced to use his arms to block the unexpected ranged weapon that was thrown at him at close range with his arm. After blocking the steel projectile, the Orc Hunter was about to do a counterattack when he saw the Skeleton Hunter standing ten meters away from him, holding two steel traps in each of her hands. Just as he expected, Ishtar threw the two Steel Traps in his direction, forcing the Orc Hunter to block them with his arm once again. The next time heid his eyes on his opponent, the Skeleton Hunter was almost upon him. In Ishtar¡¯s left and right hands, three icy arrows¡ªthat resembled ws of a certain superhero from Lux¡¯s world¡ªcould be seen. Without saying a word, Ishtar thrust the arrows that were firmly held by her bony fingers towards her enemy¡¯s chest. As ast resort, Morgazar used his bow to sh down on Ishtar¡¯s right hand, shattering itpletely. Unfortunately for him, the Skeleton Hunter¡¯s decisive attack was far from over. The Orc Warlord felt a stinging, ice-cold, pain as the arrows in Isthar¡¯s left hand, embedded themselves into the side of his body. Everyone watched with bated breath as the battle ended in a way that none of them expected. ¡°Ishtar, was it?¡± Morgazar said as he looked at the Skeleton Hunter with aplicated expression on his face. ¡°Too bad you are already dead. If you were alive, I would have made you my wife. I ept my defeat. This is your win.¡± Isthar rattled her jaws as if telling her opponent that he wasn¡¯t too shabby himself. After the twobatants exchanged their words. The adorable blonde Dwarf raised her hand from the stands and shouted. ¡°Huzzah!¡± Colette raised her hand in happiness. ¡°We won!¡± The Orc Warriors also raised their hands and shouted their war cries to honor the two warriors that had fought with honor and dignity. Even Lux who was trying to keep his expression calm could feel his blood from boiling due to the incredible performance that he had just witnessed. He never thought that he would get this much excitement and inspiration from a battle between two Hunters. It made him realize that his second Named Creature, Ishtar, could do something awesome when pushed into a corner. ¡ª¨C Morgazar¡¯s Fate (Completed!) < Rewards > One Rank Up for Ishtar One Elite Orc Warlord Set Equipment +4 Summon Skeleton Grand Archer (Summon Four Additional Skeleton Grand Archers) (Elite Orc Warlord Hunter Set) Pseudo-Mythical Armor Set Requirement: Only for sses that specialized in range weapons +200 to Defense + 30 to Dexterity + 30 to Agility + 30 to Vitality 20% Physical Damage Reduction 20% Magical Damage Reduction < Bonus Reward > You gained 500 Orc Archers under yourmand. Morgazar became your ally! +500 ckrock Reputation Points ¡ª¨C Lux whistled at the unexpected reward that he received from clearing Morgazar¡¯s Side-Quest. Right now, he was short on resources, so he couldn¡¯t level up his minions willy-nilly. Fortunately, Ishtar received a free rank up after defeating Morgazar, which boosted her overall stats, and added a few skills in her ever-growing deadly arsenal. But, that was not all. Lux could now summon four additional Skeleton Grand Archers, bringing their total number to eight. ¡®It was more than worth it.¡¯ Lux couldn¡¯t stop the wide smile that appeared on his face. Now that there was only one more Warlord that they needed to deal with, the Half-Elf was looking forward to the next batch of goodies that was waiting for him. Chapter 107 If You Want My Head, Come And Get It! As Lux and his group traveled North to face thest Warlord, Oreg, he checked Ishtar¡¯s stats to see how much she had changed after she received her rank up. Ishtar was his main, long range, damage dealer. Lux wanted to know how strong she had be after her duel with Morgazar, so he would be able to make the necessary adjustments when using her expertise on the battlefield. ¡ª¡ª < Ishtar > ¨C Named Skeleton Hunter ¨C Rating: A ¨C Mana: 10 ¨C Progress (0/2000) Health: 12,750 / 12,750 Mana: 6,500 / 6,500 Attack: 305 ¨C 355 (+160 Heartstriker)-. Attack Type: Ranged Ice Damage Strength: 125 Intelligence: 130 Vitality: 125 +30 Agility: 130+30 Dexterity: 175 +30 Defense: 155 (+200 Elite Orc Warlord Hunter Set) Active Skill: Hunter¡¯s Mark, Set Trap, Arrow Shower, Piercing Arrow, Siege Stance, Poison Arrow (New) Knockback Arrow (New), Stun Arrow (New), Frostfire Arrow (New), Air Steps (New), Air Kick (New) Passive Skill: Equip Item, Fast Reload, Hunter¡¯s Eye, Bow Mastery (New), Deadly Aim (New), Precision Shot (New) Title: The Forgotten Queen Note: She¡¯s one of the good guys, but not that good. ¡ª¡ª ¡®Those are a lot of new Skills,¡¯ Lux thought as he checked Ishtar¡¯s Skills one by one. He was pleasantly surprised upon seeing that his Skeleton Archer now had a wide array of attacks that could deal status changes to the enemy like Stun and Poison. She also had an interesting skill called knockback, which meant that her arrow could push her target backwards by five to ten meters. Although that might not sound much, when used in the right situation, it could create opportunities for her and her allies, in the midst of battle. Overall, Lux was quite satisfied with the boost in offensive power that Ishtar gained after finishing Morgazar¡¯s Side-Quest. ¡®Now, there¡¯s only Oreg,¡¯ Lux mused. After traveling for two days, they had finally reached Oreg¡¯s Stronghold, which was located on the North side of the Dungeon. So far, their scouts hadn¡¯t encountered any patrolsing from the Orc Warlor¡¯s Stronghold. The Orc Warmonger, Oreg, was known for his Elite Orc Berserkers. They were the juggernauts of the battlefield and would charge at their foes without any hesitation. They were the most fearsome warriors among the Orcs¡¯ melee units because of their ¡°Either you die, or I die¡± mentality. However, since all of them hade prepared, they were confident that they could deal with whatever the Orc Warmonger could throw at them. ¡°Strange,¡± Baronar said after they decided to camp for the night. ¡°We are already deep in his Domain, and we still haven¡¯t seen any signs of his men.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Morgazar replied. ¡°Although Oreg might not be the smartest among us, he is not stupid. He might have realized that something big might have happened and decided to act ording to his gut instincts.¡± Tanabur, who was busy eating grilled meat, onlymented after he was done eating. ¡°I have already sent two of my fastest riders to his Stronghold to check the situation,¡± Tanaburmented. ¡°They should be back in an hour or two. We¡¯ll know the real reason then.¡± Barca nodded his head in agreement as he listened to the discussion. This was the final stretch before his battle with Orobak, so he was reserving his strength for the inevitable battle between the two of them. Lux was also paying attention to their discussion as he spoonfed Eiko the stew in his wooden bowl. The baby Slime was not a picky eater, enjoying whatever food her Papa fed her. An hourter, Tanabur¡¯s Riders returned to the camp, and the news they brought with them made everyone understand theck of patrols in their surroundings. ¡°Oreg has chosen to abandon his encampment to regroup with Orobak at the Chieftain¡¯s Stronghold,¡± Tanabur said. ¡°It is a smart move. Since he knew he¡¯s not a match against us, he decided to go to Orobak in order to have a higher chance of survival.¡± All the Orc Warlord¡¯s present then shifted their attention to Barca, who was looking at the burning mes of their campfire. His eyes reflected the color of the mes, making him look more formidable than he usually was. ¡°We ride at first light,¡± Barca said after a minute had passed. ¡°Our destination, the Orc Chieftain¡¯s Stronghold.¡± ¡ª¡ª The group traveled for a day before they arrived at the center of the Domain where Orobak¡¯s Stronghold could be seen. They had encountered several of Orobak¡¯s Scouts and managed to kill a few of them. However, some managed to escape, alerting their Chieftain of their arrival. By the time Barca, and the other Orc Warlords arrived near the Stronghold, the gate was already shut tight, and several Orc Warriors manned the ramparts. Two Orcs that stood out from the rest could be seen standing right above the gates. The Orc on their left, who was over two meters tall and had his entire body covered in ck-ted armor, stood arrogantly. He was wearing a horned helmet that covered his entire face, with the exception of his eyes. A ck spear was held firmly in his hand as he stared at the Half-Orc that had dared to oppose him. ¡°So, you are here, Barca!¡± Orobak shouted. ¡°I knew I should have killed you when you were just a baby. If I did, I would have been saved from all of this trouble!¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote for regrets, Orobak!¡± Barca shouted back at the Orc that had made his life miserable. ¡°I¡¯m here to pay you back for everything you¡¯ve done to me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just like your Mother. Stubborn and stupid,¡± Orobak replied. ¡°She was a fine woman, but he chose your father instead of me. Since that is the case, then it is only fitting that he followed her into the afterlife.¡± ¡°You Bastard! Fight me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not qualified, Half-blood. If you want my head,e and get it!¡± The Orcs on the ramparts raised their weapons and shouted their warcries. Some of them even taunted Barca, insulting his dead mother and father. ¡°Don¡¯t let yourself get riled up by him,¡± Baronar advised. ¡°This is how we y his mind games.¡± Barca nodded as he observed the defenses of the Stronghold. Right now, they only had a little over a thousand warriors on their side. The Half-Orc estimated that Orobak¡¯s forces, with the addition of Oreg¡¯s Orc Berserkers, numbered about the same. Although their forces were near equal, in reality, they were at a disadvantage. From the looks of it, Orobak had prepared himself for a siege battle. Barca knew that if they tried to storm the gates, their forces would only decrease at a rapid rate, with no certainty that they would be able to scale the walls, or break past the gate¡¯s defenses. Even the Orc Warlords, Baronar, Tanabur, and Morgazar, didn¡¯t have any advice to give him, which put their assault at a standstill. It was at this moment when Lux realized that it was up to him to create an opportunity for Barca¡¯s forces to break inside the Stronghold and initiate a duel with Orobak. ¡°I have a n,¡± Lux said as he approached Barca. ¡°But, I don¡¯t know if it will work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡± Barca smiled as he looked at the Half-Elf who had helped him get this far. Barca had a feeling that if he allowed Lux to take action, the arrogant Orc Chieftain would soon find himself, face to face with the Half-Orc¡¯s fury that he had kept in his heart for years. Chapter 108 Eiko’s Nighttime Escapade Eiko had a big smile on her face as she looked at her Papa who had entrusted her with an important mission. ¡°If things be dangerous, don¡¯t hesitate to use your Family Bond [EX] to teleport back to me, okay?¡± Lux said as he held the baby Slime in his hands. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko nodded her head in understanding. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Lux nodded and summoned Pazuzu and Ishtar. In order for his n to work, he needed the Demonic Protector to smuggle Eiko inside the Orc Stronghold. Once he seeded, he would then create a distraction, alongside Ishtar, to give the baby Slime an opportunity to do her mission. The good thing about Pazuzu was that he could fly. No gates or walls were too high for him, and it would definitely make Orobak panic if he saw that someone from the opposing side managed to fly past their defenses. The Demonic Protector held the baby Slime in his left hand, and held his Tower Shield in his right.-. After listening to Lux¡¯s instructions, the Demonic Protector, and the Skeleton Hunter nodded their heads in understanding. ¡°Ishtar, make the world burn,¡± Lux said to his Skeleton Hunter. ¡°Pazuzu, smack them with your shield. This is a suicide mission, so I hope that the two of you will forgive me for letting both of you die deep behind enemy lines.¡± Pazuzu chuckled, and Ishtar patted Lux¡¯s shoulder, as if telling him that they understood. Soon, the Demonic Protector was airborne, with Ishtar holding onto his neck as she rode on his back. Pazuzu¡¯s flying speed was fairly average, and any archer could easily hit him without problems. However, he had a secret weapon in his arsenal and that was the Mad Rush. When he used that skill, he would be just like a race car, zooming across thend and the sky, and leaving everyone in the dust. Lux watched as Pazuzu shortened the distance between himself and the Stronghold. Just as he expected, Orobak immediately ordered his men to shoot the flying creature out of the sky. A momentter, the sound of arrows hitting the tower shield reverberated in the surroundings. ¡°Shield Wall!¡± Pazuzu roared and a blue tower shield that was six meters tall and five meters wide appeared in front of him. Shield Wall was a skill that summoned a defensive shield in front of Pazuzu. The shield¡¯s defense was equivalent to Pazuzu¡¯s overall defense multiplied by three. This ability wouldst for a full minute, and was one of his main defensive skills that was especially useful when tanking bosses. As the Demonic Defender, whenever his health fell below 50%, his defense would increase by 100%. If both abilities were activated at the same time, Pazuzu¡¯s defense would rise drastically for a minute, allowing him to withstand deadly blows that could instantly kill anyone but him. ¡°Mad Rush!¡± Just like a blueet, Pazuzu charged towards the Stronghold, ignoring the rain of arrows that pelted his Shield Wall. Orobak¡¯s panicked roar could be heard the moment the Demonic Defender flew past the ramparts and headed towards the center of the Stronghold. As soon as hended, Eiko jumped down from Pazuzu¡¯s hand and ran away as fast as she could. However, before the baby slimepletely left, she made sure to summon her Skeletal Fighters and Skeleton Grand Archers to help Pazuzu and Ishtar hold back the Orc Army. She then looked for a safe ce to hide. Ishtar and Pazuzu exchanged a nce, and proceeded to perform their roles separately. The Demonic Protector crouched down and used his hands to allow the Skeleton Hunter to use it as a stepping stone. A momentter, he propelled Ishtar upwards, allowing her to use her Air Steps, so that she could position herself at a high vantage point in order to best make the world burn ording to Lux¡¯s orders. Ishtar nimblynded on top of an elevated tform. She immediately used her Siege Stance and with the raise of her bow, several fire arrows wereunched around her surroundings. When Orobak and his warriors arrived at Pazuzu¡¯snding site, several of the buildings were already starting to burn. ¡°Stop her!¡± Orobak shouted. ¡°Kill that Skeleton!¡± Ishtar ignored Orobak¡¯s shout and continued to rain fire arrows on her surroundings. Since this was a suicide mission, her life was not important. The only thing that currently mattered for her was to create as much chaos as possible, distracting the enemies until Eikopleted her mission. When the Skeleton Hunter finally crumbled to pieces and Pazuzu got subdued, the Orcs became busy with doing their best to put out the mes that were zing around them. Little did they know that while they were running around, carrying buckets of water to deal with the mes, a baby Slime had already entered their main Stronghold. Eiko giggled as she sneakily entered the Stronghold¡¯s kitchen where the Orcs stored their food. She then spat a few bottles out of her mouth, which was given to her by Baronar in order to drug the Orcs¡¯ food supplies and leave them unable to fight to their fullest. This was not the first time that Eiko had done this mission, so she was already well versed on what she needed to do. The baby Slime giggled a second time before she summoned her Skeletal Fighters to help her sabotage the food supplies of the Orcs. Since her supply of potions was limited, not all of the food inside the kitchen was doused with the debilitating potions that Baronar had prepared. Fortunately, Lux had been prepared for this scenario. Eiko approached the baskets of food with a smile on her face. After looking at her left and right to ensure that no Orcs wereing to the kitchen, the baby slime opened her mouth and ate the entire basket. Well, ate was not the right word for it. She merely stored the basket of food inside her own personal storage. The baby slime continued to ¡°nom nom¡± every basket that hadn¡¯t been drugged inside her storage. After making sure that everything was covered, she left the kitchen with a giggle before continuing her exploration of the Orc Encampment Although her main mission had beenpleted, Lux had given her a side-mission which he believed his baby Slime could pull off. With her main missionplete, it was now time for her to tackle the side mission that Lux had assigned her. Eiko traversed sneakily through the Stronghold and headed towards Orobak¡¯s main quarters which was located at the very rear of the Orc Encampment. There had been asions where she had nearly been discovered, but due to her Mimicry [EX] ability, she was able to escape all of them. The baby Slime would transform into a rock, a piece of wood, or even a bone, just to avoid alerting the Orc Warriors that were wandering around their encampment to do their duties. After nearly two hours of painstaking effort, the baby Slime finally arrived at her destination and looked for a ce to rest for the night. She was still a baby, and her night escapade exhausted her. Lux smiled as he cut off his connection with his baby Slime, who was now sleeping safely inside one of the cupboards in Orobak¡¯s residence. He knew that when morning came, they would be able to attack the Stronghold, with minimal casualties on their side. Chapter 109 Let’s Just Take All Of Them. Maybe They Are Valuable ¡°Did she seed?¡± Barca asked upon seeing Lux¡¯s figure enter their tent to discuss their ns for the siege. Lux nodded. ¡°She¡¯s done her part perfectly. We should get some rest for tonight so we¡¯re in our best condition for the siege next morning.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Barca smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Orobak, I will deal with him myself.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll just cheer for you from the side.¡± Lux smirked. Lux, Barca, and the Orc Warlords discussed for half an hour more before going back to their quarters to rest. After the meeting, their n of action for tomorrow was finalized. The only thing they needed to do for now was wait for Eiko¡¯s signal to storm the Stronghold and end Orobak¡¯s rule once and for all. As the Half-Elfid on his bed, he wondered how strong Orobak really was. He was the Boss of the Ranked-C Dungeon, and the strongest monster in the Dungeon¡¯s Nightmare Mode. He already knew that Barca was strong, but if Orobak was really just as strong as Barca, then things didn¡¯t add up. The Dungeon wouldn¡¯t allow them to have a massive advantage over the Boss Monster even if the challengers managed to unite all the Orc Warlords. ¡°I hope I¡¯m just thinking too much,¡± Lux muttered before closing his eyes to rest. He hoped that when morning came, they would be able to clear the dungeon and finally return to the real world and take a break from their exhausting expedition. ¡ª- When the first rays of sunlight peered over the horizon, a certain baby Slime opened her eyes.-. She sleepily looked around and found herself in an unfamiliar ce. ¡°Pa?¡± Eiko muttered before yawning. It was at that moment when she heard the sound of footsteps inside the house, reminding her that she wasn¡¯t with her Papa right now. Eiko hurriedly went inside a wooden mug in order to hide from whoever was walking in her direction. The baby Slime closed her eyes as she bit her lip to prevent herself from saying anything. The cupboard opened and the shuffling noises from things being taken out were heard. Soon, the noise stopped, and the footsteps gradually faded, as if its owner was walking away from Eiko¡¯s current hiding spot. After hearing the sound of a door being closed, the room once again descended into silence. Eiko slowly peeked from the mug she was hiding at to ensure that the coast was clear. Although the encounter onlysted for a brief moment, she felt that whoever was in the room with her a while ago had a strength that was simr to the Draconic Kobold that attempted to kidnap her Papa in the past. The baby slime remained stationary for an hour longer before deciding to make her move. Today was an important day, and she would need to y a part to ensure the sess of her Papa¡¯s mission. ¡ª¨C Outside the Dungeon¡­ ¡°It has been three days already and they still haven¡¯te out?¡± Nevreal asked the guard captain that was assigned to watch over the Dungeon¡¯s entrance. ¡°No,¡± the Guard Captain replied. Just like Nevreal, he was quite confused about what was happening. This was not the first time that the Dwarven Riders had challenged the Nightmare Mode of the Orc Dominion. However, most of their expeditions ended after two days. A day in Elysium was equivalent to three days inside a Dungeon. This meant that Lux¡¯s group had already surpassed the number of days that the Riders of Norria had spent challenging the Dungeon. ¡°Are they perhaps ying hide and seek with the monsters?¡± Nevreal scratched his head in confusion. Truth be told, he had thought of entering the Dungeon alongside the elites of the Stronghold in order to look for Lux and the Dwarf Children. However, since they would be taken to a different version of the Dungeon, looking for them was pointless. ¡°Commander Thoram sent his aide earlier to inquire whether or not they had exited the dungeon. Unfortunately¡­,¡± the Guard Captain sighed as he looked back at Nevreal with a helpless expression. ¡°I bet Thoram is now regretting giving them permission to enter the Dungeon.¡± Nevreal couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling bitterly. What was supposed to be a Normal Dungeon Raid had be a big issue after Lux identally chose the wrong difficulty to challenge. All of them thought that they would return after a day inside the Dungeon, but they never expected that the Half-Elf and his friends would still be inside the Dungeon after three days. ¡ª- Inside Orobak¡¯s Residence¡­ The baby Slime looked left and right to check her surroundings to make sure that it was safe to continue her exploration. After making sure that there were no signs of the Orc Chieftain nearby, Eiko entered the room to check whatever was inside it. There, she found arge bed that was big enough for a bear to lie on. There were several things that were scattered here and there, which confirmed Lux¡¯s suspicion that Eiko had arrived in the Orc Chieftain¡¯s room. ¡®Be careful, Eiko,¡¯ Lux said through telepathy. ¡®If you feel like your life is in danger, teleport to me right away.¡¯ ¡®Pa!¡¯ Eiko rummaged inside the room looking for things of value. Since she had no idea what was important or not, she just listened to Lux¡¯s voice inside her head. Most of the things that were inside the Orc Chieftain¡¯s room were amulets made from the bones and teeth of monsters, several beast pelts, and beast horns. ¡®Pa?¡¯ ¡®Let¡¯s just take all of them. Maybe they are valuable.¡¯ ¡®Pa!¡¯ Eiko then opened her mouth and ate the amulets, animal bones, horns, beast pelts, and anything that looked useful inside Orobak¡¯s room. Lux couldn¡¯t use the Elysium Compendium while looking through Eiko¡¯s eyes, so he couldn¡¯t determine whether the items they found had stats or not. Even so, he was already quite thankful that he was able to support the baby Slime as she performed this dangerous mission on her own. After summoning a Skeleton to help her open the wooden chest inside the room, the baby Slime found a stack of scrolls, a few rough gems, a dagger, and an ornate wooden box. She didn¡¯t bother to check what was inside it because they were short on time. Eiko then ate the entire wooden chest, leaving nothing behind. Since she had already taken a lot of things inside the room, it was obvious that Lux and the baby Slime didn¡¯t care if Orobak found out that someone had stolen his belongings. The baby Slime looked around the room from atop of her Skeleton Fighter¡¯s head, to ensure that she didn¡¯t miss anything. After seeing that there was nothing more of value inside the room, she decided to leave the room to return to her main mission. Lux had tasked her to go to the Orc Chieftain¡¯s residence to see if there were any valuable treasures inside it. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t know what would happen once the Orc Chieftain was defeated, so he decided to y it safe and start looting in advance in case they were instantly teleported out of the Dungeon as soon as Barca defeated Orobak. An hourter, Eiko scanned her surroundings with a critical gaze. She was currently on top of the highest point that could be found inside the stronghold, which allowed her to get a view of what was happening inside it. Due to her small size, she managed to slip past the Orcs that had been patrolling the surroundings. The Orc Warriors that were manning the gates were currently feeling lethargic, and some were even dozing on and off while leaning against the walls. Almost all the Orcs inside the stronghold were in a simr state due to the sedative that Baronar had created while they were traveling. ¡®Fortunately, there was an option to spare Baronar¡¯s life,¡¯ Lux thought as he stared at the weakened Orcs inside the stronghold. ¡®I¡¯m sure that things would have been a lot harder if he hadn¡¯t be our ally.¡¯ As the Half-Elf continued to monitor the movement of the Orcs, he heard Orobak¡¯s loud roar of anger. He must¡¯ve already realized that his forces had been drugged. The remaining Orc Warlord, Oreg, was right beside him and was seemingly unaffected by the drug that was ced on their food supplies. The Orc Warmonger¡¯s elite units, the Orc Berserkers, were also unaffected by the sedative, and seemed to be acting normally. For them to be unaffected by the potion that the Orc Shaman had made to dull their senses, they were clearly trained to resist such drugs,. ¡®Well, I guess this is the dungeon¡¯s way of making things a bit more difficult for us. Eiko, it¡¯s time for us to start the operation.¡¯ ¡®Pa!¡¯ The baby slime climbed down from her vantage point and headed towards the gate. The battle was about to start, and this would decide whether Barca would be able to realize his dream for dominion or not. Chapter 110 This Is Madness! ¡°Raise the gs!¡± Barca ordered as he sat on top of his Warg. The gs of the three Orc Warlords fluttered in the breeze, letting Orobak know that they had changed their allegiance. All of them were eager to charge at the Stronghold and fight their way in. ¡°Stay close to me guys,¡± Lux was positioned in front of the Dwarves, while sitting on top of his mount. ¡°Don¡¯t leave my side no matter what.¡± Colette, Matty, and the others nodded their heads. All of them were riding their mounts as well, and were at the rear of the formation. Not wanting to get in the way of Barca¡¯s charge, Lux decided to stay in the back. This would also allow them to prepare for any unexpected scenarios that Orobak and Oreg could throw at them. ¡°Charge!¡± Barca shouted as his mount lunged forward. ¡°For the ckrock n!¡± ¡°¡±For the ckrock n!¡±¡± Due to the effects of the sleeping potions that were mixed on their food, none of the soldiers under Orobak¡¯smand stirred from their slumber.-. The Orc Chieftain could only roar in anger as he watched Barca¡¯s forces charging towards the Stronghold at full speed. ¡°Man the ramparts!¡± Orobak shouted. ¡°Oreg, Come here!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Oreg replied. ¡°Man the ramparts! Don¡¯t let them breach the walls!¡± The Orc Berserkers specialized in head-on shes, and were not really suited to be defenders. Even so, since there was no one else avable to man the walls but them, they could only follow the given order, gripping their war axes as they red at their enemies with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can climb the walls under my watch!¡± Orobak sneered as his eyes locked on Barca who was at the forefront of the rebels that dared to defy his rule. When the Mounted Riders were only a hundred meters away from the Stronghold, something unexpected happened. The gates that were tightly shut slowly opened, as if to wee the invaders with open arms. Orobak, as well as Oreg, almost couldn¡¯t believe their eyes seeing the gates of their stronghold open right under their noses. The Orc Chieftain immediately nced in the direction where the gate¡¯s mechanism was located, and found several Skeletons working together to raise the steel gate, which barred anyone¡¯s entry. ¡°Damn you, foul Creatures!¡± Orobak shouted as he grabbed the War Axe from the nearest Orc Berserker and threw it in the direction where the Skeletons were currently at. Two of the Skeletons that were managing the pulley were instantly shattered, slowing the pace of the gate¡¯s opening. However, just before the Orc Chieftain could throw another War Axe to kill the remaining two Skeletons, the Skeletons that he had killed immediately respawned and resumed their duty. As if to mock Orobak¡¯s attempt, two more Skeletons appeared, but they didn¡¯t assist theirrades in opening the gates. They merely looked at the Orc Chieftain and waved their hands in greeting, infuriating Orobak and making him roar in anger, taking the Skeletons¡¯ actions as mockery. Eiko giggled mischievously while hiding in the distance. She was remotely controlling her Summons in order to open the gates ording to her Papa¡¯s orders. When the gates had been raised fully, Barca and the rest of the vanguard riders had already entered the Stronghold, wreaking havoc to their surroundings. ¡°To arms!¡± Oreg shouted. ¡°Kill them!¡± ¡°¡±Kill!¡±¡± Orobak shouted a battlecry which had an effect that was simr to Lux¡¯s ability. It raised the physical attack of his allies, which allowed them to deal more damage to their enemies. Blood spilled like a river as the two forces shed. Although Orobak¡¯s side was outnumbered, their ability to fight in close quarters was second to none. The Mounted Warg Riders¡¯ specialty¡¯ effectivity was greatly diminished after entering the stronghold. With little to no room to maneuver, the Orcs were forced to abandon their mounts and engage the enemies in closebat. Lux herded his friends to the corner of the battlefield where he summoned his minions to fight against the Orc Berserkers that were at the peak of Rank 3. ¡°They are truly Berserkers,¡± Lux gritted his teeth as he used a Void arrow in an attempt to blind his target. All the skeletons that he had summoned shattered instantly with a single swipe of the Berserker¡¯s weapon. They werepletely outssed. ¡°Have no fear! Pazuzu is here!¡± Pazuzu appeared and used a Shield Bash to send the Orc Berserker that was about to hack Colette in half. Thetter was instantly sent flying to the opposite direction. ¡°Thank you, Pazuzu!¡± Colette shouted before smashing her mace into the leg of the Orc Berserker that was being ganged up on by Lux¡¯s Skeletal Fighters. Matty didn¡¯t stray far from the little blonde Dwarf and used his two short swords to sh the Orc¡¯s Legs in order to limit its movements. ¡°They¡¯re too sturdy!¡± Mattyined. ¡°My swords can¡¯t cut deep!¡± ¡°Fire Lance!¡± ¡°Hydro Ball!¡± Andy and Axel fired their elemental spells at the Orc that Colette, Matty, and the Skeletons were fighting in order to help subdue it. However, their spells barely pushed it back, which proved how strong their opponent was. ¡°This is madness!¡± Andy gasped. ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re fighting a boss.¡± ¡°Yes, and there are over four hundred of these bosses,¡± Axelmented as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Lux shared his friends¡¯ worries because he clearly felt the disparity in strength with just a few exchanges with their enemies. They were only dealing with two Orc Berserkers, and their forces were being decimated left and right. If not for Diablo, Ishtar, and Pazuzu holding off one of the Orc Berserkers, they would have definitely found themselves in a precarious situation. The main reason why they were having problems with the Orc Berserkers, was due to their ability ¡°Rage¡±. This was simr to the Berserk Skill which doubled the Orc Berserker¡¯s Stats for a period of time, making them extremely formidable. An Orc Berserker under the effect of Rage was equivalent to a Rank 4 Monster, which put them on the same level as Boss Monsters in the eyes of Lux and the Dwarf children. The Half-Elf couldn¡¯t help but nce in the direction where Barca and Orobak were duking it out with each other. From his vantage point, he could see the Barca was being pushed back by the Orc Chieftain, whose eyes had turned bloodshot from anger. Lux also noticed that there were some kind of red mists that were flying in Orobak¡¯s direction that wereing from the blood of the corpses that were lying on the ground. These red mists seemed to coat Orobak¡¯s ck Armor, as well as his sword, making them more durable, and deadly with each passing minute. ¡°Is that some kind of Skill?¡± Lux muttered as he observed the battle from afar. ¡°Whatever that is, it doesn¡¯t bode well for us.¡± The Half-Elf¡¯s greatest fear was starting toe to light as Barca was blown away with one of Orobak¡¯s powerful Sword sh. With that single exchange alone, Lux fully understood that Orobak¡¯s current strength had broken through the initial stages of the Rank 5 Alpha Beast Rank, making him the strongest Orc inside the Stronghold, and an enemy that they would need to fight together in order to defeat. Chapter 111 What The F*ck bro? U Mad?! ¡®Is this really a C-Ranked Dungeon?!¡¯ Lux cursed internally when he saw the changes in Orobak¡¯s strength. A Rank 5 Monster in a C-Ranked Dungeon was unheard of. But, then again, he had unlocked the only Hidden Quest inside the Orc Dominion Dungeon, so he could somehow understand why the difficulty rating of the boss spiked this much. Even though it was still weaker than the Draconic Kobold, Cadmus, the current Orobak was still noughing matter. A Rank 5 Boss Monster as an enemy was something that they were not prepared to face at this point in time. ¡°Right now, I think he is as strong as the Field Boss, Forest Wolf King.¡± Lux looked at Orobak, but he couldn¡¯t see the Boss Monster¡¯s stats. All he could see was the basic information. Even though the information he could see was limited, it was enough to confirm his suspicions. ¡ª¡ª- < Orobak > ¨C Orc Chieftain ¨C Final Boss of Orc Dominion (Story Mode) ¨C Rank 5 Boss Monster (Initial Stages) Health: 400,000 / 400,000 Mana: 80,000 / 80,000 Strength: ??? Intelligence: ???-. Vitality: ??? Agility: ??? Dexterity: ??? Skills: ??? Title: One Who Holds Dominion ¡ª- ¡®This is bad. Barca will not be able to beat him alone.¡¯ Lux desperately tried to think of another way to help Barca since his own forces were tied up with the Two Orc Berserkers, which had no other purpose but to make their lives difficult. It was at this moment when he saw the other Orc Warlords who were dealing with their own enemies. ¡°Baronar! Help Barca! He won¡¯t be able to beat Orobak alone!¡± Lux shouted. The Orc Shaman nced at his direction and shook his head. ¡°We are Orcs. None of us will interfere in the duel for session. This is part of the rules that our ancestors set long ago,¡± Baronar replied. ¡°However, none of you are bound by that rule.¡± The Orc Shaman no longer said anything as he hurled his Shamanic Magic at the Orc Berserkers that tried to overpower his Elite Spirit Summons. Although he didn¡¯t say it explicitly, his words meant that if Lux and his friends wanted to help Barca, they may do so because they were not Orcs. Lux looked at his current forces who had just managed to defeat their opponents after almost pushing themselves to their limit. His and Eiko¡¯s Mana was already halved due to their constant summoning of their Skeletal Forces, who would die after two to three shes from the Orc Berserkers that they were trying to defeat. Oreg, thest Orc Warlord, roared and charged in their direction. ¡°I will not allow any of you to interfere!¡± Oreg charged at Lux and the Dwarven Children, while sending everything in his path flying in every direction. ¡°Sh*t!¡± Lux immediately hurled three Void Arrows in Oreg¡¯s direction in an attempt to blind him, but the status effect didn¡¯t activate. When the Orc Warmonger was only a few dozens of meters away from them, Lux had no choice but to order his tank to block his path. ¡°Pazuzu! Stop him!¡± Lux ordered. Pazuzu raised his shield high and met Oreg¡¯s charge head on. The result was Pazuzu being blown away by the initial sh due to the great difference in stats. However, the Demonic Protector righted itself in the air and used its skill Shield Wall. When the giant blue tower shield appeared in front of Pazuzu, it used its trademark skill, Mad Rush, wielding the shield to bash Oreg¡¯s Body, sending thetter skidding a few meters away. The two fighters shed against each other with Pazuzu losing ground every time. His Shield Wall could onlyst for a minute. After that, the Orc Monger would overpower him, breaking through his defenses. Suddenly, an arrow hit the side of Oreg¡¯s body, pushing him sideways. Ishtar had activated her Siege Stance and used her Knockback arrow in order to give Pazuzu some breathing time. ¡°Wench!¡± Oreg spat angrily. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± It was at that moment when Oreg felt a threat behind him, so he immediately turned around and used his War Axes to block the Fire Lances that Diablo¡¯s Nightmare had shot in his direction. ¡°Triple sh!¡± Matty roared as he executed three full-powered shes on Oreg¡¯s Leg while his attention was diverted elsewhere. Unfortunately, even if he managed to get a direct hit, the damage he dished out was only enough to give Oreg some shallow cuts, which was nothing to the Orc Warmonger. Oreg backhanded the Dwarf and sent him flying. Matty crashed on the ground several meters away and rolled a few times beforeing to aplete stop. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and tried to stand up, but his body was still recovering from the shock that it had received from Oreg¡¯s powerful blow. Suddenly, an Orc Berserker who thought that this was a good opportunity to kill someone, lunged towards Matty with its Great Axe held high. ¡°Matty!¡± Colette shouted as she ran in her friend¡¯s direction with the intention to help him. However, she was too far from him. And even if she arrived on time, there was nothing she could do. She didn¡¯t have the ability to deal with an Orc Berserker alone. Just as the Orc Berserker was about to sh the young Dwarf, the Orc Raider, Tanabur, and his Warg, jumped over Matty¡¯s body and collided with the Orc Berserker in mid-air. The sh made the Orc Berserker howl in pain as the Warg bit into its body. Simultaneously, Tanabur¡¯s War Axe cut off the arm that was holding its weapon. A meter away from Matty¡¯s body, the War axey on the ground along the opposing Orc¡¯s arm that was still holding its weapon. This showed how strong the Orc Berserker¡¯s grip was on its weapon. Even after the arm was severed from its body, the hand and the weapon still hadn¡¯t separated. After decapitating the Orc Berserker, Tanabur returned to Matty¡¯s side and grabbed the back of his light-weight armor. Without giving any warning, Tanabur tossed Matty in Lux¡¯s direction before looking for his next opponent. Matty, who was thrown away, was caught by one of Lux¡¯s Skeletal Fighters, and brought to Helen to allow her to heal her friend. ¡°Eiko! Just use Void Arrows and Mana Drain on Oreg!¡± Lux ordered the baby slime that was currently on top of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we can¡¯t blind this bastard!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko obeyed Lux and joined her Papa as they rained Void Arrows at the Orc Warmonger with the intention of blinding him. After two minutes, Eiko¡¯s Void Arrow finally blinded the Orc Warmonger, sending Oreg into a frenzy. He blindly hacked around him in an attempt to deter his enemies. Unfortunately for him, Pazuzu and Diablo had no intention of fighting him in his current state and allowed theirrades to use their range attacks to whittle Oreg¡¯s health away. Ishtar and the Skeleton Grand Archers turned Oreg into a porcupine while using their Skill Poison Arrows. Poison was the best way to kill an opponent with very high HP because the poison damage would always deal a percentage of their maximum HP. The Poison in Oreg¡¯s body grew, until he entered a status known as Badly Poisoned state. Although it was not enough to kill himpletely, it was more than enough to make his life miserable. ¡°Kill!¡± Lux ordered as he grabbed a fist sized rock from his storage ring. Activating his Power Shot Skill, he threw the rock at the blinded and poisoned Orc Warmonger. The Skeleton Grand Archers used their Crippling Volley. Ishtar fired arrow after arrow, aiming for Oreg¡¯s Heart. The moment she seeds, the power of her Heartstriker Bow would be activated. Diablo fired his Bone Spears, while Eiko unleashed a barrage of elemental spells to rapidly bring Oreg¡¯s health down. ¡°Eat DPS Baby!¡± Lux shouted as he threw another rock at Oreg¡¯s motionless body that had taken a defensive stance. Just as the Orc Warmonger¡¯s life was about to hit zero, a sonic boom reverberated in the air. Lux could only look in shock at the two-meter long arrow embedded in Oreg¡¯s forehead, iming thest hit, and ending the Orc Warmonger¡¯s life. The Half-Elf turned around to look in the direction where the arrow came from and saw, Morgazar looking at him with a smug expression on his face. The Orc Hunter even gave Lux a thumbs up, while the red-headed teenager gave him the middle finger. ¡°You f*cking kill stealer!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°What the f*ck bro? U mad?!¡± The Orc Hunter didn¡¯t know what Lux meant with his words, and only thought that the Half-Elf was thanking him for his timely assistance. ¡°No need to thank me!¡± Morgazar shouted. ¡°We are on the same team!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a thank you, You F*cker!¡± ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying, but, thank you?¡± The Orc Hunter then shifted its attention back to the battlefield and rained arrows upon their enemies, leaving the Half-Elf very frustrated with how things turned out in the end. The bodies of the Dwarves glowed, after Oreg was killed, which meant that all of them had gained a level after beating the Mini-Boss of the dungeon. When Oreg¡¯s body turned into particles of light, he dropped a Rank 4 Beast Core, his two War Axes, as well as a ne with a single jagged tooth in it. Eiko didn¡¯t waste time and ate all of the items before hurrying back in Lux¡¯s direction. Now that one of the greatest obstacles blocking their way was dead. Only the Last Boss of the Dungeon remained. Chapter 112 Weaklings Should Know Their Place Barca spat a mouthful of blood after receiving Orobak¡¯s powerful blow, which almost broke his defensive stance. ¡°I see. So that is the armor that belonged to my Grandfather,¡± Barca said as he looked at the ck armor that covered Orobak¡¯s entire body. ¡°The ckrock Legacy Set.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Orobak sneered. ¡°A fitting armor for me, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°The armor is good, but the one wearing it is trash,¡± Barca replied. ¡°If it could only talk, it would have already told you that you are garbage.¡± Orobakughed. ¡°A loser¡¯sst words. Have you had enough? It¡¯s time for you to die, Halfbreed.¡± ¡°Bring it on, Trash!¡± Barca gritted his teeth as he held the handle of his weapon tightly. His short talk with his enemy had given him a brief period of rest in order to regain some of his strength. However, he knew that he was about to reach his limit. The ckrock Legacy Set was an armor that absorbed the power of blood and death from the battlefield. The more dead people there were, the stronger the wearer became. This was how the first Chieftain of the ckrock n rose to greatness. With the power he got, he expanded his n until it became one of the strongest in the Orc Empire. ¡°Die, Mongrel!¡± Orobak roared as he lunged at Barca with his greatsword held high. The Half-Orc channeled all the strength he could gather from his body to meet his blow, but before he was able to unleash his own attack, a Tower Shield mmed at the side of Orobak¡¯s body, pushing him to the side. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s you guys,¡± Barca muttered when he saw Lux and his friends arrive at his side while riding on their Wargs.-. ¡°Sorry to gatecrash on your duel, but someone kill-stealed our Mini-Boss, so I¡¯m still infuriated by it,¡± Lux said as he dismounted from his Warg and summoned it back to his Soul Book. Although he was tempted to fight Orobak while mounted on Jed, he didn¡¯t have the necessary Cavalry Skills to make it effective. If he forced it, Jed would definitely die after getting a direct hit from Orobak. This was something that Lux didn¡¯t want to happen. He chose to just fight normally for this reason, instead of sacrificing his mount to a battle that left no room for error. ¡°An Orc Battle is sacred, and is not a ce for outsiders to intervene,¡± Barca said. ¡°But, I¡¯m fighting against trash, so it¡¯s allowed.¡± ¡°Wow! Double standards much,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Can¡¯t you just say that you can¡¯t beat him and need our help.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re just overthinking things.¡± ¡°Fine. Kill first, talkter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± Barca smirked as he looked at Orobak who had kicked Pazuzu away, turning the Demonic Defender into particles of light. Pazuzu had been fighting non-stop and taking hits for the team. Its health was already low, but Lux still decided to let it do a suicide attack in order to save Barca, and allow them to reach his side. ¡°F*cker!¡± Eiko shouted as she looked at Orobak who had killed Pazuzu. She only heard Lux say these words after Morgazar killed Oreg. She didn¡¯t know what the word meant, but she felt that using it at that moment was appropriate. Although the baby Slime had been scared of the Demonic Defender¡¯s hideous appearance ever since she first saw him, she still treated Pazuzu as someone that belonged to Lux and her family. She held this same mentality for Diablo and Ishtar, both of which were her father¡¯s Named Creatures. In her eyes, they were not ordinary Summons. They were her Big Brothers and Sisters! ¡°Eiko, don¡¯t say bad words,¡± Lux said as he held the magical staff, Harmony, in his hands. ¡°Your Mama will give me an earful if she hears you cursing out loud.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko nodded her head in understanding. This was one of the rare weapons that he had obtained from the Gatcha Ticket that Eriol had given him before his adventures truly began. ¡ª¨C < Harmony > Rarity: Rare (Magic Staff) Requirement: Intelligence 10 ¨C Magic Damage increase by 5% ¨C Able to use the skill Magic Missile (Magic Missile) ¨C Fires five magical darts at the enemies. ¨C Damage is equivalent to the Intelligence Stat of the caster ¡ª¨C Although Lux¡¯s Intelligence Stat was low, this was the only weapon he could use against Orobak. He didn¡¯t dare fight the Orc Chieftain at close range because he believed that he would die instantly if he was hit directly by the Greatsword in his hands. He had also advised Colette and Matty to not approach the Boss Monster, but simply guard Andy, Axel, and Helen, who were capable of firing ranged magical attacks. ¡°Hah! Getting in the way of our duel means that you want to die, right?¡± Orobak red at Lux and his friends with bloodshot eyes as the greatsword in his hands turned crimson. ¡°Rending Strike!¡± Orobak shouted as he shed at the neers with a fury. Five red crescent des flew in their direction, while destroying the ground in front of it, creating five deep fissures as they headed towards their target. ¡°Dodge!¡± Lux shouted before jumping to the side. The Dwarves also did the same. However, Helen was too slow topletely dodge it. In the end, she was forced to cast a barrier in front of her, which immediately shattered after the attack collided with it. ¡°Helen!¡± Lux shouted as the little Dwarf girl was sent flying away by Orobak¡¯s attack. Blood dyed her clothes as she crashed down on the ground. Colette and the others rushed to Helen¡¯s side to check on her condition. Their party¡¯s Cleric was critically injured, and if it weren¡¯t for the defensive artifacts that she was wearing, she might have been instantly killed by the blow she received. Lux, and the others immediately started pouring health Potions over her body, especially on the part where her clothes were dyed red with her blood. Helen was still unconscious, and her face was pale, but her life was no longer in danger. However, it was clear that they could no longer count on her to join the battle against thest boss. ¡°One down,¡± Orobak chuckled. ¡°All of you are next!¡± The Orc Chieftain casually raised his sword to block, an arrow that was aimed at his head. He then looked at the Skeleton Hunter, Ishtar, from afar with a smirk. ¡°Cheap shots won¡¯t work on me,¡± Orobak dered. ¡°Are you now all ready to die?¡± The armor on Orobak¡¯s body glowed crimson as the blood of the in orcs all flew in his direction, dyeing his weapon and armor in a sinister bloody color. ¡°Be careful! As long as there is blood and dead bodies in the surroundings, Orobak¡¯s strength will soar!¡± Barca shouted. Now that all of the Orcs fighting for his side had died, the power he wielded intensified. This was all due to the ability of the ckrock Legacy Armor he was wearing. ¡°Weaklings should know their ce,¡± Orobak spat before stomping his right foot on the ground. That was thest thing he said before he charged forward, with the intention of hacking his enemies to pieces without mercy, with the aim to end this battle for dominion once and for all. Chapter 113 Strength That Knew No Bounds Orobak¡¯s Great Sword was only a meter away from chopping off Lux¡¯s neck when it came to aplete and abrupt stop. The Orc Chieftain roared in anger as his body moved against his will, changing direction and heading towards Diablo, who was seated on top of his Nightmare. ¡®Run!¡¯ Diablo¡¯s single word rang inside Lux¡¯s mind as he looked at his first Named Creature in disbelief. This was the first time that Diablo had said a word, and it told him to run. That single word contained everything that his Named Creature was trying to convey. It made Lux¡¯s body move subconsciously just by how strong the emotions in that single word were. ¡°Everyone, run!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°Tanabur, take Barca and run!¡± The Half-Elf immediately summoned his Warg, Jed, and mounted it while carrying Helen in his arms. Colette and the others did the same, summoning their own mounts and following behind Lux, who was already running towards the entrance of the Stronghold. When Diablo had used Duel [EX] against Orobak, the Skeleton Rider intended for itself to sh with the Orc Chieftain in order to buy some time for the others. This skill would force his target to exchange a blow with him once. It had a range of three hundred meters and a cooldown of one minute, which was a very powerful skill for forcedbat.-. Tanabur grabbed Barca¡¯s arm and forcefully hoisted him on the back of his mount. Baronar and Morgazar also followed behind them and ordered their forces to retreat. Only Lux¡¯s Skeletons, including Ishtar, remained behind as all the Orcs allied with Lux and Barca, rushed out of the stronghold to flee towards the forest. Although it was a disgraceful behavior, the opponent was simply too strong for them to fight right now. As Lux was fleeing, he heard Airon¡¯s pained neighs as he and Diablo were blown away by Orobak¡¯s powerful attack. The Skeleton Rider¡¯s left arm, which was holding a shield, was shattered and his body was on the brink of copse. Airon wasn¡¯t faring any better. ¡°I will not allow any of you to escape!¡± Orobak shouted. ¡°All of you will die here!¡± The Orc Chieftain ignored Diablo and sprinted towards the entrance of the Stronghold, where several skeletons were blocking his path. Orobak didn¡¯t even need to attack them because the Skeletons shattered instantly after trying to stop his ferocious charge. However, when he was only a dozen meters away from the entrance of the stronghold, a pained expression crossed his face as a Steel Bear Trap closed in on his right foot. Another trap sprung on his left, but that didn¡¯t deter the Orc Chieftain from continuing his charge. He activated three more traps, totaling of five, which greatly slowed Orobak¡¯s movement. Ishtar had ced all of her traps near the entrance of the Stronghold as ast ditch effort to stop Orobak from chasing after Lux and the others. Ishtar had taken her Siege Stance and fired a Knockback Arrow, which forcefully forced Orobak to take a few steps back, canceling the momentum of his charge. The Skeleton Hunter continued to fire arrow after arrow at the angered Orc Chieftain, while the Skeleton Grand Archers shot their Crippling Volley, in an effort to assist Ishtar in holding Orobak back. Orobak¡¯s hateful shout reverberated inside the Stronghold as he threw one of the War Axes that was lying on the ground towards Ishtar. The War Axe flew straight and true, instantly shattering the Skeleton Hunter¡¯s body, killing herpletely. Orobak¡¯s rage didn¡¯t stop there as he threw several more War Axes and decimated the Skeleton Grand Archers that were making his life difficult. When thest Skeleton Archer fell, the Orc Chieftain forcefully removed the steel traps from his feet and threw them aside. However, before he could even step out of his stronghold, his body once again moved backwards and a hateful shout escaped his lips. Diablo stood alone because he had already sent Airon back to Lux¡¯s Soul Book to prevent the hard earned Nightmare from dying. The Skeleton Riderughed as his jaws rattled, as if mocking the angered Orc Chieftain, who was rushing towards him with his greatsword ready to swing for the kill. Diablo held his sword with his remaining right hand, as he prepared to parry Orobak¡¯s attack. Both swords collided, and Diablo¡¯s remaining arm shattered due to the strong impact. However, it didn¡¯t back down and used his Leap Skill to jump over the Orc Chieftain¡¯s head before unleashing hisst attack. Using his leg as a weapon, Diablo descended towards Orobak¡¯s head and then activated his skill, Whirlwind sh. ¡°Annoying insect!¡± Orobak shouted as he raised his greatsword and shattered Diablo¡¯s leg, canceling his attack. The skeletal Rider fell on the ground without either of its legs. Orobak roared as he stomped on Diablo¡¯s body, shattering itpletely and killing the Skeleton Rider once and for all. He then gazed at the entrance of the Stronghold where his enemies had escaped. The Orc Chieftain knew that it was already toote to run after them, and decided to look at his surroundings. All of the Orcs under hismand were dead. Their blood still dyed the ground with their color, which was continuously turning into red mist and flying in his direction. It was at this moment when Orobak understood. He might have won the battle, but he had lost the war. He was the reigning Orc Chieftain, but without Orcs to govern, it was only an empty title. Just like his Stronghold that no longer held any living creature inside it. ¡ª Lux and the other Orcs stopped their retreat when they were two miles away from Orobak¡¯s Stronghold. His Skeletons¡¯ sacrifice had given them enough time to escape the one-sided massacre from the second strongest monster that Lux had seen in Elysium. ¡°Let¡¯s make camp here,¡± Lux said after ncing in the direction of Orobak¡¯s Stronghold for a minute. ¡°He will not follow us here.¡± Baronar, Tanabur, and Morgazar nodded their heads. They then ordered their subordinates to make camp, so that all of them could rest. After everyone had settled down, the three Orc Warlords came to find Lux to tell him about an important matter. ¡°Lux, from this point onwards, none of us will make a move to fight against Orobak,¡± Baronar said with a firm expression on his face. ¡°This is between Barca, you guys, and Orobak. Whoever won the final battle, would be our Orc Chieftain.¡± Tanabur, and Morgazar nodded their heads in agreement. They had already done their part, and the final effort muste from Lux¡¯s and Barca¡¯s side. ¡°I understand,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡± After saying what they had to say, the three Orc Warlords left to give Lux some time to think about his next course of action. During Diablo¡¯s final moments, Lux was able to see everything that was happening to his Named Creature. It made him understand just how strong Orobak was. ¡°In the face of absolute strength, all tricks are meaningless, right?¡± Lux muttered as he stared in the distance. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just have to see if he really does have absolute strength.¡± Lux narrowed his eyes as a n formted inside his head. Although the Orc Warlords said that they would not participate in the battle against Orobak, the Half-Elf felt that he could use some loopholes in order to make them help him with a few things, giving them a chance to win against the Orc Chieftain, whose strength knew no bounds. Chapter 114 Tilting The Favor To Their Side Lux was still inside his tent even when the sun had slowly set in the horizon. He had busied himself with drafting out a n in order to win against Orobak with the least casualties possible. After he finished doing that, he then sorted through the items that Eiko had taken from Orobak¡¯s room. The Half-Elf was quite surprised by the goodies she managed to bring back with her. Some of them provided extra stats. All the bone amulets, as well as the tooth amulets, that Eiko had taken with her had stats, which was an unexpected boon to Lux. However, there was just one big problem. ¡°Only Orcs can wear them?¡± Lux scratched his head for the umpteenth time due to the unreasonable requirements that the amulets had. Most of them gave an additional +10 points to a certain stat, which made them quite valuable. Unfortunately, since only Orcs could wear them, Lux¡¯s n to overgear himself was put on hold. ¡®I¡¯ll just let Barca wear them,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®That way, he can increase his stats before the final confrontation. After that, I¡¯ll take them back with me, so I can transmute them all to make an overpowered essory. I knew that my Skill Item Transmutation [EX] woulde in handy.¡± Lux understood the value of this skill, and was quite grateful to have it. The only reason he hadn¡¯t managed to abuse it was due to hisck of resources, as well asck of equipment that had stats, or abilities that he could transfer. ¡°Now, time to open this wooden chest,¡± Lux muttered as he opened the wooden chest that Eiko had taken with her as well. ¡°I wonder what is inside.¡±-. The first thing that Lux took out from the wooden crate was a dagger. It looked very crude, and yet its simplicity held a certain charm of its own. Lux used the Elysium Compendium that had merged with his Soul Book to appraise it and his jaw almost dropped after reading its information. ¡ª¨C < Beloved¡¯s Memento > Rarity: Mythical ¨C This crude dagger once belonged to Barca¡¯s Mother. Due to her sacrifice, some of her stats were transferred to this dagger at the moment of her death. Requirement: The effect of this dagger will only activate if it is equipped by the Half-Orc, Barca. +50 to all Stats ¡ª- ¡°T-This!¡± Lux couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. A mythical dagger that could increase the wearer¡¯s stats by 50 points was something that you didn¡¯t see everyday. Unfortunately, this was a weapon that was exclusively for Barca, which made Lux¡¯s teeth ache. Setting the dagger to the side, Lux then unfurled one of the scrolls inside the wooden crate. ¡°A single-use magic scroll,¡± Lux muttered as he looked at the scroll in his hand. ¡°Not bad. I can use this.¡± Single-use magic scrolls were scrolls that allowed anyone to activate the Spell that was inscribed on it. They could be thought of as hand grenades or other simr consumables that could be used to deal great damage to one¡¯s enemies. Lux checked the scrolls one by one and was pleasantly surprised to see five Rank 3 Fire st Spells that could be used to deal great damage to an enemy. After setting the scrolls aside, Lux then picked up one of the gems that was inside the crate. They were just ordinary gems, which could be sold for a decent price to merchants. After making sure that all of the gems had nothing special about them, Lux then opened the ornate wooden box that he had saved forst. Inside it was a Medallion. Upon closer inspection, Lux could tell that this item didn¡¯t belong to the Orcs. The Medallion was well-crafted making it impossible for the Orcs to produce such a thing. After using appraisal, the Orc Medallion¡¯s origin came to light. ¡ª¨C Avetia Kingdom¡¯s Elite Cavalry Medallion. Rarity: Mythical Requirement: Only for Professions that specialize in mountedbat. ¨C When wielding a spear, you will be able to use the skill Hero¡¯s Charge. +20 to All Stats for any sses that allows you to fight while mounted on a beast. +10% increase to mobility, and physical attack. +100 to Physical Attack. < Hero¡¯s Charge > ¨C A full powered charge attack that deals 300% of your overall physical damage to your target. Can only be used when mounted on a beast. ¨C If your enemy is bigger than you, it deals an additional 100% damage to your target. Can only be used when mounted on a beast. ¡ª¡ª ¡®This one is better. At least, Diablo can use it,¡¯ Lux thought as he stared at the Medallion with a smile. The Half-Elf immediately equipped the Medallion to Diablo, making his Named Creature stronger than it ever was before. Now that everything had been sorted out, Lux left the tent and started looking for Tanabur¡¯s men. Since the sun was no longer up, it was now time to execute his n. Barca was still recovering from his injuries, and ording to Baronar, it would still take him a day to fully recover. Lux thought that this was fine since he was still in the process of executing his n. After looking for the Orc Warlord, thetter looked at Lux weirdly before reluctantly nodding his head. Half an hourter, Lux, alongside a hundred Orc Riders, rode towards the Stronghold where the Orc Chieftain was. Their n was not to fight him, but to create a battlefield that would tilt the favor to their side. Although Lux didn¡¯t know whether his n would work or not, it was still better than doing nothing at all. They only had one enemy remaining before he and his friends could clear the dungeon and go home. Since that was the case, he needed to put a lot of effort in order to make sure that all of them would be able to clear the dungeon, while making sure that their heads would remain attached to their bodies after fighting the Orc Chieftain onest time. Chapter 115 I Will Now Teach You How Weaklings Fight! [Part 1] It was already past midnight, and the surroundings were dark. There were neither stars nor moon in the sky to give light to thend. The torches that burned around the Stronghold were the only light source inside the Orc Encampment. Orobak stood in the center of the stronghold. The bodies of his warriors stilly on the ground around him. Since Lux and his partymates weren¡¯t the ones that had fought them, their bodies didn¡¯t disappear and turn into particles of light. This gave Orobak the opportunity to use their corpses to strengthen himself, and get an edge over Barca. Lux knew that Orobak wouldn¡¯t leave the Stronghold because the Orc chieftain couldn¡¯t lose his advantage. Since that was the case, the Half-Elf had no other choice but to¡­ annoy the sh*t out of the Orc Chieftain! Arrows rained from the sky from outside of the Stronghold, which forced the Orc Chieftain to use his weapons to block it. It was at this moment when the whistling sound of the wind reached Orobak¡¯s ears, and he immediately turned around to use his great sword to block the arrow that was aimed at his side. The force of the arrow made the Orc Chieftain take a few steps back, which made him frown. ¡°It¡¯s you again,¡± Orobak red at Ishtar, who was currently riding standing on top of Pazuzu¡¯s Tower Shield, while thetter hovered in the air. The Skeleton Hunter had taken her shield stance and was firing arrow after arrow. Poison Arrow, Piercing Arrows, Knockback Arrows, Frostfire Arrows, Stun Arrows¡ªall kinds of arrows in Ishtar¡¯s arsenal were all fired in the Orc Chieftain¡¯s direction without fail. Aside from Ishtar, the Skeleton Grand Archers were also firing arrows, but they didn¡¯t care whether they hit Orobak or not because they couldn¡¯t see him.-. The Orc Archers were doing the same. Lux had ordered them to just ¡°shoot their arrows inside the Stronghold, without caring if they hit anything or not. Although the order was weird, the Orc Archers obeyed Lux. When Morgazar first heard of it, he even scratched his head, confused with the n that Lux had thought up. Since he specifically told the Half-Elf that they would not assist him in fighting against Orobak, thetter only told them that he didn¡¯t need their help to attack the Orc Chieftain. What Lux ordered them to do was this. Just shoot inside the stronghold. It didn¡¯t matter where the arrowsnded, all they had to do was make sure itnded inside the Orc Stronghold. It was a weird order, but since they weren¡¯t directly attacking Orobak, Morgazar thought that the order was valid. And so, a rain of arrows that didn¡¯t seem to have any designated target fell randomly inside the Stronghold, making it look like it was under siege. While Orobak was dealing with Ishtar¡¯s and the rain of arrows that were falling above his head, he noticed several Skeleton Fighters, as well as the Skeleton Rider he fought a few hours ago, stabbing the bodies of the Orcs that had fallen. Lux had tasked his minions to steal any Beast Cores that they could find, while Orobak was under siege by his enemies. Eiko had also sneakily infiltrated the Orc Stronghold from the rear when the siege started. She then summoned her Skeleton Fighters, and Skeleton Grand Archers, and gave them specific roles. The Skeleton Fighters were to gather Beast Cores, while the Skeleton Grand Archers were to aim at Orobak using their poison arrows in order to whittle away his health. Naturally, the Orc Chieftain didn¡¯t stand idly and threw any weapon that he could find at the Skeleton Grand Archers that were aiming at him from a distance, killing them instantly. ¡°Ei! Ei! Ei!¡± Eiko continuously re-summoned the Skeletons that were destroyed, until her mana was almost depleted. Orobak was annoyed by the hit and run tactics that were being used against him, and roared in anger. He had finally understood that Ishtar, and the rain of arrows that were falling above his head were merely distractions. However, he realized it a bitte. Diablo and his subordinates had already collected dozens of Beast Cores from the corpses along the outskirts of the Stronghold. Surprisingly, each time they took a Beast Core from the bodies of the Orcs, they would turn into particles of light, their bodies, along with their blood, disappearingpletely. This was an unexpected discovery that made Lux extremely happy. ¡®Perhaps this is a loophole in the dungeon that would help the challengers cope with Orobak¡¯s unreasonable advantage.¡¯ That was what Lux thought after the first Orc Warrior disappeared after the Beast Core was taken out of its body. After finding out that the opposing side¡¯s main goal was to only make him passively defend from ranged attacks, Orobak roared in anger and charged towards Diablo and the Skeleton Fighters. Naturally, Diablo and the others made a run for it, while Eiko¡¯s Skeleton Fighters, who were in the rear, sped up their Beast Core collection, while the Orc was chasing theirrades. This was a pincer attack that Lux had devised in order to steal power right out from under Orobak¡¯s nose. Now that Orobak had changed his strategy, Ishtar was able tond a few hits on the Orc¡¯s body since he had decided to just focus on killing the thieving Skeletons first, instead of worrying about the Orc Hunter that was shooting at him from the sky. The game of cat and mouse continued until more than half of the orcs inside the stronghold had vanishedpletely, making Orobak unable to think of what to do next. ¡°Weaklings!¡± Orobak shouted when he exited the Stronghold and saw Lux, as well as Barca, standing hundreds of meters away from him, surrounded by torch lights. It was as if they were making sure that the Orc Chieftain spotted them no matter what, and their n had worked just as they envisioned. ¡°Do you dare to fight me in a duel?!¡± Orobak roared in challenge. ¡°Hell no!¡± Lux shouted in reply. ¡°If you want to fight,e here!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Come at me, bro!¡± Lux spread his arms wide and taunted Orobak, who was ring in his direction. The Orc Chieftain took out a small throwing knife and hurled it towards the Half-Elf with all the strength it could muster. Unfortunately, Barca just casually deflected it to the side, and sneered at his adversary. Although Orobak was currently stronger than him, a throwing axe didn¡¯t pose a threat to him. ¡°Barca, you coward!¡± Orobak roared. ¡°Fight me!¡± ¡°If you want to fight,e!¡± Barca pointed his greatsword at his opponent. ¡°I am here! Fight me!¡± Orobak fought an internal struggle inside his head. If he fought Barca outside the Stronghold, his advantage would diminish making his strength almost at par with him. Even though he knew that he was stronger than the Half-Orc, he was now alone without any warriors under hismand. ¡®I just need to defeat him, and the other Orcs will once again swear their allegiance to me,¡¯ Orobak thought as he looked back inside the stronghold where the Skeleton Fighters were still busy looting the bodies of his subordinates, making them fade into particles of light. ¡®The effect of the armorsts for half an hour. If I can kill him before then, it is my win!¡¯ Orobak no longer hesitated as he ran towards Barca who had readied himself in a fighting stance. Orobak¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot as he thought about all of his subordinates who had died due to the Half-Orc¡¯s Rebellion. He had no intention of sparing Barca¡¯s life, and would do the same to the Half-Elf who was in cahoots with him. However, when he was only a dozen meters away from the duo, the ground under his feet gave way and Orobak found himself falling into a muddy pit that Lux had prepared for him beforehand. ¡°You call us weaklings, right?¡± Lux asked with a sneer. ¡°Well, sorry for being a weakling. I will now teach you how weaklings fight.¡± Chapter 116 I Will Now Teach You How Weaklings Fight! [Part 2] ¡°Y-You!¡± Orobak could only re at the Half-Elf even after he realized that he had fallen into a trap. ¡°You tricked me!¡± Due to his single-minded aim of killing Barca and the Half-Elf in front of him and the dim surroundings, he didn¡¯t pay too much attention to the ground nor did he notice what was happening around him. When he fell in the muddy hole, only then did he understand that this was the real goal his enemies were aiming for. ¡°Dirty Half-Breeds!¡± Orobak shouted in anger as he felt his body slowly sinking into the ground. ¡°Do you think that this can stop me?!¡± Right now, the Orc Chieftain¡¯s body was buried only up to his knees. Although he was caught by surprise, the situation wasn¡¯t unsalvageable. Orobak nned to use his superior strength to propel himself up from the quicksand, using a skill simr to Diablo¡¯s leap. However, before he could even do that, an arrow pierced the top of his head, canceling his attempt, and pushing him further down into the quicksand. Lux sneered. The quicksand trap was something he had prepared with the help of his Trap Specialist, Ishtar, who made sure it was almost wless, and the Orc Riders, who spent the majority of the night digging the swimming-pool-sized pit that he had designed for the Orc Chieftain. As someone who specializes in cing traps, Ishtar taught Lux how to calcte the right mixture of soil and water in order to create a quicksand that was strong enough to hold someone like Orobak. After his failed attempt, Orobak¡¯s body was now waist-deep inside the quicksand. The stupid Orc continued to struggle, which only made the quicksand that was holding his body in ce more potent. Lux chuckled as he summoned Diablo in front of him.-. The Skeletal Rider¡¯s burning, golden eyes looked at the Orc Chieftain as he gave a rattlingughter, as if to mock Orobak for his arrogance. Suddenly, Diablo jumped into the quicksand as well, allowing the sand to slowly pull him into its deathly embrace. In desperation, Orobak was about to use ast ditch effort to use everything he had to break free from the quicksand that bound his body. However, just as he was about to enact his n, his body instantly froze as he looked at the Skeleton Rider that had joined him in the muddy, and deadly, prison that had entrapped him. With one hand pointing at Orobak, Diablo activated his skill, Duel [EX], which forced the Orc Chieftain to exchange a single blow with him. A frustrated roar of anger escaped Orobak¡¯s lips as his body started to reach out to Diablo regardless of his will. Diablo¡¯s body was now chest-deep inside the quicksand, but since he was already dead, he had nothing to fear. The Skeleton Rider gave Orobak the middle finger as it slowly sank without resistance into the quicksand. Ishtar, who was right above Orobak¡¯s head, shot another knockback arrow, hitting Orobak¡¯s head, like a nail getting hit by a hammer. The Orc Chieftain¡¯s body was once again pushed down until it was chest-deep in the quicksand. ¡°I regret not killing you when you were a child!¡± Orobak shouted. ¡°You are no Orc! You¡¯re just a filthy Half-Blood!¡± Barca didn¡¯t reply because he, too, knew that what was happening right now wasn¡¯t the warrior¡¯s way. It wasn¡¯t how Orcs did battle. The Orc Warlords, as well as their subordinates gathered around the quicksand and looked at their former Orc Chieftain withplicated expressions on their faces. For them, the battle for Dominion was supposed to be a battle between two strong warriors. Only the strongest among them would be recognized as their leader. That was the way of the Orcs. Even now, they hadn¡¯t fully recognized Barca as their Chieftain. They only became his subordinates because he had bested them in battle. However, that was that, and this was this. A battle between the Orc Chieftain and his challenger should have been the highlight of this battle, but what did they see? Their strongest Warrior, dying because of a trick! As Barca, the Orc Warlords, and the other Orcs felt theseplicated feelings in their heart, they heard Lux¡¯s voice that brought them out of their daze. ¡°Who is stronger?¡± Lux asked. ¡°A Human or an Orc?¡± ¡°An Orc!¡± Orobak shouted. ¡°Orcs are the strongest! We fight with honor! And through battle, we show our mettle! We are the strongest!¡± Now that he could no longer find a way to escape his fate, he wanted to make the Orcs understand that Barca wasn¡¯t the leader that they were looking for. He wasn¡¯t suitable to be the next Orc Chieftain! The Orcs also shouted their war cries because theypletely agreed with their former Chieftain. Some of them were even eyeing Lux and Barca with hateful gazes. A hate that was slowly taking hold of their allegiance. ¡°It is true, Orcs are stronger than humans,¡± Lux replied. His reply was unexpected and the Half-Orc who was standing beside him closed his eyes because he, too, understood this as the truth. ¡°But, what of it?¡± Lux chuckled. ¡°Orcs are stronger than Humans, but which side prevailed over the years? Who was it that popted this world and held vast swaths of fertilends? Was it Orcs? Of course not. It is because strength alone is not enough for Dominion.¡± Lux¡¯s mocking words grated every Orc¡¯s ears, making them want to shout and refute him. But before they could say anything, the Half-Elf¡¯s next words made them shut up. ¡°Humans are weak, this is true, but because of this weakness, they learned to adapt,¡± Lux stated. ¡°Humans are weaker than Orcs, who can crush rocks with their bare hands, but Humans don¡¯t need to crush rocks. They used it as their weapon instead. Stone spears, stone axes, stone clubs, anything that they could use to survive, Humans used it all.¡± ¡°Whenever they fight strong opponents, they don¡¯t fight them alone. They fight them in numbers. If numbers don¡¯t work, they retreat, and fight again another day. Over the years, mankind has evolved. Since they live short lives, they made their lives meaningful by passing their knowledge to the next generation, so that they in turn could continue to develop and strengthen themselves.¡± ¡°The fact that Human Empires and Kingdoms exist to this day is proof of Humanity¡¯s strength. Tell me, Orcs of the ckrock n, if Humans are as weak as you proim them to be then why is your former chieftain dying right now?¡± Lux¡¯s question was filled with ridicule that stung the Orcs¡¯ ears, making them answer him with hatred. ¡°Because you used dirty tricks!¡± one of the Orc Archers shouted. ¡°If you fought in battle, you are the one who would have been dead by now.¡± ¡°All is fair in love and war,¡± Lux replied. ¡°The problem with you Orcs, is that your race is all brawns and no brains. Didn¡¯t you learn anything from this battle? Didn¡¯t you learn anything from him?¡± Lux pointed at Orobak, whose head was the only thing that remained above the muddy waters. ¡°That will be your n¡¯s fate when you fight against Humans,¡± Lux stated. ¡°I am only Half-Human and I am already this devious. How much more devious could I be if I were fully Human? Wouldn¡¯t he have died without knowing how he died?¡± Lux gave the Orcs an arrogant gaze that made them gnash their teeth in anger. ¡°All of you are lucky.¡± Lux snorted as he patted the Half-Orc beside him. ¡°Here is a Half-Orc. He has both brains and brawn. A Chieftain who is not only strong, but is smart as well.¡± ¡°You are the one that devised this n. You are the smart one,¡± Barca replied. ¡°No. You are smart,¡± Luxmented. ¡°The fact that you asked me to help you gain Dominion is proof of how smart you are. If you didn¡¯t ask for my help, none of this would have happened.¡± Lux made a gesture and waved his hand to epass all the Orc Warriors that had fought for their side. ¡°A good ruler must choose a good general to fight for him,¡± Lux said. ¡°I fought for you, and this is the result. This is now your Dominion.¡± Orobak red hatefully at the Half-Elf until his body waspletely swallowed up by the quicksand. To kill a Rank 5 Alpha Monster using this method would not work every time. Lux just used the terrain of the Dungeon to his advantage, as well as Orobak¡¯s desire to kill Barca, which led him to disregard the possibility that he was being led to a trap. Since ancient times, Humanity used simr methods in order to fight and kill the stronger beasts that threatened their lives. What Lux did was simply one of the many tried and true methods that ensured his and his friends¡¯ survival. Lux could see through his Elysium Compendium that Orobak¡¯s health was starting to decrease at a rapid pace. Soon, the Final Boss¡¯ health went down to zero, signaling that he had died. As if waiting for that moment, Colette, Matty, Andy, Axel, and Helen¡¯s body all glowed brightly like stars in the night sky. They had all leveled up a consecutive number of times after getting the massive experience points that the Final Boss had given them. Although they didn¡¯t fight Orobak, Lux was part of their party. Since the Half-Elf¡¯s Summon fought in his ce, they gained the experience points that were also meant for him. Chapter 117 So, Are You Ready To Rumble? Lux thought that after the Orc Chieftain was dead, the Hidden Quest would be finallypleted. However, contrary to his expectations, the quest wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡ª¨C Hidden Quest: I Wish For Dominion Bonus Rewards will be calcted depending on the choices you make in this mission. ¡ª¨C < Kill the Four Orc Warlords > +500 Riders of Norria Reputation Points ¨C Gain one random Pseudo-Mythical weapon, armor, or artifact, that belonged to each of the Warlords that you have in. ¨C Gain the Orc yer Title ( Orc yer Title ) ¨C Increase damage to all Orcs by 20% ¨C Orcs will feel threatened by your presence ¡ª- < Negotiate with the Orc Warlords > (Completed) +1000 Riders of Norria Reputation Points +200 Kingdom of Gweliven Reputation Points (Exclusive to Kingdom of Gweliven)-. +200 Gold Coins ¨C Gain Negotiator Title ( Negotiator Title ) ¨C When dealing with Nobles or Royalty, your chances of closing a sessful deal is increased by 10% ¡ª¡ª < Final Mission > Make the ckrock n recognize Barca as their new Orc Chieftain! ¨C The Orcs are dissatisfied with the oue of the battle. Because of this, they do not approve of Barca as their new leader. ¨C Find a way to convince the Orcs to recognize Barca as their new leader! Rewards: ??? ¡ª¨C ¡®This might be a bit troublesome,¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the final mission that he needed to clear in order toplete the mission. He could see the dissatisfaction in the eyes of the Orcs. Even Tanabur looked at Lux and Barca with a dissatisfied look. Only Baronar and Morgazar remained unfazed with the result of the battle. ¡°Who among you do not approve of the method I used to kill your Orc Chieftain?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Raise your hands!¡± More than a third of the Orcs raised their hands, including Tanabur who made his stance known. ¡°So, you wish for an honorable battle, is that it?¡± Lux inquired. ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± Lux knew that there was nothing else he could do but go with the flow. Since it was a duel they wanted, a duel they would get. ¡°Very well, I will ept your challenge,¡± Lux said in an arrogant manner. ¡°Since Barca defeated the Orc Warlords in a duel, this meant that all of you approve of his strength, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Baronar replied. ¡°It was Ishstar who defeated me, but since you are her Master, I approve of you as the victor of our duel,¡± Morgazar replied. ¡°I recognize Barca, but I don¡¯t recognize you,¡± Tanabur replied. ¡°Okay, since all of you already recognize Barca and had fought with him, it is time for the subordinates to fight,¡± Lux dered. ¡°Anyone who wishes to challenge me, with the exception of Barca, and the Orc Warlords, feel free to step forward. I will fight you with everything I have, one-on-one!¡± Some of the orcs were itching to ept the challenge. In fact, some of them were already about to dere their intent to fight. ¡°I will fight you!¡± an Orc Rider shouted and his mount stepped forward before growling at Lux. ¡°Fine,¡± Lux replied. The Half-Elf then summoned all of his minions. Eiko also summoned her skeletons as well. Since she was Lux¡¯s daughter, and Beast Companion, her summons were also part of Lux¡¯s strength. Even Baronar, who also had spirit summons, had to cover his face out of embarrassment due to the Half-Elf¡¯s shamelessness. The corner of the lips of the Orcs twitched after seeing Lux¡¯s shameful disy of power. ¡°Bro, what happened to the one-on-one battle you promised?¡± The Orc Rider felt his courage failed him after seeing the lineup that he was about to fight. ¡°This is not one-on-one.¡± ¡°I am a Necromancer. This is how I fight,¡± Lux scoffed in disdain. ¡°If you have someone to me, me yourself for being weak.¡± Pazuzu and Ishtar alsonded on the ground and stood by his side. The Skeleton Hunter drew her bow, while the Demonic Defender tapped his Tower Shield with his mace, making known his intent to fight. One Overpowered Baby Slime One Skeletal Rider One Skeleton Hunter One Demonic Defender Fourteen Skeleton Fighters Sixteen Skeleton Grand Archers This was the lineup on Lux¡¯s disposal, which made the Orcs who saw this feel their liver itch. With just a nce, any Orc, even if they weren¡¯t smart, could understand that this was not a battle that they could win. ¡®Fools! Aside from Barca, and the Orc Warlords, none of you are my match!¡¯ Luxughed in his heart. ¡°So, are you ready to rumble?¡± Lux gave the Orc Warrior a devilish smile as he stepped forward. Eiko, who was on top of Lux¡¯s head, was also pumped up for a battle. As a battle junky, and with great numbers on her side, the baby Slime was fearless, knowing that they were at a great advantage. If only Iris knew that her baby daughter was bing as shameless as her Papa, she would definitely take her back to the Barbatos Academy and raise her herself. ¡°I-I concede,¡± the Orc Rider had no choice but to concede over the hopeless fight that was waiting for him. Lux nodded his head. ¡°Anyone else?!¡± None of the Orcs dared to step forward because they knew that it was impossible to win against Lux and his minions. ¡°Fight me!¡± Tanabur shouted. He was greatly dissatisfied with what was happening so he made his voice known. ¡°If you win, I will convince everyone to recognize Barca as our new Chieftain! What do you say?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lux answered in a heartbeat. ¡°You¡¯re very brave, Tanabur. Because of your bravery, I will only designate Diablo and Pazuzu as my representatives. If you beat them then I will no longer interfere with the affairs of the ckrock n. You are free to choose among yourselves who will be the next Orc Chieftain.¡± Tanabur, who had already prepared himself to fight Lux and all of his summons in a battle, looked at the Half-Elf suspiciously. As a Rank 4 Alpha Monster, he knew that all he needed to do was defeat Lux, and all of his summons would be rendered useless. However, instead of fighting him, the Half-Elf designated two representatives to fight in his stead. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Tanabur asked with suspicion. ¡°If I defeat them, you will no longer meddle in our affairs?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Lux answered. ¡°This will be a no-holds barred battle. Anything is allowed. You can even fight with your mount. Everyone can use any method in order to win. Do you ept these conditions?¡± ¡°I ept!¡± Tanabur dered. ¡°I, Tanabur, ept this challenge! All of you bear witness to this battle. Any method is allowed. Only the result is important!¡± The Orcs raised their weapons and shouted their war cries. Baronar and Morgazar covered their faces with the palm of their hands. Both of them were few of the smarter ones among the Orcs, and they already understood what the Half-Elf was nning to do. ¡°This fool was led by the nose,¡± Baronar muttered in embarrassment. Morgazar nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Maybe we really do need a bit of humanity to ovee the stupidness of our race.¡± Barca also realized what Lux was nning to do and shook his head helplessly. He vowed that after this duel ended, he would ensure that the Orcs learned some strategies from Humans so they would not be hoodwinked by words and other types of provocation. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Lux asked. ¡°I was born ready!¡± Tanabur replied. Diablo and Pazuzu had already taken a fighting stance, and Tanabur and his Warg did the same. ¡°At the count of three!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°One, Two, Three, Fight!¡± Tanabur¡¯s Warg lunged forward in order to attack the two monsters in front of him. He was quite confident of his strength, and didn¡¯t think much of Lux¡¯s two Summons who were two ranks below him. The moment Lux gave the signal to fight, Diablo who was mounted on his Nightmare turned around and ran away from Tanabur and his Warg. Pazuzu activated his Shield Wall and used his Mad Rush to m his shield against the Orc Rider¡¯s body, sending him skidding on the ground. ¡°Petty tricks!¡± Tanabur shouted as he exerted his Rank 4 Alpha Monster strength to slowly push back the Demonic Protector that was keeping him at bay. Due to the big, blue, Tower Shield that was blocking his vision, he was unaware of what was happening in front of him. Suddenly, Tanabur activated his Cavalry Skill, Wild Charge, and pushed Pazuzu back. The Demonic Defender held on for as long as he could, but his enemy was simply too strong for him even if he had already used his two trump cards. Even so, Pazuzu didn¡¯t back down and continued to hold his ground. Only when his Shield Wall was about to end did the Demonic Defender fly high up, allowing Tanabur and his Warg to continue charging forward. However, when the Orc Raider saw what was waiting for him, his face immediately became pale as Diablo¡¯s middle finger pointed in his direction. Duel [EX] The Orc Raider, and his Warg looked on in horror as both of them were forced to run in the direction of the QuickSand that had killed their former Orc Chieftain, Orobak. ¡°This isn¡¯t part of the deal!¡± Tanabur¡¯s horrified shout spread across the battlefield as his mount neared the deadly pit that would definitely im their lives. ¡°This is an anything goes battle,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Any method is allowed. Only the result is important.¡± ¡°Damn you, Half-Elf!¡± Those were thest words that Tanabur shouted before he, and his Warg, fell into the deadly QuickSand that sealed their fate. Chapter 118 Orc Dominion Hidden Mode Cleared! Tanabur sat while hugging his knees while he stared off in the distance. He had just been saved by his men, who tried to pull him out of the quicksand, due to his incessant shouting of ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Lux didn¡¯t make a move to stop them and simply chuckled at the scene. When the Orc Warlord had been saved, Lux then addressed the other Orcs and gave them a speech. ¡°Strength alone doesn¡¯t win battles,¡± he said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t always rely on strength, but strategy as well. This is why having Barca as your next chieftain will allow the ckrock n to grow because he is a Half-Orc. He had the strength of an Orc and the scheming mind of a Human.¡± Barca, who was standing beside Lux, had a calm expression on his face, while he endured the b*llsh*t that the Half-Elf was saying. He knew that the red-headed teenager was doing his best to convince the Orcs to make him their Chieftain even though he was only a Half-Orc. Lux, who was like a salesman who was trying to sell a product to the Orcs, told them the importance of having a flexible leader to supervise their n. In the end, he heard a series of notifications inside his head, confirming that he had seeded in the mission. Once again, the bodies of the Dwarves glowed, as their levels increased once again, making Colette and the others very happy. All of them had now be Apostles, and had finally graduated from the Beginner¡¯s Zone. However, after realizing this fact, the happiness they were feeling disappeared as they stared at the Half-Elf that was looking at them with a smile. ¡°B-Big Brother¡­,¡± Colette said with teary eyes. Lux didn¡¯t answer and simply patted her head. ¡°Silly girl. Don¡¯t think of anything else. After we return to the Leaf Vige, let¡¯s all perform your graduation ceremony. You still haven¡¯t beaten the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, nor have you reced your sister¡¯s name in the Bronze Crypt. There are still plenty of things to do before you move out of Leaf Vige.¡± ¡°¡­ Un.¡± Colette nodded her head as she hugged Lux¡¯s body. Soon, the Half-Elf found himself being hugged by all the Dwarf children, with the exception of Matty, who was just standing a meter away from Colette. He was looking at Lux with aplicated look on her face before raising his fist at him. A tsundere through and through. Lux smiled because he understood the gesture. The Half-Elf raised his own fist and bumped it against the Simp Dwarf¡¯s fist since the boy refused to give him a hug. While everyone was having a group hug, Barca had finished his talk with the Orc Warlords and went to seek out Lux to talk to him about his rewards.-. ¡°Please, follow me inside the Stronghold,¡± Barca said. ¡°I will now give you the rewards for helping me in my quest.¡± ¡°Rewards?¡± Lux blinked. He had received several rewards afterpleting the mission, and thought that he would no longer get anything from the dungeon. However, Barca¡¯s words piqued his interest. ¡°Okay,¡± Lux replied as he, and the Dwarf children followed the Half-Orc back inside the stronghold. After walking for several minutes, they stopped beside what seemed to be an Altar that was used to worship the Orc God, who gave blessings to the Orcs. ¡°Go to the altar one by one,¡± Barca stated. ¡°Your rewards will appear based on the contributions that you have made for the sake of our n.¡± Lux nodded as he lightly tapped Colette¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You go first. I intend to gost.¡± Colette nodded her head as she climbed the short stairs leading to the altar. When she arrived at the ce where the offerings were ced, a golden light descended from the Heavens and hit the altar. A momentter, a golden treasure chest appeared on top of it. Colette looked at it with a determined gaze before opening it with both hands. Inside the treasure box, a mace and a shield could be seen. Although she didn¡¯t have Lux¡¯s ability to appraise items, Colette¡¯s instincts were telling her that both of the items were Mythical Equipment, which made her eyes widen in shock. The Dwarf girl happily took the items and ran back to show her Big Brother, and her friends the item that she received from the treasure box. All of them were surprised, and even Lux couldn¡¯t help but whistle after seeing the items that Colette received as her reward. ¡°Mythical Items,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°The rewards sure are generous.¡± Matty was the second one to go to the altar, and he received a pair of Mythical Shortswords. Helen, Andy, and Axel, all received Mythical Staffs that corresponded to their elemental affinities, which made them extremely happy. When it was Lux¡¯s turn to stand in front of the Altar, two golden chests appeared in front of him. One big, one small. The Half-Elf tried to open the small golden chest first, but its lid didn¡¯t budge. Eiko got curious and decided to give it a try. As soon as the baby slime jumped over the lid of the box, it slowly opened, and a golden mist flew out of it and merged with Eiko¡¯s body. At first, Lux panicked because he thought that it was something harmful. However, after seeing the series of text that appeared in front of him, his worry disappeared and was reced by a look of disbelief. ¡ª- < Eiko¡¯s Reward > ¨C Three Rank Up This baby Slime performed exceptionally during this mission and the reward fitting for her is a Rank Up. However, a single one was not enough, so she will receive three Rank Ups instead. ¡ª- ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Lux said softly as a wide grin appeared on his face. ¡°You did well, Eiko.¡± The Half-Elf lightly patted Eiko¡¯s head as he praised her for doing a good job. ¡°Pa!¡± The baby Slime giggled before crawling up Lux¡¯s arm, until she was back on top of his head with a smile on her face. Eiko¡¯s Monster Rating was E, and the resources needed to increase her rank gave Lux a headache. However, this unexpected reward would immediately raise her rank to D+, saving the Half-Elf the trouble of collecting a scary amount of Beast Cores to make Eiko stronger. After calming his heart, he then ced both of his hands on the big treasure chest in front of him. The chest was bigger than the others, which proved that Lux had yed a crucial role in thepletion of the mission. After opening the treasure chest, Lux¡¯s eyes widened in shock when he saw something that was very familiar to him. ¡ª¨C ckrock Legacy Armor (Set) Rating: Pseudo Legendary Requirements: 100 to all stats The Legendary Armor of the ckrock n¡¯s first Orc Chieftain. +50 to all stats +400 to Defense 30% decrease in physical and magical damage ¨C This Armor is bound to Lux Von Ainsworth ¨C Any creature under Lux¡¯s Von Ainsworth¡¯smand is capable of equipping this armor. Active Skills: Warlord¡¯s War Cry Passive Skills: Warlord¡¯s Presence, Bloody Fervor, Auto-Fit, Indestructible. ¡ª¨C < Warlord¡¯s Warcry > ¨C Increase the Physical and Magical Damage of all allied creatures by 200 Points. < Warlord¡¯s Presence > Your presence in the battlefield inspires your allies and makes them do well in battle. ¨C 10% Increase to Physical and Magical attack to the Warlord and its allies. < Bloody Fervor > Your physical and defensive abilities increase with each in creature in the battlefield. ¨C For every in creature in the battlefield, your attack and defense points will increase by five. ¡ª¨C ¡®Oh¡­ my¡­ Goddess!¡¯ Lux almost roared inughter after seeing the stats of the Pseudo-Legendary Armor in his possession. A few hours ago, he had cursed at how unreasonable Orobak¡¯s armor was. However, that same armor was now in his possession! How could Lux not be happy with this sudden turn of events? In truth, Lux was already very satisfied with the amazing rewards that he had received from thepletion of the hidden quest. but the ckrock Legacy Armor set was simply so amazing that he couldn¡¯t stop smiling. ¡ª¨C Nevreal and the Dwarves guarding the entrance of the Dungeon were getting anxious. There was not a single news about Lux and his friends. They had already waited several days, but they still hadn¡¯t returned. Suddenly, a notification was heard all over the Stronghold of Norria, as well as its surrounding territories. ¡ª¨C Norria Territory Announcement: The Orc Dominion Hidden Mode has been cleared! Six Brave Heroes have cleared the Quest of Dominion! ¨C Sess Rate of cksmithing within the territory of Norria will be increased by 10% for two years! ¨C Sess Rate of Alchemy within the territory of Norria will be increased by 10% for two years! ¨C Sess Rate of Crafting within the territory of Norria will be increased by 10% for two years! ¨C All Riders of Norria will receive a temporary buff of 30% increase to attack and defense when protecting their territory for two years! ¨C All Vige Guards and Defenders will receive a temporary buff of 30% increase to attack and defense when protecting their vige for two years! ¡ª- The Dwarves guarding the gate felt a refreshing breeze wash over their bodies, followed by a surge of strength which made them gasp in shock. ¡°T-This is like a buff I received from the Oracle back in the Kingdom¡¯s Capital when I was assigned to be one of her guards!¡± The Guard Captain looked at his hands in surprise because it was the same feeling that he felt back then, while he guarded one of the VIP¡¯s of their Kingdom. Nevreal was about to ask the Guard Captain if he was feeling anything else, when a sh of light appeared behind him. All the Dwarves turned their heads to look at the Half-Elf and his friends, who appeared in the spawning area for those that had just left the Dungeon. ¡°Finally, we¡¯re back,¡± Lux said as he stretched his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s all get something to eat first.¡± ¡°¡±Okay!¡±¡± The Dwarf children happily agreed to Lux¡¯s proposal because they hadn¡¯t enjoyed any good food for the past few days due to the constant traveling they had done inside the dungeon. ¡°Y-You guys!¡± the Guard Captain pointed at Lux and his friends with a shaky finger. ¡°What in the world did you do inside the dungeon?! Chapter 119 VIP Treatment Lux and the Dwarf children were immediately taken to the Commander¡¯s Office. The Territory-Wide Announcement caught everyone by surprise. Especially the Riders of Norria and their Commander, Thoram. Because of this, they wanted to ask Lux and his friends how they were able to unlock the hidden quest. Ever since the dungeon was discovered, none of them had even heard about a hidden quest. All of them looked at Lux and the Dwarf children as if they were angels that had fallen down from the sky to make their lives easier. Lux told Thoram and Nevreal with a straight face that he didn¡¯t know what triggered the activation of the Hidden Quest. However, he told them about his suspicions, which made everyone inside the conference room listen to him with serious expressions on their faces. ¡°When we killed one of the Orcs inside the dungeon, instead of dropping a Beast Core, it dropped a treasure map,¡± Lux stated. ¡°After following the instructions in the map, we came across a hidden cave. Inside it was an Old Orc, who told us about the Hidden Quest. ¡°The quest was about taking the Old Orc to the Orc Stronghold, and let him retrieve a memento that was left behind by the first Orc Chieftain. It was a very hard mission and we had to stay inside the Dungeon for several days to wait for the perfect opportunity.¡± ¡°Fortunately, an opportunity arrived and we were able to secure the artifact that the Old Orc wanted. After wepleted the mission, we were all teleported back here.¡± Lux had no intention of telling anyone about the details of the Hidden Mission in case it encouraged the other Dwarves to be more wary of possible hidden missions inside the Dungeons that were scattered within the Kingdom of Gweliven. Telling them that the trigger of the quest came from a monster drop would make them think that it all depended on luck. Colette and the others all had calm expressions on their faces because Lux had already told them that this was the story he¡¯d tell the others before they left the dungeon. The dwarven children understood what Lux was trying to tell them, so they promised that they would keep the details of the quest a secret.-. ¡°A monster drop¡­¡± Thoram sighed before nodding his head in understanding. What Lux had told him was something that had already happened in the past. There was a Dwarf adventurer that had discovered a treasure map after opening a chest inside a Dungeon. However, instead of clearing it alone, he asked for the help of the Kingdom to help clear it. Afterpleting the Hidden Mission, they discovered a Legendary Artifact, which the adventurer had donated to the Royal Family, making the Dwarf King very happy. Because of this, he was given the title of Viscount and fertilends ideal for nting crops. Nevreal also knew of this story, so he believed Lux¡¯s exnation. Also, he had been paying close attention to the Dwarf children, and none of them were showing any sign that there was anything suspicious about the Half-Elf¡¯s tale. ¡°On behalf of the Riders of Norria, I would like to thank you for clearing the mission,¡± Thoram gave Lux as well as the Dwarves a deep bow of gratitude. ¡°I swear on my name that if you ever need the help of the Riders of Norria, we wille to your aid without fail.¡± He knew that Lux may not understand the significance of the rewards that his territory had received, but Thoram knew very well how amazing they were. Because of the temporary buffs the territory received, it would definitely help in its growth and development. Also, the increased boost in strength of those who defended the territory ensured that they would be able to handle the threats that might arise at any moment like Dungeon and Monster outbreaks. An hourter, Lux and the children were escorted to the best tavern in the Stronghold to enjoy good food and meat. They were treated like VIP Guests, which made the Dwarf children giddy with happiness. Lux, on the other hand, took things in stride, but the smile on his face remained until he entered one of the VIP rooms that were reserved for them. ¡°Tomorrow, we return to Leaf Vige, Eiko,¡± Lux yawned as he removed his boots. The baby Slime had already jumped on the bed because she also felt exhausted from the things that happened over the past few days. The moment Luxid on the bed, Eiko jumped on his chest and yawned. ¡°Goodnight, Eiko,¡± Lux said as he lightly patted the sleepy baby¡¯s head. ¡°Pa¡­,¡± Eiko sleepily replied before closing her eyes to sleep. Soon, the baby Slime was fast asleep, leaving Lux to look at the big harvest that he received after clearing the Hidden Quest of the Orc Dominion Dungeon. ¡ª¨C Hidden Quest: Orc Dominion < I Wish For Dominion (Completed!) > Rewards ¨C Potion of Vitality This potion adds +50 permanent Vitality Points to the one who consumes it. You can only consume one Potion of Vitality in your lifetime. ¨C Rank 3 Skill Book of your choice. You will be able to choose any Skill that is Rank 3 and below from the treasury of the Orc Empire. +1000 Riders of Norria Reputation Points +200 Kingdom of Gweliven Reputation Points (Exclusive to Kingdom of Gweliven) +200 Gold Coins ¨C Gain Negotiator Title When dealing with Nobles or Royalty, your chances of closing a sessful deal is increased by 10% < Bonus Rewards > +1000 Riders of Norria Reputation Points +3000 ckrock n Reputation Points +100 Kingdom of Gweliven Reputation Points +3 to Summon Skeleton Fighters +3 to Summon Skeleton Grand Archers +100 Gold Coins ¨C Rank 5 Beast Core ¡ª¨C Lux was quite happy with the rewards, especially the additional Summons that he received from the reward. This effectively raised the number of Skeletons that he could summon, making his force more formidable. But, what perplexed him the most was the ckrock n Reputation Points. Since it was added in the rewards, it could only mean one thing. ¡°The ckrock n exists somewhere in Elysium¡­,¡± Lux muttered as he thought of Barca, as well as the Orc Warlords whom he had fought alongside. In truth, Lux was wondering how the original Barca would have dealt with Orobak and the issue for session. He already knew that Barca was a cunning Half-Orc, so he was sure that if the story he witnessed inside the dungeon was real then the possibility of the Half-Orc seeding was high. The Half-Elf yawned a second time before he closed his Soul Book. Since the Hidden Quest was already over, it was about time to let go of the theories that he had made up inside his head. ¡®I¡¯ll just sleep for now,¡¯ Lux thought as he closed his eyes. ¡®I still have many things to do tomorrow. Lux still hadn¡¯t upgraded Eiko¡¯s Rank because he nned to do it after he rested, and cleared his head. That way, he wouldn¡¯t make a mistake when he needed to choose skills or abilities that would be helpful to his baby Slime. As the Half-Elf and his friends slept, word of their deed was already making its way to the Capital via messenger birds. As to how the Royal Family would react to the achievements they made, only time would tell. Chapter 120 Beating The Impossible Colette woke up feeling revitalized after their long dungeon expedition. After spending several days inside the dungeon, she had finally reached the Apostle Grade, and even gained two pieces of Mythical Equipment that matched her profession. Not only that, she had also gained a Warg Mount of her own, as well as several Rank 2 and Rank 3 Beast Cores, which was the share she got from the expedition. She was quite happy with how things turned out, but also felt sad because after ten days, she would have to leave Leaf Vige and her Big Brother behind. Lux had already told her that he didn¡¯t have any ns of leaving the Beginner¡¯s Zone for the time being. When Colette asked why, the Half-Elf only told her that he made a promise to himself, and before he fulfilled that promise, he would continue to stay in Leaf Vige. The red-headed teenager didn¡¯t tell Colette what his goal was, but thetter knew that it must be important for Lux to insist on staying. ¡®I really need Big Brother to marry my Big Sister,¡¯ Colette thought. ¡®That way, he will be part of our family.¡¯ The adorable blonde Dwarf had alreadybeled Lux as her dependable Big Brother. A person that would always be there to ensure their safety when things got too dangerous for them to handle. After taking a bath, Colette went to check if Helen was already awake. As the only two girls in their party, she couldn¡¯t help but care for her like a sister would. ¡°Helen, it¡¯s me,¡± Colette said as she knocked on the door. ¡°Are you awake? Let¡¯s have breakfast together¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Helen¡¯s reply was heard through the door. ¡°Can you give me a few minutes? I am almost done. Justbing my hair a bit.¡±-. Colette smiled. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll just go and check if Big Brother is already awake. You can find me in his room.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Helen replied. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a bit.¡± The adorable Dwarf then walked towards Lux¡¯s room and knocked on it. ¡°Big Brother, it¡¯s me, Colette,¡± Colette said. ¡°Are you awake? Let¡¯s have breakfast together.¡± Colette waited, but no reply came. Just as she was about to knock for the second time, the door opened and the first thing she saw was a Skeleton, which almost made her jump back in fright. ¡°Sis!¡± Eiko, who was perched on top of the Skeleton¡¯s head greeted Colette, which made thetter pat her chest in order to regain her calm. ¡°Good morning, Eiko.¡± ¡°Sis!¡± ¡°Is your Papa awake?¡± Colette asked as she peered at the bed. There, she saw Lux still sleeping peacefully, while snoring lightly. ¡°I guess not.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko replied as she used the Skeleton¡¯s arm to jump into Colette¡¯s arms, which made the adorable Dwarf giggle. She then walked towards the sleeping Half-Elf, while holding the baby Slime in her hands. This was the first time that she had seen Lux¡¯s sleeping face, and a yful feeling blossomed in her heart. ¡°Big Brother, wake up,¡± Colette said as she poked Lux¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast together.¡± The Half-Elf didn¡¯t reply, and was still fast asleep, which prompted Colette to look at his pointed ears. She had long wanted to touch them and see what they were like. But, since Lux was taller than her, she never had the opportunity to do so. After a brief internal struggle, Colette reached out to touch Lux¡¯s ears gently. ¡°It feels like a normal ear,¡± Colette muttered as she lightly yed with the Half-Elf¡¯s ear with her fingers. Just as she was having fun, Lux¡¯s eyes abruptly opened and stared at her with a sleepy gaze. ¡°Colette?¡± Lux asked while looking at the adorable Dwarf who was still holding his ear in her hand. ¡°Good Morning, Big Brother,¡± Colette hastily pulled back her hand as if she had been electrocuted. ¡°Nice day we are having today.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko jumped on the bed and crawled towards his pillow. Aftering close to Lux¡¯s face, the baby Slime lightly pecked his cheek with a kiss. ¡°Good morning to you, too, Eiko,¡± Lux said before kissing the cheek of the baby Slime, making Eiko giggle. The Half-Elf covered his lips in order to suppress a yawn before standing up from the bed. ¡°What time is it?¡± Lux asked as he went to the sink to wash his face. ¡°It¡¯s just around seven in the morning, Big Brother,¡± Colette answered. ¡°Do you want to have breakfast together with us?¡± ¡°Breakfast? Sounds good,¡± Lux replied after drying his face. As if waiting for that moment, a knock was heard on the door. ¡°Colette, Big Brother, it¡¯s me, Helen. Can Ie in?¡± Colette hurried to the door and opened it for her friend. Lux was now fully awake. Afterbing his hair for a bit to fix his bed hair, Eiko jumped on his head so they could go have breakfast with the two girls. When the three arrived at the dining area of the inn, they saw Matty, Andy, and Axel seated at the table and waiting for their breakfast. ¡°Over here,¡± Matty waved his hands to Colette as soon as the adorable Dwarf appeared in his sight. Andy and Axel also waved their hands at their friends who were now headed in their direction. As soon as the three people sat, the Dwarf manning the counter personally came over to them to get their orders. A few minutester, Matty¡¯s, Axel¡¯s, and Andy¡¯s orders arrived, but the three of them didn¡¯t eat right away. Instead, they chatted with Lux and the girls, waiting until all their orders arrived. ¡°Big Brother, what are your ns after we return to Leaf Vige?¡± Andy asked. ¡°You¡¯re noting with us to the Intermediate towns, right?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Lux answered. ¡°When we return, we will do your graduation ceremony of course. Beat the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, as well as¡­ beat Colette¡¯s Big Sister¡¯s record in the Bronze Crypt.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Colette, who was patting Eiko¡¯s head, looked at the Half-Elf seated beside her in surprise. ¡°Beat my sister¡¯s record? That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Impossible?¡± Lux chuckled. ¡°You are one of the six people that cleared the Hidden Mission in the Orc Dominion Dungeon. ording to Thoram, all of you will be given a Medal of Honor just like the one I received from his Majesty. In short, all five of you will be Honorary Knights. Did your sister aplish that during her stay in Leaf Vige?¡± ¡°N-No, but¡­!¡± Colette tried to argue, but Lux raised his hand to stop her. ¡°Colette, nothing is impossible,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve already aplished something that your sister didn¡¯t manage to do. The Hidden Quest will not be repeated, and the Riders of Norria will forever be indebted to all of you.¡± Colette pouted. ¡°But, Big Brother, the only reason we managed to clear that quest was because of you. In the end, we did very little to help you clear the mission.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so silly, Colette,¡± Lux patted the adorable Dwarf¡¯s head, which made Matty re at him with envy. ¡°We are a team, so it¡¯s only natural that I was able to clear it because all of you were there. When we got attacked by the Orc Berserkers, I might have died if you guys hadn¡¯t moved to fight on the frontlines. ¡°Don¡¯t belittle yourself too much. All of you had fought alongside me. I was also very surprised to see how brave Matty was. Even though he was outssed, he still took the enemy head-on.¡± Matty didn¡¯t expect Lux to praise him, so he just looked at the Half-Elf in a daze for half a minute before averting his gaze. Lux smiled as he scanned the faces of his friends who were all looking at him. ¡°You guys still have ten days left,¡± Lux said. ¡°Let¡¯s make sure that the Dwarves who enter Leaf Vigeter will look up to your names as the new role models that they need to surpass. Isn¡¯t that exciting?¡± The Dwarves exchanged nces with each other before nodding their heads. For some reason, the desire of surpassing her sister¡¯s achievements started to burn inside Colette¡¯s heart. Although she wasn¡¯t confident that she could do it alone, there was hope within her knowing that she had her friends and Big Brother to help her. He believed that as long as they were together, the five of them could beat the impossible. Chapter 121 Faunus Battle Regalia ¡°Um, you don¡¯t have to do this, you know?¡± Lux said to the Dwarf Captain that was escorting them back to Leaf Vige. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the Dwarf Captain replied. ¡°It¡¯s the Commander¡¯s orders. This is to ensure that you won¡¯t get ambushed by Kobolds again.¡± Lux could only reluctantly nod his head as he allowed his Mount, Jed, to travel at the center of the hundred-men escort that was prepared for him and his friends by the Commander of Norria, Thoram. The Dwarves who were chosen to be the Half-Elf¡¯s escort would nce in his direction from time to time. Admiration and respect could be seen in their faces. Clearly, they only had goodwill towards the man that had given them a great boon in their strength, as well as helped improve the growth of their territory. Lux endured the stares that the Riders of Norria were giving him. ¡®Is this the effect of having high reputation points?¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the reputation points that he had for the Riders of Norria. ¡ª¨C Riders of Norria Reputation Points: 2,500 Rtionship Status: Benefactor ¨C Gives you the privilege to enter the Stronghold of Norria and explore the services avable there. ¨C You will get up to a 50% discount on all services inside the Stronghold. ¨C You will be able to gain their assistance if you wish for it. Every time you ask for their help, your reputation points will be decreased by 500 Points. Points will not be deducted when you ask for their help, as long as the task will benefit the Territory of Norria as a whole.-. ¡ª¨C ¡®Benefactor¡­,¡± Lux mused as he looked at the current rtionship he had with the Riders of Norria. ¡®I guess this is a good thing.¡¯ The Stronghold of Norria was the main army that was stationed in the territory of Norria. Several viges, simr to the Leaf Vige, were under their protection. In short, they were the strongest Faction within the Beginner Zone, so having them as an ally was a good thing. When they arrived at the vige, the residents were surprised to see so many Riders of Norria all at once. ¡°Did a big shot arrive?¡± ¡°Maybe Commander Thoram is doing an inspection?¡± ¡°Are we under attack? Is there some kind of outbreak headed our way?¡± The residents talked among themselves as the Riders of Norria continued to ride into the za. Boreas, the Rider Captain that was currently stationed in Leaf Vige, gave hisrades a salute before looking at the Half-Elf with a big smile on his face. ¡°Lux, my boy, you¡¯ve done well, Lad,¡± Boreas said as he walked towards the Half-Elf who had just dismounted from his Warg. ¡°How about you share your story with me in the tavernter, will that be fine?¡± Boreas asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Lux replied. Boreasughed as he patted Lux¡¯s leg before returning to his duties. Thoram had already sent a messenger bird to Boreas, his message informing thetter that if Lux ever needed any kind of help while he was still in Leaf Vige, they would do their best to amodate him. ¡ª ¡°So, it was you!¡± Cedwyn looked at Lux in disbelief after Boreas had reported everything to the Vige Head of Leaf Vige. ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s my boy!¡± Randolph said with a smug expression on his face. ¡°The moment Iid my eyes on him, I knew that bing my Disciple would make him an amazing person.¡± Grandma Annie snorted after hearing the cksmith¡¯s words. The Elders of Leaf Vige had gathered together to talk to Lux and his friends about what had happened in the Stronghold of Norria. It was not only the Stronghold that gained great benefits from Lux¡¯spletion of the Hidden Quest. All the viges within the territory also received the temporary buffs that increased their production rates. Randolph had bragged to Lux that his chances of creating Unique and Mythical Weapons had greatly increased thanks to the 10% sess buff that had fallen upon his head. Grandma Annie, who was also an alchemist, was also quite thankful to Lux because her experiments had also benefited from his sess. Aside from creating candies, the old Dwarf was also known to create potions that the defenders of Leaf Vige used during emergencies. ¡°As a reward for all of your hard work, we decided to bestow upon you the ¡®Leaf Vige Equipment Set (Mythical),''¡± Cedwyn dered. ¡°This is the least we can do for your help.¡± Lux¡¯s eyes widened in shock because he didn¡¯t expect that he would be the one to receive one of the rewards from the Mythical Quest that could only be obtained inside Leaf Vige. What most foreigners (Sians) didn¡¯t know was that each Beginner¡¯s Vige had a Mythical Quest. Leaf Vige had a quest that was almost impossible to clear because of the strict requirements that needed to be met before the quest was cleared. ¡ª¨C < Mythical Quest > (Birth of a Legend) ¨C Defeat the Alpha Monster of the Aspiration ins. Carbuncle (1/1) ¨C Defeat the Alpha Monster of the Leaf Vige Cemetery Ghoul Beast (0/1) ¨C Defeat the Alpha Monster of Figaro Garden Red-Eyed Terror Mantis (1/1) ¨C Defeat the Field Boss of Heartwood Forest Forest Wolf King (0/1) ¡ª¨C < Rewards > ¨C 500 Skill Points ¨C 50 Body Constitution Points ¨C 50 Stats Points ¨C Leaf Vige Equipment Set (Mythical) ¨C One random Mythical Item exclusive to the Leaf Vige Note: The Mythical Item reward will depend on your overall performance. So you better do your best! ¡ª¡ª In order toplete the Mythical Quest of Leaf Vige, all the Alpha Beasts, in addition to the Field Bosses, must be killed. A team of Apostles could defeat the Carbuncle, Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, as well as the Ghoul Beast that appeared at midnight in the graveyard area of Leaf Vige. The real challenge was fighting against the Field Boss, Forest Wolf King. Orobak was weaker than that Field Boss, but he was already hard to kill. Any party who had just stepped into the Rank of Apostle would find it impossible to defeat the Orc Chieftain, let alone the Forest Wolf King, who was Final Boss of Leaf Vige. This was why no one had cleared the Hidden Mythical Quest of Leaf Vige because they would always fall short of their final goal. However, Cedwyn had just said that he would bestow upon them the Mythical Armor Set that could only be obtained after clearing the Quest that Lux had once thought to be impossible. ¡°Wait!¡± Randolph immediately stood up from his chair and pointed at Cedwyn with a reddened face. ¡°You bastard! You didn¡¯t tell me anything about this!¡± ¡°I just did.¡± ¡°Fool! Do you think crafting Mythical Armor is easy?!¡± Randolph¡¯s spittle flew in every direction as he red at the Vige Chief who had given him extra work. ¡°Right now, we only have 3 sets of the Faunus Battle Regalia! Do you think I can craft them all before these kids leave the vige?! Even with the cksmithing buffs, at most, I can craft one armor set in ten days!¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry,¡± Boreas replied. ¡°The Riders of Norria will personally deliver them to these kids. As long as they are within the Kingdom of Gweliven, we can easily send them the armor once it is done.¡± Randolph snorted, but no longer said anything. He didn¡¯t mind crafting the Battle Regalia of Leaf Vige for Lux and his friends. He just didn¡¯t have enough time before the kids left the vige. Just like everyone else inside the room, he could sense the power of Apostles radiating from Colette and her friends. This meant that they had already crossed the threshold and would be leaving soon. ¡°Let them have the first batch,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here in Leaf Vige for a little while longer, so you can prioritize them first.¡± Cedwyn nodded his head. ¡°Since there is no problem with the delivery, all of you can rest assured that you will receive the best equipment that we can offer. Isn¡¯t that right, Randolph.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I heard you, Old Fart,¡± Randolph waved his hand dismissively before leaving the room. Knowing that he needed to finish crafting the Faunus Regalia, he decided to start working on it before the kids left the vige. Lux patted Colette¡¯s and Matty¡¯s shoulders before ncing in Cedwyn¡¯s direction. ¡°Give them two of the three sets you have in your possession. We will be going to the Figaro Gardenster to challenge the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis.¡± Cedwyn nodded his head. ¡°Of course. The two of you, please,e with me.¡± The Vige Head led the children to the treasury of the vige, while Lux decided to stay behind. Since they would be challenging the Alpha Monster of the Figaro Gardens, he needed to upgrade Eiko to make her stronger. He also still needed to choose which Rank 3 Skill Book he wanted from the Orcs¡¯ treasury in order to give himself an edge against one of the strongest Alpha Beasts in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. Chapter 122 Eiko’s Upgrade Lux took out his Soul Book and opened Eiko¡¯s Page, so that he could upgrade her before their battle against the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. Even after so long, the Half-Elf still couldn¡¯t believe that the Monster he got from the egg was a Blue Slime. At first, he was disappointed because he was expecting a Dragon, or any other legendary creature. However, after spending time with Eiko, Lux found the baby Slime quite loveable, and no longer wished for something else. ¡ª¨C < Eiko > ¨C Named Slime Monster ¨C Rating: E ¨C Progress ( 20 / 2000) ¨C [Ready to Upgrade 3x] Health: 3,850 / 3,850 Mana: 7,500 / 7,500 Strength: 17 Intelligence: 150 Vitality: 77 Agility: 17 Dexterity: 17 Special Abilities: Mimicry [EX], Regeneration [EX], Family Bond [EX], Speech [EX] Active Skill: Water Bullet, Hydro Ball. Fire Bullet, Fire Bolt, Wind Bullet, Aero Ball, Stone Bullet, Stone Spike, Shadow Bullet, Shadow Ball, Blink, Teleport, Cure, Cure-All. Passive Skill: Uncanny Dodge, Very Tough Title: Mama¡¯s and Papa¡¯s Girl Note: This baby slime will someday rule the world. ¡ª¨C ¡®As expected, Eiko surpassed all of my summons¡¯ abilities by an incredible margin,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Although her rank is still low, her growth potential is scary to say the least.¡¯ Lux no longer hesitated and clicked the upgrade button near her progression bar. Immediately, several rows of text appeared, giving Lux several options to choose from. ¡ª¨C < Select two options from the list to bestow upon Eiko. >-. ¨C Health +2000 ¨C Intelligence +100 ¨C Underwater Breathing ¨C Lava Walking ¨C Dig ¨C Summon Metal Slime ¨C Summon Fire Slime ¨C Summon Water Slime ¨C Summon Rock Slime ¨C Summon Aero Slime ¨C Summon Saber Slime ¨C Summon Berserker Slime ¨C Summon Hunter Slime ¨C Summon Shadow Slime ¨C Summon Devil Slime ¨C Summon Angel Slime ¡ª- Lux chose the second option to add +100 to Eiko¡¯s intelligence and the Dig Ability in order to make her stronger, as well as give her the ability to escape underground if need be. Eiko, who was currently perched on top of Lux¡¯s head, smiled after she felt herself grow stronger. ¡ª- You have chosen the skill Dig. ¡ª¨C Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]! ¨C Target Lux Von Kaizer. ¨C Sessfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]! ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > < Since the Skill is Dig not learned from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. > ¨C Dig has sessfully been upgraded to Dig [EX]! ¡ª¨C < Dig [EX] > ¨C Allows Eiko to dig a hole and move underground. This skill consumes twenty Mana Points every thirty seconds. ¨C This skill has no cooldown and can be used as long as Eiko has mana. ¨C Eiko will be able to dig even through the hardest of rocks, metals, and crystals. There is nothing that this baby Slime cannot Dig! ¡ª¨C ¡°Oh, this is unexpected,¡± Lux muttered as he looked at Eiko¡¯s current stats. ¡ª¨C < Eiko > ¨C Named Slime Monster ¨C Rating: E+ ¨C Progress ( 20 / 4000) ¨C [Ready to Upgrade 2x] Health: 4,600 / 4,600 Mana: 12,500 / 12,500 Strength: 32 Intelligence: 250 Vitality: 92 Agility: 32 Dexterity: 32 ¡ª- Lux clicked Upgrade once more and was given the same choices as before. He chose the second option once again, which added +100 to Eiko¡¯s intelligence. However, for the second option, he decided to choose the Devil Slime as Eiko¡¯s summon. The Devil Slime was a monster that had a shadow property. All of its Skills were of the Shadow Element, which was useful when doing missions that required stealth. Just like the mission in which Eiko infiltrated the Orc Stronghold to drug their food supply. ¡ª- You have chosen the skill Summon Devil Slime ¡ª¨C Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]! ¨C Target Lux Von Kaizer. ¨C Sessfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]! ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > < Since the Skill is Summon Devil Slime is not learned from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. > ¨C Choose one among the three options avable to you. Option 1: Summon two Devil Slimes instead of one. Option 2: Upgrade Devil Slime, to Arch Devil Slime. Option 3: Give Eiko¡¯s first Devil Slime a name. Named creatures will be stronger and more intelligent than normal ones. Eiko¡¯s named creature will always be one rank higher than her. ¡ª- ¡°Oh? This is quite interesting,¡± Lux rubbed his chin as he read the third option. Unlike Diablo and the rest of his Summons, which he needed to manually upgrade, Eiko¡¯s Summons would automatically upgrade themselves every time she ranked up. For Lux, this was a wonderful thing. This feature allowed him to save on a huge amount of Beast Cores that he could¡¯ve needed to upgrade Eiko¡¯s minions. ¡°Eiko, you will have a new subordinate,¡± Lux said. ¡°Um, this Slime is a male, so give him a guy¡¯s name.¡± Eiko nced at Lux¡¯s Soul Book and saw the Devil Slime¡¯s picture in it. It didn¡¯t even take her ten seconds to give her Devil Slime a name. ¡°ckie!¡± Eiko said. Lux chuckled, thinking that Eiko¡¯s naming sense was quite simple. Since the Devil Slime was ck, she just called him ckie to make things easier. As soon as Eiko gave the Devil Slime a name, it glowed briefly in Lux¡¯s Soul Book, proving that it had sessfully been named. ¡ª- < Eiko > ¨C Named Slime Monster ¨C Rating: D ¨C Progress ( 20 / 6000) ¨C [Ready to Upgrade 1x] Health: 5,350 / 5,350 Mana: 17,500 / 17,500 Strength: 47 Intelligence: 350 Vitality: 107 Agility: 47 Dexterity: 47 ¡ª- Lux shuddered upon seeing the number of points required for Eiko¡¯s next Upgrade. Fortunately, he received three Upgrades for free, or else he would not have had a chance to upgrade his baby slime until he reached the Apostle Grade. ¡°Onest time, let¡¯s do this!¡± Lux clicked thest upgrade and chose to add another +100 points to Eiko¡¯s intelligence, as well as another Summon for her. This time, he chose the Angel Slime toplement the Devil Slime. They made a great pair that would protect Eiko at all times. The same three options appeared, and just like Lux expected, Eiko named her Angel Slime, Whitey, making Lux chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s like naming a pet dog or cat.¡± Lux could only shake his head as Eiko¡¯s new Summon, Whitey, glowed briefly in his Soul Book. ¡ª¡ª < Eiko > ¨C Named Slime Monster ¨C Rating: D+ ¨C Progress ( 20 / 8,000) Health: 6,100 / 6,100 Mana: 22,500 / 22,500 Strength: 62 Intelligence: 450 Vitality: 122 Agility: 62 Dexterity: 62 Special Abilities: Mimicry [EX], Regeneration [EX], Family Bond [EX], Speech [EX], Dig [EX] Summon Skills: Summon ckie, Summon Whitey Active Skill: Water Bullet, Hydro Ball. Fire Bullet, Fire Bolt, Wind Bullet, Aero Ball, Stone Bullet, Stone Spike, Shadow Bullet, Shadow Ball, Blink, Teleport, Cure, Cure-All. Passive Skill: Uncanny Dodge, Very Tough Title: Mama¡¯s and Papa¡¯s Girl Note: Prepare for trouble! And Make it Double! ¡ª- Lux pinched the bridge of his nose after he saw the required points that Eiko needed in order for her to reach Rank C. It was a staggering 8,000 points, which made his head ache. ¡°Iris must be incredibly rich for her to upgrade four Mythical Creatures at the same time,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°If I remember correctly, Hanz (White Tiger), Astra (Unicorn A.K.A Eiko¡¯s enemy), and the others were all Rank B+.¡± Lux didn¡¯t know if Iris¡¯ Beast Companions were as powerful as Eiko. But, he felt that Eiko would give them a surprise, once she reached their rank. ¡®I almost feel sorry for Astra,¡¯ Lux thought as he remembered the Unicorn, who was also Eiko¡¯s rival for Iris¡¯ attention. ¡®I¡¯m sure that Eiko will ask for a rematch the next time we visit Barbatos Academy.¡¯ The Half-Elf lightly patted the baby Slime who had moved to his hand asking to be spoiled. ¡°Eiko, let¡¯s give Iris a surprise when we return to the academy, okay?¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko replied with a bigger smile on her face. Soon the Half-Elf and the baby slime chuckled together. Now that Eiko¡¯s upgrade was finished, it was now time for Lux to choose a Rank 3 Skill, which was one of the rewards he had received when hepleted the hidden mission inside Orc Dominion. Chapter 123 Birth Of An Apex Beast Lux activated the Rank 3 Skill ticket he stored in his Soul Book, which allowed him to choose one skill from. among the many skills that were exclusive to the Orc Race. ¡ª¨C Rending Strike ¨C (A cleaving Strike that Orobak used) Berserk Primal sh Last Stand Thick Skin Primal Instinct Close Combat Mastery Might over Magic ¡­.-. ¡­. ¡­. Warrior¡¯s Luck ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡ª¡ª There were over a hundred skills avable, ranging from Rank 1 skills up to Rank 3 skills. Lux didn¡¯t ignore the Rank 1 and 2 skills, and read all of their descriptions. For him, as long as the skill was useful to him, it didn¡¯t matter even if the skill had a lower rank. Since he had the ability, Skill Evolution [EX], he could easily get a stronger version of his chosen skill, once it was upgraded. After pondering for several minutes, Lux was left with two choices which were the two passive skills Might over Magic and Warrior¡¯s Luck. Lux could have chosen an active skill that could deal damage to his enemies, but he was someone who had the end game in mind. Since these two skills gave a bonus to him, his allies, as well as all of his summoned creatures, they were more useful than a powerful attack that he could only use for himself. As the name suggested, Might over Magic gave Lux, as well as his summons, increased magical resistance, reducing the damage of spells that were used against them. This was quite a bnced skill and would still be effective even when he and his summons had achieved a higher rank. Also, most armors had features that decreased both physical and magical attack damage, which could be stacked with this ability, making them more resistant to magic attacks. The second skill, Warrior¡¯s Luck, was an interesting skill because it focused on increasing the chance of the activation of certain effects during battle. For example, Lux¡¯s Void Arrow that could blind opponent doesn¡¯t always trigger the blind effect. If he had the passive skill, Warrior¡¯s Luck, the chances of blinding enemies would be higher. This was also a good addition to his summons¡¯ special abilities, like Pazuzu¡¯s normal attacks, which had a chance of inflicting Fear on his foes, making them run away. Ishtar¡¯s normal attacks also had the chance to slow down and freeze her opponents when her attacks hit them. This was why Warrior¡¯s Luck was quite appealing to Lux. It made any ability that relied on Chance and Luck more likely to activate. After a long internal struggle, Lux decided to choose the Rank 2 Skill, Warrior¡¯s Luck. ¡ª You have chosen the skill Warrior¡¯s Luck. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > < Since the Skill, Warrior¡¯s Luck, is not learned from a Beast Core, evolution requirements will be waived. > ¨C Warrior¡¯s Luck has sessfully been upgraded to Warrior¡¯s Luck [EX]! < Warrior¡¯s Luck [EX] > ¨C Greatly increases the chance of activating abilities that rely on Luck and Chance. ¡ª¨C Lux smiled in satisfaction after seeing the information of his newly upgraded Skill. Although he didn¡¯t know how much the chances had increased, he still felt that it was a worthwhile skill to have because it was an all-rounder. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Colette¡¯s shout made the Half-Elf, as well as the baby Slime, look in her direction. Right now, Colette, Matty, and Helen were wearing light-weight, dark-green armor, with golden tings along the edges. Just a single nce was enough to tell him that this was Leaf Vige¡¯s exclusive Mythical Armor that was called the Faunus Battle Regalia. ¡°Wee back,¡± Lux said as he patted the adorable Dwarf, who had run to hug him with a big smile on her face, on the head. ¡°Sis!¡± Eiko also crawled on Colette¡¯s shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek as a greeting. ¡°How do I look?¡± Colette asked as she puffed up her chest proudly with her hands on her waist. Lux chuckled before giving her his answer. ¡°It looks good on you. With this, I¡¯m sure the chances of beating the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, as well as your sister¡¯s record in the Bronze Crypt is assured.¡± Lux was unable to use his appraisal skill on races and creatures that possessed Soul Books. Because of this, he was unable to see the stats of the Mythical Armor that had been bestowed on his friends by Cedwyn, who was the Vige Head of Leaf Vige. Colette blushed after Lux praised her, which made Matty grab the adorable Dwarf¡¯s hand and pull her away from Lux. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Figaro Garden,¡± Matty said as he tried toe up with a good reason for dragging Colette away. ¡°We only have ten days to remain in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. Every moment counts.¡± Colette didn¡¯t find anything wrong with what Matty said because she was feeling the same way. She felt that now that she had be an Apostle, time was something precious to her because she only had ten days to spend with her Big Brother, before she left him behind. ¡°Big Brother, let¡¯s go!¡± Colette shouted. ¡°What will we do if someone is already fighting the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis? We will have to wait for a week before it respawns again!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ming.¡± Lux smiled as he followed behind Colette and the others. He didn¡¯t intend to summon all of his minions to fight against the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis because it would defeat the purpose of the graduation ceremony. ¡®I¡¯ll just summon Pazuzu, and Ishtar,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®They should be enough to provide support as they fight against that Alpha Beast.¡¯ ¡ª¨C Figaro Gardens¡­ A five-meter tall Mantis let out a deafening shriek as soon as it appeared inside the Figaro Gardens. Its entire body was crimson in color, with golden tings near the edges, giving it a formidable and deadly appearance. Its golden eyes glowed faintly as it scanned its surroundings to look for its prey. It had just respawned inside its Domain, and it was feeling incredibly hungry. A wandering Ant nced in the Red Mantis¡¯ direction before hurrying away in a mad sprint. However, before it could get away, a crimson sh, made from condensed magical energy, split its body in half. As the Ant¡¯s life force faded away, its eyes gazed at the approaching Crimson Mantis in front of it. The five-meter tall monster was very different from the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis that was considered to be the Apex Beast of the Figaro Gardens. Several creatures who saw the scene also madly escaped, in fear of being the next victim of the Red Mantis that they were seeing for the first time in their lives. Chapter 124 Search For The Mutated Monster Lux and his friends headed to the Figaro Garden in high spirits. Their goal was to defeat the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis as a graduation ceremony for Colette and the others for reaching the Apostle Rank. However, just as they entered the Garden, over a hundred dwarves could be seen near the Garden¡¯s entrance. There were some Dwarves with injuries, a few of them already passed out. A grim expression was across their faces as they discussed with each other. All of them were Sians and, from what Lux could tell, something major had happened. Otherwise, there was no reason for all of them to gather near the entrance instead of exploring the garden and hunting for monsters. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Colette asked one of the Cleric Dwarves that was tending the injured. The Dwarf nodded and told her about the appearance of a mutated beast that they had never seen before. Lux¡¯s and the other¡¯s expressions immediately changed after hearing this news. They had encountered a Mutated Carbuncle in the past, and it was quite troublesome. ¡°A five-meter tall red mantis now wanders around the Figaro Gardens,¡± the Cleric exined. ¡°A party that had just recently reached the Apostle Rank discovered it first. However, they didn¡¯t dare fight it because it was the mutated version of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis. ording to their estimate it was a peak Rank 3 Alpha Monster.¡± Colette frowned when she heard this news. The Red-Eyed Terror Mantis was only a peak Rank 2 Monster, and yet, it was powerful enough to threaten newly ascended Apostles. In fact, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis¡¯ threat would explode exponentially when it entered a Berserk Mode.-. During this state, all of its stats would increase by 50%, making it a very deadly monster to fight against. Most parties would focus on defense when the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis entered this phase. As long as they survived its onught, it would soon revert to a weakened state, making it an easier opponent to defeat. However, a Rank 3 Peak Alpha Monster was simply bad news for anyone in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. If that Monster activated its Berserk Skill, it would immediately jump to the Mid-stages of a Rank 4 Alpha Beast, making it a threat that was almost impossible to defeat for all Sians inside Leaf Vige. ¡°Where was itst seen?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Do you know?¡± The Dwarf Cleric shook his head. ¡°When the Apostle Grade party discovered the beast, they immediately warned the other Dwarfs inside the Figaro Garden to escape to the entrance. Even now, they are out there looking for the others who are still in the garden.¡± Lux was quite surprised at how amazing the Apostle Party was. Not only did they decide to immediately warn others of the new threat that appeared in the gardens, they even went as far as to find every Dwarf that was currently inside the Garden in order to prevent them from encountering the Alpha Monster by ident. ¡°Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, Come!¡± Lux ordered as he summoned his Named Creatures. ¡°Scour the Garden and find the Mutated Mantis. Do not engage it. Once you find it, tell us its location immediately.¡± The three Named Creatures nodded as they headed in different directions. Diablo and his Mount, Airon, headed towards the North, Pazuzu flew towards the West, and Ishtar ran to the East. Lux knew that the Garden was a big ce, so he also summoned the rest of his Skeleton Minions and asked them to scatter in different directions. Eiko, on the other hand, summoned her Devil Slime, ckie, and her Angel Slime, Whitey. ¡°ckie! Whitey!¡± Eiko shouted. ¡°Go!¡± The Devil Slime pped its wings and flew to the North East, while the Angel Slime flew towards the North West. Lux wanted to go to the nearest Ant Nest to ask them if they knew where the Red Mantis was located, but he couldn¡¯t leave his friends unprotected. For now, he just crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. He was able to see and hear what his Named Creatures could see and hear, so he decided to observe the surroundings with Pazuzu who was currently in the sky. Twenty minutester, the Demonic Protector noticed several giant flowers falling to the ground in the distance. Lux urged Pazuzu to investigate it and thetter flew towards the ce where themotion was happening. A few minutester, Lux was able to see a Red Mantis fighting against a couple of Dwarves, who were desperately trying to protect three Dwarf children behind them, who were seriously injured. Just as the Dwarves found their situation more and more desperate, a blue tower shield descended from the sky and mmed into the body of the Red Mantis, sending it rolling across the ground. ¡°Run!¡± Pazuzu shouted as he faced off against the Alpha Monster, using his Shield Wall ability. The Dwarves broke out of their daze and immediately supported the three younger Dwarves and ran away as fast as they could, while the Demonic Defender held the Red Mantis at bay. A minuteter, the Blue Tower Shield shattered and Pazuzu was blown away by the Red Mantis¡¯ powerful sh. In anger, the Mantis fired several red des made of condensed energy towards the Demonic Defender who faced them head-on with his shield. Due to his extremely high defense, Pazuzu was able to endure the blows. However, the other party¡¯s attacks wereing too fast, so he could do nothing else aside from defending. Several minutes passed as Pazuzu entangled himself with the Mutated Alpha Monster. His health was almost depleted, but he stood firm. Suddenly, two firencesnded on the Red Mantis¡¯ body, pushing it to the side. The Alpha Monster nced in the direction where the attack came from and saw a ck Knight riding on top of a ming ck horse. Just as it was about to attack, several ice arrowsnded on its body, making it take a defensive stance. ¡°Shadow Ball!¡± ¡°Holy st!¡± Two balls of light collided with the Red Mantis body, making it take a step back. Ishtar, ckie, and Whitey arrived at the scene and encircled the Alpha Monster. The Angel Slime used its healing ability to replenish Pazuzu¡¯s health, raising it back to half. Although they outnumbered their enemy, they knew that they would not be able to defeat it with just the five of them. The Red Mantis shrieked at its enemies showing its anger. It was about to engage them in a battle when it heard the sound of several four-legged beasts in the distance. Two minutester, Lux, Colette, and her friends arrived at the scene while riding their Warg Mounts. They then looked at the monster in front of them with a burning determination in their eyes. This was their graduation ceremony, and for them to graduate, they needed to beat the Mutated Alpha Monster in front of them. ¡°Battle Formation!¡± Colette ordered as she and Matty took the vanguard, while Andy, Axel, and Helen positioned themselves on the rear. ¡°Clover, assist me!¡± The baby mutated Carbuncle appeared beside Colette and moved towards the back. It was a supporting monster, so itsbat abilities weren¡¯t the best. ¡°Arise!¡± Eiko shouted as she used her ability to copy her Papa¡¯s Skills and summoned several Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Grand Archers. Lux did the same as he summoned all of his minions to fight against the monster in front of them. To their surprise, the Apostle Party also returned. The injured Dwarves had been rescued by the Dwarves who had followed Lux¡¯s group when they headed towards the Red Mantis. Now that they no longer had anything to worry about, they decided to join Lux and his friends to fight against the Red Mantis, as part of the tradition of the Dwarf Sians, who had ascended to the Apostle Rank. Chapter 125 Double Trouble The Red Mantis narrowed its eyes as it scanned the crowd of weaklings that had the intention to fight it. Ten Skeleton Fighters and eleven Skeleton Grand Archers. That was the number of Lux¡¯s Summons aside from his Named Creatures. Since Eiko was around, that number doubled, making it a force that could threaten ordinary monsters in the Beginner¡¯s Area. Unfortunately, they were dealing with a Mutated Monster that was known for its powerful attacks that could slice monsters in half. Lux then activated the Elysium Compendium which had merged with his Soul Book to check what kind of monster they were facing. Half a minuteter, a frown appeared on his face after reading its information. ¡ª¨C < Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis > ¨C Figaro Garden Apex Creature ¨C Mutated Monster ¨C Rank 3 Alpha Monster Health: 84,000 / 84,000 Mana: 30,000 / 30,000-. Strength: 200 Intelligence: 50 Vitality: 140 Agility: 200 Dexterity: 200 Skills: Crimson sh, Double Fury sh, Berserk, Air Steps, Quick Assault, Hunter¡¯s Mark, Doppelganger, Coup de Grace. Passive Skills: Intimidate, Razor Wind. ¡ª ¡®Sh*t!¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Those skills are bad news, especially Doppelganger and Coup the Grace.¡¯ ¡ª < Doppelganger > ¨C Create an almost perfect clone of the target (Self). ¨C The Doppelganger will be able to use any of the target¡¯s skills freely. It will also have 50% of the target¡¯s overall stats, and willst for thirty minutes, or until they are destroyed. Cooldown: 30 minutes. ¡ª¨C < Coup De Grace > ¨C Deals 500% additional damage to any target that is in a helpless or incapacitated condition. ¨C Targets who are knocked unconscious, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, or in a crippled state, would be dealt with greater damage from this attack. ¨C Any target under a negative status buff will also receive additional damage from this attack. Example: Fear from Intimidation. ¡ª¨C ¡°Colette, Helen, please help restore Pazuzu¡¯s health,¡± Lux said. ¡°We need him in full health. This is one troublesome enemy and we need him to tank it.¡± ¡°Understood, Big Brother.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lux then informed everyone, including the Apostle Party that hade to help them deal with the Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis, about its skills and abilities. Just like he expected, they also had grim expressions on their faces when they heard the effect of the skills that their foe possessed. ¡°Here is the n, my Demonic Defender and Skeleton Rider will take turns in taking its aggro,¡± Lux stated. ¡°Once it enters its berserk state, all of us will run away. I repeat, all of us will run away and wait until its Berserk Phase ends. A single sh from that monster can cut all of us in half, so unless any of you want to die, it will be best to let it enter a weakened state before we go in for the kill.¡± After hearing the strategy everyone nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°Go, Pazuzu!¡± Lux ordered. The Demonic Protector, who had recovered his health, used Shield Charge to engage the Crimson Mantis in closebat. After dealing the first blow, all range attackers bombarded the Alpha Monster from a distance. Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s Skeleton Fighters took a defensive stance, ready to protect everyone from any surprise attacks from the Crimson Mantis. Lux didn¡¯t dare underestimate it since it had the Skill Quick Assault, allowing it to increase its movement speed as it attacked its designated target. After receiving the bombardment from the different range attackers, the Mantis was enraged and shed Pazuzu, knocking him aside before unleashing a barrage of Crimson des at the Dwarves, who were attacking it from a distance. The Skeleton Fighters immediately positioned themselves to block the attack with their shields. Their defensive stance seeded at the cost of the Skeletal Fighters copsing into a pile of bones after blocking a single attack. The Crimson Mantis¡¯ passive skill, Razor Wind, infused its attacks with the Wind Element, making its attacks extra sharp. This allowed it to ovee defensive equipment like armor and shields and cut deeper into its target, thereby dealing lethal damage. Lux and Eiko didn¡¯t bat an eye as they resummoned the Skeletal Fighters that died in battle. The Half-Elf could feel his liver ache due to the damage that was done to the equipment that his Skeletons were wearing. The shields that were used to block the Mantis¡¯ attack were now dented, proving just how problematic the Alpha Monster¡¯s attack was. Fortunately, Lux could ask his master, Randolph, to repair his minions¡¯ equipment for a discount because he was his Disciple. ¡®I just hope that the loot is worth it,¡¯ Lux thought as he ordered his Skeletons to take a defensive stance. Eiko¡¯s Summons were different from Lux¡¯s because they weren¡¯t wearing any equipment. This made them significantly weaker to her Papa¡¯s summons, but they were still decent enough to act as meat shields when things got out of hand. It was at this moment when something unexpected happened. The Crimson Mantis entered a Berserked State even though it still had 80% of its health remaining. But, that was the least of their worries. Right after activating its Berserk Skill, raising its stats to the middle stages of Rank 4, it activated its skill, Doppelganger, creating a copy that was half as strong as its berserked state. ¡°Run!¡± Lux immediately ordered when he felt the intimidation aura of the two Monsters stacked together, making Colette and the other dwarves stiffen due to how scary the two Monsters were. ¡°Diablo! Pazuzu! Hold them back!¡± Lux ordered as he grabbed hold of Colette¡¯s and Matty¡¯s hands, forcefully dragging them away from the frontlines. ckie and Whitey had been affected by the Monster¡¯s intimidation, making them unable to react as several Crimson shes flew in their direction. Both slimes were instantly annihted, making Eiko shout in anger. However she also knew that she couldn¡¯t fight against the Crimson Mantis in its current state, especially without her Papa¡¯s help, so she remained perched on top of Lux¡¯s head while firing several elemental spells at the two monsters as they moved further and further away from the battlefield. Some of the Skeleton Grand Archers carried the members of the Apostle Party who had also been affected by the Intimidation Skill of the Crimson Mantis, and ran alongside their Master, Lux. Although they had already run a good distance away, the explosions still shook the battlefield, so Lux opted to summon his Warg, Jed, and ordered his friends to do the same. The members of the Apostle Party also rode the Wargs with gratitude as the distance between them and the Alpha Monsters increased. At least, that was what they thought until they heard the buzzing of wings that was slowly getting stronger with each passing second. Lux didn¡¯t want to believe it, but he knew that what they were hearing wasn¡¯t a delusion. A single nce at the map function of the Elysium Compendium was enough to confirm his suspicion. The Alpha Monster, as well as its Doppelganger were right behind their backs, and shortening the gap at an incredible pace. Clearly, it had decided to leave the group of Skeletons that didn¡¯t have an ounce of flesh or blood on them, and run after the Half-Elf and the Dwarves that would serve as its nutrition, in addition to it getting payback because they had gotten in the way of its meal. Chapter 126 Dwarves Are Scary ¡°Everyone, scatter!¡± Lux ordered as he rode his mount forward. Colette and the others headed in different directions in order to decrease the number of targets that the two Alpha Monsters were aiming at. A few secondster, Lux wasn¡¯t able to stop himself from cursing because the two Crimson Mantis were hot on his heels. ¡°Jed, go to the right, now!¡± Lux ordered as he urged his mount to make a sharp turn, to evade two Crimson des that flew in the location he was a few seconds ago. The Half-Elf used the nts as a natural barrier against his pursuers, but it was of no use. The two Alpha Beasts only unleashed another barrage of Crimson des and cut off everything that stood in their path. Lux knew that Pazuzu and Diablo wouldn¡¯t allow the two beasts to escape them that easily, so there was only one reason why they weren¡¯t here. Both of them had already used their taunting skill, which was Duel [EX], yet the monster still chose to ignore them and run after Lux¡¯s group in order to kill them. As for why the two Crimson Mantis¡¯ were targeting Lux, the answer was really simple. It was because he had red hair. The Crimson Mantis was attracted to the color red, and the Half-Elf¡¯s hair stood out from the rest, making him a suitable target. Although it sounded absurd, it was the reality that Lux wasn¡¯t aware of. He just thought that since he was bigger than the Dwarves, he was a more delectable target to feast on in the eyes of the Crimson Mantises. Knowing that he couldn¡¯t keep running forever, Lux decided to take a gamble and urged Jed to another location. A minuteter, he arrived at a ce where an underground hole was located. The Half-Elf then ordered Jed to dive at the hole without batting an eye. The two Mantises were almost upon him, and he barely managed to escape a sh that took a few strands of his hair. The two Mantises flew past him, but immediately turned around to follow him inside the hole. Suddenly, several Horned Army Ants (Rank 1) appeared in his vision, the tight group that was blocking the way made a narrow path that would allow Lux to pass through if he dismounted.-. Understanding the Ants¡¯ intention, Lux unsummoned his Mount and hurriedly slipped through the blockade that was meant to defend the Ant Nest from the invaders. The Ants were a pacifist race inside the Figaro Gardens, but that didn¡¯t mean that they didn¡¯t know how to fight back. As soon as the two Mantis appeared in their visions, they hurriedly unleashed a barrage of Formic Acid at the two Mantises that didn¡¯t even decrease their running speed. Since the underground passage was too narrow to fly, the Crimson Mantises crawled down the passageway just to hunt Lux down, which meant that they had already marked him as their prey, using their Hunter¡¯s Mark skill. This meant that no matter where Lux went, they would follow him without fail. The exoskeleton of the Crimson Mantis was thrice as hard as the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis¡¯, who was considered to be the Apex Creature of the Figaro Garden. Although the two Mantises¡¯ bodies were covered in Acid, the Acid posed no threat to them whatsoever. They bulldozed through the blockade, leaving only sliced up ant bodies behind, as they pursued Lux deeper into the Ant Colony. The Rank 2 Defenders of the Ant Colonies known as the Armored Jaws also joined the battle. They had powerful mandibles and their bodies were as hard as steel. Although they managed to deal significant damage to the Mantises, they were simply no match for Rank 4 Alpha Monsters whose ws could cut through steel. Lux knew that he could no longer trouble the Ants when it came to dealing with the two Alpha Monsters so he decided to head to the nearest exit in order to bring the two Monsters to the surface. When the two Mantises exited the Ant Nest they found themselves being bombarded by arrows, bone spears, and firences. Perhaps due to its already low health, or perhaps the skill¡¯s duration had ended, the Doppelganger of the Crimson Mantis disappeared, which made everyone shift their attacks to the enemy that remained in front of them. It was also at this moment when Lux¡¯s Demonic Defender descended from the sky, and smashed its Tower Shield against the Mantis¡¯ head, making it cry out in pain. However, due to the rage Pazuzu felt for failing to hold back the Alpha Monster, it swung its mace and gave the Crimson Mantis an uppercut. Although his strength stat was low, and the damage he could dish out was very little, his passive ability triggered, making the Mantis enter a state of Fear. ¡°Coup!¡± Eiko shouted as she copied one of the Monster¡¯s skills and fired a Crimson de at its head, making it shriek in frustration due to the increased damage it received. But, just like Pazuzu, the Baby Slime wasn¡¯t finished just yet. ¡°Doppel!¡± Eiko created a clone of herself, which jumped down onto Lux¡¯s shoulder. ¡°ckie! Whitey!¡± The Devil Slime and the Angel Slime appeared, but this time, they were not alone. Another pair of Devil and Angel Slimes appeared, which immediately bombarded the two Mantises with their Dark and Holy Magic. Eiko¡¯s dopple also summoned its own Skeleton Minions, bringing Lux¡¯s Skeleton Army to over sixty in number. ¡°Attack!¡± Lux ordered the Skeleton Fighters, who had taken a defensive position earlier, to charge at Alpha Monster and hack it with all of their might. Naturally, they didn¡¯tst long because a single sweep of the Mantis ws killed three to four Skeletons at once. ¡°Hydro Ball!¡± ¡°Fire Lance!¡± ¡°Divine Zap!¡± Three spells flew out of nowhere and collided with the Mantis¡¯ head making it stagger. ¡°Big Brother, we are here!¡± Colette shouted as she charged at the Alpha Monster, while riding on her Warg. Colette swung her Mythical Mace fearlessly. At the same time her Warg Jumped towards the monster¡¯s head, in order to help its Master deliver a crushing blow to their enemy. A metallic ring reverberated in the surroundings as Colette gave the Alpha Monster a mace uppercut, powered by her Smite Skill, which added additional Holy Damage to her attacks. Unlike Lux, Pdins were capable of mountedbat, so fighting with her Warg wasn¡¯t a big deal to Colette. ¡°Cross sh!¡± Matty sent a cross-like sh towards the Mantis¡¯ head, drawing crimson blood. ¡°Charge!¡± The leader of the Apostle Grade Party threw caution to the wind and charged at the Monster with his shield raised high. He was a Shield Warrior and his role was to always be at the front of his party, protecting his allies from the enemy¡¯s attack. The Dwarf smashed his shield on the Crimson Mantis¡¯ front leg, breaking its defensive stance. Just like wild monkeys that were off to a gang war, the Dwarves attacked the Alpha Monster simultaneously, like a gang beating up a single individual. Naturally, the Alpha Monster wasn¡¯t a punching bag, so it also counter-attacked the Dwarves. However, due to Pazuzu¡¯s and the Shield Warrior¡¯s tenacity, they were able to block its attacks, and keep the Dwarves and their allies safe. The Skeleton Fighters also used their shields as an extra wall, to prevent casualties from happening. Although the Dwarves received injuries during the battle, including Colette whose left cheek was bleeding after getting grazed by the Mantis¡¯ ws, as well as Matty who received a deep cut on his left arm, after exchanging a blow with their enemy, none of them faltered. ¡°Dwarves are scary,¡± Lux muttered as he continued to use his Mana Drain to siphon the Alpha Monster¡¯s mana, preventing it from using its skills in battle, Eiko and her Doppelganger did the same, which left the Crimson Mantis helpless. After several minutes of intensebat, the Mantis¡¯ movement became dull, and the glow in its eyes diminished by a good margin. ¡°Its Berserk Phase is over!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°Smash ii with everything you got!¡± If the Dwarves were fearlessly attacking the Crimson Mantis before, now their attacks increased in ferocity as if they had all been injected by chicken blood. The Crimson Mantis was pushed into a corner as it received blow, after blow, after blow, eaching from a different direction. Without any Mana remaining, and its Berserk Skill spent, it was now subjected to a devastating beating by infuriated Dwarves, Skeletons, Slimes, as well as the Ants, who hade out of their Ant Nest to get revenge on the bastard that dared to invade their territory. The Armored Jaw Ants bit on the Alpha Monster¡¯s legs and pulled hard, with the intention of cutting thempletely off its body. Over thirty of these ants emerged from the Ant Nest and pinned the Crimson Mantis in ce, allowing Colette and Matty to repeatedly hack its head without mercy until the Mantis¡¯ eyes were smashed to a pulp. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko who was about to jump in and fight at close range was held firmly by her Papa who could only shake his head at the one-sided beating that was happening in front of him. Not one part of the Crimson Mantis was spared as the Dwarves hacked, smashed, and shed its body. Even Andy, Axel, and Helen were using their staffs to whack the Alpha Monster¡¯s body with angry expressions on their faces. Clearly, they had been infected by the battle lust that permeated the air that was also affecting the baby Slime who struggled to get out of Lux¡¯s hands in order to give the Crimson Mantis a piece of her mind. ¡°Settle down, Eiko,¡± Lux said. ¡°It¡¯s already dead, see?¡± ¡°Pa?¡± Eiko tilted her head as she stopped struggling. Just like Lux said, the Crimson Mantis had stopped its struggle and remained motionless. A few secondster, its body turned into particles of light, leaving four pairs of Crimson ws¡ªthat were as long as a spear, a red exoskeleton, and a Rank 3 Beast Core behind. The Armored Jaw Ants returned to their nest after the enemy was eliminated, leaving the Dwarves and the Half-Elf to share the spoils of war. ¡°Please, take this pair of ws with you,¡± Lux said to the leader of the Apostle Grade Party as he pointed at two of the four ws that were lying on the ground. ¡°All of you fought well. That was an incredible graduation ceremony, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± the Dwarf replied with a smile. Although he felt that Lux and the others should receive everything, he still appreciated the gesture and took the two Crimson ws that he believed were enough to be crafted into a mythical weapon. ¡°If you guys don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll take the Beast Core,¡± Lux said as he negotiated with Colette and her friends. ¡°You can take everything else.¡± ¡°Okay, Big Brother!¡± Colette replied with a big smile on her face. Lux knew that if he didn¡¯t take anything from the loot, Colette and the others would force him to take it all. Since he didn¡¯t want this to happen, he settled for the Beast Core that held great value to him. In truth, after the Mantis died, he received a series of notifications, which were simr to the ones he got after defeating the Mutated Carbuncle. But, since he couldn¡¯t tell this to the others, he could only smile as he watched his friends celebrate their sessful graduation ceremony. Chapter 127 Your Journey In Elysium Has Just Begun, Right? < Special Quest > ¨C Encounter with a Mutated Monster Mission Rating: A Status: Completed! < Quest Objective > ¨C Kill the Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis < Rewards > ¨C 100 Free Stat Points ¨C 100 Skill Points ¨C 100 Body Constitution Points ¨C Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis ws (2 pcs) ¨C Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis ws Exoskeleton-. ¨C Rank 3 Alpha Beast Core (Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis) < Bonus Reward > ¨C Choose One of the Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis Skills ¨C Any skill that you learned from this reward cannot be duplicated, and will not be part of the random skill that you will obtain after using the Beast Core of the Mutated Golden Eyed Crimson Mantis. < Skills that can be chosen > Skills: Crimson sh, Double Fury sh, Berserk, Air Steps, Quick Assault, Hunter¡¯s Mark, Doppelganger, Coup de Grace. Passive Skills: Intimidate, Razor Wind. ¡ª¨C ¡®Jackpot!¡¯ Lux couldn¡¯t believe his eyes when he saw the Bonus Reward that he had obtained from the Special Quest after the Mutated Monster had been in. In truth, the Half-Elf wanted to acquire the skill Doppelganger so badly that he stared at the Beast Core in his hand with a very serious expression on his face. He thought that since he had two Beast Cores in hand, he had a two out of ten chances of getting it. Since he could now freely choose a skill that belonged to the Golden-Eyed Crimson Mantis, he was determined to choose Doppelganger as his reward. ¡ª- You have acquired the skill, Doppelganger. ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > ¨C Since the skill, Doppelganger, is not learned from a Beast Core, it will automatically be upgraded to Doppelganger [EX] < Doppelganger [EX] > ¨C Create two almost perfect clones of the target (Self). ¨C The Doppelgangers will be able to use any of the target¡¯s Skills freely, with the exception of Named Creatures. They will also have 50% of the target¡¯s overall stats, and willst for thirty minutes, or until they are destroyed. Cooldown: 1 hour. ¡ª¨C Lux did a fist pump out of happiness when he saw the evolved form of the skill Doppelganger. He had seen how Eiko copied the Alpha Monster¡¯s Doppelganger skill and created a clone of her own, which also summoned Undead Skeletons and two slimes to fight for her side. ¡®It¡¯s quite unfortunate that my Doppelgangers can¡¯t summon Diablo and the others.¡¯ Lux chuckled internally at the thought of having three Diablos, three Pazuzus and three Ishtars. ¡®I can somewhat understand why the Doppelganger can¡¯t allow such a thing. The Skill would just be too OP if even Named Creatures can be replicated that easily.¡¯ The Half-Elf was in a very good mood as he and his friends returned to the entrance of the Figaro Gardens. The hundreds of Dwarves that had evacuated in that area all cheered after hearing that the Mutated Monster had been killed. All of them looked at Lux, Colette, and her friends, as well as the Apostle Grade Party who fought tooth and nail to defeat the Monster that terrorized the Figaro Garden after it had spawned. Colette and her friends weren¡¯t used to the looks of admiration from the Dwarves who cheered for their victory. ¡°It¡¯s nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lux said as he patted Colette¡¯s head. ¡°Although your sister is indeed good, never belittle yourself. Your journey in Elysium has just begun, right?¡± ¡°Un!¡± Colette nodded her head happily as they headed back towards Leaf Vige with smiles on their faces. They didn¡¯t expect their graduation ceremony to be that intense. In truth, all of them were happy to ovee such a hurdle without having any casualties on their side. When they entered the vige, they headed straight to the za, so that they could return to Sis. Colette told Lux that she wanted to tell her parents that she was now an Apostle. Of course, this wasn¡¯t her only purpose. This would also allow her Big Sister to make preparations for their reunion in Elysium when they meet up in the Intermediate Townter on. Matty, Andy, Axel, and Helen also had the same thoughts, so they bid their goodbyes to Lux and told him that they would return in two days time after meeting their families and sharing the good news with them. Lux waited for the Dwarf children to leave before lightly tapping the Arondight Ring on his finger. Since his friends would be staying with their parents for a day, he thought that this was also a good opportunity for him to go back home and spend some time with his Grandma. ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Eiko.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± ¡ª¨C As soon as Lux appeared in the training room, he immediately heard the sound of hurried footstepsing in his direction. A momentter, the door opened and a youngdy with light-blue hair jumped into his arms while shouting, ¡°Wee back, Big Brother!¡±. ¡°I-Iris?¡± Lux stuttered after taking a good look at the beautifuldy in his arms. ¡°What are you doing here? Where is Grandma?¡± Iris raised her head and gave Lux a look filled with injustice. ¡°Why? Am I not allowed to visit?¡± Iris replied with a pout. Lux chuckled as he lightly patted his step-sister¡¯s head, which immediately put a smile on her face. ¡°Of course you can,¡± Luxmented. ¡°It¡¯s just that, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be here.¡± Just as the Half-Elf was about to say more, Eiko happily jumped over to Iris¡¯ head, and crawled down to the side of her face, giving her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Ma!¡± ¡°Eiko! I missed you.¡± ¡°Ma!¡± The mother and daughter pair rubbed their cheeks against each other¡¯s, while Lux could only look at them with a smile. ¡°Wee back, Lux,¡± Vera said as she walked towards her grandson and gave him a hug. Lux felt the warmth and security of his Grandma¡¯s embrace and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m back, Grandma.¡± Vera pulled back and cupped Lux¡¯s face. ¡°Are you hungry? You came at the right time. Iris and I were just about to eat. Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lux nodded. Iris then held onto Lux¡¯s arm and stuck to him like glue, as they followed behind Vera. Although he didn¡¯t know why Iris came for a visit, he was still happy to see her. There were some questions that he wanted to ask her in regards to Beast Companions, and he was hoping that his brocon-step-sister would be able to answer the questions that were bugging him back in Elysium. Chapter 128 My Brother Is The Strongest! ¡°Eiko, say aah¡­¡± ¡°Aah¡­¡± Lux watched as Iris fed Eiko some rice porridge that Vera had prepared. The red-headed teenager wanted to eat something light, and since Vera spoiled him silly, she cooked some rice porridge just for him. However, since Eiko liked to eat what her Papa liked to eat, she went to him and asked to be fed. When Iris saw this, she immediately took a bowl of rice porridge and started to spoon feed the baby Slime who had a big smile on her face. As the family of four ate together, Vera updated Lux about the things that had happened in Wildgarde Stronghold while he was away. ording to her, Lux¡¯s childhood friends were now close to bing Grade A Apostles.-. Grade A Apostle was the rank before the Initiate Rank. Although it would take a few years for the children to reach the next rank, they were still greatly praised by their faction because they were the seeds that would strengthen their foundations. ¡°Who is the one that is the closest to reaching the final stages of a Grade A Apostle?¡± Lux asked out of curiosity. Vera eyed Lux for a short while before answering his question. ¡°Nero,¡± Vera replied. ¡°Among the members of the young generation, he is the closest to reaching the peak stage of a Grade A Apostle.¡± Lux frowned after hearing the name of the boy who had a bad history with him. Nero was not one of the children that lived in the Wildgarde Stronghold. He was one of the children with high potential that was discovered among the viges that were under the Stronghold¡¯s protection. Because of this, he was allowed to use the Stronghold¡¯s Gate that connected to Elysium, without paying any fees whatsoever. Perhaps due to his background, Nero disdained the children of Wildgarde Stronghold who took things for granted. For him, they weren¡¯t like the children in the viges who had to do their best in order to impress the Stronghold¡¯s Elders, so that they could get sponsored and allowed passage to Elysium. Among other things, Nero hated Lux with a loathing. The brown-haired teenager hated Lux¡¯s good luck of being adopted by Vera, in addition to being cared for by the people inside the Stronghold despite his weak constitution. There had been more than one asion when Nero openly ridiculed Lux for being useless, and they were usually whenever he returned to the Stronghold in order to report on the progress of the younger generation that belonged to their faction in Elysium. Iris arched an eyebrow after hearing Nero¡¯s name as well. Nero had treated her nicely and even mentioned in passing that he would like to serve as one of Iris¡¯ personal guards in Elysium. Barbatos Academy¡¯s Faction belonged to the empire that bordered the kingdom where the Faction of Wildegarde Stronghold was located. Both rulers had good ties with each other and were allies. Because of this, coboration between the elites of Barbatos Academy and those of Wildgarde Stronghold in Elysium were verymon. This was how Nero met Iris. Although he tried hard to hide it, he liked the young prodigy very much. Nero liked Iris not only for her beauty, but because of her background. She was Vera¡¯s granddaughter, and the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy¡¯s only daughter. With such a solid backing behind her, it was impossible for someone with great ambition like Nero to ignore the beautiful girl, who was being treated like a princess by the countless students of Barbatos Academy. Unfortunately, Iris was a brocon who only had eyes for Lux. This made Nero hate Lux even more and, at some point, explicitly told thetter that aside from his handsome face, the Half-Elf had nothing to offer to the girl that Nero wanted as his lover. ¡°I met him in Elysium the other day and that bastard even had the audacity to tell me that he would win the tournament in order to be my fiance,¡± Iris gnashed her teeth in anger. ¡°I hate to admit it, but among the young generation, his chances of seeding are very high. But, don¡¯t worry, Big Brother. Even if he wins, I will not marry him! Grandma, help me elope with Big Brother when that timees, okay?¡± ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯ll tie him up really well, so that he can¡¯t escape even if he bes a High-Ranker,¡± Vera replied with a smile. The twodies shared a knowing nce at each other and smiled. ¡®Peak Stage of the Apostle Grade¡­,¡¯ Lux thought with a serious expression on his face. ¡®Looks like I need to work harder when I get back.¡¯ Right now, aside from Iris and Vera, no one else knew that Lux could now go to Elysium. They kept this a secret from everyone, especially to Iris¡¯ father, Alexander, who didn¡¯t think much of Lux. In truth, Alexander had a higher chance of choosing Nero as Iris¡¯ fiance than Lux, whom he deemed to be a weakling in his eyes. Vera and Iris wanted to give the stubborn man a surprise during the tournament that would be held in Barbatos Academy, where they would force Lux to participate. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, Iris,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°I will not let him marry you.¡± The blue-haired beauty¡¯s hand froze mid-air as she was about to feed Eiko. The baby Slime, who already had her mouth wide open, looked at her mama in confusion. Since Iris wasn¡¯t moving, Eiko thought that they were ying a game, so she decided to jump and eat the porridge that was hanging a few inches above her head. As the baby slime happily chewed the porridge in her mouth, Iris looked at Lux with sparkling eyes. ¡°Un!¡± Iris nodded. ¡°My brother is the strongest! Only he has the right to marry me!¡± Vera nodded her head in agreement. This was her long-cherished wish, so she was giving Iris her full support. She was already looking forward to the grandchildren that she would hold a few years from now. Lux could only scratch his head due to Iris¡¯ and Vera¡¯s reaction. Although he knew that bothdies were just teasing him, he vowed to himself that he would not allow anyone to force his step sister into marrying someone she didn¡¯t like. Chapter 129 Everything He Ever Wanted In His Life After dinner ended, all of them went to the living room to drink some tea and rx. Iris noticed that Eiko had grown more lively in the short time that the baby Slime had been in Elysium. ¡°Big Brother, can you let me see Eiko¡¯s stats?¡± Iris asked. ¡°Sure,¡± Lux replied as he summoned his Soul Book. he then gave Iris permission to only check Eiko¡¯s Status Page, while preventing her from seeing the others. Although he didn¡¯t mind sharing his full information to her brocon-stepsister, he wanted to wait until the tournament began. Only Vera had full ess to Lux¡¯s Soulbook, because for the Half-Elf, his grandmother who raised him was the most important person in his life. ¡°Wow! You managed to upgrade Eiko three times?!¡± Iris eximed after seeing Eiko¡¯s Personal Page. ¡°Big Brother, thank you for loving our baby! You must have spent a lot of resources on her. I knew that you would be a good father, but I didn¡¯t know that you were going to be this good!¡± ¡°You exaggerate too much,¡± Lux replied as he casually waved his hand. ¡°This was all due to Eiko¡¯s effort. I didn¡¯t do much.¡± Lux didn¡¯t know if he should tell Iris that Eiko ranked up three times due to the reward she received from a Hidden Quest. ¡°Eiko, did you make many friends in Elysium?¡± Iris asked the baby Slime that was on herp. ¡°Ma!¡± Eiko nodded her head. ¡°Can you tell me who they are?¡± Iris asked. She was using speech training on Eiko in order for her to be able tomunicate properly after ranking up a few more times. This was something very basic, and all Monster Breeders, Beast Tamers, and simr professions did this to train their monsters at an early stage. Iris was a Beast Tamer, and her subss was a Monster Breeder. She specialized in raising monsters as well as taming them to fight for her in battle. Eiko nodded as she attempted to name the friends she had made in Elysium.-. ¡°Sis Colette! Sis Helen! Bro Axel! Bro Andy! Simp Matty!¡± Lux chuckled after hearing Eiko say Simp Matty. He gave his baby Slime two thumbs up in his heart for getting Matty¡¯s title right. Iris giggled as she lightly patted the peppy Slime that was jumping up and down on herp. The scene was so endearing that Lux and Vera felt as though their hearts were melting. ¡®I¡¯ll ask Iris my questionster,¡¯ Lux thought as he picked the cup of tea on the table. ¡®Eiko is happy, so I¡¯ll let them bond for the time being.¡¯ Iris thought that this was a good opportunity to learn more about what Eiko did in Elysium so she decided to ask her more questions. ¡°You¡¯re now very good at talking, Eiko.¡± Iris praised the baby Slime whose smile became wider. ¡°Did you learn many words in Elysium?¡± ¡°Ma!¡± ¡°You did? Then can you tell me what words you learned?¡± Eiko nodded her head happily before opening her mouth to tell Iris what words he learned in Elysium. ¡°F*cker,¡± Eiko said and looked up at Iris waiting for her praise. ¡°Pffft! Keho! Keho!¡± Lux spat a mouthful of tea that he had just drank after listening to Eiko and coughed repeatedly, while pounding his chest. Iris tilted her head to the side as she held up the baby Slime in her hands. ¡°Sorry, Eiko, can you repeat what you said earlier?¡± Iris inquired. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you properly.¡± ¡°F*cker.¡± Eiko repeated as she once again looked at Iris in anticipation. She wanted to be praised for learning new words. The corner of Iris¡¯ lips twitched. She lightly squeezed Eiko¡¯s cheeks, making the baby Slime giggle. ¡°Eiko, don¡¯t say those words again, okay?¡± Iris said with a serious expression on her face. ¡°They are bad words. Little girls shouldn¡¯t say them.¡± ¡°Bad?¡± ¡°Yes. Bad words. Only bad girls say them. Eiko is a good girl, so she shouldn¡¯t say bad words, okay?¡± Eiko nodded. ¡°Eiko, good girl!¡± ¡°Yes, you are a good girl, so don¡¯t say that word again, okay?¡± Iris said as she patted Eiko¡¯s head. ¡°Un! No bad words!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Iris then nced at Lux¡¯s direction and gave her beloved stepbrother a re that said ¡°What have you been teaching our daughter in Elysium?!¡± Lux could only raise his hands in surrender. Although he wasn¡¯t at fault, he should have made sure that Eiko understood that she shouldn¡¯t say such words because she was young. Iris shifted her attention to the baby Slime in her hands and smiled. ¡°What are the things that Papa taught you in Elysium?¡± Iris asked. ¡°He must have taught you a lot of things, right?¡± ¡°Un!¡± Eiko lightly jumped on top of Iris palms. ¡°Then what did he teach you?¡± ¡°Stealing!¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Iris blinked as she looked at Eiko in a dumbfounded manner. ¡°Stealing?¡± ¡°Un! Stealing things!¡± Eiko replied. As if thinking that she didn¡¯t exin it properly, she added another word, which made Lux feel a strong urge to leave the room. ¡°Steal many things! Steal Here! Steal there! Steal everywhere!¡± Vera covered her lips and chuckled. Although she knew that Lux would never really teach Eiko these things, she found her grandson¡¯s reaction very funny, and decided to just observe from the side. ¡°Papa, I think you better start talking,¡± Iris nced at Lux with a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°What are you teaching Eiko in Elysium?¡± Lux knew that he needed to correct the misunderstanding so he decided to exin the entire mission to his step-sister. Vera, who was also very curious about Lux¡¯s progress in Elysium, listened patiently to his exnation. She could tell that Lux had somehow gotten stronger, but she didn¡¯t know to what extent. Although she could easily look at his Soul Book to check his stats, she wanted to give her grandson some privacy. She appreciated Lux¡¯s love for her, but she wanted to let him know that she trusted himpletely. When Lux¡¯s story ended, Iris had a dumbfounded expression on her face. Although she knew that Lux could now go to Elysium, she thought that he was somewhere in the Empire where the Barbatos Academy faction was located. Since the territory that the Humans controlled was vast, she thought that Lux was just in one of the hundreds of Beginner Viges that could be found in the Human empires. She had no idea that Lux¡¯s starting point was in a Dwarven Kingdom, whose location she hadn¡¯t heard of. Iris was very curious and asked more about Leaf Vige. Lux answered her questions, but made sure to omit Colette¡¯s intention of getting him to marry her Big Sister. The red-headed teenager knew that if Iris got wind of this, she would definitely want to meet the girl personally, which was currently impossible due to the vast distances that separated their Domains. ¡°I see, so that exins it,¡± Iris nodded in understanding as she lightly patted Eiko¡¯s head. ¡°The resources to raise Eiko to her current rank are enough to bring someone to the Apostle Rank. Since Big Brother still hasn¡¯t stepped into that stage, it is impossible for you to collect that many resources to upgrade Eiko three times.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Lux had no choice but to agree to Iris¡¯ deduction because it was true. Eiko¡¯s upgrade requirement was enough to bankrupt him three times over. So, he didn¡¯t really have the resources to raise her up to her current rank. Just as Iris was about to ask more questions, a knock was heard on the door. Vera stood up in order to see who it was, leaving Lux, Iris, and Eiko in the living room. A few minutester, a beautifuldy entered the living room with an apologetic smile on her face. When Iris saw the familiar face, she hurriedly stood up and sat beside Lux, burying her head in his chest, and pretended that she didn¡¯t see her father¡¯s secretary, Alicia. ¡°Lady Iris, it¡¯s time to go back,¡± Alicia said with a sigh. ¡°Your father promised that he would not scold you if you returned with me.¡± It was also at that moment when a handsome boy with light-brown hair and hazel eyes appeared beside Alicia. Lux frowned as he gazed at Nero, who was looking at him with a calm expression on his face. The red-headed teenager knew that the handsome boy who liked Iris was doing his best to restrain himself from ridiculing him in front of Iris and Vera, who was Iris¡¯ grandmother. Nero had always been well-behaved in their presence and hid his disdain for Lux, whom he hated to the core. ¡°Lady Iris, the Hundred-Men Dungeon that our guilds are targeting will open soon,¡± Nero said. ¡°If you don¡¯t return in time, the other guilds might take the first clear in Nightmare Mode. We can¡¯t allow that to happen. We need your power to ensure that no one will look down on our two guilds¡¯ positions in Elysium.¡± Iris didn¡¯t even bother to reply to Nero and only hugged Lux tighter. The Half-Elf smiled and lightly patted Iris¡¯ head, while wrapping his arm around her. ¡°You can go back,¡± Lux stated. ¡°My Grandma and I will escort Iris back to Barbatos Academy. You can just wait for her in Elysium.¡± A sh of hatred passed through Nero¡¯s eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly. Over the years, he had learned to control his emotions better for the sake of his ambition. He knew that if he said anything to Lux, he would offend Iris and Vera. In order to prevent that from happening, he decided to not move from where he stood and to keep his silence. Alicia knew that Nero was aiming to be Iris¡¯ fiance and be one of the Top Contenders in the Grand Tournament that would be held in Barbatos Academy. All the eligible members of the young generation that were ages eighteen and below and from the six kingdoms that made up the Alliance would be participating. So, it was not only Nero who was aiming to be Iris¡¯ fiance. Alexander was one of the strongest human Saints in existence. More than anything else, forming a connection with him would ensure that their own kingdoms would prosper. This meant that the tournament that was going to be held in Barbatos Academy would be the highlight of the year. It was a once in a lifetime chance for them to form a strong connection with Alexander through his daughter, Iris. The funny thing was that the championship match would be held on the same day as Iris¡¯ birthday. It was the day where she would turn sixteen, and finally be eligible for marriage. Alexander had nned this tournament very well, even going as far as to announce that Iris would be the fiance of the tournament¡¯s champion. Vera opposed this n, but Alexander was firm in his decision. This made Iris want to rebel, so she decided to run away from home and hide in her Grandma¡¯s house. Unfortunately, her father didn¡¯t have to be a genius to know where she went. He could have gone personally, but since he didn¡¯t want to offend his daughter and his mother to the point of no return, he decided to send Alicia as a proxy to bring his daughter home. Since Nero refused to budge, Lux decided to stand up, and carried Iris to his room in a princess carry. Eiko felt that her Mama and Papa didn¡¯t like Nero, so she looked at him and mouthed the word ¡°F*cker¡± without giving it any voice. A crack resounded inside the living room, as Nero clenched his fist. Sparks of lightning pulsed around his fist, but he didn¡¯t do anything else. He simply stood and watched Lux take away Iris in his arms. If looks could kill, the Half-Elf would have already died a thousand times over due to his bone-deep hatred towards the red-headed teenager, who had everything he ever wanted in this life. Chapter 130 Sealed With A Kiss After firmly closing the door behind her, Lux gently put Iris on his bed and kissed her forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he can¡¯t get inside this room,¡± Lux said as he sat beside her and held her hand. ¡°Un,¡± Iris nodded as she lightly squeezed Lux¡¯s hand. ¡°Actually, I nned on sleeping in your room tonight, Big Brother. I just didn¡¯t expect that you would also return from Elysium today. It seems that the Gods have blessed me with the opportunity to see you, before I am taken back to the academy.¡± Eiko slid down from Lux¡¯s head and crawled towards her Mama who was feeling depressed. The baby slime kissed Iris¡¯ cheek before resting her head on her Mama¡¯s neck, as if to assure her that everything was going to be fine. ¡°Then stay here for the night,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Grandma Vera will apany you back to the academy tomorrow. I¡¯m sure that she¡¯s already negotiating with Alicia right now.¡± ¡°You won¡¯te with us, Big Brother?¡± Iris inquired. Lux shook his head. ¡°No. I n to return to Elysium when morninges.¡± Iris became teary-eyed as she looked up at her stepbrother who had taken good care of her while growing up. ¡°The reason why I can¡¯t go with you is not because I don¡¯t want to,¡± Lux exined himself because he felt that Iris misunderstood him. ¡°The reason why I want to go back to Elysium is because I don¡¯t want you to get married to someone you don¡¯t like. Iris, I promise you this, I will win that tournament for sure, and protect your happiness.¡± ¡°Big Brother, have you decided?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡±-. Lux smiled as he squeezed Iris¡¯ hand back. The red-headed teenager and the blue-haired beauty stared at each other for a long time and smiled. There was no need to say anything, because the warmth that was spreading in their intertwined hands was enough to tell Iris what she wanted to know. The Half-Elfid beside Iris and held her in a protective embrace. ¡°Sleep,¡± Lux said as he kissed her forehead for the second time. ¡°You¡¯ll be safe here.¡± ¡°Un.¡± Iris closed her eyes and hugged Lux back. Eiko, who was sandwichedfortably between her Papa and Mama, closed her eyes to sleep. The beating of Lux¡¯s and Iris¡¯ hearts were like a luby to her, making her feel safe and loved. A few minutester, Iris¡¯ and Eiko¡¯s soft breathing echoed inside the room as Lux stared at their peaceful sleeping faces. ¡®Nero¡­,¡¯ Lux thought as the image of the teenager that always looked for trouble for him shed inside his head. ¡®The pain and suffering I endured back then¡­ I will make sure to repay it in full!¡¯ After silently vowing to himself, Lux closed his eyes to rest. Although he would be returning to Elysium a little earlier than scheduled, he decided to use that extra time as an opportunity to head inside the Bronze Crypt so he could get a better understanding of what its Hell Mode looked like. Dungeons inside Elysium usually had two levels of difficulty. Normal and Nightmare. However, there were dungeons who had three, which were Normal, Nightmare, and Hell Mode. The Bronze Crypt only had two difficulties and they were Normal and Hell Mode. An hourter, the door of the room creaked open as Vera peeked at her two grandchildren who were sleeping in each other¡¯s arms. A smile appeared on her face as she closed the door quietly to return to her room to rest. Just as Lux had anticipated, Vera sessfully convinced Alicia to let her personally escort her granddaughter back to Elysium the next day. However, in order to not make things difficult for her son¡¯s secretary, she proposed that she apany them on the return trip. Nero was nning to say that he also wanted to escort Iris back to Barbatos Academy, but Vera¡¯s stare made him shut up. He felt like he was a little mouse staring at a viper who was looking down on it with its predatory eyes. In the end, he made the right decision and stepped down, telling Alicia that he would return to Elysium first and wait for Iris to rendezvous with their guild at the Dungeon¡¯s entrance. In truth, Vera didn¡¯t dislike Nero. She could tell that the boy truly wished to reach greater heights by relying on his ability, resources, as well as the connections he had built over the years. The Elders of Wildgarde Stronghold were not stupid. Since they knew Nero¡¯s desire to w his way up to the top, they would support him because they needed people like him to usher in a new era and bring the members of their young generation to greatness. But, there were things that Vera wouldn¡¯t allow no matter what. Lux and Iris were her reverse scales. She didn¡¯t care if she was up against a Saint or not. Anyone who dared to harm them, would be ripped apart by her hands, even if she had to sell her soul to the devil to make it happen. ¡°Alex,¡± Vera muttered her son¡¯s nickname with a sad expression on her face. ¡°You should know better than to get in the way of your daughter¡¯s happiness.¡± ¡ª¡ª Iris slowly opened her eyes and gazed sleepily at the handsome face that was right in front of her. As the cogs in her brain started to turn, the memory of what happened a few hours ago shed inside her head. Soon, the beautiful youngdy was fully awake and looking at her Big Brother¡¯s sleeping face with an infatuated look on her face. She didn¡¯t know when exactly she had started to feel a strong attraction to her step brother who had been with her almost all her life. The only thing she knew was that her world seemed to be more colorful whenever Lux was around. Her heart would beat wildly inside her chest and she would feel like she was walking on clouds. That was how intense her feelings for Lux were, and even when they were separated by a great distance, her feelings for him didn¡¯t wane. In fact, they even grew stronger. The saying, ¡°Absence makes the heart grow fonder,¡± fit her feelings perfectly. This was why she wasn¡¯t able to stop herself from kissing Lux when he appeared in Barbatos Academy to visit her after a long time. Iris gulped as she gathered all of her courage in her heart. ¡®Now is the perfect time to do this while Brother is asleep,¡¯ Iris thought. ¡®If I miss this opportunity, who knows how long it will be till I see him again.¡¯ Iris then moved closer to Lux and kissed his lips. The kiss onlysted for a brief moment because she was afraid that he was going to wake up. Iris¡¯ heart was beating wildly inside her chest as her breaths grew ragged. She was painfully waiting to see if Lux would wake up after she had kissed him, but after a minute had passed, her raging emotions finally calmed down. As if emboldened by her first sess. Iris once again raised her lips and kissed the sleeping Lux for the second time. This time, the kisssted longer, as she pressed her soft lips over his. In the middle of kissing her Big Brother, she felt his lips move to kiss her back. It was an unconscious move on Lux¡¯s part, because he was still truly asleep. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t know that what he did almost turned Iris¡¯ mind to mush as her mind turned nk, after getting kissed by him. When the kiss ended, Iris felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her chest from its rapid beating. Although the kiss didn¡¯tst long, it was long enough for Iris to ingrain it in her heart. ¡®I really like you, Lux,¡¯ Iris said in her heart as a tear fell down at the corner of her eyes. ¡®I like you so much that it hurts.¡¯ Eiko, opened her eyes because she felt something warm and wet fall on top of her head. When she saw Iris crying, the baby slime moved to wipe her tears away, which made the young beauty cry more. ¡°Eiko, your Papa is bullying me,¡± Iris said as she lightly pinched the baby slime¡¯s cheeks. ¡°How can my step brother be this handsome?¡± ¡°Ma?¡± Eiko tilted her head in confusion. She didn¡¯t know why her Mama was unreasonably pinching her cheeks, while crying with a smile on her face. ¡°Just look at your papa, doesn¡¯t he look amazing,¡± Iris whispered in Eiko¡¯s ears as she turned the baby Slime to look at the sleeping Half-Elf beside them. ¡°Pa,¡± Eiko replied in agreement. Her Papa was indeed amazing. ¡°Eiko, if you find any girl who is pestering your Papa, make sure to report it to me at once, okay?¡± ¡°Ma!¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a good girl, Eiko. I love you.¡± ¡°Ma!¡± Eiko giggled after Iris kissed her cheeks. The two then spent half an hour more looking at Lux¡¯s sleeping face, before the Half-Elf opened his eyes to look at them in a daze. ¡°Good morning, Brother!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Lux smiled as he greeted the two girls who were looking at him with smiles on their faces. ¡°Good morning, Eiko, Iris,¡± Lux replied as he yawned and propped himself up on the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Iris. I¡¯m sure Grandma is awake by now.¡± Lux reached out to offer his hand to the youngdy who was looking up at him with a reddened face. ¡°Un.¡± Iris nodded as she offered her hand to Lux, which thetter held firmly. Eiko moved on top of her Mama¡¯s head as the three of them left Lux¡¯s room. Although the two of them would part ways after breakfast, the promise that was sealed by a kiss, would bind them for the rest of their lives. Chapter 131 The Ghoul Beast Of Leaf Village Cemetery ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± ¡°Manma!¡± ¡°Take care as well, Eiko,¡± Vera said as she lightly patted the baby Slime, who was on top of Lux¡¯s head, while looking at thetter with tender eyes. ¡°Iris, I¡¯m going,¡± Lux said to the blue-haired beauty who couldn¡¯t look at him straight in the eye. ¡°Un. Be careful, Big Brother,¡± Iris said as she raised her head to look at Lux. Her face was beet-red, which made the Half-Elf wonder if she were having a fever. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m just sad because Big Brother is going away.¡± Lux thought that Iris was feeling lonely so she moved towards her and gave her a hug, which made the young beauty¡¯s face turn a shade redder. ¡°Ma!¡± Eiko said as she slid down from Lux¡¯s head and kissed her Mama¡¯s forehead to say goodbye. ¡°Be safe, Eiko,¡± Iris replied as she kissed Eiko back. ¡°Make sure your papa doesn¡¯t cheat on me.¡± ¡°Ma?¡± The red-headed teenager lightly pinched Iris¡¯ cheeks before taking a few steps back.-. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Iris,¡± Lux said as he ced his closed fist over his chest. ¡°Just trust me.¡± Iris smiled as she nodded her head. ¡°I trust you, Big Brother.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Eiko,¡± Lux lightly patted the slime on his head to tell her that they were about to leave for Elysium. As if understanding what his Papa was trying to say, Eiko smiled before readying herself for departure. ¡°Open! Heaven¡¯s Gate!¡± A brief sh of light enveloped Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s body before they disappearedpletely, leaving only Vera and Iris behind. Vera then rested her hand on Iris¡¯ shoulder and gave her a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lux never breaks a promise,¡± Vera said. ¡°If he said that he will win the tournament, he will win the tournament.¡± ¡°I know, Grandma,¡± Iris replied. ¡°I trust him.¡± ¡ª¡ª- When Lux appeared in Leaf Vige, the first thing he did was look for his Master, Randolph, before stopping by at Grandma Annie¡¯s candy shop. He left both elders a message to tell Colette and the others, if they looked for him, that he would be waiting for them at the Bronze Crypt at the promised time. Since Lux had returned a day early in Elysium, he nned to go to the Bronze Crypt to check what Hell Mode was like, so he could prepare a detailed n for how he and his friends could challenge it a second time. Since he had returned early, he arrived an hour just before the sun was about to set. The Bronze Crypt would only open at night due to the peculiarities of the dungeon. As Lux made his way towards the graveyard, he saw a three-meter tall monster prowling the area. Its blue eyes glowed eerily in the darkness as it walked on its hind legs. The long tailing from its backside was simr to that of a scorpion¡¯s that was always posed to strike. It was none other than the Rank 2 Alpha Monster of the Leaf Vige Cemetery that went by the name, Ghoul Beast. Lux didn¡¯t move from his spot because he noticed a group of Dwarves approaching the Alpha Beast. They were the same group that had fought alongside them against the Mutated Golden-Eyed Crimson Mantis back in the Figaro Gardens. ¡®This must be part of their graduation ceremony,¡¯ Lux thought as he rubbed his chin. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll just watch. I¡¯m also curious to see how they are going to challenge this monster together.¡¯ ¡ª- < Ghoul Beast > ¨C Leaf Vige Cemetery Apex Creature ¨C Rank 2 Alpha Monster Health: 60,000 / 60,000 Mana: 8,000 / 8,000 Strength: 150 Intelligence: 40 Vitality: 150 Agility: 150 Dexterity: 100 Active Skills: Venomous Leap, Terror Howl, Ghoul Frenzy, Summon Draugr Passive Skills: Lifesteal, Stoneskin. ¡ª¨C Lux knew that even though the Ghoul Beast was weaker whenpared to the Mutated Golden-Eyed Crimson Mantis that they had fought in the Figaro Garden, that didn¡¯t mean that the former was any less threatening. He knew that one small mishap could wipe out the entire party and their bodies would remain here in the graveyard of Leaf Vige for eternity. Of course, that would only happen if the Ghoul Beast didn¡¯t feast on their corpses after killing them. ¡°Everyone, get ready!¡± The Shield Warrior, who was also the leader of the party, pped his sword over his shield, activating his defensive buffs. ¡°No matter what happens, stay behind me. If it summons Draugrs, the swordsmen will engage them separately. Mages, just focus fire on the Ghoul Beast, the heal should be focused on me!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± Lux watched as the party of one Shield Warrior, two Swordsmen, two Mages, and one Healer engaged the Ghoul Beast inbat. ¡°A bnced team,¡± Lux muttered as he eyed the battle that was about to happen. ¡°Pazuzu,e.¡± The Demonic Defender appeared beside Lux and waited for his orders. ¡°Interfere if you deem that they are in mortal danger,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°If not, don¡¯t do anything.¡± Pazuzu nodded as it narrowed its eyes to look at the Ghoul Beast that had now engaged the Dwarf party that challenged it. With a furious roar, the Ghoul Beast summoned two Draugr¡¯s to fight by his side as it leaped at the Shield Warrior with its razor sharp ws extended. The Shield Warrior didn¡¯t back away and used his Shield Charge, to meet the enemy head-on. This was a standard opener for Shield Warriors in order for them to close the distance and keep the opponent at bay. When the two collided, a screeching sound simr to metal shing against each other reverberated in the night. The two swordsmen engaged the Draugrs in one-on-onebat, preventing them from attacking the Shield Warrior, as well as their magicians and healer who were at the rear. Their teamwork was good and Lux couldn¡¯t stop himself from admiring their battle style, which seemed to be specially designed to fight against the Ghoul Beast. After defeating the Draugrs, the two swordsmen drank a bottle of health potion to recover their health before helping their Shield Warrior engage the Alpha Monster. ¡®They made the necessary preparations and arrangements for this battle,¡¯ Lux nodded his head in admiration. ¡®If nothing goes wrong, they should be able to defeat the Ghoul Beast without any problems.¡¯ Spells constantly flew towards the Ghoul Beast, which pushed it back whenever it was about to overpower the three vanguards, who were preventing the monster from attacking their ranged attackers. Little by little, its health declined. However, the Ghoul Beast was still an Alpha Beast, so there were a few asions when it managed to send one of the vanguards flying with its powerful attacks. The Healer did his job well and helped his allies recover as fast as they could so that the Ghoul Beast wouldn¡¯t be able to get the upper hand. Lux observed the battle with a serious expression on his face as he memorized the Ghoul Beast¡¯s attack patterns. If the Apostle Grade Party was able to defeat it, he and his friends would have to wait until it respawned again. It was verymon for those that had reached the Apostle Grade to challenge the Carbuncle, Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, as well as the Ghoul Beast as their Last Hurrah before leaving the Beginner¡¯s Zone. They left the Forest Wolf King alone, since it was something that none of them could defeat, unless several Apostle Grade Parties worked together to challenge it. ording to Lux¡¯s estimate, it would take at least a fifty-men team of Apostle Grades to defeat the Field Boss of the Heartwood Forest. Anything lower than that was just in suicide. The battlested for half an hour and the Apostle Grade Party emerged victorious. Lux smiled as he watched the Dwarves share high-fives with each other with big smiles on their faces. ¡°I¡¯m really gonna miss them,¡± Lux muttered as he thought of Colette and the others. He knew that when he finally passed the qualification to go to Elysium in the Wildgarde Stronghold, he would be teleported to the Human Territories, where their faction belonged. It was tens of thousands of miles away from Leaf Vige, and Lux didn¡¯t know if he would ever see his friends again after he chose to transfer to the Humannds. ¡®I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I get there,¡¯ Lux thought as he walked towards the Bronze Crypt, which was his original destination. ¡®In any case, I still have the Arondight Ring with me, so I can look for them when I have the time.¡¯ Lux understood that everyone had their own paths in life. If they were fated to meet, then he and his Dwarf friends would definitely cross paths again, one way or the other. Chapter 132 Bronze Crypt Hell Mode [Part 1] Lux stopped in front of the familiar bronze gate and looked at the name that shone in bold gold letters at the very top of the ranking list. ¡°Aina Van Goldenyer,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°Colette is always urging me to marry her so that I can officially be her Big Brother. I wonder, is she the same as Colette?¡± Lux tried to imagine a more mature version of Colette and ended upughing. He just picture the blonde and adorable little Dwarf with an elegant and dignified expression on her face. ¡°I promised her that I¡¯ll meet her sister, so I guess I¡¯ll do that before I go to the Human territories,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°I¡¯m sure that after Colette brings up the possibility of marriage, her sister will immediately reject me, leaving her perfect n in tatters. But, this is for the best. I do not belong in the Dwarvennds of the Gweliven Kingdom.¡± Lux sighed as he shifted his attention to the entrance of the Dungeon. He then chose Hell Mode and disappeared from where he stood. The next time Lux opened his eyes, he found himself in what seemed like a creepy forest, illuminated by a red full moon. ¡°This is a good ce to shoot a horror film,¡± Luxmented as he scanned his surroundings.-. ¡°Pa?¡± Eiko tilted her head in confusion because she didn¡¯t understand what Lux had just said. ¡°Don¡¯t mind, Eiko. Just keep your eyes peeled for trouble.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± The Elysium Compendium had already activated its exploration mode, showing the map at the upper right corner of Lux¡¯s vision. Lux waved his hand and summoned Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, as well as all of his Skeleton Warriors. Eiko also summoned her Skeleton warriors, as well as ckie and Whitey, who hovered beside Lux and were looking at their surroundings with vignce. The baby Slime was feeling scared because of the ambiance of the ce, so she hid inside Lux¡¯s robes, and only peeked out to look at the path they were walking. Although she was already used to having skeletons and the scary Pazuzu around her, she was still afraid of foreign undead monsters, which amused Lux. The path was quite narrow, and the sides were blocked by towering ash-colored trees that forced the group to move in a tight formation. Diablo and Pazuzu were at the front, serving as the vanguard, while the Skeletal Fighters were behind them. Lux and Eiko were at the center. Ishtar and the Skeleton Grand Archers were right behind them. After experiencing the Hell-Mode of the Orc Dominion, Lux no longer underestimated anything with the Hell Modebel. Even though the Bronze Crypt was only an E-Ranked Dungeon and merely served as a training ground for newbies, he still took it seriously. When Lux took his hundredth step. The ground that was several meters away from him rose up, toppling the Skeletal Fighters that were standing in that position. Soon, Six Elder Ghouls emerged from the ground and attacked the nearest monster beside them. All of them were peak Rank 1 Monsters, and were only a step away from Rank 2. However, Lux¡¯s skeletons were not pushovers either. All of them were Rank 1 Monsters, and they had the advantage when it came to numbers. Although the surprise attack managed to damage a few of them, the moment the Elder Ghouls appeared, all the Skeleton Fighters dealt with them as if they were in a gang fight. The pitiful ghouls were immediately neutralized until they copsed into a pile of dirt, leaving nothing else behind. The Skeleton Fighters used their sword to disperse the dirt, but they found nothing inside it. ¡°So stingy,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°Not even leaving a Beast Core behind.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko was also dissatisfied as she looked at the dirt on the ground with beady eyes. Clearly, she was in the mood to eat some Beast Cores, even if they came from a bunch of zombies. After the first sh against the monster inside the dungeon, everyone became more alert as they headed deeper in the creepy forest. Suddenly, the trees around them started to shake, which made Eiko scream in fright before burying herself inside her Papa¡¯s robes. The trees around them suddenly unearthed their roots from the ground and attacked Lux, who was the only living creature inside the dungeon. ¡®Corrupted Treants,¡¯ Lux thought as his Summons formed a defensive encirclement with Lux at the center. ¡°And one Hungering Treant. This dungeon really doesn¡¯t pull any punches for newbies.¡± Corrupted treants were simr to Elder Ghouls, but were more sturdy than them. They were Rank 1 Monsters that were weak against elemental attacks, especially fire, which dealt great damage to them. The Hungering Treant, on the other hand, was a Rank 2 Monster that was almost as strong as an Orc Berserker. If it was alone, it would take an entire party to bring it down, but with seven Corrupted Treants backing it, it definitely spelles trouble to those who had just stepped into the Apostle Rank. However, just like the Corrupted Treants were weakest against fire, the Hungering Treant was weak to elemental attacks, making it vulnerable against mages. Airon, the Nightmare Horse, hurled several firences at the Hungering Treant that was trying to reach out to Lux, setting it aze. ckie and Whitey also unleashed their elemental attacks, dealing significant damage, especially Whitey whose Holy Attacks were very deadly against undead and corrupted creatures. Once again, the monsters were easily dealt with, as they copsed in a pile of rotting wood, leaving nothing behind. ¡°Again?¡± Lux scratched his head after finding out that no Beast Cores were found from the monsters¡¯ remains. ¡°Is this just a coincidence or does my luck just suck?¡± Just as Lux was wondering if Iris absorbed all of his luck when they slept together, a terrifying roar echoed through the creepy forest, making the baby Slime inside his robes shudder. Lux narrowed his eyes as he stared at the North, where a giant ck tree was located. It was the ce where he needed to go, and the location of the Boss of the Dungeon that was waiting for them. Chapter 133 Bronze Crypt Hell Mode [Part 2] ¡°This ce is like a maze,¡± Lux thought as he gazed at the map in front of him. After exploring the dungeon for nearly an hour, he ended up in several dead-ends, which only confirmed his suspicion. ¡®There¡¯s only one path that leads to the boss and it is hidden inside this maze.¡¯ Lux rubbed his chin as he looked at the ces that they had already explored. More than half of the map was now visible to him, and it was only a matter of time before he had itpletely mapped. Sounds of explosions sounded around him, but he didn¡¯t bother looking at his surroundings, putting all his attention on the map in front of him. Six Bone Wraiths that were Rank 2 Monsters were currently engaging in closebat with Lux¡¯s forces, but after encountering them on more than one asion, he and his Summons had already memorized their fight patterns, making them easier to deal with. ¡®Colette¡¯s sister managed to beat this dungeon within 39 minutes,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®But, I¡¯ve already been here for three hours¡­¡¯ The corner of Lux¡¯s lips raised after finally knowing the reason why Colette¡¯s sister managed to set the record for the fastest run in the Bronze Crypt. ¡®There¡¯s no doubt about it, she challenged this dungeon several times with her party and memorized the maze.¡¯ Lux concluded. ¡®Only after knowing the right path can you clear this dungeon without wasting any time. Even so, I admit that she is indeed quite capable of setting that record.¡¯ Lux gave the monsters that were attacking him with a side-long nce. The monsters that he had encountered inside the dungeon were all Rank 1 and Rank 2 Monsters. Even for an Apostle Grade Party, they would have to be strong enough to fight against such a lineup. Another hour passed, and after several more monster battles, Lux finally arrived at his destination. ¡°So, you are the Last Boss of this dungeon,¡± Lux muttered as he gazed at the three-meter tall zombie with bone spikes protruding from its back and arms.-. ¡ª- < gue Monstrosity > ¨CFinal Boss of Bronze Crypt (Hell Mode) ¨C Rank 3 Boss Monster (Initial Stages) Health: 90,000 / 90,000 Mana: 6,000 / 6,000 Strength: 150 Intelligence: 20 Vitality: 150 Agility: 100 Dexterity: 100 Skills: Poison Smog, Jackhammer, Rampage, Passive Skills: Heavy Handed Title: gue Bearer ¡ª < Poison Smog > ¨C Unleash a breath of Poisonous Smog at your enemies. ¨C Have a medium chance to inflict poison or disease. < Jackhammer > ¨C unleash a full powered punch at your target dealing 300% melee damage. ¨C Has a knockback effect. < Rampage > ¨C Go on a rampage and deal a flurry of deadly blows to your enemies that be stronger with each strike. ¨C Deals five blows with each blow increasing melee damage by 50%, 100%, 150%, 200%, and 250% respectively. < Heavy Handed > ¨C Raise your Melee attacks by 20% < gue Bearer > ¨C All attacks of the gue Bearer have a chance to inflict poison or diseases. ¡ª¨C ¡°This is one tough cookie,¡± Lux thought as he looked at the stats of his enemy. ¡°It is almost as strong as the Alpha Monster, Ghoul Beast.¡± For the first time, Lux decided to take the battle seriously. Eiko also prepared herself for battle. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly before Colette and the others show up,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°Everyone, battle formations!¡± ¡ª¨C Lux came out of the dungeon with his clothes torn in different ces. His face was a bit pale due to the effect of poison and diseases that he was infected with during the battle. Fortunately, Eiko had the skill ¡°Cure-All¡±, which removed these status effects in her Papa¡¯s body. Unfortunately, after repeatedly being subjected to debilitating status ailments, Lux still felt sick even after his body had been cured from any kinds of poisons and diseases. For some reason, Eiko waspletely immune to poison and negative status effects, which surprised Lux. Since his minions were also Undead, they were not affected by poison and diseases, so they ended up being a perfect counter to their enemy. ¡®Whenever the gue Monstrosity unleashes its Poisonous Smog, the entire battlefield is covered by it,¡¯ Lux mused as he walked towards Leaf Vige. ¡®There¡¯s no escape, so we should bring Panaceas to counter the negative buffs. ¡®Rampage and Jackhammer are also very annoying skills. If Colette tanked either of these attacks, she would definitely be sent flying by that monster.¡¯ Colette was a Pdin, so she was always at the front during battle. Although her profession wasn¡¯t a Shield Warrior, her ss was still an all-rounder that functioned well in a party. Capable of tanking damage, healing, and casting spells, Pdins were well received in any party. Some Pdins focused purely on defense, which made them as strong as Shield Warriors. Colette¡¯s fighting style was bnced, so she could attack and defend at the same time. Lux¡¯s n was to let the Dwarf children experience the difficulty of the Bronze Crypt Hell mode in the first run, without using any of his Summons. He also didn¡¯t n to contend with Colette for the position as the leader of the group, so he would just listen to hermands during their Dungeon expedition. ¡°Eiko, when we are with Colette and the otherster, you can summon ckie and Whitey, but don¡¯t summon anyone else, okay?¡± ¡°Pa!¡± As Lux entered Leaf Vige, he immediately headed to his room in the inn to rest. His dungeon expedition was a very traumatic one, and the boss was pretty stingy with its loot. He only got its Rank 3 Beast Core after defeating it and nothing else, which almost made Lux curse out loud. It turned out that the suffering he had experienced when fighting against it was just worth that much. Although the Half-Elf¡¯s dungeon experience wasn¡¯t the best, he didn¡¯t regret it. Now, he had the information he needed in order to help his friends clear the dungeon, and beat Colette¡¯s sister¡¯s record. Of course, Lux didn¡¯t n to break Colette¡¯s record with their group¡¯s first attempt to challenge it. He nned to do a speedrun after his friends experienced what the dungeon had to offer. This was to ensure that they would also be able to experience the suffering he had. ¡®I¡¯m doing this for your own good, guys,¡¯ Lux mused as he closed his eyes to sleep. ¡®I¡¯m sure this experience will help you in the future after you leave Leaf Vige.¡¯ Eiko snuck inside Lux¡¯s shirt, because she was still feeling the after effects of fighting scary monsters. She also liked to sleep hearing her Papa¡¯s heart, because it put her at ease. Soon, the Half-Elf and the baby slime were sound asleep. They knew that when morning came, their friends would once again be in Elysium, and they would be able to continue their journey together, even if it was only for a little while longer. Chapter 134 The Journey Itself Has Meaning ¡°Good morning, Big Brother!¡± ¡°Good morning, Colette. Have you eaten?¡± ¡°I ate before I came here, so I¡¯m good.¡± The adorable blonde Dwarf sat beside Lux as thetter ate the ham and eggs that were served to him inside the tavern. Eiko, on the other hand, was munching on bacon. Since Colette had nothing to do, she decided to hand feed the baby Slime who liked to be spoiled by the people she knew and cared about. Half an hourter, Helen arrived at the inn and also sat at the table to join her friends. She was wearing a golden pin on her head, which was an artifact that her family gave her as a reward after bing an Apostle in Elysium.-. ¡°Big Brother, I bragged about our achievements to my Big Sister, and she was very surprised about it,¡± Colette said with a smug expression on her face. ¡°Also, I told her that our party will beat the record she had set in the Bronze Crypt and she only smiled and told me ¡®Good luck!¡¯ ¡°It seems like she doesn¡¯t believe that we can beat her. Big Brother, you better help me prove that we beat her record, okay? I even bought a recording crystal just to show her the change in the rankings.¡± Lux chuckled but he firmly nodded his head. Although he admired Aina¡¯s strategy when she set the fastest record in clearing the Hell Mode of the Bronze Crypt, their group had something that her group didn¡¯t have when they were still in Leaf Vige. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will leave your sister in the dust and she will have no choice but to acknowledge that you had surpassed her record.¡± Lux gave Colette a reassuring smile, which made thetter feel giddy. Colette was a verypetitive person, and her sister was her idol. Aina was someone who was considered a top prodigy in Sis as well as in Elysium. Her achievements were such that when she created a guild separate from her family¡¯s main guild, many dwarfs still gathered under her banner. This was proof that she was capable enough to stand on her own, and Colette had long considered her sister as the perfect role model to aspire to. Colette knew that beating her sister¡¯s record was a daunting task, but as long as there was a possibility, she would use everything in her power to make it happen. ¡°Big Brother, it is still morning, and the Bronze Crypt only opens at night,¡± said as she rested her chin over the palm of her hands. ¡°What are we going to do while we wait for sunset?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s visit Grandma Annie¡¯s ce and buy some Panaceas, Healing potion, and Mana Potion,¡± Lus replied. ¡°Even if we have Eiko, Helen, as well as your pet Clover (Mutated Carbuncle), we still need those things just in case they are not in the right state to cure us from status ailments.¡± Colette and Helen nodded in understanding. Fifteen minutester, the group of three were having tea, and snacks in Grandma Annie¡¯s candy shop as she prepared the things that they needed for their dungeon expedition. ¡°So, you girls will be leaving soon,¡± Grandma Annie said as she sat beside Colette and Helen. ¡°Time surely flies. I can¡¯t remember the number of times I¡¯ve seen Foreignerse and leave this ce. Of course, there are some people who have stood out from among the crowd, and left a very good impression on me.¡± Lux lightly coughed and said ¡°Ahem Ahem¡± several times, but Grandma Annie, as well as the two Dwarven girls, ignored him. ¡°Grandma, do you know any outstanding Dwarves that appeared here several years ago?¡± Colette asked. ¡°Do you know someone named Aina?¡± ¡°Aina? Of course I know her.¡± Grandma Annie looked in the distance as if remembering a very good memory. ¡°Not only is she a wonderful Dwarf, she¡¯s also very strong, and kind. Although her face always looked cold on the surface, she was a very warm person. If I only had a grandson, I would have definitely urged him to approach her and ask her hand for marriage.¡± Colette puffed up her chest with pride as she gave Lux a side-long nce that said, ¡°Isn¡¯t my sister awesome?¡±. The adorable dwarf then told Grandma Annie that she was Aina¡¯s sister, but thetter didn¡¯t express any shock after this revtion. ¡°I know,¡± Grandma Annie said. Colette blinked her eyes in confusion. ¡°You know?¡± ¡°Yes. Before your sister left, she told me that a few years from now, her sister will alsoe to Leaf Vige, and asked me to look after you,¡± Grandma Annie said with a mischievous smile on her face. ¡°Perhaps this is also fate. Who would think that the one and only Half-Elf to appear in this vige arrived at the same time as you did?¡± The old Dwarf chuckled and sipped some tea before she continued her narration. ¡°Then, all of you went through all sorts of trouble.¡± Grandma Annie lightly patted Colette¡¯s and Helen¡¯s heads. ¡°Getting caught up in a Monster Outbreak, Kidnapped by Kobold Bandits, and clearing a Hidden Dungeon. ¡°When all of you leave Leaf Vige, and set off on your journey once again, you must remember that the journey itself has meaning. The songs of the cities, the smiles of the people, and the Monsters you face, all of them are part of your journey. ¡°Although the destination is good, it is not everything. So, before you reach the end, keep your eyes open and use those chances to take in the world around you. I¡¯m sure that you will fondly remember these things when you sit back and reminisce about how your journey started.¡± Grandma Annie sighed as she pulled the two Dwarves into her embrace and gave both of them a hug. ¡°It is such a pity that Foreigners can¡¯t return to the ce where they started.¡± Grandma Annie sighed. ¡°I would love to hear your stories after you have all traveled the world, and seen ces I have never seen before.¡± Colette, and Helen became teary-eyed as they hugged back Grandma Annie who had always been kind to them. Lux no longer sulked and simply stared at this sad parting with a solemn gaze. Just like Grandma Annie said, those who stepped into the Apostle Rank are fated to leave Leaf Vige and never step foot in it again. Such were the rules of the world, and there was nothing they could do about it. Chapter 135 Playing Dirty [Part 1] ¡°Are all of you ready?¡± Colette asked as she looked at her party members who were raring to challenge the Hell Mode of the Bronze Crypt. ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± The little blonde Dwarf decisively chose the Hell Mode of the Bronze Crypt, teleporting them inside the Dungeon. The Dwarves found themselves standing in front of a creepy forest. It even made Helen subconsciously shudder. Lux and Eiko stood behind the Dwarves as they looked at the familiar scene with confident expressions on their faces. After a good night¡¯s sleep, Eiko was no longer afraid of challenging the Bronze Crypt again. The fact that she was now perched on top of Lux¡¯s head showed that she had already ovee her fears after eating a te full of bacon. ¡°Vanguards at the front, Mages nk our healer,¡± Colette ordered as she, Lux, and Matty stood at the front of the formation.-. Lux had already informed his friends that he didn¡¯t n on summoning any of his minions to fight inside the Bronze Crypt. To his surprise, the Dwarves liked this idea and even asked him not to summon Diablo, Ishtar, and Pazuzu, no matter how the expedition fared. Although the Dwarf children didn¡¯t want to admit it, they had be ustomed to being surrounded by Lux¡¯s skeletons, which had given them a sense of security. This was something bad for their development, so they supported their Big Brother¡¯s request with a unanimous vote. Only Eiko was allowed to summon her Devil Slime and Angel Slime to battle. Lux held the sword Oathbreaker, as well as the shield Dawne, in his hands. Because he had be so ustomed to standing in the rear with the protection of his Summons, his closebat abilities had not been used for a long time. Now that the tournament in Barbatos Academy was drawing near, the red-headed teenager decided to get serious and once again refine his sword and meleebat techniques in order to prepare for the battle that was toe. His current role in the party was a Magic Swordsman, so he walked two meters away from Colette¡¯s left side, giving them some space to maneuver, just in case something unexpected happened. Matty kept the same distance as well while he walked on Colette¡¯s right side. He had his guard raised to its peak as he warily scanned his surroundings for any surprise attacks. Eiko, on the other hand, was perched on top of Helen¡¯s head. Her Papa had told her that he nned to fight solo for the time being, and ordered Eiko to act as Support for Helen, Andy, and Axel, just in case they were attacked by monsters. ckie and Whitey hovered above the mages, ready to fight at any given moment. Just as Lux predicted, after moving a hundred steps inside the dungeon, several Elder Ghoul rose from the ground and attacked their party. Helen let out an ear-piercing scream as her legs were grabbed by a pair of rotting hands that hade up from beneath the earth. Andy and Axel hurriedly swatted the rotting hands with their staff, forgetting the fact that they were mages. Fortunately, Whitey reacted in time and cast Holy st on the Zombie¡¯s hands, making them let go of the Cleric¡¯s legs, who had almost peed herself from fright. Andy fired two consecutive fire bullets at the ground, forcing the Elder Ghoul to surface. Axel, on the other hand, cast a water de to slice off the Zombie¡¯s hands, preventing it from using its hands against them again. Although they had been caught by surprise by the Zombie¡¯s ambush, all of them had been baptized by the Nightmare Mode of Orc Dominion. Fighting against Rank 1 Monsters was no longer an issue for them. Lux battled the Elder Ghoul in front of him, while paying close attention to his friends behind him. When Helen had been freed from the ghoul¡¯s clutches, he focused all of his attention on the enemy that was in front of him. The Half-Elf unleashed the techniques that Vera had taught him when he was still a child. He had practiced these movements thousands of time in the past, until he fainted. As Lux executed move after move, he realized just how strong his body had be. Now that fainting was no longer an issue, he can exert all his strength in his attacks. Lux¡¯s de cleanly hacked the Elder Ghoul¡¯s limbs from their sockets, rendering it helpless. ¡°Kaizer Sword Art First Form,¡± Lux said as he thrust his sword forward. ¡°Piercing the Heavens!¡± The sword instantly pierced through the Elder Ghoul¡¯s head, killing it instantly. Soon, the monster crumbled into pieces, leaving only dirt behind. Colette and Matty had also finished dealing with the monsters in front of them. The little blonde Dwarf looked at her friends with a critical gaze. After seeing that no one was seriously hurt during the skirmish, she ordered the group to advance deeper into the maze. With every battle they fought, the Dwarves were slowly getting the hang of fighting the monsters that would sneak attack them from the side, under the ground, and in the air above them. The Half-Elf chuckled internally as he watched Colette¡¯s frustrated expression deepen whenever they came to a dead end. He had no intention of guiding them towards the Boss Monster¡¯s location this time though. For him, this was an experience that his friends needed to experience so that when they encountered a simr incident in the future, they would be able to deal with it calmly and keep their wits about them. One and a half hourster, Colette¡¯s group finally arrived at the end of the maze where the Final Boss was waiting for them. Lux sneakily ced a pill inside his mouth, but he didn¡¯t bite on it. He only nned to use it once he had been affected by the Poison Cloud of the gue Monstrosity. Having a pill in his mouth would save him precious seconds of experiencing excruciating pain from the effect of the poison cloud, which the gue Monstrosity unleash whenever it was cornered. This was a very painful experience that would soon be experienced by his friends, who were fighting the boss for the very first time. Lux hoped that after this boss fight, his friends would not overly rely on their healer when they needed to be cured from negative status effects. Why? The answer was very simple. Although Clerics and other healing sses were able to cure these negative buffs on theirrades, things would be different when they were also subjected to the same negative buffs. ¡®Fortunately, Eiko is immune to poison and diseases,¡¯ Lux thought as he held his weapon, and shield firmly as the boss Monster roared at them. ¡®She¡¯ll take care of Helen and the others, while Colette, Matty, and I deal with this monster.¡¯ As soon as Lux took a fighting stance, Colette¡¯s determined voice reverberated in the surroundings. ¡°Shield Charge!¡± Colette shouted as the round shield in her hand glowed brightly. The little blonde Dwarf, charged forward, followed by Lux and Matty, who were only a few steps behind her. The gue Monstrosity summoned two Elder Ghouls to fight with it, as it gave another resounding roar of outrage. Soon the sounds of weapons shing, and spells exploding, spread across the Boss Room as Colette and her friends fought with everything they had against a monster that took the meaning of ¡°ying dirty¡± to the next level. Chapter 136 Playing Dirty [Part 2] Five minutes had passed since Colette¡¯s group started to engage the Boss Monster, gue Monstrosity. The Monster was being pushed back by the group¡¯s teamwork, as well as Colette¡¯s outstandingmands. However, when Lux saw the monster jump backwards, he knew that it was about to start ¡°ying Dirty¡±, and he looked forward to his friends¡¯ suffering. ¡®I¡¯m not doing this because I want to see you guys suffer,¡¯ Lux thought as he readied to bite the pill (Panacea) inside his mouth. ¡®I just want you guys to experience this kind of hardship, so that it won¡¯t bite you guys back in the future.¡¯ Just like Lux expected, the Boss Monster unleashed its Poisonous Smog which immediately incapacicated the Dwarves that were fighting against it. The gue Monstrosity bore the title ¡°gue Bearer¡±, which meant that 10 out of 10, the effect of its Poisonous Smog would activate, dealing poison or disease status to everyone in the vicinity. ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°D-dammit!¡± ¡°It hurts!¡± ¡°Urk¡­¡± ¡°Blergh!¡± Lux had immediately bitten the Panacea in his mouth, preventing any status effects from affecting him. Eiko, on the other hand, was immune to the status effect from the gue Monstrosity, so she was still feeling peppy after the Boss Monster¡¯s attack. The baby Slime calmly healed ckie¡¯s and Whitey¡¯s status, allowing the two Summoned Slimes to resume their attacks on the Boss Monster, who just used its skill, Jackhammer, to send the poisoned Colette flying to the back of their formation. Just as the Boss was about to unleash its other skill, Rampage, on Matty, Lux used the skill, Shield Bash, to cancel the Boss Monster¡¯s attack. Since the Half-Elf had equipped Dawne, he was able to use the shield¡¯s two abilities, which were Shield Bash and Shield Throw.-. ¡°H-Helen, quickly, use Cure!¡± Colette ordered as she shakily propped herself off from the ground. When the gue Monstrosity attacked her, she still had enough wits in her to use her shield to block the attack, which mitigated the damage she received from it. Helen coughed repeatedly, as she tried to chant the Cure Spell to cure herself from her disoriented state, but she couldn¡¯t seem to muster her wits, as if she had entered a confused state of mind. Fortunately, Andy had remembered that they were carrying Panacea¡¯s with them and immediately ate one. After recovering, he made Helen eat one, allowing her to recover from the negative buffs that gued her. When Colette saw this, she hurriedly took out a pill from her storage ring and ate it. A few secondster, the pain in her chest disappeared. ¡®I hadpletely forgotten that we brought Panaceas with us,¡¯ Colette thought as she ran towards the Boss Monster that was being held at bay by her Big Brother. ¡®We¡¯ve relied so much on Helen that we forget this simple fact. I failed as a leader.¡¯ After learning from her mistake, she immediately gave an order to anyone to use the Panaceas they had whenever the boss monster activated its AOE gue Skill. Lux smiled after hearing Colette¡¯s orders as he continued to attack the Monster, alongside the now recovered Colette. A few secondster, Matty once again joined the fight after he, too, used his Panacea, rather than waiting for Helen to cure him. After a few minutes of intense fighting, the Boss once again jumped back and unleashed its Poisonous Smog. This time, however, everyone was prepared and had already taken out a pill from their storage ring, chewing on it with vengeance. The gue Monstrosity would always use its skill, Jackhammer, after using its Poisonous Smog in order to take advantage of its enemies weakened state to deal them devastating damage. However, since its skill didn¡¯t work, it found itself being attacked by an angry Dwarf Pdin who smashed her round shield against its body. ¡°Shield Charge!¡± Colette shouted as she jumped after her sprint to smash her shield on the Boss Monster¡¯s chest, pushing it back. Once they had gotten used to the Boss¡¯ attack patterns, the rest of the battle went smoothly. Ten minutester, the gue Monstrosity finally died, leaving behind a chest as a reward for defeating it. Everyone¡¯s faces, with the exception of Lux and Eiko, were pale after experiencing such a disgusting enemy. They had eaten five Panaceas each because the Monster had used its Poisonous Smog five times as well. Lux watched them with a calm expression on his face. In truth, he was doing his best to prevent himself from chuckling after seeing his friends¡¯ nauseous faces. Matty looked like he had eaten a fly, while the three magic sses were leaning on their staffs and seemed to be on the verge of puking. Colette was the only one who had a betterplexion, but her face was still pale as she gazed at her friends who were suffering in front of her. ¡°Big Brother, are you feeling ufortable somewhere?¡± Colette asked after looking at Lux who looked finepared to them. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Lux answered. ¡°You did well, Colette.¡± Lux was quite impressed when he saw how much Colette¡¯s leadership andmand skills had improved during the battle. If not for the fact that they had been taken by surprise by the Poisonous Smog at the beginning, they would have beaten the boss sooner without fail. Colette shed a smile after being praised by Lux before walking towards the treasure chest and opening it with both of her hands. Lux was also quite curious to see what the treasure box contained because he only got a Beast Core during his dungeon run. To his surprise, there were three items inside the Treasure Chest. The first item was a bone shield, which was made from the gue Monstrosities hard bones. The second item was a ne that increased Poison Resistance. The third item was a Rank 3 Beast Core, which belonged to the Boss Monster. Overall, it wasn¡¯t a bad haul after nearly fifteen minutes of suffering. Lux wasn¡¯t interested in any of the items, so he didn¡¯t ask Colette to share them with him. A few minutester, the group exited the Bronze Crypt and appeared at its entrance. Their Clear Time was 1 hour and 48 minutes, which was a far cry from Aina¡¯s record of 39 minutes. ¡°Big Sister is truly amazing,¡± Colette said as she looked up at her sister¡¯s rank in the Leaderboards. ¡°She was able to beat this dungeon with only that much time. Truly incredible.¡± Matty and the others nodded their heads, while Lux only smiled with his arms crossed over his chest. Now that the Dwarves had experienced what the Bronze Crypt Hell Mode had to offer, it was now time for him to step in and keep his promise with Colette. A Promise on which he would help her beat her sister¡¯s record before leaving the Leaf Vige. ¡°Are you guys feeling better?¡± Lux asked. The Dwarf children all looked at him and nodded their heads. ¡°Good.¡± Lux smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s go challenge it again. I will teach you guys how to do a Speedrun.¡± ¡°Speedrun?¡± Colette tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Big Brother, what is a speedrun?¡± Lux chuckled as he patted Colette¡¯s head with a devilish smile on his face. ¡°The reason why your sister managed to beat this dungeon in that much time is because she focused on killing the boss monster, instead of clearing the dungeon. ¡°Earlier, you guys focused on clearing the dungeon, instead of trying to beat her record. This time around, we will ignore clearing the dungeon and just focus on getting to the boss in the fastest time possible.¡± As if thest puzzle had fallen in ce, all the Dwarf children¡¯s eyes widened in realization. They immediately understood what Lux was trying to tell them. Seeing their reactions, the Half-Elf grinned as he summoned his mount, Jed in front of his friends. ¡°Your sister might be good, but she never acquired a mount while she was still here in Leaf Vige,¡± Lux said as he mounted his Rank 3 Warg. ¡°Now, are you guys ready for Round 2?¡± All the Dwarves nodded their heads with determination. The thought of having their names immortalized in Leaf Vige¡¯s Bronze Crypt was an honor that they would fight to achieve. Fifteen minutester¡­ ¡ª- Congrattions! You have beaten the current record of Bronze Crypt Hell Mode! Your names will be added to the Hall of Fame!¡± ¡ª- Bronze Crypt Hell Mode Date: 7th Day of the Month of the Chariot 1648 AD Clear Time: 14 minutes, 28 seconds. Challengers: Lux Von Kaizer Colette Van Goldenyer Eiko Matty¡­ Andy¡­ Axel¡­ Helen¡­ ¡ª- The moment they reached the boss room, Lux and Eiko didn¡¯t hold back, summoning all of their forces to gangbang the Boss Monster senselessly. The Boss Monster died a pitiful death in just five minutes, and it wasn¡¯t even able to cast its Poisonous Cloud even once due to Diablo¡¯s and Pazuzu¡¯s Duel [EX], which canceled all of its attempts, making the battle end faster. Chapter 137 Pinky Promise ¡°Cheers!¡± ¡°¡±Cheers!¡±¡± After sessfully beating Aina¡¯s record, Lux and his friends partied inside the Tavern and ordered a lot of food. Everyone was in a good mood, including Matty, who even called Lux Big Brother as he exchanged a toast with him. The red-headed teenager knew well that Matty was just in an incredibly happy mood since the Dwarf boy had done something that he would never have done if he had been sober. Eiko was being hand fed by Colette and Helen, who took turns feeding the baby Slime. Andy and Axel were also drinking a lot of mead, which made Lux worry for the two Dwarfs, who were bound to have a hangover when they woke up in the morning. Although he knew that Dwarfs were strong drinkers, that was only true for adults, and not for Dwarf children that were only twelve years old. The other Dwarves inside the tavern looked at this happy scene with amused expressions on their faces. They didn¡¯t know the reason why Lux and his friends were celebrating since the result of their Dungeon expedition wasn¡¯t announced like their clear of the Hidden Quest in the Stronghold of Norria had been. They just thought that the rowdy group had fought an Alpha Monster somewhere and were celebrating a job well done, which was a verymon urrence among Apostle Grade Parties that were about to leave Leaf Vige in a few days. ¡°Big Brother, what are your ns tomorrow?¡± Colette asked while feeding Eiko a chicken drumstick.-. ¡°Good question,¡± Lux answered. ¡°To be honest. I haven¡¯t made any ns for tomorrow.¡± Usually when a Dwarves bes Grade D Apostles, they would either fight the Alpha Monsters as part of their graduation ceremony, or just leave Leaf Vige and transfer to an Intermediate Town. Colette and her group had already defeated the Mutated Golden-Eyed Crimson Mantis, as well as beat her sister¡¯s record in the Bronze Crypt. They had also beaten the Carbuncle, as well as cleared a Hidden Quest in a Rank-C Dungeon. Truth be told, Colette¡¯s group had already done many things, and could leave Leaf Vige at any time, but she was reluctant to do so because of her Big Brother, Lux, who had no intention of leaving the Beginner¡¯s Zone for the time being. As if guessing her thoughts, Lux smiled and ced his mug of fruit juice on the table. ¡°This will not be ourst time seeing each other, Colette,¡± Lux said. ¡°Didn¡¯t I promise you that I would meet your sister? I don¡¯t want to brag, but I am someone that keeps my promise.¡± ¡°Although it might take a while, I promise that I¡¯ll find you, so that you can introduce me to your amazing Big Sister.¡± Colette looked at Lux with a serious expression on her face before giving a reply. ¡°I still feel anxious, Big Brother. I feel like I really won¡¯t see you again once I leave Leaf Vige.¡± ¡°Hahaha, you think too much,¡± Lux stated. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°I trust you.¡± ¡°Then, continue to trust me. I will keep my promise. Let¡¯s pinky promise on it?¡± ¡°P-Pinky promise?¡± Colette looked at Lux with confusion. ¡°What¡¯s a pinky promise?¡± Lux raised his right little finger and wiggled it in front of Colette. ¡°This is the pinky finger. Now use your own pinky finger to intertwine with mine.¡± Colette was still unsure about what Lux was trying to do, but she obeyed until both of their little fingers were intertwined with each other. ¡°This is how you pinky swear,¡± Lux said. ¡°I promise that I wille to find you and your sister. It may take a while, but I swear that I will look for the two of you. If I break my promise, I will lose all the hair on my head and be bald forever.¡± Colette and Helen giggled after hearing the contents of Lux¡¯s promise. They just couldn¡¯t imagine what the Half-Elf would look like if he became bald. Lux then shook his intertwined finger with Colette, sealing the promise he made to her. ¡°There,¡± Lux said as he gave Colette a wink. ¡°Now, do you feel any better?¡± Colette nodded. Although her Big Brother¡¯s way of assuring her was unexpected, she now believed that he wouldn¡¯t break his promise to meet her and her sister after they had left Leaf Vige. ¡°Big Brother, I have an idea!¡± Colette said with sparkling eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s fight the Forest Wolf King!¡± Matty, who was having a drinking contest with Andy and Axel, spat the mead out of his mouth and coughed repeatedly. Even the Dwarves who were sitting at the tables near the group turned their heads to look at Colette after hearing her proposal. ¡°No.¡± Lux shook his head firmly. ¡°That¡¯s just suicide.¡± This thought had already crossed his mind, but he decisively shot it down because it was too dangerous. When they fought against Orobak, he knew back then that they were no match for him. This was why he decided to fight him using trickery. Although he got the results he wanted, he knew that it wouldn¡¯t work against the Forest Wolf King, who was stronger than Orobak. If they really went there to fight it with just their party, there was a high chance that they would suffer casualties, even if they managed to defeat it. This was something that Lux wanted to avoid at all costs. Colette was also aware that her proposal was unreasonable, and had gotten carried away because of the drinks that she had earlier. In the end, everyone just treated it as a joke and the discussion about hunting the Forest Wolf King ended. An hourter, their celebration ended and everyone went back to their own rooms to rest. Lux, who didn¡¯t drink any alcohol, sat beside the window of his room and looked at the full moon in the sky. The baby Slime on hisp was sleeping peacefully after she¡¯d had her fill of food and drinks from their party. Eiko had grown very fond of Colette and the others, and he was sure that she would miss them once they left Leaf Vige to go to the Intermediate Town. Although Lux could break past the Apostle Grade at any moment if he allocated his free stat points, he didn¡¯t do that. Just like he told Colette earlier, he was someone who kept his promises, and until his promise in Leaf Vige was kept, he would not leave it anytime soon. ¡®Aside from the Ghoul Beast, only the Forest Wolf King is left,¡¯ Lux thought as he gazed at the moon. ¡®All the Beginner Viges have a Mythical Quest in them¡­ I need toplete them all before the tournament starts.¡¯ Mythical Ranked Items were extremely rare because they were the highest tier before reaching Legendary Rank. He already had the Pseudo-Legendary Armor, the ckrock Legacy Armor Set, but it was currently equipped by Diablo. His Master, Randolph hadn¡¯t even started crafting his Faunus Battle Armor because he was prioritizing Andy¡¯s and Axel¡¯s armor sets. In truth, there was a connection between the Mythical Quests of each Vige around the Stronghold of Norria. All of the mythical rewards from each of themprised the entirety of the Mythical Faunus Battle Regalia Set. Lux opened his Elysium Compendium as he read the passage that was written there. ¡°In Leaf Vige, a special armor is made, its toughness is as resilient as adamantium. In Lindow Vige, a shield stands proud, waiting for the day its new owner arrives. In Sunflower Vige, where the sun rises in the east, a de that has in a dragon is hidden. Lastly, in Millwood Vige, where secrets are kept, a mask with many faces smiles at the ignorant.¡± Four Viges, Four Battle Regalias that made up the Mythical Faunus Set. Once the full set had been gathered, it would forever be bound to its owner. ording to the Elysium Compendium, if the right conditions and requirements are met, the Mythical Armor Set could evolve into a Legendary Set. This was why Lux had no ns of leaving the Beginner¡¯s Zone anytime soon. As long as he could acquire theplete Faunus Battle Regalia Set, he was confident that he would be able to win against anyone in the tournament, even if the participants were backed by the Royal Families that supported Barbatos Academy. Chapter 138 Colette Is Such A Sinful Child Several Dwarves, who had just arrived in Elysium, were running away from the center of the Aspiration ins. They identally ventured too far while hunting horned rabbits and didn¡¯t notice that they had entered the territory of the Berserked Horned Rabbits, which were Rank 2 Monsters. One of the Dwarves identally tripped over the ground while running away, making the Berserked Horned Rabbits lock onto his small body. ¡°No! Save me!¡± The Dwarf boy cried out in fear, but no one paid attention to him. It was not that the other Dwarves didn¡¯t want to help him, but that there was nothing they could do. They were just beginners and they were already hard pressed fighting against Rank 1 Monsters, let alone Rank 2 Monsters, who were known for their speed and mobility. The Dwarf boy watched in horror as one of the Berserked Horned Rabbits lunged at him with its sharp horn posed to impale his body. He could only close his eyes and brace himself for the inevitable pain and death that would befall upon him shortly. However, it was at this moment when a metallic ring reached his ears. When the Dwarf boy opened his eyes, he saw an adorable blonde Dwarf girl, colliding with the Horned Rabbit using her shield. Time seemed to have stopped at that moment, as the boy looked at his savior with a flushed expression on his face. ¡°Smite!¡± Colette shouted as she smashed her mythical mace against the Berserked Horned Rabbit¡¯s body, making it take a few steps back. Before the Dwarf boy could even thank his savior, Colette raised her mace and cried out to her teammates.-. ¡°Arrowhead Formation!¡± Colette ordered before charging at the enemies with Matty and Lux by her side. There were Four Berserked Horned Rabbits, but the Goldenyer Party was now more than capable of dealing with them after everything that they had been through. ¡°Diablo, take care of the fourth one,¡± Lux ordered as he summoned his dependable Firstborn to battle. Diablo appeared riding Airon, and the two Immediately entangled with the Berserked Horned Rabbit that was nning to attack the mages at the back of the formation. Colette used her all-rounder abilities to fight the horned rabbit in front of her. Berserked Horned Rabbits were known for their bursts of speed, instead of their strength. As long as they were stopped from gaining momentum when they started to sprint, their horned attacks were not much of a threat to the little Pdin whose mythical weapon, shield, and armor, could easily defend against its normal attacks. Matty, on the other hand, was an expert in parrying. Now that he was wearing mythical armor, and wielding two mythical short swords, his counterattacks were deadlier than ever. As for Lux¡­ he was just like Colette, an all rounder. But, having a baby slime who was a battle junkie, who had no qualms firing a barrage of spells at her target in addition to copying her Papa¡¯s Doppelganger skill, was like a magical turret that spits random spells in a span of a few seconds, turning the Berserked Horned Rabbit in front of them into a punching bag. Because of this, Andy, Axel, and Helen, focused on supporting Colette and Matty. Lux, Eiko, and Diablo obviously didn¡¯t need any support. They even pitied the Berserked Horned Rabbits that were unlucky enough to be targeted by them. ¡°Eyah!¡± Eiko ordered ckie and Whitey, making the Devil and Angel Slime use theirbination attack called, Starfire Tempest, which allowed the two slimes tobine the power of Shadow and Holy into a single, concentrated beam of light. A loud explosion ensued followed by a shriek of pain. A few secondster the Berserked Horned Rabbit copsed on the ground, with a charred, basketball-sized hole in its chest. ¡°Great job, Eiko.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Lux then nced at the others and found them almost finished with their respective targets as well. For the time being, the Half-Elf moved towards the Dwarf boy, whose eyes never left Colette. The red-headed teenager didn¡¯t fail to notice the look of admiration in the boy¡¯s eyes which made him pray for his poor soul. ¡®Hah, Colette is such a sinful child,¡¯ Lux mused as he stared at the love-struck Dwarf boy who seemed to have fallen in love at first sight. ¡®It seems that Matty will have a lot of love rivals in the future. Colette is simply too good.¡¯ Lux was looking forward to Matty¡¯s future hardships in trying to secure Colette¡¯s hand in marriage after their party moved to the Intermediate Town where Apostle Grade Sians numbered in the thousands. After all the Berserked Horned Rabbits had been dealt with, the party focused on collecting their Beast Cores, as well as storing the corpses inside their Enchanted Beast Rings. Horned Rabbit Meat was a delicacy in Leaf Vige, especially Rank 2 Horned Rabbits, fetching a good price in the market. Lux didn¡¯t even need to bother taking the Beast Core of the Berserked Horned Rabbit that he had in because his baby Slime would be the one who would deal with it. After the battle, Eiko jumped off his head and ordered ckie and Whitey to retrieve the Beast Core from the Horned Rabbit¡¯s body, so that she could eat it. Just as he expected, a series of notifications appeared in front of him after Eiko finished absorbing the Beast Core. ¡ª¨C Eiko has learned the skill Sprint ¡ª¨C Eiko activated the skill Mimicry [EX]! ¨C Target Lux Von Kaizer. ¨C Sessfully copied Skill Evolution [EX]! ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > Sprint will be upgraded into Mad Sprint once the requirements have been met. < Mad Sprint > ¨C Increase speed by 100% ¨C Requirements to upgrade: Use Sprint 20x ¨C Progress ( 0 / 20 ) ¡ª¨C Half a minuteter, Lux chuckled as he watched his baby Slime run all over the ce using her Sprint Skill, followed by ckie and Whitey as if they were ying tag. ¡ª¨C ¡°Are you alright?¡± Colette asked the Dwarf boy who had fallen on the ground with a smile on her face, making the poor Dwarf have a nosebleed. ¡°Y-Yes, I am fine,¡± the Dwarf Boy replied as he tried to reach out for Colette¡¯s outstretched hand. However, before he could even touch the rugged hands of his savior, a much rougher hand grabbed him and pulled him off the ground. ¡°Hi, my name is Matty,¡± Matty said. ¡°I am Colette¡¯s future fiance. Nice to meet you,¡± Matty added in an intimidating tone, which made the Dwarf look at Colette with a heartbroken gaze. Surprisingly, Colette didn¡¯t correct Matty¡¯s words because she didn¡¯t want to entangle herself with a stranger that she had just saved. It would be better to turn a blind eye to Matty¡¯s deration than deal with a Dwarf who was looking at her with puppy eyes. This was not the first time that this had happened, so she was already used to it. As the Dwarf boy looked at Colette every ten steps he took away from her, Matty got annoyed so he used his body to block the Dwarf boy¡¯s vision, making thetter pout. Lux just watched this funny scene with his arms crossed over his chest. He could already tell that in a few more years, Colette would grow up to be a very beautiful youngdy, which would gather many suitors. As for whether Matty would be able to win her heart or not, even Lux didn¡¯t know. All he wanted for his friends was to find happiness in life. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go hunt a Carbuncle!¡± Colette dered as she summoned her Warg Mount. After their night of celebration, the Dwarf children decided to stay for three more days before leaving for Intermediate Town. Lux¡¯s promise had eased Colette¡¯s and the others¡¯ hearts, which made them look forward to seeing him again when he traveled to the Intermediate Towns, where they could once again continue their journey together. Chapter 139 All For The Sake Of The Promises He Made ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, Eiko.¡± ¡°Eiko, make sure to remember us okay?¡± ¡°Sis Colette, Sis Helen!¡± The baby Slime cried as she was hugged by Colette and Helen. The two Dwarves were also teary-eyed as they tried to pacify Eiko, who was already bawling her eyes out within their embrace. Lux could only look at this scene bitterly because he knew that exchanging goodbyes was a difficult thing to do. His friends were about to leave Leaf Vige and set out on a new adventure to the Intermediate Towns where Colette¡¯s sister, Aina, was waiting for her. ¡°Take care of yourselves in the intermediate Towns, okay?¡± Lux smiled as he rested his hands on Andy¡¯s and Axel¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Things will be more difficult there, so always be on your toes and never let your guard down.¡± ¡°We will, Big Brother,¡± Andy replied. ¡°Big Brother, we¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Axel nodded.-. Matty had his arms crossed around his chest, but he was standing right beside Lux. Till the end, he refused to take the initiative to say goodbye, so the Half-Elf decided to do the Simp Dwarf a favor and patted his head. ¡°Colette will definitely attract many handsome boys,¡± Luxmented. ¡°If you don¡¯t step up your game, someone is going to sweep her off her feet.¡± Matty snorted. ¡°I¡¯d kill them before they could do that.¡± Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t swat Lux¡¯s hand away and allowed the red-headed teenager to continue patting his head. Five minutester, the two little girls managed to calm Eiko down and returned her to Lux with tears in their eyes. ¡°Big Brother,e see us soon,¡± Colette said as she hugged Lux¡¯s waist. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯ll get married to my sister as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Big Brother, don¡¯t make us wait too long, okay?¡± Helen pleaded as she also hugged the Half-Elf, sandwiching him between her and Colette. Lux smiled as he patted their heads. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I wille to find you guys, and when I do, we will go into an adventure together.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Un!¡± Colette gestured to Lux as if she wanted to whisper something to him. The Half-Elf thought that she was going to tell her about her sister again, so he lowered his head and waited for Colette to say what she wanted to say. As if waiting for that moment, Colette and Helen exchanged a nce and kissed Lux¡¯s left and right cheeks simultaneously. Matty immediately reacted and was about to drag Colette away, but Andy and Axel both grabbed his arms, preventing him from ruining Colette¡¯s and Helen¡¯s goodbye. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lux said as he held Eiko in his hand and kissed the baby slime¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Go on, Eiko, kiss them back for me.¡± Eiko happily puckered her lips and kissed Colette and Helen, making the two girls giggle. After that farewell ended, all the Dwarves stared at the Half-Elf who gave them all a nod of assurance. ¡°Goodbyes are not forever,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°Goodbyes are not the end. It simply means Eiko and I will miss all of you until we meet again.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Eiko echoed as she looked at her first friends in Elysium with teary eyes. ¡°Bye bye!¡± ¡°Bye bye, Big Brother, Eiko!¡± Colette said before turning around to summon her Warg. She immediately climbed on top of it and ordered it to run away, because she was afraid that if she stayed a minute longer, her resolve would shatter like a crystal ss. Helen sobbed before summoning her own Warg and ordering it to follow Colette. Unlike her leader, Helen wasn¡¯t able to stop the tears from falling from her eyes as her Warg passed through the entrance of Leaf Vige. ¡°I will wait for you, remember that,¡± Matty dered as he also summoned his Warg and followed the two girls who had now put a good distance between them. Andy and Axel both bowed their heads before summoning their mounts and rejoining their partymates. Eiko buried her little head into Lux¡¯s chest as she cried sadly. She had also tried her best not to cry, but the sadness was too much for a baby like her. Lux lightly patted the baby Slime on his chest, as his eyes blurred due to the tears that he had held back for so long. As everyone¡¯s Big Brother, he knew that he couldn¡¯t cry in front of Colette and the others because it would make their parting more difficult. He resolved himself and forcibly acted like a mature, collected, and dependable Big Brother who was seeing his little brothers and sisters off as they left on their new journey. Colette and her friends had been Lux¡¯s first friends in Elysium and he treasured all of them in his heart. Now that they were no longer here, the Half-Elf stopped holding back his tears and allowed them to fall freely. The red-headed teenager and the baby Slime cried in each other¡¯s arms, until they no longer had tears to shed. ¡ª- Randolph and Grandma Annie looked at the Half-Elf that was standing by the West Gate of Leaf Vige that led to the Heartwood Forest. This was the path that everyone took whenever they left for the Stronghold of Norria, which allowed them to use the teleportation gates to go to the different Intermediate Towns in the Kingdom of Gweliven. ¡°Although they are foreigners, seeing them go still makes my heart ache,¡± Grandma Annie said softly. ¡°That is just the cycle of life,¡± Randolphmented from the side. ¡°One of these days, Lux will also leave us, and a new batch of foreigners will arrive to continue the cycle.¡± Grandma Annie nodded. ¡°Yes. The legacy is passed on from those whoe before, to those whoe after, letting this Vige, that is located in the outskirts of the kingdom, have a breath of fresh air.¡± Randolph chuckled. ¡°Still, I have high hopes for Lux. The Only Half-Elf that has appeared here for hundreds of years. I¡¯m sure that he will be something great in the future.¡± ¡°Funny.¡± Grandma Annie smiled. ¡°I feel the same way myself.¡± The two old people exchanged a knowing nce at each other before returning to their shops. Back at the gate, Lux wiped the tears from his eyes, as he walked back to the inn, carrying Eiko in his arms. Today, he nned to take it easy, resting his body and mind. Tomorrow, he would leave Leaf Vige, and venture to the other viges in the territory of Norria. All for the sake of the promises he made, and the friends who were now waiting for him beyond the gate. Chapter 140 But, I’m Only A Half-Elf Lux and Eiko were abruptly woken up by a series of loud knocks on the door. The Tavern Owner personally went to his room to wake him up because there was something going on at the entrance of the vige, and the vige guards had sent someone to his Tavern to have Lux woken up. The disgruntled Half-Elf, and Baby Slime, looked outside of the window, and realized that it was still dark outside. After doing a few stretches, he walked towards the door to see what themotion was about. ¡°The Guard Captain wants to see you at the East Gate of the Vige,¡± the Tavern Owner reported. ¡°ording to the guard on duty, a Kobold Wyrmling named Cadmus demands your presence.¡± ¡°Cadmus?¡± Lux frowned. It took him a few seconds to register the name inside his sleepy brain, but when he did, the drowsiness he felt disappearedpletely. ¡°Did the Draconic Kobold say why he is looking for me?¡± ¡°No. The guard that came here only told me that you need to go there as soon as possible. He is waiting to escort you outside.¡± ¡°Give me a few minutes. I¡¯ll just wash my face and change my clothes.¡± The Tavern Owner nodded and left Lux alone. He was also quite annoyed that he was woken up from his sleep, but there was nothing he could do about it. Five minutester, Lux left the inn alongside the guard that was ordered to escort him to the East Gate of the vige. As they neared their location, they noticed several armed guards, as well as members of the Riders of Norria gathered near the gate. Even from a distance, he could see the arrogant Draconic Kobold with his arms crossed over his chest, when he noticed Lux¡¯s presence.-. ¡°What do you want?¡± Lux asked in a grumpy tone. ¡°Last time I checked, I didn¡¯t do anything bad to the Kobolds for you to personallye here to find me.¡± The Kobolds and the Dwarves now had a non-aggression pact, which meant that both sides would do their best to avoid stirring up conflicts on both sides. Even now, Lux couldn¡¯t think of any reason why Cadmus came to find him. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Cadmus replied. ¡°Are you not one of those that had cleared the Hidden Quest in the Stronghold of Norria?¡± ¡°I was one of them, but what does that have to do with you?¡± ¡°In regards to the Hidden Mission, it has nothing to do with me. But, since you are one of the people thatpleted it, you¡¯reing with me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lux blinked in confusion. ¡°Excuse me? Why do I need toe with you?¡± Cadmus red at the Half-Elf as he ced both of his hands to the side, as if itching to grab him and take him away by force. The guards, as well as the Riders of Norria saw this, and immediately stood between the Draconic Kobold and Lux. None of them were afraid of the Rank 5 Alpha Monster because if Cadmus really went to attack them, the Kingdom of Gweliven would send its Rankers to hunt it down, as well as exterminate the Kobold¡¯s entire n. ¡°Juste with me! I will exin it to youter!¡± ¡°Hah? Are you stupid? Why would Ie with you if you don¡¯t exin anything to me?¡± Cadmus growled as his Draconic Eyes locked into Lux¡¯s body. He was clenching and unclenching his wed hands, as if he was fighting an internal battle inside of himself. After a few minutes of tension, the Draconic Kobold sighed as it tossed a leather pouch to Lux. The Half-Elf subconsciously caught it, but was surprised because the pouch was quite heavy. After checking its contents, he realized that it was filled with gold coins. After a rough estimate, the red-headed teenager guessed that there were at least five hundred gold coins in the pouch, which made him even more confused. ¡°I am hiring you for a quest,¡± Cadmus stated. ¡°Isn¡¯t this what the Dwarves do in that¡­ Adventure Guild or something.¡± ¡°Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Lux corrected. ¡°Yes. Now,e! I already paid you!¡± ¡°¡­ Dafuk?¡± The guards look at the exchange with frowns on their faces, but all of them understood the general gist of what the Draconic Kobold was trying to say. He nned to hire Lux for a quest, so he came to Leaf Vige in order to look for him. ¡°But, why me?¡± Lux asked. ¡°You¡¯re already this strong, and you still need my help?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Cadmus answered. ¡°Because what I am about to face is stronger than me. This is why I need your help!¡± Lux was very tempted to spit on the Draconic Kobold for trying to drag him to something troublesome. If a Rank 5 Alpha Monster like Cadmus couldn¡¯t do it on his own, adding him would not make much of a difference. At least, that was what Lux thought at the moment. ¡°Tell me the specifics of the mission,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I need to know the details before I ept this quest of yours.¡± Cadmus nced at Lux and the Dwarves that were guarding him. ¡°Let¡¯s talk, just the two of us.¡± ¡°¡­ Fine.¡± Looking at how serious Cadmus¡¯ expression was, the Half-Elf had a feeling that if he rejected his request, the chances of the Draconic Kobold tearing him to pieces was high. ¡®At the very least, I should hear him out first,¡¯ Lux thought as he followed Cadmus to a spot within a hundred meters away from the gate¡¯s entrance. He didn¡¯t trust the Draconic Kobold enough to follow him without the guards, as well as the Riders of Norria, looking at him for support. ¡°Three days ago, we encountered the ruins of what seemed to be an ancient city, buried underground,¡± Cadmus said as he nced at the Dwarves that were in the distance as if he was afraid that they would hear him. ¡°After doing some investigation, we came to the conclusion that it was built by gnomes, but they weren¡¯t the only ones living in the city.¡± After hearing Cadmus¡¯ exnation, he now understood why the Draconic Kobold didn¡¯t want to discuss this in front of the Dwarves. There was a high possibility that their discovery would brute force their way into the ruins, and im that it was something that belonged to the Gweliven Kingdom. By doing so, they would not be breaking the oath they made with the Kobolds, as they seized the opportunity to study, and perhaps unearth some treasures within the Ancient Ruins buried deep underground. ¡®I understand why you don¡¯t want to involve the Dwarves in this quest of yours, but why do I need to go with you?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Can¡¯t you Kobolds do this on your own?¡± ¡°Excavating the ancient city as we look for treasures is fine,¡± Cadmus snorted. ¡°However, we found a Dungeon at the back of the city, and we were unable to ess it because there is some kind of restriction.¡± Lux arched an eyebrow. ¡°What restriction?¡± ¡°Only ten individuals may enter it, and among those ten people, there must be an elf.¡± ¡°But, I¡¯m only a Half-Elf.¡± Cadmus nodded. ¡°Yes. But, we have no other choice. You are the only Elf-like creature that we know, and I¡¯m hoping that the Elven blood inside you, no matter how diluted, will be enough to open the dungeon¡¯s entrance.¡± Lux rubbed his chin. ¡°What is the grade of this Dungeon?¡± The Draconic Kobold looked at Lux long and hard before giving him an answer. ¡°ording to our Shaman, it is a C-Ranked Dungeon, and there is only one difficulty setting.¡± ¡°Let me guess, it¡¯s Hell Mode?¡± Cadmus nodded, which made Lux feel his liver ache. Right after Cadmus finished his exnation, Lux heard a ringing sound in his head, followed by several rows of text appearing in front of him, which made the Half-Elf pinch the bridge of his nose, and close his eyes. He wanted to confirm if he was just hallucinating things or not because the mission that appeared in front of him made him want to go back to the inn to continue sleeping. ¡ª- Ding! ¨C You have received the Hidden Quest ¡°A Touch of Dragons¡±. ¨C Would you like to ept this quest? < Yes / No > ¡ª¡ª- Lux had a feeling that if he epted this quest, he would find himself in a situation that was simr to Barca¡¯s Quest, when he entered the Dungeon of the Orc Dominion. Chapter 141 A Touch Of Dragons ¡ª- Ding! ¨C You have received the Hidden Quest ¡°A Touch of Dragons¡±. ¨C Would you like to ept this quest? < Yes / No > ¡ª¡ª- Lux stared at the prompt in front of him before shifting his gaze at Cadmus whose eyes had locked unto his body. ¡°If I help you, aside from these gold coins, what other benefits can I get?¡± Lux asked. ¡°You¡¯re too greedy, Half-Elf,¡± Cadmus replied. ¡°Then, go find another Elf that will help you,¡± Lux scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not interested. You can take your gold back.¡± Lux didn¡¯t even bat an eye as he threw the pouch filled with gold coins back at the Draconic Kobold whose eyes had turned bloodshot. The Half-Elf had acquired the title, Negotiator, after clearing the Hidden Quest of Orc Dominion. This allowed him to have a higher chance of winning when negotiating with anyone, especially those that were members of the Nobility or Royal Family. Although he was dealing with a Draconic Kobold, who was neither noble nor royal, this was still a negotiation, so he was hoping that he would gain more by epting this mission that was thrown at his face without prior notice.-. ¡°What more do you want?¡± Cadmus growled. Clearly, he was feeling frustrated because he couldn¡¯t use brute force to get his way in this situation. He knew that Lux was now an Honorary Knight of the Kingdom of Gweliven, and killing a Noble would spell out, not only his doom, but his entire n¡¯s future as well. ¡°I want a share of everything that will be acquired in the dungeon,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I want a third of whatever treasures, Beast Cores, or any other useful items that are found inside it.¡± Cadmus growled and a streak of me burst out from his mouth, as he spat on the ground beside him. ¡°Fine,¡± Cadmus agreed through gritted teeth. ¡°Ah. Can I also have that pouch back? I¡¯m short on gold coins right now.¡± Lux smiled at the Draconic Kobold, which almost pushed thetter to sh the Half-Elf¡¯s face with his ws. ¡°Take it!¡± Cadmus tossed the pouch back to the red-headed teenager using all the willpower it could muster. If not for the requirement of the Dungeon to have an Elf be part of the group, he would never, ever, go as far as to negotiate with the Half-Elf who was trying to extort him. After receiving the pouch of gold coins, Lux finally epted the mission. A few secondster, several rows of text appeared in front of him, which made him drop the gold pouch, and his jaw practically fell off his face. ¡®Oh sh*t¡­,¡¯ Lux thought as he read the information in front of him. ¡ª¨C Hidden Quest: A Touch of Dragons Difficulty Rating: S Quest Location: Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian Dungeon Rating: C Dungeon Mode: Hell Mode ¡ª¨C < A Touch of Dragons > (Chain Quest) Deep within the earth, an ancient city was unearthed. Find out the secret that was buried along its demise within the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian. Bonus Rewards will be calcted depending on the choices you make in this mission. ¡ª¨C Primary Rewards upon missionpletion. ¨C Potion of Intelligence This potion adds +50 permanent Intelligence Points to the one who consumes it. You can only consume one Potion of Intelligence in your lifetime. ¨C Rank 2 Skill Book of your choice. You will be able to choose any Skill that is Rank 2 and below from the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian. 1,000 Gold Coins +2,000 Hazeback Kobold n Reputation Points ¡ª¡ª Lux didn¡¯t expect that the difficulty rating of the mission would be S, which made him wonder if he could still back out from the mission he had just epted. ¡°Um, can I back out?¡± Lux asked the grumpy Draconic Kobold. Instead of answering, Cadmus ced its wed hand on Lux¡¯s shoulder, preventing him from moving from where he stood. ¡°Do you want to?¡± Cadmus asked. Although his wed hand that was keeping Lux in ce wasn¡¯t exerting any kind of pressure, the Half-Elf understood that the Draconic Kobold wouldn¡¯t allow him to go, not after being told the secrets of the Ancient Ruins. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Good. You made the right choice.¡± Cadmus nced at the guards at the gate, who had unsheathed their weapons after seeing him seize the Half-Elf who was under their protection. ¡°You have two hours to prepare.¡± Cadmus growled as he released his hold on Lux¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving before sunrise. Now, go.¡± Lux reluctantly nodded his head as he went back to the inn to gather his things. He also asked Aron, who was the Head of the Leaf Vige guards to pass a message to his Master, Randolph, that he would be leaving Leaf Vige for a week or two. After exiting the gate, Cadmus grabbed Lux¡¯s body before taking off to the skies. He didn¡¯t n on letting the Dwarves follow him, so he decided to cover his tracks by flying to the North for a few minutes before changing direction by turning towards the West. Lux understood why the Draconic Kobold was being secretive of the Ancient Ruin¡¯s location because it could attract the attention of the Dwarves, who would not pass up the chance to gain more treasures. ¡ª¨C After an hour of flying, Cadmus descended towards the ground, in a valley that was several miles away from the Stronghold of Norria. There, he made a beeline towards a giant boulder that was surrounded by vines. As soon as the Draconic Koboldnded, he released Lux and pushed the boulder to the side, revealing a narrow entrance. ¡°Go in,¡± Cadmus ordered. Lux nodded as he entered the narrow cave, which was big enough for Cadmus to traverse only if he crouched on the ground. There were several glowing crystals along the way, so Lux didn¡¯t have any trouble seeing what was in front of him. The minutes passed by in silence, as the Half-Elf, as well as the Draconic Kobold, walked at a steady pace. After walking for almost half an hour, the two finally arrived in a spacious cavern, where an undergroundke had formed. Cadmus walked along the side of theke, until he arrived at another tunnel, leading deeper into the ground. The Half-Elf followed behind the Draconic Kobold as he secretly mapped the pathways that they took. Deep inside, he sniggered after discovering Cadmus¡¯ attempt to confuse his sense of direction, in order to prevent him from memorizing the path that they were taking. ¡®He is too cautious,¡¯ Lux thought as he followed the Draconic Kobold who was leading him in circles around the undergroundbyrinth. Finally, after three hours, Cadmus finally took the right path, and led Lux to the real location where the Ancient Ruins were discovered. When they arrived at their destination, Lux couldn¡¯t help but whistle at the sheer size of the underground city. ording to his estimate, even if ten Leaf Viges were stuffed inside, it would fit and still have room to spare. Kobolds could be seen everywhere and most of them were digging into the ground, trying to unearth the entire city from its buried state. ¡°Come, the Dungeon is at the very back of the city,¡± Cadmus said as he dragged Lux forward. ¡°You can go sightseeing when we get back.¡± Lux didn¡¯t reply and simply allowed Cadmus to lead him to the Dungeon¡¯s entrance, while his eyes wandered around the ce. All the Kobolds were giving him unfriendly gazes as if he was a thief that hade to steal their treasures. ¡®Well, in a way, I dide to steal their treasures,¡¯ Lux thought as he ignored the steely gazes of the Kobolds who had stopped their work to observe him. Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux¡¯s head, was looking around as well. This was something new to her, and she looked at this scene with genuine curiosity. After walking for twenty minutes, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Dungeon. Lux marveled at the design on the gates, which had the head of a dragon carved in it. In truth, he was both afraid of and excited about what he was going to find inside the Dungeon. Although he didn¡¯t know if another Story-Mode would activate once he entered, since he was with the Kobold explorers, he had a feeling that if he yed his cards right, he would gain unimaginable rewards, which would be simr to the ones he gained inside the Orc Dominion, making him look forward to the secrets that were buried deep within the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian. Chapter 142 Actions Will Speak Louder Than Words Barbatos Academy¡­ Alexander was signing documents in his office, when a knock was heard on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Alexander said without even bothering to raise his head as he continued to sign the documents that were on top of his table. ¡°If you keep forcing Iris, you¡¯ll end up pushing her away and she will run somewhere far from you,¡± Vera said as she walked towards her son who was busy with work. ¡°You know who she loves and yet you still push other young men to be her fiance. Did you lose your heart after stepping into the Ranks of a Saint?¡± ¡°Love won¡¯t keep her safe when the sky falls down above her head,¡± Alexander replied. ¡°What she needs is someone that can take care of her, and not a good looking Half-Elf who faints at the first sign of danger.¡± Vera chuckled as she shook her head. She knew that her son didn¡¯t really dislike Lux. In fact, he liked the young man to a certain extent. His only concern was that he didn¡¯t think of Lux as someone who could take care of Iris because of his weak body. For someone that stood at the peak of the world, they knew that only strength mattered. Without it, you will just get trampled on by those who were stronger than you. It didn¡¯t matter if you were right or wrong. All that mattered was whether you were strong enough to make all those who oppose you, shut up. ¡°You¡¯ve already made a deration that whoever wins the tournament would be Iris¡¯ fiance,¡± Vera stated. ¡°What if the one who won mistreats her in the future? What then?¡±-. ¡°Impossible.¡± ¡°Impossible?¡± For the first time since Vera entered the room, Alexander raised his head to look at his aged-mother with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Anyone who dares to harm my daughter will be erased from the face of this world,¡± Alexander dered. ¡°Even if a prince does it, I would kill him, as well as the rest of his entire family. If he¡¯s from an influential n, I will wipe them all out until none is left. Mother, do you really think that anyone would dare to harm Iris, knowing the Fate that awaits them?¡± Vera leaned forward in her chair and lightly tapped her fingers on top of the table. ¡°You think too much, Alex,¡± Vera replied. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already dered that whoever wins the tournament will be Iris fiance then so be it. Just don¡¯t regret your decisionter.¡± Alexander frowned. He thought that his mother would openly oppose his decision to have the champion of the tournament be Iris¡¯ fiance. Since Vera didn¡¯te to his office to dissuade him, it only meant one thing. ¡°So, you n to let Lux join the tournament,¡± Alexander narrowed his eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that he will be aughingstock because of your whims?¡± The corner of Vera¡¯s lips rose as she listened to her son¡¯s words. She knew that Alexander had no faith in Lux when it came to fighting in the tournament, so she just kept her mouth shut. ¡®Actions will speak louder than words,¡¯ Vera mused as she allowed the smile to spread across her weathered face. Her reaction made Alexander feel that something was off, but he didn¡¯t pay much attention. He knew that if Vera really wished to renege his earlier deration, his mother would have already done it, even if it meant that the two of them would end up fighting against each other. ¡°I¡¯m going back to Wildgarde Stronghold,¡± Vera said as she stood up. ¡°If I hear that my granddaughter is getting bullied again, I will return to bring her back with me. You cane and pick her up when the tournament starts.¡± The old woman walked towards the door without even looking back at her son. No more words needed to be spoken, for this was not her fight. She believed her grandson, and knew that no matter how high the hurdle he faced, he would never give up, even if the entire world were to turn its back against him. ¡ª¨C ¡°I give up!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°No more! I quit!¡± Cadmus, as well as the other Kobolds who apanied him inside the dungeon red at the Half-Elf who was throwing a tantrum. As soon as they entered the dungeon, the Half-Elf had almost been swallowed whole by two Rank 4 Basilisks that were over two hundred meters long. If not for Cadmus¡¯ quick rescue, the Half-Elf might have spent the rest of his days inside the stomach of the Giant ck Serpents. The two Basilisks weren¡¯t in because they retreated quite quickly after discovering that one of their opponents had a higher rank than them. Unfortunately, even as a Rank 5 Alpha Monster, it was quite difficult for Cadmus to kill both Basilisks at the same time. ¡°Just stick close to me if you don¡¯t want to die,¡± Cadmus stated as he picked the Half-Elf up like a kitten by grabbing onto his clothes. If not for the fact that almost all the passages inside the dungeon required someone with Elven blood in them, he would have long abandoned the red-headed teenager who was getting on his nerves. Lux stopped struggling and simply looked at the map in the upper right corner of his vision. He could see that the two basilisks were stealthily following them in the distance, and just waiting for the right opportunity to strike. In truth, if Lux really wished it, he could have gotten out of that situation alive. He just wanted to know if Cadmus would really go and save him if his life were ever threatened inside the Dungeon. The Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian was abyrinth style Dungeon. Unlike the Orc Dominion which had an ¡°open world¡± setting, this particr Dungeon was simr to the Kobold¡¯s Nest which had many underground pathways. Even with the Elysium Compendium, Lux couldn¡¯t fathom how big and deep the dungeon was. If there were already two Rank 4 Monsters near the entrance of the dungeon, he was afraid to find out what lurked in its depths. ¡®Orobak had jumped to the Initial Stages of a Rank 5 Monster near the end of Story Mode,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Back then I thought that having a Rank 4 Alpha Monster (Barca) with me guaranteed smooth sailing, but I was terribly wrong in my assumption.¡¯ Right now, he was under the protection of a Rank 5 Alpha Monster. Hell Mode Dungeons were known to adjust their settings, depending on their challengers. If their group had one Rank 5 Alpha Monster in their party then the Dungeon would definitely make things difficult for them. ¡®I sure hope that a Deimos Ranked monster will not appear here,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®If that happens, I¡¯ll take Eiko and run as far away as possible. There is simply no way we are going to defeat something of that rank.¡¯ In the world of Elysium, there were Five Primary Stages. They were Rank 1 up to Rank 5 Monsters. For the Elysians, as well as Sins, there were Grade D Apostles, up to the Initiate Rank. Initiates were what people referred to as those that had the strength equivalent to Rank 5 Monsters. They were called Initiates, because it was the stage before being a Ranker. A Deimos Monster was equivalent to E-Rankers and F-Rankers. A Rank 5 Monster was simply food to a monster of that rank. Even though Cadmus could walk unhindered in the Beginner¡¯s Zone, once it stepped into the Intermediate Territories, it was just another Boss Monster that was slightly harder to kill. In the Intermediate Territories, Deimos Monsters were the Apex Creatures. They were the threat that many Apostles avoided fighting because they were simply too powerful if not fought with hundreds of people at a time, or by a strong Guild. They were the ¡°World Bosses¡± that dropped Unique up to Mythical items, and any guild would be willing to pay just about any price for any of those items to fall into their hands. ¡®I hope I¡¯m just overthinking things,¡¯ Lux thought as Cadmus and the Rank 3 Kobolds that had apanied him in this endeavor, scanned their surroundings with vignce. They had no destination in mind, and were simply trying to find out what this particr Dungeon had to offer. Unknown to them, a pair of golden eyes were watching them in the darkness. It was simply waiting for the perfect opportunity to grab the Half-Elf, whose blood was calling out to it. Chapter 143 I Need To Catch Up To Them Soon Unlike the Kobolds, who were used to living underground, Lux was having trouble adapting to the environment. Everywhere he looked, there was just dirt. The smell of soil also permeated the surroundings. Eiko, on the other hand, seemed at ease, and just stayed on top of Lux¡¯s head for the duration of the expedition. For her, anywhere was good as long as she was with her Papa. ¡°Let¡¯s camp here for now,¡± Cadmus said after they arrived in a small enclosed cavern. ¡°Did you bring food with you, Half-Elf?¡± ¡°The name is Lux, and yes, I brought food with me,¡± Lux replied as he summoned a basket of sandwiches that he had asked the Tavern Cook to make on short notice. Eiko happily took a bite of the sandwich that was handed to her by her Papa. She hadn¡¯t eaten anything yet, and she was starving. Lux felt sorry for his baby Slime and fed her five sandwiches, so Eiko would feel satisfied. After eating, Eiko went inside Lux¡¯s robe to sleep. It was now her most favorite spot for sleeping after experiencing the horrors of the Goblin Crypt Hell Mode. Lux, on the other hand, nced at his map to check for the Monsters that were wandering around the undergroundbyrinth. Along the way, they had met several Worm type Monsters, as well as Centipedes. All of them were Rank 2 and 3, but they were of no match for the Kobold Lineup that apanied Lux and Cadmus on this Dungeon exploration. 2 Kobold Shamans, 2 Kobold Mages, and 4 Kobold Raiders. All of these Kobolds were Rank 3 Monsters, while Cadmus was the only Alpha Monster who was Rank 5. Lux still hadn¡¯t increased his stat points, so he was just skirting along the boundaries of the Apostle Grade. While resting, Lux looked at the two Beast Cores in his possession that he got from the Golden-Eyed Crimson Mantis. He still hadn¡¯t used them because the primary skill he wanted from it was the Doppelganger, but then he had managed to acquire it from the quest reward. Originally, he nned to let Eiko absorb them, so that she had a chance to gain the Doppelganger ability on her own, but he decided against it.-. The baby Slime could mimic up to four skills that he possessed. Since they were always together, Lux decided to just consume the two beast cores so that he would gain a chance to acquire two of the Alpha Monster¡¯s precious skills. ¡ª- Skills: Crimson sh, Double Fury sh, Berserk, Air Steps, Quick Assault, Hunter¡¯s Mark, Doppelganger, Coup de Grace. Passive Skills: Intimidate, Razor Wind. ¡ª¨C Lux eyed the skills that belonged to the Golden-Eyed Crimson Mantis, and found all of them were to his liking, especially Coup de Grace and Berserk. The Half-Elf had always wanted to acquire the Berserk Skill since it was a crucial skill that could be used when pushed into a corner. Getting an explosive burst of strength to turn the situation around wasmon among Boss Monsters, and this was what made them extremely difficult to beat. ¡ª¨C Do you wish to absorb a Rank 3 Beast Core? < Yes / No > ¡ª¨C Lux chose yes and the familiar two options appeared in front of him. ¡ª- < Upgrade Stat Points > < Upgrade Skills> ¡ª¨C Obtained 30 Free Stats Points Obtained 60 Body Constitution Points You have acquired the passive skill Razor Wind. ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > ¨C Since the skill, Razor Wind, is a passive skill, it will automatically be upgraded to the passive skill Tempest Fury ¡ª- < Tempest Fury > (Can be switched On and Off at any given time) ¨C Any weapon that the user wields will be enchanted by the wind element, making it sharper, and able to deal additional Wind Elemental Damage. ¨C This Skill is applied to unarmedbat as well. Punches and kicks will be imbued by the power of wind, and deal additional Wind Elemental Damage. ¨C This Skill is also applied to range attacks, including arrows, throwing knives, throwing axes, darts, or any projectile weapons that the user wields. ¨C Adds +100 Wind Elemental Damage to all attacks by the user. ¡ª- ¡®Nice!¡¯ Lux almost did a fist pump because the Skill he got was simply too awesome. Having all of his attacks imbued by an elemental attack would drastically increase his damage potential, as well as deal double damage to enemies that had a weakness to the wind element. It even allowed the Half-Elf to imbue projectile weapons like arrows with this elemental attack, giving Lux flexibility in battle. The skill could also be toggled On and Off depending on the situation, which was a handy feature, just in case his opponents were resistant to the Wind Element. Lux had plenty of unused stat points on his Character Page. If the Half-Elf were to use them all, he would immediately jump ranks up to a Grade B Apostle, which was equivalent to a Rank 3 Monster. ¡®Nero and the others are nearing the peak of Grade A Apostle,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®This is still not enough. I need to catch up to them soon.¡¯ The tournament was only a couple months away, leaving Lux with only half a year left in Elysium to get the points that he needed in order to reach the rank he wanted. ¡®Now, for the second one,¡¯ Lux wished that he got either Coup de Grace or Berserk for hisst attempt. Although the other skills were good, he needed either of these two to get an edge over his opponents. After consuming the Beast Core, a series of texts appeared in front of Lux, which made the smile on the Half-Elf¡¯s face stiffen. ¡ª- Obtained 30 Free Stats Points Obtained 60 Body Constitution Points You have acquired the skill, Air Steps. ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > The skill, Air Steps, will be upgraded into Air Strider [EX] once the requirements have been met. ¡ª¨C < Air Strider [EX] > ¨C Aside from traversing on air, this skill also gives the user the ability to fly for a short period of time. ¨C This skill consumes fifty Mana Points every thirty seconds, up to a maximum of five minutes while flying in the air. ¨C Requirement to upgrade: Use Air Steps 50x ¨C Progress ( 0 / 50 ) ¡ª- Lux scratched his head since he didn¡¯t get the two skills he was aiming for. ¡®Air Strider [EX] is also good,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®It¡¯s a very flexible ability. Although I didn¡¯t get what I wanted, I got an all-rounder ability in exchange. I guess this isn¡¯t a bad tradeoff.¡¯ The reason why Lux wasn¡¯t really thrilled in getting the Air Strider [EX] skill was due to the fact that there were flying mounts, as well as several flying abilities in Elysium. Air Strider [EX] was just one of those skills that allowed the user to fly for a short period of time. It wasn¡¯t bad, but it wasn¡¯t good either. It was just as Lux said, it was an all-rounder skill that could be used if there were neither flying mounts nor other flying abilities. While Lux was upgrading his skill, Cadmus was paying close attention to him out of the corner of his eyes. He was still holding a grudge against Lux, but due to the fact that he was now an Honorary Knight of the Gweliven Kingdom, the Draconic Kobold was forced to stay his hand in attacking the Half-Elf in fear of the Kingdom¡¯s retaliation. Cadmus knew that he was still a frog in the well. Unlike real Dragons that could threaten an entire Kingdom with its overpowering might, the Draconic Kobold was just a lizard with wings. The moment he left the territory of Norria, the chances of him getting attacked by the foreigners in the Intermediate town was quite high. This was also why he didn¡¯t n to leave his nest until he¡¯d stepped into the Deimos Rank. Then, and only then, would he gain sufficient strength to intimidate those who wished to attack him because of his race. After paying close attention to Lux, he noticed the subtle changes in the Half-Elf¡¯s expression which made him wonder if Lux was feeling constipated. Just as he was about to continue his observation, the Half-Elf abruptly stood up and nced at the entrance of their camping site with a shocked expression on his face. ¡°Everyone, we need to find a safe ce to hide!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°A Dungeon Outbreak is about to happen, and if we don¡¯t leave here soon, we will be caught in the crossfire!¡± Chapter 144 Fancy Meeting You Guys Here ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Cadmus asked as he red at the Half-Elf who was panicking after receiving a Quest out of the blue. Lux didn¡¯t know how to exin their current situation to the Draconic Kobold because he knew that no matter what he said, Cadmus wouldn¡¯t believe him. He just stared helplessly at the Quest information in front of him, while thinking about his next course of action. ¡ª- Survival Quest! Difficulty Rating: A < Dungeon Outbreak > ¨C The Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian has regr dungeon outbreaks to cull the spawned Monsters that have reached their maximum capacity. ¨C However, since the entrance of the Dungeon was sealed by a powerful spell to prevent the Monsters from emerging from the dungeon, the Monsters have nowhere to go. Because of this, they are forced into a maddened state where they would start killing each other in order to decrease their numbers. But, if there are any intruders inside the Dungeon during this period of time, all the Monsters will focus their attention towards disposing of the invaders first, before they start killing each other. (Quest Clear Conditions) ¨C Survive the Dungeon Outbreak for one hour. (Quest Failing Conditions) ¨C Lux Von Kaizer dies or more than half of his party members die. Failing this Quest will automatically expel the survivors out of the dungeon and prevent them from entering it again for the duration of two years.-. ¡ª (Rewards for Quest Completion) 100 Rank 2 Beast Cores 20 Rank 3 Beast Cores 2 Rank 4 Beast Core Title: Outbreak Survivor Bonus Reward: ??? ¡ª Time before Dungeon Outbreak Begins: 18 minutes 38 seconds ¡ª¡ª- ¡°Okay, listen to me,¡± Lux said as he stared at Cadmus with a serious expression on his face. ¡°You know that I cleared the Hidden Mission in the Stronghold of Norria, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Cadmus replied. Lux took a deep breath as he prepared to spout some random bullsh*t in order to convince the Draconic Kobold, as well as his brethren to listen to believe his words. ¡°The truth is, I was able to clear it because I have a special ability,¡± Lux stated with an expression that would put con artists to shame. ¡°This is an ability that is exclusive only to a handful of Foreigners. Not many have this, and those who do are known to have an easier time in clearing dungeons. Do you guys understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡± Cadmus reluctantly nodded his head, while the other Kobolds just exchanged nces with each other. Doubt was written on their faces. Clearly, they didn¡¯t believe what Lux was trying to tell them. ¡°Okay, so this ability activated right now, and gave me a warning that a Monster Outbreak would be happening soon,¡± Lux said. ¡°We need t¨C¡± ¡°What you¡¯re talking about is impossible,¡± one of the Kobold Mages interjected Lux¡¯s speech. ¡°The entrance of this dungeon is sealed, and can only be opened with the blood of an Elf. You barely meet this requirement, so unless your blood is used, the Monsters inside this dungeon can¡¯t esca¨C¡± The Kobold Mage wasn¡¯t able to finish his exnation because he, too, realized that the possibility of the gate opening was quite high since they had Lux with them. ¡°If the monsters are able to capture you then they could leave the dungeon and escape to the surface!¡± one of the Kobold Shaman¡¯s eximed as he pointed at Lux. ¡°Our brethren outside will be annihted and overrun by these beasts! We must stop them at once!¡± All the Kobolds now fully understood what could happen, but a few of them were still in doubt about whether Lux was telling the truth or not. ¡°Do you have any proof to back your ims?¡± one of the Kobold Raiders asked. ¡°This is a serious matter, and if you¡¯re lying, we will make you understand what the meaning of pain is!¡± Lux snorted as he headed towards the wall of the cavern they were staying at. ¡°I don¡¯t need to exin anything to you guys,¡± Lux said as Eiko jumped off his head and used her digging ability to burrow to the ground. ¡°Fifteen minutes from now, the Dungeon Outbreak will happen. All of you can die if you want, but I¡¯m not nning on dying here.¡± Lux then turned around to look at the Kobolds who were ring at him. ¡°I have promises I need to keep, and I won¡¯t allow myself to die inside a Dungeon I was forced to enter because I was threatened!¡± Lux red back at the Kobolds, and red more at Cadmus, who left him with no other choice, but to ept the quest that was forced into him. Eiko tunneled deep underground, but the hole she made was only big enough for her to enter. She hurriedly dug back to the surface, in order to widen the hole, and allow her Papa to hide with her. ¡°You can do it, Eiko!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± ¡°Just a little more!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± The baby slime was like a bulldozer that shoveled dirt, in and out of the hole that she was creating. After ten minutes of digging, and chugging a few bottles of Mana Potions, the hole Eiko created was now big and deep enough to allow Lux and the other Kobolds to enter. However, it wasn¡¯t big enough to allow Cadmus to squeeze inside because of the Draconic Kobold¡¯s hulking figure. The exhausted baby Slime then looked up at her Papa with a proud smile on her face. Lux didn¡¯t forget to praise Eiko to the high heavens before entering the hole that she had created. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t bother inviting the Kobolds to follow him because he was sure that they would be able to sense the sudden changes that would happen in a few minutes. ¡®Once they realize that I was telling the truth, they will be more likely to listen to me in the future,¡¯ Lux thought as he settled down at the farthest corner of the hole Eiko had dug for him. ¡®I don¡¯t know what kind of Monster Outbreak is going to happen, but I¡¯m sure that it is going to be a messy one. Outside of the hole where Lux was hiding at, the Kobolds were discussing the Half-Elf¡¯s words. ¡°He might just be trying to trick us so that he can escape,¡± one of the Kobold Raiders said. ¡°He¡¯s and-dweller. He isn¡¯t as sturdy as under-dwellers like us.¡± ¡°That may be true, but I am more inclined to believe him,¡± one of the Goblin Shamansmented. ¡°He is the weakest among us, and if he tries to leave without our protection, he will just be food to the Monsters that wander around thisbyrinth.¡± The Kobold Raider wasn¡¯t able to refute this fact, so he didn¡¯t say anything else and merely looked at the other Kobolds, asking for their opinions with his gaze. ¡°He said that the Dungeon Outbreak will be happening in a few minutes,¡± the oldest among the Kobold Mages stated. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for a while to see if what he is saying is true or not. It won¡¯t be toote to punish himter if he was just making a fool of us.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°This makes sense.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to have a second opinion.¡± The oldest Kobold Mage then nced at Cadmus who was just listening to all of them talk. ¡°What do you think, Cadmus?¡± the Kobold Mage asked. ¡°Do you think he is telling the truth?¡± Cadmus shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he is telling the truth or not,¡± Cadmus replied. ¡°All I know is that we need him alive or else we won¡¯t be able to leave this Dungeon. The gate requires someone with Elven blood flowing in their veins to open and close it. Without him, all of us will be trapped here, forever unable to leave.¡± The Kobolds all simultaneously nced into the hole where the Half-Elf was currently hiding. ¡°Understood. We just need to wai¨C¡± the oldest Kobold Mage froze as he, and every other Kobold around him, felt the vibrationsing off the ground. As a race that spent most of their time mining underground, they were well aware what this vibration meant, especially since they had experienced stumbling upon the denizens of creatures that lived under the earth. Usually, when Kobolds, gnomes, dwarves, and underground monsters met during one of their digging sessions, both sides would immediately start attacking the other without any questions asked. This was a normal urrence in Elysium, so the Kobolds were quite aware of the tremors that were slowly getting stronger. Cadmus¡¯ strong hearing had caught onto the sounds of hundreds of monsters crawling in their direction, which made the back of his spine tingle. ¡°Everyone go inside the hole!¡± Cadmus ordered. Do it now!¡± The Kobolds hurriedly followed hismand and squeezed themselves inside the hole that Eiko had created. Soon, they met the Half-Elf who was seated in a small cavern that Eiko had specially made for him in the farthest side of the hole. ¡°Yo,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°Fancy meeting you guys here.¡± The Kobolds looked at him with flushed faces, feeling embarrassed, and didn¡¯t know how to react to the Half-Elf¡¯s greeting. ¡ª- Outside the hole¡­ The two Kobold Shamans chanted and cast a spell over Cadmus to make him shrink to the size of a normal Kobold Warrior, so that he could enter the hole alongside them. After the spell had taken effect, the two Shamans hurriedly went inside the hole, with Cadmus followingst. Although his size had shrunk to that of a normal Kobold, his strength remained intact. The Draconic Kobold summoned its sword as he faced the entrance of the hole with a determined gaze. No matter what happened, he wouldn¡¯t allow any of the Monsters to make it past him. That was the only thing he could think of doing to prevent hisrades from being massacred, as well as to survive this Dungeon Outbreak that was now starting to fall upon their heads. Chapter 145 Remember The Time You Thought You Could Never Survive? ¡°How did you know about this?¡± the Kobold Mage, who entered the hole first, asked the Half-Elf, who refused to let them enter thefortable small space that Eiko made, hogging it to lie down on the ground properly. ¡°Half-Elf secrets,¡± Lux replied as he casually fed Eiko a sandwich as a reward for her hard work in digging the hole. ¡°Also, don¡¯t talk to me. All of you refused to believe me earlier, so why are you now all here in my hole? Why don¡¯t you y with the monsters outside instead? I¡¯m sure they would be more than happy to y Whack-a-Kobold with you guys.¡± The Kobold Mage¡¯s face reddened as he red at the irritating Half-Elf who caused his cheeks to burn in anger and embarrassment. Lux sneered at the Kobold as he continued to feed his baby slime. He wasn¡¯t afraid even if the monsters were able to enter the hole. Anyway, even if the other Kobolds died, he would be teleported outside of the dungeon before the monsters could even get to him. The vibrationsing through the ground were getting stronger, and the Half-Elf knew that the Monster Army was near their location. Cadmus, who was vigntly facing at the entrance of the hole, narrowed his gaze and gripped his weapon firmly in his hand. He was a Rank 5 Alpha Monster, and only a handful of existences in the Beginner¡¯s Zone were capable of matching his strength. However, the Dungeon was different. It was apletely unknown territory and even he didn¡¯t know how strong the Monsters inside it were. Even so, he was confident that none of them would get past him. The reason? Because he was strong.-?(0)???. Cadmus sincerely believed in his strength, for he was a Draconic Kobold. He was someone meant to reach greater heights once he stepped into the Deimos Rank and had to leave the Territory of Norria behind to see the world. Suddenly, a Crimson Centipede gazed into the hole with its red-beady eyes which glowed faintly in the darkness. Cadmus arrogantly activated his Dragon¡¯s Fear, which made the centipede back away in fright, crashing into the Monsters behind it. Soon, more Monsters tried to enter the hole, but Cadmus Dragon¡¯s Fear made them unable to approach more than a meter inside the hole. Loud hisses, screeches, as well as roars of frustration spread in the surroundings, making the Kobolds, with the exception of Cadmus, tremble. After a few minutes of repeated attempts, the Monsters finally reached the limit of their patience and immediately raided the hole. Although they were too scared to do it, thepelling influence of the Dungeon to attack all intruders overrode their senses, making them rabid killing machines whose single purpose was to kill. Cadmus opened his mouth and unleashed a concentrated beam of Dragon¡¯s Breath, which instantly incinerated the monsters that entered the hole. The smell of burning flesh permeated the air, reaching Lux who was in the very back, causing his nose to twitch. Cadmus¡¯ angry roar reverberated within the hole as he stabbed, hacked, and smashed the monsters that were foolish enough to force themselves inside the hole he was guarding. Bodies upon bodies of monsters piled up in front of him, blocking the view. But, Cadmus didn¡¯t allow those bodies to block the entrance and incinerated them using a Dragon¡¯s Breath, effectively killing those who had tried to use this opportunity to get inside the hole that Lux created. ?(O)??? ¡®Looks like my n worked,¡¯ Lux thought. When he ordered Eiko to dig, he had already imagined how things might go and expected this scenario to happen. Since the entrance was narrow, the monsters didn¡¯t have any choice but to enter the hole one by one,pletely disregarding their advantage in numbers. This allowed Cadmus to freely kill his opponents without too much trouble. As long as he was blocking the way, none of the monsters could dream of getting past him. After nearly twenty minutes of repeated failures, the monsters all gave a resounding cry of anger before they started killing each other. The Dungeon Outbreak happened because the Dungeon was unable to contain the big surplus of Monsters. Since they were unable to get past Cadmus who was a Rank 5 Alpha Monster, they resorted to killing each other in order to cull the number of the Monsters inside the Dungeon. By doing so, they would have a better chance at survival instead ofmitting suicide by entering the hole were a ferocious Draconic Kobold was waiting to kill them. As the battle raged on, Lux and the other Kobolds were finally able to sigh in relief because the worst case scenario was over. All they needed to do was wait until the number of Monsters decreased before they came out of the hole to kill the remaining survivors. The two Rank 4 Basilisks that had tried to eat Lux earlier were among the Rank 4 Monsters that had entered the chaotic battlefield, killing everything in their surroundings. Naturally, there were other Rank 4 Monsters, like the Earth Golem, Earth Trolls, as well as Earth Mawler, who were among the strongest Rank 4 Monsters in the Dungeon. All the Rank 4 Monsters were so big that their bodies couldn¡¯t possibly enter the hole that Eiko had created. Because of this, they had no choice but to face each other, while the weaker monsters massacred those around them. It wasplete and total pandemonium, and Lux was quite thankful that he was safe and snug under the ground with his baby Slime in his arms. Minutes passed, and dirt started to fall inside the hole as the tremors intensified. Eiko had dug a hundred-meters into the ground, so Lux was confident that they were down far enough not to be implicated in the battle that was going on above ground. However, the constant rumblings in the surroundings made him anxious that a cave-in might happen if the battle didn¡¯t end soon. ¡®I¡¯m really d I have Eiko with me,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®If not, we would be forced to repel so many monsters at once.¡¯ The Half-Elf was sure that their chances of surviving such an onught if they were aboveground was non-existent. He didn¡¯t know how many monsters were currently killing each other on the surface, but one thing was clear. He would rather stay underground than mingle with them on the surface. The minutes moved ever so slowly and painfully, for those in the hole who were feeling anxious. Each minute was feeling more and more like the passing of a year. Suddenly, the monstrous head of a Giant ck Basilisk appeared in the hole. It opened its jaw and was about to unleash some kind of acid attack, but Cadmus was faster than it. Before the Basilisk could even unleash its attack, a Dragon Breath passed through its opened mouth, making it shriek in pain. Since it had forced itself inside the hole, it was unable to get out quickly, so Cadmus Dragon¡¯s Breath continued to raze its head, burning it to a crisp. Soon, the Giant Basilisk stopped moving after its head and body erupted in mes from the Draconic Kobold¡¯s powerful attack. A minuteter, its body was pulled out of the hole, followed by a deafening roar that Lux believed came from a troll. A momentter, the sound of chewing reached their ears. It seemed that whatever had pulled the Basilisk¡¯s body from the hole was enjoying the toasted, and headless ck serpent that had tried to attack the Kobolds that were hiding in the hole. Several minutes had passed. Lux patted his chest in relief when he saw the series of text that appeared in front of him. ¡ª- ?(O)??? Survive the Dungeon Outbreak for one hour. (Cleared!) Rewards: 100 Rank 2 Beast Cores 20 Rank 3 Beast Cores 2 Rank 4 Beast Core Title: Outbreak Survivor Bonus Reward: Key of the Inner Grotto. < Outbreak Survivor > ¡°Remember the time you thought you could never survive? You did it, and you can do it again.¡± +10,000 Health Points ¡ª- Lux looked at the Outbreak Survivor title and chuckled after reading its information. However, what he was most curious about was the Bonus Reward that he received, which was the Key of the Inner Grotto. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t know where the Inner Grotto was, but now that the key was in his hands, he believed that it was only a matter of time before they found it and put the reward he got to good use. Chapter 146 It’s Impossible To Win! ?(O)??? The battle aboveground quieted down, but Lux and the other Kobolds didn¡¯t move from their location. They only kept their senses at their highest state as they listened to their surroundings. Cadmus waited for fifteen more minutes before slowly crawling out of the hole with his weapon at the ready. The Draconic Kobold poked his head outside the hole and scanned the surroundings with a critical eye. Only after making sure that the coast was clear, did he make a gesture for hisrades toe out of the hole, and see for themselves the oue of the battle that hadsted for an hour. Lux frowned after leaving the hole. The ground was dyed in blood, and nothing else was left behind. Usually, when Dungeon Monsters died, their bodies would turn into particles of light, leaving only their Beast Cores, as well as their Monster drops, behind. The stench of blood was so strong that it was making Lux and Eiko feel ufortable. They had been into battlefields before, but this incredibly thick scent of blood was strong enough to make Lux gag. ¡°Come, Diablo,¡± Lux ordered and his Named Creature appeared wearing the ckrock Legacy armor. The Skeleton Rider looked at his surroundings before his armor glowed crimson. Diablo had activated the skill of his armor, Blood Fervor. The blood that littered the ground was all being sucked by Diablo¡¯s armor, giving it an eerie crimson hue. It was as if the Harbinger of Death had ascended from Hell, in order to collect the souls of the fallen. Cadmus as well as the other Kobolds frowned after seeing this scene. Diablo¡¯s strength that was originally only at the Rank 2 Monster Rank, was starting to feel like something that belonged to a Rank 3 Monster. Although it wasn¡¯t a threat to most of them, they found this discovery rather interesting, making them look at the Skeletal Rider, whose entire body was covered from head to toe with a ck-ted armor that had suddenly turned crimson due to the blood around it.-?(0)???. As the blood disappeared, so did the scent it left behind. Lux wasn¡¯t new to battles, but too much blood was still too much blood. He may be able to endure it to a certain extent, but it still made him feel ufortable. The Two Goblin Shamans chanted and summoned their spirit animals. One of the spirit animals that appeared was a ck crow, while the other was a ferret. A minute after they appeared, the two Monsters moved towards the Labyrinth, in search of a safe path that they could travel. ¡°Eiko, summon ckie and Whitey,¡± Lux ordered before summoning his Skeleton Monsters. ¡°Go and explore this ce.¡± The Skeletons nodded and headed in different directions as well. Diablo stayed behind in order to guard Lux because the Half-Elf felt that his Skeleton Fighters, and Skeleton Grand Archers were more than enough to investigate the surroundings. Cadmus, and the other Kobolds frowned, but they didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Undead Magic is such foul magic,¡± one of the Kobold Shamans said. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a Necromancer since the day I was born.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a first for everything,¡± Lux replied while shrugging. ¡°Ah, to be fair, I¡¯d never seen any Kobolds until I met you guys. The world is such a big ce. The more we know, the more we know we don¡¯t know.¡± The Kobold Shaman nodded. ¡°True. The world is a big ce.¡± ?(O)??? The discussion came to an end, and everyone remained inside the cavern where they had made camp. After what had happened, they were not in the mood to randomly wander around thebyrinth. They didn¡¯t really have a destination in mind, and were just wandering around aimlessly. Because of this, they were fine with Lux sending his Skeletons to help scout for them. Suddenly, while the other Kobolds were discussing what they were going to do next, a powerful and deafening roar made them turn their heads to one of the entrances of the cavern they were staying in. ¡°Get behind me!¡± Cadmus roared as he reverted to his original size. His primal instinct told him that the monster that was approaching them was stronger than him. It was then when they saw the Monster, holding several Skeleton Fighters in his hands. Lux¡¯s expression instantly became grim as another notification appeared in front of him. ¡ª¨C < Indus Death Worm > ¨C Monstrous Giant Worm ¨C Wandering Boss Monster of the Outer Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian ¨C Rank 5 Boss Monster (Pseudo-Deimos Rank) Health: 1,600,000 / 1,600,000 Mana: 200,000 / 200,000 Strength: ??? Intelligence: ??? Vitality: ??? Agility: ??? Dexterity: ??? Defense: 1000 Skills: Corrosive Acid Spray, Rending Jaws, Tail Smash, Crunch, Bind, Bull Rush, Dig Passive: Double Life, Jade Skin, Tough Carapace, Guts, Regeneration Title: Tunneler, All-Hearing. ¨C The Indus Death Worm was one of the two monsters that destroyed the ancient civilization that had once thrived underground for hundreds of years. ¨C Usually, it stays dormant and spends its days in hibernation. However, when a Dungeon Outbreak breaks loose, it wakes up from its slumber and devours all the Monsters that dared to wake it from its sleep. ¨C It will, also, mercilessly attack any intruders that dare to intrude upon its Domain. It was said that only Rankers were able to defeat this Beast, due to its incredible strength. ¡ª ¡®What the F*ck?!¡¯ Lux cursed internally after seeing the monstrous stats of the giant Monster that was in front of him. Although it still hadn¡¯t stepped into the Deimos Rank, its level was very close to it. The red-headed teenager didn¡¯t expect there to be a Wandering Boss Monster inside the dungeon, and it filled him with dread. The Half-Elf knew then and there that it was impossible to defeat the Monster due to its overwhelming strength. Even with Cadmus by their side, fighting against it was pure suicide. Perhaps, Cadmus knew this as well, which exined the grim expression on his face. In front of a Deimos, a Rank 5 Monster was merely food. This was the thought that passed through Cadmus¡¯ head as he remembered the words that the schr of the Kobolds had told him. Although he knew that this was true, the Monster that he was facing against was only at the Pseudo-Deimos Rank. He believed that as long as the enemy wasn¡¯t of the Deimos Rank, he could beat it. But his belief shattered because he was certain that even before he managed to decrease the monster¡¯s life by half, he would definitely be dead. ¡°Run!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to win!¡± As soon as Lux shouted, the head of the monster turned in his direction. The Indus Death Worm was blind and only relied on sounds and strong vibrations on the ground. Since the Half-Elf¡¯s shout caught its attention, it decided to make Lux its target instead. ¡®Oh f*ck!¡¯ Lux thought as the monster¡¯s enormous head charged in his direction. Although he wanted to evade, the monster¡¯s speed far exceeded his. He could only watch helplessly as the giant maws of the monster came crashing down, while the Kobolds, that were supposed to protect him, stood rooted in their ce. Chapter 147 The Moment Lux F*cked Up Thebyrinth trembled as the Indus Death Worm¡¯s gaping mouth mmed against the ground, sending rocks and dirt flying in every direction. Cadmus looked in despair as he knew that Lux was the only one that could help them maneuver inside the dungeon. Without the Half-Elf they would all be stuck inside the dungeon and would be unable to leave. ¡®Why did this happen?!¡¯ Cadmus screamed internally as he gazed helplessly at the Giant Worm that had eaten up the Half-Elf who was supposed to be their key to unlock the mysteries of the Dungeon. Just as the Draconic Kobold was about to attack the Giant Worm in despair, he saw something move from the dust cloud that had obscured his vision. A fat demon was running away from the point of impact, carrying a Half-Elf in his arms. Seeing the Half-Elf alive, Cadmus was overjoyed and was about to shout at the red-headed teenager when thetter beat him to it. ¡°This monster is blind!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t make any noises, it will take some time for it to find you guys! No matter what happens, don¡¯t speak, and don¡¯t move! I have a n!¡± The Giant Worm raised its head and once again shifted its attention to the ce where the voice wasing from. Pazuzu had used his Mad Rush after Lux had summoned him in order to escape the Boss Monster¡¯s attack. Lux waved his hands and Ishtar appeared in the distance. Pazuzu then threw Lux towards the Skeleton Hunter, before turning in the direction of the Giant Worm. ¡°Pazuzu is here!¡± Pazuzu shouted. ¡°Come, you little worm!¡±. After shouting with all of his might, Pazuzu ran away while his Mad Rush was still active, luring the Giant Worm away from his Master. Ishtar easily caught Lux and held him in ce as the Giant Worm wiggled past them. Eiko, who was still perched on her Papa¡¯s head, sighed in relief. They were safe now, at least for the time being. Ishtar then stealthily ran towards Cadmus and the other Kobolds, creating as little sound as possible. When they were only a few meters away from the Draconic Kobold, Ishtar supported Lux to stand on his own before bowing her head and running in the direction of the Giant Worm. Lux looked at his Skeleton Hunter with a grim expression on his face before shifting his head towards the Kobolds, who were still visibly shaken by the appearance of the Indus Death Worm. ¡°Okay, listen to me,¡± Lux said in a hushed voice. ¡°We need to find a gate or any type of entrance that will lead us to the Inner Grotto. I have the key to open it, so our priority would be escaping through that door while evading that monster¡¯s pursuit.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t make any noise, will that monster be unable to find us?¡± Cadmus asked. Although he was curious about how Lux obtained the key to the so-called Inner Grotto of the Dungeon, he knew that staying here even for just a minute longer was dangerous. After what had happened during the Dungeon Outbreak, he was now more inclined to believe the Half-Elf¡¯s words and didn¡¯t bother questioning him further. ¡°It still can find us through the sound of our breath and heartbeats,¡± Lux answered. ¡°However, if we make a louder noise, the monster will focus its attention to the direction of that noise.¡± ¡°It can even hear our heartbeats? That¡¯s impossible!¡± one of the Kobold Mages replied in hushed tones. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that leave us no way out of this situation?¡± ¡°Are you deaf?¡± Lux asked back in irritation. ¡°I said that if there is a noise that is louder than our breath and heartbeats, that thing wouldn¡¯t be able to find us. Also, stop doubting everything that I say. If you want to die, I can leave you here!¡± Lux knew that the Kobolds still held a grudge against him, so they would always second guess whatever n he had in mind. Since that was the case, he would not tolerate them any further and move at his own discretion if they kept on making things difficult for him. The Kobold Mage was about to argue, but after it saw Cadmus¡¯ re, it held back the words it wanted to say and just averted its gaze in frustration. ¡°Okay, here is the n,¡± Lux said. ¡°We need to separate and look for the entrance individually. Now, before any of you whine, or voice aint, just let me finish firs¨C¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± Lux wasn¡¯t able to finish his words because Pazuzu¡¯s loud scream echoed within the entirebyrinth. He also felt that his connection with his Demonic Protector had been cut, which meant that thetter was already dead. The Half-Elf had instructed Pazuzu to shout if it was about to die, to allow him some time to prepare for his next move. ¡®Eiko, contact ckie and Whitey,¡¯ Lux talked to the baby slime via telepathy. ¡®Tell them to go as far away as they can from our location and start making noises.¡¯ ¡®Pa!¡¯ Eiko nodded as she gave out a suicide order to her two Named Creatures. The Kobolds who heard the Pazuzu¡¯s blood curdling scream all quieted down as they gave Lux their undivided attention. ¡°All of us will separate from each other, but there is no need to worry,¡± Lux said. ¡°My summons will keep on making sounds in order to draw the Giant Worm in their location. Once any of you has found the gate, or any kind of entrance that requires a key,e back and look for me here. I will focus on drawing the monster¡¯s attention. ¡°Also, there¡¯s no need to worry about any other monsters in thisbyrinth. The Giant Worm has eaten them all, and it would take some time before they respawn again. During this crucial period, we just need to find the entrance as soon as possible. If we don¡¯t, all of us will be worm food, so keep that in mind.¡± All the Kobolds nodded their heads at the same time and dispersed in different directions. Cadmus chose to stay by Lux¡¯s side, so the earlier incident wouldn¡¯t happen again. Even if they found the entrance, everything would be in vain if the Indus Death Worm ate the Half-Elf who held the key to their survival. Lux nced at the Draconic Kobold but didn¡¯t say anything else. Having Cadmus as a bodyguard was better than staying alone. The sounds of rattling bones could be heard from time to time within the Labyrinth. Lux had ordered his skeletons to lure the Giant Worm away from him. The Indus Death Worm had the title ¡°All-Hearing.¡± This title allowed it to hear even the smallest sound within its Domain, making it a very aplished hunter. Its giant body could maneuver over and under the ground, allowing instant ess to its designated targets before it ate them whole without any mercy. Every time a Skeleton died, Lux would summon it right away andmand it to head in a direction far from them. ckie and Whitey, the Devil and Angel Slime, also used their skills to create noises to get the attention of the Boss Monster. Explosions rang inside the dungeon, as the two slimes attacked the floor and walls of thebyrinth. Since the Indus Death Worm had a strong sense of hearing, Lux decided to make all of his minions make noise, in order to prevent the Monster from sensing their breaths and beating hearts. Two hours passed, and Lux could feel his sweaty clothes sticking to his skin. Just as he was thinking of fanning himself with his hand, the Head of the Giant Worm appeared out of the ground, only a few meters away from him. The Half-Elf as well as the Draconic Kobold stopped everything they were doing and becamepletely still. Both of them even held their breath in order to make as little noise as possible. The Giant Monster¡¯s head turned to its left and right side as if trying to choose who among the noisy trespassers it was about to target next. Just as it was about to leave, it heard a long and diabolic fart that made it turn its giant head around to where the sound came from. It was at this moment when Lux knew that he f*cked up. ¡°You f*cking bastard!¡± Cadmus growled in anger. ¡°Sorry,¡± Lux replied out of embarrassment. It just happened out of the blue, and there was no way he could have stopped it. Cadmus red at the Half-Elf who just farted with an irritated expression on his face, while thetter looked back at him with an apologetic one. The Indus Death Worm turned its head towards Lux and Cadmus and let out a deafening roar. However, before it could even charge at the two individuals. Several spells flew towards its head, creating elemental explosions that made it shift its attention to the creature that attacked it. The baby Slime might not be a match against the Boss Monster, but she wouldn¡¯t allow thetter to eat her Papa without a fight. Eiko had teleported more than a hundred meter away from Lux and bombarded the Giant Worm with everything she had,pletely gaining thetter¡¯s anger. After seeing that the monster had shifted its attention to her, Eiko immediately dug into the ground and hurriedly escaped the scene. She had the skill Dig [EX], which allowed her to burrow through the dungeon¡¯s floor, which was normally impossible to do. Naturally, the Indus Death Worm wouldn¡¯t allow the disrespectful baby Slime to get away that easily and followed her underground. Both monsters were expert diggers. One was the hunter, the other was the hunted. Soon, the entire Labyrinth trembled as the Giant Worm tunneled underground. Lux could only stand rooted on the spot as he looked at the giant hole in front of him with a grim expression on his face. Chapter 148 How Confident Are You Guys In Running? The ground shook as if there was an earthquake inside the dungeon. Eiko had zigzagged across the underground Labyrinth, with the angry Giant Worm hot on her heels. Her Dig [EX] skill allowed her to keep digging as long as she had Mana, and that was what the baby Slime was doing at the moment. However, just as she was running away from the Indus Death Worm, she felt some kind of attraction that pulled at her from the Eastern Part of the Labyrinth. Following her instinct, Eiko headed in that direction in a straight line as she pushed through the ground like a hot knife cutting through butter. Five hundred meters¡­ Three hundred meters¡­ A Hundred meters¡­ Finally, after almost running out of Mana, Eiko¡¯s body came to aplete stop as she bumped into something that was radiating a silver light. Eiko didn¡¯t know what it was that she bumped into. All she knew was that she couldn¡¯t dig through it. Suddenly, the ground under her body rose as the Giant Worm closed its massive jaws in an attempt to eat her. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko shouted and her body glowed before the Indus Death Worm swallowed her whole.. After triumphantly eating its opponent, the Indus Death Worm tunneled towards the surface. Behind it, a silver gate that was buried deep underground glowed faintly in the darkness. ¡ª- ¡°Pa!¡± ¡°Sorry, Eiko. Were you scared?¡± The baby Slime shook her head before smiling at her Papa. She had the skill, Family Bond [EX], which allowed her to instantly teleport to Lux¡¯s or Iris¡¯ location, wherever they may be. This was also the reason why she was confident she could escape the Boss Monster, even if it chased her to the far end of the Labyrinth. Lux knew this as well, but he still couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty about what had happened earlier. It was an unexpected bodily reaction, possibly from anxiety due to the sudden appearance of the Boss Monster that he thought was busy chasing his Summons around the Outer Grotto of the dungeon. ¡°None of this would have happened if you held it in!¡± Cadmus growled in anger, but he kept his voice very low. ¡°Can¡¯t you even do something so simple? The red-headed teenager wanted to argue that it just happened out of the blue and had beenpletely out of his control. Everyone farts, which was a perfectly normal thing. Unfortunately, it happened at the wrong moment, which almost caused their demise. Even so, he knew that he was in the wrong, so he didn¡¯t bother arguing with the Draconic Kobold. He just busied himself withforting his baby Slime, who was happily chugging a bottle of Mana Potion. After drinking two bottles of Mana Potion, Eiko telepathically told Lux about the thing that she found underground. The Half-Elf then expanded the map that was located on the upper right side of his vision. Earlier, he had been looking at the map in order to follow Eiko¡¯s escape underground. His heart had almost jumped out of his chest when he saw Eiko¡¯s green dot get swallowed by the giant red dot that was chasing her earlier. It was also at that moment when Eiko suddenlynded on top of Lux¡¯s head, after she had used her skill to teleport to his location. Because of this, Lux hadpletely forgotten about the silver blinking dot on the map that was identally unearthed by his baby Slime, while she tried to escape from her pursuer. The Half-Elf clicked on the silver blinking dot to check its information. ¡ª- Entrance of the Inner Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian. Requires a key to enter. ¡ª- Lux wanted to curse out loud due to the absurdity of the situation. The gate that they were looking for had been buried deep underground. If not for the fact that Eiko had done what she did, they might be trapped in the Outer Grotto forever since they wouldn¡¯t have been able to find the exit. What he didn¡¯t know was that after the Ancient Civilization perished, the Dungeon Core of The Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian was damaged as well. This prevented it from adding more floors to the Dungeon or fixing its damaged parts. The only function that it had retained was spawning monsters. Due to this uncontroble cycle of death and rebirth, the Indus Death Worm ended up changing the topography of the Outer Grotto, burying the entrance to the Inner Grotto deep underground. The cycle repeated over and over during the past hundreds of years, and if it weren¡¯t for Lux¡¯s appearance, the cycle would have continued indefinitely. After calming down, Lux praised Eiko for doing a wonderful job in finding the entrance, which made the baby Slime very happy. He then ordered his skeletons to look for the other Kobolds, and told them to bring them back to where he and Cadmus were staying. An hourter, all the Kobolds had returned, while the rest of the Skeletons were still busy luring the Giant Worm to the far corners of thebyrinth. Lux informed them about Eiko¡¯s discovery and told the Kobolds that they needed to reach the gate in order to escape the Indus Death Worm¡¯s looming threat upon their heads. However, there was one problem. The Gate of the Inner Grotto was located at the very center of the dungeon. It was highly possible that during their journey, they would meet with the Giant Worm along the way. ¡°How about you let that slime lure that Monster away again?¡± the oldest of the Kobold Mages proposed. ¡°How about you do it instead?¡± Lux angrily replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sacrificing Eiko for you guys.¡± ¡°But she can instantly appear by your side, no?¡± ¡°So? No is still no.¡± The oldest Kobold Mage red at the Half-Elf who couldn¡¯t understand the situation they were in. ¡°You fool. Doing this would ensure that all of us will be able to pass safely. Why don¡¯t you let her do it?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to,¡± Lux answered. ¡°If you have a problem with that, I¡¯ll just leave you guys here and go to the gate myself. Let¡¯s see how you escape that giant worm on your own.¡± Lux would never tell anyone that Eiko could only use this skill twice. Since she had already used it once, she could only use it one more time. The Half-Elf had no intention of letting the baby Slime use her life saving skill another time because he didn¡¯t know what lied in the Inner Grotto of the Dungeon. If Eiko were to lose her only means of survival when her life was truly in danger, Lux wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive himself for letting such a thing happen. ¡°Tell us your n then,¡± Cadmus said with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°Since we can¡¯t use her to lure away the Giant Worm, we need a major distraction that will prevent the worm from sensing our presence.¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Actually there is no other way than to head towards the gate as fast as we can. Thanks to the tunnels that the Indus Death Worm made, we can reach our destination in ten minutes if we all run at full speed. However, we are bound to get noticed if we do that.¡± ¡°Then, why don¡¯t we travel slowly?¡± one of the Kobold Shamans asked. ¡°That way, we won¡¯t be noticed.¡± Lux shook his head as he summoned two Skeleton Fighters and ordered them to go to the corners of the Dungeon and create noise. ¡°We can¡¯t do it slowly. The Indus Death Worm moves very fast, and my Summons will all die before we can reach our destination. If we want to survive, we must make a run for it.¡± All the Kobolds had troubled expressions on their faces. Lux¡¯s n was too risky. Even though Lux could summon his Skeletons underground, the chances of them getting buried had a high possibility if the Indus Death Worm started to chase them underground. ¡°So, it¡¯s an all or nothing sprint?¡± Cadmus asked. ¡°Either we do it, or we die?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°How confident are you guys in running?¡± The Kobold Shamans, and Mages nced at each other with bitter smiles on their faces. They weren¡¯t built for running, and they would definitely drag everyone down if they did. This was why they felt very reluctant upon hearing Lux¡¯s idea of running non-stop for ten minutes and suggested if they could do it slowly. ¡°I can carry the Kobold Shamans, but I cannot carry the Mages,¡± Cadmus admitted. ¡°The Raiders are good at running, but if they carried the Mages, they would be encumbered.¡± Lux then looked at the older mage with disdain, and gave him the ¡°You¡¯re just baggage¡± re, which made thetter avert its gaze. ¡°If it¡¯s only the two of them, I can take them with me,¡± Lux said. ¡°However, we only have one chance. If any of youg behind and the Indus Death Worm is upon us, I will not hesitate to open the gate and leave you guys behind. Do I make myself clear?¡± ¡°Talk about yourself, Half-Elf,¡± one of the Kobold Raiders replied. ¡°Do you really think your puny legs can take you that fast?¡± ¡°No,¡± Lux answered. ¡°My puny legs can¡¯t take me that fast. But, he can.¡± Lux then summoned his mount, Jed, before ncing at the Kobold Raider. ¡°Problem?¡± The Kobold Raider¡¯s jaw hung wide as he looked up at the Rank 3 Warg which was stronger than it. ¡°Enough,¡± Cadmus stated. ¡°We only have one chance. If anyonegs behind, you will have no one to me but yourself. Do I make myself clear?¡± The four Kobold Raiders nodded with serious expressions on their faces. Lux thenmanded Jed to allow the two Kobold Mages to mount his back, so that they could safely reach their destination with one death-defying sprint. Lux and Eiko then summoned their Skeleton Fighters and ordered them to go to the farthest corner of the map in groups of four. They only had one shot at this, and no matter what happened, they had to make it count. Or die trying. Chapter 149 The Great Escape ¡°Are you guys ready?¡± Lux asked as he scanned the faces of the Kobolds around him. All the Kobolds nodded their heads. They had determined expressions on their faces, which gave Lux the feeling that they were nning to put their lives on the line for this mad sprint. Lux had also summoned Pazuzu to make noise and lure the Giant Worm away as ast resort and ordered him to fly behind their group. Just as Lux was about to signal the start of the operation, the oldest Kobold Mage who was mounted on top of Jed said something that made the Half-Elf want to p him silly. ¡°If the Giant Worm discovers us then we¡¯ll just fight it to the death like true Kobolds,¡± the Kobold Mage said. ¡°Our God, Ross, will definitely send our souls to the next batch of eggs in the nursery.¡± All the Kobolds nodded their heads with the exception of Cadmus. He had no intention of dying in the dungeon, and it was evident in his eyes. Lux cursed the old Kobold internally because he was setting up a death g. The red-headed teenager was very tempted to toss the old fogey behind as a sacrifice to the Indus Death Worm, so that he could bring his cynical attitude to the afterlife. ¡°Ready,¡± Lux said. ¡°Go!¡± As soon as Lux gave the order, several nging sounds resounded in the dungeon as the Skeleton Fighters bash their metallic swords into their shields to make noise. The Skeleton Archers on the other hand aimed a barrage of arrows at the walls or ground of the Labyrinth, creating vibrations for the Giant Worm to detect.. ckey and Whitey casted spells in different directions and made explosions that resounded in the surroundings. Ishtar was doing the same as she fired ice arrows at the walls and the ground, creating a crackling sound as the ice spread out. The ground trembled as the Indus Death Worm charged to the eastern side of the Labyrinth were ckie and Whitey were creating a ruckus. Since the explosive spells created more sounds than anyone, it easily caught the Giant Worm¡¯s attention. The Half-Elf and the Kobolds entered the giant hole that the Indus Worm had created when it chased Eiko and ran in the direction of the gate. Pazuzu flew behind them, and kept its senses on guard just in case the Indus Deathworm were to head in their direction. Dirt fell down from the ceiling of the tunnel as Lux led the way while mounted on Jed. Cadmus was only a few steps away from the Warg, while the Kobold Raiders were a dozen steps away from Cadmus. Around the three minute mark, the Giant Worm¡¯s body broke through the wall behind them, missing one of the Kobold Raiders by only a few meters. Pazuzu, who was behind the group, immediately shouted and lured the giant worm away using his mad rush. A minuteter, Lux felt his connection with his Demonic Defender disappear, which meant that Pazuzu had been in. Another minute passed, and several more Skeletons died as the Indus Death Worm charged in their direction. Lux and Eiko summoned their Skeletons and ordered them to stand their ground and hold the line as they continued their journey. Six Minutes¡­ Seven Minutes¡­ On the eighth minute mark, an angry roar resounded behind the group as the Giant Worm annihted all the Monsters that were hiding on the surface. It then turned its massive head from side to side, trying to detect the location of the invaders of its Domain. Half a minuteter, it charged towards the direction of Lux¡¯s group, after hearing the vibrations of their advance underground. Lux and Eiko ordered the Skeletons that they had summoned underground to make some noises, in order to buy them as much time as possible. Finally, after nine minutes, the location of the gate appeared in front of their eyes. ¡°There it is!¡± the old Kobold shouted. ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± Lux, as well as the other Kobolds red at the old mage as if telling him ¡°Can¡¯t you f*cking shut your trap, old man?¡± As if waiting for that cue, the ground trembled, and the head of the Giant Indus Worm smashed through the wall behind them. At that exact moment, Lux and the other Kobolds looked at the old Kobold with serious expressions on their faces. All of them were very tempted to let their pig teammate be sacrificed in order to buy them a few seconds of precious time to reach the gate. As if sensing the intention of hisrades, the Old Kobold Mage grabbed hold of Jed¡¯s fur, with the intention of not letting go no matter what. At that moment of life and death, Eiko¡¯s body glowed and two more baby Slimes appeared beside her. These two Slimes then jumped off the back of the Warg and fired several spells in the Giant Worm¡¯s direction. After that, they dug through the left and right sides of the tunnel while creating as much noise as they could. ¡°¡±Pa!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Pa!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Pa!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Pa!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Pa!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Pa!¡±¡± The Giant Death Worm turned its head to the right side and followed one of Eiko¡¯s doppelgangers with a thunderous roar that caused the tunnels around it to copse. The Kobold Raiders increased their speed because the ground behind them was copsing at a fast rate, simr to a domino effect. They knew that if they didn¡¯t reach the gate in time, all of them would be buried underground. Lux summoned the key and held it firmly in his hand. The moment the key appeared within a dozen meters away from the Silver Gate, the barrier surrounding it disappeared, and the gate opened. Lux passed through it safely, alongside Cadmus who was carrying the two Kobold Shamans like sacks of rice in his arms. Just as the four Raiders were about to pass through the gate, a giant mouth closed in on them, and sessfully gobbled up two of the Kobold Raiders. A loud explosion resounded as the head of the Indus Death Worm tried to dash through the Silver Gate. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t able to pass through because the silver barrier activated, preventing it from entering. Lux and the others watched as the silver gate slowly closed, while the Giant Worm continued to ram the barrier with its head. After a few tension-filled seconds passed, the gate closed fully,pletely barring the Indus Death Worm from entering the Inner Grotto. The Half-Elf sighed in relief, while the Kobolds looked at the closed gate with grim expressions on their faces. They had a close rtionship with the members of the expedition, and the deaths of theirrades made their hearts ache. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t have a close rtionship with the Kobolds, so he just kept his silence. Right now, he was thankful that they managed to escape the Pseudo-Deimos Boss Monster, but he was feeling anxious about what they would find inside the Inner Grotto. Since the Boss Monster outside was already that strong, he was afraid that the boss they would be facing was much stronger than it, which made the Half-Elf feel like they had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Chapter 150 The Guardian Of The Inner Grotto After their harrowing escape, everyone decided to rest for the time being. Lux had unsummoned Jed, and lightly patted the Baby Slime that was resting on his chest, in order to calm her down. Eiko was forced to copy Lux¡¯s Doppelganger [EX] skill in order to create a distraction to allow everyone to escape. Unfortunately, the Giant Worm changed its decision half-way and decided to pursue the group that was headed to the Silver Gate that led to the Inner Grotto of the Labyrinth. This resulted in the death of the two Kobold Warriors, which made the atmosphere of the expedition tense. Half an hourter, Cadmus stood up and faced hisrades. ¡°All of us here knew that we were going to be risking our lives to explore this dungeon,¡± Cadmus said. ¡°They both died for the greater good, and Ross would definitely allow them to be reborn again as soon as possible. ¡°What we need to do is continue our journey in order to solve the mystery of why the Ancient Civilization got destroyed. This is to ensure that the same fate does not happen to us, should we chose to inhabit the legacy that they left behind.¡± All the Kobolds nodded their heads in agreement, as they, too, stood up one by one, and faced Cadmus with determined faces. Clearly, the Kobolds wanted to make the ancient city their new home, but due to the mystery of how it got destroyed, they were reluctant to do it. All of them hoped that they would get the answers inside the dungeon. Lux kept his silence, but he already knew half of the reason why the Ancient Civilization was destroyed. When he read the information of the Ignus Death Worm, it clearly stated that it was one of the two monsters that was responsible for its destruction. This meant that there was one more monster, and Lux guessed that this monster could be found inside the Inner Grotto where they were currently at.. ¡®Perhaps, a Dungeon Outbreak happened and the Indus Death Worm and that other Monster left the dungeon,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Due to its having the power of the Pseudo-Deimos Rank, it could easily overpower anyone in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. However, there was one thing that puzzled Lux. The Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian was a C-Ranked Dungeon, so it was impossible for it to produce a monster that was as powerful as the Indus Death Worm. Creatures of that rank could be found in B-Ranked and A-Ranked Dungeons as a Boss Monster for its Hell Mode. For it to appear in a C-Ranked dungeon, it only meant that they may be missing something important. ¡®It couldn¡¯t possibly be that, right?¡¯ Lux thought as his body subconsciously shuddered at the absurd idea that passed through his mind. Lux didn¡¯t even want to consider the thought that appeared in his head because it was simply too crazy. However, if the off-chance that he was right, that would easily exin the presence of the Indus Death Worm, in addition to the other Monster that might even be stronger than it here inside the Inner Grotto. The Half-Elf followed Cadmus as they walked into the single tunnel that led to something bright in front of them. ¡°Just¡­ how?¡± Lux muttered as he gazed at the unbelievable scene in front of him. A fantasy-like scenery that could easily be a postcard appeared in his vision. A Majestic Mountain range served as a backdrop for the dozens of floating inds that hovered around it. Some of these inds had water falling from their bodies like waterfalls, catching the sunlight and creating stunning rainbows. This was vastly different from the undergroundbyrinth that they had exited just a while ago. Cadmus frowned, because he shared the same thought as Lux. this scene shouldn¡¯t be here, which made him unable to understand what was happening. ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived.¡± A majestic voice resounded from the heavens, which made everyone look up at the biggest floating ind above them. Soon, they saw a giant beast flying in their direction, and its presence made Lux, Eiko, Cadmus, and the rest of the Kobolds feel an incredible pressure pressing on their bodies. The giant creaturended dozens of meters away from them, which allowed everyone to look at it at close range. A creature that was over twenty six meters long, and had a wingspan of twelve meters stood in front of them, with an amused expression on its face. Its glossy-white body sparkled in the sun, and its ancient golden eyes scanned the faces of its visitors before stopping on the red-headed teenager, whose green eyes were locked onto its body. All the Kobolds dropped down on their knees as a sign of respect to the majestic creature in front of them. They were a race that worshiped their God, Ross, as well as the Dragon God, Bahamut, whom all Kobolds revered as the perfect being. ¡°A Crystal Dragon.¡± Lux gulped as the Dragon looked at him with great curiosity. Although the Dragon wasn¡¯t showing any signs of agressions, its mere presence was enough to make his breath ragged. Lux activated the Elysium Compendium to see what kind of monster he was facing, and the information that he saw almost made his knees buckle in fright. ¡ª¨C < Keoza the Forbidden Guardian > ¨C Crystal Dragon ¨C The Guardian of the Inner Grotto ¨C Argonaut Ranked Monster Health: 21,000,000 / 21,000,000 Mana: 4,200,000 / 4,200,000 Strength: ???? Intelligence: ???? Vitality: ???? Agility: ???? Dexterity: ???? ¨C The Crystal Dragon, Keoza, was the one of the two monsters that were responsible for the destruction of the Ancient Civilization that thrived underground. ¨C this Dragon is usually very friendly, and would not attack anyone unless they tried to attack it first, or rob him of his treasures. The Ancient Civilization¡¯s greedy ruler thought that since Keoza wasn¡¯t an aggressive Dragon, he could take advantage of its kindness and steal one of the Legendary Items in its possession. However, the ruler failed to understand that no matter how amiable a Crystal Dragon was, it was still a Dragon. Fools who didn¡¯t have the strength to back up their greed, would simply end up dying from its sharp ws, while being blinded by its dazzling dragon breath that could pulverize those that it hit directly. ¨C Tread wisely upon dealing with Keoza, for it is a creature who can see the greed in people¡¯s hearts. ¡ª¡ª ¡®A-Argonaut Rank?!¡¯ Lux¡¯s eyes widened in shock because the stats of the Dragon had surpassed the Deimos Rank, leaving it on equal footing with those who reached the level of a C-Ranker. This was a creature that didn¡¯t belong to the Beginner Zone, nor in the Intermediate Zone. This was a creature that could only be seen in the Advance Zone of Elysium, where massive cities¡ªthat spanned for several miles¡ªcould be found. Simply put, this was a creature that could destroy the entirety of the Territory of Norria, if it wished for it. ¡°Salutations, to all of you,¡± Keoza said in a friendly manner, which made Lux, as well as the Kobolds, jump up in fright. The Crystal Dragon chuckled after seeing their reactions and a mischievous smile appeared on its friendly face. ¡°Worry not, as long as you don¡¯t try anything funny, all of you may leave this ce alive,¡± Keoza stated. ¡°However, if you are nning to do something wicked then I assure you that all of you will stay in this ce forever as crystal statues that I will be adding to my collection. Do I make myself clear?¡± Lux as well as the rest of the Kobolds nodded their heads like hens pecking rice. The creature in front of them was simply too powerful, and only fools would dare to defy it in its own Domain. The Half-Elf¡¯s heart shuddered as his earlier hunch became a reality. They had made a grave mistake when they tried to evaluate the rank of the Dungeon. It was not a C-Ranked Dungeon, but an S-Ranked Dungeon that had degraded due to the damage that the Dungeon Core had received after the great battle that happened inside its depths, hundreds of years ago. However, although its rank had degraded, the monsters that lived inside it remained the same, especially the two Boss Monsters that retained their strength, even after the Ancient Civilization had perished under their overwhelming might. Chapter 151 I Guess It’s Time To Beat Up Some Noobs ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Keoza,¡± Keoza said in a teasing tone. ¡°I am the Guardian of the Inner Grotto. All of you should be fighting me together in order to gain the treasures that I possess. But, looking at all of you¡­ none of you seemed to have the strength to do that.¡± Cadmus and the rest of the Kobolds shuddered. All of them worship Dragons, so there was simply no way for them to attack Keoza as it would be considered a sin on their part to even think of it. Also, even if they did, the Dragon could easily kill them with a snort. Cadmus would probably die after a p or two if Keoza really intended to kill him. ¡°Um, would you believe us if we said that we are just passing through here?¡± Lux asked with a hopeful tone. Keoza chuckled and nodded its head. ¡°Indeed. All of you were just doing your best to escape Indus¡¯ from the Outer Grotto. It had been hundreds of years since anyone has entered the dungeon, so I¡¯m guessing that the city of Eshouvell had been discovered, right?¡± Lux nodded his head in acknowledgement. ¡®So the name of the Ancient City is Eshouvell¡­¡¯ Keoza gazed at his guests as a bestial smile appeared on its Draconic face. ¡°Since you came all the way here, I can¡¯t let you go empty handed,¡± Keoza said. ¡°How about we y a game?¡±. ¡°A game?¡± Lux inquired. ¡°What kind of game, Lord Keoza?¡± ¡°Lord Keoza? Not bad. I like you, Half-Elf.¡± ¡°T-Thank you, Sir.¡± Keoza chuckled, but in spite of his amiable attitude, Lux could still sense a foreboding feeling that made him raise his guard. ¡°Let¡¯s y a siege battle,¡± Keoza replied. ¡°However, we need to split your team into two. All the Kobolds, including you, the Draconic one, are on one team. As for you, Half-Elf, you will be fighting alone, without that baby slime on your head.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Pa?¡± Keoza didn¡¯t bother to reply as its body shone brilliantly, momentarily blinding everyone. When the light receded, they found themselves staring at what seemed to be a table made up of crystals. On top of the table was a forest, where three paths could be seen. One on top, one at the center, and one at the bottom. ¡°Let me exin the rules,¡± Keoza said. ¡°At regr intervals, crystal soldiers will spawn in the two strongholds that are located in the corners of the map. One side belongs to the Kobolds, while the other belongs to you, Half-Elf.¡± As Keoza exined, several miniature soldiers moved along the paths and headed towards the center of the map where several watchtowers were standing. Both sides fought after they ran into each other. But since their forces were equal, no one got the upper hand. ¡°Your goal is to break the crystal that is inside each of the fortresses,¡± Keoza replied as he pointed at the two crystals inside the two strongholds. ¡°The first one to break their opponent¡¯s crystal wins the game. However, you can only break it once all the watchtowers are destroyed.¡± Lux pinched the bridge of his nose because no matter how much he looked at the map, it still resembled the game called ¡°Doh Tah¡± he yed on Earth when he was still alive. ¡°There are monsters inside the forest, so if you go there, be prepared to fight them,¡± Keoza stated. ¡°Well then, Goodluck to bothbatants and¡­ how may I help you¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Lux, Lord Keoza,¡± Lux replied. ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem? Why are you raising your hand?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I at a great disadvantage in this battle?¡± Keoza smiled as it nodded its head. ¡°Of course how could I forget that you still haven¡¯t reached the strength of a Rank 1 monster, while your opponents are all Rank 3, and one of them is even Rank 5. Very well, how about this? You Draconic Kobold over there, what is your name?¡± Cadmus respectfully bowed before answering Keoza¡¯s question. ¡°My name is Cadmus, Your Excellency.¡± ¡°I see. Well then, Cadmus, you are not allowed to fly. If you fly even once, you will be kicked out of the battlefield, do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Excellency.¡± ¡°Very good. I like smart Kobolds.¡± The red-headed teenager wanted to curse internally because he thought that Keoza would at least prevent Cadmus from joining the battle because it was simply too much. Fighting against a Rank 5 Alpha Monster in Doh Tah was like fighting a Level 20 hero when you were still Level 1. It was apletely unfair matchup and Lux wanted to protest about it. However, before he could even do that, Keoza nced at him with a devilish expression on its Draconic face. ¡°I hate Elves, you know,¡± Keoza replied. ¡°But, since you are a Half-Elf, I only hate you half as much. Don¡¯t worry, if in the off-chance that you win, I promise that I will not be stingy with the rewards, so, please do your best!¡± Just as Lux was about to argue, he was covered in a dazzling light and teleported to the artificial battlefield that Keoza created. When Lux opened his eyes, he found himself inside a stronghold. He immediately went to the Fountain of Life, and checked the stores to see if there were any items that he could use to fight against the Kobolds who had a great advantage over him. Just as the Half-Elf expected, there were indeed weapons, armors, and artifacts that could be purchased in order to increase a person¡¯s stats, as well as increase their fighting capabilities. ¡®There is still some time before the battle starts,¡¯ Lux thought as he gazed at the giant hourss whose sand was still at its halfway point,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Keoza didn¡¯t exin the mechanics in detail, even about something as important as how to gain gold in this siege battle, and this is probably my only advantage.¡¯ Lux also looked at the temple near the Fountain of Life and saw his picture, Diablo¡¯s, Ishtar¡¯s, as well as Pazuzu¡¯s. ¡®I guess it is safe to say that the four of us are the heroes of our team¡­,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®I see¡­ so this is why Keoza decided to make me fight the entire Kobold Team alone. It must have also seen Eiko¡¯s capabilities, so it decided that having her with me was too unbnced.¡¯ The Half-Elf had to agree that his baby Slime was way too overpowered if it became one of the heroes that were to join him in battle. The red-headed teenager then opened the match-ups and saw Cadmus, One Kobold Shaman, One Kobold Mage, as well as One Kobold Raider on the opponent¡¯s side. The rest of the Kobolds were treated as ordinary warriors to assist them in battle. The Half-Elf closed his eyes as he took several deep breaths to calm his senses before opening it again. He then stared at the trickling Hourss as he summoned all of his Named Creatures as well as Skeletons to fight for his side. He was no longer feeling anxious because he knew that even though the Kobolds were stronger than him, he was more experienced in the mechanics of the game. Lux was an avid Doh Tah yer in his past life. Although he wasn¡¯t a professional yer, he was someone that had the skills to reach a high rank. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to beat up some noobs,¡± Lux said with a devilish smile on his face. Chapter 152 First Blood! ¡°That bratty Half-Elf is no match against us,¡± the eldest Kobold Mage said with a smirk. ¡°Poor child. It seems that his Excellency Keoza really hated Elves. His chances of winning are almost non-existent.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± the Kobold Raider replied. ¡°Such a weakling, who is not even a Rank 1, thinks he can beat us? Howughable.¡± ¡°Without that Slime apanying him, he will have a hard time,¡± the Kobold Shamanmented. ¡°However, we shouldn¡¯t be too overconfident. He might win if we let our guards down.¡± Cadmus nodded his head. ¡°That¡¯s right. Do not let your guard down. Although he is at a disadvantage, this is our first time participating in this kind of siege battle. Perhaps we can use this as well if we ever fought against other races.¡± All the Kobolds agreed with Cadmus¡¯ exnation. They had also seen the shops, and understood that the items inside it could be bought by gold. However, they didn¡¯t know how to obtain this currency. In the end, they decided that they could still beat the Half-Elf without the weapons, so they didn¡¯t think much about it. ¡°It¡¯s starting,¡± Cadmus said as he looked at the Hourss that had disappeared from the sky. Several crystal warriors then spawned at the three gates that led to the Top, Middle, and Bottom Lanes of the map. ¡°Let¡¯s end this battle quickly. All of us go to the middle!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± Lux stood at the middle of the map, and right by his side was Pazuzu. Behind him, several Skeleton Grand Archers stood at the ready. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Lux muttered and the Demonic Defender by his side tapped his shield with his mace. ¡°Have no Fear! Pazuzu is here!¡± Pazuzu dered as he stood in front of Lux. ¡°Keep me safe, Pazuzu.¡±. ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Cadmus fearlessly charged towards Lux with the intention to kill him. Although the Half-Elf was standing in the middle of two watchtowers, the Draconic Kobold thought that he could easily kill the Half-Elf and his minions with one Dragon Breath. However, just as he was about to unleash his strongest attack, Pazuzu pointed his mace at the Draconic Kobold, which made thetter¡¯s body move against his will. ¡®What sorcery is this?!¡¯ Cadmus thought as his body lunged towards the Demonic Fighter, whose shield was firmly nted on the ground. When the Draconic Kobold came within the watchtower¡¯s range, the two towers fired blue giant orbs of light that hit Cadmus¡¯ body directly. The Draconic Kobold almost spat blood from how painful the attack was, which made him feel that he had clearly underestimated the damage that the two towers could bring. The two towers fired in rapid session, immediately taking a third of Cadmus¡¯ health in the span of a few seconds. Naturally Lux and the Skeleton Archers weren¡¯t being idle and unleashed their attacks at the Draconic Kobold, decreasing his health further. When Cadmus was only a few meters away from the Demonic Defender, an Ankle Snare trap sprang on his feet, stopping his charge for three seconds. This allowed the Towers, as well as Lux forces to take more than half of the Draconic Kobold¡¯s health, making thetter feel regretful for his recklessness. After the duration of the trap ended, Cadmus once again continued his charge, but another trap stopped his advance. This continued three more times, making the Draconic Kobold spit blood due to the injuries he received. When his health was just a trickle away from disappearingpletely, Lux appeared in front of him and raised his sword over his head. ¡°Double Fury sh!¡± Lux roared as he used his strongest attack skill against the arrogant Draconic Kobold who thought that it could fight him head-on. < First Blood! > An announcement rang inside the battlefield as Cadmus¡¯ body turned into particles of light and returned to the Stronghold where he belonged. The Half-Elf nced at the respawn timer for the Draconic Kobold and snickered when he saw that it would take Cadmus a full minute before he respawned. ¡°Being strong also has its downsides,¡± Lux thought as he felt a temporary surge of strength in his body. All of his stats had increased by ten, which was enough for him to step to the Apostle Rank for the remainder of the Siege Battle against the Kobolds. He also received 500 Gold Coins after killing Cadmus, which made him very happy. ¡°You bastard! I will kill you!¡± the Raider that had been chosen as a champion charged at Lux out of anger. However, the moment the two towers on Lux¡¯s side hit its body, a quarter of the Kobold Raider¡¯s health disappeared just like that. To Lux¡¯s surprise, the Kobold ignored his injuries as it raised its Saber to continue its charge. ¡°For the Nest!¡± the Kobold Raider shouted as its body was peppered with arrows. Lux chuckled after seeing Kobold¡¯s reckless attack. He had already seen the way Kobolds fight. They often relied on great numbers in order to ovee their opponents. The other surviving Kobold Raider also followed itsrade, as the Kobold Mage and Kobold Shaman chanted their spells. Lux didn¡¯t bat an eye and took out a fist-sized rock from his storage ring and threw it at the Kobold Raider¡¯s whose life was hanging by a thread. ¡°Power Shot!¡± Lux roared as he imbued the rock with his ranged attack. When the rock smashed against the Kobold Raider¡¯s head, the Monster staggered before two orbs of light engulfed itpletely, turning it into particles of light. < Double Kill! > Before Lux could even celebrate killing another noob, a fireball and a Wind de flew in his direction. Pazuzu raised its shield and tanked the damages of the two attacks, decreasing his health by half. All the Kobolds were Rank 3 Monsters, so they were very powerful. However, Lux wasn¡¯t afraid because he wasn¡¯t fighting alone. Diablo emerged from the forest and pointed at the Kobold Mage who had raised a death g when they were still in the Outer Grotto. It was at that moment when the Kobold Mage felt shock as his body ran towards the Skeleton Rider, who was standing near the two towers that had killed two of hisrades. ¡°Nooooo!¡± the Kobold Mage shouted as his body was bombarded by arrows, as well as the attacks of the two watchtowers. ¡°Yes~¡± Lux sneered as he watched Diablo throw a Bone Spear at the Kobold Mage¡¯s head, killing itpletely. Lux could have killed the Kobold Mage and had a Triple Kill, but he allowed Diablo to get thest hit in order for thetter to get the gold coins for the kill. After the Kobold Mage died, Diablo returned to the forest. It was busy killing monsters in the jungle to get gold, as well as increase its rank, alongside Ishtar. The Skeleton Hunter sneakily nted traps several meters behind Lux before following Diablo inside the forest. Lux had explicitly told his Skeleton Rider and Skeleton Hunter to buy certain items as soon as they acquired the gold for it. Right now, Diablo was headed towards the side of the map where a blue rune had appeared, which increased his damage by 100%. Keoza took pity on Lux and gave him 500 gold coins before the battle even started. Lux used this to buy a courier animal, and upgraded it into a raven that could carry items for him. Soon a screech resounded from the sky as Lux retreated to the back in order to gain the item that he had bought from the shop. Although he had anticipated that the Kobolds would all charge to the center of the map to take advantage of their numbers, they greatly underestimated the damage that the two towers beside the path could dish out on their enemies. The Kobold Mages and the Kobold Shamans hurriedly retreated after seeing three of theirrades die under Lux¡¯s forces. They thought that they would be the next target of his minion¡¯s taunting spell, forcing them to die a pitiful death, just like theirrades. Lux chuckled when he saw the retreating Kobolds. ¡°Sorry, but in order to win, I need to bully you newbies,¡± Lux thought as he ordered his Skeleton Archers to attack his opponent¡¯s twin towers. He made sure that before thest crystal soldier and ballista were destroyed, his forces would retreat so they wouldn¡¯t be attacked by the towers. The first thing that Lux bought were boots that increased his movement speed. His n was to run away if Cadmus had the intention to attack him. Although the Draconic Kobold was stronger than him, it would be impossible to catch him if the Kobold wasn¡¯t wearing any items that increased his movement speed. ¡ª- Kobold¡¯s Side of the Battlefield¡­ ¡°Dammit!¡± Cadmus shouted as soon as he respawned in the Fountain of Life. He didn¡¯t expect that he would die a dog¡¯s death under the Half-Elf¡¯s borate tactics. When he respawned, the Kobold Raider and Kobold Mage appeared beside him as well. The three Kobolds nced at each other and immediately formed a n. ¡°Both of you go to the lowerne and help the crystal soldiers destroy the towers there,¡± Cadmus ordered. I will hold the middle, and distract the Half-Elf. I will also send the rest of ourrades to your location. Make sure to destroy them as fast as possible, do I make myself clear?¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± The two Kobolds replied in unison and immediately headed to the lowerne to help their forces advance. Cadmus watched them go before running down the middlene to fight against the Half-Elf who had killed him so easily. ¡°You just got lucky!¡± Cadmus growled. He believed that after knowing the Half-Elf¡¯s strategy, he would have an easier time dealing with him. The Draconic Kobold vowed that he would make Lux pay dearly for the humiliation he suffered in front of his subordinates with a painful death. What he didn¡¯t know was that the Half-Elf was already waiting for him to arrive, so he could farm gold to buy the items he needed in order to teach the Kobolds not to underestimate their enemy. Chapter 153 Is He Cheating? ¡°Your name is Eiko, right?¡± Keoza watched the baby Slime who was munching on berries beside him, as they watched the battle unfold. ¡°Un!¡± Eiko replied before taking a red berry in her mouth. ¡°Who do you think will win?¡± ¡°Pa!¡± ¡°Oh? So you think your Papa will win?¡± ¡°Un!¡± Eiko nodded as she looked at the projection of the battlefield which showed her Papa looking at his enemies with a confident smile on his face. Keoza chuckled as he shifted his attention back to the battle. The battlefield where Lux and the others were currently fighting was gifted to him by someone who had suddenly appeared inside the dungeon several years ago. That person said that if there ever came a time when someone entered the dungeon and managed to reach the Inner Grotto, to have them y the game to relieve him of his boredom. After seeing how the Half-Elf fought against the Kobolds, the Crystal Dragon found it quite amusing. ¡®That person didn¡¯t lie,¡¯ Keoza thought. ¡®This Siege Warfare indeed is good entertainment.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª When Cadmus returned to the middlene of the battlefield, he saw Lux standing beside his twin towers with his arms crossed over his chest. The moment Lux saw the Draconic Kobold, the Half-Elf waved his hand in a teasing manner. Cadmus snorted as he kept his distance. He had learned from his earlier mistake and decided to not blindly charge towards the red-headed teenager who was hiding behind the watchtowers. ¡®Those watchtowers need to go,¡¯ Cadmus thought as he eyed the two towers with a serious expression on his face. His own middlene towers were halfway damaged, but he didn¡¯t know what to do about it.. ¡®If I get too close, that fatso will use that trick again to force me to charge in their direction,¡¯ Cadmus thought with a grim expression on his face. ¡®Although the two of them are weaklings, the towers hurt a lot. I won¡¯t be able tost long if Ie within their range.¡¯ The Draconic Kobold felt frustrated because he couldn¡¯t do the things he usually did in the Beginner¡¯s Zone. In his own home turf, he could move unhindered and kill anyone he liked. However, when it came to the battlefield he was on, there were things that couldn¡¯t be solved by brute force alone. Lux snickered inwardly after seeing the cautious Cadmus in the distance. He was quite a ways out of the range of Pazuzu¡¯s Duel [EX], so they couldn¡¯t force him into their towers¡¯ attack range. ¡®Well it doesn¡¯t matter,¡¯ Lux thought as he casually threw a rock at one of the crystal soldiers, dealing thest hit, and earning gold coins. ¡®I¡¯ll just destroy this tower first.¡¯ Five minutester, one of the two towers in the middlene that belonged to the Kobolds fell. This gave Lux an additional 500 Gold, which brought him closer to being able to purchase the recipe he needed to transform his boots into teleportation boots. The Teleportation Boots allowed him to freely teleport to any location in the map, as long as his allies were there. It was one of the most indispensable items in the game he yed back then, and he nned to use it to the fullest in order to deal with the Kobolds. As the Half-Elf threw rocks at his enemies, taking thest hit, the gold in his possession increased once again. This was something that the Kobolds still hadn¡¯t discovered yet, and they were simply earning one gold coin every second. When thest tower of the middlene fell, Lux gained another 500 gold, which was enough to buy the recipe for the item that he needed. Cadmus watched as the crystal soldiers pushed through the middlene and headed in his direction. ¡°You won¡¯t get past me!¡± Cadmus roared as he fired a Dragon Breath at the crystal soldiers, leaving them with only a small fraction of their health. Lux then immediately threw several rocks at his allies, killing them, in order to prevent Cadmus from being able to gain any more gold once he killed them. The Draconic Kobold was confused by Lux¡¯s behavior and simply thought that the Half-Elf had turned crazy. It was at that moment when Cadmus heard a screech in the distance. A Raven descended from the sky andnded on Lux¡¯s arms. A few secondster, a golden radiance erupted around Lux¡¯s body before the Raven flew towards the sky once again, and headed back in the direction of their Stronghold. ¡°Pazuzu, you know what to do, right?¡± Lux asked. Pazuzu nodded. ¡°Yes, My Lord!¡± The Demonic Defender ran into the forest using his mad rush to go to the Bottom Lanes, so he could help the crystal soldiers on their side to destroy the Kobold¡¯s lower towers. Lux, on the other hand, waved at Cadmus with a smile as he ran behind one of the two Guard Towers that belonged to him. The Half-Elf immediately activated his Boots of Teleportation and teleported to the Top Lanes to help his allies destroy the tower there. Cadmus stared at the tower Lux stepped behind and frowned. ¡®Is he perhaps hiding from me?¡¯ Cadmus thought. ¡®That must be it. He knew that he couldn¡¯t beat me in a direct confrontation so he is depending on those two towers to defeat me. As expected of a weakling.¡¯ The Draconic Kobold sneered internally as he held his ground. He believed that as long as he stayed in the middlene, none of Lux¡¯s forces would be able to pass by him. ¡ª¡ª Meanwhile at the Top Lanes of the Battlefield¡­ Lux saw one Kobold Mage and One Kobold Shaman in the Top Lanes which had greatly helped their forces damage his towers. Right now, one of the towers only had a third of its health remaining, and was on the brink of copse. Even so, Lux wasn¡¯t worried because he already had a n in mind. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Diablo!¡± Lux ordered and his named creature emerged from the forest and used his Duel [EX] skill to pull the Kobold Mage towards their tower. ¡°Dammit!¡± the Kobold Mage shouted in anger as it was forced to head towards the Skeleton Rider who was standing near the two deadly towers that had killed Cadmus and its otherrades. ¡°Sorry, not sorry,¡± Lux chuckled as the Kobold Mage was bombarded by the towers¡¯ concentrated attacks. ¡°Curse you, Half-Elf!¡± the Kobold Mage shouted in anger before Diablo¡¯s sword stabbed his chest, taking his life and thest hit reward. Lux¡¯s n was to let Diablo gain experience points, so his rank would increase, as well as get enough gold to buy the items he needed. The red-headed teenager was more of a support character, while the end-game damage dealer, or what gamers refer to as ¡°Carries¡±, would be Diablo and Ishtar. The Half-Elf knew that once his two Carries had been properly equipped, the Kobolds wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against them. After killing the Kobold Mage, the Kobold Shaman hastily retreated, but an ice arrow hit him in the back, slowing his movement speed. Ishtar released several arrows to not only whittle the Kobold Shaman¡¯s life away, but also reduce its movement speed, making it move very slowly. ¡°Filthy undead!¡± the Kobold Shaman hatefully cursed as it summoned several wind des to attack the Skeleton Hunter who was treating him like a shooting practice target. Ishtar casually evaded the Kobold Shaman¡¯s attack before continuing her range attacks. A few secondster, a Bone Spear pierced through the Kobold Shaman¡¯s chest, ending its life. < Double Kill! > As the Kobold turned into particles of light, its eyes filled with unwillingnessnded on the Skeleton Rider whose body was glowing crimson. For now, every in creature in the battlefield, whether it be foes or allies, strengthened Diablo. The red-headed teenager chuckled evilly when he saw that Diablo had already gained +100 Bonus to Physical and Magical Damage, as well as +100 to Defense due to the Skill Blood Fervor, which was an ability of Diablo¡¯s ckrock Legacy Set. ¡®Cadmus, oh, Cadmus, you¡¯re in for a surpriseter,¡¯ Lux chuckled inwardly as Diablo¡¯s damage and defense. With every minute that passed, Diablo¡¯s strength grew as both allies, and enemies, supplied him with additional damage and defense. ¡°Diablo, let¡¯s do this!¡± Lux said as he raised his hand to activate the skill Battlecry, which added 100 Bonus Physical and Magical Damage to him and his allies. Diablo also raised his sword and activated his own skill, Warlord¡¯s Warcy, which added another 200 Bonus Physical and Magical Damage to all of his allies. Thebined +300 to attack and defense made all the Crystal Soldier¡¯s bodies turn crimson red as their attacks increased drastically. ¡°Break the towers!¡± Lux ordered and theirbined forces easily broke the two towers, giving them bonus gold points. After the two towers were destroyed, Lux charged alongside Diablo and the others and destroyed the two towers that were three hundred meters away from the two towers that they had just destroyed. Due to their increase in strength, the two towers fell helplessly. < Your Towers on the Top Lanes have been destroyed! > Cadmus gasped in shock after hearing the words that resounded inside his head. He watched as his two towers in the Middle Lanes were destroyed a few minutes ago, and now, the towers belonging to the Top Lanes had been destroyed as well, which greatly shocked him. Just as the Draconic Kobold was thinking of what to do next, another notification reached his ears which made his blood turn cold. < Your Towers on the Top Lanes have been destroyed! > With an angry roar, Cadmus ran towards the Top Lanes in order to prevent Lux from destroying the Guard Towers that were located at the entrance of their stronghold. ¡®Just what in Bahamut¡¯s name is happening?!¡¯ Cadmus shouted internally as he ran with all of his might. ¡®Don¡¯t let me catch you, Half-Elf! I will make sure you die a very slow and painful death!¡¯ ¡ª¡ª After destroying the two sets of towers on the Top Lanes, Diablo and Ishtar returned to the forest, while Lux teleported to the Bottom Lanes to reunite with Pazuzu. He was chuckling inwardly as he bought an item from the store in his Stronghold, and ordered the Raven to deliver it to him. Just like the game in his world, each ¡°Hero¡± was only allowed to equip six items from the store. Right now, the only thing he had were the Boots of Teleportation, but one more item was on the way. With this item, the red-headed teenager was sure that even if Cadmus were to cross his path, he would be able to escape from the Draconic Kobold without any problems. The Kobolds were starting to get frustrated because they couldn¡¯t believe that the Half-Elf and his Skeletons had been able to overpower them fifteen minutes after their battle started. Sometimes, Diablo woulde charging at them out of nowhere without being detected. Other times, they would see the Skeletal Rider with his body turnedpletely blue, and his attack damage doubled, which easily reduced their health to zero after they encountered him. The worst part was when they saw three Diablos at the same time, which made them feel their livers ache. ¡°This bastard always knows where we are,¡± the eldest Kobold Mage said. ¡°Is he cheating? It¡¯s as if he knows where we are hiding when we are about to ambush him, and he goes in the other direction.¡± ¡°This might be the reason for that.¡± One of the Kobold Shamans took out an item from his bag. ¡°This is called Spy Wards. You can ce them on the ground which allows you to see certain areas of the battlefield. He might be using these things to know our location.¡± ¡°Petty tricks!¡± one of the Kobold Raiders hissed in anger. ¡°He thought that he was so smart? Then let¡¯s fill the entire ce with these Spy Wards! Let¡¯s see if he can hide from us.¡± Cadmus felt that it was beneath him to rely on such tactics, but he was out of options at this point in time. The Half-Elf was destroying their towers left and right, and his Skeletons were ambushing his subordinates and killing them. If they didn¡¯t counter his methods, all of them would be forced to just camp in their Stronghold and wait for the Half-Elf toe knocking on their door. ¡°All of you go to the store and buy these Spy Wards,¡± Cadmus ordered. ¡°Make sure to ce them across the entirety of the map, so we can see where this Half-Elf is going.¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± ¡ª¨C Lux snickered as he opened his eyes. ¡°Fools, why are you discussing your ns right beside my Spy Ward? Isn¡¯t that just asking for trouble?¡± The Half-Elf smiled as he gave an order to Ishtar to return to the Fortress to buy a certain item that would make the Kobolds regret their decision. ¡®All of you might be stronger than me in the outside world, but here, you¡¯re just noobs,¡¯ Lux summoned his Skeletons as he prepared to assist Pazuzu in taking down the towers on the Bottom Lanes of the map. He was already looking forward to the items Diablo and Ishtar were building, to deal with the Draconic Kobold, who was the greatest threat in the battlefield at this point in time. Chapter 154 Who Is Kong Kong? < Your Towers on the Bottom Lanes have been Destroyed! > The Kobolds exchanged nces at each other before looking at Cadmus whose face had already turned beet red from anger. The Draconic Kobold simply couldn¡¯t ept how they were being one-sidedly beaten by the Half-Elf whom they thought was a weakling. ¡°Maybe he is really cheating,¡± the oldest Kobold Mage said. ¡°There is just no way that we can lose against him. That has to be it, right?¡± Before the other Kobolds could voice their opinions, a proud, yet teasing voice reached their ears. < He is not cheating. > Keoza¡¯s voice made all the Kobolds shudder as they all subconsciously went down on their knees to show their respect for the Crystal Dragon. < As much as I appreciate the gesture, the more you dy, the more the Half-Elf is going to win this game. I will only give you one piece of advice and one piece only. Do not rely on your brute strength and buy items from the store before it¡¯s toote. > ¡°Your Excellency, can you please tell us what items we should buy from the store?¡± the Kobold Shaman respectfully asked with his head still bowed. However, Keoza no longer replied, and the Kobolds no longer felt his presence, making them feel lost. ¡°You, and you,e with me to the Bottom Lanes to protect ourst tower,¡± Cadmus ordered. ¡°The rest, nt those Spy Wards so we will know where the Half-Elf is.¡± ¡°Should we also nt them inside the forest?¡± the eldest Kobold Mage asked. ¡°His Skeleton Rider ambushes us from there, so I think it is a good idea to ce some Spy Wards over there as well.¡± ¡°Do what you must,¡± Cadmus replied before turning towards one of the stores to purchase a boot to increase his movement speed. ¡°His Excellency has already spoken. Make sure to check the stores for any useful items that we can use. We will beat that Half-Elf with his own strategy.¡± ¡ª- ¡°Remember, when Cadmus attacks you, activate the ability of that armor, okay?¡± Lux said. ¡°Pazuzu understands.¡±. Lux had patiently exined to Pazuzu the items he should get in order to fight against their opponents. Since the Demonic Defender was a tank, the red-headed teenager would dress him up as a monstrous tank that would make Cadmus feel like he was fighting the wrong person. Just as Lux was about to give an order, he saw four Kobolds enter the forest. Two of them were Kobold Mages, while the other two were Kobold Raiders. The red-headed teenager sneered because he already knew what they were nning to do, so he decided to make a detour towards the forest, alongside all of his minions, so they could earn some easy gold coins. ¡ª¨C ¡°Okay, I nted all the Spy Wards in my possession,¡± the Kobold Raider said. ¡°How about you guys?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already finished setting mine.¡± The Kobold Raider nodded. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s go bac¨C¡± Before he could even finish his words, he saw Lux, and Ishtar, riding on a Warg, alongside the Skeletal Rider, Diablo. He was not only him who saw this scene, his entire team did as well.¡± ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± the Kobold Raider shouted. ¡°The Spy Wards are working! Now, let¡¯s hurry back to the fortress!¡± All the Kobolds ran away, but there was one big problem. None of them were wearing any boots, or other items that increased their movement speed. It only took Lux and Diablo a minute to overtake them, and a battle immediately broke out between the Half-Elf¡¯s forces and the four kobolds. ¡°I will take your head, Half-Elf!¡± the Kobold Raider dered as he charged towards Lux. ¡°Well, you need to catch him first,¡± Lux sneered as Diablo charged towards the Kobold Raider using its skill, Hero¡¯s Charge. ¡ª¨C < Hero¡¯s Charge > ¨C A full powered charge attack that deals 300% of your overall physical damage to your target. Can only be used when mounted on a beast. ¨C If your enemy is bigger than you, deal an additional 100% damage to your target. Can only be used when mounted on a beast. ¡ª¨C Right now, Diablo had an attack buff of +1000 points due to thebined Warcries as well as the effect of the ckrock Legacy Armor. This was a very terrifying number, because Diablo¡¯s normal attack damage, plus the damage of the items he had equipped, as well as other passive skills that increased his damage, were excluded from that attack buff. Now that the Skeleton Rider had used its most powerful mounted attack, his damaged was further increased to a terrifying 300% As soon Diablo collided with the Kobold Raider, the Kobold¡¯s reaction instantly changed as it spat blood from the injury it received from Diablo¡¯s attack. It only took Diablo one more sh at the Kobold Warrior¡¯s head to kill itpletely. ¡°By the Kobold Gods!¡± the Kobold Shaman eximed. ¡°A monster has appeared!¡± The morale of the Kobolds were instantly shattered as Lux¡¯s forces bulldozed through them, turning them into gold coins. ¡°Ishtar, do it,¡± Lux ordered and the Skeleton Hunter immediately ran through the forest and destroyed all the Spy Wards that had been ced on the ground. She had equipped an item called the All-Seeing Gem, which allowed her to see invisible things. Cadmus had originally nned to reinforce hisrades, but before he was even halfway to his destination, the Kobolds were already dead. He stopped his advance and hesitated whether he should continue or not. ¡®Is this the effect of the items in the store?¡¯ Cadmus thought before clenching his fists. ¡®No. I should kill them now while I can. If I let this continue, they might get stronger. Who cares if they outnumber me? They have no towers to save them here!¡¯ The Draconic Kobold then ran into the forest with determination. He believed in his strength, and he knew that even if Lux was able to easily deal with hisrades, he would have a hard time dealing with him. Forty minutes had passed since the start of the battle, and Lux¡¯s forces were now better equipped. Diablo¡¯s and Ishtar¡¯s level had already increased to Level 15, while Lux and Pazuzu were at Level 12. Cadmus was at level 23, which made him the stronger creature on the battlefield. When Lux saw the Draconic Kobold appear in the forest, the smile on his face widened. ¡®He wants a direct battle?¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Good decision. Unfortunately, now is not the time.¡¯ Lux used his Boots of Teleportation and teleported to the Bottom Lanes, alongside all of his named Creatures. Diablo, Ishtar, and Pazuzu, were all equipped with Boots of Teleportation to allow them to coordinate with Lux¡¯s strategy. Cadmus, who had just arrived at the location where his friends had died, scanned his surroundings with caution. ¡°Come out!¡± Cadmus shouted. ¡°Fight me you cowards!¡± No one replied to his challenge. Instead, he heard a notification that made him roar in frustration. < Your Towers on the Bottom Lanes have been destroyed. > Cadmus was about to run to the Bottom Lanes when he heard another notification. < Your Stronghold Towers on the Bottom Lanes have been destroyed > < Barracks have been destroyed! > < Enemy¡¯s Crystal Warriors have grown stronger! > Cadmus had no time to think and used the teleportation scroll that he had bought at the store located near the forest. When Lux saw the shining light in the distance, he immediately ordered his forces to retreat. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the Fortress to do some shopping,¡± Lux ordered as he urged his Warg, Jed, to return to their base. All the Kobolds had congregated at the bottom entrance of their Stronghold, which had been breached by the enemies. Although the opponent¡¯s crystal soldiers had indeed grown stronger, they were still able to defend it to a certain degree. Now that the Kobolds had learned the importance of the Store, all of them started to buy items that they thought would be useful to them, allowing them to patch up the cracks in their defenses. After buying the equipment they needed, Lux led his forces to fight against ¡°Kong Kong¡±, which dropped a certain item that would be useful in their attack on the Kobold¡¯s Stronghold. Now that the battle was inside the Kobolds¡¯ base, the Half-Elf knew that they would have no choice but to face Cadmus head-on. In order to prepare for any mishaps, he decided to kill Kong Kong first, as insurance against their sh against the Rank 5 Alpha Monster. < Kong Kong has been in! > Cadmus and the Kobolds nced at each other in confusion. ¡°Who is Kong Kong?¡± ¡°No idea. Is he someone important?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe he¡¯s just a nobody?¡± ¡°Stop talking and start killing you bastards!¡± the oldest Kobold Mage shouted. ¡°We are being overrun here and you idiots still have time for idle chat!¡± The Kobolds hurriedly returned to their duty of defending their base from the Crystal Warriors that had grown in strength. It was also at that moment when one of the Kobolds shouted. ¡°They are attacking the gates at the Top Lane!¡± Cadmus didn¡¯t think twice and ran towards the gates where Lux and his forces had appeared. He would not allow the Half-Elf the opportunity to destroy another gate, which would make their defense crumble. ¡°You shall not pass!¡± Cadmus shouted before he unleashed his Dragon¡¯s Breath towards the Half-Elf who was busy hacking at the base of the Guard Tower. Lux, continued his attack, and ignored the Dragon¡¯s Breath because he wasn¡¯t fighting alone. Pazuzu appeared in front of him, and raised his shield. However, that was not the only thing that the Demonic Defender did. Steel Spikes jutted out of his body, making him look like a metallic porcupine When the Dragon Breath hit Pazuzu¡¯s shield, Cadmus gasped in pain because he also received the full brunt of his damage. It was as if the one that got hit by the Dragon¡¯s Breath was him instead of the Demonic Defender, whose body had been pushed back several meters, until he hit the guard tower. Only fifty points remained in the Demonic Defender¡¯s health, showing how powerful the Dragon¡¯s Breath was. Cadmus health, on the other hand, had been reduced by a third after he had unleashed his strongest attack. Pazuzu hastily retreated behind the formation as his health regenerated at a rapid rate. Lux had equipped Pazuzu with a Heart of Behemoth, which increased his health regeneration, as well as provided him with the spiked armor which returned any damage he received back to his enemy. This abilitysted for five seconds, making it one of the most optimal items for the Demonic Defender. Cadmus roared in anger as he charged towards Lux, but his charge slowed down after he was repeatedly hit by Ice Arrows. Ishtar fearlessly fired arrow after arrow at the Draconic Kobold who could easily snap her in two in the outside world. But here, things were different. Although Ishtar couldn¡¯t beat Cadmus one-on-one, she could beat him if she had backup. The Nightmare charged at Cadmus as Diablo¡¯s eyes shone brightly from under his metallic helmet. ¡°You mere insect!¡± Cadmus hatefully shouted as he raised his sword to attack the Skeleton, who was charging at him with mes zing behind his mount. Diablo had activated his skill, Hero¡¯s Charge, and nned to deal with the hateful Draconic Kobold who looked down on his Master. The Skeleton Rider was Lux¡¯s First Born, and for him, anyone who dared to look down on his Master deserved to be punished severely. The moment Cadmus¡¯ sword, and Diablo¡¯s Oathbreaker collided, a metallic rang spread across the surroundings, followed by a minor shockwave. The two strongest heroes on both sides of the battlefield had shed, and only one of them would remain once this sh was over. Lux continued to hack away at the Guard Tower with all of his might. He had full faith in Diablo, so he would perform his role well, and ensure that this siege of theirs would seed no matter what. Chapter 155 Croak For Me! Airon skidded a few meters across the ground with its rider, Diablo, after their first sh against the Alpha Monster. Cadmus couldn¡¯t hide the shock on his face when he felt the unexpected force behind Diablo¡¯s strike which made his arm numb. Although he won the initial exchange, the Skeleton Rider¡¯s blow made him treat his opponent more seriously. The Kobolds, who were watching the battle from afar, were also shocked at the performance of their enemy. Because of this, the oldest Kobold Mage ordered the rest of the Kobolds to support Cadmus, while he held back the opponent¡¯s strengthened Crystal Warriors. ¡°Kill the Half-Elf!¡± the oldest Kobold Mage ordered. ¡°Don¡¯t let him destroy our Guard Towers!¡± The other Kobolds nodded their heads and hurriedly charged towards the Half-Elf who had just finished destroying one of the two Towers beside their Stronghold¡¯s main gate. ¡°Hack away, boys!¡± Lux ordered his Skeletons to focus fire on the remaining Towers. ¡°Ishtar, deal with those small fry Kobolds! Show them the power of the Forgotten Queen!¡± The battlefield was quite special since it also had a day and night setting. The sun had just set, and because of Ishtar¡¯s title of Forgotten Queen, all of her stats increased by 50% during the night.. What did that mean? It meant that the Skeleton Hunter had be 50% more deadly. Just like Diablo, Ishtar was overgeared and was more than a match for the Rank 3 Kobolds, who weren¡¯t even wearing any kind of special equipment on their bodies. The moment Ishtar¡¯s Icy Arrow hit one of the Kobold Raiders, thetter immediately felt a world of pain, making it gasp in shock. Ishtar carried four Pseudo-Legendary Items in her possession. One of them was none other than the Windbow, which increased her agility, attack damage, evasion, and attack speed. Her second item was the Critical Shard, which increased her damage, as well as the chances ofnding critical hits on her enemies. The third item was the Boots of Teleportation which allowed her to teleport anywhere around the map, alongside Lux, allowing them to bulldoze their way through their opponents with ease. Thest item on her arsenal was the Thunder Shard, which Ishtar immediately activated, surrounding herself with five orbs of lightning. This item imbued her attacks with lightning, in addition to increasing her attack speed, making her a moving turret that could decimate anything and everything she hit. When the Kobold Raider was about to flee, a bolt of lightning hit its head, making it explode. The Kobold then turned into particles of light, making the rest of the small fry Kobolds look at Ishtar in horror. However, before the other Kobold Raider could flee, Ishtar¡¯s ice arrow hit it, slowing its movement speed. ¡°Help me!¡± the Kobold Raider screamed in fear as his health decreased at an incredibly fast rate, while Ishtar fired arrow after arrow as if there was no tomorrow. The Kobold Mage then pointed its staff at the Skeleton Hunter, but soon found itself running towards the fat Demonic Defender, who had appeared behind Ishtar. ¡°Hateful Land Dwellers!¡± the Kobold Mage shouted in anger, as he found himself moving helplessly towards the enemy¡¯s vanguard. Lux and his Skeletons focused fire on the Kobold Mage, killing it in a matter of seconds. After the Kobold Mage died, they once again focused their attacks on the Stronghold¡¯s Guard Tower, destroying itpletely. Cadmus, who was fighting against Diablo, roared in anger when he saw thest tower copse under Lux¡¯s determined assault. < Your Stronghold Towers on the Top Lanes have been destroyed > Cadmus immediately bashed Diablo to the side as he prepared to unleash his Dragon Breath to kill the Half-Elf who was madly hitting the Barracks of their Stronghold. Just as Cadmus was about to unleash his powerful attack, he halted midway as Diablo used his Duel [EX] skill to force the Draconic Kobold to attack him. A hate-filled growl escaped Cadmus lips as he was forced to exchange a blow with the Skeleton Rider whose attacks had been raised to a frightening level due to the constant death that was happening around him. With every in ally or foe, the Blood Fervor ability grew, raising his attack and defense to a level that even Cadmus found hard to deal with. Just as the Draconic Kobold sent Diablo and his Nightmare Mount flying a few meters away with a backhand blow, an announcement sounded in his ears, which made his eyes turn bloodshot. < Barracks have been destroyed! > < Enemy¡¯s Crystal Warriors have grown stronger! > ¡°Damn you!¡± Cadmus charged towards Lux with only one thing in mind and that was to end his life. Just as he was about to cleave the hateful Half-Elf in two, Lux sneered at him as he raised a staff pointed in the Draconic Kobold¡¯s direction. ¡°Croak for me!¡± Lux roared. Lux had three Pseudo-Legendary Equipments in his possession. One of them was the Boots of Teleportation, another was the Polytoad Staff. This staff increased the Intelligence Stat, as well as the user¡¯s Mana regeneration. But those aside, it also had one annoying ability and that was transforming its target into a small toad for three seconds. The hulking Draconic Kobold instantly transformed into a toad, which Lux happily kicked like a ser ball, sending it flying dozens of meters in the air. Cadmus reverted back to his Draconic form and subconsciously pped his wings to break his fall. < You broke the rule. Time for you to be evicted. Truly a pity. > Keoza¡¯s sigh reverberated in the surroundings as Cadmus turned into particles of light, causing the remaining Kobolds inside the Stronghold to despair. Lux had hoped for this scenario to happen, since there was only a small chance that Cadmus would break the rule that Keoza had given him as his handicap. After seeing the biggest threat in the battlefield disappear, Lux shifted his attention to the oldest Kobold Mage, as well as the two Kobold Shamans, who were frantically defending thest two towers that protected their Stronghold¡¯s Core. ¡°Kill!¡± Lux ordered as his forces charged at thest three Kobolds whose faces had turned grim. They knew that the battle was over the moment Cadmus was kicked out of the battle, and the only thing they could do was ept their fate as Diablo, Ishtar, and Pazuzu charged in their direction with their eyes glowing with excitement. Chapter 156 Keoza’s Last Gift Despite their desperate efforts, the three Kobolds were powerless against Lux¡¯s two powerful Named Creatures, who specialized in dealing massive damage to their enemies. Lux didn¡¯t even feel a shred of guilt as the three Kobolds died one after the other. This Siege Battle could only have one winner in the end, and he decided that it would be himself. The moment the Stronghold Core got destroyed, Lux found himself standing on one of the floating inds inside the Inner Grotto. The Kobolds were also on one of the inds, and all of them red towards Lux¡¯s direction, especially Cadmus, who kept clenching and unclenching his fists out of anger. Just as Lux was thinking about how he could fix the tension between him and the Kobolds, an adorable voice reached his ears which made him look up in the sky. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko, who was perched on top of Keoza¡¯s head, jumped towards Lux while giggling. The Half-Elf immediately used his Air Strider [EX] Skill to catch the naughty baby, who dared to sit on top of a Crystal Dragon¡¯s head. ¡°That was a most¡­ excellent performance,¡± Keoza said as he gazed at Lux. ¡°Truly amusing.¡± The Half-Elf only smiled because he didn¡¯t know how to reply to the Crystal Dragon¡¯s praise. All he wanted was to leave the Dungeon as soon as possible before Keoza forced him to y another one of his ¡°amusing¡± games. ¡°Your name is Lux, right?¡± Keoza asked. ¡°Yes, Your Excellency,¡± Lux replied.. Keoza nodded. ¡°Good. Now, follow me.¡± The Crystal Dragon pped its wings and rose in the air. A few secondster, a powerful breeze sucked Lux up towards the sky, making Eiko, who was in his arms, giggle. The baby Slime thought that they were going to y another game and that, this time, she would be joining her Papa in battle. As the red-headed teenager floated in the sky, he noticed that he was headed towards the highest floating ind in the Inner Grotto, which seemed to be the one where Keoza lived. Instead of feeling happiness like the baby Slime in his hands, the Half-Elf¡¯s expression became more grim as he neared the ind. Truth be told, he would rather stay with Cadmus and the Kobolds who were mad at him, than stay with Keoza whose rank made him anxious. ¡°You think too much, Half-Elf,¡± Keoza said as soon as Luxnded on his ind. ¡°Like I said earlier, as long as you don¡¯t attack me first, or steal my treasures, I will allow you to leave this ce¡­ alive.¡± ¡°Um. There was a slight pause in your words, Your Excellency,¡± Lux replied. The Crystal Dragon eyed Lux as he gave thetter a mischievous smile. ¡°You¡¯re just imagining things.¡± Lux zipped his lips and no longer said anything. His behavior caused Keoza chuckle. The dragon invited the Half-Elf to follow behind him. At the center of the floating Ind was a grand temple that was at least the size of two football stadiums. The moment Lux entered the interior of the temple, he found himself staring at a sea of precious gems that littered the floor. It was as if he was looking at a rainbow colored sea that sparkled in the sunlight. Eiko looked at this scene with great interest. She was even nning to jump over to the hoard of gems to y, but Lux made sure to hold her firmly in his hands. He was afraid that Eiko¡¯s next move might anger Keoza, so he decided to reign in his yful daughter, just to be on the safe side. ¡°Long ago, the city of Eshouvell flourished alongside my Dungeon,¡± Keoza said. ¡°However, as the city grew, so did the greed of the rulers that managed it. Did you know? This Dungeon used to have fifty floors. Now, it only has the Outer and Inner Grotto.¡± Keoza narrated as heid in the center of its treasure horde while gazing at Lux, who stayed outside the sea of gems that belonged to the Crystal Dragon. ¡°Because of the ruler¡¯s greed, they tried to take my treasures, and a battle ensued. Truth be told, they were no match against us, but they called for outside help.¡± Keoza scoffed as he remembered the foul memory of his past. ¡°Do you know whose help they asked for?¡± Keoza inquired. Lux hesitated for a bit before giving his answer. ¡°Elves?¡± ¡°Right. They asked help from Elves. Unfortunately, the Elves they invited were just as greedy as the ruler. While Indus (the Giant Worm) and I were fighting against the King and his subordinates, the Elves broke into the Dungeon Core Room and used their magic to gain authority over it. ¡°The first thing they did was ce a condition that no one could enter the Dungeon unless they were apanied by someone with Elven Blood,¡± Cadmus exined. ¡°This was to ensure that the King of Eshouvell would have no choice but to cooperate with their race if they wished to gain the treasures inside the Dungeon.¡± ¡°Their n almost seeded, but thanks to Indus¡¯ overbearing attitude, they had no choice but to leave the Dungeon Core before they could corrupt it further. At least, that was what Indus and I nned.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, they were in the middle of performing a high-ranking magic spell when Indus went after them, so the spell went haywire. The spell permanently damaged the Dungeon Core and slowly led to this Dungeon¡¯s decay.¡± Keoza paused before closing its eyes. ¡°Today is thest day that this Dungeon will exist,¡± Keoza stated. ¡°The Dungeon Core has reached its limit, so it can no longer support its functions. You and the Kobolds will be thest visitors of the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian.¡± ¡°The moment Keoza finished talking. Several artifacts flew from his treasure trove and floated in front of Lux.¡± ¡°You may choose three items from my treasury,¡± Keoza dered. ¡°This will be thest gift I will bestow upon mortals before this Dungeon vanishes from the face of the world. So, choose wisely.¡± ¡ª¨C < Choose 3 items from Keoza¡¯s Treasure Vault > ¨C Golden Dragon Token ¨C Boots of Teleportation ¨C Spear of Azrael (Replica) ¨C Dragon Mythic Path Quest ¨C Argonaut Rank Beast Core (Crystal Dragon). You can only absorb this Beast Core once you be a Ranker. ¨C Rank 5 Beast Core (Indus Death Worm). ¨C Martial Arts Skillbook (Dragon War Art) ¨C A Vial of Dragon¡¯s Blood ¨C ¡­.. ¨C ¡­.. ¨C ¡­.. ¨C ¡­.. ¡ª¡ª¡ª There were over twenty items to choose from, and all of them were amazing in their own right. Earlier, Lux thought that Keoza was quite generous when it had given him the option of choosing three items from his treasury. However, after seeing everything that it had to offer, he realized that three was not enough to get the items he truly wanted! For example, the Martial Arts Skill Book (Dragon War Art). There were several martial arts in the world and some of them were exclusive to a Family¡¯s bloodline. The Kaizer War Art that Lux practiced was a Martial Art that was exclusive to the Kaizer Family, and only those with their bloodline would be able to use it. Vera had to host a special ceremony in order to allow Lux to use their Family¡¯s War Art without receiving a bacsh. This was the only way for the Half-Elf to use a Bloodline Art that he couldn¡¯t possibly use normally. The Dragon War Art required the user to have a bit of Dragon Blood running through their veins. But even if Lux didn¡¯t have any Draconic Bloodline in him, there was a method he could use which was taking the Vial of Dragon¡¯s blood. Once he drank it, a small amount of Dragon Blood would flow inside his body, giving him the ability to use the Dragon War Art without any problem. Then there was the Boots of Teleportation. It could allow Lux to instantly teleport, up to five miles from his location, to an ally¡¯s location. Meaning, he could send Diablo or any of his other skeletons somewhere, and teleport to them with the help of the boots. Although Argonaut Rank Beast Core wasn¡¯t rare when you reached the Advance Zones of Elysium, the Beast Core that belonged to a Crystal Dragon was very rare. This was why Lux decided to take it no matter what. Any skill that belonged to a Dragon was bound to be powerful. If Lux could upgrade it to a higher form with his evolution skill, it would be more deadly in his hands. The Golden Dragon Token allowed Lux to create a guild. There were several Guild Ranks and they were known as the Bronze, Silver, Gold, tinum, Diamond, and Legendary Heaven-Ranked Guilds. The Wildgarde Guild in Elysium was Silver-Ranked, while The Barbatos Guild in Elysium was a Gold Ranked Guild. This just showed how difficult it was to acquire a tinum-Ranked and Diamond-Ranked Guild in Elysium. They had toplete many outstanding feats, before their respective Kingdoms or Empires gave them the approval to raise their Guild¡¯s Rank. The Golden Dragon Token also gave Lux the ability to summon an Argonaut Ranked Crystal Dragon three times. This was something quite unexpected and a trump card that he could use as ast resort, so he also nned to get the Golden Dragon Token as well, as one of the three items he would choose from the treasury. The Dragon Mythic Part Quest, on the other hand, was a mystery. The Elysium Compendium only described the Quest as the Path to Understanding the ways of the Dragon. It was such a vague description, and Lux wasn¡¯t sure if it was worth choosing. In the end, Lux could only sigh in his heart because he could only choose three of them. ¡®I wish I could choose more, but I guess this is the limit,¡¯ Lux thought as he picked the three items that he wanted from the list. It was a very hard decision to make, but the Half-Elf knew that he had chosen the things that he needed in order to grow stronger in the world of Elysium. Chapter 157 Immortal Dragon Conqueror’s Legacy C ¡°Are you sure that these are the three items that you want?¡± Keoza asked. Lux nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± It was not easy, but after deliberating for a long time, the Half-Elf settled for the three items that were currently floating in front of him. The first item he chose was the Golden Dragon Token, which allowed him to create a Guild, as well as summon an Argonaut Ranked Crystal Dragon to help him. The second one was the Argonaut Ranked Beast Core, although he could only use it after he became a Ranker. Choosing thest item was the hardest part since there were many other items that Lux wanted to have. However, it was not possible, so he settled for something that allowed him to travel to ces without too much hassle. Yes. Thest item that Lux chose was none other than the Boots of Teleportation. He felt that as long as he had this artifact, he would be able toe and go wherever he pleased as long as the destination was within five miles around him. ¡°Since this Dungeon will disappear the moment you leave this ce, I decided to add some freebies to your rewards.¡± Keoza grinned. ¡°I noticed earlier that you wanted the Dragon War Art, but you were unable to wield it because you don¡¯t have the blood of dragons flowing in your veins.¡± ¡°Since that is the case, I will bestow upon you the Dragon War Art, as well as the vial of Dragon¡¯s Blood. This will be myst gift to you. Please, take it.¡± A worn out book as well as a vial that contained a dark-red liquid, which Lux assumed to be Dragon¡¯s Blood, floated in front of him. ¡°Thank you, Your Excellency,¡± Lux bowed his head respectfully in order to thank the generous Crystal Dragon who had just given him an unexpected surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet,¡± Keoza said. ¡°You need to drink that Dragon¡¯s Blood here and use the Skill Book in my presence. This is to ensure that you will be the only one to use it. I¡¯d hate it if you were to suddenly auction these items just to get some gold coins. I don¡¯t care what you do with the other items you handpicked, but this gift that I have given you must be used here.¡±. Lux nodded his head in understanding and drank the Dragon¡¯s Blood in front of Keoza¡¯s watchful eyes. Suddenly, a burning sensation erupted from inside his chest, as his body heated up, turning his skin red. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux¡¯s head, cried out in rm as the Half-Elf copsed on the ground and writhed in pain. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little one,¡± Keoza assured the Slime who started to cry after seeing her Papa¡¯s condition. ¡°He will be fine¡­ maybe.¡± ¡°Wuwuwu!¡± the baby Slime cried as she pressed her head against Lux¡¯s forehead that was as hot as coal. It was at that moment when a series of notifications appeared in front of Lux, but he was in too much pain to pay any attention to them. ¡ª¡ª < Detected the Blood of the Red Dragon! > < Initializing synchronization with Special Body Physique! > < Preparing Integration¡­ > < Synchronization Starting! > < Synchronization Rate: 1% > < Synchronization Rate: 18% > < Synchronization Rate: 39% > < Synchronization Rate: 78% > < Synchronization Rate: 100% > < Synchronization Sessful! > < Immortal Conqueror¡¯s Legacy has been upgraded to Immortal Dragon Conqueror¡¯s Legacy! > < Special Body Physique will be upgraded by one Rank! > ¡ª- < Immortal Dragon Conqueror¡¯s Legacy > Rating: E Progress: (0 /4,000) < Bonus Rewards > +10,000 Health Points +10,000 Mana Points + 3 to all Summon Skeleton Skills ¨C Complete Immunity to Fire ¨C Learned Skill, Dragon¡¯s Fear ¨C Learned Draconic Language ¨C Once a day, you can use Dragon¡¯s Breath Conquest is not all about imingnds and expanding your Domain. True conquest is conquering the hearts of people. Once you gain their loyalty, the path to Dominion will open its doors for you. Note: Boost! Boost! Boost! ¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > ¨C Since the skill Dragon¡¯s Fear is not learned from a Beast Core, it will automatically be upgraded to Dragon¡¯s Fear [EX]. ===== < Dragon¡¯s Fear [EX] > (Enemies below your rank.) ¨C Any enemy below your current rank will find themselves paralyzed in fear and unable to fight effectively. ¨C Decrease enemy¡¯s movement and attack speed by 80% ¨C Decrease enemy¡¯s physical and magical damage by 80% ¡ª¨C (Enemies one rank above you.) ¨C Any enemy that is one rank above you would find themselves unable to fight effectively. ¨C Decrease enemy¡¯s movement and attack speed by 50% ¨C Decrease enemy¡¯s physical and magical damage by 50% ¡ª¨C Dragon¡¯s Fear [EX] will have no effect on enemies that are two ranks and above your current rank. ===== Lux kept panting even after the pain he felt subsided. His skin had already returned to its normal color, and the paleness in his expression gradually starting to fade away. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Eiko,¡± Lux said as hey on the ground, while trying to regain hisposure. Eiko had stopped crying and jumped on Lux¡¯s chest. She could tell that her Papa was recovering, so there was no need for her to be worried anymore. ¡°Congrattions,¡± Keoza nodded in satisfaction. ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Blood has sessfully integrated with your body. Although it is only a few drops of blood, it is more than enough for you to learn the Dragon War Art. The blood will also strengthen your body, and make it tougher whenpared to normal mortals.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know the specifics, so you will have to find the changes that have happened in your body by yourself. Also, don¡¯t worry. The blood you gained will not be enough for you to transform into a dragon or grow dragon wings behind your back, but that could change in the future if you happen to gain the blood of a Red Dragon to further refine your bloodline.¡± Lux slowly propped himself up from the ground before grabbing the Dragon War Art Skill book and opening it. A momentter, the book transformed into particles of light and flew inside Lux¡¯s body. Knowledge of the Dragon Wart Art appeared inside his mind. The Half-Elf knew that it would take some time before he fully understood the information that was nted inside his head, so he decided to fully study his new Martial Art after he left the Dungeon. ¡°See youter, Lux,¡± Keoza said as the Crystal Dragon turned into particles of light and merged with the Golden Dragon Token that floated in front of the Half-Elf. Lux subconsciously reached out to hold the Golden Token in his hand and observed it. The image of a Crystal Dragon with its wings spread wide could be seen embedded on its surface, making the Half-Elf understand why Keoza said ¡°See youter, Lux¡±, instead of ¡°Goodbye, Lux¡±. Lux then grabbed the Teleportation Boots and equipped them. Lastly, he took the floating Argonaut Beast Core and ced it inside his storage ring. As soon as Lux took all of his rewards, a light descended from above his head, and covered himpletely in its blinding radiance. A momentter, the entire dungeon shook as the Dungeon Core shattered into hundreds of pieces. A few secondster, the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian vanished from the face of the world, never to be seen again. Chapter 158 From This Day Onwards, All Grudges Between Us Are Over After the light receded, Lux found himself standing by the entrance of the Dungeon. At least, that was where he was supposed to be. Unfortunately, the structure in front of him had copsed. The S-Ranked Dungeon that had degraded over the years finally met its end, and Keoza had given Lux the final gift it was capable of giving before the Dungeon disappeared from the world. Cadmus, as well as the other Kobolds were standing behind Lux. None of them knew what happened between Keoza and the Half-Elf. However, one thing was clear. The mysterious Dungeon within the Ancient Ruins was no more. Just as Lux was thinking of what to do next, the ground shook as a resounding roar reverberated in the surroundings. The Indus Death Worm appeared in front of Lux and the Kobolds behind him. Its powerful cry rmed the Kobold Race who were in the midst of unearthing the secrets of the Ancient Ruins. All of them could only stare helplessly at the Monster who clearly didn¡¯t belong to the Beginner¡¯s Zone, and had the power to wipe them all from the face of the earth. The Indus Deathworm lowered its massive head until it was only a few meters away from the Half-Elf, who currently held the Golden Dragon Token in his hand. Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux¡¯s head, had a serious expression on her face, as she prepared to fight against the Indus Death Worm in order to give her Papa some time to escape. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Eiko,¡± Lux said in order to stop the baby Slime from provoking the Giant Death Worm. ¡°Indus won¡¯t hurt me.¡±. The reason he said that was due to the fact that he wasn¡¯t sensing any killing intenting from the Monster in front of him. Indus had no eyes, but it was capable of hearing even the faintest vibrations in its surroundings. From within the Golden Token in Lux¡¯s hands, it could tell that an old friend resided. A minuteter, the Giant Worm roared onest time before burrowing in the ground. It had taken the opportunity to escape the Dungeon the moment the Dungeon Core shattered. Since its connection with the Dungeon no longer bound it, Indus was finally able to break free from its prison ande to the outside world, like it did long ago to destroy the Ancient Civilization, alongside Keoza. The Beginner¡¯s Zone was no ce for it, so it decided to leave. Its instincts were telling it that if it stayed in the territory of Norria, something very bad would happen to it. When the tremors in the ground finally subsided, Lux was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. This particr Dungeon expedition was truly too dangerous. If their timing had been wrong, Indus would have killed them. If Keoza hadn¡¯t been kind, none of them would have survived the moment they entered the Inner Grotto. It was truly worthy of having an S-Ranked Difficulty rating, and Lux was thankful that it was finally over. He had received many rewards from this trip and he really liked them all, especially thest two gifts that Keoza had bestowed him. Just as the Half-Elf regained hisposure, a wed hand rested on his shoulders, and held it in a firm grip. ¡°You, what happened back there?¡± Cadmus asked. Lux turned around to look at the Draconic Kobold and saw thetter¡¯splicated look across his face. The Half-Elf decided to tell the Kobolds the truth about the Dungeon. He naturally omitted the parts about the rewards he received from Keoza, knowing that it might breed resentment between him and the Kobolds. Thest thing the Half-Elf wanted was for all the Kobolds to turn against him while he was miles deep under the Earth. Not to mention that there was still a Rank 5 Alpha Monster holding his shoulder to keep him from moving. ¡°The Dungeon reached the limit of its lifespan,¡± Lux exined. ¡°So, the moment I finished talking with Keoza, he kicked us out of the Dungeon before it was destroyed. This token I have with me is a reward that he gave me for winning the battle against you guys.¡± Lux showed them the Golden Dragon Token in his hand. Since Kobolds revered Dragons, he hoped that it would be enough to calm all of them down and forget all of their grudges against him. Cadmus eyed the golden token that was the size of an adult man¡¯s fist. The Draconic Kobold could faintly feel the power of a Dragon inside it, so he decided to believe Lux¡¯s story. ¡°Since it is a gift given to you by the Great One, you may keep it,¡± Cadmus said. ¡°Rest assured. No Kobold will take it from you.¡± The Kobolds behind Cadmus nodded their heads in agreement. Although they didn¡¯t like Lux, they had no choice but to admit that he had bested them fair and square. Suddenly, the hands holding Lux¡¯s shoulder trembled as Cadmus looked at him in shock. ¡°Y-You! Why do you have the presence of a Dragon?!¡± Cadmus couldn¡¯t believe it when he sensed the power of Dragons inside Lux¡¯s body. Although it was very faint, it was impossible for him to mistake it for something else. ¡°Ah, the Keoza bestowed upon me some Dragon¡¯s Blood,¡± Lux answered as he scratched his head. ¡°He was so adamant that I have it, so I had no choice but to take it.¡± The Kobolds hissed at Lux, not because of anger, but out of jealousy. Every Kobold wished to be a Dragon, and treated it as the highest honor to be one. Now that Lux had acquired some Dragon¡¯s Blood, they had no choice but to let go of all of their grudges. No Kobold would willingly raise its arms to hurt those who had Dragon Blood flowing in their veins, no matter how little it was. Cadmus sighed internally as he released the grip he had on Lux¡¯s shoulder. Originally, he nned to teach the Half-Elf a lesson in order to vent his frustration, but now that the other party had Dragon¡¯s Blood, he had no other choice but to recognize him as one of hisrades who shared the same roots. ¡°From this day onwards, all grudges between us are over,¡± Cadmus dered as he reached his hand towards Lux in the form of a handshake. ¡°Would you like to be the friend of the Hazeback Kobold n?¡± Lux smiled as he took Cadmus¡¯ hand, and shook twice. ¡°dly.¡± A series of notifications then appeared in front of Lux telling him about his current rtionship with the Kobold n, which made him sigh in relief. ¡ª¨C +2,000 Hazeback Kobold n Reputation Points ¡ª¡ª Hazeback Kobold n Reputation Points: 2000 Rtionship: Friends ¨C The Hazeback Kobold n will treat you as a friend from this day onwards. ¨C Interaction with the Hazeback Kobold n is now possible. ¨C Cadmus will lend his aid to you once. ¡ª¨C Now that the Kobolds no longer treated him as an enemy, he didn¡¯t need to worry about a certain Rank 5 Alpha Monster ambushing him when he least expected it. After staying with the Kobolds for a day to participate in the feast they threw to celebrate their newly founded friendship, Lux left the underground city in order to return to Leaf Vige. He nned to tell his Master, Randolph, as well as his Grandma Annie, that he would be away from the vige for several months, and the two shouldn¡¯t worry about him. After encountering the Indus Worm and Keoza, Lux decided to start the Mythical Missions in each vige of the Beginner¡¯s Zone. That way, he would be able toplete the Faunus Mythical Regalia, while increasing his chances of winning against strong opponents in the uing tournament that would be held in Barbatos Academy. Chapter 159 Here Goes Nothing As Lux journeyed towards Leaf Vige on top of his mount, Jed, he checked the rewards he received from histest expedition in his Soul Book. ¡ª- Hidden Quest: A Touch of Dragons (Completed!) Difficulty Rating: S Quest Location: Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian Dungeon Rating: C Dungeon Mode: Hell Mode ¡ª¨C < A Touch of Dragons > (Chain Quest) Deep within the earth, an ancient city was unearthed. Find out the secret that was buried along its demise within the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian. Bonus Rewards will be calcted depending on the choices you make in this mission. ¡ª¨C Rewards: ¨C Potion of Intelligence This potion adds +50 permanent Intelligence Points to the one who consumes it. You can only consume one Potion of Intelligence in your lifetime.. ¨C Rank 2 Skill Book of your choice. You will be able to choose any Skill that is Rank 2 or below from the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian. 1,000 Gold Coins +2,000 Hazeback Kobold n Reputation Points ¨C Boots of Teleportation ¨C Argonaut Beast Core (Crystal Dragon) ¨C Golden Dragon Token ¡ª¨C < Bonus Rewards > ¨C Vial of Dragon¡¯s Blood ¨C Dragon War Art Skillbook ¡ª < Grotto Survivor Reward > (Received in the Outer Grotto) 100 Rank 2 Beast Cores 20 Rank 3 Beast Cores 2 Rank 4 Beast Core ¡ª¨C ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Lux thought as he skimmed through the things he gained after finishing the S-Ranked Quest. He was quite excited about trying out the Dragon War Art that was currently inside his head, but he held back against the temptation since he still needed to return to the Leaf Vige first to make sure that the Dwarves, who cared about him, knew that he was safe. His n was to stay in Leaf Vige for one more day before traveling to Lindow Vige, where the Shield of the Faunus Battle Regalia was said to be hidden. Completing a Mythical Quest wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do, but Lux was determined to carry it through until the end. He didn¡¯t know how long the entire quest line would take to finish, but he had no intention of leaving the Beginner¡¯s Zone until he hadpleted it. Sure, he could probably get some Mythical or even Legendary Armor sets from his Grandma Vera, but Lux wanted to be independent. He wanted to advance in Elysium with his own power, so he decided that he would no longer ask his grandma for equipment that could help him get stronger. Also, he wanted to prove to Iris¡¯ father, Alexander, that he was no longer the useless and weak Half-Elf that he knew in the past. More than anything else, Lux wanted to show everyone, whether they had ridiculed or supported him in the past, what he managed to achieve using his own strength. ¡®Now, let¡¯s see what this Rank 2 skill book has to offer¡­,¡¯ Lux clicked the skill book inside his Soul Book and it materialized in front of him. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Lux didn¡¯t have any high expectations as he activated the Skill Book but he was amazed after he saw over fifty skills that appeared in front of him. ¡ª¡ª < Skills avable in the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian > ¨C Acid Spray ¨C Earth Tremor ¨C Entangle ¨C Heroism ¨C Earth Bind ¨C Detect Traps ¨C Summon Creature ¨C Detect invisible ?[0)??? ¨C Enchant Weapon with Fire ¨C Armor of Death ¨C Jade Body ¨C Beam of Frost ¨C Acid Spray ¨C Whip of thorns ¨C Death Ray ¨C ¡­.. ¨C ¡­.. ¨C ¡­.. ¨C ¡­.. ¨C ¡­.. ¨C ¡­.. ¡ª¡ª The Half-Elf almost got a headache after reading them all. The problem was, he could only choose one among the many skills avable to him. Lux didn¡¯t n to choose the Summon Creature since he already had many Summons. Adding a few more wouldn¡¯t make a difference. What he needed was something that would increase his strength, as well as the strength of his minions, making them more powerful. After almost half an hour of thinking, the Half-Elf finally decided to choose the skill, Jade Body. This skill boosted the target¡¯s defense by giving it an additional +200 to defense, which would make his Summoned Creatures more sturdy. Although an additional 200 points to defense might seemckluster, it was still an amazing Rank 2 Skill, and Lux was looking forward to how its evolved version would be. After taking a few deep breaths, Lux chose the Jade Body Skill. Immediately several rows of text appeared in front of him, telling him that his chosen Skill had been automatically upgraded. ¡ª¨C You have learned the skill, Jade Body. ¡ª¡ª- < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > ¨C Since the skill, Jade Body, is not learned from a Beast Core, it will automatically be upgraded to Improved Jade Body (Mass Buff). ¡ª¨C < Improved Jade Body > (Mana: 10) ¨C This skill adds +300 to defense. ¨C This skill will automatically buff all allied units present in the battlefield. Skill Duration: 30 Minutes Skill Cooldown: 10 Minutes ¡ª¡ª Lux did a fist pump after seeing the improved version of the skill. Not only did it give an additional +300 to defense, it was also a Mass Buff, which saved the Half-Elf the trouble of manually buffing all of his units one at a time. ¡°Very nice,¡± Lux said with a smile. With this buff, only Alpha Monsters or Monsters with simr strength could threaten his Skeleton Summons in the Beginner¡¯s Zone due to how sturdy they were. One could even say that Lux¡¯s minions were on their way to bing ¡°overgeared and overbuffed¡±, in the Territory of Norria, making them the local bullies in town. Right now, only Rank 3 creatures and above could potentially break past his Skeletons¡¯ defenses, making Lux very happy. ¡°As long as I don¡¯t meet someone as strong as Cadmus and the Indus Deathworm, I shouldn¡¯t have any problem finishing the Mythical Quests from each vige,¡± Lux mused as he closed his Soul Book. ¡°My Body Physique also got an upgrade.¡± Lux was confident that with his current strength, he could easily beat all the Alpha Monsters in the Territory of Norria with the exceptions of its Field Bosses, who still posed a significant threat to his current rank and forces. ¡®Once I gather the Faunus Battle Regalia and master the Dragon War Art, will I be able to beat them?¡¯ Lux thought as the familiar scenery of Leaf Vige appeared in the distance. ¡®I¡¯ll just cross that bridge when I get there.¡¯ Chapter 160 May The Gods Have Mercy On Us All Randolph sipped some tea as he gazed in the distance. From time to time, he would casually pick up a cookie from the te beside him and eat it while thinking of his Disciple who had disappeared for several months. Lux had told him in advance that he nned to go sight-seeing in the territory of Norria, but the cksmith of Leaf Vige didn¡¯t buy his bullsh*t. ¡°I¡¯d greatly appreciate it if you don¡¯t scowl while eating in front of my shop,¡± Grandma Annie said in a reprimanding voice. ¡°You are scaring away my customers.¡± Randolph gave the olddy Dwarf a side-long nce before snorting. ¡°I am not scowling,¡± Randolph replied. ¡°I was born with this face.¡± Grandma Annie chuckled as she sat on the chair beside the Dwarf Smith, who was always looking in the direction of the vige¡¯s entrance. ¡°It has been almost six months since Lux left the vige,¡± Grandma Annie said softly. Many foreigners have already left for the other towns after they stepped into the Apostle Rank, but that Half-Elf was still staying in thend of Norria. ¡°Sometimes, I wonder if there is something that is holding him back. Are you perhaps ckmailing him to prevent him from leaving this ce?¡± Randolph shot an angry re towards the old woman, who had been one of his party members when he was still young and foolish. Together with Cedwyn and a few others, they traveled the Kingdom of Gweliven, facing dangers together while watching each other¡¯s backs.. Even if Annie and him bickered from time to time, it was at most a yful banter and nothing too serious. ¡°I¡¯m not ckmailing him, okay?¡± Randolph answered. ¡°Even I feel that his stay in the Territory of Norria is long overdue. He had already mastered the basics of Smithing, and it is now time for him to set out on a new journey to see the world. When I see him next time, I¡¯ll make sure to clobber him and talk some sense into him.¡± ¡°Violence is never the answer. How many times should I tell you that?¡± ?[0)??? ¡°And I¡¯m sick and tired of you telling me to stop being violent!¡± Grandma Annie chuckled as she bit into one of the cookies she baked earlier. For her, Lux was a fascinating young man. She often wondered if Fate had brought him to Leaf Vige in order to bring a change that the local popce had never seen before. ¡°Well, if you see Lux, tell him that he should pack up and leave,¡± Grandma Annie said softly. ¡°Although I will miss him, the territory of Norria is too small a ce for him to spread his wings.¡± ¡°I will do that even if you don¡¯t tell me to!¡± Randolph replied grumpily. The old Smith was about to pick up another cookie when the bells located on the watchtower near the entrances of the vige started to make noise. Grandma Annie and him exchanged a nce of surprise before the two of them summoned their weapons. The guards of the vige were already shouting and telling everyone, including the Foreigners, to evacuate to the underground shelters. The adults herded the children to a safe ce as they prepared themselves to fight. ¡°We will stay and fight!¡± a dwarf boy said as he held his mace with both hands. ¡°We can beat them!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± His party members shouted in unison as they prepared to help the vigers to fight the Monster Outbreak that was upon them. ¡°Oi! You dumb kids! What do you think you are doing?!¡± Cedwyn, the Vige Head of Leaf Vige grabbed the Dwarf boy and pulled him back. ¡°Go to the shelters! Even if you are a foreigner, you are no match against what we are about to face!¡± ¡°No! We can beat them,¡± the Dwarf boy struggled as he tried to break free from Cedwyn¡¯s grip. ¡°I havee to Elysium to fight, and not to hide in some underground shelter!¡± ¡°Foolish boy!¡± Cedwyn smacked the boy¡¯s head making the Dwarf boy cry out in pain. ¡°You¡¯ve just arrived here for a week and you¡¯re already mumbling a bunch of crap! Go to the shelter now, or I¡¯ll kick you until you get there!¡± ¡°Waaaaah! Mommy! This old man is bullying me!¡± the Dwarf boy cried out as Cedwyn kicked his bum several times to make him go away. The boy¡¯s party members could only watch helplessly. In the end, they followed their leader to the Shelter, but they had only taken a dozen steps when a giant Mantis descended from the sky and eyed the Dwarf children as if they were food. ¡°Red-Eyed Terror Mantis,¡± Cedwyn said as he stood between the Dwarf children and the Alpha Monster. ¡°So, it¡¯s an insect monster outbreak this time?¡± However, before Cedwyn could even chant a spell to fight against the Alpha Monster, he heard a scream behind him. As the Vige Head turned his head to where the scream came from, he saw several Berserked Horned Rabbits charging towards the children, who were quickly put under the protection of the adults. Not far from the rabbits was the Alpha Monster, Carbuncle, which made Cedwyn¡¯s expression turn grim. ¡°You brats, run in that direction, now!¡± Cedwyn ordered as he cast a barrier around him and the Dwarf children. He quickly herded them to the narrow passages between the Dwarves¡¯ houses. The houses were built this way in order to serve as a strategic path for escape in case of pursuit by big monsters, who couldn¡¯t fit through narrow ces. As soon as they emerged on the other side of the street, he saw a scene that made him wonder if he was just seeing things. ¡°By the Gods, Undead Monsters in broad daylight!¡± Cedwyn cried out in shock when he saw several Skeletons, Ghouls, and Draugrs in the surroundings. Just as the Vige Head thought that things couldn¡¯t get any worse, he saw a three-meter tall monster in the distance. It had a long tailing from its backside which was simr to that of a scorpion, which made Cedwyn p himself to make sure that he wasn¡¯t dreaming. ¡°Ghoul Beast!¡± Cedwyn cried out in rm. ¡°Just what in the world is happening?!¡± Usually during Monster Outbreaks, Leaf Vige would just be fighting against one type of enemy. It would either be an Insect Outbreak, Undead Outbreak, or a Beast Outbreak. But right now, all three outbreaks were happening at the same time, which made the old Dwarf wonder if he was just having a nightmare. Just as Cedwyn was wondering on how to get out of this desperate situation, he heard a loud and dominating wolf howl thay made all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The Vige Head then looked in the distance and saw a five-meter tall monster, whom he had only seen once in his life. The first time he saw the Monster, he, along with Grandma Annie and Randolph, almost lost their lives. Now, he was seeing the same creature again, and this time, Cedwyn had a feeling that he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive this second encounter against a creature whose strength was only a step away from the Deimos Rank. ¡°Mutated Thunder Wolf King!¡± Cedwyn¡¯s face had been drained of all color when he looked at the Monster who could single-handedly destroy the entirety of Leaf Vige. The foreigner Dwarves that he had saved earlier all started crying out of fear of the strong monsters that had appeared out of nowhere. They thought that they were just going to fight normal monsters, so they weren¡¯t too afraid earlier. However, right now, they wished they had listened to Cedwyn right away and hid themselves in the underground shelters. If they did, perhaps they would have been able to live another day. But they no longer had this opportunity. It was far toote. ¡°May the Gods have mercy on us all,¡± Cedwyn muttered as he tried his best to keep standing, despite the fact that his legs felt like they could copse under him at any given moment. Cedwyn knew that even before this day was over, there would no longer be a Leaf Vige in the Territory of Norria. Although the bells of the vige continued to ring endlessly, telling the Stronghold of Norria to send reinforcements, Cedwyn knew that it would be of no use. Perhaps, not even their corpses would be spared, leaving nothing behind but a faint memory that their vige had once existed in the world of Elysium. Even if by some great miracle the reinforcements arrived in time, they would still have to pay a hefty price to win against an opponent this powerful. Only by sacrificing hundreds of lives could the Mutated Thunder Wolf King be in. Cedwyn had no idea if the Riders of Norria would be willing to pay such a price just to kill the Mutated Thunder Wolf King. The monster was leagues above the rank of their strongest fighter Chapter 161 I’ll Take Care Of These Pests For You ¡°Run, children!¡± Grandma Annie desperately shouted to the fleeing Dwarves, wanting them to run faster towards the shelters. ?[0)??? She was already feeling faint after casting spell after spell without a single break. She hurriedly ate some of her candies to replenish her health and mana as she scanned her surroundings. Not far from her, Randolph was fighting against two Draugr¡¯s with his hammer. The cksmith had been a warrior in the past, and even now, he would train his body as long as he had extra time, which was whenever he wasn¡¯t busy forging weapons or armor for the foreigners who would visit his shop. ¡°Die!¡± Randolph shouted as he smashed one of the Draugrs¡¯ head like a watermelon. He then rolled to his side, evading the attack of the Draugr behind him. ¡°Do you need help?¡± Grandma Annie asked as three Fire Bolts floated around her. Randolph shook his head as he faced off against the Draugr in front of him. ¡°Save your strength, there are stronger monsters prowling about,¡± Randolph said as he parried the sh of his opponent. ¡°I¡¯ll kill this bastard first then we¡¯ll go help the guards take control of the situation.¡±. ¡°Got it!¡± Grandma Annie replied. It was at this moment that they heard a loud explosion from the distance, followed by something falling from the sky. ¡°Cedwyn!¡± Grandma Annie shouted as she ran towards the Vige Head who was seriously injured. ¡°What happened to you? Who did this?!¡± Blood seeped out of the corner of Cedwyn¡¯s lips as she gripped Grandma Annie¡¯s hand firmly. ¡°A-Annie, it¡¯s no use,¡± Cedwyn said through gritted teeth. ¡°The Vige is done for. We can¡¯t win.¡± ¡°Stop talking,¡± Grandma Annie replied as she poured healing potion on Cedwyn¡¯s body and allowed him to drink a full bottle to help with his injuries. ¡°We just need to hold on for an hour like always and the Riders of Norria will arrive. Captain Boreas is still here in the vige, so he should be able to buy us time until the rest of hisrades arrive.¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s no use!¡± Cedwyn stated as he stared at Grandma Annie with blood-shot eyes. ¡°Run Annie! We can¡¯t win! No matter what we do, even if the Riders of Norria arrive, we can¡¯t win!¡± ¡°J-Just what are you talking about?¡± Grandma Annie stuttered. She hadn¡¯t seen Cedwyn so desperate and helpless in the past, even if they were facing untold hardships. ¡°It¡¯s toote¡­,¡± Cedwyn said, almost sobbing as he pointed behind Grandma Annie. ¡°He is here.¡± The old candy maker of Leaf Vige turned her head around and her entire body stiffened after seeing the Monster that was standing on top of a house and looking at her as if she was a mere insect. ¡°M-Mutated Thunder Wolf King!¡± Grandma Annie gasped in shock. ¡°No! This is impossible! It can¡¯t be here! It just can¡¯t!¡± Cedwyn could only smile bitterly as he watched Grandma Annie¡¯s reaction. At first, he had also thought that he might just seeing things, but this was the reality that they were facing. Earlier, he was forced to use a teleportation spell to forcefully send the Dwarf children outside the vige. He didn¡¯t know where he had sent them because he didn¡¯t have enough time to properly set a coordinate. All he knew was that any ce would be safer than the vige at the moment, so he sent them away before the Thunder Wolf King sted them with its lightning bolt and turned them into ashes. A momentter, another figure crashed into the house beside Cedwyn and Grandma Annie. ¡°Randolph!¡± Grandma Annie shouted as he looked at the cksmith who was not moving in the distance. A momentter, a Red-Eyed Terror Mantis descended from the sky andnded near the fallen cksmith. It then raised its ded w with the intention of ending Randolph¡¯s life, while thetterid on the ground, heavily injured. ¡°Randooooooooooooolph!¡± Grandma Annie shouted with all of her might as the ded w shed at the fallen Dwarf. mes swirled around her hand as she tried to cast her strongest spell in order to prevent the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis from taking her friend¡¯s life. She knew that her spell wouldn¡¯t make it in time, but there was nothing else that she could do at the moment. The two of them had just been bickering with each other, and now, she could only watch helplessly as her friend lost his life in front of her. Suddenly, the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis was blown away from where it stood and mmed into the wall of the nearby house,pletely destroying it. Grandma Annie and Cedwyn could only look at the figure standing beside the fallen Randolph with surprised expressions on their faces. ¡°Have no fear!¡± the fat, Demonic Defender cried out with arrogance. ¡°Pazuzu is here!¡± ¡°P-Pazuzu,¡± Grandma Annie stuttered. ¡°If he¡¯s here then that could only mean¡­¡± Just as Grandma Annie was about to finish her sentence, a ck Warg leapt above her head andnded several meters in front of her. Riding on the Warg¡¯s back was a red-headed teenager, with a baby slime perched on top of his head. ¡°Lux¡­,¡± Grandma Annie said, almost sobbing as she looked at the Half-Elf that she hadn¡¯t seen for several months. ¡°Child, run away! Leave us here and save yourself!¡± Lux turned around to look at the kind Grandma who would always invite him to eat some sweets in her tea shop whenever she saw him walking past her store. Seeing her in a disheveled state already made his heart ache, but seeing his Master, Randolph, lying unconscious on the ground, made his heart ache more to the point that he felt suffocated. ¡°Thank you for doing your best to protect everyone, Grandma Annie,¡± Lux said as he shifted his attention to the two Alpha Monsters in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of these pests for you.¡± The Half-Elf loved everyone in Leaf Vige. Seeing it in such a state filled him with rage. Grandma Annie wanted to dissuade the Half-Elf by letting him know that what he was about to do was suicide. However, her words stopped at the back of her throat as he looked at Lux¡¯s figure who was standing between them and the monsters who wanted them killed. It had been a while since thest time she was protected by someone. She had always been the one doing her best to protect everyone in Leaf Vige to the best of her abilities. Seeing Lux¡¯s straight and steady form, she started to believe that a miracle might just happen. A miracle that would be fondly remembered by the residents of Leaf Vige for many years toe. Chapter 162 If We Survive This, I’m Taking You Out For A Drink The Red-Eyed Terror Mantis emerged from the destroyed house and angrily shrieked at Lux. It was at this moment that Boreas, the Captain of the Riders of Norria, arrived at the scene along with over twenty Riders, who were all Grade C Apostles (Rank 2 Monsters). After seeing the opponents, Boreas face paled. With just a nce, he could tell that the five-meter-tall mutated wolf was bad news. ¡°Captain Boreas, can you hold them back for five minutes?¡± Lux asked with a smile. ¡°I need to do something first.¡± ¡°No,¡± Boreas replied. ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°A. Isn¡¯t this the part where you will say, ¡®Leave everything to me!¡¯ and act like a hero?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask for the impossible. That wolf is bad news. Even if our reinforcements arrive, it will still be difficult to deal with.¡± The red-headed teeanger dismounted from his warg and summoned his skeletons to carry Randolph, Grandma Annie, and Cedwyn and mount them on Jed¡¯s back. He knew that all three of them had reached their limits and could no longer fight against the enemies.. ¡°Has everyone been evacuated?¡± Lux asked Boreas, who was firmly holding his War Hammer while riding on top of his Mountain Goat. Boreas nodded. ¡°Only the Adults, the Guards of the Vige, and the Riders of Norria remain. We have already suffered over a hundred casualties, and there will be more names added on that list until we defeat that thing.¡± Lux stared at the Thunder Wolf King who was eyeing them with great interest. ¡®If only I had my gold token with me, things would be different,¡¯ Lux thought. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t want to rely on the power of an Argonaut Ranked Crystal Dragon when he fought because it would only give him a false sense of security. In order to prevent himself from relying on the artifact, he left it in his Grandma Vera¡¯s hands for safekeeping back in Sis. He wanted to train himself to be stronger by his own strength, not by using the strength of others. The Half-Elf took a deep breath as he summoned his Soul Book. It was now time for him to fight seriously, and this time, he would no longer hold back his strength. In truth, aside from the Mythical Quest of the different viges in the Territory of Norria, his main reason for staying was to help Leaf Vige fight off another Monster Outbreak as a means to redeem himself from what happened in the past. Now that the time had finally arrived, he would fight with everything he had and put his life on the line for the sake of the vige that epted him even though he was not a Dwarf. ¡°Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu,e!¡± Lux ordered and his three named creatures stood by his side. ¡°I order the three of you to hold them back for five minutes. Do I make myself clear?!¡± ¡°¡±¡±Yes!¡±¡±¡± ?[0)??? All three named creatures spoke in unison as they took a step forward to face the two Alpha Monsters in front of them. ¡°Captain Boreas, if you want to have a chance of winning, please, ept my invitation!¡± Lux said as he sent the Rider Captain an invite to join his party. For some reason, Boreas felt that Lux¡¯s words held a trace of confidence, so he nodded his head and epted his invite. Soon, all of the Riders of Norria were added to Lux¡¯s party. It was not only the Riders who had joined Lux¡¯s party, but also the Vige Guards led by Aron, who was currently fighting against the Beast Ghoul in the Western side of the vige. ¡°Eiko, summon ckie and Whitey, as well as your Skeletons!¡± Lux ordered. ¡°Also, don¡¯t join the battle for now. Wait for me to give you the signal!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko nodded as she summoned ckie, Whitey, and her Skeleton Soldiers to fight by their side. Although she was raring to join them in battle, she prioritized obeying her Papa¡¯s orders because she trusted himpletely. Lux did the same and raised his hand to shout a Battle Cry to enhance everyone¡¯s physical and magical damage. He knew that even the smallest increment in strength could potentially tilt the battle in their favor, so he no longer nned to only use it for himself and his Summons. The Riders of Norria and the Vige Guards immediately felt an additional strength surge in their bodies. However, before they could express their amazement, Diablo shouted his Warlord¡¯s Warcry, further boosting their strength. ¡°Jade Body!¡± Lux shouted and all his Skeletons Summons, as well as his other allies were enveloped with brilliance, coating their bodies with anotheryer of protection. ¡°W-We might just win this,¡± Boreas muttered as he felt the power that was flowing inside his body. Because of the buffs, all of the Riders of Norria¡¯s strength had been given an upgrade and their strength were now simr to a Grade B Apostle (Rank 3 Monsters). Boreas¡¯ strength even reached the initial stages of a Grade A Apostle (Rank 4 Monsters). ¡°Now, Captain, can you hold them back for five minutes?¡± Lux asked as he gazed at Boreas with a serious expression on his face. This time, Boreas nodded his head. ¡°If it is only five minutes, I can do that,¡± Boreas replied. ¡°However, will we win if I give you five minutes?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lux answered. ¡°I will not know until we try.¡± Boreas grinned as he urged his mount to face the Monsters alongside his men. ¡°Boy, if we survive this, I¡¯m taking you out for a drink,¡± Boreas stated. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the best Dwarf Wine you will ever taste in your life.¡± Lux smiled as he nodded his head. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± The Half-Elf then summoned his Soul Book and started distributing his free stat points to his attributes, so that he could fight with full strength. Slowly but surely, Lux¡¯s Rank broke through the Grade D Disciple Rank, but it didn¡¯t stop there, continuously rising at a rapid pace. He had now broken past the limit of what was eptable inside the Beginner¡¯s Zone, but he didn¡¯t care. Several rows of text appeared in front of him, presenting him with the new set of abilities that had been unlocked after upgrading to his current rank. As the Half-Elf raced against time, his Named Creatures and Skeleton Summons fought with everything they had to buy him the time he needed. They knew that once their Master had finished allocating his points to his Stats and Skills, his true strength, that he had been suppressing for the past few months, would finally be unleashed in full. Chapter 163 Lux’s Battle Regalia [Part 1] After Lux¡¯s arrival, the defenders suddenly found a second wind, which allowed them to gain more strength to repel the invaders. Due to the powerful buffs that had been granted when the Half-Elfpleted the Hidden Quest in the Stronghold of Norria, all the defenders gained a 20% increase to their attack and defense. Coupled with Lux¡¯s stacking buffs, they were able to deal with the rampaging monsters that were destroying the houses that were bereft of their owners. ¡°Push them back!¡± Boreas ordered. ¡°Riders, rally to me!¡± Boreas led the charge against the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, who was pushed back by the Riders of Norria¡¯s powerful charge. Over twenty Riders smashed their hammers against the three-meter tall Mantis at about the same time, making it shriek out of pain and fury. ¡®The only tough problem left is the Thunder Wolf King,¡¯ Boreas thought as he nced at the Peak Rank 5 Alpha Monster that was being distracted by Lux¡¯s Undead Army. Every few seconds, one of Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s Skeleton Summons would shatter after getting hit by the Giant Wolf¡¯s ferocious swipes. The Baby Slime would immediately resummon the Skeletons that belonged to her every time they get destroyed in order to buy her Papa some time to fix his stats. Several panels appeared in front of Lux, as he multitasked to allocate all of his stats and skill points. A few minutes passed before the panels in front of Lux disappeared. He then closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening his eyes again. He then looked at the carnage in front of him before shifting his attention to the Thunder Wolf King, whose strength even surpassed the Draconic Kobold, Cadmus. The Half-Elf used the Elysium Compendium to appraise the greatest threat among the Monsters attacking Leaf Vige. ¡ª¡ª-. < Mutated Thunder Wolf King > ¨C Thunder Wolf King ¨C Rank 5 Field Boss Monster Health: 783,210 / 800,000 Mana: 246,956 / 250,000 Strength: 800 Intelligence: 500 Vitality: 800 Agility: 800 Dexterity: 800 Active Skills: Chain Lightning, Call Lightning, Thunder Fang, Lightning Body, Leap, Lightning Step, Lightning Tempest. Passive Skills: Ability Focus, Dodge, Quick Footed. Title: Blessed by Thunder and Lightning ¡ª¡ª Lux fearlessly gazed at the Monster as he prepared himself for battle. ¡°Eiko, it¡¯s time to fight seriously,¡± Lux said as he raised his hand to summon more Skeletons to fight for his side. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko replied, as she, too, summoned the new and improved Skeletons she gained thanks to Lux¡¯s upgrade. Twenty five Skeletal Fighters and twenty Skeleton Grand Archers rose to fight the enemy in front of him. Both of their summoning skills now had a Rating of A, which made them more powerful. However, Lux wasn¡¯t finished yet. ¡°Doppelganger,¡± Lux said as two, near-perfect, clones appeared on his side. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko also used her Doppelganger skill, creating two baby Slimes that jumped onto the heads of the clones that her Papa created. ¡°¡±¡±Arise!¡±¡±¡± After a few seconds, the two new baby Slimes shouted in unison as they summoned their own Skeleton Fighters. Lux¡¯s two clones did the same and a hundred and eighty skeletons appeared around them. ?[0)??? But he was not done yet. Lux then raised his sword as he shouted his Battle Cry to increase everyone¡¯s attack damage. As if waiting for that cue, Diablo also raised Oathbreaker towards the sky and activated his Warlord¡¯s Warcry, boosting everyone¡¯s attack further. Now, Lux¡¯s Undead Army, as well as his allies, now had a +300 increase in their physical and magical attack damage. But thanks to Diablo¡¯s passive ability, Warlord¡¯s Presence, which granted a 10% increase to physical and magical attack to the Warlord and his allies, their attacks were once again raised to the next level. ¡°Kill!¡± Lux ordered as his forces charged at the Thunder Wolf King with vengeance. Lightning snaked around the Giant Wolf as the horns on its head glowed brightly. It was preparing to unleash its skill, Chain Lightning, which could decimate the majority of Lux¡¯s forces in one blow. Fortunately, before the Alpha Monster could unleash its attack, Pazuzu used his Duel [EX] to force the monster to cancel its attack and exchange a blow with him. Rains of arrows pelted the Giant Wolf¡¯s body as Pazuzu used his Shield Bash to smash the Alpha Monster¡¯s head, causing it to howl in pain. When the Giant Wolf regained its bnce, it leapt towards one of the houses and attempted to use its AOE skill once again. But before it could unleash its deadly strike, Diablo used his Duel [EX] to force thetter to lunge at him in frustration. ¡°My God, he is actually able to hold his ground against that thing!¡± Boreas eximed after smashing the head of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, sending it crashing towards a house. The Thunder Wolf King then angrily roared towards the sky, creating storm clouds that covered the entire vige. Lightning shed in the heavens and thunder roared in fury. It had had enough of the pesky insects that were getting on its nerves, so it decided to get serious. ¡°Did we rub you the wrong way?¡± Lux sneered at the arrogant Alpha Monster¡¯s beastly face, who treated all of them like insects. The Giant Wolf roared in anger as lightning bolts hit its body, infusing it with some sort of lightning armor that crackled across its body. Lux was unfazed as he raised his hand to give his Undead Summons an offensive buff. ¡°Barbed Bones!¡± The Skeletons grew barbed spikes on their bodies made up of bones. These bones dealt additional 10 Piercing True Damage to anyone that attacked them. Although 10 points of damage seemed like an insignificant number, it would still stack up every time Diablo, Ishtar, the Skeleton Fighters and the Skeleton Grand Archers were attacked. Currently, there were over a hundred and eighty Skeletons present on the battlefield. If the Thunder Wolf King attacked all of them, a significant amount of damage would be dealt before all of them died. Aron, the Guard Captain of Leaf VIge, arrived at the scene and assessed the situation. Seeing that Lux was fighting against the Thunder Wolf King, he ordered his men to attack the beasts that were getting in the way of the Half-Elf¡¯s assault against the Field Boss Monster. ¡°Deal with those small fries first!¡± Aron ordered. ¡°We will reinforce Lux after we clear them all up! Get them!¡± ¡°Charge!¡± ¡°Kill these bastards!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll turn them into barbecued meatter!¡± The Dwarf Defenders rushed towards the Berserked Horned Rabbits, as well as the Carbunble that was assisting the Mutated Thunder Wolf King in battle. They had just defeated the Ghoul Beast and demolished its Undead Army, reducing the pressure on the Eastern Side of Leaf Vige. On the other hand, Boreas, the Rider Captain, was still busy dealing with the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis in addition to the Insect Outbreak that hade from the North. Although Lux was currently dealing with the Thunder Wolf King and the Dire Wolves that came from the Heartwood Forest, they still didn¡¯t have enough manpower to deal with everything. As if sensing his worries, he heard Lux¡¯s confident voice as he dealt with the Thunder Wolf King as well as the Dire Wolves that hade to help their leader. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain Boreas,¡± Lux answered. ¡°I¡¯ll keep the Thunder Wolfpany until you¡¯re done with the cleanup.¡± Boreas nodded and turned back to face the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis that had activated its Berserk Skill. ¡°Don¡¯t die before we exterminate these bugs, Lux,¡± Boreas said as he charged at the Berserked Mantis whose strength had drastically increased. Lux no longer had time to reply to the Rider Captain as he shed at a Dire Wolf that had lunged at him. Jed, his ck Warg, stood by his side and defended him from sneak attacks. The ck Warg was a Rank 3 Monster, so it was more than enough to deal with the Rank 2 Dire Wolves that were currently targeting its Master. Suddenly, Lux¡¯s sixth sense kicked up so he hastily turned around, just in time to see the Thunder Wolf King shoot a lightning bolt in his direction. A loud explosion rang out as the Giant Wolf¡¯s attack connected. It caused an eruption of dust clouds in Lux¡¯s location, blocking everyone¡¯s view. Boreas¡¯ and Aron¡¯s voices rang out as they called for the Half-Elf who just got hit by the Monster¡¯s powerful attack. The Mutated Thunder Wolf King was a very smart monster. It knew that if it killed the Summoner, all of the annoying Skeletons would disappear. Once they were gone, nothing would stand in its way ofpletely obliterating the vige that it had set its eyes on. ¡°That was a close call. For a brief moment I thought I was a goner.¡± A teasing voice came from within the dust cloud, which made Aron and Boreas, who thought that Lux had been turned into charcoal, feel relieved. A few momentster, the dust cloud dispersed and the Half-Elf reappeared. Only this time, he was covered in a blue-colored full body armor that gleamed faintly in the sunlight. Chapter 164 Lux’s Battle Regalia [Part 2] ¡°I-Is that the Faunus Battle Regalia?¡± Aron gasped as he looked at the blue armor that covered Lux¡¯s entire body. ¡°No. The Faunus Battle Regalia is green. This one is blue, but the design is almost the same.¡± What Aron didn¡¯t know was that he guessed correctly. Lux had indeed equipped the Faunus Battle Regalia, but it had been modified in ordance to the Half-Elf¡¯s request, which had given Randolph a headache when he was crafting it for him. Even so, after nearly a month of experiments, Lux¡¯s Personal Battle Regalia was born and it was called ¡°Lux¡¯s Dragon Regalia¡±. ¡ª¨C < Lux¡¯s Dragon Regalia > (Lightning Awakened Form) Rating: Pseudo-Legendary Requirements: Apostle Grade D ¨C An armor that was forged for the sake of protecting someone who is important to him. ?[0)??? +50 to all Stats +500 to Defense ¨C 50% Resistance to the element of Lightning ¨C Has a moderate chance to nullify any lightning based damage that the wearer of this armor will receive. ¨C This armor can absorb lightning damage and use it to coat its entirety with lightning that deals damage to anyone within two meters of its wearer.. ¨C This Armor is bound to Lux Von Kaizer Active Skills: Lightning sh, Lightning Strider, Lightning Body Passive Skills: Improved Lightning Reflexes, Improved Concentration, Beast Bane, Improved Elemental Resistance, Absorb Lightning, Indestructible, Auto Fit < Lightning sh > ¨C Create a dazzling radiance that has a high chance of temporarily blinding your enemies. ¡ª¨C < Lightning Strider > ¨C Teleport anywhere within a twenty meter square radius. ¡ª- < Lightning Body > ¨C Coat your body with the power of lightning that deals damage to anyone within two meters of you. ¡ª¨C < Improved Concentration > ¨C Raises all of your stats by 10 points each. ¡ª < Improved Lightning Reflexes > ¨C Your awareness is raised to a higher level, giving you the ability to dodge blows, as well as execute maneuvers that require fast movement. ¡ª- < Beast Bane > ¨C When fighting against Beast Type Monsters, increase physical and magical damage by 20% ¡ª- < Improved Elemental Resistance > ¨C Decrease all Elemental Damage by 20% ¡ª¡ª- Lux¡¯s Dragon Regalia was an armor that was specifically crafted to counter any skill that was rted to lightning. Lux had asked his Master, Randolph, to craft this armor with the intention of wanting to beat the crap out of Nero at the Tournament at Barbatos Academy. It just so happened that the Mutated Thunder Wolf King was a Lightning Type Monster, which gave Lux the perfect opportunity to try out the power of his armor. However, this armor was still notplete. After hearing Lux¡¯s request, Randolph came up with an ingenious idea of creating an armor that could change its elemental affinity. He wanted to make an armor that was capable of resisting as well as nullifying all elemental damage. Lux¡¯s Armor was still a prototype for his grand design, so it was still iplete. Even so, the red-headed teenager was already more than happy with the armor that his Master had especially crafted for him. ¡°Lightning Body!¡± Lux roared towards the sky, and the heavens answered his call. Several lightning bolts descended from the sky, repeatedly striking the Half-Elf who was currently wearing his personalized battle regalia. After the armor was bathed in lightning bolts, its color changed to a whitish blue, as lightning cracked around its body. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go for round two, shall we?¡± Lux said before consecutively teleporting three times until he was right below the Giant Wolf. ¡°Dragon War Art Second Form!¡± Lux shouted as his hands turned into Dragon ws. ¡°Dragon Uppercut!¡± The head of the Giant Wolf was pushed back after Lux unleashed one of the Dragon War Arts that he had mastered while he was finishing the mythical quests of the other viges in the Territory of Norria. The Mutated Thunder Wolf quickly recovered and immediately used its own ws to swipe at the arrogant Half-Elf that dared to attack it. A metallic sound resonated in the battlefield as a tower shield met with the Giant Wolf¡¯s attack, preventing it from hitting Lux, who was now standing behind his Demonic Defender. ¡°Shield Bash!¡± Pazuzu smashed his shield against the Wolf¡¯s face, pushing it away from its Master. ¡°Eiko, let¡¯s do it!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Before Lux teleported towards the Mutated Thunder Wolf King, he had told Eiko to jump off his head, so she could go near their opponent without being noticed. Lux¡¯s and the baby Slime¡¯s clones had surrounded the Thunder Wolf King with the intention of crippling their opponent by draining away its mana reserves. ¡°¡±¡±Mana Drain!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡±¡±Pa!¡±¡±¡± Tendrils of magical energy were siphoned from the Thunder Wolf King¡¯s body at a rapid pace, which rmed the Field Boss. ¡ª¡ª Mana Drain [EX]: Absorbs the Mana of your target for five seconds. Mana absorbed is equivalent to 5% of Target¡¯s Maximum Mana. Range: 10 meters Duration: 5 seconds Cooldown: 20 seconds ¡ª¨C Although 5% might seem small, Mana Drain was still a skill capable of exhausting the opponent¡¯s mana reserve, limiting their usage of active skills. Right now, Lux¡¯s, as well as Eiko¡¯s clones were also using this skill at the same time, which drastically increased the amount of mana drained from the Thunder Wolf King. The skill only had a twenty seconds cooldown, and in the limited period of time, Lux was able to absorb 30% of the Monster¡¯s Mana within the span of a few seconds. If Lux could do this three to four more times, the Field Boss would run out of juice, and would have no choice but to fight them with just physical attacks. As if considering this possibility, the Thunder Wolf King decided to unleash a strong AOE attack to repel everyone that was attacking it. Right now, only Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, and the Skeleton Grand Archers were actively fighting the Boss Monster. The Skeleton Fighters were busy keeping the Dire Wolves that were trying to help their leader away from the battle. As the Thunder Wolf King gathered magical energy in its body, it eyed Lux with hatred. Unfortunately, the boss was unable to cast its powerful skill because one of Eiko¡¯s Clones had copied Diablo¡¯s Duel [EX] skill, forcing the Giant Wolf to face her. The baby Slime clone only opened its mouth as a magic circle appeared in front of it. Lux, Eiko, and the rest of their clones did the same as they prepared to unleash one of the strongest attacks that they could muster at the same time. This was one of Lux¡¯s ultimate Trump Cards. He and Eiko had already used this move several times when they were clearing the difficult missions that apanied the Mythical Quests in the Territory of Norria. It was an attack that even Cadmus, who was a Rank 5 Alpha Monster, didn¡¯t want to face head-on. ¡°¡±¡±Dragon¡¯s Breath!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡±¡±Eyah!¡±¡±¡± Six dragon breaths engulfed the Thunder Wolf King, resulting in an explosion that blew away all nearby Skeletons and Dire Wolves that were fighting near the Boss Monster. Aron, and Boreas, who had just finished dealing with the Carbuncle and the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, could only stare in shock at the powerful explosion that shook the entirety of Leaf Vige. Although they didn¡¯t want to admit it, the Half-Elf who had almost died during the Undead Outbreak when he first arrived, was now stronger than them. Chapter 165 The Revenger The Mutated Thunder Wolf King was in the center of a smoldering crater after it had tanked six Dragon Breaths at the same time. It was badly shaken by the surprise attack, and had received serious injuries, but the Half-Elf was certain that it could still fight. If it was an ordinary Alpha Beast, like the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, it might have been killed by this point. Smoke oozed out from the corner of Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s lips as the effect of the Dragon¡¯s Breath faded. ¡®I knew it, it would not go down that easily,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®As expected of a Rank Five Field Boss Monster.¡¯ After checking the Elysium Compendium, Lux was quite surprised when he saw that they managed to take out a third of the Mutated Thunder Wolf King¡¯s health. ¡°Eiko!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± ¡°¡±¡±Mana Drain!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡±¡±Drain!¡±¡±¡± Lux took this opportunity to siphon the Monster¡¯s mana reserves, while it was still down for the count. Diablo rushed towards the Monster, wielding a Dark Spear that Lux had acquired when doing the Mythical Quest in Millwood Vige. Although it wasn¡¯t a Mythical Weapon, it was still a Unique Weapon that boasted significant strength. The Skeletal Rider¡¯s Heroic Charge connected with the Thunder Wolf King¡¯s body, sending it skidding several meters away. However, just before Diablo could hit it with a follow up attack, the monster leapt away to safety. ¡°Lux! We¡¯re here!¡± Boreas shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s take this monster down together!¡± Aron dered. Seeing that it was outnumbered, the Mutated Wolf King nned to escape, but before doing that, it still wanted to kill the Half-Elf who had made its life miserable. Lightning enveloped the Giant Wolf¡¯s feet before it disappeared from where it originally stood. A secondter, it reappeared behind Lux, and opened its fangs to bite him to pieces.. However, just as its fangs were about to reach its target, a rocky hand jutted out of the ground and gave the Thunder Wolf King an uppercut that sent it flying. ¡°I knew you¡¯d do that, so I prepared a surprise for you beforehand,¡± Lux turned around to look at the Giant Wolf whose jaws were bleeding from the blow it received. ¡°Say hello to my little friend.¡± The ground trembled and a four-meter-tall rock golem stood in front of Lux. After Lux had upgraded all of his stats and skill points, he had unlocked his skill Summon Golem, and pooled his remaining Skill Points to strengthen it as much as possible. ¡ª- < Orion > ¡°Where there is no Struggle, there is no Strength.¡± ¨C Named Golem ¨C Rock Golem ¨C Rating: B ¨C Mana 100 ¨C Progress ( 0 / 10,000) Health: 60,000 / 60,000 Mana: 2,500 / 2,500 Attack: 950 ¨C 1000 Attack Type: Earth Elemental Damage Strength: 300 Intelligence: 50 Vitality: 300 Agility: 50 Dexterity: 100 Defense: 600 Active Skill: Earthshaker, Rock Throw, Rampage, Duel [EX], Jackhammer, Stomp, Gaia Smash Passive Skill: Equip Item, Guts, Enhanced Fortitude, Stone Skin, Earth Walker Title: Revenger ¨C Orion is your fourth Named Creature and has been bestowed the title of Revenger. ¨C This Named Creature has gained the ability to evolve. < Revenger > ¨C Regardless of what happens in the future, this Named Creature will be forever loyal to you. ¨C All attacks made by Orion will deal extra damage as his health decreases. 100% Health = Normal Damage 80% Health = Increase damage by 25% 60% Health = Increase Damage by 50% 40% Health = Increase Damage by 75% 20% Health ¨C Increase Damage by 200% ¨C When Orion is killed by an enemy, he will add the name of that creature to his Revenge List. The next time he faces the same enemy, all of his stats will increase by 200% ¨C The Revenger ability will apply to simr kinds of monsters in his Revenge List. For example, if he was killed by a Red Dragon, the next time he faced a Red Dragon, his overall stats would increase by 200% upon meeting the creature on his revenge list. ¨C If Orion is killed by the same creature again, he would gain an additional 10% stacking bonus to the overall increase of his Stat Points, whenever he faces the same enemy. Note: Vengeance is always an option! (A/N: Orion gains a 210% increase in all of his stats if he is killed by the same enemy twice, and 220% if he was killed thrice. This effect stacks and so on, and so forth.) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- ¡°Go get him, Orion!¡± Lux ordered and the Rock Golem roared before running towards the direction of the Mutated Thunder Wolf King that lunged at the Golem in front of it. Just as the two were about to collide, the Giant Wolf King vanished once again. It was dead set on killing the Half-Elf, but did not want to bother with his Summons. The Mutated Thunder Wolf King reappeared beside its armored opponent and crushed him with all of his might. The sound of armor creaking was heard, and soon, the body it had bitten was torn in half. ¡°No! Lux!¡± Boreas shouted when he saw what happened to the Half-Elf that had the upper hand in the battle. He didn¡¯t expect that the monster would be stubborn enough to only aim at Lux in order to end his life. After killing its prey, the Mutated Thunder Wolf King howled in triumph before eyeing the summoned monsters that would soon disappear in front of it. But, after nearly half a minute, the Skeletons were still there and were rushing towards the Boss Monsters as if they were on steroids. Diablo¡¯s bone spears, as well as Airon¡¯s mences, flew through the air, hitting the side of the Giant Wolf¡¯s body. Ishtar¡¯s rain of arrows pummeled her target and made its movements slow down. Pazuzu smashed its mace into the Giant Wolf¡¯s forehead, making it howl in pain. ¡°T-They¡¯re still moving?¡± Aron muttered as he looked at Lux¡¯s summons who were duking it out with the Boss Monster, who was also fighting them with everything it had. Boreas immediately noticed something and urged his subordinates to attack. Since the summoned creatures didn¡¯t disappear when Lux died it only meant one thing. The Half-Elf wasn¡¯t dead. Soon, the wrath of the Riders of Norria was seen as their weapons smashed against the Mutated Thunder Wolf King¡¯s body repeatedly, while their goats rammed their horns into its body. Aron also snapped out of his daze and ordered his men to join the fray. Each and every time the Thunder Wolf King tried to use its AOE lightning attacks, one of Lux¡¯s minions would cancel it by forcing it into a duel. Little by little, the health of the Rank 5 Monster dropped, until only a third of it remained. The clones had repeatedly used the Mana Drain ability until the boss monster could no longer sustain its special moves. It had no choice but to resort to just using its physical attacks to deal with the horde of Skeletons, Dwarves, Slimes, and the Rock Golem who punched the Giant Wolf¡¯s head left and right. After feeling that its death was imminent, the Thunder Wolf King forcefully shook off its attackers and used its Lightning Step onest time to distance itself from its enemies before making a run for it. ¡°Just where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± A teasing tone asked from the sky. Lux, whom everyone had thought was dead, descended from the heavens like aet. ¡°Dragon War Art Ninth Form!¡± Lux roared as an image of a Red Dragon appeared above him. ¡°Draco-Meteor!¡± The mighty roar of a Dragon spread across the surroundings as Lux descended in zing fury. His fist smashed into the Mutated Thunder Wolf King¡¯s head, causing the ground under its feet to shatter due the force of the impact. ¡°Die!¡± Lux shouted as he smashed the Giant Wolf¡¯s head towards the ground again, creating a powerful explosion, which sent dirt and rocks flying in every direction. Lux clicked his tongue because his blow was still not enough to kill the monster. However, he waspletely exhausted from the all out attack he had just done. The Half-Elf then used his Lightning Strider skill to distance himself from the monster who was near-death and ordered his newpanion to finish it. ¡°Orion! Finish him!¡± Lux ordered as he pointed at the Monster which had forcefully propped itself up from the ground. The ground shook as the four-meter tall Rock Golem ran towards his opponent. When the wolf came within its range, it used its Leap Attack to lunge at his opponent with his arms pulled back to deliver its strongest attack. ¡°Gaia Smash!¡± Orion roared as it descended towards his enemy with his fist radiating a golden light. The moment the Rock Golem¡¯s attack connected, a loud cracking sound was heard as the Mutated Thunder Wolf King¡¯s skull broke under Orion¡¯s finishing strike. A powerful shockwave sted everyone in the surroundings away as the Boss Monster howled its dying cry. The greatest threat that appeared in Leaf Vige had finally breathed itsst and turned into particles of light. This left everyone, especially the dwarves, feeling like they had just witnessed the birth of a legend, whose tale would soon spread across the entire Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven. Chapter 166 Aftermath of the Grand Monster Outbreak ¡°Hurry up everyone!¡± Thoram, the Commander of the Stronghold of Norria, led the charge towards Leaf Vige. Behind him, over five hundred Riders of Norria rode their trusty Goats. Leaf Vige had rung the highest level of rm possible, which meant that they weren¡¯t dealing with just an ordinary Monster Outbreak. Boreas, one of his most trusted Captains, had been stationed to look after the vige. With him there, no ordinary Monster Outbreak could possibly get past him. Still, the Cmity Bell of Leaf Vige had been rung, which meant that the problem they were facing could potentially wipe out the entire vige from the face of the world. From afar, he could see dark clouds covering the entirety of the vige. All of the Riders of Norria watched as lightning bolts fell from the sky, followed by a booming thunder that spread across the entire territory of Norria. As the strongest Dwarf Commander, he had also felt the powerful fluctuations that were happening in the distance. ¡®It will still take us about thirty minutes before we can arrive.¡¯ Thoram gritted his teeth. ¡®If Leaf Vige falls, I will be demoted from my position and possibly be reced by the King for my inability to secure this territory. No matter what happens, I must get there in time!¡¯ When the almost non-existent protective walls of Leaf Vige finally came into view, all that Thoram saw was smoke rising up in the air. His heart sank, thinking that the vige had been destroyedpletely and that no one had survived. ¡°Sound the battle horns!¡± Thoram ordered. ¡°Make them know that reinforcements have arrived!¡±. Immediately, the sound of horns reverberated in the surroundings as the Riders of Norria entered Leaf Vige with their weapons raised high. Their eyes were bloodshot and they were ready to kill the first Monster that crossed their path. The first thing that Thoram saw when he and his troops entered the vige were the countless bodies of Monsters lying on the ground. There were also several Dwarfs that had fallen in battle, but all of them were adults, who had done their best to fight for those that were important to them. It was obvious that they prioritized the evacuation of the children and the Foreigners, who would often help the Vige resist Monster Outbreaks. When the Riders of Norria arrived near the center of the vige, they saw over a hundred Skeletons loitering about. There was even a Rock Golem, who was carrying a few Dwarves in his hands, which made Thoram roar in anger. ¡°Kill these filthy Monsters!¡± Thoram roared. ¡°Avenge Leaf Vige!¡± ¡°¡±Kill!¡±¡± The Skeletons looked towards the direction of the approaching Riders, some even waving at them from afar. Thoram thought that the monsters were mocking them so he raised his warhammer and lunged at the nearest Skeleton and smashed his hammer on its face. The poor Skeleton was then gangbanged until its entire body shattered into pieces. Seeing this scene, all the other Skeletons made a run for it, and headed to the very center of the vige. ¡°Don¡¯t let them escape!¡± Thoram ordered. ¡°Kill them all!¡± Just as the Riders were about to follow their Commander¡¯s orders, Boreas and his subordinates ran towards their Commander while waving their hands in an attempt to stop the massacre of friendly forces. ¡°Commander! They are allies!¡± Boreas shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t kill them!¡± Aron, the Head of the Vige Guards, also appeared from the distance, running in their direction and shouting to not kill the Skeletons. Thoram raised his hand to stop the Riders¡¯ advance and looked at his Rider Captain, as well as the Guard Captain with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Exin the situation,¡± Thoram ordered. ¡°Where are the monsters? Is everyone dead? Where is Cedwyn?¡± Boreas cleared his throat before he answered his Commander¡¯s barrage of questions. ¡°The Monsters are still being dealt with, but most of them have been in. We are currently in the middle of clean up operations, Commander,¡± Boreas answered. ¡°As for the vigers, we had over a hundred casualties, and hundreds of wounded who are now receiving treatment.¡± ¡°Vige Head, Cedwyn, was injured, but there is no danger to his life. He is currently at the rear of the vige, looking after the wounded.¡± Thoram sighed after hearing Boreas¡¯ exnation. He then looked at the devastated vige in front of him with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Just what on Earth attacked this ce?¡± Thoram asked. ¡°This is too much destruction for a Monster Outbreak.¡± Boreas nodded. ¡°It was no ordinary Monster Outbreak, Commander. It was a Grand Monster Outbreak. The Beasts from the Aspiration ins, the Undead from the Cemetery, the Insect Monsters from the Figaro Gardens, as well as the Dire Wolves from the Heartwood Forest, all attacked at the same time.¡± ¡°However, that is not the main reason for this much destruction. A Rank 5 Mutated Thunder Wolf King also appeared and destroyed any attempt of resistance from the vigers and us. I¡¯m not gonna lie, Commander. I thought that I wouldn¡¯t be able to survive unless all of you arrived.¡± Thoram¡¯s expression became grim when he heard the name of the Monster that attacked Leaf Vige. There had been several cases in the past where the Thunder Wolf King had been sighted, especially near the territory of the Intermediate Towns. Everytime it happened, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would issue an emergency order to y it as soon as possible in order to prevent widespread casualties that usually followed the appearance of such Beasts. The Dwarf Commander knew that Boreas, as well as Aron, couldn¡¯t possibly defeat the Field Boss Monster, which was nearing the Pseudo-Deimos Rank. ¡°Where is it now?¡± Thoram asked. ¡°Did it leave after destroying more than half of the vige?¡± Boreas shook his head. ¡°No, sir. The Mutated Thunder Wolf King is now dead. We are just cleaning up the remaining Beasts that are still loitering within the vige.¡± Thoram blinked once then twice as he stared at his Rider Captain with an incredulous look on his face. ¡°Killed?¡± Thoram asked. ¡°What do you mean killed? Who killed it?¡± Boreas didn¡¯t answer, and simply pointed towards the center of the vige. There, a red-headed teenager, seated on top of a ck Warg, could be seen. Thoram looked at the Half-Elf, who was holding his Soul Book in his hands and seemed to be pondering something very important. After looking at Lux, he then shifted his attention to Boreas and gave him the ¡°You must be kidding me?¡± re, which made thetter scratch his head in helplessness. ¡°It is true, Commander,¡± Aron said as he walked towards the Commander of the Riders of Norria. ¡°It was indeed Lux who slew the Mutated Thunder Wolf King. If I didn¡¯t witness it myself, I¡¯d have the same expression you have on your face right now.¡± Thoram shifted his attention back to the Half-Elf, who was still seated on top of his ck Warg. Right now, he was still half in doubt whether Boreas and Aron were telling him the truth. However, things were clear, the Grand Monster Outbreak was now over and the vigers were safe. He wouldn¡¯t have to be demoted and kicked out of his position as the Commander of Norria. ¡®I guess I owe this kid a favor,¡¯ Thoram thought as he urged his mount to head towards the savior of Leaf Vige. He still had so many questions, but decided to hold onto them until he could get a detailed report from the Elders of Leaf Vige. Boreas and Aron watched as the Commander of Norria headed towards the Half-Elf, who was still busy looking at his Soul Book. A momentter, the two exchanged a knowing nce with each other because Lux¡¯s performance had far exceeded those of the previous foreigners that had stayed in Leaf Vige. They had a feeling that if the officials in the Capital were to hear about histest feat, the King might confer another Honorary Rank on him, which would raise Lux¡¯s rank to that of an Honorary Bar. Chapter 167 Birth Of A Legend Lux, who was seated on top of his Mount, Jed, had a serious expression on his face as he looked at the spoils of war he obtained from defeating the Mutated Thunder Wolf King. ¡ª¨C < Leaf Vige¡¯s Tragedy > ¨C Emergency Quest ¨C Difficulty Rating: S ¨C An extremely rare monster that has never been seen in the Territory of Norria has spawned inside Heartwood Forest. ¨C The Thunderwolf King can be considered an Overlord of an area and has the ability to control all beasts, including Alpha Monsters, within its surrounding territories. ¨C Due to its aggressive and terrorizing nature, the Thunder Wolf King will seek the nearest settlement and kill everything in sight without leaving any survivors behind. Quest Objective: Defeat the Thunder Wolf King and save Leaf Vige fromplete destruction. Quest Failure: When Leaf Vige ispletely destroyed and only 20% of the overall poption (including Sians) remains. ¡ª¨C < Rewards > 5,000 Gold Coins 10,000 Leaf Vige Reputation Points. 5,000 Stronghold of Norria reputation Points. 200 Kingdom of Gweliven Reputation Points 1 Beast Core of Mutated Thunder Wolf King 1 Beast Core of Carbuncle. 1 Beast Core of Red-Eyed Terror Mantis 1 Beast Core of Ghoul Beast +1,000 Points to Immortal Dragon Conqueror¡¯s Legacy +1,000 Skill Points +5 to Summon Skeleton Skills +1 to Summon Golem Skills +1 Thunder Wolf King Mutated Blood ¡ª¡ª- < Bonus Rewards > ¨C Guardian Crystal (Mythical Rank) ¡ª- < Guardian Crystal > ¨C The Guardian Crystal has the power to ward off any kind of Monster Attack below the Dreadnaught Rank. ¨C Once the Guardian Crystal has been assigned to a location, it cannot be transferred anywhere else. ¨C Gives a permanent 10% increase to production sess of Crafting, Alchemy, Smithing, and any form of crafts made in Leaf Vige. ¨C Everyone inside Leaf Vige will gain a 100% Health and Mana Regeneration Buff that willst for an hour after they leave the vige. ¡ª¡ª- Lux was paying close attention to the Guardian Crystal that he had acquired as a Bonus Reward after defeating the Thunder Wolf King. ¡®If the information of the Guardian Crystal is true then this is certainly a good thing,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®With this, Leaf Vige will no longer have to worry about Monster Outbreaks ever again.¡± Lux had already decided to give the Guardian Crystal to Cedwyn, to increase the defense of the Vige that had yed an important role in his life in Elysium. The Half-Elf¡¯s main reason for not leaving the Vige when he could have was to help them fight against the next Monster Outbreak that would happen within a year. He could still remember the horror of the first Monster Outbreak he had experienced that had almost taken his life. This was the final goal that he had set for himself, before he could leave without any regrets and continue his journey in Elysium. Acquiring the Guardian Crystal was a pleasant surprise because it would ensure the safety of Leaf Vige for hundreds of years. But, the one thing that surprised Lux the most was that after defeating the Thunder Wolf King, he received its mutated blood, which allowed any wolf type monster to gain its abilities. ¡ª¡ª < Thunder Wolf King¡¯s Mutated Blood > ¨C Allows Wolf Type Monsters to mutate and gain the powers of the Thunder Wolf King. ¨C Creatures bestowed with this blood will gain the ability to evolve. ¡ª¡ª ¡®This Thunder Wolf King Mutated Blood will be useful to upgrade Jed¡¯s race and rank,¡¯ Lux mused as he looked at the vial of blood which he already decided to give Jed at ater time. In Elysium, the type and race of a monster yed an important role in its strength. Even if creatures had the same Rank, that didn¡¯t mean that their strengths were equal. The perfect example of this was Keoza, the Crystal Dragon, who now resided inside Lux¡¯s Golden Dragon Token. If the Thunder Wolf King reached the Argonaut Rank, it would still lose to Keoza, hands down, if the two of them were to battle. This was the difference in race. In Elysium, there were very few monsters that had the strength to contend with Dragons. Phoenixes, Qilins, and the other Mythical Races were also in this category. Lower-ranked monsters like the Thunder Wolf King were simply not enough to threaten a pure-blooded Dragon of the same rank. After Lux finished checking the rewards he had received from the emergency quest, he noticed another notification in his Soul Book, which gave him a very pleasant surprise. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect that I would be able toplete this mission in this manner,¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the rewards from the Hidden Mythical Quest of Leaf Vige that no one had ever cleared in the past. ¡ª¡ª- < Mythical Quest > (Birth of a Legend) ¨C Defeat the Alpha Monster of the Aspiration ins. Carbuncle (1/1) ¨C Defeat the Alpha Monster of the Leaf Vige Cemetery Ghoul Beast (1/1) ¨C Defeat the Alpha Monster of Figaro Garden Red-Eyed Terror Mantis (1/1) ¨C Defeat the Field Boss of Heartwood Forest Forest Wolf King (1/1) ¡ª¨C < Rewards > ¨C 500 Skill Points ¨C 50 Body Constitution Points ¨C 50 Stats Points ¨C Leaf Vige Equipment Set (Mythical) [Favonius Legacy, The Heirloom of the West] ¨C One random Mythical Item exclusive to the Leaf Vige [Misery¡¯s End ¨C Destroyer of Lost Hope] < Bonus Rewards > Title: Eternal Guardian 5,000 Leaf Vige Reputation Points ¡ª¨C < Eternal Guardian > ¨C Increases Physical and Magical attacks by 10% ¨C Increases Defense by 10% ¨C Increases Magical Resistance by 10% ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, increase all Stats by 100% ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, increase Physical and Magical Attacks by 100% ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, increase Physical and Magical Defense by 100% ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, increase Health and Mana Regeneration by 200% ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, increase Health Points by 200% ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, you will be able to use the Skill, Guardian¡¯s Call. ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, you will be able tomand its Guardian Beast if it exists. ¨C You will be able to instantly teleport to Leaf Vige anytime you want, regardless of your current Rank. ¡ª¨C < Guardian¡¯s Call > ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, increase the stats of all your guild members by 100% ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, increase Physical and Magical Attack of all your guild members by 100% ¨C When defending a vige, town, stronghold, or city, increase Physical and Magical Defense of all your guild members by 100% ¨C This Skill also applies to all Creatures under yourmand. ¡ª¨C Lux almost fell off Jed¡¯s back after seeing the information of the Title he received from clearing Leaf Vige¡¯s Mythical Quest. ¡°Oh¡­ My¡­ God,¡± Lux muttered after rereading the information of the Eternal Guardian Title for the second time just to make sure that his eyes weren¡¯t deceiving him. ¡®It¡¯s real,¡¯ Lux thought as he rubbed his face with both of his hands. ¡®What an OP ability.¡¯ Aside from the bonuses that the Eternal Guardian Title bestowed, it also gave a groundbreaking ability that would bypass the established rules of Elysium. What was that rule? It was the ability to return to a Beginner Vige regardless of Rank. This was simply an ability that was unheard of. Although Elysians could go anywhere in their world, the same couldn¡¯t be said for Sians. Once they stepped into the Apostle Grade, they would be forced to leave the Beginner¡¯s Vige after ten days, whether they liked it or not. While Lux was still recovering from his shock, Thoram, the Commander of the Stronghold of Norria, arrived next to him. ¡°Lux, my boy, just what have you been eating as ofte?¡± Thoram asked in a teasing tone. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you for a while and the next thing I know, you¡¯re fighting against a Thunder Wolf King by yourself. Tell me, Lad, what kind of mead have you been drinking? I want some of that as well.¡± Lux chuckled nervously, unable toe up with any answer to give to the Commander of Norria, who was looking at him as if he was nning on dissecting him to see what made him tick. Chapter 168 Tales of Hardship And Friendship < 231 Hours, 23 minutes, 20 seconds. > The countdown indicating when Lux had to leave Leaf Vige had started to move. However, the Half-Elf was currently being jostled around the center of the za by his Master, Randolph, who had a merry face, while he held a mug of mead in his hands. ¡°Hahaha! My Disciple is so awesome!¡± ¡°Um. Do you know that this boy is my Disciple? You don¡¯t? Well, now you know! I taught this brat everything he knows!¡± ¡°Yes. the moment I saw him, I knew he was the one. Because of this, I made sure to teach him the basics, and look at him now, he¡¯s so¡­ tall, right?¡± ¡°Hahaha! Of course, I was the one that raised this boy since he was a weeeed. What? You don¡¯t believe me? Tsk, can¡¯t you see the resemnce of our faces? Both of us are handsome!¡± Lux was doing his best to keep the smile on his face from stiffening as his Master paraded him around, bragging to everyone that they met on how he raised him to be a strong adventurer. Only when Grandma Annie whacked him repeatedly with her walking stick out of irritation, did the old Dwarf stop bragging and leave Lux alone. The Half-Elf looked at a quiet ce as he raised the mug of mead in his lips to take a sip. If his Grandma Vera was there, she would give Lux a disapproving look because he was still not of drinking age.. Even so, since the asion was special, Lux allowed himself to enjoy this moment, even though the drink he was drinking was quite bitter. Arge bonfire was set up at the center of the za, while several smaller ones could be seen everywhere. Half of Leaf Vige had been destroyed, and there were many things that needed to be done when morning came. Giving those who died theirst rites, and giving them a proper burial. Sending the orphaned children to the Stronghold of Norria to be kept safe until the orphanage that Cedwyn had proposed was built. Rebuilding the houses that were destroyed. There were so many things that had to be done, but for tonight, everyone was just thankful to be alive. As the one who yed a big role in saving the vige, Lux was treated as a hero by everyone. The Dwarves from Elysium and Sis would look at Lux in admiration and respect, which made the Half-Elf feel bashful. In the past, Lux had hungered for recognition. He wanted to prove to everyone that he wasn¡¯t useless. He wanted his Grandma to be proud of his achievements as a way to repay her for raising him with love and care. More than anything else, he wanted to go to Elysium, so that his goals could be achieved. But, no one knew how hard he worked in order to achieve what he had today. How many times he risked his life in order to gain the power to protect those that were important to him. All everyone saw was his greatness, and no one knew about his failures and hardships. Even so, Lux felt that his suffering and hardships had just started. ¡°Eiko, we¡¯ll stay in Leaf Vige for a while to help repair the houses that were destroyed,¡± Lux said as he lightly patted the baby Slime that sat on hisp. ¡°After that, we¡¯ll go to the Intermediate Town to look for Colette and the others. I don¡¯t know if they went straight to Whitebridge City where her sister was, but just in case she didn¡¯t, we will meet with them first before we head back to Sis to register for the uing tournament in Barbatos Academy.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko nodded her head in agreement. After that she jumped on Lux¡¯s arms and moved toward the mug of mead in his hand. However, before the curious baby Slime could even drink the mead, Lux grabbed her and told Eiko that she was still too young to drink mead. Eiko protested, but after Lux told her that Iris would get mad if he allowed her to drink his mead, the baby Slime stopped being stubborn and crawled back onto Lux¡¯sp, so that her Papa could continue to pat her head. While the Half-Elf and Baby Slime were having a bonding moment, Cedwyn, the Vige Head of Leaf Vige, approached Lux with a smile. ¡°Lux, are you sure you want to give us this Guardian Crystal?¡± Cedwyn asked as he showed Lux a golden crystal that was a foot tall. ¡°This could fetch a high price, you know?¡± ¡°Vige head, the lives of the people here in Leaf Vige are priceless,¡± Lux replied. ¡°No amount of gold can match Grandma Annie¡¯s life, as well as my Master Randolph¡¯s life. Knowing that both of them will be safe even after I leave will give me some peace of mind. So, please, take the Guardian Crystal and ensure that Leaf Vige will prosper for many years toe.¡± Cedwyn looked at Lux fondly and nodded his head. For viges located at the edge of the Kingdom of Gweliven, a Guardian Crystal was like a protective charm that ensured that no Monster Outbreaks, or Beast Tides, would daree their way. ¡°By the way, Lux, when will you leave Leaf Vige?¡± Cedwyn asked. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t misunderstand. I am not forcing you to leave, in fact, I wish that you can stay with us longer. I just want to know so that we can prepare to give you a grand send off before you head to the Intermediate Towns.¡± Lux smiled as he contemted a date. In the end, he told Cedwyn that he would be leaving in nine days. After getting the Half-Elf¡¯s promise to attend their grand farewell party, Cedwyn left him alone so that he could have time to himself to think. After Cedwyn left, several Dwarf children approached Lux in order to have a chat with him. ¡°It¡¯s you guys,¡± Lux said as he looked at the Dwarves who had suddenly appeared near him while he was on his way back to Leaf Vige after finishing hisst Mythical Quest. They were the Dwarves that Cedwyn had forcefully teleported away from the vige, in order to save them from the monsters that were about to kill them. These were the same Dwarves that told Lux about the current situation in Leaf Vige, which made the Half-Elf use his Boots of Teleportation to arrive at the spawn point of foreigners within the vige as fast as he could. If not for them, he might not have arrived in time to save his Master, Randolph, as well as Grandma Annie and Cedwyn, from the Alpha Monsters¡¯ merciless assault. ¡°Thank you for saving Leaf Vige,¡± the Dwarf boy said with admiration. Lux shook his head. ¡°No. It is me who should be thanking you. If not for you guys, I might not have known that the vige was under attack. Thank you very much. Because of you guys, the people important to me are still alive.¡± The Dwarves then took a log and ced it in front of Lux, where they all sat and asked him to tell them the stories of his travels. Perhaps due to his good mood, or the effect of the mead he drank, the Half-Elf epted their request and told them tales about his travels. Tales of Kobolds, Powerful Orcs, Giant Worms, and Dragons. Tales of hardships and oveing difficulties, and trusting the bonds between friends. Soon, the Half-Elf was surrounded by many children, both Elysians and Sins. There were even some adults, namely Grandma Annie, Randolph, Aron, and Boreas, who hade over to hear Lux exploits during his time in the Territory of Norria. The Dwarf children, as well as the adults, were awed by Lux¡¯s fairy-tale-like storytelling. Even Eiko kept on giggling whenever her Papa mentioned her exploits, and the Dwarf children would look at the Blue Slime as if she was a Mythical Beast. ¡°I¡¯ll also get a Slime as my beastpanion!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get one as well.¡± Lux didn¡¯t know if he shouldugh or cry at the Dwarf children¡¯s desire to have a baby Slime as their first Beast Companion. He and the other adults did their best to convince the children that Eiko was different from the other Slimes that they were familiar with, and they shouldn¡¯t take having one as a beastpanion lightly. The children were pacified but only on the surface. Lux didn¡¯t know that his casual story telling would bring a trend to the Dwarves of Leaf Vige to always have a Slime with them whenever they went on adventures. In a few years, these same Slimes¡ªthat were reared in Leaf Vige¡ªand their owners, would do incredible feats which would shake the entirety of the Kingdom of Gweliven in the unforeseeable future. But, that was a story that will be told another time. Chapter 169 A Heart That Is Bigger Than A Dwarf The next day, hundreds of Skeletons and three Rock Golems could be seen moving around Leaf Vige. They busied themselves with helping the vigers rebuild their homes by carrying logs, cutting wood, hammering nails, as well as applying a waterproof coating on the roofs of the newly built houses. Lux, Eiko, their Skeletons, the Dwarf children, as well as the adults, were working on a giant structure near the Eastern part of the vige. This was the orphanage that Cedwyn had proposed a day ago, and the Half-Elf thought that it was a great idea. Although he didn¡¯t know much about carpentry, he was a fast learner. After a few hours, the orphanage¡¯s basic foundation was already starting to take shape, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Skeletons that didn¡¯t need to rest and the Golems that did the heavy lifting. When Grandma Annie, Randolph, and Cedwyn saw three Luxs and three Eikos working side by side, they initially thought that they were just seeing things. However, after confirming that their eyes were not deceiving them, they finally understood why there were so many Skeletons that were helping the vigers reconstruct their homes. ¡°Such a convenient ability,¡± Randolph said as he rubbed his chin. ¡°If I could create two copies of myself then my work will be a whole lot faster.¡± Granda Annie nodded her head in agreement. As an alchemist, she would be able to produce pills and potions faster than she did in the past. As for Cedwyn, he admired the clones because if he ever had them, then he would be able to take a nap, while the other two did his work for him.. This earned him a re from Grandma Annie and Randolph, who started nagging him to do his job as Vige Head properly. ¡°Lux, can youe here for a minute?¡± Cedwyn asked after escaping from his friends¡¯ nagging. His purpose foring to see Lux was to let him know about the rewards that the vige nned to give him in return for what the Half-Elf did for them. The Half-Elf stopped his work and followed the Vige Chief, who had a mischievous smile on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Vige Head?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Cedwyn shook his head. ¡°Nothing happened. It¡¯s just, we came here to give you some rewards for helping us ovee this cmity. Also, you are not allowed to reject these gifts. Rejecting them is the same as rejecting our gratitude for you. We won¡¯t take no for an answer.¡± The wise Vige Head had cut off any forms of retreat for Lux, forcing the red-headed teenager to ept the gifts that they had prepared for him, without even knowing what they were. The two then joined Grandma Annie and Randolph, who were initially bickering at the side, and the four of them went to Cedwyn¡¯s house to present Lux the gratitude of the Elders of Leaf Vige. As soon as Lux entered the conference room, the first thing Lux saw was a dark-green armor, which he initially thought was the Faunus Battle Regalia. However, after closer inspection, he realized that the design was different. There was gold ting on the edges of the armor, and it gave off a faint refreshing breeze. Beside the armor, a ck halberd with an intimidating presence could be seen. A single nce was enough to tell him that these two pieces of equipment were the rewards that he gained from clearing the Mythical Quest of Leaf Vige, which was called ¡°The Birth of a Legend¡±. ¡°The name of the armor over there is the Favonius Legacy,¡± Cedwyn exined. ¡°It¡¯s the armor which the Faunus Armor Set was inspired from. It is also the armor of the first founder of Leaf Vige, who decided to retire here after exploring the world. This was the legacy he left behind.¡± ¡°The Halberd beside it is called, Misery¡¯s End, the Destroyer of Last Hope. This was the weapon that the founder of Leaf Vige used when he was still on active duty. It is our wish that you carry out his legacy as you travel the world.¡± Lux looked at the two pieces of equipment before shifting his gaze towards Cedwyn who was looking up to him with a smile. ¡°But, these two items are too precious,¡± Lux said. ¡°I can¡¯t take them. These are like the final mementos of the Leaf Vige¡¯s founder, right? It can also be considered a Family Heirloom. I greatly appreciate the gesture, but I can¡¯t take these with me.¡± Grandma Annie sighed before holding Lux¡¯s hand. The Half-Elf could feel the roughness of the old Dwarfdy¡¯s hand, who had encountered many hardships over the passing of many years. ¡°Lux, I¡¯m sure that our founder would be very happy if you carry his legacy with you,¡± Grandma Anniemented. ¡°If not for you, this vige would no longer be standing, and its people would all be dead. Although the vige could be rebuilt again, once the people are gone, it wouldn¡¯t be the same. ¡°That is why, as long as you carry these with you, Leaf Vige will always remain in your heart. Please, take them. This is our wish as the Elders of Leaf Vige.¡± After seeing all the Elders look at him with tender gazes, Lux had no choice but to nod his head and ept the Founder of Leaf¡¯s Vige Legacy. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I will use these gifts to the best of my abilities.¡± ¡°Good. That is all that we ask of you.¡± Cedwyn smiled. ¡°Now, go on. Take them.¡± Lux nodded and reached out to touch the ancient armor that had been kept in a hidden treasure house that only the Vige Head of Leaf Vige could open. As soon as his hands touched the armor, the entire world suddenly turned white. A momentter, Lux found himself on a mountain, overlooking a small vige in the distance. Although it wasn¡¯t exactly the same as the one he remembered, there was no mistake that the vige he was looking at was the old Leaf Vige. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± A calm, steady voice spoke from behind Lux. The Half-Elf turned around to see an old Dwarf, with white hair and weathered features. However, his presence was strong enough to let Lux feel that the person in front of him was very strong. So strong that Lux was feeling doubtful whether he had properly assessed the old dwarf¡¯s strength or not. ¡®His strength is the same as my step-father¡¯s,¡¯ Lux thought as he felt his heart clenched in his chest. Although he was still half in doubt, he had aspired so much to be that person in the past, so he was mostly sure of his hunch about how strong the old Dwarf was. ¡®This person before me is a Saint.¡¯ The old Dwarf smiled at Lux as he walked towards him. He then stopped a meter away from the Half-Elf and looked up at him as if he was looking at something very amusing. Lux felt his heart tremble when the old Dwarf stared straight to his eyes. Although the Dwarf was smaller than him, he felt that he was looking up at a mountain, whose peak was hidden by the clouds in the sky. ¡°You are certainly not a Dwarf,¡± the old Dwarf said after some time. ¡°But your heart is bigger than one.¡± The old Dwarf chuckled as he gave Lux a brief nod of acknowledgement. ¡°My name is Favonius, and I am very happy to see that my vige has raised such an outstanding individual. What is your name, young man?¡± ¡°My name is Lux, Sir Favonious,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Lux Von Kaizer.¡± Favonius lightly patted Lux¡¯s arms as he spoke in a friendly manner. ¡°My friend, Lux, would you like to hear the ramblings of a lingering will that an old, decrepit, Dwarf left behind?¡± Favonius asked. ¡°It will be my honor, Sir Favonius.¡± ¡°Good. As expected of the savior of my vige.¡± Favonius happily chuckled as he looked at the person whom he had been waiting for hundreds of years to arrive. There were things that he wanted to impart to his sessor and it was his wish that the legacy he left behind would be put to good use. Lux took a deep breath as he forcefully tried to calm his wildly beating heart. He didn¡¯t know why he was able to talk to an old Saint after touching the armor, but he knew with every fiber of his being, that this meeting across space and time was something that he wouldn¡¯t forget in his lifetime. Chapter 170 Against The Unknown, All Races Must Stand As One ¡°Tell me, Lux, when you look at that small vige over there, what do you see?¡± Favonius asked as he looked fondly at the vige that he had built on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Gweliven. ¡°A seed,¡± Lux replied because that is truly what he felt after looking at the small vige in the distance. Favoniusughed heartily before nodding his head in satisfaction. ¡°You can also put it that way,¡± Favoniusmented. ¡°It is a seed that will grow into a sturdy tree. This tree will then foster and care for the new batch of seeds, which will also grow into trees and usher in a new era of prosperity and peace.¡± Lux smiled, but he knew that this was not the answer Favonius was looking for. Because of this, he decided to ask what that vige represented to the Dwarf Saint who decided to retire in a ce far from the Capital of the Dwarven Kingdom. ¡°Hope,¡± Favonius said as he gazed at the small vige with tender eyes. ¡°When I look at the vige from here, I see hope.¡± The old Dwarf then shifted his attention to Lux and gave him a warm smile that made the Old Saint¡¯s weathered face look like it was ten years younger. ¡°When I look at you, Lux, I also see hope,¡± Favoniusmented. ¡°Just like the seeds of a dandelion that fly freely with the help of a passing breeze, you are now about to set off on a new journey towards the unknown.¡±. ¡°A journey where you will face countless dangers and hardships, but I am hopeful that you will be able to grow into a sturdy tree. A tree that will shelter the new generation and nourish them before they embark on their own journeys.¡± The dwarf sighed as he once again looked at the small vige in the distance. ¡°With hope, people can move mountains,¡± Favonius softly muttered. ¡°With courage, we can cross the seas. At age two-hundred and seventy, I had seen and conquered many vast domains, and yet, there were still ces I have yet to see.¡± ¡°As the years pass by and my age increases. Many times I¡¯ve felt that I should have gone farther, and been more adventurous than what I was in the past.¡± ¡°This world is so vast, and sometimes you¡¯ll feel like you are just a tiny insignificant speck in the grand order of things. Even a Saint can sometimes feel weak and, in the merciless face of the world, it is very normal for us to feel fear.¡± Lux listened quietly on the side as he allowed Favonius to say whatever he had to say. He had already figured out that the person who was standing in front of him was not the real Favonius, but a Will that he had left behind the Favonius Armor that had apanied him on his adventures. The Dwarf appreciated Lux¡¯s silence, so he continued to narrate his life experiences as his final parting words to the person who would now inherit his legacy. ¡°My adventuring days may be over, but my ambition exceeds this lifetime of mine,¡± Favonius said with a determined voice. ¡°People create weapons and armors in order to fight monsters, and when monsters triumph over them, they create better tools.¡± ¡°Where my legs cannot take me, maybe yours can. And when yours fails you, perhaps those around you will carry you instead. My dear friend, I leave you my legacy. Against the unknown, all races must stand as one. To be alive is to live, to set foot in every ce that our eyes can see.¡± Favonius held Lux¡¯s hands into his own, and through the roughness of the old Dwarf¡¯s hands, the Half-Elf felt as if he was being enveloped in a warm embrace. ¡°I have little time remaining, and my soul has long been gone from this world. But, between us, your children, future guildmates and friends, I believe that your dying world will be saved, atst.¡± The old man gave Lux a yful wink before disappearing into particles of light. The Half-Elf was surprised at Favonius¡¯st words, because he didn¡¯t mention Elysium in the end, but his own dying world, Sis. ¡°Such an interesting old man,¡± Lux said softly as he gazed at the small vige in the distance. ¡°Understood, Sir Favonius. I will take you along on my journey to see the sights and heights that you haven¡¯t seen before. Perhaps, someday, both of us will be able to reach that ce atst.¡± As if touched by his solemn promise, thest traces of Favonius¡¯ Will, that still lingered within that Domain, said its heartfelt words before finally disappearing from the world. ¡°Thank you, my friend.¡± Soon, the Half-Elf was bathed by a warm and radiant light as he bid goodbye to the scenery of the old Leaf Vige, which he was about to leave behind. ¡ª¨C ¡°Lux, my boy. Are you alright?¡± Randolph asked as he shook the red-headed teenager, who seemed to have gone into a trance the moment he touched the Favonius Legacy Armor that was left behind by the founder of Leaf Vige. ¡°Stop shaking him,¡± Grandma Annie said as she observed the Half-Elf who was staring nkly in space. ¡°Maybe he is talking to the founder right now.¡± ¡°Talking to the founder? Have you grown senile, you old hag?¡± Randolph asked. ¡°Careful now. Maybe next time, you will even forget your name because of old age.¡± Instead of answering Randolph with words, Grandma Annie¡¯s wooden staff smacked his face, sending him flying a few meters away from the Half-Elf who seemed to be frozen in time. None of the Dwarf Elders of Leaf Vige batted an eye when they saw this scene. They had already grown used to it long ago. Even if Grandma Annie whacked the old cksmith until his face looked like a pig, they would still not be surprised at the oue. A minuteter, Lux¡¯s body shook as he woke up from his trance. ¡°Child, what did you see?¡± Grandma Annie asked with great curiosity. ¡°Did the Founder leave some instructions behind?¡± The Elders of Leaf Vige, including the Vige Head, Cedwyn, perked their ears up as they waited in anticipation for Lux¡¯s answer. They had carefully handled the Favonius Armor, and studied it for years, which had led to the creation of the Faunus Battle Regalia. For them, the legacy that their founder had left behind held an important ce in their hearts. So if Favonius had indeed left some instructions for the next generation, they would be more than happy to carry out his will with the best of their abilities. ¡°Yes. Sir Favonius had indeed left something behind,¡± Lux replied with a smile. ¡°He left behind Hope.¡± ¡°Hope?¡± Cedwyn inquired. ¡°Can you please borate?¡± Lux nodded his head and told the Dwarves about his meeting with the founder of Leaf Vige, Favonius. Of course, he left out the part about his dying world. Although most Sins had a hunch that their world might be dying, this was only a conjecture on their part. After hearing his tale, the Dwarves sighed and looked at the Half-Elf with admiration and respect. All of them wished that they were the one to hear thest words of the Legendary Saint of the Gweliven Kingdom instead of Lux. ¡°Lux, please, take our Founder¡¯s hope and will with you,¡± Cedwyn said as he held the Half-Elf¡¯s hand. ¡°It is not only his will that you carry with you, but our collective wills as well. You are our pride, and even though you are not a Dwarf, our founder is right. Your heart is bigger than a Dwarf¡¯s.¡± Lux nodded his head as he gratefully, and respectfully, equipped the Favonius Legacy as his equipment set. He still hadn¡¯t seen all of its stats because he felt that it was inappropriate to do so at this time. However, he promised himself that regardless of the stats the armor had, he would always carry it with him as a memento of the Beginner Vige that had yed an important role in his life. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 171 Lux’s Last Day In Leaf Village Inside the newly built inn, Lux and Eiko were sleeping peacefully. The baby Slime slept on top of Lux¡¯s chest, as always, because Lux¡¯s heartbeats were like a luby that made her feel safe and warm. Only an hour was left until sunrise and both had gone to bed veryte the night before, as they tried to finish the Orphanage within one day. The work inside Leaf Vige didn¡¯t stop. Even though there were a lot of other people sleeping, there were still some who stayed awake, working on rebuilding their homes. Artifacts and spells that lit up the surroundings were verymon in Elysium, so it was not a big deal to workte at night. Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s Named Creatures, Skeletons, Slimes, and Golems were still helping the vigers even as their Masters rested inside theirfortable room that was specially arranged for them by the Inn¡¯s Owner. ¡ª Leaf Vige za¡­ ¡°Well then, this turned out better than I thought,¡± Randolph said as he admired the work that the Elders of Leaf Vige, as well as Lux¡¯s Named Creatures, worked on in secret whenever the Half-Elf and his baby Slime were asleep. ¡°Indeed,¡± Grandma Anniemented with a satisfied nod. ¡°This will be the symbol of our vige for years toe, so it must have an impact.¡± In order to maintain secrecy, the Elders of the vige had erected four tall Earth Walls around their special project to prevent anyone from spying on their work. ¡°I¡¯m sure that Lux will be surprised when he sees it.¡± Cedwyn chuckled as he imagined the Half-Elf¡¯s reaction after seeing the surprise that they had made just for him. He turned to Diablo and asked, ¡°What do you think, Diablo? Will your Master like it?¡±. Diablo nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Right now, Diabo and Ishtar were able tomunicate through speaking, despite the limited vocabry, due to the increase in their ranks. ¡°Well then, we should wrap up,¡± one of the Eldersmented as he stifled a yawn. ¡°My old bones can¡¯t handle works that require high precision on a regr basis. Perhaps, this will be thest masterpiece that I will work on in this lifetime.¡± ¡°Ah. Don¡¯t be like that. You¡¯re still young.¡± ¡°What definition of young are you talking about? I¡¯m almost two-hundred and forty years old.¡± The Eldersughed as they exchanged friendly banters. Half an hourter, all of them returned to their own homes to rest. Only Lux¡¯s Named Creatures remained, and they once again looked at the new symbol of Leaf Vige with pride. ¡ª¡ª Five hourter¡­ The Half-Elf finally opened his eyes. He then lightly patted the baby slime on his chest to wake her up as well. ¡°¡­.Pa?¡± Eiko asked sleepily before yawning. ¡°Good morning, Eiko,¡± Lux lifted the baby slime and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Time to wake up.¡± Eiko looked at her Papa for a few seconds before closing her eyes again to sleep. Lux chuckled and no longer insisted on waking the baby, who was still exhausted from working all through the night. After cing Eiko back on the bed, he washed his face and changed his clothes. He thenbed his hair before picking up the baby Slime from the bed to ce her on his head. For some reason, Eiko could stay on top of Lux¡¯s head even if it was shaking badly. The Half-Elf still had no idea how she was able to do that, but he was thankful for having such ability. When he went down the stairs to dine in the inn¡¯s tavern, he was instantly able to smell the delicious food that was being prepared in the kitchen. Eiko, who was still asleep, started sniffing. The baby Slime liked to eat Beast Cores, but she also liked eating home-made food. She was not picky, unlike children who hated vegetables, and ate anything that Lux liked to eat. A few secondster, the smell of the food won her over, and she finally opened her sleepy eyes, and greeted her Papa before yawning. ¡°Pa¡­¡± ¡°Mmm. We will be having breakfast soon.¡± As soon as the innkeeper saw Lux, he immediately went to the kitchen and brought out a tray of hot food for him and the baby Slime, who had somehow be Leaf Vige¡¯s mascot. ¡°Lux, are you going to leave Leaf Vige today?¡± the innkeeper asked. Although he didn¡¯t try to show it, there was a faint trace of sadness in his voice. Lux nodded. ¡°The time hase. I wish I could stay longer and help finish the reconstruction of Leaf Vige, but I just can¡¯t fight the inevitable.¡± Today was Lux¡¯s tenth day after ascending to the Apostle Grade. Even if he wanted to stay, he would still be kicked out by thews of Elysium, and teleported to a random ce near an Intermediate Town upon midnight. The innkeeper nodded an understanding before presenting a que to the Half-Elf who blinked his eyes in confusion. ¡°Please sign this,¡± the Innkeeper said. ¡°I will hang it on the wall over there and keep it as a family heirloom.¡± ¡°E-Eh? You don¡¯t have to do that,¡± Lux replied in embarrassment after hearing what the innkeeper had to say. ¡°Nonsense. I insist that you sign it whether you like it or not. I have to brag to my great grandchildren that the Hero of this vige and I were best friends!¡± ¡°¡­ Um.¡± Lux wanted to ask the innkeeper the question ¡°Since when did we be best friends?¡± but decided to just let it slide. Finally, he signed the que and handed it back to the smiling innkeeper, who felt like he was holding something worth over a million gold coins in his hands. ¡°Ah! Before I forget, the Vige Head said that you should look for him before you leave,¡± the Innkeeper stated. ¡°Understood,¡± Lux replied. The Innkeeper then left the Half-Elf and the Baby Slime alone. Eiko had already started eating and was happily chewing on bacon strips that had be one of her favorite foods in Leaf Vige. Lux ate the roast beef sandwich that was the Inn¡¯s specialty and savored its taste for thest time. ¡®I¡¯m finally leaving this ce,¡¯ Lux thought as his eyes wandered around the inn. This was the inn where he had stayed on his first night in Leaf Vige and it was also thest ce he¡¯d slept in before leaving it. Half an hourter, Lux and Eiko finished their meal. The Half-Elf then left the inn and aimlessly strolled around town. Lux was taking in the sights and sounds of Leaf Vige before he left. All around him, houses that were under construction could be seen, and the newly built ones stood out from the rest. The several Dwarves who saw him greeted him with a smile, and he greeted them in return. The red-headed teenager had be a celebrity in Leaf Vige, and everyone inside it knew his name by heart. Even the Dwarf Sians looked up him and even told him that they would catch up to him soon. As Lux wandered around the vige, he found himself standing in front of Grandma Annie¡¯s Candy Store. The store was partially destroyed, but Grandma Annie said that she was not in a hurry to fix it, and insisted that the other houses should be constructed first. ¡°I¡¯ll miss this ce,¡± Lux muttered as he looked at the signage that said ¡°Leaf Vige¡¯s Candy Shop¡±. ¡°Well, I will miss you too.¡± A familiar voice spoke from inside the house. A few momentster, the door opened and Grandma Annie appeared, smiling at Lux who would be leaving soon. ¡°Have you had breakfast yet?¡± Grandma Annie inquired. Lux nodded. ¡°Yes, Grandma Annie.¡± ¡°Then, would you like to have some tea with me? Randolph is still probably asleep and will probably wake up in two or three hours from now. Cedwyn is the same. So why don¡¯t you have a chat with me for a while before you look for those two old buffoons.¡± ¡°It will be my pleasure.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Lux epted Grandma Annie¡¯s invite because he could see the sadness in the olddy¡¯s eyes despite her smiling face. He had already decided to leave Leaf Vige before sunset, so spending an hour with the old Dwarf who had helped him many times in the past was the least he could do to show how thankful he was for her help. Chapter 172 Right Now, I Am Looking At The Future Heroes Of The World ¡°Come, Lux!¡± Randolph said with a smug smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to see my masterpiec-argh! Dammit woman! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Grandma Annie, who had just finished whacking Randolph¡¯s head with her staff, red at the bastard, who just made a failed attempt to im all credit for everyone¡¯s hard work. ¡°One more word from you and I¡¯m going to hurl a fireball in your face!¡± Grandma Annie shouted, which made the cksmith cower in fear. Lux and Eiko chuckled after seeing this scene. Frankly, he wondered if Grandma Annie and Randolph were once a couple because of how close they were. After a few minutes, they arrived at the Vige¡¯s za, near the spawning point of the Sians when they enter Elysium. ¡°Lux Von Kaizer, on behalf of Leaf Vige, allow me to once again thank you for everything you have done for us,¡± Cedwyn said as he bowed his head. The other Elders and the vigers of Leaf Vige, who had also gathered in the za, also bowed their heads to their hero. The Sians on the other hand, looked at the Half-Elf with respect, admiration, and even a hint of jealousy. They also wished to be someone like Lux, so they made a promise to surpass him after they had reached the Apostle Grade. ¡°Vige Head, you don¡¯t have to do this,¡± Lux replied in embarrassment. ¡°Leaf Vige has helped me grow, not only as an adventurer, but as a person as well. I have learned many lessons in this ce, and I will forever cherish them in my heart.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko also agreed with what her Papa said as she looked at everyone in the vige with a smile from on top of Lux¡¯s head. Cedwyn smiled back, and gestured to Grandma Annie and Randolph as a signal to pull the cloth that was covering the surprise that they had prepared for Lux.. The moment the cloth fell on the ground, Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s mouths opened wide as they looked at the bronze statues that had been erected in the za. Diablo¡¯s, Ishtar¡¯s, and Pazuzu¡¯s statues stood tall and proud, with Diablo at the center riding his Nightmare, Airon. Behind them was an elevated tform where a Half-Elf stood with his arms crossed over his chest, and a baby slime perched on top of his head. Behind the Half-Elf was a Hulking Rock Golem with his arms spread wide in a protective manner. It was as if he was ready to block anything and everything that would dare to harm his Master, who wore a fearless expression on his face. Eiko¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at the statues in front of her. With a joyful shout, the baby Slime jumped off Lux¡¯s head and hurriedly crawled across the ground to climb up her Papa¡¯s bronze statue. A minuteter, Eiko looked closely at the bronze baby slime on top of Lux¡¯s head as if admiring herself. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko shouted as she looked at the red-headed teenager who was looking at her with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right, Eiko.¡± Lux nodded his head. ¡°That¡¯s you.¡± Eiko giggled and once again looked at the bronze baby slime. She stuck close to her statue and rubbed her cheeks against it, as if she was marking it as her own. The Dwarves of Leaf Vige, as well as the Sians, were all in awe of the statue that they were seeing for the first time. Suddenly, the chest of the Lux bronze statue shone, which spread to its entire body, as well as to the other statues around it. A momentter, a pir of light shot up towards the sky and a blue barrier suddenly formed around Leaf Vige. Lux, along with everyone else in the vige, suddenly felt a refreshing breeze pass over their bodies as the effect of the Guardian Crystal took effect. ¡ª¨C < You are affected by the Guardian Crystal Buff > ¨C Gives a permanent 10% increase to production sess for Crafting, Alchemy, Smithing, and any form of crafts made in Leaf Vige. ¨C Everyone inside Leaf Vige will gain a 100% Health and Mana Regeneration Buff that willst for an hour after they leave the vige. ¡ª¡ª ¡®Amazing,¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the Bronze Statues that were radiating a very faint glow from their bodies. When he gave the Guardian Crystal to Cedwyn, he didn¡¯t expect that the Head of Leaf Vige would work together with the other Elders to create a statue of him and his subordinates, and use his statue as the home of the Crystal that would protect Leaf Vige. For him, this was the greatest honor that he could possibly receive, which made him teary eyed. Even so, he did his best to smile and not allow a single drop of tear to fall from his eyes. He needed to keep his cool image for the younger generation as he stood tall, while holding back the feeling of happiness inside his heart. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give us some parting words before you leave the vige?¡± Cedwyn said with a yful smile on his face. Everyone pped as they cheered the Half-Elf who had be an important member of their lives. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Lux said as he scanned the faces of everyone around him. ¡°You refer to me as a hero, but I am not a hero. In my eyes, the heroes are the Dwarves who have stood their ground and protected this ce since its conception.¡± Lux smiled as he looked at Grandma Annie. ¡°If you ask me who I think the true heroes of Leaf Vige are, they would be Grandma Annie, who sells candies to everyone and stands at the front lines when monsters invade the town.¡± ¡°My Master, Randolph, who busied himself in his smithy most of the time to craft and repair the weapons and armors that most of you use to fight and defend against Monsters and their attacks. ¡°The Riders of Norria, who ensured the safety of this region and is always there to send reinforcements when the sky falls down upon our heads.¡± ¡°The adult Dwarves who escorted the children to the shelters whenever the town is being attacked by monsters.¡± Lux closed his eyes and pressed his right hand over his chest. ¡°A hero is someone who would give their life to something bigger than oneself.¡± When the Half-Elf opened his eyes, he scanned the faces of everyone in the crowd, young and old alike, with a smile on his face. ¡°Right now, I am looking at heroes, and the future heroes of the world,¡± Lux dered before raising his closed fist towards the sky ¡°Long live Leaf Vige!¡± ¡°¡±Long live Leaf Vige!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Long live Leaf Vige!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Long live Leaf Vige!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Long live Leaf Vige!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Long live Leaf Vige!¡±¡± Resounding shouts echoed all across the vige, which made Cedwyn¡¯s and the Elders of the Vige¡¯s blood boil. Not out of anger, but out of desire to uphold the Legacy that their Founder, Favonius, and now, Lux, had left behind. Lux then bowed his head to his Master, Randolph, to Grandma Annie, to Cedwyn, to the Elders of Leaf Vige, to Captain Boreas, to Aron, to the vigers, as well as the Sians. After bowing to all of them, he summoned his mount Jed, and jumped on its back. He had already said his final goodbyes to the people that were important to him. Now, he waved his hands as a final gesture of farewell to the dwarves of Leaf Vige, as well as the Dwarves that came from Sis. ¡°I will bid you goodbye for now, but this is not our final farewell,¡± Lux said as Eiko jumped onto Jed¡¯s back, and crawled towards her Papa¡¯s head. She knew that the time to say goodbye hade, but the tears in her eyes fell like rain, drenching her Papa¡¯s hair. ¡°Let¡¯s all meet again soon!¡± Lux shouted as he urged Jed to make a dash for it. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, everyone would see him crying uncontrobly. ¡°Bye Bye!¡± Eiko shouted before crying like the baby she is. ¡°Wuwuwu!¡± Jed ran with all of its might, in order to protect his Master¡¯s dignity. Grandma Annie and Randolph wiped the tears that fell from their faces. As they watched the red-headed teenager embark on the next stage of his journey. They never thought that they would love someone this much, even though he wasn¡¯t a Dwarf. As the Half-Elf was approaching the gate of Leaf Vige, the Guards and the Riders of Norria that were stationed there gave him a salute. ¡°Goodbye, everyone,¡± Lux said as he returned their salute, while his tears blurred his vision. ¡°Till we meet again.¡± The guards bid him safe travels as Lux went past them. Eiko watched with sadness as the vige that she loved grew farther and farther away from her. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Eiko,¡± Lux assured her. ¡°We will definitely return here someday.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko nodded her head as more tears slid down her eyes. Even when the Half-Elf was already a kilometer away from Leaf Vige, Lux and Eiko could still hear the resounding shouts of the vigers, who were still shouting to honor his name. ¡ª¨C End of Volume 1: Open! Heaven¡¯s Gate! Chapter 173 You Better Not Lose Until You Meet Me Vera happily hummed as she cooked Lux¡¯s favorite dishes. Just before midnight, Lux returned home from Elysium with tears in his eyes. Eiko was still crying when Vera entered the training hall. The baby slime jumped into her Grandma¡¯s arms in order to cry her heart out more. The wise grandma didn¡¯t ask why her grandson and her great granddaughter were crying. She just held both of them in a loving embrace, and told them, ¡°Wee home.¡± Perhaps due to the exhaustion from their journey and sadness, the two fell asleep two hours after their arrival. Even after the sun¡¯s crown peaked and appeared in the East, they were still in bed. Vera didn¡¯t mind and allowed the two to sleep as long as they wanted. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Vera smiled after she had finished cooking everything that Lux and Eiko liked to eat. There was beef stew, grilled fish, chicken soup with vegetables, grilled corn with butter, and freshly baked bread. She wanted to prepare more, but she knew that there was a high possibility of Lux and Eiko not having an appetite when they woke up. As soon as she finished cing all the dishes on the table, she heard the door to Lux¡¯s room open. A momentter, a Half-Elf, as well as a yawning baby slime, descended the stairs. ¡°Good morning, Grandma.¡± ¡°Manma!¡± ¡°Good morning, Lux,¡± Vera replied with a smile. ¡°Good morning, Eiko. Breakfast is ready, let¡¯s eat together.¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Lux hummed as he sat on his chair. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I ate your home-made cooking, Grandma.¡± ¡°Manma!¡± Eiko said as she crawled down from Lux¡¯s head and lightly jumped on the table, away from the dishes. The baby Slime then crawled towards Vera and looked up to her like the spoiled great grandchild she was, hoping to catch her grandma¡¯s attention. Vera chuckled and lightly patted Eiko¡¯s head. She was quite fond of Lux¡¯s and Iris¡¯ baby Monster, whom she also treated as her great grandchild. After making the baby Slime happy, Vera then ced a te in front of her and served her some beef stew, a grilled fish, and a few cobs of grilled corn. Eiko happily ate the grilled corn first because this was something she couldn¡¯t eat often in Leaf Vige. Lux, on the other hand, gave himself a good serving of beef stew. He then held a roll of freshly baked bread in his left hand, and alternated his bites between it and the beef stew on his te. ¡°As expected, Grandma¡¯s cooking is the best,¡± Lux praised Vera¡¯s cooking to the high heavens, which earned him a sweet smile from his grandma¡¯s weathered face. ¡°Manma!¡± Eiko nodded in agreement before eating the grilled fish on her te.. Vera watched the two children eat with satisfaction. Eating alone was quite lonely, but whenever Lux and Eiko returned home from their journey in Elysium, their house would be lively for a short period of time. ¡°Eat as much as you want,¡± Vera said. ¡°There are still plenty in the kitchen.¡± ¡°You should also eat, Grandma. You won¡¯t get full by watching us eat.¡± ¡°Manma.¡± The olddy chuckled before nodding her head. She then filled her bowl with chicken soup and ate in a good mood. An hourter, a satisfied Half-Elf and a baby Slime, washed the dishes together. Vera had gone through her usual morning rounds around Wildgarde Stronghold to ensure that everything was peaceful. Lux knew that his grandma would be away for an hour or two, so he decided to use that time to check his inventory. ¡ª¨C < Favonius Legacy, The Heirloom of the West > (Degraded Pseudo-Demigod Armor) Rarity: Mythical (Degraded) Requirements: Must gain the recognition of Favonius¡¯ Will. a€¡° This armor was once worn by a Saint. However, due to the passing of hundreds of years, the armor had degraded to the Mythical Rank. a€¡° After its rank degraded, the stats of this armor also degraded. In order to restore the armor to its former glory, you will need the help of a Saint-Ranked cksmith. a€¡° Only those that had been recognized by the will of Favonius can wield this armor set. a€¡° This armor is Soulbound to Lux Von Kaizer. a€¡° This armor can be worn by any Creature under yourmand. +20 to all stats +300 to Defense. a€¡° 50% Resistant to Wind Element a€¡° While this armor is equipped, the wearer will gain the ability to fly. a€¡° While this armor is equipped, the wearer will gain the ability to use the skill ¡°Sky-High Rush¡±. a€¡° While this armor is equipped, the wearer will gain the ability to use the skill ¡°Gale Storm.¡± Active Skills: Razor Wind, eleration Charge. Passive Skills: Levitation, Auto Fit Title: Favored by the Wind. ¡ª < Razor Wind > (10 Mana) a€¡° Send razor-sharp wind des at your target that deals +100 Wind Elemental Damage. ¡ª¡ª < eleration Charge > a€¡° Increase flying speed by 100% ¡ª¡ª < Levitation > a€¡° The wearer of this armor can hover two-feet above the ground. a€¡° This passive skill can be turned on and off. ¡ª¡ª < Favored by the Wind > a€¡° The effect of Wind Elemental Damage, or skills, will increase by 20% a€¡° Thrice a day, you may cast the skill, Healing Wind. ¡ª¡ª < Healing Wind > a€¡° Restores 20% of the Maximum Health Points of everyone within the two-hundred meter radius of the wearer of this armor. ¡ª¨C ¡®Even though its abilities have degraded, it is still an amazing set of armor,¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the legacy that was left behind by a Saint. He then turned the page of his Soul Book and looked at the information of the spear that served as the Saint¡¯s weapon when he was still alive. ¡ª < Misery¡¯s End ¨C Destroyer of Lost Hope > (Degraded Pseudo-Demigod Weapon) Weapon Type: Spear Rarity: Mythical (Degraded) Requirement: Must gain the recognition of Favonius¡¯ Will. a€¡° This spear apanied Favonius during his travels. In the past, it was a fearsome weapon. But due to hundreds of years of inaction, its abilities and skills had degraded. a€¡° This weapon is Soulbound to Lux Von Kaizer. a€¡° This weapon can be equipped by any Creature under yourmand. Attack: 300 ¨C 350 a€¡° Has a 10% chance to trigger the skill, Bleed, while attacking an enemy. a€¡° Has a .01% chance to trigger Storm Tempest, while attacking an enemy. ¡ª¡ª < Bleed > a€¡° has a 5% chance to apply the Bleeding effect to your target with every strike. a€¡° Bleeding effect reduces your target¡¯s Health Points by 1% of its Maximum Health Points every 2 seconds. a€¡° Bleed Effect Duration: 10 seconds. ¡ª- Lux equipped the spear to Diablo, so that the Skeleton Rider could use it whenever he charged at his opponent. But when fighting at extremely close range, Diablo could switch his weapon to the mythical sword that was given to Lux as a parting gift by his Master, Randolph. It was none other than the cksmith¡¯s prized masterpiece, Blood Moon. This was the weapon that Diablo used during the battle in the Kobold¡¯s Nest. Because of this, the Skeleton Rider had gained a massive boost in his offensive capabilities, making Lux very happy. After an hour, Lux finally finished sorting out his inventory. It was a grueling task, and he had no time to do it when he was still in Leaf Vige because he had been busy helping the Dwarves repair their houses and build the orphanage. ¡®In a few days, I¡¯ll go to Barbatos Academy with Grandma in order to register for the tournament,¡¯ Lux thought as he took a mask out of his inventory. ¡®I have to change my ns a bit.¡¯ The mask in Lux¡¯s hand was one of the Mythical Equipment thatposed the Faunus Battle Regalia. It was called the ¡°Mask of a Thousand Faces.¡± It was an exaggerated title, since the mask didn¡¯t exactly have the ability to let someone change their appearance with a hundred different faces. The mask could only allow each user to store two appearances inside it. Perhaps the creator had already expected that the mask would be passed down from generation to generation, allowing many people to use it until it had created over a thousand faces. The reason why Lux wanted to change his appearance was because he wanted to protect Iris from her father¡¯s n to marry her off to the winner of the tournament. Iris was a very importantdy in the eyes of the nobles, as well as the royal families of the six kingdoms that supported Barbatos Academy. Whoever won in the tournament would definitely be targeted by several powerful factions, and Lux wanted to avoid that scenario. Surprisingly, when he was thinking about what face to use, an ingenious idea came to his mind. He could copy any face as long as he had seen them once. The great part about the mask was that it could also change the size and shape of the body to create a perfect replica of the person that he wanted to copy. Since he didn¡¯t want to harm other people by copying their appearance, he decided to use his former appearance from when he was back on Earth. In Lux¡¯s past life, he was a chubby teenager with short ck hair and light brown eyes. He was confident that he had no look alike in the worlds of Sis and Elysium, so using his past identity was the perfect cover for his n. Naturally, he intended to reveal this secret to Vera and Iris as well. The reason for doing so was simple. He was certain that Iris would not acknowledge the champion of the tournament as her fiance. She would definitely fight tooth and nail with her father, even if thetter were to imprison her somewhere. The second reason was his grandma, Vera. Lux had a feeling that, aside from him, whoever won the tournament would meet an untimely death as soon as the tournament was over. This was a feeling that was deeply rooted in his bones, so to ensure that he didn¡¯t die in his grandma¡¯s hands, telling her about his n was of the utmost importance. ¡°Wait for me, Nero,¡± Lux said with determination. ¡°I¡¯ll settle all our scores in the tournament. You better not lose to anyone before you face me.¡± Lux would not allow the arrogant prodigy, or any of the other participants in the tournament, marry Iris against her will. Although he knew that the tournament would be filled with powerfulpetitors, he wasn¡¯t worried a single bit. The red-headed teenager was no longer the weak and sickly Half-Elf who would faint whenever he over-taxed himself. He was no longer the useless person that Nero humiliated in the past, or the person that Alexander didn¡¯t deem worthy of his daughter. A faint smile appeared on Lux¡¯s face before he closed his eyes to take a nap. He had already formted a n in his mind, and he was confident that he would be able to seed even in the face of needing to fight the strongest members of the young generation within the six kingdoms that supported Barbatos Academy. Chapter 174 I Wonder Where That Confidence Of Yours Is Coming From? Later that afternoon, Lux decided to take a stroll inside Wildgarde Stronghold. It had been a long time since he had taken a walk around the ce where he grew up, and he was immediately greeted by the familiar faces that he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time. As he was taking a stroll, he saw the Commander of the Stronghold, Gerald, walking alongside an old woman, who was one of his Grandma Vera¡¯s close friends. ¡°Grandma Natasha, Sir Gerald,¡± Lux greeted the two important people in the stronghold with a big smile on his face. These were the two elders that took good care of him as a child, so he respected them a lot. ¡°Lux, my boy,¡± Gerald waved his hand. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time. Vera said that you have been busy training for your next test to enter Elysium.¡± ¡°K-Kinda.¡± The smile on Lux¡¯s face stiffened after hearing Gerald¡¯s words. ¡°Grandma Natasha, how are you?¡± The old woman had taken care of Lux countless times, and the Half-Elf could be considered one of her regr patients due to his constant fainting. ¡°Tired, but good,¡± Natasha replied. ¡°How about you? You are not making things difficult for Vera, are you? Also, that is one adorable Slime you got there. Is that your pet?¡± Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux¡¯s head, looked at the two old people with a smile. She was quite fond of old people because her Grandma Vera, Grandma Annie, and the other old people in Leaf Vige spoiled her a lot. Because of this, she looked at the oldmander, and old nurse, with a warm smile that almost made the hearts of the two oldies melt. ¡°She¡¯s not my pet,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Her name is Eiko. She is like a daughter to me.¡±. Eiko nodded her head in agreement before continuing to smile at the two old people that were now only a meter away from them. ¡°Such a well behaved Slime,¡± Natasha lightly patted the baby Slime, who giggled under her touch. ¡°By the way, Lux, ording to thest conference, the Entrance Test for Elysium will be dyed until the Tournament in Barbatos Academy is over. ¡°The Stronghold is putting their effort into training the kids to participate in the tournament. Although I¡¯m sure that they won¡¯t reach the top 100, it is still a good thing to have a goal, right?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Yes. Having a goal is important.¡± Gerald patted Lux¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lux. I believe if you continue to persevere, a miracle will happen. You will one day step foot in Elysium and realize your dream.¡± ¡°Thank you, Commander,¡± Lux replied. He had no intention of telling the old man that he had already stepped into Elysium, and had already ascended into the initial stages of a Grade A Apostle. Right now, he was wearing a special ring given to him by Vera to hide his rank from the appraisal of other people. Since Lux had been a very sickly boy, no one would find it weird if he was still ¡°Rankless¡±, and considered to be one of the children who had no talent in going to the world on the other side of the gate. ¡°By the way, I heard that your step-sister, Iris, will be the fiance of the champion of the tournament,¡± Gerald said as he gazed at Lux with a serious expression. ¡°I know that the two of you are close. How do you feel about it?¡± ¡°Commander, I believe that everyone has the right to love,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I do not think that what her father is doing is right, but there is nothing that I can do about it.¡± Gerald nced at his surroundings before whispering something in Lux¡¯s ears. ¡°You and I know that Nero had been pursuing your sister in Elysium for a long time now,¡± Gerald whispered. ¡°I know that you and him don¡¯t get along, but right now, his position among the younger generation is quite high. Some of the Guardians even believe that he has a high chance of bing a champion in the tournament. If that happens, his goal of making your step sister his fiance will be a reality.¡± Natasha didn¡¯t say anything because she and Gerald were on Lux¡¯s side. Although Nero¡¯s performance in Elysium was great, and his ambition to reach the top was admirable, they were more biased to Lux whom they had raised with Vera. ¡°He has to win the tournament first,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Only then will he have the possibility of bing Iris¡¯ fiance.¡± Natasha who was just standing at the side looked in the distance and smirked. ¡°Speaking of the devil,¡± Natashamented. ¡°Look who just returned from Elysium.¡± At the Teleportation Gate of Wildgarde Stronghold, several teenagers walked down the tform. Lux recognized all of them because most of them had be his friends inside the Stronghold, with the exception of the good looking boy who was leading the group. ¡°Commander Gerald, I came to give you a report of ourtest expedition in Elysium,¡± Nero bowed his head with respect. He then gave Lux a side-long nce before shifting his attention back to the Supreme Commander of Wildgarde Stronghold. ¡°Feel free to speak, everyone is family here,¡± Gerald replied as he patted Lux¡¯s shoulder to tell him that red-headed teenager was one of his people. Nero smiled as he nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Of course. Everyone inside the Stronghold is family. Isn¡¯t that right, Lux?¡± ¡°More or less,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Neromented. ¡°After all, after the tournament, we will really be part of the same family.¡± Gerald, and Natasha frowned, but they didn¡¯t say anything. Rivalry and any form ofpetition was allowed inside Wildgarde Stronghold because it allowed the young generation to strive and do their best to reach greater heights. Lux¡¯s friends, who were part of Nero¡¯s entourage, didn¡¯t say anything and remained silent. Lux was their friend, but Nero was the appointed Guild Master of Wildegarde Stronghold¡¯s branch guild in Elysium, who managed the members of the young generation. They didn¡¯t want to offend either side, so they decided to keep their silence to maintain a neutral stance. ¡°You talk as if you have already won the tournament,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I wonder where that confidence of yours ising from?¡± Nero chuckled and brushed aside Lux¡¯s sarcastic words as if they were a passing breeze. ¡°My confidence is fueled by my ability, performance, and the achievements that I have made in Elysium,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯m not like you. Aside from your good looks, you have nothing else to offer. But, don¡¯t worry, there are plenty of prettydies out there that are unable to step inside Elysium because theyck talent. Just take your pick, I¡¯m sure that any girl you choose would be a match made in heaven.¡± Lux chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Yea, being handsome is a sin. Iris has been nagging me to marry her for a very long time. Unlike others whose face is as thick as the walls of the Stronghold, my face is enough to attract all thedies even if I just stand here and do nothing.¡± Gerald and Natasha exchanged a nce at each other before looking at the Half-Elf who was tooting his own horn. Although they had to admit that Lux was indeed handsome because he was a Half-Elf, they had the strong urge to spank his bum for being shameless. Surprisingly, Nero just nodded his head and smiled. ¡°Unfortunately, good looks alone is not enough to have her hand in marriage,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Her father, Saint Alexander, knows that only the strong can stand on top of the world. Only the strong can have riches, women, and influence. What you have is only superficial. In the end, it amounts to nothing. You can¡¯t even protect those that are important to you.¡± Nero sneered as he walked close to Lux until their faces were only a few centimeters apart. ¡°If you¡¯ve got guts then I dare you to enter the tournament that will be held in Barbatos Academy,¡± Nero stated. ¡°At that time, you will understand that, in the face of absolute strength, your eloquent words are meaningless.¡± Nero snorted before bowing respectfully to Gerald and Natasha. ¡°Commander, I will be visiting Master¡¯s residence,¡± Nero said in a polite manner. ¡°I will also leave my detailed report with him. Please, consult with himter about the progress of the Storm Dragon Guild. I will now take my leave.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Gerald replied. ¡°Thanks for your hard work.¡± Nero nodded before leaving with his entourage. He didn¡¯t even spare Lux a backward nce as he headed towards his Master¡¯s residence. When the young man was no longer in sight, Gerald sighed as he once again patted Lux¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Even though he is arrogant, I have to admit that he can back his words,¡± Geraldmented. ¡°The Storm Dragons have grown to be the leading Bronze Guild under the Wildgarde Banner. I believe that it will only take them a month or two before their Guild is upgraded to the Silver Rank.¡± Natasha took this opportunity to pat Luxs head as if giving him support. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lux,¡± Natasha replied. ¡°Although I can¡¯t refute that strength makes right, I believe that strength isn¡¯t everything. One day, you will find your calling, and when that happens, no one, not even Nero, can look down on you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Commander Gerald; thank you, Grandma Natasha,¡± Lux said as with a confident smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am not bothered by his words. In fact, I wish him luck in the uing tournament.¡± Gerald nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. Although we sometimes have conflicting opinions, all of us are on the same side. Natasha, it¡¯s time to go. We still have matters that we need to settle before the tournament starts.¡± Natasha lightly pinched Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s cheeks before following Gerald towards the Commander¡¯s office. Lux watched them go with a calm expression, but deep inside his heart was boiling. If not for the fact that he was looking at the bigger picture, he might have challenged Nero to a duel to shut him up in front of everyone. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll return to Elysium after registering at the academy for the tournament,¡¯ Lux thought as he walked back towards his home where his Grandma Vera was waiting for him. ¡®Colette and the others are still waiting for me, and there¡¯s still plenty of time before the tournament starts.¡¯ The Half-Elf chuckled internally as he looked forward to the uing tournament. Although he wouldn¡¯t personally appear there as ¡°Lux¡± he would still stand on that grand stage, and show the arrogant candidates, like Nero, a thing or two about humility. Chapter 175 When Two Rivals Meet ¡°Eiko!¡± ¡°Ma!¡± Before Sophie could even step onto the shore, Eiko jumped off from the White Hippopotamus¡¯ head and used her Air Strider [EX] skill to fly in the direction of the beautiful youngdy who was waiting for her on the shore. Vera chuckled as she watched this scene, while Lux only smiled. With a nce, he could tell that Eiko really missed Iris, so he just happily looked at them as the Mama and daughter pair kissed each other after their reunion. Alicia who was standing beside Iris looked at the White Hippopotamus who was now making its way up the riverbank. ¡°Lady Vera, wee back to Barbatos Academy,¡± Alicia greeted. ¡°Alicia, I hope you are doing well,¡± Vera replied. ¡°Is my no-good-son giving you some trouble with your work?¡± Alicia vehemently shook her head as she tried to protect the honor and dignity of her employer. ¡°Lord Alexander is the one that is working too hard, Lady Vera,¡± Alicia replied. ¡°He sometimes works until midnight just to finish the paperwork.¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Dealing with paperwork is not enough to kill a Saint,¡± Veramented as she dismounted from Sophie¡¯s back assisted by Lux. ¡°How are the preparations for the tournament going?¡± ¡°They are going well. In fact, they are going too well. There have already been over six thousand applicants this month alone.¡± ¡°Not bad. It seems that a lot of people want to be the champion.¡± Everytime a tournament was held, the rewards that could be gained from it were enormous. After all, it was sponsored by the six kingdoms that were supporting Barbatos Academy. The lowest number of participants that joined the tournament was usually around ten thousand, but this year, they were expecting more participants. Alexander¡¯s whim of making the champion of the tournament Iris¡¯ fiance, was just icing on the cake that was already sought by so many. ¡°Are there many promising individuals this year?¡± Vera inquired as Lux went to have a chat with Iris, who was currently busy pampering Eiko. Alicia nodded. ¡°Yes. Famed geniuses and prodigies that hail from the six kingdoms are going to join this year¡¯s tournament. There are at least thirty notable individuals who are as strong as, and maybe even stronger than, thest tournament¡¯s champion.¡± ¡°Oh? That sounds incredible.¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Vera. I was even surprised when I got their information. This year¡¯s tournament is going to be the talk of the kingdoms for the next few years.¡± Vera smiled as Alicia and her followed Lux and Iris, who were already making their way towards the hidden path that led to Barbatos Academy. ¡°Alicia, there is a matter that I will need your help with in regards to the tournament,¡± Vera said softly. Alicia already had an idea on what Vera was going to say as she nced at the handsome Half-Elf who was walking hand in hand with Iris in the distance. ¡°Lady Vera, can Lux really do it?¡± Alicia asked. ¡°If he faints in the middle of the tournament, it might traumatize him for life.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. What you¡¯re thinking about will not happen. Also, I¡¯m nning to have his identity be a secret, so you will have to be his guarantor when he enters the tournament. Guarantors were part of the high-ranking staff of the tournament who were in charge of dealing with participants who refused to reveal their identity to anyone. These participants could wear masks, or any other form of disguise, to prevent anyone from knowing who they were. However, since this rule could easily be taken advantage of, they were given strict guidelines by the guarantors who knew of their identity. This is to ensure that people wouldn¡¯t switch ces with someone else for the duration of the tournament, which would lead to harsh consequences if discovered. ¡°If that is your wish, Lady Vera, I will personally handle this task,¡± Alicia promised. ¡°May I get permission to tell this to the Headmaster?¡± Vera smirked as she thought of her no-good-son who was trying to get in the way of her granddaughter¡¯s happiness. ¡°You can tell him that Lux is joining, but don¡¯t tell him what kind of identity he will use in the tournament. Let him guess as much as he wants.¡± ¡°Understood. I will handle the necessary preparations, and will register Lux before the sun sets. Is that eptable, Lady Vera?¡± Vera nodded. ¡°Thank you, Alicia. You can now return to your duties. I¡¯ll look after my grandkids for the time being.¡± Alicia bowed respectfully before taking a left turn on the hidden path that they were traversing. Barbatos Academy had many hidden pathways and only a select number of people knew about them. The reason for this was because Barbatos Academy could be used as a fortress during war time, so these secret passageways were made in order to let high-ranking nobles, as well as members of the royal family, escape if and when their lives were in danger. The moment Lux, Vera, and Iris arrived at the young beauty¡¯s private residence, the bro-con little sister immediately hugged Lux tightly and thetter responded by patting her head. Vera excused herself and left her grandkids alone to go and meet her son, who was buried under a lot of paperwork that was rted to the uing tournament. Also, Vera wanted to give Lux and Iris some private time together, since she knew that her granddaughter had plenty of questions to ask Lux. As a very understanding Grandma, she didn¡¯t want to be a third wheel. Iris served Lux and Eiko some fruit juice, as well as sweets. She was dying to know what kind of adventures her brother and her baby slime had had in Elysium. However, just before Iris could ask the Half-Elf her question, the baby slime, that was happily drinking her fruit juice, jumped off the table and red at the Unicorn who was now walking towards Iris. It was none other than Eiko¡¯s mortal enemy, Astra, who had given the baby slime a hard time when she was just born. ¡°Simp!¡± Eiko shouted towards the Unicorn, which made Lux almost spit out the fruit juice that he was drinking. In truth, Eiko wanted to call Astra, f*cker, but since her mama was around, she refrained from using it and used the word that her Papa used to tease Matty back in Leaf Vige. The Unicorn scoffed as he looked down on the baby Slime in contempt. Clearly, he still didn¡¯t see Eiko as a threat to its existence. Seeing that she got ignored, Eiko wanted to attack the arrogant Unicorn, but Iris immediately picked her up from the ground and patted her head. ¡°You and Astra can fightter, Eiko,¡± Iris said as she tried to coax the baby Slime to not fight inside her living room. ¡°For now, I want to hear about your adventures with your papa in Elysium.¡± Eiko looked up at her Mama and obediently nodded her head. She then gave the Unicorn a sidelong nce and stuck out her tongue towards the arrogant horse that she would be fightingter. Astra scoffed at Eiko¡¯s petty attempts to taunt him and just walked towards Lux with an annoyed look on his face. He was giving the Half-Elf the ¡°Bruh, what is wrong with your daughter?¡± look, which the Half-Elf replied with a helpless smile on his face. ¡°Astra, make sure to not underestimate Eikoter,¡± Lux warned. ¡°If you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯ll be in a world of pain.¡± Astra rolled his eyes at the red-headed teenager. Clearly, he didn¡¯t take Lux¡¯s words seriously. For him, Eiko was just a little baby who didn¡¯t know her ce. As an elder, he was more than happy to teach her a thing or two about knowing her ce. Lux could only smirk at the Unicorn who served as one of Iris¡¯ guardians before drinking his fruit juice. He was already looking forward to the battle between the two Monsters, who held a grudge against each other. ¡®I guess both of them are now considered rivals for Iris¡¯ attention,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®Still, this will be one interesting battle. I look forward to how Eiko will showcase her skills against a veteran like Astra in battle.¡¯ Although he didn¡¯t know who would win between the two rivals, Lux still wanted to see how Astra would react after it realized that the baby slime he bullied in the past was no longer the weak monster that he could deal with in a casual manner. Chapter 176 Eiko’s Monster Grade Eiko managed to convince Iris to make Astra leave the room before Lux told her about their adventures in Elysium. The baby Slime didn¡¯t want her rival to hear how powerful she had be and wanted it to be a surprise to himter. Iris agreed and asked Astra to head to the training grounds to prepare for his battle with Eiko, which the Unicorn thought was a big joke. Even so, for Iris¡¯ sake, he left the room and allowed Eiko to monopolize Iris for a short period of time. Astra was confident that he would easily win against the baby Slime who still didn¡¯t know her ce in the hierarchy of beasts that protected Iris¡¯ safety. The moment Astra left, Lux began to tell Iris about the details of the adventures they had in Elysium. The young beauty¡¯s eyes would widen in shock from time to time, and her mouth would open and close as the red-headed teenager told the tale of things that seemed impossible to have happened inside a Beginner¡¯s Zone. Even so, Iris believed every word of it. She could tell at a nce that her stepbrother was not exaggerating his tale, and even went out of his way to downy the story telling, so he wouldn¡¯te out as someone who bragged about the feats he had aplished in Elysium. After hearing about his encounter with the Indus Death Worm and Keoza, the Argonaut-Ranked Crystal Dragon, Iris asked Lux to pause his story telling, so she could drink some water in order to calm herself. Only after she had regained her calm did Iris allow Lux to continue his tale. In the Intermediate Areas, Pseudo-Deimos and Deimos-Ranked Monsters were considered quite rare, and were deemed as the ultimate bosses that needed to be fought by an entire guild to ensure that there would be less casualties in battle. A single party would not challenge Monsters of such rank because it would immediately turn into a party wipe. If they met such Monsters inside a Dungeon, it would still be fine because if they died since they would just lose some of their stat points.. However, if they encountered them in the wild, the first thing that a party should do is run away as fast as they could. It was simply impossible to beat creatures of that rank. If there were people stubborn enough to think that they could fight it using the power of friendship, they would end up as monster poop. ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Irismented after Lux finished his tale about the Grotto of the Forbidden Guardian. ¡°A dungeon that degraded because its Dungeon Core was damaged. Although this is the first time that I¡¯ve heard of a story like this, I¡¯m still d that you are still safe after that experience, Lux.¡± Iris decided to just call the red-headed teenager, Lux, when it was just the two of them. Although Lux was surprised at first, he didn¡¯t mind it too much and allowed the young beauty to call him whatever she wanted. Iris then stared at Lux with a serious expression on her face, while holding Eiko in her hand. A few momentster, she nodded her head in admiration after sensing the faint power of Dragons inside Lux¡¯s body. As a Beast Tamer, she was quite familiar with how the blood of beasts could be fused with ordinary people, giving them specific abilities that belonged to that Beast. Although this practice was verymon, it still held significant danger to the person that consumed the Monster Blood. In the worst case scenario, they would die due to ipatibility or the Monster Blood having a strong side-effect on those who tried to fuse with it. ¡°Lux, can you transform parts of your body?¡± Iris asked. ¡°I have seen others do it, so I am curious if you can do it as well.¡± Lux nodded and transformed his hand into that of a dragon w, which made Iris very curious. She even reached out to touch Lux¡¯s wed hand, and pressed it in ces to confirm if it had mergedpletely. Her gaze was so serious that it reminded him of scientists who were focused on their craft. Out of curiosity, Iris almost licked Lux¡¯s hand just to taste what a transformed w tasted like. Fortunately, Lux undid the transformation in time, which prevented Iris from continuing to carry out her experiments. After a few minutes of dissatisfaction, Lux continued his tale. When he mentioned fighting against the Mutated Thunder Wolf King, Iris¡¯ brows furrowed. ¡°When it died, did it leave behind a vial of mutated blood?¡± Iris asked. Lux nodded. ¡°Yes. it did.¡± Iris¡¯s expression became more serious after hearing Lux¡¯s answer. ¡°Do you remember when Nero came to Wildgarde Stronghold to look for me because our guilds were going to challenge a Dungeon together?¡± ¡°How could I forget?¡± Iris nodded. ¡°The Boss of the Dungeon we faced was a Mutated Thunder Wolf King. Fortunately, there were two hundred of us, so we were able to deal with it. After it was defeated, ording to the rules of conquest, the one that made the greatest contribution would take the first pick at the Monster loot. ¡°Nero didn¡¯t even hesitate to take the Monster¡¯s Beast Core. Since he specializes in Lightning Abilities, the oue was eptable. I don¡¯t know if he seeded in learning a skill after absorbing the Monster Core, but one thing is for sure, he is strong, Lux, very strong. Be sure to be extra careful if you meet him in the tournament.¡± Lux gave her a brief nod to acknowledge Nero¡¯s abilities. ¡°I understand. I promise to be careful. So, since you knew of the vial, did your group receive it as well?¡± ¡°We did. The Mutated Monster Blood was given to the Prince of Exalos Kingdom, as hispensation for his support in the battle.¡± ¡°How about you? What did you get?¡± Iris gave Lux a mischievous smile, which caught thetter¡¯s interest. ¡°For some reason, the Mutated Thunder Wolf King dropped an egg,¡± Iris answered. ¡°As the main Beast Tamer in the group, it was given to me by unanimous vote.¡± Lux chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure that no one will challenge you over a monster egg. So, did you hatch the egg already?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Iris replied. ¡°I gifted the baby monster to Alicia because she has long wanted to raise a baby Monster, but never found the time to hunt in Elysium.¡± ¡°Um, do you mind if I ask what kind of monster came out of the egg? It isn¡¯t a Mutated Thunder Wolf King, right?¡± ¡°No. What came out of it was a Mythical ss Golden-Winged Griffin. Alicia loves the little guy so much that he named him Alex.¡± Lux almost burst outughing because, not expecting that Alicia would be so bold as to call a Golden-Wing Griffin, Alex, which was obviously a shortened version of Iris¡¯ father¡¯s name, Alexander. ¡°But, as expected of you, Iris,¡± Lux said as he crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°A Mythical Beast from the get go. You sure are lucky when ites to hatching eggs.¡± ¡°Ma!¡± Eiko, who was sitting on Iris¡¯p and being petted by her Mama, nodded her head in agreement. Iris smiled sweetly as she lightly squeezed Eiko¡¯s cheeks, making the baby Slime giggle. ¡°To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I thought I was going to hatch a Legendary ss Monster, but this time, I only got a Mythical one. I am losing my touch.¡± Lux stared at his step-sister for a few seconds before rubbing his face with both hands. The only one who could casually say she was losing her touch by hatching a Mythical Grade Monster was none other than the young beauty with light-blue hair in front of him. If other Monster Tamers or Monster Breeders were to hear herints, all of them would definitely suffer from high blood pressure or aneurysm for her audacity. ¡®My sister is in another league when ites to her standards in hatching monsters,¡¯ Lux thought as he shook his head helplessly. Finally, a thought came across his mind as he asked Iris the question he forgot to ask long ago. ¡°Iris, what is Eiko¡¯s Monster Grade?¡± Lux inquired. Iris blinked once then twice as she looked at Lux with surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you about her Monster Grade when she was born?¡± Iris asked. Lux shook his head. ¡°No. Is she perhaps Mythical Grade just like that Golden-Winged Griffin?¡± Iris smiled as she lightly rubbed Eiko¡¯s chubby cheeks, making the baby Slime giggle for the second time. ¡°I also thought that she was a Mythical Monster,¡± Iris replied. ¡°But, after thinking for a long time, I came to a conclusion. Eiko is not a Mythical Monster. She is a Legendary Monster, whose untapped potential is endless. Even now, I¡¯m still researching what kind of Monster she is.¡± Lux stared at the baby Slime that was giggling from Iris¡¯ constant squeezing, and wondered what kind of evolution Eiko would take once she reached a higher rank. Now that Iris had confirmed that Eiko Monster Grade was of the Legendary Rank, he was sure that whatever the baby Slime would be in the future, she would definitely leave a mark in history as one of the strongest Slimes that was ever born in the world of Elysium. Eiko didn¡¯t understand anything about Monster Grades or anything of the sort. She was just happy that her Mama was spoiling her before she¡¯d go to fight that annoying Unicorn that was waiting for her in Mama¡¯s private Training Grounds. She had long wanted to have a revenge match with Astra. Since she had been expecting this, she practiced a lot in Elysium. Eiko was confident that no matter how strong the Unicorn was, she would emerge victorious and show her arrogant rival that she was no longer the weak Monster that Astra had bullied in the past. Chapter 177 Eiko Vs. Astra Lux and Iris stood at the corner of the Training Ground, watching Eiko face off against Astra. They were not the only spectators this time since Vera hade just before they headed towards the training grounds. She was very curious to know how much stronger Eiko had be after staying in Elysium for several months. Iris¡¯ other Guardians were also present to observe Lux and Iris¡¯ ¡°baby¡± and see for themselves what the little slime was capable of. Hanz, the White Tiger. Valerie, the Blue Dragon. Myrtle, the ck Tortoise. Andstly, Zoe, the Red Phoenix. These were all Iris¡¯ Beast Companions, and they had been raised by her ever since they were hatched from eggs. They were her loyal protectors who ensured her safety in Elysium. All of them were powerful beasts, which made Iris a very precious member of the Serenity Guild, which was a subsidiary of the Barbatos Guild in Elysium. ¡°Who do you think will win, Brother?¡± Iris asked. ¡°If Astra underestimates Eiko, our daughter will definitely win,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Really?¡±. ¡°Yes.¡± When the Guardian Beasts beside Iris heard Lux¡¯s words, all of them thought that the Half-Elf was just joking, except Hanz, the White Tiger. He had been there when Eiko and Astra fought for the first time. Although the baby slime didn¡¯t hold a candle to the Unicorn then, the White Tiger could see Eiko¡¯s potential. Just like the others, he was looking forward to this rematch, wanting to know if the baby slime had improved since thest time he saw her. Eiko red at the Unicorn, who was looking down at her with contempt, in the distance. They were waiting for Iris¡¯ go signal to start the battle before they began attacking each other. ¡°Are the both of you ready?¡± Iris asked. ¡°Ma!¡± Eiko replied. Astra just nodded his head and stomped his right hoof on the ground. He was also raring to teach the baby slime a lesson. ¡°Start the Duel!¡± As soon as the battle started, Eiko summoned Four Slimes which spread out in order to attack the baby slime¡¯s opponent. ckie and Whitey flew in the air and fired their spells at the unicorn, while Eiko¡¯s two new summons, Rocky, the Earth Slime, and Maya, the Water Slime, did the same. ¡°Looks like Eiko has made some new friends in Elysium,¡± Irismented as she looked at the four slimes that were working together to fight against the Unicorn who easily dodged their attacks due to its speed. Lux nodded. He didn¡¯t tell Iris that Eiko had also received a reward after defeating the Mutated Thunder Wolf King, which allowed her to gain another rank. Rocky and Maya were fairly new to Eiko¡¯s arsenal, so their teamwork with ckie and Whitey wasn¡¯t that great at the moment. However, that didn¡¯t change the fact that the four slimes were performing extremely well against an opponent that was as strong as Astra. Just when the Unicorn evaded ckie and Whitey¡¯sbination attack, Eiko appeared beside him and unleashed her skill, Moon st, which she had gained after she had ranked up. Astra¡¯s body briefly glowed as he disappeared from his location and reappeared behind the baby slime. However, at that exact moment, ckie and Whitey¡¯s specialbo attack, Starfire Tempest, collided with the side of the Unicorn¡¯s Body that had just teleported behind Eiko. The unicorn was pushed back a few meters from where he stood, but he was mostly unscatched because it managed to activate its Magical Barrier just in time. Even so, there was a minor burn mark at the side of his body, which made the Unicorn narrow his eyes. ¡°Astra is now going to get serious,¡± Iris smiled. ¡°He finally recognized Eiko¡¯s threat.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lux agreed. ¡°Now, Eiko will be hard pressed to fight him since the element of surprise is now gone.¡± Vera and the Guardians that were watching the battle from the side were quite impressed on how things yed out. Clearly, Eiko expected that Astra would teleport behind her and ordered ckie and Whitey to fire their special move behind her, even before Astra teleported. This made the attack hit the Unicorn without fail. If not for the fact that Astra reacted in time, a minor burn mark would be the least of his worries. ¡°Simp!¡± Eiko raised her head arrogantly, taunting Astra. The Unicorn didn¡¯t reply and simply unleashed its Aura, which created a shockwave that pushed back Eiko, as well as the slimes that were in a thirty-meter radius around it. Lightning crackled at the tip of Astra¡¯s horn and its entire body was covered in lightning bolts. This was simr to the Mutated Thunder Wolf King¡¯s Lightning Body, which damaged those who came close to it. Astra then aimed its horn at Eiko and unleashed a Lightning st, which thetter easily evaded using Blink. However, after she disappeared, the lightning changed direction and attacked the ce where she had gone to. A thunderous explosion erupted as a slime crashed on the ground, rolling away for several meters beforeing to aplete stop. ¡°Rocky!¡± Eiko shouted as she gazed at the Earth Slime who had appeared in front of her to shield her from Astra¡¯s attack. Rocky¡¯s body shook as it propped itself up before looking in Astra¡¯s direction. ¡°Careful!¡± Rocky shouted as he fired a barrage of Stone Bullets at the Unicorn, who was in the middle of preparing to unleash another attack. Astra didn¡¯t dodge and simply allowed himself to get hit by the Stone Bullets. The lightning that covered his body incinerated the stones before they could even reach him. Astra then unleashed three lightning bolts which were all targeted at Eiko. Knowing that dodging was not an option, the baby slime activated her Elemental Shields to mitigate the lightning bolts that were aimed at her. Three magic circles which glowed with the colors of the rainbow appeared in front of Eiko. However, they onlysted for a few seconds before they broke apart. At that moment, ckey, Whitey, and Maya, appeared in front of Eiko and blocked the lightning bolts with their bodies. All three slimes were sent flying several meters away before they crashed on the ground, motionless. Eiko red at Astra as her body glowed briefly. Suddenly, two baby slimes who looked exactly like Eiko appeared beside her. However, the moment these slimes appeared, Eiko shook her head and the two slimes vanished without a trace. Lux, who was watching this scene smiled, because he understood what Eiko was thinking. Clearly, she wanted to fight against Astra using only her powers, which proved that she had started to gain confidence in her own abilities. Although she could copy Lux¡¯s abilities and gain an upper hand, she didn¡¯t do that. More than anything else, Eiko wanted to beat Astra using everything she got, without relying on others. ¡®You can do it, Eiko!¡¯ Lux cheered for the baby slime in his heart as he watched the battle be more intense. Iris¡¯ Guardians were no longer observing with a carefree manner ever since they realized that the baby slime¡¯s performance had exceeded their expectations. Little by little, Eiko was being pushed back by Astra¡¯s dominating attacks. Even if the other slimes were to help her, all of them were helpless against the Unicorn¡¯s swift and powerful attacks that didn¡¯t give them any time to rest. ¡°Simp!¡± Eiko shouted at Astra as she stood her ground. ¡°Fight!¡± Astra paused as he looked at the baby slime. Although Eiko only said the word ¡°Fight,¡± he understood her intention. The baby slime was challenging him to a head on sh with their most powerful attack. Astra stomped his right foot against the ground and aimed his horn at the baby slime. He had epted her challenge and decided to face her head-on. Eiko then opened her mouth wide as a magic circle appeared in front of her. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the magic circle was getting bigger and bigger. Clearly, Eiko was pouring all of her magical energy into one powerful attack with all of her might. Astra knew that he couldn¡¯t afford to hold back since he could feel that Eiko¡¯s magical energy was rising at a rapid rate. Lightning crackled at the tip of the Unicorn¡¯s horn, creating a ball of lightning which growed bigger and bigger every second. Lux had summoned Pazuzu to stand in front of them, while the ck Tortoise, Myrtle, stood in front of Iris. The rest of Iris¡¯ Guardians had also taken a defensive stance, forming a circle around their Master to ensure her safety. ¡°Grandma, please, make your move if you see that Eiko¡¯s life is in danger,¡± Lux said softly. Vera nodded. She had also made her preparations to take action if Eiko¡¯s and Astra¡¯s life were in danger. ¡°Moonst!¡± Eiko shouted and a two-meter tall orb of light erupted from the magic circle in front of her. It had a shape simr to that of the moon¡¯s which emitted a radiance that shone brightly. Astra neighed as it unleashed its skill called ¡°Thunder¡¯s Fury.¡± It was his strongest attack that he only used when he fought against strong opponents in Elysium. When these two spells collided, a mini shockwave erupted in the surroundings as both spells tried to push each other away. Thesested for several seconds before both attacks merged into each other. ¡°Pazuzu, block it!¡± Lux ordered. The Demonic Defender immediately activated its Shield Wall, creating a giant Tower Shield in front of them. Vera disappeared from where she stood and a few seconds after that, a powerful explosion rocked the entire Training Grounds, forcing Lux, and Iris, to cover their eyes due to the intense radiance that turned their sightpletely white. Chapter 178 I’ve Seen That Mofo Two Times Already When the bright light receded, Lux and Iris stared at the aftermath of Eiko¡¯s and Astra¡¯s final sh. The training grounds were in a mess, with bits of equipment scattered all over. However, there was no damage in the Training Ground itself. It was obvious that the facility was made to endure strong attacks. It could probably only be destroyed by blows that came from High-Rankers. Vera approached her grandchildren while holding a small puddle of goo in her hands. The small blue puddle was none other than Eiko who had used up all her energy in herst attack. The baby slime didn¡¯t even have any strength left to retain her usual form, which worried Lux and Iris. However, after Iris checked Eiko¡¯s condition, she was relieved to find out that aside from exhaustion, her baby slime was fine and had simply fell into hibernation mode to regain her strength. Astra, on the other hand, stood arrogantly in the training ground. The moment the lightning that covered its body disappeared, several bruises could be found on its pristine white skin. Clearly, it suffered minor injuries during hisst sh with Eiko. Vera had stood in front of Eiko to block the explosion and protected the awakened slime from getting injured. Because of this, the baby slime was unscathed by the aftermath, and was now being cared for by Iris, who was pouring regeneration potions on Eiko¡¯s puddle-like-body. ¡°This is your victory, Astra,¡± Lux said as he approached the Unicorn who was looking at the baby slime in Iris¡¯ hands from a distance. ¡°Thank you for taking it easy on my daughter. However, if you ck on your training, Eiko will surely catch up to you. She may not beat you in your next rematch, or your rematch after that. But, I¡¯m sure that a year from now, you¡¯ll no longer be able to take it easy.¡±. Astra nced at Lux and let out a snort before walking away. The Unicorn was about to return to its personal residence when Iris blocked his path. ¡°Thank you, Astra, for holding back,¡± Iris said with a smile. She then opened a regeneration potion and offered it to Astra, which thetter took without even a slight hint of hesitation. The young beauty then opened another potion and poured its contents on Astra¡¯s bruised body. A few secondster, all of his injuries were healed. Aside from the dirt that was stuck on its body, the Unicorn had mostly recovered. Just like what Iris said, Astra had held back in the end. If it wished, it could¡¯ve sted through Eiko¡¯s Moon st and pushed the attack back to the baby slime, which might have resulted in a critical injury. Astra didn¡¯t reply and simply nudged his head on Iris cheek, telling her that it was not a big deal to him. After a while, the Unicorn walked away before teleporting towards his residence. His battle with Eiko had made him realize that Lux was right. If he cked on his training, Eiko would definitely catch up to him, which was something he wouldn¡¯t want to happen. It wasn¡¯t only Astra who felt this way. All of Iris¡¯ Guardians who witnessed the battle felt a fire light up inside their chest. More than anything else, they didn¡¯t want to lose to the baby slime the most. The battle had shown them that even a baby like her could threaten their lives if they weren¡¯t careful. Vera looked in amusement as she held the puddle of blue goo in her hands. ording to her estimate, it would take Eiko a few hours or a whole day before she finally regained her consciousness. She had seen many slimes in the past, and for some reason, Eiko reminded her of that one slime she had once encountered in one of the High-Ranking areas in Elysium. Vera didn¡¯t know if Eiko would grow up to be simr to that slime she had met, but if the baby slime did, then her current impression of her adopted slime granddaughter would have to be revised. After all, that Slime Queen had taken over an entire kingdom by itself and was now considered as one of the Overlords in Elysium. It was an existence that even High-Rankers didn¡¯t dare to offend. Iris had taken Eiko back to her room to do a full body examination. She was very curious about Eiko¡¯s current form since she had never taken care of a slime before. Lux felt that it would be a bad idea to follow Iris back to her room, so he decided to stroll around Barbatos Academy with Vera, while waiting for Alicia to finish the preparation for his registration as well as the paperwork she had toplete to be his guarantor in the tournament. When the two appeared in the training grounds of the students, Vera pointed at one of the teenagers that were standing in the arena. The teenager had short blonde hair and blue eyes and he was quite handsome. The blonde teenager stood as straight as a sword and his mere presence made Lux feel that he was looking at an expert. ¡°He is one of the people that you should look out for in the tournament, Lux,¡± Vera said softly. ¡°That young man is the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Azov, Rupert Evans Vi Azov. Have you heard of the ¡®Four Kings, and the Five Overlords¡¯?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°They are considered as the strongest members of the young generation among the Six Kingdoms.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That person is one of the Four Kings and the younger generation refer to him as the Sword King.¡± ¡°What a domineering title. So, he¡¯s a genius in swordsmanship?¡± Vera chuckled as she shook her head. ¡°Calling him a genius is belittling him. Even my son hadn¡¯t reached his level of proficiency with the sword when he was of the same age. Also, he has a very unique body constitution that is very resistant against magical attacks. This makes him a very dangerous opponent for magic users.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Looks like he got all of his bases covered. If Nero were to match up against him, who would win?¡± Vera paused as she pondered the answer to this question. ¡°I say that Nero has a forty percent chance to win against him,¡± Vera replied. ¡°Although Prince Rupert might be strong, he is not invincible. Just remember Lux that there are many strong people that will be joining the tournament. You should never let your guard down.¡± Lux knew that his Grandma was only concerned about his well-being, so she decided to show him one of the possible opponents that he could be facing in the tournament. As if sensing Lux¡¯s gaze, Prince Rupert nced in his direction and gave him a brief nod before walking down from the arena. His opponent had conceded even before their mock battle started, which the spectators who were hoping to gain an insight to his abilities, sigh in disappointment. ¡°Grandma, are the members of the Four Kings and Five Overlords also here in Barbatos Academy?¡± Lux inquired. ¡°Two of the Four Kings, and two of the Five Overlords reside here,¡± Vera answered. ¡°The others like Nero spend most of their days in Elysium. They only return to Sis to give their reports, so it¡¯s hard to get a hold of them.¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯ve seen that Mofo two times already,¡± Lux said. ¡°He¡¯s not that hard to find.¡± Vera could only shake her head helplessly at her grandson¡¯sment. Clearly, Lux and Nero had bad blood between them. But, as a responsible adult, she didn¡¯t n to interfere. This was a conflict between the younger generation, so this must be settled by the two of them. Besides, she didn¡¯t dislike Nero being Lux¡¯s rival. This kind of rtionship would only encourage her grandson to work harder. Aside from that, she was sure that Lux would settle their differences in the tournament, so she didn¡¯t have to do anything about it. Chapter 179 Is My Disguise Good? ¡°Brother, you¡¯re going to join the tournament, right?¡± Iris asked as she sat on the couch of her residence¡¯s living room. Lux nodded his head. ¡°But I¡¯ll be hiding my identity.¡± ¡°Is it because of my father?¡± ¡°Not really. I just don¡¯t want to stand out.¡± Iris giggled as she looked at her stepbrother with an amused expression on her face. ¡°So, will you be wearing a mask?¡± Iris asked in a mischievous tone. Lux replied with a smile as he took out the mythical mask that belonged to the Faunus Battle Regalia. The mask was called the Mask of a Thousand Faces, but the number of faces that it could store in its memory were only two. As soon as Lux wore the mask, something unbelievable happened. His body instantly changed. In just a short moment, a chubby boy with short ck hair and light-brown eyes appeared in front of Iris. The young beauty¡¯s eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. When Lux said that he would be using a different identity to enter the tournament, she didn¡¯t expect something like the scene in front of her eyes.. ¡°Well, how do I look?¡± Lux asked. His voice had also changed after wearing the mask, but his expressions were the same. Iris reached out to poke Lux¡¯s chubby belly, as well as pat his chubby arms. She then reached out to pinch Lux¡¯s face and felt its softness. What surprised her the most was the fact that even though she tried to take off the mask, the only thing she managed to pull was Lux¡¯s skin, which made thetter cry out in pain. ¡°S-Sorry!¡± Iris immediately apologized. ¡°Brother, this mask is amazing! Are you the only one that can take it off?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lux said as he took off the mask, which allowed him to revert back to his handsome appearance. ¡°What do you think? Is my disguise good?¡± ¡°Very good! I think even my father will not be able to tell that it is you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the n. Since no one will know who I am, let alone how I fight, it¡¯s the perfect disguise for me.¡± Iris quieted down as she looked at Lux with a serious expression on her face. The Hal-Elf blinked once then twice because Iris¡¯ was staring at him as if she wanted to see through his very soul. ¡°Lux, can you wear it again?¡± Iris asked. ¡°Please?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lux nodded. He didn¡¯t know what Iris was thinking, but for some reason he felt that he shouldply with her request. As soon as Lux transformed into his chubby appearance, Iris walked up to him and cupped his face. ¡°I see¡­ so that¡¯s it,¡± Iris said softly as she stared at Lux¡¯s light-brown eyes. ¡°Um, Iris?¡± Lux couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious because Iris¡¯ stare never left his eyes. ¡°Is there something wrong with my eyes?¡± ¡°No,¡± Iris replied. ¡°Even though you have taken a new form, the look in your eyes is the same.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been observing Brother for a long time, so I can tell that the way you look at others is the same.¡± After she finished talking, Iris hugged Lux and rested her head on his shoulder. A minuteter, Iris hand lightly patted Lux¡¯s round belly and giggled. ¡°Lux, I¡¯d like to experience what it¡¯s like to sleep on your belly,¡± Iris said. ¡°Can we do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Lux answered. ¡°But, let¡¯s do that when you are in Grandma¡¯s house. If for some reason, your father suddenly visited you and saw us together, he might kill me without asking for any exnation.¡± Iris giggled because what Lux had said was certainly possible. Her father wouldn¡¯t allow a random stranger to be so close to Iris without his permission. Even if he didn¡¯t kill that person, that person would still suffer from excruciating pain, which would make them wish they were dead. Just as the two were about to continue their discussion, a knock was heard from the door. Lux immediately took off his mask and hid it inside his storage ring, and sat on the couch as if nothing had happened. With a smirk on her face, Iris called out towards the door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Excuse me, Lady Iris.¡± Alicia entered the room, and opened the door for Lux and Iris¡¯ grandma, Vera. The old woman entered the room first before Alicia closed the door and locked it behind her. ¡°Lady Vera had already told me that you¡¯re nning to join the tournament and asked me to be your guarantor,¡± Alicia stated. ¡°Are you now ready to register, Lux?¡± Lux nodded his head to confirm his determination to participate in the tournament. ¡°Good,¡± Aliciamented before tossing a blue crystal on the floor. As soon as the crystal touched the floor, it transformed into a circr artifact that remained motionless on the ground. ¡°Lady Vera said that you¡¯re going to wear a disguise in the tournament,¡± Alicia stared at Lux, her eyes filled with curiosity. ¡°Wear your disguise and step onto the artifact. It will record your body¡¯s statistics.¡± Lux smiled before wearing his mask. He was quite curious on how Alicia would react after seeing his current form. The moment his form changed that of a chubby boy, Alicia just nodded her head and made a gesture for Lux to step into the tform, which confused the Half-Elf. ¡°Um, aren¡¯t you going to say anything?¡± Lux asked the beautiful secretary who always did her work properly. ¡°About what? Your transformation?¡± Alicia arched an eyebrow. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve been working with several Foxkin¡¯s as ofte, and all of them are expert in transformations. If you showed this trick to me half a year ago, I would have been surprised. But now, I¡¯m just numb to it all.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Lux sighed before stepping into the tform that recorded his overall stats. This record would be the one that Alicia would use to register Lux to ensure that no problem would arise during the tournament. Only those who were aged twenty and below were allowed to participate in the tournament. Even if Lux changed his appearance, his bone age was still the same. This was how the artifact would ensure that Lux didn¡¯t surpass the age of twenty, which was the main requirement to join the tournament in Barbatos Academy. ¡°Your features are now recorded,¡± Aliciamented after looking at the data that shed in front of her. ¡°Now, all you need to do is give me the name that you want to use in the tournament.¡± Lux smiled. He had thought long and hard for the name that he was going to use in the tournament. After Alicia, and Iris heard of the name, the two girls looked at Lux in a weird manner before chuckling at the same time. Vera only smiled because she had already known the name that Lux would use in the tournament. From the name alone, the olddy could already see how everyone would react when the tournament in Barbatos Academy finally started. ¡°Lux, are you sure that this is the name that you are going to choose?¡± Alicia asked after she had regained herposure. ¡°For some reason, I am already looking forward to how the referee will announce your name in the tournament.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Irismented. ¡°I want to see how everyone will react after hearing your name.¡± Lux smirked because this was the reaction that he was aiming for when he chose his name. Alicia stayed for a few minutes to have idle chat with Lux and Iris before leaving the room. She was quite busy and there were still some things that she had to do. However, before anything else, she would go to the Headmaster¡¯s Office to make a report that Lux was going to join the tournament. This was what Vera asked her to do, so that her son would be informed that the Half-Elf would also join the festivities. ¡®I just hope Lux doesn¡¯t faint in the middle of the fight,¡¯ Alicia thought anxiously as she knocked on the door of the Headmaster¡¯s office. ¡®Will he really be alright?¡¯ To say that Alicia was worried about Lux was an understatement. The beautiful secretary was well aware of Lux¡¯s condition since it had also happened several times in the past when the Half-Elf visited Barbatos Academy. However, since Vera had assured her that everything was going to be fine, Alicia had no choice but to believe the kind olddy, who had raised Lux with all the love and care in the world Chapter 180 There’s No Chance That He Will Pass The Qualifiers Alexander sighed after hearing Alicia¡¯s report. ¡°Does she really want Lux to get hurt that badly?¡± Alexander asked Alicia who had aplicated look on his face. ¡°This is not a friendly sparring match. There¡¯s a huge chance that he would get seriously injured in the tournament.¡± Although Alicia also had misgivings, she believed that Vera wouldn¡¯t have agreed to anything that could actively harm her grandson. Also, Lux somehow felt different to her at the moment. For some reason, she felt like the teenage boy had grown a lot since thest time that the two of them had met. ¡°Sir, Lady Vera treasures Lux a lot,¡± Alicia replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know how much she cares about him. Knowing her, do you really think that she would allow Lux to get hurt?¡± Alexander didn¡¯t respond and merely tapped his finger on top of his table. He knew how overprotective his mother was more than anyone in the world. He didn¡¯t believe that his mother would allow Lux to enter the tournament if she didn¡¯t have some kind of assurance about his safety. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about him for now,¡± Alexander stated. ¡°How are the registration of the tournament proceeding? Are you encountering any problems?¡± Alicia shook her head. ¡°Everything is in order, Sir. I believe that the number of candidates will surpass our initial estimates. Perhaps dering that the champion will be Lady Iris¡¯ fiance inspired the members of the young generation to go all out.¡±. Alexander¡¯s expression remained calm after Alicia¡¯s reply. He had long decided to go down this path for the sake of his daughter. Although his mother was against it, both of them knew that the only thing that mattered in this world was strength. Love might be good, but it was not enough to protect the people that are important to you when faced with someone who was truly powerful. Alexander and Vera knew this very well, and yet, both have divided opinions on how to settle Iris¡¯ future. Alexander wanted his daughter to have a stable andfortable life. Vera on the other hand wanted Iris to live a happy life with her beloved. Right now, Alexander had the strength to protect his daughter, but who knew if that would change in the future. idents could happen, so at the very least, he wanted Iris to be with someone who could properly protect her when the sky falls down above her head. ¡°If there are any concerns regarding the tournament, report it to me at once,¡± Alexander ordered. ¡°I don¡¯t want any mishaps to happen in this year¡¯s event.¡± Alicia nodded her head. However, before she left the room, she decided to see if Alexander cared for Lux¡¯s well-being in the tournament or not. ¡°Sir, do you think that Lux will be able to get far in the tournament?¡± Alicia asked. She was curious on how the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy would answer her question. ¡°I don¡¯t need to think. There¡¯s no chance for him to even pass the qualifiers,¡± Alexander said before staring at his secretary with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Make sure to personally handpick the referee for his battles. At the very least, order him to prevent that fool from dying. Although he¡¯s not good enough to be Iris¡¯ fiance, I don¡¯t hate him enough for him to get killed. He is still family, so make sure he doesn¡¯t die. Do you understand?¡± Alicia bowed. ¡°As you wish, Headmaster.¡± The beautiful secretary then left the room and returned to her duties. Now that Alexander had given her another order, she would have to personally handpick the referee that would be mediating Lux¡¯s battles to ensure his safety. At the very least, Alicia felt relieved knowing that behind Alexander¡¯s rough treatment for his step-son, he still cared enough to ensure Lux¡¯s safety. ¡ª¨C Inside the Storm Dragon¡¯s Guild Headquarters in Elysium¡­ ¡°Sir, one of our people in Barbatos Academy had discovered that Lux hade to the academy to register for the tournament,¡± one of Nero¡¯s trusted subordinates reported. ¡°Good,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Thank you for the report. You may leave now.¡± His subordinate bowed before leaving the Guildmaster¡¯s office. He was the person that Nero had tasked to make a report if Lux was found in Barbatos Academy. After hearing that the Half-Elf had registered for the tournament, Nero felt an incredible itch in the palm of his hand. ¡°Too bad that I am already a seeded participant,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°I would love to personally kick that bastard out of the tournament. He sure is lucky that he didn¡¯t have the chance to face me.¡± The Four Kings and the Five Overlords were exempted from participating in the Qualifiers. Among the thousands of participants, only a few dozen would make it to the Final Qualifying Matches. After that, the regr matches would be held. That was where The Four Kings and the Five Overlords would participate until only eight would remain. These eight people would then head to the Semi-Finals. In Nero¡¯s Eyes, only the Four Kings posed a threat to him. This was especially true for the Sword King, whose abilities were known to everyone. ¡°You got lucky this time, Lux,¡± Nero sneered. ¡°But, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to win the tournament not only for your stepsister, but for my ambition as well.¡± As someone who was born among themon folk, Nero wanted to escape from his origins and be a dragon among men. For that to happen, he needed power and influence. These were the things that he longed for and although his position allowed him some authority over the younger generation of Wildgarde Stronghold, for him, it was not enough. Right now, the tournament matched the goal he had in mind. Not only would he gain power and influence, he would also gain riches and the prized daughter of the Saint of Barbatos Academy. Nero could feel the ambition burning in his chest and his desire to be the champion intensified. His only regret was that he would not be the one to personally cripple the Half-Elf in front of thetter¡¯s grandmother, as well as the young beauty that loved Lux. Chapter 181 I Want Them All. Dead Or Alive [Part 1] Somewhere in Elysium¡­ ¡°Are you sure this is the ce where that monster is located?¡± Colette asked as she surveyed their surroundings. ¡°Maybe we came to the wrong ce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain that this is the ce,¡± Matty replied as he looked at the map in his hands. ¡°This is the location shown in the map. The receptionist in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was the one who gave it to us, so this shouldn¡¯t be wrong.¡± Andy, Axel, and Helen were paying close attention to their surroundings, feeling that this was a very dangerous ce. Their senses were telling them that something was amiss, but they had no idea what it was. They had epted a Rank-C mission from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, which was to kill a certain monster that was terrorizing the adventurers and the Town¡¯s people that wandered too deep in the forest to forage, and then go to the next town in order to trade. There was an adventurer¡¯s group that had attempted to clear this mission first, but they went missing and hadn¡¯t been seen since then. The guild had re-issued this quest in the hope that clues on what happened to the adventurer party woulde to light. Colette and her party had safely be Grade C Apostles, so they thought that this mission was just right for their current rank. They were the kind of adventurer party that liked to help others, so finding the missing dwarves was something that they decided to carry out themselves. But, as they continued to advance further inside the forest, they sensed movement from their surroundings, which prompted all of them to take a defensive stance. Suddenly, a loud howl broke the peace and a two-meter tall Werewolf descended several meters away from them. Just as they thought that they were only fighting one opponent, five other Lycans who were shorter than the first one appeared at their left and right sides, nking them. As Colette¡¯s party was about to engage their opponents, a merry voice sounded from behind them.. ¡°Looks like we got ourselves a decent group this time,¡± an excited voice sounded from behind dwarven children. Colette and the others turned around to look at the source of the voice, which came from behind, and found over twenty ck-robed individuals. ¡°Indeed, thest group were just a bunch of Rookies that had just stepped into the Apostle Grade,¡± one of the robed dwarves said. ¡°They weren¡¯t even enough to be our experiment¡¯s y thing.¡± ¡°Take a look at the emblems they are carrying. They are from the Eternal Guild.¡± ¡°From that girl, Aina¡¯s, Guild? This is perfect. She has been getting in our way a lottely.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we can take this as a little payback for making things difficult for us in Whitebridge City.¡± ¡°Well, with this, the members of our Lycan brigade here in Oakwood Town will grow. We could¡¯ve had an army by now, but for some reason, the serum only works on Foreigners. The townspeople die before theyplete their transformation.¡± Colette¡¯s expression became grim after overhearing what the ck-robed figures were chatting about. The group didn¡¯t even bother to keep this information secret from them, since they were sure that the dwarven children were already goners. With a two-meter tall Lycan, who was at least a Rank 3 Alpha Monster, and smaller Lycans who were Rank 3 Monsters, Colette found themselves in a difficult situation. Behind them was a group of dwarves whose strength were still unknown to them. ¡°Colette, listen,¡± Matty said in a low voice. ¡°I will try to hold them off. You try to break through this encirclement and call for help.¡± ¡°Helen, you go with Colette,¡± Andy said. ¡°We will buy you girls some time, so run as fast as you can.¡± Axel nodded his head as he held his staff firmly. The boys already knew that this was a hopeless situation, so they unanimously decided to let Colette and Helen escape while they held back their enemies. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± one of the ck-robed dwarves chuckled. ¡°These brats are ying the hero.¡± ¡°How touching. Too bad, it¡¯s futile,¡± the ck-robed dwarf who stood at the front of the group said. ¡°None of you are getting away. Get them!¡± The Alpha Lycan Monster roared and lunged at Colette¡¯s group. Matty roared as he blocked the Lycans¡¯ path and engaged it in a one-on-one battle. ¡°Go! Colette, Helen!¡± Matty shouted. ¡°Go and look for help!¡± Right after Matty¡¯s shout, one of the smaller Lycans nking them jumped at him with its jaws open wide. A metallic ring spread in the surroundings as Colette used her round shield to block the Lycan¡¯s attack, shielding Matty from getting injured. ¡°We can¡¯t escape,¡± Colette stated as she pushed back the Lycan before smashing its chest with her mace. ¡°They will not let any of us escape, so might as well fight till the end!¡± Matty gritted his teeth as he shed at the Alpha Monster in front of him. He knew that what Colette said was right, and he felt helpless about it. Helen¡¯s shout suddenly sounded behind them, which made Colette nce at her direction. One of the Lycans had managed tond a blow on Axel, sending him smashing towards a tree. Helen, who was about to heal him, was then attacked by another Lycan, forcing Andy to take the blow for her. The result was thetter getting a deep gash on his chest, staining his clothes with blood. Colette pushed back the Lycan she was fighting against and quickly came to Helen¡¯s aid. If their healer were to fall, their chance for survival would decrease drastically, which was the main reason why the Lycans tried to take her down first. The group wearing ck-robes watched with great interest as Colette fought off two Lycans at once, forcing them back with sheer strength and determination. ¡°She will make a good Lycan,¡± the leader of the group said. ¡°At least Alpha Rank 2, perhaps even Rank 3 after the serum strengthens her body.¡± ¡°That Weaponmaster over there isn¡¯t too shabby himself,¡± another robed-dwarfmented. ¡°Perhaps he would also be an Alpha Monster after he transforms.¡± While the ck-robed group chatted idly, Colette¡¯s and Matty¡¯s condition were deteriorating at a rapid rate. Although Helen had started to heal Andy¡¯s and Axel¡¯s injuries, the fact that they were being overpowered still remained. It was only a matter of time before they were taken down one by one, until none of them was left. Colette and Matty were wearing the Faunus Armor Set, which were made for fighters like them. If it weren¡¯t for this, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to stand their ground and resist most of the blows thatnded on their bodies. Andy, Axel, and Helen were wearing Faunus Sets as well, but theirs was more of a support type armor set meant for mages and healers. They were sturdy, but not as sturdy as the ones worn by warriors, which specialized in hand to handbat. ¡°Good, theysted longer than expected,¡± the leader said before taking out a flute from her storage ring. ¡°Time to finish this.¡± The leader of the dwarves blew on the flute, creating a shrill melody that made the Lycans stop their attacks. A momentter, all of them howled as their eyes turned blood-red, and the muscles on their bodies grew. They had all entered a berserked-state, which meant that all of their attacks were now stronger than before. As if to prove this point, when Colette used her Round Shield to block the Rank 3 Alpha Monster¡¯s punch, she was sent flying until her body mmed to a tree, causing Matty to roar in anger. Immediately after that, the group¡¯s formation crumbled, and they were easily beaten up until theyid on the ground groaning in pain. ¡°You did well,¡± the leader of the group of dwarves said, while pping her hand. ¡°Worry not. We have deemed all of you worthy to be our subordinates, so none of you will be killed. When we return to our base, all of you will be injected with a serum that will turn you into Lycans. You should be honored because you will be part of the revolution that will change this world for the better!¡± Matty red hatefully at the leader of the dwarves as blood seeped at the corner of his lips. The Alpha Monster¡¯s foot was pinning him down, so he couldn¡¯t move even if he wished for it. He then nced at Colette in the distance, who had already lost consciousness. Several bruises could be seen on her pretty face. Matty felt his heart ache from seeing the girl he loved in such a condition. ¡°Take them back to the Headquarters,¡± the leader ordered. ¡°Make sure to handle them with care. Afterall, they will be our new pets when the sun rises tomorrow.¡± The Lycan¡¯s picked up Colette¡¯s, Helen¡¯s, Andy¡¯s, and Axel¡¯s body from the ground and lifted them all in a princess carry. The Alpha Monster was about to knock Matty unconscious when it saw a blue slime looking up at it, a meter away from the dwarf boy under its feet. Slimes were prettymon monsters, so the Alpha Monster, as well as the robed-dwarves didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. But, there was one person that paid attention to it, which was none other than Matty, who got teary-eyed after seeing the familiar baby slime that belonged to the person he aspired to be. The baby slime then lowered its gaze from the Lycan and looked at the beaten-up dwarf under its feet. ¡°Simp!¡± The baby slime only said one word, but it was enough to make the dwarf boy, who had lost all hope,ugh, despite his sorry state. Chapter 182 I Want Them All. Dead Or Alive [Part 2] ¡°Simp!¡± It was a word that Matty hated ever since he heard it back in Leaf Vige. Despite his multiple attempts to vehemently deny it over and over again, the naughty baby slime would call him with this word over and over again. When he left Leaf Vige alongside his friends, he even felt thankful, thinking that he would never hear this word ever again. But now, the word that was meant to tease him, sounded like it was the best thing ever. The irony made Mattyugh. Heughed as tears streamed down his bruised cheeks. Their Big Brother hade to save them from the people who bullied them. ¡°Poor thing,¡± the leader of the dwarves said as she looked at the dwarf boy who wasughing crazily. ¡°He broke.¡±. ¡°Well, that is only expected, Leader,¡± one of the robed-dwarves said. ¡°It seems that he had epted his situation and had fallen in despair.¡± The leader nodded before pointing at the baby slime that was looking with an amused expression at theughing dwarf that was pinned on the ground. ¡°Kill that slime,¡± the leader nodded. ¡°I hate weak monsters.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± one of her subordinates replied and fired a Stone Bullet at the baby slime who was giggling, while looking at theughing dwarf in front of her. Just as the Stone Bullet was about to hit its target, the baby slime jumped to the side, dodging the attackpletely. The subordinate frowned and fired another Stone Bullet at the baby slime, which thetter evaded by casually dodging to the side. Seeing this, the leader of the group became irritated and ordered one of the Lycans to step on the slime to crush itpletely. The Lycan growled as it stomped on the blue slime that had made its master angry. However, his attack missed because the baby slime disappeared on the ground. It thenter appeared on top of the Lycan¡¯s head, giggling, as if finding the situation quite amusing. When the baby slime blinked on top of the Lycan¡¯s head, the leader of the dwarves¡¯ looked at it with a shocked expression on her face. She had never seen a slime use a blink skill before, and her impression of it changedpletely. ¡°Capture that slime,¡± the leader of the dwarves ordered. ¡°It might be a new species that has never been seen before. It might be a specimen worth studying.¡± Three of her subordinates rushed towards the baby slime with the intention to catch it. Just like their leader, they were very curious about the blue slime upon seeing that it was acting differently from the slimes they were familiar with. When the three robed-dwarves came within striking range, Eiko unleashed her Moonst Skill, which sent the three dwarves flying. If in the past, the leader was just interested in the baby slime, now, she was determined to catch it no matter what. A slime as powerful as the one in front of her was rare within the surrounding territories. She would be a fool to not bring it back to their base to research. ¡°If you want something done, you have to do it yourself,¡± the leader said as she conjured a magical rope meant for capturing monsters. ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± The rope flew towards Eiko as if it was a living creature, which made the baby slime¡¯s smile disappear from her face. She could tell that she would have a hard time breaking free from the magical rope if it managed to catch her, so she decided to take this fight seriously. The first thing Eiko did was to slide down from the Lycan¡¯s head, and hid herself behind it. Without seeing her target, the leader was forced to make the rope bind the Lycan, in the hope that it would also bind the slime alongside it. However, when the rope wrapped itself around the Lycan, the baby slime was nowhere to be found. ¡°It must have escaped,¡± the leader said with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t mind. We¡¯ll just look for itter after we get these brats back to the base. We can¡¯t stay here for long or else we might get discovered by passersby.¡± Her subordinates nodded their heads in agreement, but just before they were about to carry the dwarves away, they heard a teasing voice right above their heads. ¡°When you say passersby, are you referring to me?¡± The leader of the dwarves looked up and saw a red-headed teenager standing on a tree branch and looking down on them with a smile on his face. ¡°An elf?¡± the leader stared at the teenager with a serious expression on her face. ¡°No. A Half-Elf. So, you must be that boy who messed up our n in the Territory of Norria. Perfect timing. Our boss has long wanted to catch you, but the border guards had increased after the incident. Tough luck, boy. You shouldn¡¯t have made us your enemy.¡± After hearing their leader¡¯s words, the dwarves all took out their weapons with the intention to beat the Half-Elf until he was Half-Dead. Their Boss wanted him alive, even cing a bounty on Lux¡¯s head for the members of their organization. Since the rewards were grand, everyone was raring to go and capture him for themselves. ¡°Wrong,¡± Lux replied as his body was covered with a Dark-Green armor that released a gust of wind. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have hurt my friends and made me your enemy.¡± After registering in Barbatos Academy for the tournament, Lux returned to Wildgarde Stronghold with his grandma Vera. He intended toe back to Elysium and stay for a few weeks to reunite with his friends, who had gone to a town outside the territory of Norria. He had promised to look for them after leaving Leaf Vige. When he arrived in Oakwood Town, he found out that Colette¡¯s group had left for a mission from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Although Lux had been away from the Kingdom of Gweliven for some time, the King of the Dwarves had notified all the branches of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in his kingdom about his aplishments. Because of this, the Guild Masters of the various branches of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had instructed their staff to give the Half-Elf the VIP treatment. Thanks to this, he was able to find the exact mission that his friends were handling and left Oakwood Town to give them a surprise. Lux didn¡¯t expect that instead of a happy reunion, he would find his friends under the mercy of the same organization that had nned toy waste to the Territory of Norria through the abomination that they had hatched inside the Figaro Gardens. The red-headed teenager then pointed at the Alpha Monster that was stepping over Matty¡¯s body with a re. ¡°Take that filthy foot off my friend!¡± Lux ordered. Immediately, a rocky fist jutted from the ground and smashed on the Alpha Monster¡¯s chest, sending it skidding a few meters away. A momentter, several pained howls followed, as the Lycans holding Colette, Helen, Andy, and Axel, were attacked by a group of skeletons that materialized out of nowhere. Since they were holding the dwarf children in their hands, they were unable to fend themselves from the surprise attack, which allowed Diablo, Ishtar, and Pazuzu to retrieve the children safely. After his friends were safely rescued, several skeletons carried them towards Lux, while his Named Creatures faced the Alpha Monster, as well as the group of dwarves fearlessly. Through the shared connection they had with Lux, they all knew how angry Lux was because of what happened to his friends. ¡°Don¡¯t let any of them escape,¡± Lux ordered as he crouched down to help Matty drink a Health Potion. ¡°I want them all. Dead or Alive.¡± Chapter 183 Lycan Mutation Project ¡°Drink up, Matty,¡± Lux said as he helped the Dwarf boy drink the potion in his hand. After the bottle was emptied, the Half-Elf took out a different bottle and sprinkled it on Matty¡¯s body to help him recover faster. The Dwarf boy¡¯s face was still a little pale, but it was far better than its previous state. ¡°Thank you, Big Brother,¡± Matty replied as soon as he recovered enough of his strength to talk. He was ovee with emotions of gratitude, he ended up voicing out the thought inside his head that he had been trying to hold back. ¡°Um? Big Brother?¡± Lux shed a mischievous smile towards the Dwarf boy before patting his head. ¡°Good! Don¡¯t worry, Little Bro, I got your back. Your Big Bro is going to teach these bullies not to pick on you guys.¡± Matty¡¯s face became beet red, instantly regretting calling Lux Big Brother. The Half-Elf¡¯s smug expression was so irritating, he was very tempted to dig a hole and bury himself inside it with the mentality of out of sight, out of mind. However, before Matty could wallow in his embarrassment, Lux took out several Health Potions and Mana Potions from his storage ring and passed all of them to him. ¡°Take care of Colette and the others,¡± Lux said as he nced at the battle that was unfolding around them. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with these guys first.¡± Matty nodded and hurried towards his friends¡¯ side. Right now, Diablo and Pazuzu were dealing with the Rank 3 Alpha Monster, while Ishtar and Orion, alongside the skeleton army, were dealing with itsckeys. The robed Dwarfs were also about to join the battle when several Skeletons and Slimes attacked them from behind. ¡°Doppelganger,¡± Lux dered and two clones appeared beside him. Eiko had hidden herself in one of the trees, observing the battle from a safe distance. And just like Lux, she had also summoned her own Doppelgangers and tasked them to assist the battle. Lux had given the baby Slime a role, which disallowed her from showing herself in the battlefield. The same rule applied to her clones, so they had no choice but to hide in the treetops and simply summon minions to fight in their stead.. With Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯sbined abilities, the number of Skeletons that were currently engaged in battle were over 300. But that was not all. Aside from the Skeletons and Slimes, there were also seven Rock Golems on the battlefield, including Orion. If in the beginning, the Lycans and the robed Dwarves outnumbered Colette¡¯s party five to one, now, the summoned creatures outnumbered the other party fourteen to one. The leader of the Dwarves and her subordinates couldn¡¯t believe what was happening around them. They initially thought that the Skeletons were just ordinary Skeletons, but against their expectations, the Undead they were fighting against were quite tough and worked well together as a team. ¡°It¡¯s still not enough,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°These bastards need to suffer more. Guys,e out and bite them silly!¡± Lux summoned the Wargs that he had acquired during the Quest of Dominion. All of them were battle mounts, so they had the ability to fight, just like Diablo¡¯s mount, Airon. These twenty Wargs were led by Jed, who had now mutated into a Thunder Warg King after he ingested the Mutated Blood of the Thunder Wolf King that Lux gave him. Jed was now a Rank 4 Monster, while the other Wargs remained as Rank 2 Monsters. Back then, Jed just looked like any other ordinary Warg that could be seen in the wild. Aside from the scar on his right eye, he had no other distinctive features. But, now, it was different. With the help of Randolph, Lux¡¯s Battle Mount was adorned with cool looking armor that made him look like a de Liger from the anime series Zoydz. Jed roared and lightning bolts snaked around his body. He then electrocuted the five lesser Lycans with his lightning bolts until all of them were paralyzed. Lux overheard the Dwarf leader¡¯s words about turning Colette and the others into Lycans. If his hunch was right, the lesser Lycans were also dwarves that had been mutated due to the effect of the serum. If possible, Lux wanted to find a way to revert them to their previous forms. Although he wasn¡¯t sure if it was possible, he still wanted to do his best to help them regain the things that they had lost. The robed Dwarves could still resist the Skeletons to a certain extent since most of them were Grade B and Grade A Apostles. However, after the lesser Lycans were dealt with, Ishtar, Orion, and Jed, as well as the Wargs under it, joined the Skeletons in attacking the viins who had targeted their Master¡¯s friends. ¡®Not good!¡¯ By now, the leader of the Dwarves had realized that staying to fight Lux and his minions was a futile endeavor. Using her subordinates as shields, she hurriedly escaped the scene and ran through the forest, leaving everyone behind. The other Dwarves, who saw this scene, ran after their leader. They had the same rank as her, so it was easy for them to break free from the Skeletons that were trying to pin them down. Lux watched them go with a sneer. He had ordered his Skeletons to subtly open a path that would allow the Dwarf leader and some of her subordinates to escape. ¡®Eiko, it¡¯s all up to you.¡¯ ¡®Pa!¡¯ Six dwarves, including their leader, had fled the scene and hurried towards their headquarters. They were unaware that above their heads, three baby slimes were flying over the trees in hot pursuit. Ishtar, as well as Eiko, had used the Hunter¡¯s Mark skill to put a tracker on the Dwarves that had escaped. Lux¡¯s n was to allow them to return to their base, so that he could clear the quest that had appeared the moment he had engaged them in battle. ¡ª¨C < Lycan Mutation Project > ¨C Emergency Quest ¨C Difficulty Rating: B ¨C An unknown organization is conducting an experiment within the territory of Oakwood Town. Their goal is to create an army of mutated monsters in order to further their goals of overturning the peace in the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven. < Quest Objective > ¨C Find their headquarters and look for documents about the experiments. ¨C Report this discovery to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, so they can dispatch adventurers to weed out the remaining members of the unknown organization that are lurking within Oakwood Town. < Optional Quest Objective > ¨C Find a cure for the mutated Lycans ¡ª¨C < Rewards > ¨C Quest Rewards will be calcted depending on how the quest is going to be cleared. ¡ª¡ª With a frustrated howl, the Rank 3 Alpha Lycan copsed on the ground after receiving Airon¡¯s powerful kick to its chest. Lux could have killed it, but he was unsure if the Lycan was also a victim of the unknown organization¡¯s experiment. Since that was the case, he decided to spare its life and only make it so it was incapable of fighting back. While Lux was in the middle of tying up the Dwarves that he had crippled, a loud shout reached his ear. ¡°Big Brother!¡± The Half-Elf smiled as he opened his arms to hug back the crying Dwarf girl in his embrace. ¡°Colette, we still have things to do,¡± Lux said as he lightly patted Colette¡¯s head. ¡°The organization that tried to capture you is still atrge. So I need to ask you to do something for me.¡± Colette pulled back and wiped the tears in her eyes before looking at Lux with a serious expression on her face. Seeing that the little Dwarf girl had finally regained herposure, the Half-Elf told her to take Helen back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and report the current situation. Lux thought that letting the Adventurer¡¯s Guild handle the bad guys that he had captured would be the optimal solution while he dealt with the leader of the organization that was on her way to their headquarters. Matty, Andy, Axel, Ishtar, Pazuzu, and Orion were tasked to look after the Dwarves that they had captured and to wait for Colette¡¯s and Helen¡¯s return. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother,¡± Colette said as soon as she mounted her Warg. ¡°I¡¯ll bring help as fast as I can!¡± Lux nodded. ¡°I¡¯m counting on it.¡± Colette didn¡¯t waste any more time and urged her Warg to run as fast as it could. Helen was right behind her, also hurrying towards Oakwood Town to ask for reinforcements. When the two Dwarves and their mounts disappeared from his sight, Lux looked in the direction where the leader of the robed Dwarves had gone. ¡®Pa!¡¯ ¡®Good job, Eiko. I¡¯m on my way.¡¯ Now that the Dwarf leader had finally reached their base, it was now time for him to make his move. He was going to make sure that the leader and her remaining subordinates would not have an easy time after what they tried to do to his friends. Originally, he wanted all of them dead. But after receiving the quest, he deemed that they were better off alive and left to pay for their sins in prison. Lux didn¡¯t want to act too violently in front of the children, but since they were left to guard the captured Dwarves, he could now go all out and make them regret their decision of turning the innocents into pawns that they could use for their vile schemes. Chapter 184 A Deal With The Devil ¡°Dammit!¡± the leader shouted as soon as she had locked the entrance of their headquarters. There was a hidden mechanism installed by the entrance to hide the whole base from in sight. The five subordinates who managed to escape with her were panting beside her, feeling ashamed that they had been forced to escape from the same person that thwarted their ns in the Territory of Norria. ¡°Hurry and gather all the documents of our research!¡± the leader ordered. ¡°This base might have already beenpromised. We can¡¯t stay here for long.¡± ¡°What about the Foreigners that are still in the midst of transformation?¡± one of her subordinates asked. ¡°Just leave them!¡± the leader replied. ¡°We can¡¯t possibly take them back with us. Besides, they have more worth staying here as decoys when someone discovers this base.¡± Inside the nursery room, twelve cocoons were still in the midst of transformation. Although they wouldn¡¯t be able to be there when the new batch of Lycans was born, their research had already produced the results that they needed in order to create batches of Mutated Lycans. Just as the Dwarves were ransacking their headquarters for anything of value, they heard the distinct opening of the entrance of their base, which made all of them stop whatever they were doing. The leader gestured for everyone to hide, nning to have them help her neutralize the trespasser who just entered their research facility.. ¡®It must be him.¡¯ The leader of the Dwarves gritted her teeth as she listened to the footsteps heading in her direction. ¡®It sounds like he¡¯s alone. As long as we act quick enough, we can kill him before he can summon his minions.¡¯ The leaders¡¯ subordinates were thinking of the same thing. All of them readied themselves to ambush the hateful Half-Elf who had forced them to evacuate their base and return to their branch headquarters in Whitebridge City. As soon as the trespasser opened the door to theboratory, several spells flew in their direction and obliterated their body. The leader of the Dwarves was about to celebrate when she noticed that something was wrong. Lying on the floor was not a charred corpse, but several shattered bones that soon turned into particles of light. ¡°Such a warm wee.¡± A voice filled with ridicule sounded from the passageway. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent the Dwarves that you targeted back to Oakwood Town to ask the Adventurer¡¯s Guild for reinforcements. At most, it will take them an hour to arrive here, so you don¡¯t have much time remaining.¡± The expression of the Dwarf leader, as well as her subordinates, turned grim upon hearing the Half-Elf¡¯s words. The leader had a skill which allowed her to know whether a person was telling the truth or not. This was why she was certain that the Half-Elf was telling the truth, which didn¡¯t bode well for them. ¡°Since you decided to talk to us, it means that you want something from us,¡± the leader replied with certainty. ¡°Boy, I admit that you have the upper hand right now, but if you think that you can trap us here until the reinforcements from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild arrive, you are making a big mistake. We would rather die than be captured and interrogated by them.¡± The reply she received was a mockingughter that made her grit her teeth in frustration. ¡°So what if you kill yourselves?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Go on. Kill yourselves. Do you think that I care? I am a Necromancer. I deal with dead people. So, all of you dying is better than being alive. I can raise your bodies and make you my ves. I¡¯m sure that all of you will be more polite once you turn into an Undead.¡± ¡°Ah! Let me quote what you said back in the forest.¡± An eerie smile crept up on Lux¡¯s lips. ¡°Worry not, for I have deemed all of you worthy to be my subordinates. You should all be honored because you will be part of my Undead Army that will change this world for the better!¡± The leader of the Dwarves and her subordinates felt the hair on the back of their necks stand on end. Lux¡¯s words had reminded them that they were dealing with a Necromancer who specialized in dealing with dead people.¡± Right now, they were still alive and could resist, but once they were dead, they would be at his mercy. ¡°What do you want?¡± the leader asked through gritted teeth. ¡°I am willing to negotiate. If you wish to have your name erased from the cklist of our Organization, I am willing to negotiate with our Boss for you.¡± ¡°Wait! How about you join us instead?¡± one of the dwarves shouted. ¡°With your abilities, you can easily be one of our Elders! You will gain everything you need, and the organization will be more than happy to provide it to you!¡± Lux smiled in the ce where he was hiding as he listened to the Dwarf¡¯s tempting words. The leader and her subordinates seemed to have realized that suicide won¡¯t help them, so they decided to negotiate with him instead. Unfortunately, he had no intention of joining the organization. ¡®Maybe I can gain something from this exchange,¡¯ Lux thought as he pondered what his next move would be. A few minutester, he finally gave his response, which made the Dwarves, who were already feeling anxious, feel like an olive branch had been offered to them. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about your fake promises. I am not interested in them,¡± Lux stated. ¡°What can you offer me, from what is in your possession, that might interest me enough to let all of you go? This serum that you developed, I am quite interested with it. Does it have an antidote?¡± ¡°It does,¡± the leader replied in a heartbeat. She was afraid that if Lux thought that they had no value, he would immediately send his Skeletons to kill them. ¡°We can give them to you if you release us.¡± ¡°Do you really think that your lives are so cheap that a mere antidote will be enough for me to let you go? Don¡¯t forget, I can still get my hands on the antidote by interrogating all of you when you¡¯re dead. You need to raise the bar higher if you want to get out of this ce alive.¡± ¡°Then, what more do you want?¡± Lux chuckled because he knew that he had made them truly understand that the only way to escape was through negotiation. ¡°I want all the serums in your possessions as well as the antidotes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Also, you will give me instructions on how to make them. Let¡¯s see¡­ I also want all the gold in your possessions, including your artifacts. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll let you guys keep your clothes. I am not a fan of exhibitionism.¡± Lux knew that if he added a few more conditions like golds and artifacts, the Dwarves would be more inclined to give in to his demands. Why? Because they¡¯d think that losing it all meant that there was a possibility that they would be able to live if they agreed to his conditions. The leader gritted her teeth as she forced herself to agree to Lux¡¯s conditions. ¡°If we give you everything, will you really let us go?¡± the leader asked. ¡°How can we be certain that you will keep your promise?¡± ¡°Well, you can either trust me, or not. In the end, the ones who are begging to live are you guys, not me. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll give you guys exactly one minute to decide. After one minute, you will give me your answer. If I don¡¯t like your answer, I will send my undead army to attack all of you. Your one minute starts now.¡± Several rattling sounds echoed inside the underground base as Lux summoned his Undead Warriors. Their blue eyes glowed in the darkness, frightening the leader and her subordinates. At this point, they regret choosing Colette¡¯s group as their next set of victims. If only they hadn¡¯t touched Lux¡¯s friends, perhaps all of them wouldn¡¯t have to worry about keeping their lives, as well as keeping their experiments a secret. However, there were no if¡¯s. Now that they were on the verge of losing their lives, they knew that they had to make a deal with the devil or risk bing his Undead Minions, who could do nothing but obey his everymand. ¡°Fine, we ept your condition,¡± the leader said after the one minute grace period was over. ¡°We will give you everything.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Now, give your possessions to my minions and don¡¯t try anything funny. The moment you do, the deal is off.¡± Lux didn¡¯t mind acting like a bandit this time around since he really needed the antidotes. Right now, he still didn¡¯t have the skill, Raise Dead, which allowed him to revive dead creatures or people. He was just bluffing and using his job as a Necromancer to scare the Dwarves into thinking that they could not escape his clutches even in death. This worked perfectly well in the negotiations because none of them wanted to die. Especially when they knew that even when they turn into corpses, they would be reanimated and still be forced to thank their killer for killing them, which would be the most tragic thing ever. Although he had the ckfire Coffin that could store and revive the dead, Lux didn¡¯t want to make these Dwarves his subordinates because, in his eyes, they didn¡¯t have the qualifications to be his minions. Chapter 185 Letting The Rats Lead The Way To The Sewers ¡®As long as I can escape this ce alive, I can still have my revenge.¡¯ That was the thought that passed through Mara¡¯s head when the trespasser gave them the opportunity to leave with their lives. Ever since she became the leader of their branch guild in Oakwood Town, she painstakingly worked hard in order to achieve the mission that had been entrusted to her by her superior. After nearly a year of trial and error, she and her subordinates had finally developed a serum that had the ability to mutate foreigners into Lycans. Although the serum was still unstable and thetest version was able to meet their standards. To achieve this, several members from the first batch of experimental subjects died. Mara thought that it would be smooth sailing from that point onwards since they would¡¯ve been able to increase their Lycan army secretly within the territory of Oakwood Town. Unexpectedly, they happened to target the wrong Dwarf party, whose members seemed to be friends with the same person that sabotaged their project in the Territory of Norria. ¡®If only you never appeared,¡¯ Mara thought through gritted teeth. Yes, if only Lux hadn¡¯t appeared, then their operation in Oakwood Town wouldn¡¯t have been jeopardized. Unfortunately, the red-headed teenager was already here. Their organization first got wind of his information after their spy in the Royal Capital managed to overhear the discussion among some of the Ministers who were headed towards the throne room. They were discussing the Half-Elf who was bestowed an Honorary Knight Title by the King of the Dwarves, which made waves among the ministers of the pce. This was how they knew of Lux¡¯s existence. Unfortunately, their Boss decided toy low for the time being after the consecutive raids on the other Beginner Viges. Their operations on the outskirts of the Gweliven Kingdom had been uprooted, so they were forced to take it slowly for the time being.. Unfortunately, Mara got too full of herself, overestimating her ability of avoiding detection. She was confident that she could cover her tracks by issuing a Quest about a monster sighting in Oakwood Forest with a reward that was tempting for Adventurer Parties. She didn¡¯t expect that instead of only attracting sheeps, she would identally invite a wolf to her own base, who was now currently in the midst of extorting them of their valuables. ¡°Give your valuables to my Skeleton minions. Make sure you don¡¯t do anything funny or, else, all of you will regret it.¡± The tresspasser¡¯s voice sounded from the distance, his words making Mara grit her teeth in frustration. She and her subordinates handed over their belongings, keeping only their clothes. ¡°Oi, I said hand everything over. Do you think that I wouldn¡¯t notice the item you¡¯re hiding inside your mouth? Spit it out or I¡¯ll cut off your head! The rest of you better not do the same or I¡¯ll have your heads!¡± The two Dwarves, who attempted to hide something, immediately spat out storage rings from their mouths upon hearing Lux¡¯smand and handed them over to the Skeletons that were collecting their possessions. The Skeleton didn¡¯t have any expression on its face, but the way it looked at the two Dwarves made thetter feel like it was disgusted with them. Mara and her other subordinates had no idea how the trespasser had been able to see the items they hid inside their bodies. However, after being discovered, none of them took any more chances and honestly gave all of their belongings to the Skeletons, while cursing the trespasser inwardly. ¡ª¡ª Lux, whose real self was hiding in the distance, chuckled internally when he saw the Dwarves take out the items that they had hidden inside their bodies. He was just bluffing when he said that he saw an item inside one of the Dwarves¡¯ mouths. Back on earth, he had watched a show where certain agents hid tracking devices in their teeth in order to evade detection from the criminal group that they were trying to infiltrate. ¡®Diablo, I¡¯ll leave everything to you,¡¯ Lux conveyed via telepathy. Diablo, who was beside him, nodded his head as he walked towards the Dwarves who had their arms raised in the air in surrender. ¡°All of you move in a single file and exit this ce,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°The first one to do something funny gets stabbed. No questions asked. Now, start moving!¡± Diablo prodded Mara¡¯s back with the tip of his sword, leaving the Dwarf leader no choice but to walk towards the exit. Her subordinates followed behind her as they were escorted by a legion of the Undead. Lux had already hidden himself in another room and was just waiting for the Dwarves to leave the base through the exit. He had no n to let the Dwarves escape for real. It was a trap nned to capture them with the help of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild after he had ransacked the entire base. His minions had already found the nursery for the cocoons of mutated Lycans. ording to the Dwarf leader, Mara, the antidote could be drunk or poured into the mutated Lycan¡¯s body to undo the mutation. He had already sent one of his minions to test this method earlier by pouring one of the antidotes over one of the cocoons. The cocoon melted and a Dwarf boy, who was in his birthday suit, appeared. Although the boy was unconscious, there were no problems with his body, so Lux was assured that the antidote had worked perfectly. When Mara¡¯s group had safely left the base, Lux cured the other Dwarves, who were in the midst of their transformation, reverting them to their original forms. Among the Dwarves, two were girls so Lux covered them with capes and ordered Eiko and her slimes to look after them. As for the boys, the Half-Elf¡¯s skeleton minions carried them to a different room to ensure that nothing untoward would happen when they woke up. After the Dwarves were separated, Lux personally shook the Dwarf boys to wake them up. He was afraid that if the Skeletons were the ones to do it, the Dwarves would wake up screaming upon realizing that it was an Undead that had been shaking them. ¡°Thank you for saving us!¡± one of the Dwarves said as he gazed at Lux with a grateful look. ¡°If you hadn¡¯te, we might have all been turned into one of those Monsters.¡± ¡°I only did the right thing,¡± Lux replied. ¡°The people that have captured you guys have already been defeated and are tied up near the path that leads to Oakwood Town. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild has already been called, so they will probably arrive soon. Make sure to tell them about your experiences so they can make a detailed report about this incident.¡± The Dwarves nodded their heads and left theboratory to help guard the researchers who had almost turned them into Lycans. Lux could see anger in their eyes, so he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they suddenly decided to attack their captors in order to exact revenge. Just to be on the safe side, Lux gave a mental order to Pazuzu, Ishtar, and Orion to prevent the adventurers from killing any of the researchers. They were important leads to the whereabouts of the organization, and the Half-Elf didn¡¯t n to let them off scot free. ¡®Now, all that is needed is for the rats to lead me to their sewers,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®I think I¡¯ll need to contact Nevreal. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s considered a high-ranking noble or not, but it would be best if I leave the cleanup to them.¡¯ Lux was a little worried about an unknown organization adding him to their cklist. If possible, he wanted to deal with them as soon as he could to eliminate future troubles. However, he wasn¡¯t delusional enough to think that he alone could take down an entire group that had remained atrge while hiding inside the Gweliven Kingdom. He needed helpers, and Nevreal seemed to be the best person for the job. Chapter 186 Twilight Rain ¡°Thank you for handling this matter perfectly,¡± the Guild Master of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Oakwood Town, Colton said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°I never thought that the mastermind of this incident was also the same person that issued the Quest in our Guild. If I get my hands on her, I¡¯ll break all the bones in her body!¡± Colton was furious when he found out that his branch of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had been used as a means to conduct diabolical experiments that endangered the adventurers working for them. Because of this, he decided to take the matter seriously, even inviting Lux back to the Guild in order to hear a detailed report from him. Lux agreed to his request and told him everything he knew about Mara and her group, who were currently on their way to Whitebridge City. After getting their rough Sketches, Colton thanked Lux once again before contacting the Guild Master of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in Whitebridge City. He nned to have Mara and her group captured the moment they stepped foot inside the city and have them interrogated by the authorities. ¡°Sir Colton, I have a request,¡± Lux said. ¡°Can you pass a message to Sir Nevreal for me? Tell him that I have something important to tell him, and I¡¯ll meet him here in Oakwood Town.¡± ¡°Nevreal? Are you talking about THAT Nevreal?¡± Colton asked with a surprised look on his face. ¡°You know him?¡± Lux frowned. He didn¡¯t know if the Nevreal he knew, and the Nevreal that Colton was talking about was the same person.. ¡°Um, the person I am talking about is Nevreal Cy Borris,¡± Lux answered. ¡°Middle-aged looking dwarf with scary eyes¡­¡± Coltonughed after hearing Lux¡¯s description. Nevreal Borris might not be well-known among themon folk of the Gweliven Kingdom, but the influential people of the realm all knew who Nevreal was. He was one of the Grandmasters of Alchemy, who had discovered the cure for the White gue, which had be a wide-spread pandemic a decade ago. If not for his cure, with how scary the White gue was, more than a third of the poption of the Kingdom of Gweliven could have died. ¡°Very well, I will send word to him,¡± Colton said as he patted Lux¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I just need to tell him that Lux Von Kaizer wants to talk to him about something important, right?¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Yes. The sooner we meet, the better.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll make it happen. I¡¯ll get back to you as soon as I receive his reply. I will also tell him about the achievements that you have done here.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Everything that happened was just pure coincidence. Lux just wanted to look for his friends and it just so happened that they had been targeted by an unknown organization, which led Lux to fight against them. ¡®Well, I am already on their cklist,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Making them angrier won¡¯t change things.¡¯ Lux understood that since the unknown organization was now aware of his existence, it was only a matter of time before they came to blows. Before that happened, the Half-Elf nned to screw them three times over by letting Nevreal personally deal with the people involved in the incident. At that moment, a series of notifications sounded inside his head as rows of text appeared in front of him, signifying that the Emergency Quest waspleted. Lux set this matter aside and went to look for Colette and her friends, who were currently waiting for him outside the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. They all decided to celebrate their reunion at the most popr inn in Oakwood Town. Because of Lux¡¯s achievements, the Guild Master used his connections in order to let Lux and his friends use the VIP rooms, which were usually reserved for the high-ranking nobles of the Kingdom. ¡°Big Brother, I have reported this incident to my sister,¡± Colette said after she drank her mug of fruit juice. ¡°She said that she wanted to personally thank you for saving all of us. So, if you¡¯re not busy, why don¡¯t we all go to Whitebridge City together? I promise you that my sister is a beauty. Don¡¯t worry, I already approve of you as my brother-inw.¡± Colette patted her chest as if she had the authority to choose who her sister¡¯s husband would be. She was confident that as soon as her Big Brother saw her Big Sister, the red-headed teenager would immediately get down on his knees and propose to her sister. Lux only chuckled to evade Colette¡¯s insistence to y matchmaker between him and her sister, Aina. Although he was curious to see the adorable girl¡¯s older sister, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to meet her. He stirred the conversation to a different topic, asking the Dwarves what they had been up to since they had left Leaf Vige. Colette and the others were more than happy to tell Lux about their adventures after bing part of the Eternal Guild, which was under Aina¡¯smand. The reunion partysted through the night before the Dwarves finally returned to their rooms to rest, leaving Lux and Eiko exhausted. They had traveled far in order to reach Oakwood Town and were dragged into the incident that concerned their friends. Eiko was already fast asleep on Lux¡¯sp, while thetter wasn¡¯t faring any better himself. As soon as he ced the sleeping Slime on the pillow on the bed, a knock was heard on the door of his room, which made him frown. It was already in the middle of the night, and he didn¡¯t know anyw-abiding citizen that would visit him at this time of the day. Lux summoned Ishtar and Diablo by his side and ordered them to defend him if his life was threatened. After the two Named Creatures positioned themselves at the side of the door, Lux opened it to see who it was. ¡°Can¡¯t you just take it easy once in a while?¡± An annoyed, gruff voice greeted him as Nevreal stepped inside his room. ¡°The moment you appear in an Intermediate Town, a problem appeared right away,¡± Nevrealined. ¡°If not for the fact that I personally know that you are not connected to the perpetrators of these incidents, I would have personally taken you into custody. Boy, don¡¯t you know the meaning of moderation?¡± Lux could only scratch his head because he didn¡¯t really want to be involved in any kind of mess. He only wanted to see his friends and give them a surprise. Who would have thought that the one who was given the surprise was him instead? ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell it to you straight,¡± Nevreal stated as he sat without asking for Lux¡¯s permission. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you have good or bad luck, but you have ruffled the feathers of an underworld organization, not just once, but twice.¡± ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d return to where I came from to tide things over. Even with the increased security of the border patrols, I¡¯m sure that they wille to target you for revenge.¡± Lux frowned as he sat down to face the Dwarf who was looking at him with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Have you captured the researchers?¡± Lux asked. This was something that he had been meaning to ask ever since Nevreal had stepped inside his room but had not been able to do so because thetter was nagging at him. ¡°We did,¡± Nevreal replied. ¡°The Eternal Guild, as well as the other Guilds in Whitebridge City, are now working together to round up the members of the Dark Guild that goes by the name Twilight Rain.¡± ¡°Twilight Rain¡­,¡± Lux muttered. ¡°Tell me, Sir Nevreal. What can I do to help?¡± Now that he knew the identity of the organization that was targeting him, Lux decided that it was time to actively participate in the operations targeting the Dark Guild that was causing a lot of trouble within the Kingdom of Gweliven. Chapter 187 Lycanthrophy Mutation Perfect Genes By the time Nevreal left the room, the drowsiness that Lux felt earlier had disappeared. The middle-aged dwarf had given him a token that was exclusive to the Kingdom¡¯s special agents, who handled matters concerning the stability of the Royal Family¡¯s rule. The token came with a lot of perks, including ess to ces which were usually restricted from themon-folk and even high-ranking nobles. It could allow Lux to request for assistance from Dwarf guards and border patrols, especially when it came to certain things that he couldn¡¯t handle alone. Nevreal also handed him another token which signified that Lux was now the Kingdom¡¯s Honorary Bar, which was an upgrade from his Rank of Honorary Knight. The defense of Leaf Vige, in addition to thetest capture of the researchers who were nning to create a Mutant Army that could¡¯ve threatened the Kingdom, had raised the red-headed teenager¡¯s importance in the eyes of the Dwarf King. This was the reason why he gave the Half-Elf an honorary Bar Rank, making him one of the nobles of the Dwarven Kingdom. Since he was too sober to sleep, Lux decided to rummage through the things that he extorted from the researchers. He didn¡¯t have time to check them earlier since he was busy helping the mutated Dwarves, in addition to dealing with the members of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild who hade to help. Just as Lux expected, the Alpha Lycan and the lesser Lycans were Dwarves that the researchers had captured. To his surprise, the Alpha Lycan was a Grade B Apostle, who was also the ace adventurer in Oakwood Town. She went by the name Emma Hewitt, or just Emma for short. After being reverted to her original form, the Dwarf recognized Lux as her benefactor, even going as far as to dere that she would be the Half-Elf¡¯s subordinate from that day onwards. Lux, of course, rejected her offer, but Emma was too persistent, even going as far as begging on her knees to serve the red-headed teenager in order to return the favor. In the end, the Half-Elf reluctantly agreed, and now, Emma had officially be his first party member. ¡®Well, having a subordinate isn¡¯t a bad thing,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Emma seems like an honest person. I¡¯m sure that it will work out¡­ probably.¡±-?(0??)?. For the time being, Lux opened the storage rings of the researchers and checked all of their contents. ¡®How disappointing,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®All their gold coinsbined only amount to nearly a thousand. Is Twilight Rain a cheapskate organization?¡¯ Of course, it was not only gold that Lux looted from the researchers but also weapons and artifacts. However, all of them were just Rare Items and, for the Half-Elf, he no longer thought highly of Rare Items since he was already using Mythical Items. ¡®Still, they will be useful for transmutation,¡¯ Lux mused as he stored the storage rings inside his own storage ring. Originally, Lux thought of using the Transmutation [EX] skill to transfer abilities to his weapons, armors, and artifacts. However, after gaining Mythical Items, the Half-Elf was very reluctant to use his transmutation skill, thinking that he might find a better item. For example, if he were to use the transmutation skill to transfer items to a Mythical Item, even if the item became a lot stronger, it was still nothingpared to a Legendary Item. For the Half-Elf, overgearing an item wasn¡¯t worth it, but only if its grade was low. ¡®At least a Legendary Item,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®I won¡¯t mind dumping a lot of abilities on a Legendary Item that will be beneficial in the future. Now, time to check the rewards from the quest.¡¯ Lux had set this matter aside as well and only remembered it after his meeting with Nevreal. The red-headed teenager opened his Soul Book to see the rewards he gained and hoped that they would be a whole lot better than the scraps he got from the Dwarf researchers. ¡ª¡ª < Lycan Mutation Project (Completed!) > ¨C Emergency Quest ¨C Difficulty Rating: B ¨C An unknown organization is conducting an experiment within the territory of Oakwood Town. Their goal is to create an army of mutated monsters in order to further their goals of overturning the peace in the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven. < Quest Objective > ¨C Find their headquarters and look for documents about the experiments. ¨C Report this discovery to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, so they can dispatch adventurers to weed out the remaining members of the unknown organization that are lurking within Oakwood Town. .?O? < Optional Quest Objective > ¨C Find a cure for the mutated Lycans ¡ª¨C < Rewards > 1000 Oakwood Town Reputation Points 100 Kingdom of Gweliven Reputation Points 1000 Gold Lycanthrophy Mutation Perfect Genes (1x) < Lycanthrophy Mutation Perfect Genes > ¨C This gene can only be used by a foreigner. ¨C The Perfect Mutation Genes have no side-effects to the user, and will even strengthen their physical body, and add resistance bonuses. ¨C Upon consumption, the person will be able to transform into a Lycan at will, and return to their previous form at will. ¨C The transformed creature will gain certain bonuses including an increase in strength, speed, hearing, as well as raising their rank by one stage. (Example if a Grade B Apostle were to transform into a Lycan, they would gain the strength of a Grade A Apostle). ¡ª¨C ¡®If Emma has no problems transforming into a Lycan, I¡¯ll give this to her as a gift,¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the description of the Lycanthropy Mutation Genes. ¡®Since the gene is safe to use and can even strengthen its user, as long as Emma hasn¡¯t developed a trauma from being forced to be a Lycan, this would be the perfect item for her.¡¯ Lux wasn¡¯t stingy when it came to people on his side. The Half-Elf already had the Dragon¡¯s Blood in his body, so using the mutation gene on himself would be a waste. The Half-Elf still had the Lycan Serums in his possession, as well as their antidotes. Although he didn¡¯t know if they would be useful for him in the future, he decided to keep them for now, not surrendering them to the authorities. ¡ª¨C The next day, Lux woke up a little earlier than usual. If not for the fact that Colette had started knocking on his door, even threatening to tear it down, the Half-Elf would have remained in bed for at least another half an hour. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t let the adorable little Dwarf break down the door. Not only would that get them cklisted by the inn owner, it would also bring down their reputation among the other inns in Oakwood Town. With no alternative, Lux allowed Colette to drag him and Eiko to the tavern to eat. To his surprise, Emma was there, waiting for him. The pretty Dwarf with dark-brown hair was happily chatting with Matty and the others while they ate breakfast. Emma was of the same age as Lux. She was more of a Vagabond Adventurer that had no permanent party, so her rank wasn¡¯t that high. However, her experience when it came to fighting even surpassed that of Grade A Apostles, and, perhaps, even matched those of the Initiate Rank. Lux believed that if Emma were to fight against people who were of the same Rank, all of them would be soundly defeated because of her rich battle experience. ¡°Sir Lux, good morning,¡± Emma said with a smile as she waved at the Half-Elf who was being pulled in their direction by Colette. ¡°Good morning, Emma,¡± Lux stated. ¡°There is something important that I¡¯d like to talk to you aboutter. For now, just enjoy your breakfast.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Emma nodded her head before resuming her chat with Matty and the others. Aside from the pretty dwarf calling him Sir Lux, Emma treated him in a friendly way, and not that of a Master and Servant rtionship. The Half-Elf preferred this type of rtionship, rather than a strained one. For him, he wanted to be good friends with Emma, and not treat her as a ve who only followed his orders. While eating, Colette asked Lux about his ns while he was in Oakwood Town. After being rescued by their Big Brother, the Dragonyer Party weren¡¯t in a hurry to take on new quests for the time being. ¡°I n to go to Whitebridge City tomorrow,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Do you remember Nevreal? He said that I need to meet a few people in Whitebridge City who are currently handling the cleanup operations for the organization that attacked you guys.¡± The mood on the table immediately became serious as they looked at Lux with their undivided attention. Even Emma was no longer smiling and stared at the Half-Elf with a determined look on her face. ¡°Big Brother, I think this is perfect,¡± Colette said. ¡°Since my sister is based in Whitebridge City, this is a good opportunity for the two of you to meet.¡± ¡°Um, I can meet her when I¡¯m done with my business in the city.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make sure to tell herter of ouring.¡± A few minutester, the atmosphere returned to its previous merry state as everyone ate and chatted about random things. Lux was quite curious about Whitebridge City because it was one of the biggest Dwarven cities in the Kingdom of Gweliven, aside from the Royal Capital. Colette and Emma told him everything they knew about the Dwarven City, including the uing Guild Wars, which was held every two years. ording to the two of them, the winner would be Whitebridge City¡¯s number one Guild, which had the privilege of managing the city¡¯s defenses, in addition to acquiring leases to prime real estate that were located in the city¡¯s center. Thesends were perfect for setting up shops, and other establishments that could give the Guild high profits, which would cause all the major Guilds that were based in Whitebridge City to seek them out. Chapter 188 On The Way To Whitebridge City Somewhere in Whitebridge City¡­ ¡°How are the other members?¡± a middle-aged Dwarf asked his subordinate who had just returned from his mission. ¡°Not good,¡± the subordinate reported. ¡°Most of our members are currently on the run and have left the city. Mara has been captured by a high-ranking Interrogator. She is currently being subjected to torture and has been fed with truth serums. It¡¯s quite fortunate that none of the Guild¡¯s members in the city know of our true identities. Using a third party to ry orders to them was a great decision on our Guild Leader¡¯s part.¡± ¡°This is not something to celebrate about,¡± the middle-aged manmented. ¡°Now that everyone is either captured, on the run, or, even worse, dead, our operations in Whitebridge City have to be in aplete halt. Did you find out any information about who is responsible for this mess?¡± The subordinate nodded. ¡°Although it isn¡¯t confirmed yet, one of Mara¡¯s subordinates managed to escape from capture and ryed thetest information he had to our branch here in Whitebridge City,¡± the subordinate replied. ¡°ording to his report, none of the serums were preserved, and Mara had no choice but to destroy the records of the experiments before she got captured. However, he did mention that it was a Half-Elf who foiled their ns in Oakwood Town.¡± The middle-aged man sighed. Mara was a promising researcher who was loyal to their cause. Losing her to the authorities was a heavy blow to their Guild, and thinking of it made the Branch Leader of Twilight Rain clench his fist in anger. ¡°There is only one Half-Elf in the Kingdom of Gweliven, so it is safe to assume that he is the same person that destroyed the abomination in the Territory of Norria, right?¡± ¡°If the reports that we received are true then it is definitely him.¡± The middle-aged man sighed a second time before giving his order to his subordinate. ¡°Send word to the Main Branch and inform the Guild Master that the Half-Elf is starting to be a nuisance,¡± the middle-aged man ordered. ¡°Tell them that our hands are tied at the moment, and they should send one of the Reapers to deal with him.¡± ¡°Sir, having one of the Reapers to deal with him is quite wasteful, no?¡± ¡°Fool! It is best to nip the problem in the bud before it grows up enough to threaten us. Just follow my orders. Let the Main Branch decide whether a Reaper would be sent or not.¡± The subordinate nodded before leaving the room. Although he felt that having one of the Initiates of the Guild deal with the Half-Elf was an overkill, he still decided to follow his Leader¡¯s orders. The Twilight Guild had two Assasination Groups, the Reapers and the yers. The Reapers were the assassins who had the Rank of Initiates. They were responsible for the assasination of people who had the rank of Initiate and below. They were often called the Rookie Killers, because countless Apostles had already died in their hands. yers, on the other hand, was a specialized team of Rankers, who dealt with the Assasination of high profile targets, such as high-ranking nobles and politicians, but not Royals. It was almost impossible to assassinate members of the Royal Family since all of them were guarded by the best High-Rankers within the kingdom. The Branch Leader of Twilight Rain believed that as long as one of the Reapers took action, the annoying Half-Elf, who kept on getting in their way, would finally meet his end. ¡ª- Meanwhile, on the road that led to Whitebridge City¡­ ¡°Big Brother, it will take us at least five more hours to arrive at the city,¡± Colette said. She was currently seated beside Lux inside the carriage, which was arranged by the Guild Leader of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, to take them to Whitebridge City. He had even hired Grade A Apostles as guards to ensure that they would reach the city safely. In truth, Lux felt that it would have been faster if they all just traveled riding their Wargs instead of a carriage. However, since the Guild Master, Colton, had already dealt with their means of transport, he felt that it would be impolite to reject his kind offer. ¡°That means that we will arrive just before sunset,¡± Lux replied as he looked outside the window of the carriage. ¡°Colette, you and your friends can head to your sister¡¯s headquarters when we arrive in the city. I need to deal with private matters, so I¡¯ll just see you guys in the morning.¡± p-?-?-?-? ?-0-?-?-?¡¢?(??) ¡°Un!¡± Colette nodded her head obediently while patting Eiko¡¯s head. ¡°That will also give me some time to set up an appointment for you to meet with my sister, Big Brother. By the way, my sister likes dried berries. Make sure to buy a bag of them as a gift before meeting her.¡± Lux suddenly imagined a slightly older Colette munching on dried berries like a chipmunk and it made him smile. Aina was the Guild Master of the Silver-Ranked Guild, Eternal. The Storm Dragons, which was currently under Nero¡¯s management, was only a Bronze-Ranked Guild, indirectly proving that Aina was a step better than the brown-haired teenager, who held animosity towards Lux. The Half-Elf thought that it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to form a good rtionship with Aina, who was in control of a well-established Guild in Whitebridge City. ¡°Okay, are there any other things that she likes aside from dried berries?¡± Lux inquired. Colette, who thought that his Big Brother was trying to score more brownie points to make her sister like him, was more than willing to tell him the things that Aina liked and disliked. Lux smirked when he found out that Aina wasn¡¯t a fan of spicy things. ording to Colette, her sister¡¯s face would immediately turn beet-red if she consumed something rtively spicy. To his surprise, Aina liked eating sour things, which was the reason why she preferred dried berries. She was not too fond of sweet things, and could only tolerate the sweet and sour taste of the dried berries that she liked to snack on from time to time. Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt halt, and the sound of shouting was heard outside of the carriage. ¡°Goblin attack!¡± ¡°Are they perhaps bandits?¡± ¡°Protect the carriage!¡± ¡°There¡¯s too many of them!¡± After hearing themotion outside, Lux immediately opened the carriage doors to help their escorts ward off the danger that hade knocking on their doors. Immediately, he saw dozens of Goblins that were wielding short swords, maces, and bows. They were known for attacking merchant convoys and kidnapping the women to make them their breeding horses. Using the appraisal ability of the Elysium Compendium, Lux immediately knew the Ranks of the Monsters that were attacking them. The bulk of the Goblins consisted of Rank 2 Monsters, but nearly twenty of them were Rank 3 Monsters. Although they weren¡¯t that strong, there were too many of them, which ced their escorts at a disadvantage. Lux wasn¡¯t too worried about the Goblins since he still had his skeletons. However, before he could even summon them, a ck blur flew past him. A two-meter tall Lycan grabbed the head of one of the Goblins that were attacking the adventurers, and smashed it towards the ground. The Lycan then emitted a growl that made the nearby Goblins take a step back due to the intimidating Monster, who was looking at all of them as if they were mere insects that it could easily crush with its bare hands. Chapter 189 Order Of The Griffin [Part 1] ¡°M-Monster!¡± One of the adventurers, who was about to help his friend fight a Goblin, panicked after seeing the Lycan that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Although the Monster had attacked the Goblin, as ordinary people, their reaction was quite normal. Even the adventurer that was saved also backed away in haste, pointing his weapon at the Lycan, who towered above him. However, before things could spiral out of control, a confident voice broke everyone from their anxious state. ¡°Rx, she¡¯s on our side,¡± Lux said as he walked past the adventurers. ¡°Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu,e out.¡± As soon as the Half-Elf called for his Named Creatures, the three of them appeared in front of him. ¡°Push them back,¡± Lux ordered as he summoned thirty Skeleton Fighters, who now had the strength of peak Rank 1 Monsters. Although they were slightly weaker than the Goblins, their weapons and armor, which were forged within the Stronghold of Norria, made them slightly more powerful than the Goblins that were currently ambushing them since they were only wielding basic weapons. As soon as Lux¡¯s minions joined the fray, the Goblins were pushed back, giving the adventurer party that was escorting them time to recover their bearings. Colette and the others also joined the battle. In just a short time, they managed to force the monsters to retreat by causing several of the other side¡¯srades to die in battle. Lux was observing the Lycan whose strength and speed outmatched the Goblins that were running away. Before they left, he asked Emma if she was willing to take the Lycan¡¯s Perfect Genes into her body which would allow her to turn back into a Lycan. Contrary to what Lux expected, the pretty dwarf said ¡°Yes¡± in a heartbeat. He thought that Emma would reject, or tell him that she needed time to reconsider before epting his request, but that didn¡¯t happen at all. Emma told Lux that she wanted to be stronger, and she believed that gaining the ability to transform into a Lycan at will would allow her to fight on even ground with stronger opponents. She had been a vagabond fighter all her life, because she thought that there was nothing that she couldn¡¯t handle alone. However, after getting captured and experimented on by the researchers of Twilight Rain, Emma realized that her current strength was not enough to protect herself. Aside from that, she also trusted Lux. She felt that the Half-Elf would never harm her, so she readily agreed to epting his gift. ¡®Her rank had jumped from Grade B Apostle to Grade A Apostle,¡¯ Lux thought as he observed Emma from a distance. ¡®She was a brawler in the past and used gauntlets to battle. Since she likes to engage the enemy in closebat, then, perhaps, being able to transform into a Lycan is perfect for her.¡¯ Fifteen minutester, several Goblinsy on the ground, dead. Eiko didn¡¯t participate in battle and was, instead, busy ordering ckie, Whitey, Rocky, and Mara to dig the Beast Cores out of the Goblins¡¯ bodies. Lux could only shake his head helplessly upon seeing how the baby Slime refused to miss any opportunity to eat the Beast Cores of Monsters in order to strengthen herself. Her recent loss against Astra made Eiko strive harder to be stronger, just so she could beat him up in their next rematch. After collecting the Beast Cores, Eiko didn¡¯t hesitate to eat them all one by one, allowing her progression rating to increase. Unfortunately, the skills that she could acquire from the Goblins¡¯ beast core were skills that she had already learned in the past, like sh, which had already evolved into Heavy sh. Even so, the baby Slime was still happy, because, for her, every Beast Core brought her one step closer to defeating Astra, whom she hadbeled as her mortal enemy when it came to her Mama¡¯s affection. ¡°You did well, Emma,¡± Lux said the moment the Lycan returned to his side. ¡®Thank you, Lux,¡¯ the Lycan said through telepathy before transforming back into the pretty dwarf whose height reached up to his chest. Emma could transform while wearing armor and regr clothes. The fun part was that after returning to her original form, her clothes would remain undamaged, which also added an additionalyer of defense to her stats, allowing her to maximize her equipment¡¯s potential. Just like her clothes, the gauntlets that she wore as a weapon added to her physical damage in her Lycan Form. Her ws were as sharp and as hard as steel, making them ideal weapons in closebat. ¡°Wow! Amazing!¡± Colette said as she used her hands to pat Emma¡¯s body all over. ¡°How are you able to transform? Is this the side-effect of that seru-mmpph!¡± ? Lux had covered the adorable girl¡¯s mouth to prevent her from saying things that were confidential in nature. Colette also realized that she had made a blunder, so looked at her Big Brother with apologetic eyes. Seeing that she understood her mistake, Lux released the adorable Dwarf before returning to the carriage. He had already unsummoned his minions, because he believed that they would no longer encounter mishaps along the way to Whitebridge City. The adventurers, who were escorting them, also heaved sighs of relief. Although they had plenty of experience fighting against the Undead, fighting alongside them was a different matter. Just as Lux expected, no Goblins or any other type of Monster tried to ambush them again. As the sun was about to set on the horizon, Lux saw a magnificent city in the distance. A white bridge extended across a river, to allow people to gain ess to the city. This was the reason the city was called Whitebridge City. It was currently one of the main trading cities of the Gweliven Kingdom due to its ess to river transportation, allowing fast shipment of goods to and from important trade partners. ¡®Whitebridge City,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®So the other members of the Order of the Griffin are waiting for me there. I hope they¡¯re nice.¡¯ ording to the Dwarven King¡¯s orders, Lux had been secretly appointed as the newest member of the Order of the Griffin. The King and Nevreal shared the same opinion¨C Lux was an abnormality that had appeared inside their kingdom for reasons that only the Gods knew. Since this was the case, they believed that Fate had sent him to be their friend and not their enemy. Because of this, the King granted Lux an honor that only those that had aplished Legendary Feats in the Gweliven Kingdom could acquire, and that was none other than the Token of the Griffin, which symbolized that he was one of the members of the Secret Organization that worked directly under the King. Lux hoped that his colleagues wouldn¡¯t treat him like a child because of his age. After all, he was now part of their Secret Order, by hook or by crook. Chapter 190 Order Of The Griffin [Part 2] Lux entered the library inside the city, while Colette and her friends headed to the Eternal Guild to meet with her big sister, Aina. He had asked Emma to secure their inn amodations in the city, while he met with two members of the Order of the Griffin that had been dispatched to Whitebridge City to help the authorities find the members of Twilight Rain. After getting to the second floor of the library, he walked over to the Northeast corner of the room and pulled the candle holder, which was stuck on the wall, down. A few secondster, the bookcase in front of him moved to the side, allowing a single person to pass through it. This was a hidden path specially used by the members of the Order in order to hold their meetings in Whitebridge City. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t hesitate and entered the secret passageway. As soon as his body passed through the room, the bookcase righted itself, making it seem that nothing had happened in the surroundings. Lux then walked a long pathway for a few minutes before he arrived at a steel gate. The red-headed teenager knocked on it thrice. ¡°Password?¡± a voice asked from behind the door. ¡°Treat your password like your toothbrush,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Don¡¯t let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months.¡± The gate opened wide, and the Half-Elf found himself inside a tavern filled with Dwarves who were either ying card games, drinking ale, or both. Those who were near the gate gave him a side-long nce, but no one paid too much attention to him. Lux then headed straight to the bartender who was busy cleaning a ss cup with a piece of cloth. The Half-Elf then ced the Token of the Griffin on the counter, which made the bartender arch an eyebrow. ¡°Third Floor, Room 13,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°May you have a good day, Sir.¡± Lux briefly nodded his head before climbing up the stairs. The bartender watched until his back disappeared from view before taking a golden locket from his pocket. ¡°Capture the people that are waiting for our guest outside the library,¡± the bartender ordered. ¡°Make sure none of them escape.¡± After giving his order, the bartender returned the golden locket inside his pocket and resumed cleaning the ss cups on his counter. The moment Lux appeared in the city, several individuals started to follow him around. The Order of the Griffin was an elite unit that directly served the King. Usually, the members of this Elite Unit often handled ¡°messy¡± problems, and it was their job to clean up the mess others had left behind. Seeing that there were people targeting one of their Kingdom¡¯s Guardians, the Dwarves that were ying cards left the tavern, intending to capture the members of Twilight Rain who had noticed Lux¡¯s arrival in Whitebridge City. ¡ª- Third Floor, Room 13¡­ ¡°Well, well, well¡­ look who¡¯s finally here,¡± a Dwarf with a curled up beard said with amusement. ¡°The famous Half-Elf from Leaf Vige. So young, and yet has the uncanny hobby of poking the ho¡¯s nest. Boy, you won¡¯t live long at this rate.¡± p??(?)? ?o??? ¡°That¡¯s him?¡± a silver-haired Dwarf wearing spectacles gave Lux an appraising gaze. ¡°Apostle Grade A. Not bad for an ordinary adventurer, but not good enough to contend against Twilight Rain. This Elf is as good as dead.¡± Lux didn¡¯t know how he should react at the two Dwarves¡¯ greeting. He didn¡¯t know if the Dwarves were praising him or mocking him for being stupid. ¡°What are you waiting for, boy? Go on and sit,¡± the Dwarf that Lux had mentally given the nickname ¡°Curly¡± said with a smile. ¡°Our time is precious, so please, don¡¯t dilly dally,¡± the Dwarf whom Lux had given the nickname ¡°Prick¡±mented. Curly smiled before introducing himself. ¡°Well, neer, we are your seniors, so I will first introduce myself,¡± Curly said. ¡°My name is Galileo Darwin. Just call me Galileo. This impatient person over here is Charles Galilei. Just call him Charles.¡± ¡°Lux Von Kaizer,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Just call me Lux. And this is my baby Slime, Eiko.¡± ¡°Ei!¡± Eiko lightly jumped to introduce herself. ¡°A Slime huh? How peculiar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just amon blue Slime. Nothing special about it.¡± Galileo and Charlesmented. After looking at the new member of their group, Charles immediately became uninterested, while Galileo had aplicated look on his face. After a minute of awkward silence, Galileo coughed as he started to talk about why they were meeting Lux in Whitebridge City. ¡°Before anything else, let me ask you, Lux, what do you know about Twilight Rain?¡± Galileo asked. ¡°Aside from the fact that they¡¯re the bad guys? Not much.¡± Lux answered. Galileo nodded as if he had already expected this answer from the Half-Elf. Charles, on the other hand, just closed his eyes and didn¡¯t make anyment whatsoever. ¡°Twilight Rain is what you foreigners call a Dark Guild,¡± Galileo stated. ¡°It is an organization that is trying to sow discord inside the Gweliven Kingdom. Their leader was the previous king¡¯s uncle, who had tried to stop our current King¡¯s coronation by starting a civil war. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seed and had been in hiding since then. ¡°The problem is that he had allied himself with¡­ Foreigners who have designs to usurp the current rulers of thend. Many of them seem to be very keen in staking their im, not only in the Kingdom of Gweliven, but in the other Kingdoms as well.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding. Sians hade to Elysium in order to gain resources, as well as own a ce where they could settle. There were people who wanted to work with the current inhabitants of the Elysium to create a mutually beneficial rtionship, while others wanted to conquer the existing Kingdoms and Empires in order to be the new rulers of the Territory. There were good and bad people in the world, and greed was the mostmon reason behind why these incidents happen in the first ce. Sians had long wanted to have their ownnds and territories in Elysium, so it didn¡¯te as a surprise to Lux when Galileo exined the current structure of Twilight Rain. ¡°The bulk of Twilight Rain is made up of Elysians¡ªI believe that is the term that you Foreigners call us, yes?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Galileo smiled. He had long been fascinated by these visitors from another world, who were very simr to their own. ¡°Right now, the cleanup operation is proceeding smoothly,¡± Galileo exined. ¡°However, the members of Twilight Rain in this city are just part of their Branch Guild. This means that the Main Guild is still atrge, which brings us to the next topic which is you. ¡°Lux, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re aware of how dangerous this Guild is. After the two recent incidents, I¡¯m sure that you are now starting to be considered as an eyesore for them.¡± Charles, who had stayed silent all this time snorted as he looked at the Half-Elf with a mocking gaze. ¡°Boy, it¡¯s best if you prepare a coffin for yourself,¡± Charles stated. ¡°Sooner orter, the Reapers wille for your head. If I were you, I¡¯d go back to my world andy low for a year or two until their rage subsides. Actually, it might be better if you stayed in your world for good. That is the only way for you to survive from the assassins who are after the bounty that will be ced on your head.¡± Galileo cleared his throat and knocked on the table to capture Lux¡¯s attention. ¡°Although my colleague¡¯s words are quite harsh, what he said is the truth,¡± Galileomented. ¡°Twilight Rain has two assasination groups called the Reapers and the yers. The Reapers areposed of assassins who have reached the Initiate Rank, while the yers areposed of assassins who are already Rankers. Right now, there¡¯s a very high chance that one of the Reapers of Twilight Rain has already been dispatched to kill you.¡± ¡°Although the King is providing us some support and protection, they can¡¯t be with us all the time. Make sure to always be vignt, and keep a better awareness of your surroundings. Right now, you are not a match for an Initiate. So, take all the precautions that you can in order to survive their assasination.¡± Galileo ced a golden locket on top of the table, and pushed it in front of the Half-Elf. ¡°This locket is a special artifact that can negate three attacks from an Initiate. This is the life saving artifact that the Order has bestowed upon you, but remember that after three attacks, the effect of this locket will be used up. If you still haven¡¯t escaped by that time, I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t survive for long.¡± Lux picked up the golden locket on the table, which had the design of a Griffin embedded on its surface, and appraised it. ¡ª¨C Golden Locket of the Griffin ¨C This protective charm is able to negate three attacks from an Initiate. ¨C This protective charm is able to negate twenty attacks from Apostles of any grade. ¨C Once either option is used up, this locket will lose its effectiveness. ¡ª¨C ¡°Thank you,¡± Lux replied before slipping the chain of the locket over his head so he could wear it on his neck. ¡°I will always wear it.¡± Galileo nodded his head in satisfaction. ¡°You are the youngest and tallest member of our organization. So make sure to stay alive as long as possible. I don¡¯t want to see you kicking the bucket anytime soon.¡± Lux smiled because despite Galileo¡¯s teasing words, he could truly feel his concern for him. A few minutester, Lux left the room as their meeting came to an end. He remembered being told that before he joined, the Order of the Griffin only had twelve members, which meant that he was the thirteenth member. When Lux left the library, it was already very dark. Fortunately, a carriage had been prepared for him beforehand, and it took him to the inn where Emma had made reservations for their stay. As the carriage trotted away in the night, a lone figure stepped out of the alleyway and looked in the direction where Lux was headed. It was one of the Dwarves who had been ying cards in the tavern earlier. He had been assigned to ensure Lux¡¯s safety while he was in Whitebridge City. A momentter, the Dwarf returned to the darkness of the alley. Since the coachman of Lux¡¯s carriage was one of hisrades, he didn¡¯t need to follow him back to the inn. This was going to be a long night, and they still had plenty of rats to catch before sunrise. Chapter 191 Lux’s Trump Card When Lux arrived at the Inn, Emma, as well as Colette and her friends, were waiting for his return. ¡°Big Brother! Let¡¯s go to our Guild¡¯s Headquarters tomorrow before noon,¡± Colette said. ¡°My sister said that she wanted to meet you and personally thank you for always saving me.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lux replied before patting Matty¡¯s shoulder. He then winked at the young Dwarf. ¡°Make sure to be stronger, so I don¡¯t always have to save this troublemaker. I can¡¯t always be by her side, you know?¡± Matty frowned, but he still nodded his head seriously. He was already thinking of ways he could improve himself to be stronger, so he wouldn¡¯t always be the one that needed saving. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t just Matty thinking about this. Colette, Andy, Axel, and Helen, also had the same thoughts. Lux understood that his friends were still too young, so bing strong right from the get go was impossible for them. ¡®Fortunately, the one being targeted is me and not them,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Still¡­ an Initiate Assassin sounds like a pain in the ass.¡¯ An Initiate was the grade above the Grade A Apostle Rank. It was the turning point where an Apostle would be a Ranker after umting enough points. In order to reach the Initiate Rank, one must have at least 5,000bined Stat Points. This was a level that was still far away from his reach. Fighting against that kind of opponent would not be an easy task. Even so, he would rather face an Initiate by himself instead of allowing someone of that caliber target his friends, who wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against such foes. After eating dinner, Colette and the others left the inn and returned to their headquarters. Aina had given strict orders to her sister and her friends, forbidding them from spending the night outside their guild¡¯s headquarters, in order to keep them safe. Right now, the tension inside Whitebridge City was high, and Aina didn¡¯t want her little sister to be caught in the crossfire between thebined might of the guilds and the authorities that were busy rounding up the members of Twilight Rain inside the city. Lux was also aware of what was happening in the city and was told to stay in the inn for the night. The ce where their inn was booked had guards patrolling on a regr basis, so, unless they wanted to be sent to prison, no one with ulterior motives would openly make trouble in the inn that was the mainstay of many high-ranked adventurer parties in Whitebridge City. ¡°Emma, there is something that I need to tell you in private,¡± Lux said as he invited Emma to his room. Once they were inside, he exined that there was a high possibility that he was being targeted by an Initiate, so he asked the pretty Dwarf to avoid interacting with him for the time being for her own safety. But, contrary to what Lux expected, Emma became more determined to stay by Lux¡¯s side in order to protect him, rejecting his request, even though she wasn¡¯t a match against an Initiate. ¡°Since you are being targeted by Twilight Rain, I should always stay by your side,¡± Emma insisted. ¡°Make no mistake. I treasure my life, so I don¡¯t n on doing anything reckless. But I also made an oath that I would return the favor for saving my life. If I can stall the assassin for a few seconds to allow you to escape, I will not hesitate to do that.¡± ¡°And if I die, then I die. You¡¯re a Necromancer, right? Just raise me as an Undead. I don¡¯t mind it one bit!¡± Lux rubbed his face with both of his hands when he heard the pretty Dwarf in front of him set up a death g for herself. Even so, he was touched that she was willing to sacrifice herself for his safety. ¡°Very well, I promise you this, from now on, I truly recognize you as my first trusted subordinate,¡± Lux stated. ¡°I will do my best to help you grow stronger.¡± ¡°Um? You didn¡¯t treat me as a trusted subordinate before?¡± ¡¢ ¡°Let¡¯s not dig up the past. What is important is that we should always go forward!¡± Emma chuckled, knowing that Lux no longer wanted to dwell on the subject. Even so, she was quite satisfied that the Half-Elf had finally recognized her as his trusted subordinate. After their short chat, Emma returned to their room to rest for the night, leaving Lux to think about how to handle the big threat that was looming over his head. ¡®An Initiate Ranked Assassin,¡± Lux thought as he looked at the upper right corner of his vision where a map was located. Erging the map, Lux tweaked its settings to show only allies and enemies on the map. Allies would be represented by green dots on the map, while enemies would be represented by red. He hoped that by changing the setting of his map, he would be able to detect if the assassin was near his immediate vicinity. If he was able to detect the Assassin before thetter came in contact with him, he would immediately run away or hide in order to save himself from the other party who was ordered to kill him. He also ran several simtions in his head for what he would do when the Initiate Ranked Assassin appeared. He also talked to his Named Creatures through his Soul Book about his n, and all of them agreed to follow it to give Lux a chance at survival. Right now, it was impossible for them to fight against an Initiate Ranked Assassin. However, he was not entirely powerless. ¡®I still have the Token of the Gold Dragon with me,¡¯ Lux thought as he held the golden token in his hand. ¡®Even an Initiate Rank would have no choice but to escape when faced with an Argonaut Ranked Crystal Dragon.¡¯ This was his Trump Card, and it was the only thing that he could rely on against an opponent that was an expert in waiting for the perfect opportunity to end his life. Chapter 192 Rivalry Between Assassins Somewhere in the Kingdom of Gweliven¡­ ¡°Useless fools!¡± A Dwarf with silver hair pounded the table with his fist after hearing the report of his subordinate. ¡°They can¡¯t even do something so simple!¡± The silver-haired dwarf once again smashed his fist on the table, making his subordinates inside the room lower their heads in shame. He was none other than the Guild Master of Twilight Rain, Magnar Vonmus Gweliven. As a member of the Royal Family, he had also wanted to be the King of the Dwarven Kingdom but had lost the right to session. Because of this, he started a civil war, with the intention to bring down his nephew, who had inherited the crown. Unfortunately, he was defeated but fortunately managed to escape with his life and had gone into hiding. A few yearster, he returned as the founder of the Dark Guild, Twilight Rain, which started to terrorize the Kingdom from the shadows. However, there were a few people who had blocked him in his path. They were the members of the Order of the Griffin that served his Nephew. It was an Elite Group that had both brains and brawn, and its members were capable enough to fight against him in the shadows, stopping his second attempt to start another civil war. After his nephew retired and passed his crown to the current ruling King, Magnar thought that he could use this opportunity to bring down the newly crowned King since he was not yet well versed in managing the affairs of the Kingdom. But he made a mistake. The new King had long been educated by his predecessor about Magnar¡¯s desire for power. The new King had forged bonds with the new batch of elites who now belonged to his own Order, which was currently lurking in the shadows, waiting to end this decades-long struggle between them. After Magnar reined in his anger, he made a gesture for his right-hand man to step forward. ¡°Who is the best assassin among the Reapers?¡± Magnar asked. ¡°I want him to personally kill this Half-Elf and rid us of this bastard once and for all.¡± Magnar¡¯s right-hand man thought for a moment before giving two names. ¡°Right now, we have two promising Reapers that have recently joined our ranks,¡± the right-hand man answered. ¡°All the missions that they have undertaken werepleted without fail. Till now, none among their peers have managed such a perfect record when ites to assassinating their targets. I believe that after a year or two, the both of them will be the new yer candidates that will bring our Assassination Squad to the next level.¡± ¡°Oh? We have such promising talents?¡± Magnar arched an eyebrow. He hadpletely given his right-hand man the control over the assassination groups under their guild, so he could focus on domestic issues. Because of this, he wasn¡¯t aware about the current rankings among the Assassins under hismand. Magnar¡¯s right-hand man nodded. ¡°Sid hails from the North, while Scarlet is from the West. Both of them are more than capable of dealing with the Half-Elf. Sir, which one do you want to take on this mission?¡± Magnar pondered for a bit before a devilish grin appeared on his face. ¡°How about you let thempete with each other,¡± Magnar proposed. ¡°Give them both the mission, and tell them that the one who manages to assassinate the Half-Elf will officially be given the title of yer Candidate.¡± ¡°Competition is good. This will ensure that the two of them will take this mission seriously.¡± ¡°I agree with the Guild Master. This is the most effective method to deal with the Half-Elf, while also nurturing our own talents. It¡¯s like killing two birds with one stone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also curious to find out who the best assassin among the young generation is. I¡¯m sure that this is going to be interesting.¡± Magnar smirked after hearing his subordinate¡¯s take on his idea. Even his right-hand man thought that this was also a good way to make the assassins be more proficient in their craft. A good rivalry allowed both parties to grow due to the pressure that they were giving each other. ¡°Understood, I will issue this mission at once,¡± Magnar¡¯s right-hand man bowed his head before leaving the room to send word to the two assassins about theirtest mission. He believed that it wouldn¡¯t even take two weeks before the Half-Elf¡¯s head was delivered inside their conference room, since thetter would have to deal with the two strongest Initiates that were part of the Reapers. ,?-?m ¡ª¨C ¡°Achoo!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ chu?¡± Lux brushed his nose, while Eiko tilted her head to look at her Papa who had sneezed while brushing his hair. Today was the day that he would be meeting Colette¡¯s sister, Aina, so he wanted to give a good first impression. ¡°Eiko, how do I look?¡± Lux asked the baby slime that was seated on top of the table, and chewing on a piece of bacon. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko replied. For her, it didn¡¯t really matter whether Luxbed his hair or not. In the end, she would perch on top of his head and render his hard work useless. Just as the Half-Elf was admiring his image in the mirror, a knock was heard on the door. ¡°Lux, it¡¯s time to go.¡± Emma¡¯s voice sounded through the door, which Lux hurriedly opened. ¡°Not bad,¡± Emma said after looking at the Half-Elf who had dressed for the asion. ¡°Are you doing this so that you can marry Colette¡¯s sister in the future?¡± Lux was wearing a gown that was often used by nobles, which Nevreal had given him alongside the token that proved that he was now an Honorary Bar. In truth, this was the most expensive set of clothes that Lux had in his possession because it was specially made for the high-ranking members of the nobility. ¡°Of course not,¡± Lux replied in a heartbeat. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to that little girl. She tries to matchmake me with her sister whenever there is an opportunity.¡± ¡°But, I heard that the guild leader of the Eternal Guild is truly a beauty.¡± Emma smirked. ¡°You might even ask Colette¡¯s helpter as you try to woo her.¡± Lux could only smile helplessly due to the pretty Dwarf¡¯s teasing. He really didn¡¯t have any intention of letting Colette y matchmaker and pair him with her sister in marriage. Right now, the Half-Elf had a lot on his te. Aside from the threat of assassins that were meant to kill him, he still needed to protect his step-sister from the machinations of her own father. He really had neither the time or strength to chase the skirts of Dwarf girls due to his current circumstances. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lux said before Emma could continue teasing him. ¡°Eiko,e.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± The baby slime jumped from the table and blinked on top of Lux¡¯s head. In the end, Eiko didn¡¯t damage Lux¡¯s hairstyle and behaved properly. She was also very curious about seeing Colette¡¯s sister, and she hoped that she would be as friendly as the little blonde Dwarf, who spoiled her a lot whenever they were together. Emma led the way, and Lux walked behind her. Right now, her role was to be Lux¡¯s bodyguard, so she would definitely do her best to ensure that no harm woulde to her savior under her watch. Chapter 193 Unfulfilled Wish When the carriage stopped, Lux looked past the window and saw a grand mansion, which was at least three stories high. The emblem that hung on the gate was a diamond surrounded by eight swords pointing outwards. Above the emblem, was a single word that Lux read with admiration. Eternal. It was a word that meant ¡°tost forever¡±. Lux could feel the strong and unwavering resolve of the person who had named their guild with this word, and, for some reason, he felt an emotion stir inside himself. It was an emotion that he was all too familiar with, and it was none other than ¡°wanting to leave his mark on the world¡±, making others recognize that he was not just another ordinary face in the crowd. As soon as Lux stepped off the carriage, he heard the familiar call for ¡°Big Brother,¡± causing a smirk to appear across his face. The guards, who were standing on the gate, opened the path for him. Their Guild Master had already informed them about Lux¡¯s arrival. This was their first time seeing a Half-Elf, so they couldn¡¯t help but look at him as if he was an exotic animal that was walking past them. Colette didn¡¯t waste any time and grabbed Lux¡¯s hand, pulling him towards the main entrance of the mansion that served as their Guild¡¯s Headquarters. ¡°You¡¯re lucky, Big Brother,¡± Colette said as she continued to pull Lux, who had caught the attention of the guild members in the lobby of their headquarters. ¡°My sister was called to attend an emergency meeting by the Mayor of the city, but since she had promised to meet with you, she sent the Vice Guild Master to go in her ce.¡± Lux frowned when he heard Colette¡¯s words. ¡°Won¡¯t your Big Sister get into trouble for not going there? They would think that she¡¯s not doing her job properly as Guild Master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. My Big Sister and the Mayor of Whitebridge City are good friends, so she can get away with this much. Also, our guild is the one that sent the majority of our forces to hunt down the members of Twilight Rain, who are currently hiding inside the city. The other guilds may hold grudges, but they will never voice it out loud.¡± ¡°¡­ Isn¡¯t that bad?¡± Colette stopped walking and turned towards the Half-Elf with a smile. ¡°With my sister at the helm of the Guild, they will not dare oppose us, or else they will suffer a fate worse than getting stomped on by a mountain goat.¡± Colette smirked. ¡°My sister is the best.¡± Lux could only pat the head of the smug-faced, little girl, who clearly idolized her sister. A few minutester, they arrived at the Guild Master¡¯s office where two guards stood at the ready. ¡°Go in, Big Brother,¡± Colette said as she gave Lux¡¯s back a light push. ¡°My sister said that she wanted to talk to you alone.¡± Lux nodded and knocked on the door. A few secondster, a curt and crisp voice answered from behind the door. ¡°Come in.¡± The Half-Elf no longer hesitated, stepping inside the room. The moment he saw her, the red-headed teenager froze. In front of him was a Dwarf girl with long-blonde hair, which had been tied up in a ponytail. Her blue eyes looked at him with a calm gaze, but Lux was busy staring at her face, which had taken himpletely by surprise. Aina¡¯s pink lips, as well as her smooth white skin which could put the models on Earth to shame, made the Half-Elf subconsciously gulp. Before him stood Aina Van Goldenyer, the Guild Master of Eternal, as well as Colette¡¯s older sister who was known by her allies and enemies, as the Warrior Princess. Lux didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he felt his heart skip a beat after seeing the girl, who looked exactly like the younger version of his favorite actress on Earth, who had the screen name Luna. ¡°L-Luna?¡± Lux stuttered after seeing the peerless beauty in front of him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The cold beauty looked at Lux with a calm expression before standing up from her chair. She then walked towards the Half-Elf, who was gaping at her with a silly look on his face, with steady steps. She was like a warrior that had seen many battles and was no longer fazed by anything and everything she saw. ¡°I wee you to the Eternal Guild, Lux Von Kaizer,¡± Aina said in a calm tone. ¡°I have heard many things about you from my sister.¡± The beautiful Dwarven beauty then gave Lux a deep bow, which snapped thetter from his daze. ¡°Thank you for always saving my sister whenever she is in trouble,¡± Aina stated before raising her head to look up at the Half-Elf, who was taller than her. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± The doll-like beauty gestured to the chair beside her table before walking back towards her chair. Lux lightly rubbed his face with his hands, while Aina wasn¡¯t looking at him and followed behind her. After he sat down, he observed his childhood crush, who hade to life. ¡°Is there something wrong with my face?¡± Aina asked. ¡°I often see others look at me with the same expression you have right now, and wonder if there is something they see that I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°There is nothing wrong with you,¡± Lux replied subconsciously. ¡°You just look so perfect that sometimes I wonder if you are real.¡± Lux¡¯s favorite actress, Luna, wasbeled as ¡°perfect beauty¡±, and many wondered if she achieved her good looks through stic surgery. Even so, the beautiful actress simply brushed the question off as if it was not even worth her time to answer it. Lux¡¯s greatest regret in his past life was the fact that he had been unable to attend the events that Luna was part of. He wasn¡¯t even able to get her autograph nor shake her hand during the fan meetings that she had posted on her social media profile. ¡¢ Now that someone who looked exactly like her had appeared in front of him, he was finding it hard to control the emotions that were bubbling up in his chest. ¡°I look perfect?¡± Aina asked in the same monotonous tone that she always used. ¡°You¡¯re the first person to directly say such a thing to me. I guess the person that saved my sister is built differentlypared to the rest of the people that interact with me on a daily basis.¡± Aina then rested her delicate chin on the back of her intertwined hands as she gazed at Lux with the same expressionless look on her face. ¡°Tell me, Lux Von Kaizer. What kind of reward should I give you for saving my sister¡¯s life?¡± Aina asked. ¡°How about, I will be able to gain your guild¡¯s help once?¡± Lux answered. ¡°But, you will have the right to reject it if you think that it will be detrimental to your guild¡¯s reputation or cause you innumerable casualties. I know that your guild isn¡¯t a charitable institution, so I¡¯ll let you decide whether you will agree to my request or not.¡± Aina decisively shook her head. ¡°Think of something else. I cannot in good conscience order my guild to do something for personal reasons.¡± Aina met Lux¡¯s gaze, and although the look in her eyes remained the same, there was a firmness in her gaze that wouldn¡¯t ept anypromise. She was the Guild Master of Eternal. One order from her and her entire guild would mobilize. the doll-like beauty wouldn¡¯t order her subordinates to sacrifice themselves for personal reasons. this was her bottom-line. Instead of feeling down, the Half-Elf smiled because Aina¡¯s answer convinced him that the person in front of him wasn¡¯t someone who used her authority to order his people around to benefit only herself. ¡°Let¡¯s change the condition a bit,¡± Aina stated after a few minutes of silence. ¡°Since this is a personal matter, You can ask for my help once. I, as an individual, will help you to the best of my abilities. How does that sound?¡± Lux smiled and reached out his hand towards her for a handshake. ¡°We have a deal.¡± Aina stared at Lux¡¯s outstretched hand for a few seconds before extending her own. As the two shook each other¡¯s hand, both of them felt that this was the beginning of something that wouldst a lifetime. Chapter 194 A Target With A Death Wish Somewhere in the Gweliven Kingdom¡­ ¡°Brother, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Brother, sweets!¡± ¡°Did the two of you behave while I was away?¡± A young Dwarf, who seemed to be in his early twenties, reached out to the two little girls who had grabbed onto his body the moment they saw him. He was quite good looking, and with his light-brown hair, green eyes, and confident presence, any Dwarf beauty would definitely feel strong attraction to him. ¡°I did!¡± the dwarf girl proudly said with a smile. ¡°Me, too!¡± The other dwarf girl nodded her head vigorously. ¡°Great. Now, here are some candies that I bought along the way,¡± the light-brown haired Dwarf said as he handed two bags of candies to the two girls, who jumped up and down in joy after receiving them. ¡°Make sure to share them with the others, okay?¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± The Dwarf looked at the two little girls with an affectionate gaze as they ran back to the orphanage to share the sweets with everyone. ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Sid,¡± a middle-aged Dwarfdy carrying a basket of vegetables said as she arrived at the entrance of the orphanage. ¡°You¡¯ve been away for a month. Being an apprentice merchant might give you a lot of money, but your little sisters miss you terribly every time you leave.¡± ¡°You should spend a few days with them this time, or they¡¯ll probably cling to you like leeches to prevent you from leaving them again.¡± Sid could only shrug his shoulders helplessly after hearing those words from one of thedies that managed the orphanage. ¡°Auntie, this is the only job that I know that pays well,¡± Sid replied. ¡°Once I have saved enough, I¡¯ll buy a big house in the capital and move there with my two sisters. I will let them enjoy life to the fullest. Also, I want to build an orphanage, one that is bigger than this, so that it can help more orphans like us.¡± Sid and his two little sisters had been orphaned due to a bandit attack in their previous vige. The three of them were forced to run away,l and hide in the woods, while their parents, as well as the other adults, fought against the attackers in order to buy time for the women and children to escape. Unfortunately, the bandit group had reinforcements, so the defenders of their vige were overwhelmed. When Sid realized this, he and his sisters fled to a town with better security. Sid had always been an excellent fighter and hunter. His patience had been trained through hunting. He could even stay motionless for several hours until his target hade within striking range. Because of his abilities as a warrior, as well as a hunter, the branch head of Twilight Rain in the town where they were staying in, recruited him with the promise of greater pay for his services. It was then that Sid had undergone a baptism of blood and was trained to kill people, instead of animals. Since he already had the basic skills to be an assassin, the transition was quite smooth. After his assassin training, which almost cost his life several times, he decided to get his revenge. The first person he killed was the leader of the Bandit Group that had destroyed the peaceful life of his family. After sessfully killing the leader, he hunted all the members of the bandit group until none were left. After finally tying up the loose ends of his past, he then embarked on missions to kill the targets that the organization deemed to be an obstacle in their way to usurp the current royal family. Sid really didn¡¯t care who sat on the throne of the Dwarven Kingdom. For him, the Dwarf King did nothing when his family was killed, so his loyalty to the other party wasn¡¯t strong. The one that gave him the means to get his revenge was Twilight Rain, and because of this, thetter won his faith and loyalty, serving them wholeheartedly. ¡°Well, just make sure to send them letters on a regr basis.¡± The auntie knew how firm Sid was in his decision to earn a lot of money for his two sisters. This was why he became a merchant apprentice, which was the cover Sid used in order to hide his true profession as an assassin. In a way, his description wasn¡¯t wrong. He would travel to different ces in order to ¡°act¡± as a merchant while surveying the surroundings of his target and getting to know his or her daily routine. There were plenty of times when he had to stay in a particr ce for weeks or even months, while some missions only required him a few days to finish. There were even asions when he only needed a day or two before he could assassinate his target. ¡°Thank you, Auntie,¡± Sid replied. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to send letters to my sisters once a week, so they won¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°As long as you understand, then all is well.¡± The Auntie smiled before walking towards the entrance of the orphanage to cook the vegetables that she bought from the market for the little ones, who were almost always hungry. Just as Sid was about to go in as well, he noticed a man wearing casual clothes standing beside a tree not far away from the orphanage. Sid didn¡¯t hesitate as he walked towards the man who had personally recruited him into Twilight Rain. ¡°Congrattions on a job well done,¡± the man said with a smile. ¡°Here is your reward. We also added a bonus because you managed to kill your target even though he was heavily protected.¡± ¡°It took me three weeks to kill that bastard,¡± Sid replied. ¡°If not for the fact that one of the guards forgot to lock the window of his room, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to sneak in and kill him while he was sleeping.¡± The man chuckled as he patted Sid¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The important part is that he is now dead. That is all that matters. However, I hate to disturb your reunion with your sisters, but you have a new mission.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you give it to someone else?¡± Sid frowned. ¡°I nned to stay here for a week or two to spend some quality time with my sisters.¡± The man scratched his head before sighing. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t force you because I know how hard working you are. But, hear me out first. You can decide whether you will reject this mission or not.¡± Sid reluctantly nodded his head as he listened to what his benefactor wanted to say. ¡°Our guild members in Whitebridge City are now being hunted down like pigs for the ughter,¡± the man stated. ¡°It all started with an incident in Oakwood Town when one of our secret headquarters was discovered by an annoying bastard.¡± ¡°Let me guess. This person is the target for assassination?¡± ¡°Right. It was the Guild Master that personally gave out this order, and you were one of the two people that were chosen to handle this job.¡± Sid¡¯s eyes widened in shock after hearing his benefactor¡¯s words. ¡°A mission that the Guild Master has personally decreed?¡± Sid asked. ¡°This target must have a death wish to annoy the Guild Master this much.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Aye. He was so angry that he even dered that whoever manages to kill that person will be the next yer Candidate.¡± Sid¡¯s body stiffened because he thought that he had heard wrongly. Bing a yer Candidate meant that the Guild would provide that person ess to enough resources to make the breakthrough to the rank of a Ranker. The yers were the main assasination team of Twilight Rain, and all of them were Rankers. ¡°Who is the target this time around?¡± Sid asked. He wanted to know the name of the person that would allow him and his sister to live better lives. ¡°Your target this time is a Half-Elf,¡± the man answered. ¡°His name is Lux Von Kaizer.¡± Chapter 195 May The Best Assassin Win A week passed since Lux first met with Colette¡¯s sister, Aina. Aina agreed that she would extend her help to Lux once, but as an individual, rather than as the Guild Master of Eternal. Lux didn¡¯t find any issue with this. Aina was in the middle stages of the Grade A Apostle rank, which also meant that she was halfway the Initiate Rank. For someone her age, it was already a great achievement and the Half-Elf now understood why she was one of the prodigies of the Dwarf Race. Not only was she strong, but her future was also limitless. Within the one week that passed, almost all the members of the Twilight Rain who hid in Whitebridge City had been captured. The others were lucky enough to escape the city before the encirclement, which was made up with all the guilds and the army of the Gweliven Kingdom, was formed. However, Lux didn¡¯t participate in the hunt for the members of Twilight Rain. Instead, he familiarized himself with the city, in order to know which locations he could run to or hide in, in case of emergencies. The one, who acted as his guide on this endeavor was none other than Emma, who was born in Whitebridge City. Colette and the others needed to undertake missions, so they couldn¡¯t spend a lot of time with Lux, which made the adorable little Dwarf leader pout in frustration. Even so, she understood that this was her duty as a member of the Eternal Guild. Even her big sister, Aina, who was the guild leader, didn¡¯t exempt her from her rightful duties. ¡°We have almost explored the entire city, and only a little more remains,¡± Emma said as she ate lunch with Lux and Eiko. ¡°If my calctions are correct, we should be able to cover the rest in a day or two.¡± Lux smiled. ¡°Thank you, Emma. You¡¯ve been a big help. If I strolled alone, I might have gotten lost. This city is really big.¡± ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m d to know that I was able to help you. Don¡¯t worry, if any of those assassins arrive, I¡¯m gonna help you¡­ run away! It is impossible for me to defeat an Initiate. Our best course of action is to run as fast as we can and hope he trips or something.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather hope that they don¡¯t send an assassin my way. This will save me the trouble of dyin¨C¡± Lux wasn¡¯t able to finish his words because a notification had appeared in front of him. ncing at the upper right corner of his vision, he saw that a red dot had appeared on his map. A momentter, that single dot became two, and a frown appeared on Lux¡¯s face. After changing the settings of his map to only show allied and hostile units, the Half-Elf instantly knew that the people that wanted him gone had now appeared in the city. However, just as he was about to tell Emma that the assassins had arrived, the two blinking dots on the map vanished without a trace. ¡®Could it be a glitch?¡¯ Lux thought as he once again scanned his map to look for the two blinking dots that suddenly disappeared. ¡®Maybe they¡¯re using some kind of artifact to hide their presence? If that is the case, I am screwed.¡¯ Seeing the sudden change in Lux¡¯s reaction, Emma knew that something was wrong. ¡°Lux? Did something happen?¡± Emma asked as she looked at Lux with concern. Lux nodded. ¡°The assassins are here. Two of them.¡± Emma¡¯s face became grim as she took Lux¡¯s words seriously. She didn¡¯t even bother to ask Lux how he managed to find out that the assassins had appeared. The only thing she knew was that the Half-Elf would not joke about this matter because it affected his survival. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Emma asked. ¡°Should we tell the authorities?¡± Lux was also tempted to do it, but without proof, his reputation as a member of the Order of the Griffin might take a nosedive if he asked the guards to be his bodyguards out of the blue. Galileo, Charles, and Nevreal were also not in the city since they each had their own important matters to attend to. The three Dwarves initially stayed in the city for a few days to keep a lookout for possible assassins aiming at Lux¡¯s life, but since they hadn¡¯t noticed any suspicious individuals snooping around the city, they decided to leave and handle the aftermath of the Cleanup Operation that had recently transpired in Whitebridge City. ¡°For now, we should finish eating,¡± Lux replied. ¡°They just entered the city and still don¡¯t know where I am. At least, that is what I think. Even if they knew, this inn is under the protection of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. There might be some strong individuals here that can make those in the Initiate Rank be wary to attack.¡± Emma nodded and ate her food silently. Even Eiko who was usually lively was now eating seriously as if preparing for a battle against her rival, Astra. ¡®Should I contact Nevreal?¡¯ Lux thought. Right now, the middle-aged Dwarf was the only person of authority that he could contact at any given time. Galileo and Charles didn¡¯t want Lux to get in touch with them during their missions, so the Half-Elf was only left with the only option he had. ¡®I can¡¯t be passive,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®I need to think this through.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª Somewhere in Whitebridge City¡­ ¡°It¡¯s annoying that I had to wait for you to arrive before I start this mission, Sid,¡± a Dwarf girl with long red hair said in annoyance. ¡°If only the Elder hadn¡¯t required that we entered the city at the same time to make things fair, that Half-Elf might already be dead by now.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Sid replied. ¡°Or the one who would be dead could have been you, Scarlet.¡± ¡°Me? Die? Oh, please. I can kill the target with my eyes closed.¡± ¡°That is because you rely on your eyes being closed to activate your special ability. Well, I won¡¯t argue because it is indeed my fault foringte. Now that we¡¯re both here in the city, it¡¯s time to separate.¡± Scarlet snorted. ¡°About time. May the best assassin win.¡± Scarlet didn¡¯t even wait for Sid¡¯s reply as she made a turn to an alley and disappeared in the shadows. All of the assassins of Twilight Rain were given special artifacts in order to hide their presence when they were about to start their assassination mission. This was because most high-profile targets had artifacts of their own to help warn them of potential assassination attempts on their lives. These artifacts were made to counter those detection artifacts, which frustrated the counter-terrorist agents of the Kingdom of Gweliven. Until now, they still hadn¡¯t found a way to bypass the artifact that hid the assassin¡¯s presence, preventing them from carrying out their ns of assasination. Sid kept on walking on the main street ignoring the people around him. He had also activated the artifact to hide his presence, which nullified the effects of detection artifacts that were designed to find the members of Twilight Rain. ¡®You¡¯re right, Scarlet,¡¯ Sid thought as he gazed at the most famous inn in Whitebridge City. His benefactor had gathered enough data about his target and had given it to him in order to help Sid one-up Scarlet, and allow him to be the next yer candidate. ¡°May the best Assassin win.¡± Chapter 196 Lapse In Judgment Three more days passed as Lux holed himself up inside the ck Spade Inn. The only one that left the inn was Emma as sheplied with the instructions that Lux had given her. The Half-Elf knew that going out would just spell trouble, so he made sure to let the pretty Dwarf handle the necessary groundwork for his n. ¡ª- Somewhere near the ck Spade Inn¡­ Sid had memorized the surrounding neighborhood and had found some ideal locations to escape to after he had done the deed of assassinating his target. Usually, when the Assassin fails his first attempt, the difficulty of killing the target would increase by a significant margin. What he wanted to do was kill the Half-Elf and leave Whitebridge City before his death could be discovered. That was the only way he could enjoy the bountiful reward that was waiting for him after his mission waspleted. ¡®Laura and Livia, just wait a little more, and we can finally live afortable life together,¡¯ Sid thought as he gazed at one of the windows located in the second floor of the inn where the Half-Elf was currently staying. So far, his target had not left his room, preventing Sid from assessing all of his abilities. Just like him, Scarlet had also just finished preparing the groundwork of her own assasination. She and Sid were rivals, and only one of them would be the next yer Candidate. Because of this, she had no intention of letting the good-looking Dwarf get ahead of her. Just like him, she had her own reasons for bing an assassin. This was why, no matter what, she vowed toplete the mission and return triumphant. Two more days passed, and the two assassins continued their observation of the inn where their target was staying. This was not something new to them, and they had long gained the patience to wait for the perfect opportunity to end the life of their target. Sometimes, it would take them months toplete their mission because their target had employed guards, who were around the Initiate Rank, protecting them, making it difficult to move in for the kill. Two more days passed, and finally something unexpected happened. For the first time since they arrived in Whitebridge City, their target left the inn. For Sid and Scarlet, this was an opportunity that they couldn¡¯t allow to pass. Both of them immediately stalked the Half-Elf from a safe distance in order to check where he was going. It was already around five in the afternoon, and the sun would set in an hour, or two, which was perfect timing for their assasination attempt. Lux randomly strolled around the city, with seemingly no destination in mind. However, he only walked in ces where there were a lot of people and patrol guards, who were going around the city to ensure that everything was in order. Sid and Scarlet were forced to stay their hand, since if they made a move now, even if they seeded in killing their target, it would be of no use if they were captured. They must be alive in order to enjoy the rewards of bing a yer Candidate. After all, this wasn¡¯t a suicide mission, but a mission with great benefits. Neither of them would throw their lives away just for the sake of killing the target for their Guild. For them, their life was much more important. An hour passed¡­ Two hours passed¡­ The sun had already set and the surroundings had grown dark. Only the lights of the streemps illuminated the surroundings. Lux had strolled quite far from the inn, so he decided to take a shortcut in order to reach it faster. In order to do that, he must go down a long, narrow alley to reach a street that was close to his destination. Sid and Scarlet secretly followed behind him, using their stealth abilities to their fullest as they jumped onto the roof of the houses in order to sneak attack their target from behind. Originally, they nned to lead their target to a ce without people, but since the Half-Elf had done this for them, they would be more than happy to ept the opportunity that he had presented them. Sid and Scarlet nced at each other. Both werepetitors, and the desire to be a yer Candidate was clear in their eyes. When Lux was halfway in the alley, Scarlet looked in another direction and a surprised expression appeared on her face. Her reaction didn¡¯t escape Sid¡¯s eyes, so he nced in the direction where she had looked to see what surprised her. However as soon as he looked away, Scarlet jumped off the roof and descended towards the Half-Elf with her dagger that was coated with the poison of a basilisk. ¡®Damn!¡¯ Sid cursed silently as he jumped a few secondste. He couldn¡¯t believe that he had fallen for such a childish trick, allowing Scarlet to take the chance to attack first. With one precise thrust of her dagger, Sid knew that Scarlet had this mission in the bag. However, before her dagger could reach her target, a blue tower shield appeared to block its path. But, the next second, the tower shield shattered, and the de continued its descent only to be blocked by another shield. The shield was also destroyed, before the de finally pierced the body of the chubby demonic defender, who had only managed to give a grunt, before turning into particles of light. Lux, who was lying on the ground after Pazuzu had pushed him away, looked at this scene with a grim expression on his face. His strongest defender, Pazuzu, had died at the hands of an assassin in one blow, despite the fact that he had used his strongest ability to block the iing attack. In gaming terms, Scarlet hadnded a critical hit, which had instantly decreased Pazuzu¡¯s life to zero, due to the devastating damage that her attack contained. Scarlet clicked her tongue after her attack killed her target¡¯s minion. Just as she was about to follow up on her attack, a blur whisked past her, which caught her off guard. Sid took Scarlet¡¯s momentarypse of judgment into his advantage, and sprinted towards the Elf on the ground to deliver the Coup de Grace. The short, silver sword in his hand gleamed with deadly sharpness as he delivered his strongest blow, that would put an end to his target¡¯s life. Chapter 197 Oath Of Eternal Glory [Part 1] Blood spurted in the air as Sid¡¯s short sword pierced through Lux¡¯s chest. The Half-Elf¡¯s face contorted in pain as his health dwindled rapidly. Everything happened so fast that he didn¡¯t even have enough time to react to the assassin¡¯s killing blow. As if to make sure that his fatal blow to his target would leave no room for survival, Sid twisted the short sword in his hand, shredding the Half-Elf¡¯s heart to pieces. ¡°Sorry, nothing personal,¡± Sid said before pulling out his de from his target¡¯s chest, where a bloody hole as big as a fist could be seen through. ¡°I¡¯ll at least make an offering in the Temple for your soul after I leave the city.¡± To his surprise, the Half-Elf replied, and even smiled at him with blood seeping at the corner of his lips. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lux replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to return the favor.¡± As soon as the Half-Elf finished saying hisst words, he turned into particles of light and disappeared from the alley. Sid¡¯s face became grim. He had seen one of the yers use this skill in the past. ¡°Doppelganger!¡± Sid hissed as he immediately ran towards the other end of the alley to escape. Scarlet, who also saw this scene, knew that they had fallen into a trap. Immediately, she jumped towards the wall and used her ability ¡°Spiderwalk¡± to climb the walls as fast as she could. The only thought in her mind was to escape, and look for another opportunity to kill her target. This was not the first time that she her first assassination attempt failed, so this minor setback was fine to her. As long as she was alive, another opportunity would appear in front of her¡­ at least, that was what she thought. However, just as she had climbed the rooftop, a powerful pressure descended upon her, making her body freezepletely. ¡°N-No, this can¡¯t be,¡± Scarlet stuttered. ¡°I was not told about this.¡± Hovering above her was a Crystal Dragon whose strength far surpassed her rank. The Dragon had used Dragon¡¯s Fear on her, which made her movements, as well as her abilities, decrease drastically. Before Scarlet could even react, the dragon used its tail to swat her immobile body, sending her crashing back toward the alley. The impact was so strong that several of her ribs had cracked. Scarlet spat a mouthful of blood, as stinging pain wracked her entire body. She immediately took out a potion from her storage ring, but before she could even drink it, a bony hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed onto her wrist, violently twisting it, making her cry out in pain. Diablo then stabbed his sword into her other hand, pinning her in ce. Scarlet screamed in pain. She had been trained to withstand all kinds of pain in her training, but the pain she felt was not just physical pain, but a pain that came from her very soul. Diablo¡¯s attacks were infused with the Ethereal Element, which made it a ghost-like attack that bypassed armor, attacking the soul directly. Although his attacks could be blocked by weapons, a direct hit would make his targets feel as if their very soul had been seared by a hot branding iron. Lux¡¯s named creature repeatedly stabbed Scarlet¡¯s body, purposely avoiding her vital parts. The only thing Diablo wanted to do was to ensure that the assassin felt as much pain as possible, as punishment for trying to kill his Master. Just as he was about tond the killing blow, he received Lux¡¯s order telling him to stop. A momentter, the sound of footsteps echoed inside the alley. ¡°Sorry, nothing personal,¡± Lux said in a cold and merciless voice as he looked down on the Dwarf lying on the ground. ¡°Anyst words?¡± ¡°Y-You can¡¯t kill me!¡± Scarlet screamed. ¡°I am the granddaughter of one of the Elders of Twilight Rain. If you kill me, he will make sure to make your life a living hell! He will kill everyone you care about in this world!¡± ¡°I was thinking about what an Assassin¡¯sst words would be, but it seems that you¡¯re not a full-fledged assassin,¡± Lux replied. ¡°You guys are called Reapers, right? Assassins in training to be yers.¡± ¡°Yes! So you better let me go or you will regret it.¡± Scarlet shouted. She was trying to get some attention from the surroundings. This way, she could frame Lux by saying that he attacked her. Although she didn¡¯t want to rely on the patrol guards, whom she wanted to avoid at all cost, it seemed that they were her only hope to survive this mess. ¡°Regret? The only regret I will have is if I let a b*tch like you get away,¡± Lux sneered. ¡°Since you had said yourst words, time for you to take your journey to the afterlife. Diablo end thi¡ª¡± ¡°Noo! Spare me! I¡¯ll do anything! You can make me your ve if you want! Just don¡¯t kill me! Have mercy!¡± ¡°Mercy? When you killed people, did you show them mercy?¡± The words that Scarlet was about to say became stuck in her throat because she didn¡¯t have aeback to the Half-Elf¡¯s usation. In the end, she resorted to begging for forgiveness, in the hope that the Half-Elf would reconsider and spare her life. ¡°I won¡¯t show mercy on people who haven¡¯t shown mercy to others,¡± Lux stated. ¡°As for you bing my ve? You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Just ept your death as payment for the crimes youmitted in the past.¡± The Half-Elf summoned Oathbreaker and stabbed it into the Dwarf¡¯s neck, drawing blood. He watched as Scarlet slowly grasped for breath, as blood seeped out of her neck. From the beginning, he didn¡¯t intend to give her a quick death. He wanted her to die as slowly as possible, in order to make her taste the despair that she had given to others when she took their life. After a few minutes, the Dwarf stopped moving and onlyid motionlessly on the ground. Her eyes filled with unwillingness as they looked at the dark sky for a few more seconds before their light vanishedpletely. Lux was a Necromancer, so he could confirm that Scarlet was now truly dead. ¡°Take her,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°ckfire, Oath of Eternal Glory.¡± A ck coffin with a golden cross embedded in its cover appeared behind Lux. It was one of the items that he had received after using the golden gacha ticket that Eriol had given him as a gift before he went on his adventure in Elysium. This item was something that he hadn¡¯t been able to use in the past because it required its user to be an Apostle. Now that Lux had stepped into that rank, he could now wield the special artifact that had been with him this whole time. The moment the coffin opened its lid, Scarlet¡¯s body flew towards it. When her entire body was inside, the coffin closed its lid again and transformed into a ck cross that was as tall as Lux. ¡ª¡ª < ckfire, Oath of Eternal Glory > Rarity: Mythical Creatures in Storage: (1/4) Requirements to use transformation ability: 400 Combined Stat Points ¨C This coffin can store any humanoid type creature and randomly transform them into Higher-Undead, Faeries, Spirits, Elementals, or Celestials. ¨C Only dead, or near-death creatures withplete bodies can be stored inside the coffin for transformation. ¨C Rates of transformation for each creature are as follows. (Higher Undead ¨C 40%) (Fairies / Demons ¨C 20%) (Nymphs ¨C 10%) (Elementals ¨C 5%) (Celestial ¨C .05%) ¨C You can offer Beast Cores as a sacrifice in order to increase the rarity of the creature you want to transform. The Rarer the Beast Core, the higher the chance for your desired creature to transform into an Apex Being. If your creature transformed into a Vampire, and you have sacrificed a Beast Core with high-rarity, there is a chance that the Vampire will transform into a Vampire Lord. ¨C All transformed creatures will be loyal to you. ¨C Each creature that you transform has a 5% chance to obtain the ability to evolve. This will allow them to be stronger and surpass their current forms, once certain requirements are met. ¨C The ckfire can only hold four creatures at a time. If the number of creatures exceeds that number, you will be given an option to remove one creature from the storage. Creatures that have been removed from the storage would be freed from the owner¡¯s control. Their loyalty may, or may not stay depending on their personality. ¨C If any of the creatures you own die in battle, you can revive them by offering a number of Beast Cores depending on their rank. The stronger the creature, the higher that offering will be. ¡ª¨C ¡°One down,¡± Lux said as he held the ck cross and rested it over his shoulder. ¡°One to go.¡± The ck cross on Lux¡¯s hand emitted a reddish aura, as if agreeing to its Master¡¯s words. Chapter 198 Oath Of Eternal Glory [Part 2] Before Sid exited the alley, he had turned his head to look behind him and saw that Scarlet had decided to escape through the rooftops. He thought that it was a brilliant move, and even wished that he had done the same. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have his acquaintance¡¯s ability to climb walls. As soon as he left the alley, he immediately chose to run in the direction of one of the escape routes that he had nned beforehand just in case his assasination attempt failed. Without feeling any disgust in regards to his surroundings, Sid decisively went to the sewers as an escape route out of the city. Only the sploshing sounds of his traveling boots echoed throughout the underground as he hurried to his destination. Sid had nned all of this beforehand, and he was confident that he would be able to shrug off any pursuers that would try to go after him. There were many twists and turns in the sewers, and the murky waters would erase his footprints. Even if the guards were bold enough to follow him there, they would soon be lost in the many intertwining pathways that led to the different areas of the city. It took Sid an hour to reach his destination. The first thing he did was to listen to his surroundings for any signs of trouble. He didn¡¯t dare to leave the sewers until he was sure that the coast was clear. After a few minutes, Sid deemed that there was no threat in his immediate surroundings, so he decisively got out of the sewers and appeared near a small river that was right outside the city¡¯s walls. He then ran towards the nearby forest with all of his might, and only stopped when he could no longer see the city walls. As soon as he felt safe, Sid leaned against a tree and panted for breath. He had been running non-stop and was now very tired. The distant sounds of beast roaring, squawking, howling, and chirping of insects could be heard all around him. These sounds allowed Sid to rx because he knew that he was safe. ¡®I underestimated him,¡¯ Sid thought as he recalled the expression on the clone¡¯s face before it disappeared. ¡®He already knew that Twilight Rain was targeting him, and had made preparations beforehand. I wonder if Scarlet escaped.¡¯ After catching his breath, Sid analyzed the Half-Elf¡¯s behavior for the past few days and realized that the other party¡¯s actions had indeed been odd. Lux never left his room and holed up inside it for several days. Then, one day, he left, but he just randomly strolled around town with no destination in sight, as if he was just sightseeing. Only when the sun had set, and the surroundings had turned dark, did he choose to go into an alley that was perfect for an assassination attempt. ¡®He goaded us to attack him,¡¯ Sid mused after he connected the dots of the recent events. ¡®Perhaps, staying inside his room for a few days was a way for us to make us feel a bit impatient. This is why when he left, it gave us a sense of urgency to finish our mission, while we still had the opportunity to do so.¡¯ Actually, he was right. However, there were also things that he didn¡¯t know about. Just like Twilight Rain had spies inside the officials of the Kingdom of Gweliven, the Kingdom also had spies in Twilight Rain. After Lux contacted Nevreal, thetter told him about the identity of the two Assassins that were after his life. This allowed Lux to formte a n, and use the Assassin¡¯spetition to his advantage. In truth, if Scarlet and Sid were operating on their own and were not forced topete with each other, they would have nned more thoroughly before they made their move. However, since the two of them were wary about theirpetitor¡¯s action, they were unable to take it easy, so they had been less patient and were forced to take action. The yer Candidate position was truly too tempting for them to pass up, so they had no choice but to deal Lux the killing blow the moment an opportunity presented itself. This was the loophole that Twilight Rain didn¡¯t think of when they decided to let their two top Reaperspete against each other. ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll make sure that I won¡¯t make any mistakes,¡± Sid muttered. ¡°Well, that is all well and good. But do you think you will have a ¡®next time¡¯?¡± Sid immediately stood up with his weapon drawn. He didn¡¯t sense anyone approaching him, so he was surprised to find out that someone had gotten so close to him without his detection. It was at this moment when he realized that the sound of the forest had quieted down. No roars, howling, chirping, nor squawking could be heard. The only thing he could hear was the beating of his heart. Having realized this, Sid cursed himself for letting his guard down. He had been so engrossed in dissecting what went wrong, that he had forgotten that he was still in the vicinity of Whitebridge City. ¡°I admire your tenacity, but this game ends here.¡± A gust of wind descended from the sky, and a Crystal Dragon appeared in front of Sid, which made all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. ¡°D-Dragon,¡± Sid stuttered. ¡°But how?¡± ¡°How?¡± the Crystal Dragon, Keoza, smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not the one you should ask, but the one on my back.¡± The Dwarf looked behind the Crystal Dragon and saw a red-headed teenager with a blue slime on his head looking down on him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know how,¡± Lux answered. ¡°Anyst words?¡± Lux¡¯s words made Sid¡¯s heart tremble. He knew that the Half-Elf had no intention of letting him live. Even so, he still decided to negotiate because if he died here, his two sisters would be left to fend for themselves. ¡°I know that you have every right to kill me, and I understand that,¡± Sid said in a steady voice. ¡°However, I have two little sisters that are waiting for me back home. If I die, they will no longer have someone to support them.¡± Lux looked down on the Dwarf who had stabbed his clone with a sneer. ¡°Did you ever wonder if the people you have killed had little brothers and sisters?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Did you care if they were the only ones supporting their family? What about the fathers and mothers that you have killed? Did you think about whether or not their children would suffer after they were gone?¡± ¡°In order to support your sisters, you made others suffer. As someone who kills people, you should be ready to be killed as well. I have heard yourst words. You can die now.¡± A crystal shard jutted up from the ground and pierced through Sid¡¯s chest, breaking past his defensive equipment and dealing him a killing blow. As he felt his life force getting slowly drained from his body, the faces of his two sisters shed across his mind. ¡°Laura, Livia¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sid said softly as darkness slowly descended on his vision. ¡°I will not be able to go home¡­ and see the two of you¡­ again.¡± Sid¡¯s short sword made a clunking sound on the ground as his arm fell to his side. A tear escaped his eye as he drew hisst breath while thinking of his sisters. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you torture him like you did to that girl earlier?¡± Keoza asked. ¡°Did his story about his sisters move you?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Lux neither confirmed nor denied Keoza¡¯s question. ¡°Take him in.¡± The ck Cross on the Half-Elf¡¯s back transformed into a coffin and sucked Sid¡¯s body into it. He didn¡¯t regret killing the two assassins. After all, the one who could have died, if ample preparations hadn¡¯t been made, would have been him. Nevreal had made sure that no guards were stationed around the vicinity of the alley earlier, to prevent the two assassins from being on their guard. Only after Lux had given them the signal, did they close off the perimeter to prevent any innocent pedestrians from getting involved with the battle that was about to start. Originally, Lux¡¯s n was to ask for some Initiates or even Rankers, to deal with the two assassins while he set up his trap. However, Nevreal advised him that there might still be some coborators of Twilight Rain inside the city that might tip the assassins off about his n. Because of this, Lux had no choice but to use one of his three opportunities to summon Keoza in order to deal with Sid and Scarlet. An Argonaut Ranked Crystal Dragon was more than enough to deal with two Initiate Ranked Assassins since only high-leveled Rankers would be capable enough to subdue it. Now that the threat to Lux¡¯s life was gone, he ordered Keoza to return him to the city, so he could meet with Nevreal in the ce they had agreed upon. A few minutester, the Crystal Dragonnded in a deserted za. The middle-aged Dwarf was already there. Nevreal wasn¡¯t able to hide the look of admiration in his face after seeing the Argonaut Ranked Crystal Dragon, which was a very rare species of Dragon inside Whitebridge City. ¡°Do you have the things I requested?¡± Lux asked as he approached his coborator in today¡¯s incident. ¡°Yes,¡± Nevreal replied as he opened a wooden box and showed two beast cores to the Half-Elf. ¡°Two Deimos Beast Cores like you asked. However, you need to show me proof that you have indeed defeated the two Reapers of Twilight Rain before you get them.¡± Lux nodded and a ck coffin appeared behind him. Nevreal gasped in surprise as he subconsciously took a step back because the coffin was giving off an eerie aura. A momentter, two corpses floated in front of Lux. They were none other than Sid and Scarlet, who hade to assassinate him earlier. Nevreal moved to the two corpses and ced a blue gem against their forehead. A few secondster, the names and aliases of the two dead Dwarves appeared on the crystal¡¯s surface. ¡°You¡¯ve caught two big shots,¡± Nevreal looked at the two corpses in disbelief. ¡°Sid and Scarlet. They are the two most promising Reapers in Twilight Rain. If they were allowed to live, I¡¯m sure that both of them would have be yers after a few years. You have done well, Lux. With this, we have eliminated two future rankers from Twilight Rain.¡± Nevreal was very satisfied with Lux¡¯s performance and handed the two Deimos Beast Cores to him as a reward. This was the thing that Lux requested from Nevreal, but thetter only agreed to give it to him if he managed to defeat the assassins from Twilight Rain. ¡°I will make sure to report this to his Majesty,¡± Nevrealmented. ¡°I¡¯m sure that he will be very pleased as well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you report this incident, but can you not mention anything about him?¡± Lux asked as he used his thumb to point at the dragon behind him. ¡°Very well. I will not include this in my report.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After they parted from each other, Lux unsummoned Keoza because having a Crystal Dragon appear in the city would only stir panic. Fortunately, Keoza had the ability to turn invisible for a period of time, allowing him to fly inside the city undetected. After returning to the inn, he was weed by the anxious Emma, who was waiting for his arrival. ¡°Did you seed?¡± Emma asked right after Lux closed the door of his room. Lux nodded with a smile. ¡°The assassins are dead. For now, I am safe.¡± Emma breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Lux¡¯s reply. She was the one that had beenmunicating directly with Nevreal as per Lux¡¯s orders, and was also responsible in looking for a suitable ce to trap the two assassins. She had been on edge ever since Lux left the inn to carry out the n, but thetter had told her to stay inside the room and wait for his return. Lux was afraid that Emma might recklessly put herself in harm¡¯s way in order to save Lux¡¯s life, so he decided to let her stay inside the inn for her own good. ¡°For now, you should return to your room and get some rest,¡± Lux said. ¡°I am also tired and I want to rest early.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Emma nodded her head in understanding. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll see you and Eiko tomorrow. Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Night!¡± The moment Emma left his room, Eiko jumped towards the bed and yawned. Although the baby slime didn¡¯t do anything important, she still felt exhausted, so she decided to sleep right away. Lux, on the other hand, had no n to sleep anytime soon. He opened the wooden box which contained the two Deimos-Ranked Beast Cores he got as a reward and looked at the ck Cross in front of him. ¡°Well then, here goes nothing,¡± Lux said before using the two Beast Cores as offering. The ck Cross glowed crimson red as a great amount of magic power surrounded its body. Lux waited with bated breath for the result of this experiment that he was trying to execute for the first time. Chapter 199 Treasure Everyday As If It Was The Last Four days after Sid¡¯s and Scarlet¡¯s assassination attempt¡­ ¡°Livia, how long do you think Big Brother will be gone this time?¡± a girl with long, light-brown hair and green eyes asked her twin as theyid down on the bed of their room. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Laura,¡± Livia replied. She looked exactly just like Laura, and the only way to tell them apart was the color of the hairpin they used during the day. ¡°But, Big Brother said that he would return within a month if his business transaction was sessful.¡± ¡°A month is too long¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± They had gotten used to their brother leaving for long periods of time, but they still missed him terribly whenever he went to conduct his business. Each time, they would feel an anxiousness as if their Big Brother would no longere back to them, but whenever he returned, this anxiousness disappeared. However, a few days ago, they started to feel more restless than usual. It was as if something really bad had happened to their brother this time, and they might not see him again. ¡°I just hope that hees soon,¡± Laura said as she held her sister¡¯s hand, while lying on the bed with her. ¡°Yes,¡± Livia replied. ¡°He said that he will take us to a good ce after he returns.¡± ¡°Brother never breaks his promise.¡± ¡°Yes. He doesn¡¯t ever break his promise. He will certainly take us somewhere safe and warm. A ce where we have plenty to eat.¡± Just as the two girls were about to doze off to sleep, they heard a light knocking sound on their window. Laura and Livia sleepily raised their heads to see what was causing the noise, but their drowsiness immediately disappeared when they saw the person smiling at them from the window. ¡°Big Brother!¡± ¡°Brother!¡± Sid smiled as he ced his finger over his lips to tell them to be silent. The twins nodded their heads in unison as they went to the window to open it, and allow their dear brother toe inside their room. Since Sid was one of the Reapers of Twilight Rain, his sisters were given the best amodations in the orphanage, and were allowed to have their own room, separate from the rest of the children from the orphanage. As soon as Sid entered the room, the two little girls immediately hugged him tightly from both sides. ¡°Brother, are you cold?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Your skin is cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit chilly outside,¡± Sid replied as he lightly patted his little sister¡¯s head. ¡°This is why my body temperature is cold.¡± ¡°Brother, why did the colors of your eyes change?¡± Livia asked. ¡°Are you hurt? They are red right now?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Um, I¡¯m using a special magic potion right now that gives me additional strength,¡± Sid replied with a smile. ¡°While it is in effect, my eyes will be red for the time being. What¡¯s wrong? Am I not as good looking as before?¡± ¡°Big Brother is always good looking!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Big Brother is the best.¡± Sid chuckled as he gave his two little sisters a hug. He was doing his best to control his strength, so that he would not identally break their bones. Right now, his physical strength had surpassed that of his former self, and it would be very easy for him to harm the two most important people in his life if he wasn¡¯t careful. ¡°Did you remember the promise I made to both of you back then?¡± Sid asked. ¡°About me taking you to a good ce where you both can grow up happily?¡± Both girls nodded their heads in unison. ¡°I¡¯vee to bring you there,¡± Sid said. ¡°But, we need to go now. We can¡¯t let others know that we are leaving.¡± ¡°If we go with you, will you stay with us for a while?¡± ¡°Brother, you should y with us more.¡± Sid scratched his head before reluctantly nodding his head. ¡°Okay. I will ask my boss if I can take some time off to y with you guys,¡± Sid said with a helpless smile. ¡°But, if he doesn¡¯t give me permission, the two of you should not be angry, okay? My boss is a very busy person, and I have to always be by his side to make sure that he¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°¡±Un!¡±¡± ¡°Okay. let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait, Brother. Don¡¯t we need to pack?¡± Laura asked. ¡°No need,¡± Sid replied. ¡°I have prepared everything both of you need for the journey.¡± Livia ran towards the table near their bed to pick up the two hairpins that Sid had given them as a gift on their 9th birthdays. ¡°We¡¯ll just take these,¡± Livia said. ¡°Can we, Brother?¡± Sid looked at the two hairpins with a smile before nodding his head. ¡°Of course,¡± Sid answered. ¡°Can we go now?¡± ¡°¡±Okay!¡±¡± Sid held both of her sister¡¯s bodies in each arm before jumping out of the window. The cold night-air brushed across their faces, as they slowlynded on the ground like a feather. Sid held both of his sister¡¯s hands as they quietly left the orphanage to arrive at the main road. It was a moonless night and the surroundings were very dark, but he could see his surroundings as clearly as if it was day. Laura and Livia walked beside him until they arrived at the main road, where a Warg was waiting for them. At first, the two girls were scared of the two-meter tall wolf-like creature, but after Sid had assured them that it wouldn¡¯t hurt them, the twins became curious about the monster that they were seeing for the first time in their lives. The Warg looked at the two little Dwarves with an amused expression on its face before lowering its body in order for them to ride his back. Sid helped his sisters onto the Warg¡¯s back, before positioning himself behind them. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Sid ordered the Warg that was given to him by Lux, so he could take his sisters to one of the safest ces in the Kingdom of Gweliven. ¡°To Leaf Vige.¡± ¡°Leaf Vige?¡± Laura asked. ¡°Is that a good ce?¡± ¡°It is a wonderful ce,¡± Sid replied. ¡°Do they have good food there?¡± Livia asked. ¡°Will we have new friends there?¡± ¡°They have good food, and since both of you are good girls, I¡¯m sure that you will make plenty of friends,¡± Sid answered as he wrapped his two little sisters with warm nkets to prevent them from catching a cold. The Dwarf then lightly patted the side of the Warg¡¯s body to tell it that his sisters were now secured in ce, and they could leave anytime. Receiving its orders, the Warg sprinted into the darkness, headed to the new home where Sid¡¯s sisters will be safe and warm. Sid never expected his new Master to be kind enough to allow him to see his sisters, as well as take them to a vige where they would be ced under the care of a person that went by the name Grandma Annie. Although he was surprised to find himself revived as a Dhamphir, and a loyal servant of the same person that he attempted to kill, the Dwarf could only be forever grateful for Lux¡¯s mercy. When he was dying, his greatest regret was not being able to see his sisters ever again. Now that he was given a second chance at life, he would treasure everyday as if it was hisst, and dedicate his life to the kind Half-Elf, whosepassion touched his newly beating heart. Chapter 200 I Will Make You A Slayer Candidate Chapter 200 I Will Make You A yer Candidate Somewhere in the Kingdom of Gweliven¡­ ¡°Have Sid and Scarlet arrived in Whitebridge City?¡± one of the Elders of Twilight Rain asked his subordinate. ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± the subordinate replied. ¡°ording to our coborator, Sid and Scarlet entered the city a few days ago. I¡¯m sure that they are nowying the groundwork for their assasination attempt.¡± The Elder nodded his head in understanding. He knew that assassinating people wasn¡¯t an easy task, but he had high hopes that his granddaughter would be the one to kill the Half-Elf and gain the yer Candidate title. ¡°Who would have thought that our branch would be uprooted in Whitebridge City just because a stupid whore got caught in Oakwood Town?¡± The Elder shook his head with a sigh. ¡°Years of hard work went down the drain in just a couple of days. Even so, that slimy eel and his cronie are safe and sound in the city, and are still able to give us reports. They sure are capable.¡± The Elder¡¯s subordinate nodded his head in agreement. ¡°The Head of the Merchant Guild in Whitebridge City is indeed capable, My Lord. However, one mistake and his business empire wille crashing down.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, we still need him to keep his business running,¡± the Elder replied. ¡°His supply routes, in addition to his caravans, are the perfect camouge for our logistic team. Working with him will continue to benefit our guild in the long run. Now, tell me, is there any other news about what is happening in the Kingdom at the moment?¡± ¡°Aside from the uing Guild Wars, there is nothing else at the moment, My Lord.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I almost forgot about this event.¡± The Elder looked outside of his window and sneered. Every two years, the different cities in the Kingdom would jointly arrange this event in which various guilds wouldpete with one another for the title of ¡°Protector¡±. The Protector Guild would then be the city¡¯s defenders, alongside the city guards that were stationed in the city. They would gain ess to the most promisingmercial areas in the city, including a few stores within the city center. This would allow the guild to gain massive profits for the duration of their term. Because of this, each guild could only hold the position for two years, and they would not be allowed to participate in the next Guild War. The King had decreed this to be so, so that other guilds would get the opportunity to show their mettle, and prevent others from monopolizing the Protector Title. After all, with such power, it would be impossible to not be blinded by greed. The two-year-term was to prevent the Protector Guild from doing anything shady in the long run. ¡°Our allies will also participate in the Guild Wars. If I¡¯m not mistaken, we have two coborator guilds inside Whitebridge City, right?¡± the Elder asked. ¡°What were their names again?¡± ¡°Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords,¡± the subordinate replied. ¡°They are among the top Five Guilds in Whitebridge City.¡± ¡°What are the names of the other three guilds?¡± ¡°Crescent Vanguard, Thunder Oath, and Eternal.¡± The Elder pondered for a bit before ncing back at his subordinate. ¡°Tell our coborators to look for an opportunity to sabotage, or prevent those three guilds from joining thepetition,¡± the Elder ordered. ¡°Also, send someone to contact their Guild Masters. If we can negotiate and bring them into our fold the better.¡± The subordinate bowed to acknowledge his Master¡¯s order. ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± ¡ª- ¡°Yes, My Lord,¡± Scarlet replied while kneeling like a knight. ¡°I will not disappoint you.¡± Lux nodded his head with a smile. After Sid and Scarlet had been revived by his Mythical Ranked Artifact, ckfire, both had returned to life as creatures with the ability to evolve. Sid had be a Dhampir, while Scarlet had unexpectedly turned into a Cambion. ording to the Elysium Compendium, Cambions were born from an Incubus or Subus who had mated with a mortal man and woman with the intention of conceiving a child. At times, Cambions are described as the offspring of a union between Humans and Fairies. In the past, demonic creatures were often called Fae, so the distinctions between the two¡ªwhen it came to Cambions¡ªwere divided. Scarlet retained her original features, just with the addition of two small horns that protruded out of her head. These horns could easily be hidden if she covered the top of her head with a hat, or any other headgear, to prevent others from finding out her identity. Lux knew that Twilight Rain would not stop until he was dead. If they learned that the assassins they had sent had failed their missions and died, there was a possibility that the next person that woulde to try and kill him would be a yer. Right now, Lux didn¡¯t want to deal with a Ranker. Even if he had Keoza to repel them, he could only be summoned two more times. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t want to constantly be gued by assassins, so he decided to hatch a n that would benefit him in the long run. ¡°Be honest, how do you feel about me?¡± Lux asked. ¡°I hate you,¡± Scarlet replied. ¡°As expected, you hate me.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Lux chuckled after seeing Scarlet¡¯s reaction, but he was fine with that. As a creature under hismand, Scarlet could never betray him because she would die even before that happened. The red-haired Dwarf girl knew this as well, so she decided to just be Lux¡¯s useful pawn, while advancing her own goals on the side. Also, even though she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she preferred her current form better than her previous self. As a Dwarf, she was able to do many things only because she was a talented individual and had been raised with a silver spoon. Meaning, she could take any resources she needed in order to increase her strength, unlike Sid who had gained his strength through hard work. But as a Cambion, she was stronger than even adult Dwarves, and she had even gained powerful abilities like enhanced strength, enhanced senses, energy absorption, flight, and demonic transformation. Under her demonic transformation, her strength drastically increased to be like Apex Predators that had entered a berserk state. Although this transformation could onlyst for an hour, it was still a Trump Card that could be used during critical situations. Both Sid and Scarlet had only been at the initial stages of the Initiate Rank, but after being revived with the power of Deimos Beast Cores, their rank had been upgraded to the middle stages of the Initiate Rank. Right now, Lux and Scarlet were in a forest that could be found between Oaktown and Whitebridge City. Lux didn¡¯t want to let anyone see him at this point in time because it would only create unnecessary trouble, so he decided to lie low. Emma, who was serving portions of stew in wooden bowls, nced at Lux and Scarlet with a smirk. ¡°Dinner is ready,¡± Emma said as she handed the wooden bowl in her hand to Eiko, who had been looking at the cooking pot for quite some time now. ¡°Eat slowly, Eiko. It¡¯s still hot¡± ¡°Un!¡± Eiko replied as she lightly blew on the wooden bowl in order to cool it down. Lux sat beside the baby slime and used a wooden spoon to feed her. Eiko happily ate because, for her, any food that was fed to her by her Papa or Mama became more delicious. Scarlet, on the other hand, sat on the log opposite her master and epted the wooden bowl that Emma handed to her. However, she didn¡¯t eat right away. She stared at the Half-Elf who had now be her Master with aplicated look on her face. ¡°I will make you a yer Candidate.¡± That was what Lux had promised her after she was revived. In return, she would serve him faithfully and never ever betray him. Lux¡¯s n was for Scarlet to be his mole inside Twilight Rain. Sid could also take this role, but he decided that it would be better if thedy assassin were to be the yer Candidate since one of the Elders of the Dark Guild was her grandfather. This gave her more leeway when snooping around their organization to retrieve information that would be beneficial for her new Master. Sid, on the other hand, would stay with Lux and be one of his bodyguards. Lux believed that even if Scarlet had the backing of Twilight Rain, and would be given ample resources by the Dark Guild to boost her to be a Ranker, she would still be unable to leave Sid in the dust when it came to raising their ranks. In truth, Lux was curious to see which of his two new servants would be a Ranker first. Anyway, no matter who was first, it would still be a win for him. After all, he didn¡¯t have enough resources to raise two Initiates. Because of this, he was more than happy to leech off of Twilight Rain and make them shower his undercover spies with all the resources and information at their disposal. Chapter 201 I Don’t Want To Be Bound By Such A Feeling Only a week remained before the Guild Warsmenced in Whitebridge City. Lux had already created a perfect n, which would make use of this event as an advantage, in order to make the Dark Guild, Twilight Rain, stop targeting himpletely. However, his n was wasted when the long-awaited event was canceled due to an unforeseen cmity that threatened not only the Whitebridge City, but several towns and cities in the Southern Regions of the Kingdom of Gweliven. Because of this emergency, all of the Guild Masters, as well as the people responsible for the safety of the city, were hastily gathered by the City¡¯s Mayor, Garth Feron, for a discussion about the countermeasures towards one of the natural cmities of the world. ¡°A Beast Tide was sighted hundreds of miles away from the Southwest of the city,¡± Garth stated. ¡°Because of this, the Guild Wars will be canceled, and all guilds will be drafted to protect the city from getting destroyed.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After a long meeting with the officials, we decided to make this Beast Tide the deciding factor for who will be the Protector Guild of this city. In short, all of you willpete and the guild who gains the most merit points will gain the title of Protector of Whitebridge City.¡± Aina and the other guild leaders nodded their heads in understanding. They all read the documents distributed to each of them. It stated the detailed terms and conditions of thepetition. It was a simple point system, which allowed the guilds to kill as many monsters as they could in a manner that was suitable for them. The special artifact that would be used in the Guild Wars could alsopute the number of kills of each guild, allowing automatic tallying. During this battle, members of each guild were not allowed to kill each other, or deliberately sabotage the defense operation to protect the city. Any offenders would immediately be sent to prison. However, the punishment wouldn¡¯t end there. The offender¡¯s guild would get demerit points, which would drastically lower their overall points due to the action of their members. In order to prevent deliberate sabotage, the Guild Leader would get to choose who would participate in the city¡¯s defense, along the outer perimeter. The rest of their guild members, who were not chosen to be part of the vanguards, would be stationed inside the city to protect the citizens in case the outer defenses were breached. After much discussion, the officials of each city agreed that at least a thousand members from each guild would be stationed along the city¡¯s outer perimeter, alongside the army of the Kingdom of Gweliven for the city¡¯s first line of defense. The Guild Leaders found this arrangement eptable, especially the Bronze-Ranked Guilds, whose members were not as many as the Silver-Ranked Guilds like Eternal. After reading the conditions, the attention of the guild leaders zoned in on the point system that would determine the rankings. ¡ª¡ª¨C Beast Tide Merit Points Computation Killing Rank 1 Monsters = 10 Merit Point Killing Rank 2 Monsters = 100 Merit Points. Killing Rank 3 Monsters = 500 Merit Points Killing Rank 4 Monsters = 5,000 Merit Points Killing Rank 5 Monsters = 20,000 Merit Points Killing Deimos Ranked Monsters = 500,000 Merit Points Killing Rank 1 Alpha Monsters = 1,000 Merit Points Killing Rank 2 Alpha Monsters = 10,000 Merit Points Killing Rank 3 Alpha Monsters = 20,000 Merit Points Killing Rank 4 Alpha Monasters = 50,000 Merit Points Killing Rank 5 Alpha Monsters Monsters = 200,000 Merit Points Killing Deimos Alpha Monsters = 5,000,000 Merit Points Important Notice: In the case that an Argonaut Ranked Monster appears on the battlefield, the Rankers that were assigned to guard the city would personally deal with them. Do not get in their way or join them in battle unless you are confident in your strength. The Kingdom will not be held responsible for the deaths of anyone in this endeavor. To those who don¡¯t want to die, feel free to evacuate and seek shelter inside the city. ¡ª¡ª¨C ¡®This is a bit tricky,¡¯ Aina looked at the document with the same indifferent expression on her face. ¡®Focusing on the small fries will not yield many points, but biting off more than we can chew will cost many lives.¡¯ Unlike other Guild Masters, Aina cared for each member of her guild, so she naturally would not allow them to throw their lives away just for the sake of short-lived glory. Only a few guild leaders shared the doll-like beauty¡¯s line of thought. The other Guild Masters didn¡¯t mind sacrificing their members as long as they won thepetition. For them, weaklings deserved to die and had no ce in their guilds. This was especially true for the two guilds, Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords. While all the Guild Masters were digesting the information they received from the officials of the city, Lux sat not far from them and was reading the same document in his hands. Nevreal had passed along a few words to the Mayor, telling him of the Half-Elf¡¯s importance. Because of this, Garth decided to give Lux the VIP treatment and allowed him to join the meeting for the defense of Whitebridge City. ¡®Hmm¡­ I can use this,¡¯ Lux mused as he looked at the information in front of him. ¡®Although I will have to make revisions for my n, the end game is still the same. In fact it is even better!¡¯ The Half-Elf was secretly pleased about this new arrangement and hatched a new n in his mind. ¡®I¡¯ll ask Ainater if I can temporarily join Eternal,¡¯ Lux thought as she nced at Colette¡¯s sister, who had the same expression as she always had. ¡®This is like hitting two birds with one stone.¡¯ Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux¡¯s head, yawned out of boredom because she didn¡¯t understand what was being discussed around her. If not for the fact that Lux had promised to buy her some candies after the meeting, she would have stayed at the inn and slept. An hourter, the meeting was adjourned and the Guild Masters returned to their respective guilds to discuss the details of their new mission to their members. On the way back, Lux joined Aina¡¯s carriage and told her his proposal. ¡°You want to temporarily join my guild?¡± Aina asked as she gazed at Lux. Lux nodded. ¡°I am strong, you know? You won¡¯t be missing out. I can umte a lot of points for you.¡± Aina closed her eyes for a few minutes before gazing back at the Half-Elf who was lightly patting the head of the baby slime that was sleeping on hisp. ¡°I have a feeling that you have another agenda aside from helping my guild umte points,¡± Aina stated. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t have any malicious intentions nor agenda,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I believe you.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll allow me to join?¡± ¡°On one condition.¡± Aina stared at Lux¡¯s as if she was trying to see through his very soul. ¡°You have to tell me the real reason behind why you want to join my guild. Even if you don¡¯t n to harm my guild, there might be some outside factors that may. I want to know these unknown variables.¡± ¡°Lux, you have to understand that I am a Guild Master, and my Guildes first. I need to know if allowing you to join will have a negative impact on us in the long run.¡± The Half-Elf sighed before reluctantly nodding his head. ¡°Let¡¯s talk somewhere private,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I promise to tell you everything, but you have to promise me that you won¡¯t tell a soul about it.¡± Aina nodded her head in understanding. Lux was her sister¡¯s benefactor, so she trusted him to a certain extent. She knew that the Half-Elf must have a good reason for requesting her help to let him temporarily join her guild. In regards to Lux¡¯s strength, Aina was convinced that thetter was indeed strong. She was a person who had a good head on her shoulders and was able to determine if someone had good intentions or not. Overall, she didn¡¯t have qualms with Lux joining her guild. However, she still needed to know his reasons in order to create countermeasures if something unforeseen happened in the future. ¡ª¨C An hourter¡­ ¡°And that¡¯s why I want to join your guild,¡± Lux said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Will this create trouble for you in the long run?¡± Aina¡¯s expression remained the same, but deep inside she was shocked by Lux¡¯s revtion. She couldn¡¯t believe that the Half-Elf in front of her had been targeted by not just one, but two Reapers of Twilight Rain, yet managed to survive their assasination attempt. What was more surprising was that the red-headed teenager was able to make them join his side and be his subordinates. Aina didn¡¯t ask for the specifics on how Lux managed to convince two Initiate Ranked Assassins to be his coborators and betray their guild. Because of his revtion, her impression of the Half-Elf was raised to a higher level, making her finally understand why Colette boasted about her dependable ¡°Big Brother¡± every opportunity she got. ¡°Very well, on behalf of Eternal, I wee you as a temporary member of our guild,¡± Aina stood up from her chair and extended her hand towards the Half-Elf. ¡°Please, lend us your strength and help us win thepetition.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Lux smiled as he stared at the perfect beauty in front of him that resembled thedy he idolized back on Earth. ¡®She really looks like a younger version of Luna. It¡¯s quite unfortunate that she will not grow to be as tall as her because she is a Dwarf.¡¯ ¡°I have a feeling that you are thinking of something rude right now,¡± Aina said. ¡°Nonsense!¡± Lux replied. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about how you have made the right choice today. Rx, I¡¯ll make sure that Eternal bes the Protector Guild of Whitebridge City.¡± ¡°Thank you. I look forward to your results.¡± ¡°You can count on it.¡± After Lux left the Guild Master¡¯s office, Aina pulled out a document from her drawer and skimmed through its contents. On the document was Lux¡¯s information, which had been gathered by one of the Information Guilds in the city. It listed the achievements that the Half-Elf had aplished in Leaf Vige. Aina had received this document just before the meeting regarding the Beast Tide was held, so she didn¡¯t have time to look over it. However, a rare trace of appreciation could be seen in her eyes as she finished reading thest entry of the document. ¡°So, this is the person you are trying to matchmake me to, Colette,¡± Aina said as she thought about how her little sister had been dropping subtle hints here and there like, ¡°Big Brother is still single,¡± or ¡°You know, even though he¡¯s not a Dwarf, Big Brother and Big Sister look good when the two of you stand by side. It¡¯s like a match made in heaven!¡± Aina sighed as she returned the document inside the drawer. She had already told her little sister that she didn¡¯t n to have any rtionship at the moment because her priority was to raise Eternal to be a Gold-Ranked Guild. Love was not something that she needed at the moment, even though she had already received countless marriage proposals in both Elysium and Sis. ¡®Love is unnecessary,¡¯ Aina thought. ¡®I don¡¯t want to be bound by such a feeling.¡¯ The doll-like beauty stood up and stared at the emblem of her guild that she had built from scratch. Through great hardships, she had managed to raise Eternal from a Bronze-Ranked Guild to a Silver-Ranked Guild in record time, which had earned her the nickname, Warrior Princess. ¡®Lux Von Kaizer,¡¯ Aina thought of the Half-Elf that just left her office a few minutes ago. ¡®I hope that there will note a time when the two of us be enemies. For your sake, and mine as well.¡¯ Chapter 202 Twilight Rain’s Next Target ¡°A vacation to y with your sisters?¡± ¡°Yes, Master. However, if it is too presumptuous of me to request such a thing, feel free to ignore it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°You can have a week off after we deal with the Beast Tide. Until then, please do your best to assist me.¡± Sid respectfully bowed as he firmly knocked his fist against his chest. ¡°Thank you, Master. I am very grateful for your mercy.¡± Lux nodded. ¡°How are your sisters doing in Leaf Vige?¡± After hearing about Sid¡¯s and his sisters¡¯ circumstances, Lux decided to do his new servant a favor and allow him to take his sisters to Leaf Vige, where they would be properly cared for by the brave and caring Grandma Annie, who had helped Lux several times in the past. ¡°Grandma Annie was very happy to have them, and my sisters were also very happy to have a kind Grandma as their guardian,¡± Sid replied with a rxed smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m just a bit worried that they will eat all the candies in Grandma Annie¡¯s shop because they said that they taste good.¡± Lux chuckled after hearing Sid¡¯s report. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Knowing Grandma Annie, she would teach your sisters the recipe for making the candies. Perhaps, she might even teach them how to be Alchemists like her.¡± ¡°That will be wonderful. Both of my sisters have good memories and are fast learners.¡± ¡°Looks like their future is bright then.¡± Lux then shifted his attention to Emma, who was also seated on the table in front of them. The pretty Dwarf gradually turned into the Half-Elf¡¯s secretary, instead of a bodyguard, which made things easier for him. Right now, Emma was busy cing colored beads on the map, showing Lux the locations of where the various guilds would be deployed during the Beast Tide. Scarlet, who was also in the same room as them, looked at the map with a serious expression. ¡°Twilight Rain has two guilds that are coborating with them here in Whitebridge City,¡± Scarlet said as she pointed at the two beads that represented the guilds of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords. The roles they y are very subtle, so only the higher ups are aware of their existence. ¡°I am only able to learn this information through my grandfather, who told me that if I ever needed help in Whitebridge City to assassinate you, I cane to these two guilds for help.¡± Lux nodded in understanding. This was also why he had decided to choose Scarlet to be the yer Candidate instead of Sid. As long as she was the mole he nted inside Twilight Rain, even the secrets known only to the Elders would pass through her ears. ¡°Master¡¯s n is brilliant and, if executed well, would definitely work wonders,¡± Scarlet said with a smile. ¡°However, the problem is executing the n. We can¡¯t do it too early because you intend to help Eternal, so you need points in order to make that happen. ¡°Also, we can¡¯t do it toote. I¡¯m afraid that we might miss the right opportunity to carry out the mission.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Luxmented. ¡°Although the n is good, there¡¯s a lot of variables on the battlefield. So I want you to improvise to the best of your ability.¡± ¡°I will do my best, Master.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Emma looked at Lux with admiration. She never expected that he could even turn two outstanding Reapers from Twilight Rain as his subordinates. Because of this, she became more confident that staying with Lux was the best choice that she had made in her life. ¡°Master, two days from now, the vanguard of the Beast Tide will appear,¡± Emma exined after she finished arranging the beads on the map. ¡°I don¡¯t know if the arrangements were decided at random, but the Eternal Guild is stuck between Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords.¡± ¡°The two other Silver-Ranked Guilds, Crescent Vanguard and Thunder Oath, are located on the outer perimeter. If these two Twilight Rain affiliate guilds were to sabotage Eternal, no one would notice their attempts.¡± Lux rubbed his chin as he stared at the map. Aina¡¯s guild, Eternal, was at the very center of the defensive perimeter. This was an ideal location in order to allow them to kill as many monsters as possible, but it also had its drawbacks. For example, since they are at the very center of the formation, it also meant that it was highly possible that they would have to face the main bulk of the Beast Tide, as well as the strong monsters leading the pack. Also, at the heat of the battle, it would not be impossible for the two coborators of Twilight Guild to y some dirty tricks during the siege. Although rules and other precautions were set, it was still possible for loopholes to be exploited, which could spell bad news for the guild of the doll-like beauty, who cared for the lives of her guild members. ¡®I need to tell Aina about Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Eternal is the only ally I have in Whitebridge City, so it¡¯s best to keep them as safe as possible.¡¯ While Lux was deep in his thoughts, Sid lightly tapped the table, pointing at the bead that represented Eternal. ¡°ording to the person that recruited me to Twilight Rain, after your assassination, the next high-profile target is Aina Van Goldenyer,¡± Sid said. ¡°It is highly possible that Twilight Rain will use this opportunity to send someone to assassinate her during this Beast Tide.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± Lux frowned after hearing this report. Aina was Colette¡¯s sister, and, if something happened to her, the adorable little Dwarf girl would be devastated. ¡°Understood,¡± Lux said after a minute of thinking. ¡°I was only going to assign you to help kill some monsters during the Beast Tide to rack up points, but if her life is really in danger, you are to silently protect her from the side.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Sid nodded. ¡°I will do my best to aplish my mission.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Lux gave him a brief nod of acknowledgement. Scarlet didn¡¯t participate in the discussion because she didn¡¯t care whether Aina lived or died. The only thing she cared about was bing a yer Candidate by following Lux¡¯s brilliant n to make her name known to the upper echelons of Twilight Rain. ¡°Sid and Scarlet, before the start of the defense against the Beast Tide, I want you to scour this ce and look for suspicious individuals,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°If you see any of the Reapers¡­¡± Lux paused, which made everyone inside the room look at him with their undivided attention. ¡°Kill them, and leave no traces behind.¡± ¡°¡±Yes, Master!¡±¡± Lux would not allow anyone to make the little Dwarf, whom he treated like a little sister, cry because of the schemes of Twilight Rain. If only he had the strength to uproot this threat by himself, he would have taken action already. Sadly, he was still an insignificant Apostle in the grand scheme of things. The only thing he could do was tell Aina about the dangers that lurked around her, and hope that the Warrior Princess would make the necessary preparations to protect her life, against those who wished her dead. Chapter 203 The Lord Of Destruction [Part 1] Several banners fluttered in the breeze as the united army of both the guilds and the Kingdom of Gweliven stood side by side. Aina stood at the forefront of her guild, clutching the grip of her sword with both hands with its tip embedded in the ground. At that moment, Lux realized why she was given the title of War Princess. Her beauty, as well as her charisma, could be seen and felt by everyone in the surroundings. ¡®Although the feeling is very simr, it is also very different,¡¯ Lux thought as he nced at the Dwarf in front of him. Luna, the star that the Half-Elf idolized back on earth, had a certain presence that would make everyone want to cheer for her. Her songs would uplift people, and her smile would make one feel as if they were gazing at an angel that descended to earth. Also, her fans gave her the nickname, Angel of Death. Why? Because a wink from her was enough to send someone to the hospital due to a heart attack. Fortunately, no deaths were confirmed. Even so, ever since then, she had been banned from winking on the stage whenever she was performing. Aina gave off the same feeling, but it was different from the merry atmosphere that idols and stars had. Perhaps, this was the same feeling of those who served under Jeanne of Arc during the Hundred-Year Wars that happened in the distant past. She was like a shining beacon that chased away the darkness and ensured that victory would fall upon her side. ¡®Sid, make sure to protect her at all cost,¡¯ Lux ordered via telepathy. ¡®Yes, Master,¡¯ Sid replied. ¡®As long as this body of mine still moves, I will not allow any harm toe to her.¡¯ Lux then shifted his attention to the ck swarm that was slowly making its way towards the city from beyond the horizon. The only experience he had when fighting many monsters was during the Monster Outbreak and the attack on the Kobold¡¯s Nest. This time, he would be facing a Beast Tide that numbered in the tens of thousands. This was a grand-scale battle that usually happened once every three to five years. ¡°Everyone prepare,¡± Aina ordered as the sword in her hand glowed brightly. ¡°Everyone, buff up.¡± ¡°Bless!¡¯ ¡°Heroism!¡± ¡°Inspire Courage!¡± ¡°Shield of Faith!¡± Several buffs fell upon Aina¡¯s Guild as they prepared for the battles ahead. Diablo and Lux also used their Battlecry and Warcry to further enhance the damage of Aina¡¯s entire guild, which surprised not only the doll-like beauty, but also her entire guild. Diablo¡¯s passive skill, Warlord Presence, further enhanced their attack, which allowed the Eternal Guild to increase theirbat power by a great margin. ¡°Are you sure you only want to be a temporary guild member?¡± Aina asked in a volume that only Lux could hear. ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°It¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°I think so as well.¡± Aina¡¯s expression remained the same, but she now understood why Colette liked to always go on adventures with Lux. With someone who had skills that could boost your team¡¯s attack and defense, clearing dungeons would be a lot easier, not to mention monster subjugations. ¡°Brace yourselves,¡± Aina said and the sword in her hand shone brightly. A momentter, several angelic feathers descended upon everyone, adding ayer of protection to everyone who was under the Warrior Princess¡¯mand. The other guilds, as well as the Army of Whitebridge City, had also finished their preparations. ¡°Archers Aim!¡± Aina ordered. ¡°Magicians, prepare your spells!¡± Lux didn¡¯t summon his Skeleton Archers, because he didn¡¯t want to let everyone see the aces under hismand. For this mission, he only summoned Diablo and all thirty Skeleton Fighters to assist him in this battle. Eiko had a determined look on her face as ckie, Whitey, Rocky, and Mara stood at the ready. She had only given her Named Creatures one order, and that was to¡­ get as many Beast Cores as they could! Lux had told Eiko that she was not allowed to participate in the battle, because he didn¡¯t want to expose her strength. This made the baby slime pout. But, after hearing her Papa¡¯s n to steal the Beast Cores, Eiko¡¯s mood had a 90 degree turn, which made her feel motivated about the battle that was about toe. The Half-Elf chuckled because he could already see his baby slime happily eating Beast Cores at the end of the day. Eiko was a simple minded baby. As long as she could get stronger, she didn¡¯t mind staying on the side and watching the entire world burn around her. ¡®Eiko, don¡¯t tell your Mama about stealing stuff, okay?¡¯ ¡®Pa!¡¯ The baby slime nodded her head. She had never seen so many monsters before. In her eyes, all of them were just Beast Cores that were meant to make her stronger. ¡°Brace!¡± Aina ordered and several shield warriors lined up beside her as they raised their shields in preparation to block the first wave that was almost upon them. Aina gazed fearlessly at the uing Beast Tide. She then raised her hand to signal for everyone to standby and wait for her orders. The moment the monsters stepped into the attack range of the arrows and magical spells, Aina decisively lowered her hand and shouted. ¡°Open Fire!¡± Thousands of arrows, as well as magical spells rained down on the Monster Army, and decimated the cannon fodders that acted as their vanguards. ¡°Diablo, show them what we¡¯re made of!¡± Lux ordered. Diablo nodded his head and raised the sword in his hand. It was none other than the Mythical Weapon, Blood Moon, that Randolph had bestowed upon Lux after he sessfully saved Leaf Vige from destruction. The eyes of the Skeletal Rider glowed brightly as he sat on the back of his mount, Airon, who was also raring to fight by his side. On this day, Lux would realize just how overpowered Diablo¡¯s abilities could be as long as he stood on the battlefield where the numbers of both allies and enemies numbered in the tens of thousands. Chapter 204 The Lord Of Destruction [Part 2] The screams of monsters reverberated in the air, as the first wave found themselves beneath a rain of deadly arrows and devastating spells, both of which were meant to wipe them off the face of the world. Lux, with a calm expression on his face, watched this with his arms crossed over his chest. However, something unexpected happened, catching his attention, nearly causing the Half-Elf¡¯s jaw to drop to the ground due to his surprise. A notification appeared in front of him, which read that Diablo¡¯s passive skill, Bloody Fervor, had activated. ¡ª¡ª Numbers of enemy in: 2,535 Diablo¡¯s Bonus Attack: 12,675 Diablo¡¯s Bonus Defense: 12,675 ¡ª¡ª- ¡®T-This¡­,¡¯ Lux wasn¡¯t able to stop himself from gawking. All this time, he hadpletely forgotten the passive ability of Diablo¡¯s Armor, the ckrock Legacy Armor Set, which contained bonuses that allowed its wearer to be stronger, the more dead bodies there were on the battlefield. ¡ª¡ª- ckrock Legacy Armor (Set) Rating: Pseudo Legendary Requirements: 100 to all stats The Legendary Armor of the ckrock n¡¯s first Orc Chieftain. +50 to all stats +400 to Defense 30% decrease in physical and magical damage ¨C This Armor is bound to Lux Von Ainsworth ¨C Any creature under Lux¡¯s Von Ainsworth¡¯smand is capable of equipping this armor. Active Skills: Warlord¡¯s War Cry Passive Skills: Warlord¡¯s Presence, Bloody Fervor, Auto-Fit, Indestructible. ¡ª¨C < Warlord¡¯s Warcry > ¨C Increase the Physical and Magical Damage of all allied creatures by 200 Points. < Warlord¡¯s Presence > Your presence in the battlefield inspires your allies and makes them do well in battle. ¨C 10% Increase to Physical and Magical attack to the Warlord and its allies. < Bloody Fervor > Your physical and defensive abilities increase with each in creature in the battlefield. ¨C For every in creature in the battlefield, your attack and defense points will increase by five. ¡ª¨C Bloody Fervor¡¯s cheat-like ability was now active, and it was boosting Diablo¡¯s attack and defense to unimaginable levels. For every minute that passed, countless monsters were being killed at a very fast rate, further boosting Diablo¡¯s strength in battle. ¡®Oh¡­ my¡­ God,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Ipletely forgot about this!¡¯ Diablo, who was standing behind the Shield Warrior, sat like a general watching his troops do battle. The armor on his body had now turned crimson red, and the Aura of Death he projected was gradually increasing, making the Dwarfs that were behind him feel a little uneasy. ¡ª Numbers of enemy in: 5,896 Diablo¡¯s Bonus Attack: 29,480 Diablo¡¯s Bonus Defense: 29,480 ¡ª¨C Lux¡¯s breathing became ragged as he looked at the rapidly increasing damage and defense boost that his first named creature was getting. This damage boost was still unaffected by the armor¡¯s other passive ability, Warlord¡¯s Presence, which further increased Diablo¡¯s attack damage by 10%. ¡°Aina, when the monsters reach us, let my skeletons stand on the frontlines,¡± Lux said. ¡°This will reduce casualties for your guild.¡± Lux was desperately trying to contain the excitement in his voice as he waited for Aina¡¯s reply to his proposal. ¡°Are you sure that your skeletons can handle it?¡± Aina asked. ¡°Most of them aren¡¯t even Rank 2 Monsters. Only the Skeleton Rider riding on a Nightmare Horse has a high rank.¡± ¡°Trust me, Diablo is strong.¡± Lux said in a confident tone. ¡°He can handle it. He can give your guild a lot of Merit Points without endangering the lives of your members.¡± Aina stared at Lux with the same expressionless face for a few seconds before nodding her head. ¡°Okay,¡± Aina replied. ¡°But once he dies, we will advance.¡± Lux nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Aina nodded again before shifting her gaze back to the approaching Monsters. ¡°Let them pass,¡± Aina ordered, and the Shield Warriors turned their bodies to the side, to allow Diablo, and the Skeleton Fighters to pass through them. Aina was still quite doubtful about Lux¡¯s words, but she didn¡¯t think much about it. She wouldn¡¯t lose anything by letting the Skeletons deal with the wave of Monsters that was quickly approaching their location. Once the Skeletons were destroyed, they could still use the strategy that they had nned beforehand. In the end, Lux¡¯s proposal wouldn¡¯t change the bigger picture. The two guilds beside Eternal had also started to take action. The Guild Leaders of Twisted Destiny, and Arcadian Lords, nced at each other, as they sat on top of their War Mounts. Both nodded their heads before signaling their members to proceed with the strategy they had in mind. Twilight Rain had tried to merge the three guilds, Crescent Vanguard, Thunder Oath, and Eternal. However, none of them agreed. This in turn made the Elders of Twilight Rain angry, so they ordered the Reapers to Eliminate the Guild Leaders of the three guilds during the Beast Tide, and make it look like an ident. The one on the top of their list was none other than Aina, who had gained a lot of poprity as ofte and was favored by one of the Dwarf Princesses of the Gweliven Kingdom. Twilight Rain didn¡¯t want a guild to gain that much power and authority, especially if it wasn¡¯t under their control, so they decided to cut the flower off its stem before it could even bloom fully. The members of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lord formed a formation that would force the monsters to concentrate on Guild Eternal. Just like creating a man-made river that forcefully controlled the flow of water in the direction they chose, the two guilds were forcing Eternal to fight a great number of beasts that exceeded their fighting force. (A/N: the formation looked like this __/ the __ represents the guild Eternal.) Aina, who stood at the center, surrounded by her guild members, didn¡¯t fail to notice these sudden changes, but she wasn¡¯t bothered by it. She had already been warned by Lux, so she knew that the two guilds beside her were nning to harm her and her guild members. She had already made preparations in advance, and when the right moment came, she would counterattack and let them know that they were messing with the wrong person. However, Aina, as well as the two guild leaders of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords, could only stare in shock at the unbelievable scene in front of them. Diablo¡¯s Nightmare Horse, Airon, walked steadily towards the approaching monsters, with the Skeleton Fighters by his side. When the hundreds of monsters came within striking range, Diablo raised Blood Moon above his head and casually shed in front of him as if he was just cutting grass. The Skeletal Rider used its AOE attack, Whirlwind sh, and what happened next made everyone¡¯s eyes widen in shock. A blood mist appeared in front of them as the monsters in front of Diablo were all cut in half, instantly killing hundreds with one blow. However, it didn¡¯t end there, as more monsters rushed past their fallenrades, the Skeleton Rider once again shed in front of him, repeating the same scene that happened earlier. With every sh, the fires on Diablo¡¯s eye sockets burned brighter. The more he killed, the stronger he became. A minuteter, Diablo¡¯s armor was now covered with blood, but thetter paid it no mind. Everyone who watched this felt their scalp tingle and wondered what would happen if Diablo was fighting against them, and not for them. ¡°M-Monster,¡± the Guild Master of Twisted Destiny gasped in shock as he looked at the one-sided massacre that was still happening in front of him. ¡°J-Just what is going on?!¡± The Guild Master of Arcadian Lords could feel his hands turn sweaty. They never expected that their n to crush Eternal would only benefit them instead. ¡ª¡ª < Merit Point Rankings > Eternal ¨C 154,800 Twisted Destiny ¨C 12,256 Thunder Oath ¨C 11,879 Arcadian Lords ¨C 10,875 Crescent Vanguard ¨C 10,572 Blood Legion ¨C 9,854 Jade Skulls ¨C 8,756 ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡ª¡ª Diablo had single-handedly raised Eternal Guild¡¯s Ranking to the number one spot as he continued his one-sided massacre. Anything below a Rank 2 Monster would die the moment they came within Diablo¡¯s attack range. As an Undead, Lux¡¯s first Named Creature didn¡¯t know the meaning of exhaustion, swinging his sword repeatedly as more dead bodies piled up in front of him. Blood flowed like a river, dyeing the ground under Airon¡¯s feet, but the killing didn¡¯t stop. No one dared to step forward and stop the Skeleton Rider from killing the monsters in front of him. Only the Slimes that were under Eiko¡¯smand, were busy moving around on the battlefield. Their goal was to collect all the Beast Cores for their baby Slime Master, whose eyes were already sparkling in anticipation. Aina turned her head to look at the Half-Elf who was currently patting her little sister¡¯s head and was looking at her with a confident smile on his face. She never thought that the Half-Elf¡¯s sudden proposal would bring such results, which made her feel that this person was something she needed to recruit in her guild no matter what. Chapter 205 The Lord Of Destruction [Part 3] ¡ª- Numbers of enemy in: 12,856 Diablo¡¯s Bonus Attack: 64,280 Diablo¡¯s Bonus Defense: 64,280 ¡ª- Only half an hour had passed since the battle started, and yet, the number of dead monsters had already surpassed ten thousand. Aside from Eternal, who was basically unscathed by the Beast Tide, the other guilds were now starting to feel the pressure since the Rank 1 Monsters were almost entirely eliminated. The rest that remained were Rank 2 Monsters, and above. There had also been several Alpha Beasts whose rank ranged from Rank 1 to Rank 3, which now made defending the city a lot harder. It was not only the Monsters that were dying, the defenders were the same as well. Just as the stronger Monsters were about to enter the fray, several blow horns sounded across the battlefield. It was the signal for everyone to retreat to the second defensive perimeter, where makeshift walls, made from Earth, were prepared to hold back the stronger Monsters that had now joined the siege. Aina ordered her guild to retreat in an orderly manner. Right now, her guild was taking things at an easy pace since not a single Monster had been able to get past the Skeletal Rider who was massacring everyone within his range. On the contrary, the other guilds didn¡¯t have it easy, and were forced to retreat at a slower pace. The veryst to retreat were Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords, who had stretched out their forces in order to guide the Beast Tide to the location that the Eternal Guild was defending. In short, their n backfired on them, and the number of their casualties numbered in the hundreds. Diablo also slowly retreated while shooting Bone Spears at the Rank 1 and Rank 2 Alpha Monsters, which were easily killed by him with one hit. Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux¡¯s head, frowned, because the Alpha Monsters¡¯ Beast Cores were being eaten by the other monsters, who had taken advantage of the situation. ¡°Muu!¡± the baby slime pouted, while her Papa could only chuckle at her current mood. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there are still more where they came from,¡± Lux assured the pouting Eiko on his head. ¡°These monsters numbered nearly a million, so there are still plenty of Monsters left.¡± ¡°Pa!¡± ¡°Okay, you can get some Alpha Cores as well. But, you shouldn¡¯t take them all. The others need to get stronger too.¡± Eiko nodded her head in understanding and stopped pouting. Currently, her Slimes had managed to get hundreds of Rank 1 and Rank 2 Beast Cores. Although they were just low-ranked beast cores, the baby slime knew that more woulde as the Beast Tide continued. After all the guilds were safely stationed at the second line of defense, they felt a lot safer because they now stood on five-meter tall walls. The reason why they engaged the lower-ranked monsters outside their defensive perimeters was due to the fact that they didn¡¯t want the lower-ranked monster bodies to pile up and render their walls useless. If that happened, the stronger monsters could easily climb over the bodies of their deadrades and overwhelm the defenders behind the walls. In order to prevent this, they decided to kill the weak monsters out on the outskirts, and just move to the second line of defense once the main bulk of the Beast Tide had arrived. ¡°Are you sure you only want to be a temporary member of our guild?¡± Aina asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°You¡¯ve asked me this question five times. My answer will remain the same even if you ask me again.¡± The officers of Eternal sighed after hearing Lux¡¯s reply. After seeing Diablo¡¯s performance, they wanted to bring Lux into their guild even more in order to strengthen their ranks andpete with the other guilds in clearing dungeons and difficult quests. Having heard Lux¡¯s answer, Aina motioned for her sister toe close to her. Naturally, Colette happily obliged as her Big Sister whispered something in her ears. A minuteter, Colette held onto Lux¡¯s arm and lightly swung it from side to side acting all cute and adorable, which made Matty, and the rest of her friends, cover their faces in embarrassment. ¡°Big Brother, please join our guild,¡± Colette said sweetly. ¡°If you do, you will be given the rank of Elder, as well as 5,000 Gold Coins monthly allowance. Not only that, you will be given priority to item and equipment loot when clearing dungeons. Also, you can go out on dates with my Big Sister once a week.¡± Aina expressionlessly stared at her little sister who was doing her best to convince Lux to join her guild. Colette had told Lux everything Aina wanted her to say to him. However, the adorable little girl had one-sidedly added the condition that she would go out on a date with the Half-Elf once a week. That was something that she had never said to her. The officers of Eternal all looked at Aina in askance, and thetter only shook her head to deny Colette¡¯s additional condition to bribe the Half-Elf into bing part of their guild. The officers of Eternal knew what their Guild Master was like, and knew that she didn¡¯t have any interest in having a rtionship with anyone. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t,¡± Lux replied while Colette swung his arm from side to side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will still go on adventures with you guys even if I didn¡¯t join your guild.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Promise.¡± Colette could only ept Lux¡¯s decision and no longer pestered him. Aina could only shake her head in her sister¡¯s failed attempt to recruit a strong addition to their guild. The Guild Master of Eternal stared at the approaching tide of monsters with a fearless gaze. However, just like her, everyone¡¯s eyes were looking at the Skeleton Rider who was standing two hundred meters away from them. People from other guilds had never seen such a strong Monster before and envied Eternal for having a Necromancer of Lux¡¯s caliber in their ranks. Eternal¡¯s ranking in the leaderboards seemed unshakeable because the gap was simply too wide for them to catch up. Even so, the Guild Masters of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords were still calm despite their first setback. Since they couldn¡¯t decrease the number of Eternal¡¯s Guild Members on the battlefield, they could still proceed to the next phase of their n now, which was to sabotage them from within. Everyone had a price, and even some of the most loyal members of Eternal could be bought as long as the price was high enough. It didn¡¯t matter whether they had to use money, threats, or intimidation to make it happen. As long as they could achieve their goal, Twilight Rain was more than happy to move in the shadows to help their coborators shine in the spotlight. Chapter 206 The Lord Of Destruction [Part 4] ¡°Hehehe.¡± ¡°Big Brother, is there something funny?¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not going to tell you.¡± ¡°Booo!¡± Lux chuckled as he patted the adorable little Dwarf, who decided to stick with him while they helped with the defense of Whitebridge City. Matty and the others were also nearby Lux, since they had requested for this beforehand from Aina. For them, it felt a lot safer when they were around their Big Brother, and thetter was more than happy to have his friends around him. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Aina said. ¡°Everyone, prepare yourselves!¡± The first wave of the Beast Tide were merely cannon fodders. There were plenty of Rank 1 and Rank 2 Alpha Beasts mixed in the first wave, but they were not really such a big deal against those who had already stepped on the Apostle Ranks. The only troublesome thing about them so far was their huge numbers. A Beast Tide was not like a simple monster outbreak. The number of monsters within it numbered in the millions. If they were lucky, there would only be only a little over a million, but if they weren¡¯t, and the Beast Tide was severe, the numbers could reach up to ten million, which would be enough to destroy an entire city if the defenders were overwhelmed. Colette and her friends turned serious as their grip on their weapons became firmer. Lux smiled as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was not worried about the monsters breaking through Eternal¡¯s defenses, especially with Diablo holding the frontlines. If only Aina could see Diablo¡¯s current stats. She would definitely think that going out on a date with Lux once a week would be worth it. ¡ª¡ª Numbers of enemy in: 28,458 Diablo¡¯s Bonus Attack: 142,290 Diablo¡¯s Bonus Defense: 142,290 ¡ª¨C Right now, Lux was confident that even if a group consisting of the Carbuncle, Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, and Ghoul Beast appeared in front of Diablo, a single p from the Skeleton Rider would be enough to instantly kill them. As for the Mutated Thunder Wolf King? Perhaps Diablo would need to sh it six to eight times before the powerful Mutated Monster died in his hands. The current Skeletal Rider also wouldn¡¯t have any trouble standing toe-to-toe with Rank 5 Alpha Monsters of simr strength. Just as Lux expected, the moment the second wave of monsters reached their defensive line, Diablo massacred them without fail. ¡ª¨C < Merit Point Rankings > Eternal ¨C 785,600 Twisted Destiny ¨C 225,845 Thunder Oath ¨C 223,842 Arcadian Lords ¨C 218,357 Crescent Vanguard ¨C 216,568 Blood Legion ¨C 157,854 Jade Skulls ¨C 146,782 ¡ª¨C Aina and the officers of Eternal were quite happy, seeing the lead they currently had over the other guilds. Even those who held grudges about Aina¡¯s decision to let Lux join their guild in this important event hadpletely changed their views and were even secretly happy that the Half-Elf was on their side. If he joined another guild aside from them, wouldn¡¯t that be a pity? Just as the officers of the guild were feeling smug about their current lead, a fireball flew from behind their ranks and hit Diablo¡¯s back, which made him stagger, allowing the Rank 3 Alpha Monster, Monkey Kong, to smash his chest, and send him flying off Airon¡¯s back. ¡°Who did that?¡± Aina asked as she turned around to look at her subordinates. It was quite obvious that the attack came from her own people, infuriating the doll-like beauty. Although her face was calm and expressionless like usual, her eyes stared daggers at the Guild Member who had cast the Fireball while Diablo was in the midst of fighting a strong Alpha Monster. ¡°G-Guild Master, it was a mistake,¡± a mage stuttered as he looked apologetically at Aina, as well as the officers who were ring at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hit the Skeleton. I was just trying to help him kill that Monkey Kong.¡± ¡°Does he look like he needs your help?¡± Aina asked in a voice that was colder than ice, making the mage shudder. ¡°I-It won¡¯t happen again, Guild Master!¡± the mage promised. ¡°I-I will look for other targets to attack.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to do anything,¡± Aina replied. ¡°Leave the formation and return to the city. You will be punished ording to our Guild¡¯s Laws after the Beast Tide is over. Valerie, escort him to the city gates.¡± Aina¡¯s voice was filled with authority and wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer. ¡°Yes, Guild Master!¡± Valerie replied as she walked towards the mage who had lowered his head out of shame, and dragged him away from the formation. The doll-like beauty then scanned the faces of her guild members before making an announcement. ¡°The next person who attacks Diablo will be expelled from the guild,¡± Aina dered. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s an ident, or you aimed poorly. I will not listen to any excuses. Do I make myself clear?¡± ¡°¡±Yes, Guild Master!¡±¡± Lux nodded his head in satisfaction. Aina did the right thing. There was a saying that you need to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. This was a great way of setting an example to deter or threaten others frommitting the same mistake. Aina knew that the other guilds had nted spies inside Eternal, but there was nothing she could do about it. Even though their process for recruitment was strict, there would always be a possibility that one of the rival guilds¡¯ moles had infiltrated her organization despite the safeguards that they had set in ce. Her threat to expel any member who attacked the Skeletal Rider, who was currently amassing a great number of merit points for them, was the only thing she could do in order to deter them from doing it. Unfortunately, a dozen more of her guild members attempted to sneak attack the Skeleton Rider, whose back was facing them, using skills that were near impossible to detect. Unfortunately for them, they were messing with the wrong Half-Elf. The moment someone attacked Diablo from behind, they would immediately turn red on Lux¡¯s map,beling them as hostile forces. The Half-Elf would then tell Aina who attacked Diablo, and she in turn would summon her Guild¡¯s Roster from her Soul Book and expel that member instantly. The moment they were expelled from the Guild, the officers took custody of them and dragged them back to the city. Their names were also reported to the General of the Army of Gweliven, preventing them from returning to the front lines. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed,¡± Aina said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t expect that there were this many spies nted inside Eternal. I will make sure to be stricter in our selection of guild members in the future.¡± Lux chuckled after he heard Aina¡¯s apology. He knew that managing a big organization was difficult and it would be near impossible not to have spies infiltrate her guild. Even Twilight Rain and the Kingdom of Gweliven had nted spies on each other¡¯s sides, allowing them to gather information on the other side¡¯s movements. If a Kingdom managed by the Dwarves were suffering from this problem, it was only natural for a guild like Aina¡¯s to encounter the same. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Lux replied. ¡°It will take more than killing Diablo to kill him.¡± In truth, the attacks dealt by the guild members of Eternal, in addition to those of the Monsters in the current wave wereughable. Diablo¡¯s current Physical and Magical Defense had already surpassed 150,000. So, even if he was attacked by a dozen fireballs, it would not deal any significant damage to him. Even the attack of the Alpha Monster, Monkey Kong, couldn¡¯t damage the Skeleton Rider, who was just pretending to be hurt. The damage that was being dealt to Diablo was only a series of 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1. Blood Moon had a passive skill that was called lifesteal, which allowed Diablo to regenerate his health, based on his attack damage. ¡ª¨C < Life Steal > ¨C Each attack heals the user with 10% of the damage they deal to their enemies. ¡ª¨C A single sh would instantly allow Diablo to recover over 10,000 health points. With such a high-regeneration rate, no one in the current wave of monsters could possibly threaten his life. Right now, the Skeleton Rider was the personification of the Lord of Destruction, who instantly obliterated everything and anything, that stood in his way. ¡®I think only Deimos Ranked Monsters can threaten Diablo at this point,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Still, I wonder if it would be possible for Diablo to fight against one after more Monsters die on the battlefield.¡¯ While Lux was pondering these things, he wasn¡¯t aware that somewhere in the distance, a Dwarf Sniper was aiming for his head. The Half-Elf was so preupied with what was happening in front of him, that he waspletely unaware that a hidden threat was about to bare its fangs at him from his blindspot. ¡®If I kill him, I will be the next yer Candidate,¡¯ a Reaper from Twilight Rain thought. ¡®I don¡¯t care if the mission was given to Sid and Scarlet. It¡¯s their fault for being slow.¡¯ This particr Reaper was tasked to Assassinate Aina during the Beast Tide. The Eternal Guild was an eyesore in Twilight Rain¡¯s eyes. After seeing that Eternal was leading the rankings, the Reaper thought that it would be a good idea to Assassinate the Warrior Princess, in order to reduce the morale of her Guild Members. However, after using his sniping skills, he discovered Lux, who was standing not far from his target. After a brief internal struggle, the Reaper decided to change his target and kill the Half-Elf, who had a higher bounty on his head than the Guild Master of Eternal. ¡®Why would I settle for leftovers, when I can eat the main dish?¡¯ the Reaper mused as he channeled his strongest attack into the tip of his arrow. In his eyes, the allure of bing the yer Candidate and stealing the glory from Sid¡¯s and Scarlet¡¯s hands, was worth the risk of stealing their prey. Chapter 207 I’ll Get Back At You Someday For This The Reaper narrowed his eyes as he took his aim at the Half-Elf who was unaware of his uing demise. He had a good vantage point since he was located in one of the watchtowers that overlooked the battlefield. He had first disguised himself as one of the Dwarves responsible for bringing food and water to the defenders before infiltrating the watchtower. The food and water he had given the unsuspecting guards were drugged, which caught them off guard. It was nothing poisonous, but it was a special sleep serum that was enough to make those that had ingested it sleep for five hours straight. He carefully knocked the arrow on his bow and aimed at his target that was over six hundred meters away from him. The Reaper had no problems targeting anyone from this distance because of his sniping skills. The arrow that was knocked on the assassin¡¯s bow was dipped in the venom of the Ravenous Saw-Scaled Viper. It was a Deimos-Ranked Monster, which could be found in the Burning Basin that stood between the Gweliven Kingdom and the various Orc Tribes. Even a graze from this venom was enough to kill a person within five minutes. Only a specific antidote, native to the Orc Tribes, could cure this poison, which had imed countless lives, including those of E-Rankers. (A/N: E-Rankers are the next rank after Initiate. They are the lowest rank of Rankers, but they are Rankers nevertheless.) After imbuing his arrow with improved pration and swift wind, the Reaper estimated that it should be enough to eliminate his target. ¡®Goodbye.¡¯ The Reaper sneered as he released the string of his bow. However, just as the arrow was about to take flight, a whip wrapped around its tip, preventing it from flying towards its target. The sneer on the Assassin¡¯s face instantly disappeared as he took out a dagger from his belt and looked at the person who had prevented him from iming his kill. Unfortunately, the person was wearing a mask, so it was impossible for him to identify his enemy. The first thought that came to his mind was to run, so that was exactly what he did. As one of the Reapers of Twilight Rain, he made sure to prepare an escape route in case his assasination attempt failed. The assassin jumped from the watch tower and extended his robe, imitating a flying squirrel in flight. Just as the Reaper thought that he had gotten away from his pursuer, he heard a teasing voice in his ears. ¡°So you can fly,¡± Scarlet said as she glided beside the assassin. As a Cambion, she had the ability to fly using the wings that she could extend from her back. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± the assassin eximed. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, Scarlet! I swear I will never steal your prey again!¡± Although she was wearing a mask, he had talked to Scarlet in the past, and the long red hair that fluttered out of her robe, was clear evidence of her identity. ¡°Toote,¡± Scarlet replied, as she thrust her dagger towards the Assassin¡¯s neck and twisted it, simr to what Sid had done to Lux when he had stabbed him in the chest. A gaping hole appeared on the Reaper¡¯s neck, as he looked at Scarlet in disbelief. Even though he had attempted to steal her prey, killing him was simply too much. Afterall, the two of them were in the same organization. Scarlet sneered before changing her path flight as shended near the walls of the city. Lux had tasked her to be on the lookout for possible Assassins that would target Aina. At first, Scarlet didn¡¯t want to obey him, but when he said that he would be sticking close to the Guild Master, the red-haired Dwarf beauty understood what the Half-Elf was nning. He was using himself as bait to lure the other Reapers into attacking him instead of Aina, forcing Scarlet to hunt them down before they killed him. Her life was bound to Lux, so, if Lux died, she would also die. For someone as ambitious as Scarlet, she wouldn¡¯t allow herself to die a second time, especially through the hands of other assassins like herself. ¡°Such a devious Master I have.¡± Scarlet clicked her tongue as she prepared to scout for other possible assassins in the area. ¡°I¡¯ll get back at you for this someday.¡± This was the second assassin she had killed, and she hoped that the organization hadn¡¯t assigned more than two Reapers to dispose of the doll-like beauty who led the Eternal Guild. ¡ª- ¡°Achooo!¡± ¡°Achoo?¡± ¡°Eiko, don¡¯t imitate me,¡± Lux said as he lightly patted the giggling baby slime on his head. The Half-Elf had seen the red mark that briefly appeared on his map, and saw a green mark pursue it. He knew that it was Scarlet who had eliminated the assassin, and he was quite impressed by how efficient she was when it came to cleaning up those of her own kind. Meanwhile, the other guilds were gradually losing ground against the Beast Tide that had overwhelmed the ces that they were currently defending. At this point, there had been a few monsters that slipped past Diablo¡¯s line of defense, but they were no match against the Guild Members of Eternal, who were quite happy to have something to do to pass the time. The Guild Leaders of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords no longer had time to deal with the Eternal Guild, since they were having problems on their own end. Unlike their rival guild, Eternal, who had Diablo, they didn¡¯t have such a powerhouse in their ranks. Because of this, their frontline was breached by Rank 3 and Rank 4 Alpha Monsters, who were working alongside Rank 3 and Rank 4 Monsters. The spies that they had nted in Eternal were also gone, so they could no longer continue their goal to pressure them into submission. ¡°Dammit!¡± The Guild Leader of Twisted Destiny cursed as he personally faced a Rank 4 Alpha Monster, alongside his Elite Guild Members that specialized in dealing with creatures of this rank. Aina gave her rivals a side-long nce to see their current conditions. If one were to look closely, they would see that the corner of her lips was raised slightly, forming a smirk on her doll-like face that was usually devoid of emotion. ¡®Serves you right,¡¯ Aina thought as she gave her rival guilds a look of contempt. However, she also knew that her guild, Eternal, wouldn¡¯t have their current peaceful circumstance if she had rejected Lux¡¯s proposal to temporarily be her Guild Member. Just as she was gloating internally at the two guilds¡¯ hardships, a resounding horn spread across the battlefield, which made her eyes widen in shock. That was the Signal that a Deimos Ranked Monster was sighted on the battlefield. Although they didn¡¯t know if it was a regr Deimos Monster or an Alpha Beast, either one was bad news for all of them. The Kingdom of Gweliven had dispatched an Elite Team of Initiates to deal with this kind of threat, so Aina wasn¡¯t too worried. ording to the briefing they had with the City¡¯s Mayor and the Generalmanding the Gweliven Army, there were three special teamsposed of Initiates that would deal with Deimos-Ranked threats. But, Aina¡¯sposure changed when more horns were blown consecutively, signaling them that more than one Deimos-Ranked Monster had appeared on the battlefield. Although she had already expected this to happen sooner orter, the number of strong monsters exceeded her expectations. ¡°F-Five blow horns,¡± Valerie, Aina¡¯s second inmand, stuttered as she looked at the dense army of monsters in front of her. ¡°Guild Master, one Deimos Beast at two o¡¯clock!¡± Aina immediately nced in the direction where Valerie was pointing at. Within the mass of monsters that seemed unending, a four-meter tall Warthog was running in their direction. ¡°Ivory Killer Warthog!¡± one of the officers of Eternal shouted. ¡°Be careful. That monster can go berserk at any time!¡± The Warthog let out a deafening squeal as it charged straight towards the Eternal Guild with its two-meter long Ivory tusks that were strong enough to pierce through steel without any problems. ¡°Shield Warriors, hold the line!¡± Aina ordered. ¡°When the Deimos is near, use your strongest defensive skill to block its attack!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± Right now, they were standing on the ramparts of the Earthen Wall that was five meters tall. Even so, they didn¡¯t feel safe when facing a Deimos Ranked Monster that was known for its relentless charge that could destroy the walls of a city. When the monster was only a dozen meters away from Eternal¡¯s defensive perimeter, its charge suddenly swerved away from its intended target as it changed direction. The officers of Eternal sighed in relief when the monster shifted its charge away from them. However, Aina, who was paying attention to the Monster, noticed that not only did it change direction, it was also headed towards Diablo, who had dismounted from his Nightmare Horse, and was running towards the Deimos-Monster, with his eyes burning brightly with his fighting spirit. Chapter 208 The Will Of Eternal [Part 1] ¡°Five Deimos-Ranked Beasts this early in the Beast Tide doesn¡¯t bode well,¡± the Mayor of Whitebridge City, Garth muttered as he rubbed his chin. ¡°Indeed,¡± a middle-aged Dwarf wearing a peculiar set of armor replied. ¡°But, it is still within the eptable grounds.¡± The middle-aged dwarf smiled as he drank a mug of mead, while paying close attention to the battles that were happening outside the city. Although he was making sure to keep watch on their surroundings to ensure that nothing escaped his eyes, most of his attention was directed towards the Deimos-Ranked Monster, Ivory Killer Warthog, who was now charging towards a Skeleton, who had performed well at the beginning of the Beast Tide. Two out of the five Deimos-Ranked Monsters that the scouts had sighted were Alpha Monsters. This was bad news for the defenders, but as long as the two Alpha Monsters were defeated, they would be able to handle the rest. The Deimos-Ranked Monster that was charging towards Diablo was not an Alpha Monster, but the threat it posed was something that couldn¡¯t be ignored either. ¡°Sir, will you not make a move to stop at least one of the Alpha Deimos Monsters on the battlefield?¡± Garth asked in a polite tone. ¡°I am afraid that the Elite Teams will not be able to handle them by themselves.¡± The middle-aged Dwarf drank his mug of mead until it was empty before standing up. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped,¡± the middle-aged Dwarf said. ¡°We can¡¯t have too many casualties in this war. I¡¯ll handle one of the Alpha Deimos Monsters, you takemand of the rest while I am away.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Excellency,¡± Garth bowed respectfully. The middle-aged Dwarf smirked before jumping off the ramparts and flying straight towards a ten-meter tall mammoth in the distance. As a Ranker, it was his duty to ensure that Whitebridge City didn¡¯t fall to the Beast Tide. Even so, he was feeling a bit worried because if Deimos-Ranked Monsters had appeared in this stage, it could only mean one thing. ¡®An Argonaut, and possibly a Dreadnaught-Ranked Monster, is pulling the strings from behind,¡¯ the middle-aged Dwarf thought as he smashed his fist on the Mammoth¡¯s head, sending it rolling across the ground, screaming in pain. While the Ranker of the Kingdom was dealing with one of the Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monsters at the center of the Beast Tide, a certain Skeleton Rider and a Warthog shed for the first time. Diablo¡¯s feet skidded on the ground as he blocked the Ivory Killer Warthog¡¯s full charge by himself. The reason why he dismounted from Airon was because he was worried that his Nightmare Horse would be unable to handle the collision and perish instantly. Airon was only a Rank 2 Monster, and didn¡¯t share Diablo¡¯s ridiculous buffs. Although he was able to fight alongside his trusted Nightmare against Rank 5 Alpha Monsters, a Deimos-Ranked Monster was a different kind of beast. One mistake and Airon would be grievously injured, and possibly even killed on the spot, if one of the Warthog¡¯s deadly tusks pierced any part of its body. Due to Diablo¡¯s boosted defense, he was barely able to block the Deimos¡¯ Monster attack without taking too much damage. Lux, who was paying close attention to Diablo¡¯s health points, breathed a sigh of relief. The damage that Diablo received was minimal, and although it would take him some time to whittle away the Deimos-Ranked Monster¡¯s enormous health, the Half-Elf had no reason to worry. Why? Because with every second that passed, Monsters and, to a certain extent, Dwarves continued to die in battle. This unending cycle continued to increase Diablo¡¯s attack and defense that allowed him to fight against Deimos-Ranked Monsters. ¡°Mr. Diablo is amazing!¡± Colette said as she looked at the Skeleton Rider with sparkling eyes. ¡°Big Brother, was Diablo always that strong?¡± ¡°I-It depends on his mood,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Sometimes when he is in the mood, Diablo can be many times stronger than he usually is.¡± ¡°Wow! That¡¯s incredible!¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°But, since Diablo is Big Brother¡¯s Summon, that only means that Big Brother is even more awesome!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Matty, as well as the rest of the Dwarves who were listening to Colette¡¯s and Lux¡¯s conversation, felt that something wasn¡¯t right. However, since Diablo was on their side, they decided to just appreciate the Skeleton Rider¡¯s incredible battle against a Deimos-Ranked Monster, that usually had to be dealt with by over a thousand elite members of Aina¡¯s Guild. That was how strong a Deimos-Ranked Monster was. One-on-one battles against them wouldn¡¯t work, and only by great numbers would they be able to ovee such a monster, which was considered a Field Boss Monster that could be found in the Apostle Grade Areas of the Kingdom of Gweliven. After breaking the Warthog¡¯s momentum, Diablo fired two bone spears in quick session, aiming for the monster¡¯s eye, but his opponent used its tusks to deflect his attacks with rtive ease. ¡®Now I understand why monsters like these need to be fought by thousands of people,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Since its whole attention is on Diablo, it can easily react to his attacks without any problems.¡¯ While Lux was thinking of ways to fight the Deimos Monster, the thirty Skeleton Fighters charged at the Warthog¡¯s side and shed its body. The sound of metal hitting a hard object spread in the surroundings, but after checking the monster¡¯s life, the damage couldn¡¯t even be considered a scratch since the skeleton fighter¡¯sbined assault only did a measly thirty damage. What did this mean? It means that the only damage they were able to deal to their opponent was only one point. The Half-Elf sighed as he looked at the Monster¡¯s stats, which made him realize that unless Diablo was able tond a clean hit on its body, its health would remain high even if all the skeletons were to continuously attack its body at the same time. ¡ª¨C < Ivory Killer Warthog > ¨C Overlord of the Forest ¨C Wandering Field Boss ¨C Deimos-Ranked Monster Health: 4,799,970 / 4,800,000 Mana: 300,000 / 300,000 Strength: ???? Intelligence: ???? Vitality: ???? Agility: ???? Dexterity: ???? Defense: 2000 ¨C The Ivory Killer Warthog is an Overlord of the forest. It is usually found in the lush green forests where it forages for food three times a week. Its main diet isposed of tubers and roots. However, when it feels threatened, this monster will not hesitate to attack anyone that it sets its eyes on. ¨C Its hide is quite thick and most attacks will bounce off its body unless it was imbued by the power of the elements. ¨C There is a saying that when the Ivory Killer Warthog had set its sights on its target, the poor creature will only have a few seconds to escape before the Warthog¡¯s tusk impaled their bodies. ¡ª¨C ¡°Aina, Diablo can¡¯t fight that beast alone,¡± Lux said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°The best he can do is fight the Ivory Killer Warthog into a stalemate. If you are fine with that, we can continue to remain here in the walls and just focus on attacking the monsters that have broken past their battle.¡± Lux didn¡¯t tell Aina that Diablo could probably defeat the Warthog if he was given more time. What the Half-Elf wanted to know was how Aina would deal with this kind of situation. Depending on her answer, he would change his strategy to match her decision. ¡°I appreciate the efforts that you and Diablo had done for our guild,¡± Aina answered as she gazed at Lux with the same calm expression on her face. However, her eyes were anything but calm. Lux could feel the burning determination in them, which made him realize that the doll-like beauty in front of him wasn¡¯t a herbivore. ¡°Do not underestimate us too much,¡± Aina stated. ¡°My guild isn¡¯t weak.¡± After saying her words to Lux, the Warrior Princess faced her guild members and gave her orders. ¡°Battle Formation!¡± Aina ordered. ¡°Arrowhead Formation!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± The temporary gates of the Earthen Wall opened allowing Eternal¡¯s melee fighters to charge towards the Warthog that was busy exchanging blows with Diablo. Just like an arrow that was released from the bow, the warriors formed four arrow heads as they charged at their target. This was a purely offensive battle strategy that Aina had created in order to fight against Deimos-Ranked Beasts that could also be found inside Dungeons. The purpose of this formation was to deal as much damage as possible to a monster, while it was being tanked by the Shield Warriors in front. Since Diablo was holding the beast for them, they could now attack it without any worries. ¡°Shield Warriors, follow up with the Tower Formation!¡± Aina ordered. ¡°Make sure to deploy your Shield Walls as soon as possible and block the other monsters from attacking our warriors! Mages, use Ray Type spells and focus on targeting the monster¡¯s eyes. ¡°Healers, ce your buffs on the Shield Warriors! Do not, under any circumstance, use heal on the Skeleton. Anyone who uses Heal on Diablo will be immediately expelled from the guild. Do I make myself clear?!¡± ¡°¡±¡±Yes!¡±¡±¡± Lux was amazed because in just a short period of time, the entirety of Eternal was mobilized to attack the Deimos Ranked Monster in front of them. He almostughed out loud when Aina reminded the Healers to not heal Diablo under any circumstances. He hadpletely forgotten that his Skeleton Rider was weak against Life, Fire, and Holy Magic. If not for Aina¡¯s reminder, he believed that some of the healers would identally heal Diablo, which would make his Named Creature curse them under his breath. Chapter 209 The Will Of Eternal [Part 2] The Ivory Killer Warthog squealed in anger as it got swarmed by hundreds of Dwarves that had taken advantage of its battle against Diablo. Although the damage of the Dwarves was just a tiny bit higher than Lux¡¯s skeletons, their numbers made up for it. Lux smiled because with Aina¡¯s Guild joining the fray, the Warthog would finally divert its attention away from Diablo. Warriors shed their weapons at its body without mercy, Magicians fired ray-spells at its head, specifically targeting its eyes in an attempt to blind it. When the Deimos Monster diverted its attention to the Dwarves, wanting to teach them a lesson, Diablo managed tond two solid blows on its body, dealing over two-hundred-thousand ethereal damage, making the Warthog squeal in pain. Diablo¡¯s attacks ignored defense. Whether the Deimos-Ranked Warthog had a tough carapace or not, it didn¡¯t even matter. The named creature only cared about getting a clean hit on his opponent since it could deal a devastating amount of Ethereal Damage that could make anyone writhe in pain. ¡°Mana Drain!¡± ¡°Mana!¡± Lux and Eiko didn¡¯t stand idle and started absorbing the mana of the Field Boss. Most powerful skills required mana, and they wanted to eliminate any chances the Warthog had to make aeback. Mana Drain [EX] would drain the mana of its target by 5% of its maximum Mana. Since Eiko was using the same spell as Lux, that single round of Mana Drain was able to shave off 10% of the Deimos¡¯ Monster¡¯s mana. They would need to do it nine to ten more times before the Warthogpletely ran out of mana. This was the strategy that they had developed when dealing with strong monsters. The sooner the monster ran out of mana, the sooner it would find itself helpless against thebined assault of Lux, and the Eternal Guild. ¡°Grand Cross!¡± Aina shouted as she delivered a strike to the Warthog¡¯s back leg, in order to destroy its bnce. It was her strongest attack, but the monster¡¯s defense was simply too high for her to break its stance. Even so, she wasn¡¯t depressed about it. ¡°Everyone, continue attacking!¡± Aina ordered. ¡°The moment it changes its target, Shield Warriors, prepare to intercept and use your strongest defensive skills!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± Lux, who was not far from Aina, smirked internally. He already knew that the Warthog wouldn¡¯t dare change its target from Diablo because it knew that the moment it did, Diablo would unleash a sneak attack on its body, dealing damage that surpassed the attack of all of Aina¡¯s guild membersbined. ¡ª¨C < Ivory Killer Warthog > Health: 4,331,285 / 4,800,000 Mana: 262,354 / 300,000 ¡ª¨C Seeing that it had no way out of its predicament, the Ivory Killer Warthog¡¯s body immediately changed to crimson-red, which meant that it had activated its Berserk Skill. ¡°Brace!¡± Aina immediately ordered. After hearing hermand, the Warriors all pulled away from engaging the Berserked Deimos-Monster because its attack would certainly deal enormous damage. The Shield Warriors stepped forward and deployed their strongest defense, Shield Wall, which grew stronger the more Shield Warriors activated it at the same time. One could even say that this was the ¡°team-ability¡± that was unique among Shield Warriors, regardless of their rank. When more than one Shield Warrior deployed this ability, theirbined defense would stack up, forming a united defensive barrier that would mitigate most attacks. The Ivory Killer Warthog raised both of its front legs and mmed them on the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the Shield Warriors on the front lines flying backwards. ¡°Healers, heal the wounded!¡± Aina ordered. ¡°Second Defender Team, step forward!¡± The second team of Shield Warriors took the ce of their fallenrades and activated their Shield Wall in order to keep the Warthog¡¯s berserked-rampage at bay. Even so, they were once again sent flying after the Warthog swung its massive tusks at them, sending the defenders flying like dried leaves being swept away by a broom. At that exact moment, Diablo snuck under the Warthog¡¯s neck and leapt high into the hair, activating its strongest single target attack, Hellfire Annihtion sh. ¡ª- < Hellfire Annihtion sh > (Mana: 200) Cooldown: 5 Minutes. ¨C Coat your weapon with the Hellish mes and deal massive damage to your enemy. ¨C Deals 500% of your maximum damage to your enemy. ¨C This skill has a moderate chance of dealing critical damage. ¨C When the attack bes a critical hit, decrease your target¡¯s physical, and magical defenses by 20% ¨C Has a moderate chance to inflict Burn status on your target. ¨C If the attack dealt both critical damage and Burn status at the same time, the duration of Burn would extend to a full minute. During this time, any regeneration abilities by the target, or any skill that restores its health will not take effect. ¡ª¡ª¨C < Burn > ¨C Enemies inflicted with Burn will have their health decreased by 1% of their maximum health every 2 seconds. ¨C Burn effectsts for thirty seconds. ¨C While under the Burn effect, the monster¡¯s physical attacks are decreased by 20% ¡ª¡ª¨C The attacknded perfectly on the Warthog¡¯s blindspot, searing its skin with hellish mes, making it squeal in pain as it iled its tusks around in an attempt to ward off the Skeleton Rider who had dealt it a devastating blow. Diablo¡¯s attack was a critical hit and, at the same time, it activated the Burn effect on the Deimos Monster, making its health decrease every two seconds, as well as lower its physical attacks by 20%. ¡°Everyone attack and don¡¯t hold back!¡± Aina ordered as the sword in her hand radiated a golden light. ¡°Full Throttle!¡± Aina coated her weapon with the Holy Property before increasing her physical prowess by 300%. Full Throttle was a skill that allowed her to increase her strength for a few seconds, in order to strengthen the next skill that she was about to unleash. After boosting her attack that couldst for a short period of time, Aina raised the golden sword in her hand and swung at the rear leg of the Warthog, who had just received Diablo¡¯s Hellish Strike. ¡°Ignition Burst!¡± Aina roared as her blow prated the Warthog¡¯s tough skin, and pierced through its bone. ¡ª¨C < Ignition Break > ¨C Deals 300% Physical damage and has a small chance to shatter your target¡¯s armor, or weapon. ¡ª¨C Due to Diablo¡¯s and Aina¡¯sbined assault, the Warthog lost its bnce and fell on the ground. Immediately, the monster was mobbed by a bunch of crazed Dwarfs who seemed to have been injected with steroids. Even Lux who was watching the scene couldn¡¯t help but feel goosebumps, thinking that Aina¡¯s Guild seemed to be too excited as they mercilessly hacked, stabbed, and pounded the Warthog, whose skin color had reverted back to its normal color. Clearly, the effect of its Berserk ability had ended, and it temporarily entered a weakened state, allowing the Dwarves to attack without holding anything back. The Guild Leader of Twisted Destiny scowled when he saw the current status of Aina¡¯s Guild. He thought that with the Deimos Ranked-Monster would be enough to decimate the Eternal Guild and allow his guild to catch up. But seeing that Aina¡¯s Guild had everything under control, he knew that the gap would only widen once again when the Deimos Monster was defeated. ¡ª- Killing Deimos Ranked Monsters = 500,000 Merit Points ¡ª- The Guild Leader of Twisted Destiny clenched his fist when he saw the number of merit points that Eternal would gain after they had killed the Ivory Killer Warthog, which made him want to sabotage them at any cost. However, just before he could think of a n to make their guild suffer, something unexpected happened. From within the dense Beast Tide, something silver flew straight at him. It was none other than Lux¡¯s Demonic Defender, Pazuzu. Right behind him was a four-meter tall Flying Tiger, which the Guild Master of Twisted Destiny had seen in the past. How could he possibly forget the exact same creature that had wiped out their entire guild after they entered the S-Ranked Dungeon that they had discovered by ident a month ago. The creature that was chasing Pazuzu was not just an ordinary Deimos-Ranked Monster, but an Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster that went by the name, Diabolical Demon Flying Tiger. Lux, fed up with Twisted Destiny¡¯s repeated attacks on Eternal by using dirty tricks, made a move. He decided to teach them a lesson which would not only eliminate one of Aina¡¯s rivals, but also exterminate one of the coborators of Twilight Rain, who was after his life. Chapter 210 The Will Of Eternal [Part 3] When Pazuzu was several hundred meters away from the defensive line of Twisted Destiny, the Demonic Defender stopped and faced the Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster with his shield raised high. Lux wasn¡¯t afraid of getting any demerits, but he still had to make it seem like everything that would happen from this point on was merely an ident. The Alpha Monster was originally fighting against the Guild, Thunder Oath, which was one of the Top 5 Guilds in Whitebridge City. When the Diabolical Demon Flying Tiger descended on the battlefield, the Guild¡¯s defenses instantly broke apart. They were simply no match against the Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster, who was supposed to be handled by one of the Elite Teams from the Kingdom of Gweliven. However, since five Deimos-Ranked Monsters appeared at the same time, they didn¡¯t have enough manpower toe to their aid. Just as the monster was about to start a one-sided massacre, Pazuzu appeared and used Duel [EX] to force the Alpha Monster to follow him. This allowed the Thunder Oath Guild to escape a cmity, and all of them, including their Guild Master, watched with bated breath as the Flying Tiger was lured away from their location. Since Thunder Oath¡¯s defensive lines weren¡¯t far away from Twisted Destiny¡¯s, Pazuzu was able to reach them before the duration of his skill, Mad Rush, ended. With a single swipe from the Flying Tiger¡¯s ws, Pazuzu smashed into Twisted Destiny¡¯s defensive lines, and turned into particles of light. ¡°Damn you!¡± the Guild Master of Twisted Destiny roared in anger at the disappearing Pazuzu before giving out his order. ¡°Everyone, retreat! Don¡¯t bother to face it. Just run!¡± The members of Twisted Destiny didn¡¯t need to be told twice as they turned tail and ran with all of their might. They had seen how powerful this monster was when it had wiped them all off from the face of the Dungeon. When people died in the Dungeon, they would respawn and lose a quarter of theirbined stat points. But even if it wasn¡¯t real death, the pain and fear that they had experienced back then was still fresh in their memories. Right now, they weren¡¯t inside a Dungeon, but in the open world. If they died here, their deaths would be permanent. Lux had summoned all of his Named Creatures, and ced them in different locations on the map. Ishtar and Orion were within the defensive lines of the Arcadian Lords, simply hiding underground and waiting for Lux¡¯s orders before striking. The Half-Elf would dly gain demerit points from their attack. Anyway, he could easily gain them back by allowing Diablo to fight as many monsters as he could. However, there were many ways to take advantage of the conditions that had been drafted by the City Officials. In short, the red-headed teenager was exploiting the loopholes of the rules, which allowed him to sabotage his opponents legally. Take for example, Pazuzu. What the Demonic Defender did was to save the Guild of Thunder Oath from being wiped out by the Alpha Monster. Because of this, his action couldn¡¯t be seen as a demerit as it was considered as an act of helping others. The Half-Elf chuckled internally as he watched the Alpha Monster devastate the defensive lines of Twisted Destiny in a matter of seconds. Aina, who was also paying attention to the chaos that was happening to her rival guild, urged her guild members to finish the Ivory Killer Warthog while they still had time. Although they were taking it easy right now, it would be noughing matter if the two Deimos Monsters joined hands and attacked them together. ¡®We should wrap this up,¡¯ Lux thought as he continued to use his Mana Drain to prevent the Deimos-Ranked Warthog from staging aeback. As if sensing its impending doom, the Ivory Killer Warthog gathered its strength and¡­ ran away! This development made the Eternal Guild cry out in surprise, never expecting that their opponent would flee the moment it regained its strength. Fortunately, Diablo was there so, before the Warthog could even run more than a hundred-meters, it was forced to turn back and face the Skeleton Rider, whose physical damage had now crossed over three hundred thousand. Airon ran towards Diablo, and the Skeleton Rider leapt on its back, allowing him to use his mounted abilities. After understanding his opponent, Diablo deemed that he would now be able to fight it, alongside his mount Airon, due to the boost in attack and defense that he currently possessed. Since he was a Skeleton Rider, the moment he gained ess to his mount, his Rider Skills, as well as his Charge Skills had all be avable to him. Diablo had temporarily changed his weapon to a spear, which Randolph had crafted for him. Although it was only a Unique Weapon, and only had one single ability inside it, which was Indestructible, it was still the best weapon that the Skeleton Rider could use in this scenario. Airon¡¯s body was enveloped in mes, as he ran towards the charging Warthog like a fireball. Diablo was about to use one of his strongest mounted abilities, which he had acquired from the medallion that Lux had found in Barca¡¯s possession when they went to the Dungeon of Orc Dominion. ¡ª¡ª¨C Avetia Kingdom¡¯s Elite Cavalry Medallion. Rarity: Mythical Requirement: Only for Professions that specialize in mountedbat. ¨C When wielding a spear, you will be able to use the skill Hero¡¯s Charge. +20 to All Stats for any sses that allows you to fight while mounted on a beast. +10% increase to mobility, and physical attack. +100 to Physical Attack. < Hero¡¯s Charge > ¨C A full powered charge attack that deals 300% of your overall physical damage to your target. Can only be used when mounted on a beast. ¨C If your enemy is bigger than you, it deals an additional 100% damage to your target. Can only be used when mounted on a beast. ¡ª¡ª With Diablo¡¯s Physical damage amounting to over three hundred thousand, the skill, Hero¡¯s Charge, was noughing matter. Just as Lux expected, the moment the two forces shed, the Ivory Killer Warthog uttered a blood-curdling roar before copsing on the ground. Airon, and Diablo, were blown away by the impact of the collision. The Skeleton Rider was mostly safe, but Airon only had a quarter of its health remaining. If Diablo hadn¡¯t taken the brunt of the damage, the Nightmare Horse would have certainly perished after that single collision. ¡°Aina, please heal the Nightmare Horse,¡± Lux said and the doll-like beauty nodded her head in understanding. A momentter, a healing light descended upon the fallen Nightmare Horse, which allowed it to regain a third of its Health. The Guild Members of Eternal raised their weapons high up in the air and shouted their victory cries, which spread across the battlefield. Lux and Aina nced at each other and smiled. The Half-Elf was dumbfounded. Although Aina¡¯s smile only consisted of the corner of her lips rising by a fraction, it was still enough for the red-headed teenager to receive a critical hit to his heart due to how beautiful it was. However, the brief smile on Aina¡¯s face disappeared when the body of the Ivory Killer Warthog disappeared in front of her eyes A momentter, Diablo walked towards Lux holding the enchanted Beast Ring in his hand. The Skeleton Rider had taken the corpse of the Deimos-Ranked Monster for safekeeping, making Aina, as well as the members of Eternal look at the Half-Elf with a face filled with injustice. ¡°I-I¡¯m just going to hold onto it for safekeeping,¡± Lux stuttered. ¡°Rx. Everyone fought hard, so it is normal that we should split the rewards 50/50. I will take the Beast Core, and your Guild Leader will have the Warthog¡¯s body. That way, she canmission skilled cksmiths to craft weapons, and armors, for your entire guild.¡± Lux¡¯s exnation made the Dwarves regain the smile on their faces and nodded their heads amicably. Although Lux was the one that would get the beast core, none of them had any qualms about it. Aina and her guild members weren¡¯t stupid. They knew that they wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat the Deimos-Ranked Warthog as quickly as they did without Diablo¡¯s help. Their only concern was whether or not the Half-Elf would be taking everything with him and not give them anything for their hard work. Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted not far from them. The Diabolical Demon Flying Tiger was finally pushed back by the concentrated barrage of the Gweliven Kingdom¡¯s Army, and had shifted its sights in their direction. With a single nce, Aina knew that the Beast Monster was too strong, so she immediately ordered the retreat of her forces ¡ª¨C < Diabolical Demon Flying Tiger > ¨C Apex Predator of the Mountains ¨C Wandering Field Boss ¨C Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster Health: 26,264,531 / 28,000,000 Mana: 489,365 / 600,000 Strength: ???? Intelligence: ???? Vitality: ???? Agility: ???? Dexterity: ???? ¡ª¡ª Lux stared at the Monster with a grim expression on his face. The Elysium Compendium had given him some information about this new opponent. He instantly knew then and there that the Deimos-Ranked Warthog that they had just killed was nothingpared to the foe that was now currently headed in their direction. ¡°Diablo, buy us some time to retreat,¡± Lux ordered The Skeleton Rider nodded his head in understanding as he ran towards the Flying Tiger. Lux only hoped that his Named Creature would be able to buy them enough time so that the Eternal Guild could distance themselves away from the Flying Monster that had marked them all as its next target. Chapter 211 My New Master Sure Is Willful ¡°Should I help those kids or not?¡± The middle-aged dwarf yed with his beard as he watched the Flying Tiger head towards one of the Silver-Ranked Guilds in the Kingdom. He was seated on top of an Alpha-Ranked Deimos Mammoth that he had defeated in less than a minute. ¡°Well, our newest rookie is over there, so I guess I¡¯ll let him handle this?¡± the middle-aged dwarf, who went by the name Nik Einstein muttered. He was one of the twelve original members of the Order of the Griffin. Just like everyone else, he was looking forward to the performance of the neer, whom the King had decided to add to their organization. Nik then nced at the rear of the Beast Tide and narrowed his eyes. ¡°So, that is where you are hiding¡­,¡± Nik frowned. ¡°This is one tricky bugger. I don¡¯t think I can beat this guy alone.¡± A pair of ancient eyes met Nik¡¯s gaze. It was the leader of the Beast Tide, and unless it was defeated, Whitebridge City would not be safe. ¡ª¨C ¡°Colette! Aina! Run as fast as you ca¨C¡± Lux almost choked back his words when he turned his head and saw that Colette and her sister, Aina, were already hundreds of meters away from him. In fact, the two sisters were in front of the retreating guild, which proved how fast the two of them were running. Lux hadpletely forgotten how fast Colette could run, but he didn¡¯t know that Aina shared the same trait. ¡°At least, the two of them are decisive.¡± Lux didn¡¯t know if he shouldugh and cry at his current predicament. Right now, the Half-Elf was at the rear of the fleeing Dwarves as all of them were fast runners. Perhaps it was because of their small statures, or perhaps they were just built differently, but Dwarves in the World of Sis and Elysium could put even the Olympic sprinters to shame. Diablo, as well as the Skeleton Fighters, guarded the red-headed teenager¡¯s retreat as they tried to get the attention of the Flying Tiger. However, the Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster was very intelligent. It knew that Diablo and the Skeletons were merely summons, so it didn¡¯t pay attention to them. With a mighty roar, it increased its speed in preparation to descend onto the fleeing Dwarves, who were running with their lives on the line. It was at this moment when the Flying Tiger felt a strong pull, forcing it to change its direction mid-air. With a roar of annoyance, the Alpha-Ranked Deimos monster descended on the Skeleton Rider, who was waiting for its arrival. Diablo had ordered the Skeleton Fighters to scatter because they would just die against the Alpha Monster, aware that even he didn¡¯t have a chance of defeating it on his own. Raising Blood Moon high in the air, Diablo nted his feet firmly in the ground as he used his skill, Cross sh, which was simr to Lux¡¯s, Double Fury sh, to deal as much damage as he could to his enemy. The moment the Flying Tiger¡¯s razor sharp ws met Diablo¡¯s sword, a metallic sound reverberated in the battlefield. A secondter, the Skeleton Rider was sent flying due to the force behind the Flying Tiger¡¯s attack. The Skeleton Rider crashed hundreds of meters from where it stood earlier, and rolled on the ground repeatedly. The Monsters mercilessly stomped on Diablo¡¯s body as they headed towards Whitebridge City, since it was blocking their path. Lux¡¯s face sank when he saw that Diablo¡¯s HP was reduced by half due to the Flying Tiger¡¯s blow. Right now, Diablo had an unimaginable defensive stat, thanks to the constant deaths that were happening around him. For him to take that much damage from the Flying Tiger could only mean one thing. The Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster managed to deal a critical hit on the Skeleton Rider, bypassing its powerful defense. However, before Lux could panic, Diablo used its skill, Whirlwind Strike, instantly annihting all the Monsters around him. Since Blood Moon had the passive skill, Life Steal, the Skeleton Rider¡¯s health became full again after reaping the lives of the Monsters that were about to stomp on his body. Diablo fired three Bone Spears at the Flying Tiger, but thetter dodged them with ease. It was the only ranged attack that Diablo had in his arsenal, so even if the enemy was able to evade them all, he just kept on shooting the spears at his target in order to gain its attention. Lux felt that he should look for suitable Beast Cores for his Skeleton Rider so that his range abilities could have some kind of variation. ¡°Jed,e!¡± Lux ordered and his Thunder Warg King appeared in front of him. Without another thought, Lux jumped on its back and urged it to run faster. A momentter, the Half-Elf had caught up with the rest of the Dwarves that were nearing the defensive walls of Whitebridge City. Suddenly, a ferocious roar resonated in the sky. The Flying Tiger pped its mighty wings, creating several tornadoes that spun around its body, razing everything that was on the ground to shreds. The Skeleton Fighters who got caught up in the tornado all shattered, turning into ashes due to the Flying Tiger¡¯s overwhelming strength. Of course, it was not only the Skeleton Fighters that were ripped apart by the tornadoes. None of the other Monsters escaped the onught as a shower of blood mist gaved the tornadoes a crimson hue. Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux¡¯s head, was constantly muttering. ¡°Mumumumumu.¡± She felt her heart break when she saw the hundreds of Beast Cores her Slime Summons couldn¡¯t take due to how dangerous the situation was. Diablo managed to escape the suction of the tornadoes because he didn¡¯t hesitate to use his skill, Leap, to distance himself from his enemy. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to fire Bone Spears at the Flying Tiger while doing so, but it was of no use. The Bone Spears were sucked up by the tornadoes, preventing him from even grazing his target. ¡®Finally, that damned Skeleton has met his match!¡¯ The Leader of Twisted Destiny managed to escape the ughter that hade upon his guild because he had retreated as soon as he saw the Flying Tiger flying towards their direction. Of the thousand men that he had brought to the frontlines with him, more than half were killed by the Diabolical Demon Flying Tiger. If not for the Kingdom of Gweliven¡¯s cover fire, more of his guild members might have died. He had brought the Elite Members of his guild with him in order to gain as many points in the rankings as possible. However, instead of gaining points, he had lost his members that specialized in raiding A-Ranked and S-Ranked Dungeons. The Guild Master of Twisted Destiny knew that thanks to this incident, his guild would weaken considerably and might even fall off from its position as one of the Top 5 Guilds in Whitebridge City. ¡®Once I find the owner of that sted defender, I will definitely make him pay with blood.¡¯ The Guild Master of Twisted Destiny gnashed his teeth in anger as he tried to salvage the situation he was in. Just as he was about to order his right-hand man to check how many members he still had left in hismand, he felt a stinging pain on the back of his neck. A momentter, the Guild Master of Twisted Destiny copsed on the ground and twitched a few times. ¡°Guild Master!¡± The Vice-Guild Master of Twisted Destiny cried out in rm when he saw the arrow that was embedded in the Guild Master¡¯s neck. It was the same poison-tipped arrow that the Assassin, who tried to assassinate Lux, had used earlier. For some reason, this same arrownded in the neck of the Dwarf that managed the Guild which was one of Twilight Rain¡¯s coborators. ¡°Someone! Help!¡± the Vice-Guild Master shouted, and several clerics rushed toe to their aid. Unfortunately, the poison that was used was very rare, and, unless a specific antidote was used, it was impossible to cure it. ¡°My new Master sure is willful,¡± Scarlet grumbled as she returned her bow to her storage ring. ¡°Why must I do these menial chores?¡± Lux had ordered her to assassinate the Guild Masters of the two coborator Guilds of Twilight Rain, while the battle was at its fiercest. This way, she would be able to catch her targets by surprise, andplete her Master¡¯s orders. Scarlet gave Lux onest nce before the grumbling Dwarf made herself scarce by heading to where the members of the Arcadian Lords were located. For now, the death of Twisted Destiny¡¯s Guild Master would be overshadowed by the Beast Tide that had broken through the main defensive lines of the city. Scarlet was confident that before the Guild Master of the Arcadian Lords got wind of what happened to hisrade, he would have already fallen into her hands, apanying the Guild Master of Twisted Destiny to the afterlife. Chapter 212 A Gift From A Senior [Part 1] ¡°Don¡¯t let them break past the walls!¡± The General who was in charge of the army ordered, ¡°Fire!¡± Several catapults that were inside Whitebridge city hurled the burning steel balls towards the Beast Tide that had broken past the first and second lines of defense. Only the location around where Eternal was stationed wasn¡¯tpletely broken through since they had Diablo on their side, using his Whirlwind sh to eliminate all the enemies within his strike range. The Demonic Flying Tiger had decided to ignore the Skeleton Rider and attacked the city alongside the horde of monsters that numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Eternal, as well as the other guilds, had safely entered the city thanks to the coverfire of the Army of Gweliven. However, there were two guilds that suffered a great loss in this battle. The first one was Twisted Destiny, who lost more than half of its Elite Members due to the Demonic Flying Tiger that had rampaged in the location that they were guarding. Aside from that, their Guild Master was assassinated, which lowered the morale of the entire guild. The Vice Guild Master immediately rallied the survivors to return to the city to regroup with the main bulk of their forces. The Arcadian Lords suffered a simr fate, but not as harsh as what happened to Twisted Destiny. They were faring quite well during the battle, but after their Guild Master was assassinated, the chain ofmand broke apart, allowing Rank 3 up to Rank 5 Alpha Monsters to wreak havoc on their forces. Left with no other choice, the Vice Guild Master of the Arcadian Lords also ordered an immediate retreat. Now that all the guilds had retreated behind thest defensive wall of the city, the atmosphere had turned tense. Everyone knew that if the monsters managed to scale the city walls, the tide would spill into the city center, making the battlefield more chaotic. This was something they didn¡¯t want to happen, so everyone was gritting their teeth in preparation for the intense battle, including Garth, the mayor of Whitebridge City. The ming steel balls descended on the horde of monsters, annihting everything in their path. They were one of the main defensive methods of the Dwarven cities, and each ball was created to inflict as much damage as possible, even to Deimos and Argonaut Ranked Monsters that couldn¡¯t be defeated by normal means. Several Wind des descended from the sky as the Demonic Flying Tiger flew above the city and unleashed a barrage of attacks aimed at the catapults that were attacking itsrades. ¡°Not on my watch!¡± A confident deration echoed inside the city as Nik blocked the Deimos¡¯ Monster¡¯s attack, using over a dozen Elemental Shields that hovered in front of the catapults, keeping them safe. ¡°Come down here!¡± Nik shouted at the Flying Tiger in the sky. ¡°I dare you!¡± He was a ranker that specialized innd battles, and flying enemies weren¡¯t his forte. Even so, he still activated several Earth Spears and hurled them at the flying tiger, but thetter evaded them with ease. Lux frowned when he saw this scene. He could tell with a nce that the middle-aged man who was shouting at the Flying Tiger was very strong. However, his strength was useless because his attack couldn¡¯t reach his target. It was at that moment when a n appeared inside his head. ¡°Colette, stay with your sister,¡± Lux said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll help deal with the Flying Tiger.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Colette nodded her head in understanding. ¡°Goodluck, Big Brother!¡± The little girl had so much faith in Lux. If the Half-Elf told her that he would defeat an Argonaut Monster on his own, Colette would definitely believe it without fail. Aina gave Lux a sidelong nce before shifting her attention to the Flying Tiger that was attacking them from the air. There were other flying monsters within the Beast Tide, but they were easily taken down by the Archers and the Mages who specialized in dealing with flying monsters. The only problem was that the Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster¡¯s movement was so erratic, that neither their arrows or magic spells couldnd on its body. Two minutester, Lux arrived at the location where the catapults were stationed. ¡°Sir, if I can bring that flying monster down from the sky, will you be able to do anything about it?¡± Lux asked as he looked at the middle-aged man whom he was seeing for the first time. ¡°Of course,¡± Nik shed Lux a wide grin. ¡°Rookie, we have high hopes for you. Do you have a n in mind?¡± ¡°Rookie?¡± ¡°Ah. I forgot to tell you that we are on the same team.¡± Nik showed the token of the Order of the Griffin to Lux, making the Half-Elf understand why the middle-aged Dwarf addressed him in a familiar manner. ¡°Sir, may I know your name?¡± Lux asked. ¡°Nik,¡± Nik replied. ¡°Nik Einstein. I am a C-Ranker, and specialize in closebat and Earth Magic.¡± Nik had a smug expression on his face as he looked at Lux. He thought that the Half-Elf would be surprised with his deration, but thetter only said, ¡°Oh¡±, and gave a brief nod of understanding. What Nik didn¡¯t know was that Lux had been living with a C-Ranker for most of his life, so he wasn¡¯t too surprised about the middle-aged Dwarf¡¯s statement. Although his Grandma Vera looked like a friendly old granny on the surface, she could be quite scary whenever someone crossed her bottom line. Lux had seen that side a few times during his childhood. ¡°Sir Nik, I can bring that Monster down from the sky. However, you will only have one window of opportunity to deal it a devastating blow that will prevent it from flying ever again.¡± ¡°Rx. As long as that little kittyes within my strike range, it is as good as dead.¡± Lux could feel the confidence of a Ranker oozing from Nik¡¯s words, so he decided to thicken his face and use this as an opportunity to get some benefits. ¡°I can do this for you, Sir Nik, but it will not be for free,¡± Luxmented. ¡°I want the Monster¡¯s corpse as well as its Beast Core.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Nik chuckled as he patted Lux¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Such a trivial thing. Okay, you can have it. Consider it a gift from one of your seniors.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet. Let¡¯s bring down that kitty cat first.¡± Lux didn¡¯t expect the negotiations to go so smoothly. However, he didn¡¯t realize that the Beast Core of a Deimos Monster, as well as its corpse, although good, was no longer appealing to a Dwarf of Nik¡¯s rank. C-Rankers often hunted Argonaut-Ranked Monsters and even Dreadnaught-Ranked Beasts in order to increase their rank, gather monster parts, and gain Beast Cores. Also, Niks specialized innd battles. None of the Flying Tiger¡¯s body parts or skills interested him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Rookie!¡± Nik pounded his two fists together activating his personal buffs to increase his defense, and attack to the next stage. ¡°Show me what you¡¯re made of!¡± None of the members of the Order of the Griffin were useless. Although not all of them were fighters like Nik, each of them had a specialty that allowed them to rise above the others. Although Nik didn¡¯t know what Lux¡¯s specialty was, he believed that the King wouldn¡¯t recruit someone, especially not a Half-Elf, to his personal Elite Unit that safeguarded the peace of the Kingdom of Gweliven, if there wasn¡¯t some skill present. ¡°It¡¯s time to shine!¡± Lux shouted while pointing at the Flying Tiger in the air. ¡°Bring it down, Orion!¡± Lux¡¯s fourth Named Creature, the Rock Golem Orion, appeared behind the Half-Elf and roared towards the sky. Immediately, as if a kite was being pulled towards the ground, the Flying Tiger¡¯s body made a sharp turn in the sky and descended towards the ground with a frustrated roar. Nik grinned evilly as he concentrated his strength in his right arm. ¡°Come to daddy!¡± Nik shouted as he stomped his left foot forward, preparing to unleash his strongest attack. The moment the Flying Tiger appeared within his ability¡¯s strike range, the middle-aged Dwarf blinked in front of the Deimos-Ranked Alpha Monster and unleashed a deadly punch that could shatter boulders into hundreds of pieces. ¡°Earth Dragon Smash!¡± Immediately, a cry of pain reverberated in the surroundings before the ground trembled violently. The Flying Tiger that terrorized the Dwarven Army was smashed towards the ground, creating a hundred-wide crater. ¡°Amazing!¡± Lux stared in awe at the middle-aged Dwarf who was now standing on the body of the Deimos Monster that suffered from serious injuries with just a single punch from the C-Ranked Dwarf. Although Nik was less than five feet tall, the power that was radiating from his small body was the same power that Lux had coveted all his life. The Half-Elf had always wanted to be a Ranker, like his Grandma Vera. Now that he was fighting alongside someone whom he had aspired to be, Lux felt that the dream that he had in the past, was slowly, but surely, bing a reality. Chapter 213 A Gift From A Senior [Part 2] The ground trembled, as Nik unleashed a barrage of punches that buried the Flying Tiger deeper into the ground with every punch that he unleashed. Several earth spikes had jutted out of the ground and shredded the Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster¡¯s wings, preventing it from flying away. The monster was unable to mount any counterattack and was forced to endure Nik¡¯s one-sided blows that brought it closer to death. ¡°Die!¡± Nik shouted as his right hand shed for a brief moment before he smashed it into the Flying Tiger¡¯s head, shattering its skull. The monster gave onest unwilling roar of frustration before itpletely stopped moving. Nik faced Lux and gave him a thumbs up, which the Half-Elf returned with a thumbs up of his own. A momentter, the giant body of the Flying Tiger disappeared. The middle-aged Dwarf looked down on a baby, blue Slime that was jumping happily on the ground, looking very pleased. After Eiko took the body of the Deimos Monster using the Enchanted Beast Ring in her possession, she hurried back to her Papa, and crawled up on his body, until she was snugly perched on top of his head. ¡°Eiko, you¡¯re too excited,¡± Lux said softly. ¡°The monster was already ours. It was not going anywhere.¡± ¡°Pa.¡± Eiko nodded her head in understanding. ¡°The Beast Core is yours, but the monster parts are mine, okay?¡± ¡°Pa!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Nik watched the exchange between Lux and the baby Slime with great interest. At first nce, the baby Slime was just an ordinary Slime that could be seen anywhere in the Kingdom of Gweliven. But, he believed that Eiko was different from the other Slimes that he had seen in the past. As someone who had achieved his rank, he trusted his gut instincts very much. And his gut was telling him that the baby Slime that was perched on the Halff-Elf¡¯s head was a creature that could perhaps one day, rival a dragon. ¡°Thanks for your help, Rookie,¡± Nik said as he walked towards Lux. ¡°Although the Flying Tiger had been dealt with, the battle is far from over. You can return to the ramparts, but be wary of the Monster that leads the horde. It is something that even I will not be able to fight alone.¡± Lux could sense the trace of concern in Nik¡¯s voice which had surprised him. If a C-Ranker was feeling weary, it only meant that the opponent was stronger than him. ¡°An Argonaut Ranked Monster?¡± Lux inquired in a voice so low that only Nik was able to hear. Nik nodded. ¡°Close, but not quite. The Monster leading the Horde is an Alpha-Ranked Argonaut Monster that is known to us Rankers as a Lesser Demogorgon. If this was a full-fledged Demogorgon, I would have already ran away because that monster is simply too powerful for someone like me to handle. ¡°But, even though I say it¡¯s a Lesser Demogorgon, it is still a Demogorgon. Only Holy, Life, and Divine Magic can pierce its defenses. Right now, we don¡¯t have someone like that here in the city. The best thing I can do is fight it to a stalemate and prevent it from advancing towards the city.¡± Lux could see the worry on Nik¡¯s face, which told him that the monster was not as simple as he described it to be. Even so, this was something that was far from his reach. Deep inside, he wondered if Keoza was stronger than the Lesser Demogorgon that the middle-aged Dwarf told him about. He could only summon the Crystal Dragon two more times, and it was his life saving trump card. Unless he was pushed in a corner, Lux wouldn¡¯t use the Dragon Token to fight against the Lesser Demogorgon if he could help it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even though I can¡¯t beat it, I am confident that I can keep it at bay,¡± Niks said after seeing the trace of anxiousness in the Half-Elf¡¯s face. ¡°Also, it is the only Argonaut-Ranked Monster in this Beast Tide. all the other threats haVE been dealt with, so as long as we endure thISst wave of attacks, we can count this as a victory.¡± Lux nodded his head in agreement. Thinking about these things that were outside of his control was just a waste of time. If push came to shove, he would just retreat alongside his friends, as well as the Eternal Guild. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my friends, Sir Nik,¡± Lux stated. ¡°Go,¡± Nik replied. ¡°Leave the troublesome things to the adults. We are old enough to handle these things.¡± Lux gave the middle-aged Dwarf a brief nod before heading towards the City Walls. Nik watched him go with a sigh before looking towards the sky. ¡°I should have asked his Majesty to bring one more ranker with me,¡± Nik said with resignation. ¡°If there are two of us here, we might find a way to beat the Lesser Demogorgon.¡± What Nik didn¡¯t tell Lux was that the Demogorgons were not only as strong as dragons themselves, but were capable of casting magic, in addition to being able to fight in closebat. It was proficient at both, and deadly on both fronts. Having two heads, one that specialize in magic casting, and one in physical fighting, it is one of the opponents that even Rankers like him found to be too troublesome to fight. Nik had fought one in the past, but he wasn¡¯t alone. There were two more rankers with him, but even with the three of thembined, the only thing that they managed to do was to make the monster flee. It was simply too powerful for C-Rankers to handle, and only A-Rankers and above could effectively deal with these beasts that hade from the Abyss. ¡°I just hope it goes away on its own,¡± Nik muttered as he made his way back to the Mayor¡¯s side, who was also on the ramparts,manding the city guards. ¡°If not, may the Gods help us all.¡± ¡ª Chapter 214 Visitor From The Abyss Three hours had passed ever since the start of the defensive battle of Whitebridge City. The defenders were about to get tired in fighting against the seemingly unending horde of monsters that were now doing their best to climb up the city walls, even if it meant using each other as a stepping stone to breakthrough the line of defense, which all the Dwarves were painstakingly trying to maintain. Aina panted, catching her breath, as she swung her sword to cut off a monster¡¯s w, sending it falling from the wall, crushing itsrades down below. Although her guild, Eternal, had now taken the lead in the rankings, the doll-like beauty was more concerned about the welfare of her guild members. The mages were exhausted after continuously casting spell, after spell, after spell. The archers had already run out of arrows, and those who could use their own magical energy to create elemental arrows, were suffering from mana exhaustion just like the mages. The warriors, who boasted great physical strength, could only barely lift the weapons in their hands and swing them at the enemies that were now scaling the walls of the city. There was also the issue of flying monsters that would harass them from the sky. It wasn¡¯t easy for the archers and the mages to shoot them down. However, after running out of ammunition and mana, the hundreds of flying monsters that remained posed a serious risk to the struggling defenders, who were now on the verge of copse. ¡®Not good,¡¯ Aina thought as she swung her sword to save one of her Shield Warriors who could no longer lift his shield to defend himself from a wolf-type monster that had jumped over the wall. Just after Aina sessfully blocked the wolf¡¯s attack, a six-meter-long serpent appeared behind her and lunged at her blindspot. ¡°Sister!¡± Colette shouted as she smashed her mace against the underside of the serpent¡¯s jaw, giving it an uppercut, and changing the trajectory of its attack. The Serpent was a Rank 3 Monster called Blue-Scaled Mamba, so the only thing that Colette had done was make it angrier. When the monster was about tounch another attack against the two Dwarf girls, an energy ballposed of light and dark magic smashed into its head, which pushed its serpentine body off the wall, making it fall down on the other side of the wall. ¡°Thank you, Whitey, ckie!¡± Colette shouted as the Angel and Devil Slime flew above their heads to continue helping the defenders fend off the monster army. ¡°To those who are no longer able to fight, retreat to the za of the city!¡± Aina ordered. ¡°Those who can still wield their weapons and cast spells, rally to me!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± Aina¡¯s call was answered by her loyal guild members. Those who were unable to fight any longer had to force themselves to follow the order because they knew that they would just burden their Guild Master, who had already stepped up many times to save their lives. Those who could still fight, gritted their teeth as they fought with everything they had. ¡®Everyone is nearing their limit,¡¯ Lux frowned as he scanned the surroundings. He had already summoned Ishtar, and his Skeleton Grand Archers to attack the flying monsters that were doing sneak attacks from the sky. The Skeleton Fighters were assisting the retreating members of the Eternal Guild, and protecting them from harm. In order to lessen the burden that the Eternal Guild was facing, he even ordered Diablo to stand directly under the wall where Aina¡¯s Guild was defending. Unfortunately, the other guilds didn¡¯t have the inexhaustible Undead Warriors to help them protect their stations, which were now being overrun by monsters. ¡®Scarlet, are you sure that no Reapers are left in Whitebridge City?,¡¯ Lux asked through telepathy. All the creatures under hismand could be talked to in this matter, as long as they were within a two-mile radius from Lux. ¡®I am not entirely sure,¡¯ Scarlet replied. ¡®But, I already killed four Reapers. I don¡¯t think they would send more of them, knowing that Sid and I are the ones that are supposed to kill you.¡¯ Lux could only take a gamble right now because he needed all the help he could get at the moment. ¡®Scarlet, for now, continue to monitor if there are any Reapers around,¡¯ Lux ordered. ¡®Also, your priority is to protect Aina. As for you, Sid, stop defending Aina and just focus on eliminating as many monsters as you can in this location.¡¯ ¡®I understand, Master,¡¯ Sid replied. ¡®I will do my best.¡¯ The two Assassins were Initiates, so they were more than capable when it came to dealing with small fries that were scaling the walls. However, since there was still a threat of assasination, he could only order Sid to go deal with the offense, leaving Scarlet with the defense. Just as Lux was about to summon Orion to help with the defense, he heard a loud shoute from behind him. ¡°Everyone, brace yourselves for impact!¡± Nik shouted. As soon as this warning reached everyone¡¯s ears, a loud explosion took ce, sending Aina and her guild members, who were near her, flying off the wall of the city. Lux, who was dozens of meters away from the point of impact, could only gasp in shock upon seeing a three-meter-tall hole on the wall where Aina and her defenders stood a minute ago. The Half-Elf¡¯s sixth sense screamed for him to get off the wall as soon as he could, so he immediately jumped off the wall, just in time for a second explosion that hit where he was standing just a few seconds ago. A rocky hand reached out and caught the Half-Elf as he was about to fall on the ground. ¡°Thank you, Orion,¡± Lux said as he nced at the ramparts that were now partially destroyed due to the explosion. A minuteter, he saw a long tentacle-like arm grab hold of the rampart. What happened next made the Half-Elf shudder. A creature, which he was seeing for the first time, appeared in front of his eyes. It had a humanoid appearance, with the exception of its two heads, which didn¡¯t even look like heads. They were more like one of those carnivorous nts with razor sharp teeth in its maw. However, instead of one head, there were two of them, making Lux subconsciously shudder. Out of reflex, Lux activated his Elysium Compendium to appraise the monster above him. The information before his eyes made him draw cold breath. ¡ª- < Lesser Demogorgon > ¨C Abomination from the Abyss ¨C Wandering Field Boss ¨C Alpha-Ranked Argonaut Monster Health: 70,000,000 / 70,000,000 Mana: 17,500,000 / 17,500,000 Strength: ????? Intelligence: ????? Vitality: ????? Agility: ???? Dexterity:???? ¨C A Lesser Demogorgon is a monster born from the abyss. It has incredible strength, and is proficient in close and magicalbat. Anyone below the rank of a Rankers are just prey to this beast. If you happen to see one during your journeys, it will be best to run as far away as you can before it sets its sights on you. ¨C If you stare into the abyss the abyss will stare back at you. ¡ª¡ª ¡°S-Sh*t.¡± Lux could feel the color draining from his face as he stared at the Monster that hade from the abyss. He had long heard about these Abyssal Monsters from his Grandma, and she said that they were the natural enemies of both Elysians and Sians alike. Now that he was staring at one of them, he now understood why they were considered a universal threat to every living creature in the world. Chapter 215 This Is Payback. Enjoy Your Trip To Hell ¡°Everyone get back!¡± Nik¡¯s shout reverberated in the city before a giant hand, made up of rock, smashed into the Lesser Demogorgon¡¯s body, sending it flying back out of the city. However, the middle-aged Dwarf didn¡¯t end his counterattack there. Nik raised his hands and several earth spikes jutted upwards from the ramparts of the city wall, annihting all the monsters on top of it. These spikes then moved like a saw, continuously shredding the rest of the monsters that were still climbing over the city walls. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Lux ran towards Aina, who was currently being supported by Colette. Aina shook her head, ¡°I just sprained my ankle. But I already applied healing magic on it. It will recover in a minute or two, but I¡¯m very exhausted and can no longer fight.¡± ¡°Looking at your expressionless face, I find it hard to believe that you are exhausted,¡± Luxmented. ¡°How rude. I get tired like everyone else.¡± ¡°Well, I guess you do have a point. Let¡¯s retreat for now. Sir Nik will handle the rest.¡± Lux then summoned his Skeleton Fighters and Skeleton Grand Archers. He then ordered them to pick up Aina, Colette, and the rest of the Dwarves that had fallen from the explosion earlier. The Skeletons had only taken a dozen steps when Lux suddenly frowned before looking at the walls of the city. As if waiting for him to do that, Diablo¡¯s body was hurled over the walls, crashing a few meters away from where Lux was standing. A few secondster, the Skeleton Rider turned into particles of light. Diablo¡¯s attack and defense had increased to over three hundred thousand, and yet, the Lesser Demogorgon was able to defeat him easily due to one of its unique Skills called ¡°Abyss Touch¡±. Simr to Diablo¡¯s Ethereal Damage, this ability ignored all defenses, and dealt true damage to the Lesser Demogorgon¡¯s enemy. Without batting an eye, Lux once again summoned Diablo. The earlier boosts in attack and defense that he had umted had been reset. But, the effect of Bloody Fervor started to activate once again, increasing Diablo¡¯s damage and defense at a rapid pace. ¡°Fall back!¡± Nik shouted. ¡°I will not be able to block it for long!¡± Lux, Aina, and Colette knew that they would only hinder Nik if they stayed, so they immediately evacuated the scene, leaving the Ranker to deal with the Monster from the Abyss alone. Suddenly, a loud explosion took ce. When the dust settled, the city gates of Whitebridge Cityy in rubble, and the Lesser Demogorgon walked past it, with an intimidating aura. Nik pressed his hands together before mming it full force on the ground. A few secondster, a thirty-meter tall boulder materialized in front of him and was hurled at the Abyssal Creature, whose body had turned a shade darker. The Lesser Demogorgon let out an ear-piercing shriek before using its tentacle-like hand to cut the boulder in half. Nik clicked his tongue when he saw that his attack didn¡¯t work. Just as he was about to follow up his attack, a giant wind de descended from the sky, which cut off the tentacle arm of the Abyssal Monster, making it shriek in pain. ¡°What took you so long?!¡± Nik shouted. ¡°If you didn¡¯te sooner, I might have died, you know?¡± ¡°Hahaha, sorry,¡± a Dwarf who looked to be in his early twenties with silver-white hair said in a carefree manner. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you couldn¡¯t even handle a weak Lesser Gorgon by yourself.¡± ¡°Bastard, give me a hundred more years and I¡¯ll wipe the floor with that Lesser Gorgon and you at the same time!¡± ¡°Tsk. If I knew that you would be this ungrateful, then I wouldn¡¯t havee. Okay, fine. I¡¯ll leave. You handle this yourself.¡± Nik almost choked after hearing the Dwarf¡¯s words. He knew that if hisrade left now, he would be hard pressed to resist the Lesser Demogorgon on his own. ¡°I was just joking, you know?¡± Nikughed in a carefree manner. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a mug of your favorite drink in the Capital. Can you help me deal with this rascal first?¡± ¡°Well, since you begged me nicely, I guess I have no choice,¡± the silver-haired Dwarf said with a smile. ¡°But, I want two mugs, okay?¡± ¡°Just one mug!¡± ¡°Ohh¡­ I no longer feel motivated to fight. Only three cups of my favorite drink will restore my mood.¡± ¡°Y-You bastard! Are you nning to take my entire month¡¯s sry in one sitting?¡± The silver-haired Dwarf gave Nik the ¡°if you don¡¯t like it then I¡¯ll leave¡± gaze, which made thetter feel his liver ache from frustration and anger. ¡°Fine! Three mugs then!¡± ¡°Now we¡¯re talking!¡± The silver-haired Dwarf was about to say more, but the Lesser Demogorgon had unleashed a giant fireball in his direction, making the Dwarf frown. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt us, fiend,¡± the silver-haired Dwarf waved his hand in a casual manner and dispersed the fireball using his wind magic. The Dwarf then red at the screaming monster, who was conjuring another spell on its left hand. ¡°I guess you¡¯re eager to be put in your ce that badly,¡± the silver-haired Dwarf stated. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll y with you for a bit. I just hope that you won¡¯t break that easily.¡± ¡ª¨C On that day, Lux and the other defenders of Whitebridge City witnessed a scene which made them feel both fear and excitement at the same time. Fear, because an Elder Wind Elemental appeared above Whitebridge City and conjured three Living Hurricanes which were strong enough to wipe them all from the face of the world. Excitement, because the Elder Wind Elemental was fighting on their side, andmanded his Summons to suck up all the Monsters in the vicinity, and shred them to bits. The Lesser Demogorgon roared in anger as the Elder Wind Elemental trapped it in a whirlwind, allowing the silver-haired Dwarf to attack it without any means to defend itself. ¡°Time to end this,¡± the silver-haired Dwarf said as he raised his hand forming a gigantic crackling spear made up of the element of wind and lightning. ¡°Ultima Spear!¡± The wind howled as the spear flew straight towards its target, who had erected a barrier to protect itself. However, this barriersted only for a few seconds before it broke apart, allowing the Ultima Spear to pierce through its body, disintegrating it until only its Beast Core was left. The silver-haired Dwarf waved his hand, and the Beast Core flew in his direction. ¡°Say, Nik, that is the rumored Half-Elf, right?¡± the silver-haired Dwarf asked before ncing at the Half-Elf who was looking at him in awe. ¡°Ourtest member?¡± ¡°Aye, that he is,¡± Nik replied. The silver-haired Dwarf hummed before ying with the obsidian colored Beast-Core in his hand. ¡°Here,¡± the silver-haired Dwarf said as he tossed the Argonaut-Ranked Beast Core towards Nik. ¡°Tell him that this is a gift from one of his seniors.¡± Nik caught the Beast Core. He grumpily looked at the silver-haired Dwarf who was also the strongest member of the Order of the Griffon. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it to him yourself?¡± ¡°Now is not the right time,¡± the silver-haired Dwarf answered. ¡°If he bes strong enough to travel to the Capital City, then I will personally meet him. But now, he¡¯s still not ready.¡± Nik snorted, but he could also understand what their leader was saying. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give this to himter.¡± The silver-haired Dwarf nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your promise. I will wait for your return to the Capital.¡± Without saying another word, the silver-haired Dwarf flew upwards and disappeared in a matter of seconds. He couldn¡¯t leave the Capital City for long, sinc his duty was to always be by the King¡¯s side. He only came to Whitebridge City because Nik had sent him an urgent request for help. As the leader of the Order of the Griffin, he just couldn¡¯t ignore the request of one of the pirs that ensured the safety of the Kingdom of Gweliven. After the great battle ended, cheers rang out from the city as all the Dwarves celebrated their victory. Now that the Beast Tide was over, everyone could only feel happy that they had survived such a cmity. ¡°Big Brother, let¡¯s eat dinner together!¡± Colette said with a smile. ¡°My treat!¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to have dinn¨C¡± Colette, who was standing in front of her Big Brother screamed when he saw a de pierce through the Half-Elf¡¯s chest. A secondter, the de was pulled out and a hooded figure immediately ran away, leaving the Half-Elf, clutching his chest that was now soaked with his blood. Everything happened so fast that no one was able to react to the assant, who had chosen the moment, when they had rxed their guard because the battle was over, to attack. ¡°Big Brother!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m alri¡­¡± Lux wasn¡¯t able to finish his words before he copsed on the ground. Soon, the za suddenly became chaotic as the Dwarves, who were celebrating with Lux only minutes ago, scrambled to help the fallen Half-Elf, as well as pursue the attacker that had stabbed him in the back. Before Lux¡¯s vision failed him, the words that the assassin had said to him reyed inside his mind. ¡°This is payback. Enjoy your trip to hell.¡± That was thest thing that the Half-Elf thought before Colette¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s screams were silenced by the darkness that came crashing over him without any shred of mercy. Chapter 216 This Is What You Get For Going Against Twilight Rain ¡°Big Brother!¡± ¡°Paaaaaaaaaa!¡± Colette and Eiko held onto Lux as Aina and the Clerics of her guild tried to heal his injury. ¡°Guild Master, the de that the attacker used missed his heart by a centimeter,¡± One of the Cleric reported. ¡°However, it has a very potent poison. As we speak, it is rapidly spreading inside his body. At this rate, he won¡¯tst for more than a few minutes.¡± ¡°Do you have the antidote or any mean to stop the spread of the poison?¡± Aina asked. Her expression remained the same, but her eyes betrayed the anxiety in her heart. The Cleric and herrades shook their heads. ¡°This is a new type of poison, and I¡¯ve only seen for the first time today. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko¡¯s body glowed as she used her skill ¡°Cure¡± to cure the poison that was spreading inside her Papa¡¯s body. ¡°Pa!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko repeatedly used her ability as her tears streamed down the side of her face. However, the only thing she was able to do was dy the spread of the poison for a few seconds before it continued its invasion on the Half-Elf¡¯s body. ¡°Wuwuwu.¡± Eiko knew that her skill wasn¡¯t working, but she still desperately continued using her Cure ability over and over again. ¡°Can I have a look at him?¡± a dwarf who was wearing a noble¡¯s robe knelt down beside the Half-Elf whose face was slowly growing pale. ¡°I have knowledge about medicine. Maybe I can help him.¡± ¡°You are¡­¡± Aina frowned after recognizing the man. ¡°The personal bodyguard of the Head of the Merchant Guild, Ferron.¡± ¡°It is an honor to be recognized by the Warrior Princess,¡± Ferron replied with a smile. ¡°Is it possible for me to check his condition?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aina nodded. ¡°Please, help him.¡± ¡°I will do my best.¡± Ferron ced his hand over the injury on Lux¡¯s chest and activated his diagnostic skill. He didn¡¯t lie when he said that he was proficient when it came to medicine because he was an alchemist that dabbled in the use of drugs and poisons. However, his hand shook when he saw the poison that was spreading inside the Half-Elf¡¯s body because he had instantly recognized it. ¡°Jade World Dragon!¡± Ferron eximed. ¡°The poison is from the blood of the Jade World Dragon!¡± Aina¡¯s body shuddered after hearing Ferron¡¯s words. The Jade World Dragon was an Empyrean Ranked creature, which was two ranks higher than an Argonaut-Ranked Monster. It was a monster that could only be found at the Jade Forest, which even High-Rankers dare not explore. That was how dangerous the forest was. There were few asions when the blood of the Jade World Dragon was ced on auction houses, and, every time, its final price was astronomical due to how rare it was. The blood of this type of dragon could cure almost any kind of poisons, as well as other serious illnesses that couldn¡¯t be cured through the use of abilities. However, if the blood of this dragon was mixed with the blood of a Hydra, it would create a poison that could only be cured using the untainted blood of the Jade World Dragon. ¡°Guild Master, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ferron shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more that I can do.¡± ¡°No! That can¡¯t be!¡± Colette held Lux¡¯s hand and squeezed it tightly. ¡°Big Brother! You promised that we will still go on adventures together! Please! Don¡¯t die!¡± ¡°Paaaa!¡± Eiko nudged her head on Lux¡¯s cheeks, who had grown as pale as a candle. ¡°Wuwuwuwu!¡± Aina looked at the Half-Elf with aplicated look on her face before closing her eyes. She was clenching her fist so hard, that if it weren¡¯t for the gauntlets she was wearing, she would have already drawn blood on the palm of her hands. Ferron stood up and nced at his Employer before shaking his head. The Head of the Merchant Guild nodded his head in understanding before ncing at the Half-Elf who was as good as dead. A minuteter, a long and deep sigh escaped Lux¡¯s lips as his heart finally stopped beating. Sid, who was standing not far away, turned into particles of light. Scarlet, who had hidden herself inside a house, looked at her hands that were slowly turning into particles of light. A sigh then escaped her lips before her entire body shattered into hundreds of glowing orbs that disappeared a few secondster. Diablo, Ishtar, Orion, as well as the other Skeletons under Lux¡¯smand, turned to ashes, and disintegratedpletely. Such was the fate of summoned creatures when their Master died. It was aw that no summoned creature could escape from. ¡°Paaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± Eiko¡¯s sad shout reverberated in the za when she felt that her Papa¡¯s heart had stopped beating. The Clerics beside Lux shook their heads as they made the sign of the Goddess of Life over Lux¡¯s body to give him their blessings for his journey to the afterlife. ¡°Make way!¡± Nik shouted as he rushed towards Lux, who had breathed hisst. After cing his hand on the Half-Elf¡¯s neck the C-Ranker closed his eyes with a regretful look on his face. ¡°Is there anyone here his rtive?¡± Nik asked. ¡°Is there anyone here who can take him back to his hometown?¡± Usually, when Foreigners die, those who live in the same hometown would take their bodies back to Sis to be buried. That had been the custom since the Sians gained the means to travel to Elysium. ¡°Big Brother came here in Elysium alone,¡± Colette answered as she fought the tears that were falling from her eyes. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have anyone to bring him back home.¡± ¡°¡­ What a pity.¡± Nik sighed. ¡°Very well. In behalf of the bravery that he had presented today, I will ask his Majesty to bury him in this kingdom. Although he is a foreigner, he fought for us with everything he had. This is the only thing we can do for him.¡± Nik picked up the Half-Elf from the ground, and looked at the Baby Slime who was still crying her heart out. ¡°I will now take my leave,¡± Nik dered. ¡°Take care, everyone.¡± Colette wanted to go with Nik to give Lux her final farewell, but Aina held onto her and prevented her from following them. Even though Colette tried to escape from her hold, her sister¡¯s hand wouldn¡¯t budge. Aina even ordered her Officers to ensure that Matty, as well as Colette¡¯s other friends, wouldn¡¯t follow Nik and create a scene. Just as Nik was about to arrive at the Teleportation Gate, he saw a dwarf wearing very expensive clothing blocking his way. ¡°Is there something you need, Sir Lucius?¡± Nik asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the Head of the Merchant Guild of Whitebridge City is interested in the dead?¡± ¡°Sir Nik, it has been a while since we saw each other,¡± Lucius replied as he walked towards the C-Ranker who was carrying the Half-Elf in his arms. ¡°I just came to give my final respect to one of the unsung heroes of our kingdom. It¡¯s truly a pity, the one and only Half-Elf in the Dwarven Kingdom had died tragically.¡± Lucius didn¡¯t hesitate to ce his hand over Lux¡¯s hand that was resting over his chest. A momentter, he pulled his hand back and gave an exaggerated sigh that grated on Nik¡¯s ears. ¡°Truly a pity,¡± Lucius said. ¡°I hope his majesty gives him a proper burial. That is the least that we can do for him.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that,¡± Nik snorted. ¡°That is what I am nning to do.¡± Without another word, Nik entered the Teleportation Gate, leaving Lucius, who was looking at his back with a sneer. ¡®This is what you get for going against Twilight Rain,¡¯ Lucius gloated inside his heart. ¡®No matter how strong an Apostle is, it is still an Apostle. I¡¯m sure that the Guild Master will be pleased after hearing this news. Scarlet had done well.¡¯ Although the red-haired assassin was wearing a robe, Lucius had been able to get a glimpse of the long red hair that she was well-known for. The Head of the Merchant Guild chuckled as he thought of the profits that he would make by offering his services to help the city rebuild. For him, this was a great day. Not only was the pest that almost shut down his operation in Whitebridge City dead, but he would also be able to profit from the Gweliven Kingdom. For a merchant like him, this was a win-win situation that benefited him in more ways than one. Chapter 217 I Hope You Return This Favor In The Future After taking an exclusive Teleportation Gate that would instantly send him to the Capital City of the Dwarven Kingdom, Nik headed to the Headquarters of the Order of the Griffin under the cover of darkness. ¡°Wuwuwu.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry, little one. Just wait a little bit longer.¡± Eiko¡¯s tears had already covered Lux¡¯s face as she kept on nudging the Half-Elf¡¯s forehead with her own. The baby Slime was heartbroken due to Lux¡¯s sudden death, and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from crying. Nik sighed as he looked at the baby Slime, who influenced him to also feel depressed. He never thought that he would be affected by a Monster crying for its Master, just like the baby Blue Slime did for Lux. After entering a mansion at the outskirts of the capital, Nik used his right foot to open the secret passage that led underground. Several minutes passed as he walked down the secret path that led directly to their Headquarters. The moment he opened the door, four Dwarves turned their heads to look at him. ¡°So you¡¯re finally here,¡± Nevreal said as he nced at the dead Half-Elf in Nik¡¯s arms. ¡°Lay him down on the table.¡± Nik nodded and gentlyid Lux¡¯s body on the table that the others had prepared for him. ¡°Charles, do the honors,¡± Nevreal made a gesture for one of hisrades whom he had forced to be one of their coborators in the Whitebridge City¡¯s operation. Charles nodded and took out a metal syringe from his storage ring. Inside it was a purplish liquid that he had created a year ago. ¡°All this trouble for a rookie,¡± Charles grumbled. ¡°I just hope he doesn¡¯t disappoint us.¡± As soon as the serum waspletely injected inside Lux¡¯s body, the Half-Elf¡¯s body jolted as if it was given an electric shock. A momentter, the Half-Elf inhaled deeply as if taking his first breath in the world. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t believe that someone was able to gain an immunity against the Jade World Dragon¡¯s Poison,¡± Charles muttered as he ced his fingers over the Half-Elf¡¯s wrist to check his condition. ¡°I¡¯m very tempted to open him up and study what makes him tick.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± Nik said. ¡°That Baby Slime had been crying non-stop since he died. It is best to limit yourself to the prisoners we captured from Twilight Rain.¡± Charles snorted. ¡°Fine.¡± Eiko, who had been crying earlier, suddenly stopped crying when she felt her Papa¡¯s heart start beating again. To make sure that she wasn¡¯t hearing things, she crawled towards Lux¡¯s chest and closed her eyes in order to feel, and hear, his heartbeat. When she confirmed that Lux¡¯s heart had indeed started beating again, the Baby Slime was overjoyed and hastily crawled back to Lux¡¯s forehead. After that, she spat a blob of water on the Half-Elf¡¯s face, which made thetter open his eyes in shock. ¡°E-Eiko?¡± ¡°Wuwuwu!¡± The Half-Elf struggled to raise his hand to lightly pat the crying baby Elime on his forehead. He had already told Eiko about the n, and even made sure that she understood that Scarlet would assassinate him in front of everyone, so the news of his death would reach the ears of Twilight Rain as soon as possible. What he didn¡¯t know was that Eiko thought that he was just joking. When he died in front of her, the Baby Slime hadpletely forgotten what Lux had told her a day ago and felt heartbroken by his death. In truth, Lux didn¡¯t die from the Poison of the Jade World Dragon. He ¡°died¡± from a different kind of poison, which would temporarily stop his heartbeat and make him appear to be dead. As long as he was given the antidote within the next 24 hours, he would wake up instantly. If not, then he would remain dead forever. This was a poison that Charles had invented just in case some of the members of the Order of the Griffin needed to y dead for a short period of time. The funny thing about this poison was that when a diagnostic spell was used, it would appear as if the victim had been poisoned by the blood of the Empyrean Dragon, whose blood could fetch a price into the tens of millions. ¡°I hate to interrupt your reunion. But, now that you are dead, what do you n to do next?¡± Nevreal said as he walked beside Lux who was coaxing the baby slime to stop spitting water on his head. Eiko was relieved but also very angry at Lux for doing something so reckless, so she kept on spitting water on him as payback for making her cry. Lux held the baby slime with both of his hands and ced her on his chest, so that he could talk to the middle-aged Dwarf who had set this whole n into motion. ¡°I will return to my hometown and will stay there for two to three months,¡± Lux replied. ¡°That way, Twilight Rain will not doubt that I am dead.¡± Nevreal nodded his head in understanding. ¡°What about your friends? Those kids are sure to be feeling depressed right now.¡± Lux sighed as he thought of Colette and her friends, who were sure to be devastated because of his death. Even so, he made sure that Aina would handle the rest and tell them that he was safe and sound. ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯m a little scared to meet them right now,¡± Lux said before a blob of waternded on his face, making him wince. After shaking his head side to side like a dog, Eiko giggled in his hands, which allowed Lux to continue the things he wanted to say to Nevreal. ¡°If Eiko is already reacting like this, I¡¯m sure they will want to have a piece of me when I appear in front of them,¡± Lux stated. ¡°It will be best if I lie low for a bit.¡± Nevreal nodded. ¡°We will assign an Initiate to serve as a bodyguard to the Guild Master of Eternal. I don¡¯t know if they will send Reapers to end her life, just as they did for you, but it is in the Kingdom¡¯s interest that she remains alive to serve as Whitebridge City¡¯s Protector.¡± ¡°That is for the best. Thank you, Sir Nevreal.¡± ¡°You owe us a lot from this, boy. I hope you return this favor in the future.¡± The fourth Dwarf inside the room turned around and left without another word. It was too soon for him to talk to Lux, and he only stayed because he wanted to make sure that he was fine. Nik then approached Lux and gave him the Beast Core of the Lesser Demogorgon which instantly caught Eiko¡¯s eye. However, to his surprise, Eiko only crawled towards the Beast Core in Lux¡¯s hand before reluctantly giving it a lick. As if having tasted something extremely bitter, the Baby Slime¡¯s started to spit water on the floor as if trying to cleanse her mouth from something very foul. Nik chuckled after seeing this scene before ncing at Lux. ¡°Beast Cores extracted from Abyssal Monsters are usually not liked by other Monsters,¡± Nik stated. ¡°However, they contain very potent skills that are exclusive to Abyss Type Monsters. I hope that you get lucky and get a decent Skill from it. Who knows? It mighte in handy in the future.¡± Lux gazed at the ck Beast Core in his hand before giving the middle-aged dwarf a grateful look. ¡°Thank you, Sir Nik. I will not forget this favor.¡± ¡°No.¡± Nik shook his head. ¡°That Beast Core didn¡¯te from me, but from our Leader. When you get stronger, you will have the opportunity to meet him in the future. You can thank him then.¡± Lux smiled as he once again looked at the ck Beast Core in his hand. He would never forget his encounter with the Lesser Demogorgon. ¡®That monster was stronger than Keoza,¡¯ Lux mused as he gazed at the Beast Core in his hand. ¡®If that silver-haired Dwarf hadn¡¯te to our rescue, we might have all died in Whitebridge City.¡¯ While Lux was deep in thought, Nik, and Charles left the room, leaving only Nevreal behind. ¡°There is something important that I need to take care of in the next couple of months,¡± Nevreal stated. ¡°It might be possible that you will not be able to contact me, or any member of the Order of the Griffin at that time. Just in case that happens, do not do anything remotely dangerous like you did today. You only have one life. Make sure that you treasure it.¡± Lux nodded and thanked Nevreal. After giving him a few more reminders, Nevreal left the room and proceeded to return to the Royal Pce. Since Lux could return to Sis with the power of the Arondight Ring in his hand, he didn¡¯t need to leave their Headquarters to go to the Teleportation Gate in the Capital City. Several agents of Twilight Rain were stationed in the city and it would be very easy for them to identify Lux since he was the only Half-Elf in the Kingdom of Gweliven. Great lengths had been taken in order to orchestrate his death, and he was not stupid enough to put all of those efforts to waste. ¡°Aina, I hope that you exin it properly to Colette and the others,¡± Lux muttered as he ced the still pouting Eiko on top of his head. ¡°I will apologize to them the next time we see each other. Although it pains me to part in this manner, it is the only way that I can protect them as well.¡± Lux took a deep breath as he stood in the center of the room. ¡°Sid, Scarlet,e,¡± Lux ordered as he summoned the Coffin that housed his two loyal subordinates. ¡°Wee back, Master,¡± Sid bowed respectfully. ¡°Since you are alive, it means that we have seeded,¡± Scarletmented from the side. Lux smiled as he looked at the two assassins that were now serving under him. Although they tried to hide it, he was able to trace the anxiety in their voice. As long as Lux was alive, they could live. If Lux died, they would be sealed in the coffin for eternity. ¡°Sid, I will be away for a few months,¡± Lux said as he looked at the Dhampir who was looking at him with a serious expression on his face. ¡°You can stay with your sisters in Leaf Vige for a month. Emma is going to stay in Whitebridge City and work with Aina in order to be stronger. ¡°Until I return, you are free to do whatever you want so you won¡¯t feel left behind by Scarlet, who is now going to be a yer Candidate.¡± Sid nodded his head in understanding. ¡°As youmand, Master.¡± Lux then shifted his attention to Scarlet, who was looking at him with anticipation. ¡°Return to Twilight Rain,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°Do not make contact with me and just focus on bing a Ranker. I don¡¯t care how long it takes, but the moment you be a Ranker, you wille to find me. That is an order.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Scarlet replied. ¡°I will do my end of the bargain.¡± ¡°Both of you may go. I hope that next time we meet, both of you will be stronger than ever before.¡± ¡°Yes! Master!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a given.¡± Lux waved his hand and sent the two Assassins on the Save Point he had created using the ckfire Coffin in Oakwood Town. This was to ensure that the location of their Headquarters would remain a secret. Even though he trusted his two subordinates, it was still better to keep the location a secret to ensure the safety of the other members of the order. ¡°Are you ready to go, Eiko?¡± ¡°Pa!¡± Lux then ced his right hand over his chest. He had already done everything he needed to do in Elysium, and it was now time to go back home and focus on the tournament that was about to take ce. ¡°Open! Heaven¡¯s Gate!¡± Chapter 218 Those Who Dwell In The Abyss ¡°Eiko, hey¡­ Eiko, look! It¡¯s your favorite Beast Core,¡± Lux shook a Rank 4 Beast Core in front of the pouting baby Slime, but Eiko just ignored him. After returning to Sis, the baby Slime stuck herself to Great Grandma Vera¡¯s side like glue, refusing to take even a single step away from thetter,pletely ignoring her Papa. Vera could only smile at the baby Slime¡¯s antics, because she knew why Eiko was acting this way. Lux had told her about everything that had transpired in Elysium, and even the mild mannered Vera hadn¡¯t been able to stop herself from flicking her beloved grandson¡¯s forehead for doing what he did. Although the n worked, and he hadpletely hoodwinked the organization known as Twilight Rain, Lux had hurt many people¡¯s feelings in the process. Vera understood that what her grandson did was the best solution he could think of, and even she found that¡ªduring the time that her adoptive grandson had been in Elysium¡ªhe had be quite resourceful. ¡°When you return to Elysium after the tournament, make sure to apologize to those poor kids properly. I¡¯m sure that they felt heartbroken after your fake death, and they might hate you for doing such a thing.¡± That was what Vera had told him a day ago, after he had finished telling her everything that he had done in the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven. The Half-Elf already nned on doing just that when he returned. However, he decided to bring some souvenirs to his little brothers and sisters, with the hope that it would lessen their anger towards him. ¡®If Eiko is already like this, I wonder how Colette will react when I return,¡¯ Lux thought as he kept on sharking the Beast Core in front of the baby Slime who was ignoring his existence. Vera lightly patted Eiko¡¯s head as she looked at her grandson¡¯s attempts to pacify his daughter. ¡°Lux, I was unable to tell you this yesterday because I knew you were tired, and I decided to let you rest,¡± Vera said. ¡°However, since you are rested now, it¡¯s time to talk to you about the monsters from the Abyss.¡± When Vera heard that Lux had fought against an Abyssal Being, a deep frown appeared on her face, and she immediately used a diagnostic spell to check Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s bodies for signs of corruption. After making sure that the two of them were okay, she decided to tell them everything she knew about the Abyssal Beasts to ensure that her grandson and her great granddaughter were aware of what they were fighting against. ¡°When the Sins first ventured into Elysium, we tried to adapt to the simr yet unique world that we found ourselves in,¡± Vera exined. ¡°Over the years, some managed to form partnerships with the ruling families of thend, while others looked for unexplorednds and built their home there. ¡°After living in Elysium for several years, we had learned from the Elysians, as well as from personal experience, about the existence of creatures that hade from the Abyss. Hence, we have given them the name Abyssal Monsters.¡± Vera paused to make sure that Lux and Eiko were listening to her exnation before she continued her tale. ¡°These Abyssal Creatures are more powerful than the creatures in both Sis and Elysium. For example, a Deimos-Ranked Dragon will always be stronger than another Deimos-Ranked creature because of their superior race, and bloodline. The Abyssal Monsters are the same. In fact, if the Dragons and an Abyssal Monster of the same rank fought, more often than not, it will be the Abyssal Creature that will be victorious. The reason why they are able to beat even the strongest of Beasts is their race¡¯s specialties which are the Abyss Touch, Abyss Charm, and Abyss Corruption.¡± ¡°Abyss Touch ignores any kind of defense, allowing Abyssal Creatures to deal True Damage to their enemies. This means that even the sturdiest of Dragon Scales is only as good as a sheet of paper to them. In their eyes, we are just defenseless creatures that they can kill easily.¡± Very¡¯s expression became serious as she mentioned the Abyssal Creature¡¯s next ability. ¡°Their next ability is the Abyss Charm,¡± Vera replied. ¡°This ability works in almost all kinds of Monsters. Even Dragons can fall prey to this ability, making them mere puppets of the Abyssal Creature. The Beast Tide that you encountered, might have been orchestrated by this Abyssal Beast, making them the embodiment of mass destruction.¡± Lux¡¯s and Eiko¡¯s expressions also became serious as they listened to Vera¡¯s exnation. This was the first time they heard about these things, and it made them realize how terrible these monsters were. ¡°Last, but not the least, is their Abyss Corruption,¡± Vera stated. ¡°Some Abyssal Monsters have the inherent ability to corrupt anything they touch. Those who are infected by their miasma must be purified as soon as possible in order to stop the corruption from spreadingpletely. If the infected person isn¡¯t able to get treatment after four to five days, the miasma will drive them crazy.¡± ¡°They will no longer be able to tell friend from foe and will attack any living creature within their sight. The scary part about this was, once they have been taken over by the miasma, they be carriers of corruption. Meaning, they can infect other creatures and spread the corruption like wildfire.¡± ¡°Several settlements have been destroyed because those who have been infected kept their situation a secret until it was toote. Only High-Ranking ss Priests, Clerics, and other simr professions would be able to purify the miasma from the bodies of the infected. For this same reason, parties that were formed to fight against these creatures would always have a High-Ranking Cleric, or Priest, to prevent such a scenario from happening.¡± Vera lightly patted Eiko¡¯s head as she stared at Lux. ¡°If you ever got infected by an Abyssal Creature, return here at once,¡± Vera ordered. ¡°Natasha is a High-Ranking Cleric. She will be able to help purify the miasma in your body.¡± ¡°Manma!¡± ¡°Of course, Eiko. If you get infected, you must return here at once as well.¡± ¡°Mmm!¡± Lux scratched his head before taking out the Abyssal Beast Core that was given to him by Nik. Vera froze after seeing the Obsidian-colored Beast Core in her grandson¡¯s hand, and looked at him askance. ¡°This was given to me by Sir Nik,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Should I use it, Grandma?¡± ¡°¡­ You can,¡± Vera replied after a brief internal struggle. ¡°There have been Rankers who managed to gain the skills of Abyssal Creatures and used them to fight against them. However, once you gain an Abyssal Ability, you will be required to register this skill with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. ¡°After that, you will be given a ck Adventurer¡¯s Card, which is given only to those who possessed an Abyssal Skill. The holders of these ck Cards will be given priority when ites to missions or quests involving Abyssal Beings.¡± ¡°Will I also gain an Abyssal yer title after getting the ck Card?¡± ¡°Silly boy.¡± Vera gave Lux a disapproving look. ¡°Once you personally kill an Abyssal, you will gain that title automatically in your Soul Book.¡± Lux took a deep breath before focusing his attention on the Abyssal Beast Core in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m going to use it now, Grandma,¡± Lux said. Vera nodded. ¡°Tell me if you gain any kind of skill afterward.¡± Lux summoned his Soul Book and checked his stats. ¡ª¨C Name: Lux Von Kaizer Age: 16 Race: Half-Elf Rank: Grade A Apostle Health: 33,000 / 33,000 Mana: 22,500 / 22,500 Strength: 200 Intelligence: 250 Vitality: 260 Agility: 200 Dexterity: 150 Special Abilities: Skill Evolution [EX], Mana Drain [EX], Item Transmutation [EX], Warrior¡¯s Luck [EX], Doppelganger [EX], Air Strider [EX], Dragon¡¯s Fear [EX], Elemental Shield [EX], Guardian¡¯s Call Special Body Constitution: Immortal Dragon Conqueror¡¯s Legacy Summoning Skills. Summon Diablo, Summon Ishtar, Summon Pazuzu, Summon Orion, Summon Skeleton Fighters, Summon Skeleton Grand Archers. Active Skills: Power Shot, Dark Arrow, Void Arrow, Fury sh, Double Fury sh, Battle Cry, Improved Jade Body (Mass Buff), Spinning des, Bone Wall, Barbed Bones, Sky-High Rush, Gale Storm. Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude, Expert Parry, Tempest Fury, Last Stand, Sticky Foot, Very Tough Title: Apprentice cksmith, Negotiator, Outbreak Survivor, Eternal Guardian ¡ª¨C Lux held the Beast Core in his hands as several rows of text appeared in front of him. < Do you wish to consume Argonaut-Ranked Abyssal Beast Core? > < Yes / No > ¡ª¨C Lux chose Yes and two more options appeared in front of him. ¡ª¨C < Upgrade Stat Points > < Upgrade Skills> ¡ª- Lux decisively chose to upgrade Stat Points and a series of notifications appeared in front of him. ¡ª¨C Obtained 100 Free Stats Points Obtained 100 Body Constitution Points You have learned the Passive Skill, Abyss Touch ¡ª¨C < Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. > The skill, Abyss Touch, is a Passive Skill, it will be automatically upgraded into Abyss Touch [EX]. ¡ª¨C < Abyss Touch [EX] > ¨C The touch of the Abyss ignores all kinds of defenses whether it be physical or magical. ¨C Any attack you deal to your foes will deal True Damage, regardless if it is physical, or magical in nature. ¨C This ability allows you to deal 200% Bonus True Damage against Abyssal Creatures of any Rank. ¨C This skill has a very small chance to inflict Abyss Charm on any monster (including Abyssal monsters) that is simr to your Rank or Below. The condition that must be met in order to trigger this skill is that your target must have less than 10% of its Max Health remaining. ¨C Charmed creatures will obey your everymand for thirty minutes, regardless of what it is. Once the Charm effect¡¯s duration has ended, you will be unable to charm that creature again. ¨C This skill has a very small chance to inflict Fear Status on your opponent. ¨C This skill has a very small chance to inflict Paralyze Status on your opponent. ¨C This skill has a very small chance to inflict Diseased Status on your opponent. ¨C This skill has a very small chance to inflict Weakened Status on your opponent. ¡ª¨C Lux¡¯s eyes widened in shock after reading the information of his newly acquired passive skill. He then passed his Soul Book to his Grandma to allow her to read it. Surprisingly, Vera also had the same reaction as the Half-Elf, which made Eiko look at the grandmother and grandson pair with amusement. ¡°Lux.¡± ¡°Grandma?¡± ¡°I think you should not register this skill in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild for the time being,¡± Vera replied. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that once my son finds out about this, your cover will be blown.¡± Lux scratched his head because he felt that this skill would indeed cause his Step-Father to be suspicious of his abilities. He wanted to give Alexander a surprise, so keeping this a secret for now was the best option at this point in time. ¡°Understood,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Let¡¯s keep this as a secret for now, Grandma.¡± Vera nodded. ¡°This is for the best. It is good to have the Element of Surprise on your side.¡± Vera looked at her grandson with aplicated gaze. Now that Lux had also be a Grade A Apostle, as well as having acquired an Abyssal Skill, it wouldn¡¯t be long before he surpassed his friends who had gone to Elysium years before him. ¡®Alex, I can¡¯t wait to see the look on your face after Lux wins the tournament,¡¯ Vera smiled as she thought of her son who had orchestrated the tournament to look for her granddaughter¡¯s fiance. ¡®By then, you will have no choice but to acknowledge him.¡¯ Vera knew that, although Alexander didn¡¯t hate Lux, he still thought of the Half-Elf as someonecking due to his weak constitution when he was very young. In Alexander¡¯s eyes, the young man was not worthy of his daughter¡¯s love and affection. Right now, Vera couldn¡¯t wait for the tournament to start. She was looking forward to seeing her grandson shine on the stage that he had been dreaming about all of his life. Chapter 219 Return To Barbatos Academy Two weeks had passed ever since Lux¡¯s return from Elysium. He and his Grandma Vera left Wildgarde Stronghold, so the Half-Elf could undertake an intense training session which pushed him to the limits. With her granddaughter¡¯s happiness at stake, Vera had been very strict with the training. It was because she loved Lux with all of her heart that she didn¡¯t show him any mercy during their sparring sessions. It made the Half-Elf understand that even though the kind, olddy, who had raised him since he was a baby, had lowered her rank to match him, his battle experience wascking, so much that he wasn¡¯t able to even touch a strand of her hair. During the first week, Vera made sure to drill the weaknesses he possessed into him, allowing the Half-Elf to understand his shorings better. Eiko was also undergoing training with Vera. It was not only Lux who wanted to be stronger. As usual, the Baby Slime¡¯s motivation was to defeat her archenemy, the Unicorn, Astra, who had defeated her in theirst rematch. Although Lux thought that it was still too early for Eiko to beat Astra, he allowed her to do as she pleased since he understood that having a rival allowed someone to push themselves to the limit. On the thirteenth day, Vera and Lux stopped their training to allow the Half-Elf to rest properly. Although their training session was rather short, Vera was still quite pleased with how strong Lux had bepared to how he was a year ago. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Vera asked as she nced at her grandson, who was staring at the Academy that was slowly getting closer with each passing minute. ¡°Yes,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Thank you, Grandma, for everything.¡± ¡°No need to thank me. I just want you and Iris to be happy.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± As Sophie climbed the banks of the river, a youngdy with long, light blue hair, that was fluttering in the breeze, was waving at them from a distance. Right beside her was a mature beauty, who also served as the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy¡¯s personal secretary. Bothdies had been waiting for Vera¡¯s and Lux¡¯s arrival. The moment Iris¡¯ Guardian Beast had sensed the Half-Elf¡¯s presence, it immediately notified its master, who in turn hurried towards the Riverbank to meet them. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Alicia was walking down the hallway, inadvertently noticing Iris¡¯ happy expression, she wouldn¡¯t have known that Vera and Lux had entered the territory of Barbatos Academy. ¡°Grandma, Big Brother, Eiko!¡± Iris shouted as she ran towards them. ¡°I missed the three of you.¡± ¡°Ma!¡± Eiko immediately perked up after seeing Iris, and happily jumped off of Lux¡¯s head, and used her skill, Air Strider [EX], to fly towards her. Vera chuckled after she saw this scene, while Lux only sighed helplessly as he watched the mother and daughter pair finally reunite, showering each other with kisses. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you look happy and healthy, Iris,¡± Vera said as she hugged her beloved granddaughter in a warm embrace. ¡°Is your father well?¡± Iris nodded. ¡°Father has been busy, making sure that nothing would go wrong with the tournament. Even so, he is still a Saint, so this amount of work is nothing to him.¡± ¡°Indeed, but don¡¯t forget that Saints are still people who get tired. My son is just a bit stubborn, but he truly loves you, Iris.¡± ¡°I know, Grandma, but he¡¯s so strict at times. If he really loves me, then he wouldn¡¯te up with the idea of using this tournament to look for my fiance. I already have Big Brother, I don¡¯t need anyone else!¡± Alicia, who was standing a few meters away from Iris, could only smile bitterly as the young beauty scolded her father behind his back. Her boss, Alexander, had indeed been quite busy as ofte that he didn¡¯t even have time to spare to eat meals together with Iris. Because of this, the youngdy, who was treated by everyone as the princess of Barbatos Academy, was not in a good mood. While she was looking at the Grandma and Granddaughter pair who were still stuck to each other like glue, she turned her head to the Half-Elf who was just smiling from the side. Using her ability as a ranker, she tried to gauge Lux¡¯s strength, but to her surprise, she was unable to appraise how strong the red-headed teenager was. As if sensing her gaze, Lux shifted his attention to her and smiled. ¡°Have you been well, Alicia?¡± Lux asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t take care of yourself, you will not be able to get married even after you be 40 years old.¡± ¡°Lux, it seems that you¡¯ve grown quite bold since thest time we saw each other,¡± Alicia replied as she locked the Half-Elf¡¯s head into a headlock. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this Big Sister will make sure that you won¡¯t die during the tournament.¡± Lux, whose face was now buried in Alicia¡¯s voluptuous chest, felt embarrassed. Clearly, the mature beauty didn¡¯t think of him as a man, but as a boy who was still unaware of the intricacies of a woman¡¯s body. Iris, who saw this scene immediately pulled Lux away from Alicia, and wiped his face using her handkerchief. She was doing her best to remove any trace of Alicia¡¯s scent from her beloved brother¡¯s face, whom she hadn¡¯t seen for more than a month. ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯re too careless,¡± Iris said in a reprimanding tone. ¡°Do you let girls grab your head like that? If you have that kind of fetish, I am more than willing to do it for you. So,e!¡± The beautiful youngdy spread her arms wide in an inviting gesture. Although Iris was only sixteen years old, her body was already showing great promise, which made almost all the boys in the academy look at her with infatuated gazes. ¡®Unbelievable, she¡¯s only sixteen and she¡¯s almost a C-Cup,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®A year or two from now, she will definitely be one of the most outstandingdies in the Eastern Lands.¡¯ Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, Lux didn¡¯t want another young man to be Iris¡¯ fiance. This was why he decided to join the tournament and ensure that his step-sister would be able to continue living her life the way she wanted to. ¡°Big Brother, the tournament will begin in three days,¡± Iris said as she walked towards the red-headed teenager and gave him a hug. ¡°Please, do your best.¡± Lux patted Iris¡¯ head and assured her that she had nothing to worry about. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one will beat me,¡± Lux replied in a firm tone. ¡°I am afraid that Eiko will drench me with water everyday if I lose the tournament. Do you know how cheeky she has be since west saw each other? Iris, our daughter has entered her rebellious phase. ¡°Pa?¡± Eiko, who was perched on Iris¡¯ head, tilted her head in confusion. She didn¡¯t understand what a rebellious phase was, so she decided to just not think about it! ¡°Big Brother, let¡¯s go,¡± Iris said as she held Lux¡¯s hand firmly. ¡°Tell me about the things that happened to you in the time we haven¡¯t seen each other.¡± ¡°Ma!¡± ¡°Of course, you tell me your story as well, Eiko.¡± ¡°Ma!¡± As the blue-haired youngdy pulled the smiling Half-Elf towards Barbatos Academy, a pair of eyes looked at them from a distance. Alexander had his arms behind his back as he gazed at the Half-Elf who was going to participate in the tournament. A few momentster, he disappeared from where he stood, leaving only a fleeting breeze that also disappeared without a trace. Chapter 220 Past And Present Grudges Teenagers from all over the six Kingdoms, as well as the adjacentnds, made their way to Barbatos Academy in order to join the tournament whose name had spread far and wide. It was none other than the Lionheart¡¯s Tournament. The rewards for the tournament were simply too good, that even those above the age of twenty were tempted to join. Unfortunately, an age limit was set, and only those who were aged twenty-two or below were allowed to participate in the tournament. ¡°Is he already here?¡± Nero asked one of his subordinates who was also a student in Barbatos Academy. ¡°I saw him walking hand in hand with Lady Iris yesterday in the gardens,¡± a blonde-haired boy said in a ttering tone. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he registered in the tournament or not, but I didn¡¯t see his name in the official roster.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Continue to keep your eyes and ears open. I will give you your rewards in Elysium.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°No need to thank me. As long as you remain loyal to me, I will take care of you in Elysium.¡± After the blonde-haired boy left Nero¡¯s room, thetter clenched his fist in anger. ¡°Walking hand in hand?¡± Nero muttered. ¡°You are really pushing your luck, you worthless piece of trash!¡± Lightning crackled on Nero¡¯s closed fist as he did his best to reign in his anger. A few minutester, he finally regained his calm as he stared at the mirror in front of him. ¡°Aside from the Four Kings and Five Overlords, no one else will reach the Semi-Finals.¡± Nero gazed at his reflection on the mirror. ¡°I¡¯ve worked hard over the past few years and sacrificed many things in order to reach what I am today. I will not allow a spoiled Half-Elf, who only got lucky to be picked up by a Ranker in the river, step over my head.¡± Nero¡¯s gaze sharpened as the image of the beautiful youngdy with long blue hair, and eyes as beautiful as sapphires, shed across his mind. ¡°Lady Iris is only the beginning,¡± Nero stated. ¡°Soon, I will be known by everyone as the Champion of this tournament. Everyone will know my name, and I will no longer be ridiculed because of my lowlymoner¡¯s background.¡± As if Fate was ying a trick on him, the moment he looked outside the window of the room he was staying at inside the Academy, he saw the Half-Elf walking alone, headed towards the Training Grounds. Nero sneered at the red-headed teenager whom he had hated all his life inside his head. ¡°I hope you joined the tournament,¡± Nero said with ridicule. ¡°You¡¯re fortunate that I am willing to waste my precious time to watch your face get beaten to a pulp by one of the participants in the tournament.¡± Nero, as well as the Four Kings, and the other Four Overlords of the Young Generation were treated as Seeded Contestants, who no longer needed to join the early elimination rounds. They would instantly be among the top thirty-two contestants, who would battle it out until eight of them remained. Those eight would then battle and the victors would proceed into the semi-finals, where the final four would be chosen. Aside from the recognized geniuses of the young generation, Nero didn¡¯t fear anyone. For him, as long as he used the Trump Cards in his possession, bing the Champion had a high possibility. ¡°Just you wait, Lux Von Kaizer,¡± Nero pledged. ¡°I will take away the things that are important to you, and you will understand that you only achieved the things that you have right now because you got lucky in life. ¡°Someone like you doesn¡¯t deserve to live a happy life. ¡°Someone like you¡­ does not deserve to be Lady Iris¡¯ partner for life.¡± Nero gave the Half-Elf onest re before closing the window of his room. He then stared at his rough hands that had been stained by blood and clenched them tightly. No matter what happened, he would be the one to win the tournament, and, above all else, prove to the world that his lowly background would not hinder him from soaring high in the sky like a dragon in flight. ¡ª¨C ¡®Not bad,¡¯ Lux thought as he looked at the countless young men and women who hade to participate in the most prestigious tournament that happened once every four years. The Gathering of Heroes. This was what this grand gathering was called. The young heroes from all over the Six Kingdoms, as well as the surrounding territories, would send the strongest members of the young generation to participate in the Lionsheart Tournament that wouldmence in two days¡¯ time. Lux had seen the previous tournament, and he vowed to himself that the next time it was hosted, he would participate and show how strong he was to everyone. Although he was now about to realize his aspiration, the method he was going to use to join the tournament was different from the one he envisioned. Even so, he had already decided to join the tournament on his own terms, and stand on the stage that he had dreamed about in the past. It was not only the brown-haired teenager that held a strong grudge against the Half-Elf. Lux also held a grudge against him too. Both of them wanted to face each other in the tournament. However, Nero was unaware that Lux had joined the tournament using a different persona. The Half-Elf needed to win the qualifying rounds without losing once in order to reach the top 32 participants, where the Four Kings and the Five Overlords were waiting for him. ¡®Lionsheart Tournament,¡¯ Lux recalled with a smile. ¡®Don¡¯t lose before I face you, Nero. I will make you understand that the useless Half-Elf, who you disdain so much, is going to use your face to sweep the arena of the tournament.¡¯ The Half-Elf chuckled internally because he believed that, as long as he took the battles seriously, it was very hard for him to not reach the Semi-Finals where the true monsters of the young generation were waiting for him. Chapter 221 Lionheart Tournament Qualifying Matches [Part 1] ¡°Grandma, Iris, Eiko, I¡¯m going,¡± Lux said after he finished giving each of his family members a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Do your best, Lux,¡± Vera said as she rested her hand on Lux¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Goodluck, Big Brother!¡± Iris said before kissing Lux¡¯s right cheek with a blush on her face. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko jumped on Lux¡¯s left shoulder and kissed his left cheek as a way to wish him good luck. A smile was on Lux¡¯s face as he gave Iris and Eiko onest hug before leaving the room to head towards the Grand Coliseum where the qualifying matches would be held. Alicia was already waiting for him in the secret passage that led to an area near the venue of the tournament without being seen by anyone. ¡°I¡¯ve already made the necessary preparations,¡± Alicia said as she gave Lux a badge. ¡°Just show this to the organizer, and he will already know what to do.¡± ¡°Thank you, Alicia,¡± Lux replied as he epted the badge and entered the passageway alone. Alicia was not going to apany him in order to prevent anyone from bing suspicious of his identity. Everyone in the academy knew that Alicia was Alexander¡¯s secretary. They also knew that she had a good rtionship with Lux, so if there was someone being personally escorted by her, it would immediately catch the attention of the influential people who were staying in Barbatos Academy for the duration of the tournament. The moment the door of the passageway closed, Lux steadily walked in the dimly lit corridor. He took a mask out of his storage ring and ced it over his face. A momentter, the color of his hair changed to ck. His lean and toned body became chubby, and the handsome face that Lux had always been proud of became less good looking. Right now, he didn¡¯t look like Lux the Half-Elf. He looked like Lucien. The chubby boy who was chosen to participate in the Heaven¡¯s Gate Project to save a dying world from destruction. A few minutester, he arrived at the end of the passageway. Without any dys, he pulled on the torch that hung beside the wall. Suddenly, a grating sound was heard and the stone wall in front of him parted, opening just enough space for a single person to pass through. Lux squeezed himself in that narrow passage, and safely arrived at a room that was also one of the storage areas in Barbatos Academy. Patting the dust off his clothes, the chubby boy walked towards the door with a hint of anticipation in his light-brown eyes. Now that the tournament was about to start, he could feel his blood boiling inside his veins as he opened the door that would lead him to the new battlefield that he was about to face. ¡ª- ¡°Show me your ticket number.¡± ¡°Okay, head to Arena 4. Next!¡± ¡°You go to Arena 5. Next person please!¡± The organizers of the event were busy sending the contestants to their respective arenas where the grand qualifying matches were about to take ce. More than fifty thousand applicants had wanted to join this year¡¯s tournament, and the staggering numbers made the organizers busy as hell. As this was happening, a chubby boy quietly queued in one of the lines, specifically the one that led to the organizer that Alicia had told him about. Lux was also familiar with the person who was going to be in charge of him since the other party was one of Alicia¡¯s personal subordinates that handled the logistics of the supplies of Barbatos Academy. His name was Bruno and was one of the people who were assigned to ensure that Lux didn¡¯t die in the tournament. The organizer was over six feet tall, and he had blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like a pro wrestler with his bulging muscles that could be seen under his sleeveless shirt. Although Lux couldn¡¯t see his rank, he assumed that the man in front of him was a Ranker. ¡°Go to Arena number 2. Next please!¡± Bruno said after sending the person in front of Lux to the arena where he belonged. Lux handed the badge over to Bruno and thetter¡¯s reaction after seeing the badge almost made himugh out loud. ¡°Um, Sir, please go to Arena 4,¡± Bruno said in a respectful tone. ¡°Oi! Please bring thisd to Arena 4. Make sure he doesn¡¯t get lost or I¡¯ll ensure that you will lose your job, got it?¡± ¡°Yes Sir!¡± Bruno¡¯s subordinate replied as he looked at the chubby boy in front of him. ¡°Sir, please follow me.¡± Lux just nodded his head as he followed the guard towards one of the pathways that led to the fourth of the five arenas that were prepared for the tournament. As the two of them walked, the guard would nce at his side to appraise the chubby boy walking beside him ¡®This might be the son of some Big Shot,¡¯ the Guard thought. ¡®I better not mess this up or I might get kicked out of the academy.¡¯ Surprisingly, It only took them four minutes to arrive at their destination. After safely leading Lux to the right arena, the guard bowed respectfully before leaving, which caught the attention of some of the participants who were already standing inside Arena 4. Some of the contestants chuckled, while some eyed Lux with great curiosity. ¡®Interesting. An Oriental is participating in this match,¡¯ one of the contestants thought. ¡®Still, he looks like a spoiled brat. I wonder if his family secretly brought in some people to help him pass the qualifiers.¡¯ ¡®I bet this guy will be targeted by everyone. He looks like someone that is easy to bully.¡¯ ¡®Pfft! This fatso sure knows how to make an entrance. Does he really think that he will be able to pass the qualifiers? Many people here hate those that used the backdoor to enter. I¡¯m sure that he will be kicked out as soon as the battle starts.¡¯ ¡®Just another weakling to add to the loser groupter. This ce sure has a lot of wannabees.¡¯ Lux may not have the ability to read the minds of the people that looked at him, but he had a vague idea about what they were thinking. ¡®So many people,¡¯ Lux thought as he walked at the farthest corner of the arena. ¡®I have a hunch that the method they will use to thin the numbers of the participants is a Royal Rumble with only a few people passing through the next qualifying rounds.¡¯ With over fifty thousand participants, it was a no-brainer to use this strategy to reduce the numbers in a short amount of time. The giant floating numbers that hung at the center of the arena showed the number ¡°892¡±, and it was still continuously rising with every passing minute. Lux assumed that this was the number of people present in Arena 4. Of course, it was not only Lux who thought of the possibility of a Royal Rumble. These people had also ced themselves at the far end of the arena, hoping that they wouldn¡¯t get caught up in the initial sh that would happen once the battle officially started. When the number of people reached 1,283, the barriers of the arena activated, and a loud booming voice spread in the surroundings. ¡°Good day everyone! My name is Bruno, and I will be the one officiating the Qualifying Matches,¡± Bruno¡¯s words reverberated in the arena as he used an artifact to magnify the volume of his voice. ¡°Before anything else, I would like to Wee all of you to the Lionheart Tournament!¡± Cheers rose up from the contestants as well as those who were watching them from the stands. ¡°I will now exin the rules of the Qualifying rounds,¡± Bruno said in a steady voice. ¡°Right now, there are 1,283 contestants inside Arena 4. Because of this, we decided to hold a Royal Rumble match, and thest twenty people standing until the end will move on to the second round of the qualifying matches! ¡°Take note that there is a time limit of one hour. After an hour has passed, if the number still exceeds the quota of the qualifiers, we will release an Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster inside the arena. The monster will remain in the arena until the numbers reach our target. ¡°Killing in any form will not be allowed. Those who are caught doing it will immediately be disqualified from the tournament. However, you are allowed to seriously injure or incapacitate your opponents if you like to make them surrender.¡± ¡°Feel free to cut their limbs as well, but refrain from damaging the body parts, so that it can be reattachedter. Don¡¯t worry, we have High-Ranking Clerics that are on standby to patch you up and return you to good health.¡± Bruno¡¯s gaze lingered on Lux¡¯s location for a brief moment before continuing his speech. ¡°If you wish to surrender, just shout ¡®I concede¡¯, and the mages monitoring the battleground will immediately teleport you out of the arena. Lastly, I wish all of you good luck! We will be starting the tournament in exactly thirty seconds. Everybody, make your final preparations!¡± After he finished talking, a giant timer appeared at the center of the arena, disying the countdown which had begun. Those at the center warily looked at each other. Some even backed away as they unsheathed the weapons to wards of any potential attackers in their surroundings. Lux remained calm as he stared at the timer. He had already made his preparations the moment he entered the arena, so there was no need for him to do anything but wait. The crowd began to shout as the final seconds of the countdown took ce. ¡°Five!¡± ¡°Four!¡± ¡°Three!¡± ¡°Two!¡¯ ¡°One!¡± ¡°Battle Start!¡± As soon as the start of the battle was announced, the sounds of explosions spread inside the arena. ¡°Good luck, Big Brother!¡± Iris, who was watching the battle inside her room through a projection, clenched her fist tightly. Her gaze never left the chubby boy, who was calmly observing the battles that were happening around him with a confident smile on his face. Chapter 222 Lionheart Tournament Qualifying Matches [Part 2] Just as everyone expected, the most intense battles were happening in the center of the Arena. With no ce to run or hide, they had no choice but to wipe out the people around them to ensure that no one would stab them in the back. Lux arched an eyebrow when he noticed several people forming groups, fighting as a united front. He assumed that while some of them teamed up because they knew each other, there were also others who formed teams on the spot. The chubby boy thought that this was a very sensible idea since the battle would end only when twenty people were left in the arena. As the number of participants dwindled, some groups started to target those that were staying on the sidelines. They weren¡¯t stupid and knew that those who were on the sides were just waiting for everyone to get tired or destroy each other before fishing in troubled waters. Because of this, the groups were able to reduce the number of their rivals, one at a time, as they swept the edges of the battlefield, while others continued to fight at the center. Among the contestants in Arena 4, a skinny young man caught Lux¡¯s eye. The contestant wore ragged clothing, and the only thing that looked new in his possession was the bamboo straw hat covering his head. He was standing at the very center of the arena with several young men and women lying on the ground around him, their limbs cut off from their bodies. The Mages who were standing outside of the arena deemed that everyone that the young man had attacked was no longer capable of fighting, so they decisively teleported them out along with their body parts, so that they could receive medical attention as soon as possible. ¡®This person is dangerous,¡¯ Lux thought as he eyed the skinny young man in the distance. To his surprise, the skinny young man turned his head to look in his direction. Lux and the young man held each other¡¯s gaze for a few seconds before giving each other a brief nod of acknowledgement. The skinny young man then closed his eyes as he remained standing at the center of the arena. No one dared to approach him after they had seen him dismember a group of ten people who assumed that they could beat the young man easily using their numbers. Suddenly, a loud shout reached Lux¡¯s ears, which made him frown. ¡°Get rid of that chubby pig!¡± Lux thought that the people were referring to him, but to his surprise, they were not talking about him but an actual pig! A two-meter tall Boar had appeared in the arena, and it was busy charging at everyone it had set its sights on. Lux immediately appraised the Boar using his Elysium Compendium but the information that he received surprised him. ¡ª¨C The target creature is Shape Shifter. Its information cannot be appraised. ¡ª¨C ¡®I see, so that Boar is a shapeshifter. Makes sense.¡¯ Lux knew that his Elysium Compendium could not see the stats of people. It could only see the stats and information of the Monsters that could be seen or had appeared in Elysium. Suddenly the Boar stopped running and shifted its attention to the person that said get rid of that chubby pig! ¡°Who are you calling a pig?!¡± the Boar roared in anger. ¡°You dare call me a Pig? I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with calling a pig a pig?!¡± The person that had called out to the Boar didn¡¯t cower and raised his weapon high. ¡°I¡¯m going to roast you!¡± The reason why he didn¡¯t back down was because he was with a group of exactly twenty people. He believed that with their numbers, defeating the Boar that was charging at them with bloodshot eyes could be done easily. The group shed with the Boar, and an intense battle broke out. Shouts of anger, pain, and the Boar¡¯s squealing reverberated in the arena as blood sttered in the surroundings. The Boar¡¯s body was bleeding heavily from the numerous stabs and shes it had received from its opponents. However, the Boar¡¯s opponents weren¡¯t doing well either. Five of them had already suffered fatal injuries, and were immediately ejected from the arena to receive emergency treatment. The others had also received varying levels of injury ranging from minor ones to serious ones. ¡°Die!¡± the young man, who had called out to the Boar earlier, yelled as he smashed his steel hammer on the side of the Boar¡¯s body, sending it skidding across the ground. Everyone moved out of the way as the Boar¡¯s body skidded until it reached the edges of the arena. It only stopped moving when it was about to hit Lux, who had stepped aside to prevent himself from getting hit. The Boar¡¯s snout was bleeding, and gave off a deep, and heavy snorting sound as it tried to catch its breath. It tried to prop itself up, but the injuries it received had taken its toll on its body and depleted most of its stamina. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ lose here¡­,¡± the Boar mumbled as it struggled to stand up. ¡°Everyone¡­ everyone is waiting for me¡­ back in the vige. I can¡¯t¡­ lose here.¡± It made huffing and squealing sounds as it repeatedly tried to stand up, but it fell each and every time. The group that it had fought earlier were drinking health potions to recover their injuries while theyughed at the struggling Boar, who seemed to have run out of steam. There were no rules that forbade the use of Health and Mana Potions during the qualifying matches, so the referees observing the battle from the side didn¡¯t say anything and merely continued to monitor the battles around them. After falling back on its side for the umpteenth time, the Boar stopped trying to stand up and just panted for breath. A pool of blood had already dyed half of its body red, and made it look like a bloody Monster that hade from a horror story. Just as the Boar was starting to feel that its legs were starting to go numb, it felt something cool and refreshing wash over its body. A chubby boy, who was standing by its side was pouring two health potions on its body. The Boar looked at the ck-haired boy in surprise, because it didn¡¯t expect that someone would help it during its time of need. ¡°Drink up,¡± Lux said as he ced a potion near the snout of the boar. ¡°Why?¡± the Boar asked as it looked at Lux. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± ¡°For my own self satisfaction,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t owe me anything. I just feel like helping you this once.¡± Lux didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he somehow saw his old self in the struggling Boar that was lying in a pool of its own blood on the ground. His old, weak, and pitiful self which no person even bothered to help during hisst moments on Earth. Even though he had no obligation to help anyone in the tournament, the determination, and unwillingness in the Boar¡¯s eyes, and voice, reached his heart. Because of this, he decided to do the unthinkable and lend aid to aplete stranger, who was also doing their best to struggle until the bitter end. Chapter 223 Lionheart Tournament Qualifying Matches [Part 3] ¡°Oi! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± The young man who had smashed the Boar with his hammer shouted in anger after seeing Lux¡¯s actions. ¡°Do you want us to target you as well?¡± ¡°Very funny,¡± Lux replied. ¡°You¡¯re talking as if we are friends. Also, do you think I can¡¯t count? Your group had twenty people in the beginning, but five were eliminated. Now that all of you have drunk your potions, you think you can just resume eliminating all of us, right?¡± The young man was unable to refute Lux¡¯s words since what thetter said was the truth. Several other solo yers warily looked in their direction since they had noticed how this particr group had picked off contestants without any groups or backings one by one. After drinking the two bottles of Health Potion that Lux had given it, the Boar finally regained its strength and stood up from the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll remember this favor,¡± the Boar said. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°I told you that you don¡¯t need to repay this favor,¡± Lux replied. ¡°As for my name, you will know it eventually once you seed in passing the Qualifying Rounds.¡± ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll just remember your face.¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Lux nced towards the direction of the group of people who was now eyeing him and the Boar with hateful res. He didn¡¯t n on fighting at the start, but since he had extended his help on an underdog, rather, an underboar, he had now be a target of the group that was aiming to eliminate it. ¡°Get them!¡± the young man wielding the hammer shouted as he charged at Lux, alongside his teammates. The Boar squealed as its eyes turned crimson red. It had activated its Berserk Skill, making his strength grow by leaps and bounds. ¡°Wild Charge!¡± The boar stomped its right hoof, embedding itself deep on the ground before shooting towards its opponents like a speeding truck. ¡°Evade hia€¡°¡± the young man wielding the hammer wasn¡¯t able to finish his words as he felt a tremendous pressure wash over his entire body, making it freeze in ce. Lux¡¯s eyes glowed faintly as he looked at his opponents, releasing the power of his Dragon¡¯s Fear [EX], immobilizing his opponents in ce. They were like helpless bowling pins that were waiting for the bowling ball to send them flying. The bowling ball, in the form of a raging Boar, bulldozed its way towards the center of the arena, sending its opponents flying in several directions. The referees immediately took them out of the arena as they all suffered critical injuries after being impaled by the boar¡¯s mighty tusks. Lux immediately deactivated Dragon¡¯s Fear to prevent others from knowing about it. Fortunately, almost everyone¡¯s attention was on the berserked Boar, so they weren¡¯t able to see the subtle change in the color of Lux¡¯s eyes. Of course, there was one exception and that was none other than the skinny young man who was standing at the center of the arena wearing a bamboo straw hat. After eliminating its targets from the arena, the Boar returned to Lux¡¯s side and panted for breath. It had deactivated its Berserk Skill and was currently at a weakened state. ¡°Why did you return here?¡± Lux asked as he eyed the panting Boar beside him. ¡°Um, so you can protect me until I recover,¡± the Boar replied. ¡°Wow. Your face sure is thick.¡± ¡°I get that a lot.¡± Lux shook his head as he sighed internally. Right now, the battles around the arena had paused for a bit after the Boar had shown its strength to everyone. The contestants eyed Lux and the Boar warily, but they still believed that they could defeat the two of them. Only the skinny young man at the center of the arena remained undisturbed by the other contestants who were eyeing each other with a wary gaze. None of them wanted to have their limbs cut off from their bodies, so they made sure to not antagonize the young man who didn¡¯t hesitate to slice people up. ¡°T-The Boar is not a threat anymore, but if we let it recover we will have problemster,¡± a brown-haired teenager shouted. ¡°I suggest we dispose of them first before we decide who the final twenty will be, what do you guys think?¡± ¡°I agree! If we don¡¯t eliminate that boar now, we will lose our chance after it recovers.¡± ¡°I second this proposal!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± ¡°I also agree.¡± Lux smiled as dozens of people encircled him and the Boar that was panting by his side. At first, he wanted to hide his strength as long as he could, but it was impossible to do that. ¡®I guess I need to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s time to let them know who they are dealing with.¡¯ ¡°Attack!¡± the brown-haired teenager shouted as he summoned several mences and hurled it at Lux and the boar beside me. To Lux¡¯s surprise, the Boar stood in front of him and used its body to shield him from the iing magical attacks, despite its weakened state. ¡°Do you want to be a roasted pig that badly?¡± ¡°My Grandpa said that boys should act cool to impress thedies. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing this to return the earlier favor, don¡¯t get the wrong idea.¡± Lux grinned before patting the side of the boar¡¯s body as he stepped forward. ¡°I appreciate the intention,¡± Lux replied. ¡°But, I can handle these guys. You just rest there and recover your strength.¡± When the mingnces were only two meters away from the chubby boy, a rocky hand jutted off the ground and blocked it. ¡°Clean up the trash for me, Orion,¡± Lux ordered as he ced his hands behind his back like a Martial Arts Master. ¡°Don¡¯t hold back.¡± Immediately the ground shook, catching everyone in the arena off guard. A momentter a four-meter-tall Rock Golem, jumped off of the ground andnded a few meters away from the brown-haired magician who had cast firences at his Master. ¡°It¡¯s Clobberin Time!¡± Orion roared as he smashed his fists against the ground, creating a powerful shockwave, sending giant rocks and dirt flying in every direction, causing those that got caught up in the attack scream in pain. The skinny young man lightly pulled his sword out of its sheath creating a clinking sound. Immediately, the giant boulders that were flying in his direction were cut in half, passing harmlessly by his sides, andnding on the people behind his back. Orion thrust his right hand into the ground. A momentter, he lifted it back up, but this time, he was lifting a giant boulder above his head. ¡°Rock throw!¡± Orion roared as he threw the boulder in his hands towards the group of people that had gathered together in one spot. ¡°I surrender!¡± ¡°I concede!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± The people that had surrendered were instantly taken out of the arena by the mages who were keeping a close eye on the chaotic battlefield where a Rock Golem was performing a one-sided pounding. ¡°W-Wow!¡± the Boar eximed. ¡°You are a summoner?!¡± ¡°Um, something like that,¡± Lux replied. ¡®Still, Orion can be quite devastating when he just attacks recklessly like this.¡¯ The Half-Elf had long decided that in this tournament, he would only summon Orion to fight for him. He had decided to wear the mask of a ¡°Summoner,¡± hiding his identity as a ¡°Necromancer¡± to conceal his true abilities from people. This would make his opponents have a false estimate of his capabilities, so that when they decided to target him instead of the Rock Golem, he could give them a nasty surprise that would make them regret their decision. Chapter 224 Lionheart Tournament Qualifying Matches [Part 4] ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Lux ordered. ¡°Return.¡± Orion nodded as he walked towards his Master and stood right in front of him with an intimidating stance. After seeing his performance, the remaining contestants, which only numbered less than two hundred now, nced at each other with fearful looks on their faces. Now, there were three people they couldn¡¯t afford to mess with inside the Arena. First, there was just the skinny young man. Now, there was the Boar, as well as the Chubby boy whomanded a Rank 3 Rock Golem that had a feisty personality. The standoffsted for several minutes and it was only broken after Bruno announced an update. ¡°Last 30 minutes!¡± Bruno said through the artifact that magnified his voice. ¡°If the remaining number of participants exceeds the quota, we will release an Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster inside the arena. Goodluck to all of you!¡± As if injected by chickenblood, the remaining participants with the exception of Lux, the Boar, and the skinny young man, fought against each other in order to decrease the number of people in the arena. Lux watched this scene with a calm expression on his face. With Orion standing in front of him, only exceptionally strong Apostles would be able to break past his defenses. In just fifteen minutes, the number of contestants had dwindled to fifty. Ten minutester, this number went down to thirty. With five minute remaining on the clock, thest thirty participants eyed each other warily. The other contestants had varying stages of injury, preventing them from fighting each other, in fear that others would use this opportunity to eliminate them. Just as everyone was thinking of what to do next, a crisp, clinking sound reached everyone¡¯s ears. Suddenly, screams of pain erupted in the arena as ten people copsed on the ground. Their legs had been cleanly sliced in half, and none of them had been able to see how this happened. The mages promptly ejected them off the arena, and the Countdown Timer disappeared because they had reached their quota. ¡°Congrattions to the survivors of Arena 4!¡± Bruno¡¯s voice spread across the arena. ¡°All of you are going to the next round of the tournament!¡± The people watching the battle from the audience seats cheered and apuded the young men and women who were going to the next Qualifying Round. Iris hugged Vera after seeing that Lux had safely passed the first hurdle of the tournament. Even Eiko was quite happy as she joined her Mama in hugging the olddy who had a very satisfied smile on her face. ¡°Well, it is good to be happy, but this is just the beginning,¡± Vera said as she tried to calm the beautiful youngdy and the baby slime who were in a festive mood. ¡°The Qualifying matchessts for three days. We can celebrate after Lux has seeded in passing the Qualifying Rounds.¡± While the three people that loved Lux very much huddled inside Iris¡¯ Room, Alicia, who was watching the battles in Arena 4, was still in shock after witnessing the battle that had just transpired. It never crossed her mind that Lux would be a Summoner, during the time that they hadn¡¯t seen each other. In fact, the moment the mage had hurled firences in Lux¡¯s direction, she felt as if her heart was being squeezed inside her chest. If not for the fact that Bruno was there to ensure Lux¡¯s safety, she might have already rushed to the arena in order to forcefully eject the chubby young man from the arena to save his life. ¡®Goodness, is this really the Lux I know?¡¯ Alicia mused as she watched the chubby teenager walk out of the arena while waving at the audience with a smile on his face. ¡®So this must be the reason why Lady Vera was confident that he would do well in the tournament.¡¯ Alicia smiled, but a secondter that smile disappeared as she shook her head. ¡®Although he is a Summoner, and that Rock Golem looks strong, it will not be enough to win this tournament,¡¯ Alicia thought. ¡®The Four Kings and Five Overlords could easily defeat Lux and his golem even if they fought together. At most, he will be lucky to win the Qualifying rounds.¡± Alicia might like Lux, but she was someone who always thought realistically. Knowing how strong the opponents the Half-Elf was going to face, she already knew that his journey woulde at an abrupt end the moment he faced one of those prodigies. ¡ª In Arena 4¡­. While Lux was walking towards the exit, he sensed a presence appear behind his back. ¡°You did something unnecessary.¡± Lux turned his head and arched an eyebrow at the skinny young man who had caught up to him from behind. The chubby teenager didn¡¯t say anything because he felt that the mysterious young man still had something to tell him. ¡°Do you think that helping the Boar earlier was the right thing to do?¡± the skinny young man asked. ¡°No, you just prolonged his suffering. He just got lucky because you decided to help him, but, in the end, isn¡¯t he still unqualified to get far in this tournament.¡± ¡°So?¡± Lux asked back. He didn¡¯t feel any killing intent from the young man in front of him, but he still raised his guard to protect himself just in case the person talking to him had evil intentions. ¡°Like I said, you did something unnecessary.¡± ¡°What I do is none of your business.¡± The skinny young man was about to say more, but seeing Lux¡¯s firm expression, he decided that it was not worth it. ¡°Unnecessary kindness doesn¡¯t help anyone,¡± the skinny young man stated as he walked past Lux. ¡°Goodluck in the tournament.¡± Lux watched the back of the mysterious teenager as he walked away from him. He admired the young man¡¯s steady steps, as well as the raw confidence that emanated from his skinny body. The moment the Half-Elfid his eyes on the swordsman, he knew right away that thetter was a very powerful individual. ¡®I¡¯m sure there will be more people like him in the tournament,¡¯ Lux thought as he resumed walking towards the exit. ¡®Even so, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ The Half-Elf clenched his fist as he reigned in the blood boiling inside his chest. This feeling of wanting to give everything he had was something he rarely felt. In the past, he had only fought against Monsters and the Dwarves that belonged to Twilight Rain. But now, he was fighting against Humans and other Demihumans that were of simr age to him. ¡®Just how many prodigies will I meet in this tournament?¡¯ Lux mused as he reached the exit of the arena. ¡®Well, I guess I¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡¯ The Half-Elf chuckled internally as he headed straight to the amodations that were prepared for the contestants that had won the first round. He had decided not to meet his Grandma, Iris, and Eiko, for the duration of the tournament so that no one would be suspicious of his identity. The three of them had been informed about Lux¡¯s n beforehand, and they all supported his n. Right now, Nero was looking through the names of the contestants that had won the first round. Something was telling him that Lux had joined the tournament, so he was trying to look up the names of people that the Half-Elf might have used as his Alias. Several unique names popped up, so he listed them down one by one. He nned to watch the matches of these individuals to see whether or not Lux was one of them. He was more than willing to bribe a few strong contestants to ensure that the Half-Elf received a good beating inside the arena. However, before he could put this n to motion, he must first know Lux¡¯s new persona. ¡®I think I need to borrow THAT artifact from the Guild Treasury,¡¯ Nero thought as he looked at the names that he had listed down. There were over a hundred of them, and it would be difficult to watch their battles one by one. Since that was the case, he would need to use an artifact that allowed him to see through disguises to find the Half-Elf that was hiding among the contestants. ¡®Just you wait you slippery little Half-Elf.¡¯ Nero sneered. ¡®I will make sure that your pitiful journeyes to an untimely end.¡¯ What Nero didn¡¯t know was that there were other individuals who were doing the same thing. Since their goal was to be Iris¡¯ fiance, they knew that the first person they needed to get rid of was none other than the Half-Elf whom the blue-haired beauty kissed in front of everyone several months ago. This news had spread far and wide into the Six Kingdoms, making Iris¡¯ suitors seethe in anger. Lux was unaware of the diabolical ns that these people were concocting on the side. For him, it didn¡¯t matter who his opponent was. As long as they stood in the way of his step-sister¡¯s happiness, he would beat the crap out of them until they decided to surrender and no longer aimed to be with the blue-haired beauty, who loved him with all of her heart. Chapter 225 The Biggest Threats In The Second Round Of The Tournament Nine people were gathered in a VIP room which overlooked the arena. They were believed to be the nine strongest members of the young generation and were also known as the Four Kings and the Five Overlords. Naturally, all nine of them were vying to be the Champion to let their prestige spread far and wide. Although not all of them were head over heels with the blue-haired beauty who was hailed as the Princess of Barbatos Academy, bing her fiance would allow them to form connections with her father, who was one of the handful of Saints in the Eastern Region of Sis. ¡°That skinny teenager wearing a bamboo hat in Arena 4 wasn¡¯t half bad,¡± a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes said with a smile. He had sharp features, which made it hard to say whether he was good looking or not. Although a smile was on his face, an intimidating presence leaked out of his body, which could make any Apostle below Grade C shudder. ¡°What about the Summoner?¡± a ck-haired teenager asked. ¡°What do you think about him?¡± ¡°Him? I don¡¯t think he is a big deal. Even though his Rock Golem is strong, I can easily knock him out without any problem.¡± Nero, who was part of this group of prodigies nodded his head in agreement. Although the creatures under a Summoner¡¯s control were strong, all of them would disappear the moment their Master was taken out. ¡°There were other interesting individuals in the other arena as well,¡± a green-haired boy with pointy ears said with a smirk on his face. ¡°It seems like this year¡¯s tournament won¡¯t be as boring as I originally thought it would be.¡± ¡°Still, I didn¡¯t see Iris¡¯ step-brother¡¯s name in the list of participants,¡± a young man with gray hair, who was around two-meters tall, said as he crossed his arms over his chest. His muscles were bulging on his body, making him look like the Barbarian he really was. ¡°I was hoping to see him fight so I couldugh at him when he gets eliminated.¡± ¡°That Half-Elf?¡± the green-haired teenager snorted. ¡°Pathetic half-bloods who only rely on our Elven ancestry to look a little bit decent, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that they are born defective. ording to an insider, Alicia might have made arrangements to register him in the tournament under a different name.¡± ¡°Oh? So, he¡¯s wearing a disguise?¡± the gray-haired barbarian asked. ¡°Hmph! He must be afraid to show his face. I¡¯m sure that he didn¡¯t want to look pathetic in front of Iris.¡± The blonde-haired young man with sharp features shifted his attention to Nero, who was looking at a list of names that he had acquired not long ago. ¡°Nero, do you have any news as to that Half-Elf¡¯s identity?¡± the blonde-haired teenager asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you share the information you have with the rest of us? I¡¯m sure that you already have your suspicions, right?¡± Nero raised his head as he nced at the Prince of the strongest kingdom that supported Barbatos Academy. In his eyes, this Prince was his greatest rival in the tournament, so had made every effort to know more about his fighting style and habits. ¡°I have some names in mind, but they number over a hundred,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I believe that he¡¯s wearing some kind of disguise. I don¡¯t mind sharing the list with all of you, but you have to promise that once you find him, you will share the news with everyone.¡± ¡°Hmph! No matter what kind of disguise he wears, his pathetic self will show up the moment he faces someone stronger than him.¡± the Barbarian scoffed. ¡°Still, it will help narrow down the suspects if we have a list in our hands.¡± Nero already knew that his peers had influential backgrounds,pared to him who was born as amoner. This was why he would sometimes feel inferior when he was around them. ¡°Let me look at that list,¡± the green-haired teenager said. ¡°I will create copies for everyone.¡± Nero nodded as he handed the list of names of those he thought to be suspicious contestants in the tournament that the Half-Elf might have used to hide his identity. The Elf boy chanted as he held the scroll in his hand. A momentter, several scrolls appeared in the air and flew in the direction of the other people inside the room. The Elf then returned the scroll to Nero as he took his own copy so he could read the names written on it. ¡°As expected of you, Nero,¡± the blonde-haired teenager said. ¡°This list is quiteprehensive. How about we divide these people among ourselves to make the task of identifying him easier?¡± ¡°I have no objections.¡± ¡°I agree with this proposal.¡± ¡°This will save us a lot of time.¡± ¡°Good thing I have one of my family¡¯s artifacts with me. This should help me find out if that bastard Lux is hiding among these names.¡± The nine teenagers nced at each other before deciding which of the contestants would be assigned to them. While this was happening, Lux was resting inside his room and absorbing the Beast Cores in his storage ring. Although he knew that he would end up using most of the cores in his possession, he decided to upgrade his Special Body Constitution once. Due to their battle earlier, he was able to get a rough estimate of the average strength of the contestants that he would be meeting in the next round of the Qualifying Matches. Although he believed that he could fight them without problems, he decided to upgrade his Body Constitution to give him an edge in the next set of matches that he would be participating in. Just as he was about to absorb another Beast Core, the Half-Elf nced at the wall of his room. Immediately, he hid the Beast Core back inside his storage ring as he looked on the wall with anticipation. A momentter the wall parted, revealing the mature beauty, Alicia, who was smiling at him. ¡°You surprised me earlier,¡± Alicia said as she walked towards the Half-Elf who was seated on the couch. ¡°Now I know why you decided to join the tournament.¡± ¡°Haha, I was just lucky that my opponents are weak,¡± Lux replied. ¡°Did you visit me just to congratte me, Alicia?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Alicia stated. ¡°I am not that free. I only came here to give you this.¡± Alicia handed Lux a scroll, and the Half-Elf epted it with a confused look on his face. However, his confusion disappeared as soon as she saw the information that was written on the scroll. Lux read the scroll quietly, While Alicia sat on the couch beside him. The mature beauty allowed the Half-Elf to digest the information that she had given him for his next match in the tournament. ¡°This is indeed very helpful,¡± Lux said in a grateful voice. ¡°Thank you, Alicia.¡± ¡°No need to thank me,¡± Aliciamented. ¡°Do you have any questions? About your opponents tomorrow? I listed all of their skills and special abilities that they have used during the tournament. With this, you will be able to prepare for your next match, and see the people who you need to be wary of.¡± Lux stayed silent for a minute as he once again looked at the names on the scroll before shifting his gaze to the alluring woman beside him. ¡°In your opinion, who is the biggest threat on this list?¡± Lux asked with a serious expression on his face. Alicia pondered for a bit before pointing at two names in the list. ¡°Rol Mordosk,¡± Alicia said. ¡°He is the younger brother of one of the Four Kings among the young generation. He is a Barbarian, and some say that his strength is almost equal to the strength of his brother. If possible, do not have a direct confrontation with him in the early stages.¡± Alicia¡¯s finger then moved to the second name in the list. ¡°Gerhart Cenele,¡± Alicia stated. ¡°The Headmaster sent an invitation to him to enroll at Barbatos Academy because of his amazing control over the element of wind. During the Qualifying matches, he created a hurricane that almost eliminated all the participants in Arena 2. He is a force to be reckoned with, so you should be on your guard against him.¡± ¡°There are a few more notable contestants on this list, but none of them are as dangerous as these two young men. Just like your earlier battle, this will be another Royal Rumble and only twenty participants will remain. As long as you y your cards right, you can easily be one of those who will proceed to the next round.¡± Lux nodded his head in understanding before thanking Alicia for sharing her thoughts on the matter. After seeing the information inside the scroll, he knew that the woman who had taken good care of him and Iris in Barbatos Academy was doing her best to help Lux in any way that she could. ¡°Although tomorrow is going to be a very busy day, I¡¯lle and see you again if I have the time,¡± Alicia said as she walked towards the part of the wall that was left open. ¡°Goodluck in your next matches.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I will do my best.¡± Alicia gave Lux a smile before walking back through the passage. A momentter, the wall sealed itself shut, returning to its previous state. Lux didn¡¯t initially know that the room that was reserved for him had a secret passage known only to Alicia. In the end, he could only admire the secretary¡¯s thoroughness in her effort to help him. ¡°I¡¯m d that Alicia is on my side,¡± Lux muttered as he shifted his attention back to the scroll in his hands. ¡°Rol Mordosk, Gerhart Cenele¡­ I wonder how I will fare against these two.¡± Lux read over the information that was written on the scroll one more time, andmitted it into his memory. Since Alicia had made an effort to pass the scroll to him, the least he could do was return the favor by winning the second round of the tournament. ¡®I wonder if Nero and his gang are already looking for my whereabouts,¡¯ Lux mused after cing the scroll inside his storage ring. ¡®Well, goodluck to them. Let this little game of hide and seekmence!¡¯ Lux chuckled as he took a Beast Core out of his storage ring. For now, he would just focus on upgrading his Special Body Constitution to prepare for his match tomorrow. Whether his identity would be exposed or not, he nned to just leave it to Fate. The only thing that mattered to him was passing the final Qualifying Round in order to have the opportunity to fight the strongest members of the young generation. That way, he would be able to measure just how much he had improved ever since he had the opportunity to enter the wonderful, yet dangerous world of Elysium. Chapter 226 I Hate You ¡°Brother, hurry up!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to leave you if you¡¯re slow!¡± ¡°Alright, just calm down. I¡¯ming,¡± Sid said as he let his two sisters pull both of his hands. They were going to head to Aspiration ins to pick the herbs Grandma Annie needed to make potions. It had been several days since Sid returned to Leaf Vige, wanting to stay with his sisters for a little while before he embarked on a journey to strengthen himself. His Master, Lux, had told him that he would be gone for several months in order to fool Twilight Rain into thinking that he was really out of the picture, and allow Scarlet to gain the full support of the Dark Guild in order to be one of their yer Candidates, and eventually a Ranker. Sid thought that his n was excellent. If Lux were to be seen by the Dark Guild in Elysium while Scarlet was in the middle of acquiring her resources, things might get a bitplicated. In order to prevent this from happening, the Half-Elf even nned to go to the territories where Wildgarde Stronghold was in Elysium first to get a better understanding of what it was like to stay in those territories. Of course, he would only go there after the Tournament of Barbatos Academy, because Iris¡¯ happiness was at stake. ¡®Master, I think you have started an unusual trend here in Leaf Vige,¡¯ Sid thought as he gazed at the two baby slimes that were perched on top of his sisters¡¯ heads. Ever since Lux had been recognized as the Eternal Guardian and Hero of Leaf Vige, most of the Dwarves and foreigners who arrived there from Sis had decided to raise Slimes as their Beast Companions. His sisters were no exception and, for the most part, he could only allow them to follow this unique tradition. ¡°Ei!¡± The slime on Laura¡¯s head, whom she had given the name, Cora, suddenly made a sound, alerting its Master that it was sensing the herb that they were looking for. ¡°You already found a herb? You are amazing, Cora!¡± Laura said in a happy tone. ¡°Where is it?¡± The baby slime jumped off Laura¡¯s head and immediately crawled in the direction where she sensed the herb that they were looking for. Sid¡¯s little sister ran off to follow the baby slime in a good mood. Not wanting to lose to her twin, Livia ran behind her, leaving Sid to watch the two of them go, a smile forming on his face. The handsome Dhampir had noticed that both of his sisters had be more lively after they arrived in Leaf Vige. In fact, not only were they full of life, they were even healthier than before. Unlike the Orphanage where the little girls had very little to eat, Grandma Annie made sure that Laura and Livia were eating enough and properly. Also, she would give them plenty of snacks whenever the two helped her with the chores and looked after the shop whenever she was busy concocting pills and potions for the vigers. The appearance of the two girls brought color to Grandma Annie¡¯s lonely life, so the Old Lady had poured her love out on the twins, spoiling thempletely. ¡°Ah! That horned rabbit stole our herb!¡± Laura eximed when a Horned Rabbit suddenly appeared, detached the herb from its roots, and ran off with it before she could pick it. ¡°Cora! Punish it!¡± ¡°Nora, don¡¯t let it get away!¡± Livia also ordered her baby Slime to help her twin catch the Horned Rabbit. ¡°Your baby Slimes won¡¯t be able to catch that Horned Rabbi¨C.¡± Sid wasn¡¯t able to finish his words because he saw the two baby Slimes fired a stone and water bullet at the same time, hitting the Horned Rabbit, and making it copse on the ground twitching. ¡°Bad Rabbit!¡± Laura took the herb that the Horned Rabbit had dropped and put it inside her basket. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that, you know?¡± Livia admonished the Horned Rabbit who was still in a daze after getting hit by the two magical attacks. ¡°Stealing is bad.¡± When the Horned Rabbit recovered its senses, it gave the two girls a re before running away. Clearly, it didn¡¯t intend to listen to their words, and returned to its usual routine in the Aspiration ins. ¡°Cora, good job!¡± ¡°Nora, that was great!¡± ¡°¡±Ei!¡±¡± The two baby Slimes lightly jumped off the ground after hearing their Master¡¯s praise. The twins happily picked up their Beast Companions and kissed their cheeks, making the baby Slimes¡¯ jelly-like bodies jiggle in happiness. Sid, who was standing not far away from the two, could only scratch his head in disbelief. ¡°I guess the Slimes here in Leaf Vige are built differently,¡± Sid muttered. He had no choice but to admit that the Slimes that were being raised in Leaf Vige were not like themon Slimes he had seen in the past. The Dhampir then remembered the baby Slime that was always perched on his Master¡¯s head and pondered if Eiko had something to do with why the Slimes in Leaf Vige were different from the rest of the Slimes in the Kingdom of Gweliven. ¡®It might just be coincidence,¡¯ Sid thought. ¡®Yeah. This is just a coincidence. How can ordinary Slimes be that powerful?¡¯ This was the same question that would gue the adventurers in the other viges, towns, and cities of the Kingdom of Gweliven, when the young Dwarves from Leaf Vige went to other ces after bing Apostles. ¡ª¨C Meanwhile somewhere in the Kingdom of Gweliven¡­ ¡°You did well, Scarlet,¡± the Elder, who was also the red-headed Dwarf¡¯s grandfather, said with a smile. ¡°With this, you are now officially a yer Candidate. You¡¯ve made me and our n very proud.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to have be of great service to you, Grandfather, and to our guild,¡± Scarlet replied with a respectful bow. ¡°The Guild Master had tasked me to bring you to the yer Training Camp tomorrow,¡± the Elder stated. ¡°You will also gain resources there. I hope that, after a year, you will be able to show me great improvements in your strength. There are very few Rankers in our family, so having a future Ranker like you gives us hope. Continue to excel, and climb the ranks of Twilight Rain.¡± ¡°Everything will be done ording to your will, Grandfather,¡± Scarlet vowed. A few minutester, Scarlet returned to her room to rest. After making sure that the door was locked, the red-haired Dwarfid down on the bed and looked at the ceiling. ¡°Climb the ranks of Twilight Rain¡­,¡± Scarlet muttered. ¡°Just as that Half-Elf expected, things are proceeding smoothly on my end.¡± Scarlet sighed in her heart as she thought of her Master, who had promised that he would make himself scarce for half a year to allow her to train and umte the resources promised to her that would allow her to be a Ranker in a short period of time. There was no doubt that she hated Lux, but it was also a fact that she couldn¡¯t disobey him. Her life was in the Half-Elf¡¯s hands, and if thetter thought that she was no longer useful, he could make her disappear with just a thought. Although Scarlet thought that it was humiliating, she had no choice but to ept her current circumstances and follow Lux¡¯s orders to the best of her abilities. ¡°At least he kept his promise to make me a yer Candidate,¡± Scarlet muttered as she closed her eyes. ¡°I just hope he won¡¯t order me around like a ve and ask me to perform unreasonable requests.¡± Scarlet had just turned neen years old, and her future as an assassin was very bright. She was hailed as the greatest prodigy that their n had produced, and she took great pride in this fact. If not for the fact that Lux had turned the tables on her, iming her life, she might have been able to live her life the way she wanted to. However, that was no longer possible. She lived and died for Lux now. This was the sad reality she found herself in. ¡®Maybe I can negotiate with him to buy my freedom back,¡¯ Scarlet thought as sheid on her side, looking at the dagger that she had embedded in the table in her room. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to wait until he returns in order to talk to him about this matter.¡¯ For Scarlet, her freedom was just as important as her life. When Lux died then, she felt her body slowly disperse into particles of light, making her feel anxious. It made her realize that she could no longer live the way she wanted to, because if anything untoward happened to Lux, she would disappear into nothingness, and everything she had worked had for would disappear without a trace. This was a very scary thought for her, but there was nothing she could do about it. ¡°Lux Von Kaizer,¡± Scarlet said softly. ¡°I hate you.¡± Yes. She hated her new Master, but also feared and admired him at the same time. That night, Scarlet slept and dreamed of the day she regained her freedom. In that dream, she saw herself standing on the peak of a mountain and staring down on all of creation. She felt so alive, so fulfilled, and so happy, that for a brief moment, she felt that bing Lux¡¯s subordinate wasn¡¯t as bad as she originally thought it to be. Chapter 227 Hey, Are You Lux Von Kaizer? ¡°Grandma, will Big Brother be fine?¡± Iris asked with an anxious tone. ¡°I saw the list of contestants who will be in the same arena as him, and several of them are no pushovers.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lux will be fine.¡± Vera assured her anxious granddaughter who had a worried look on her face. ¡°Pa!¡± Eiko, who was perched on Iris¡¯ shoulder, said with a confident tone. Clearly, the baby Slime had full faith in her Papa, who she thought would easily win the tournament if he went all out. What Eiko didn¡¯t know was that Lux didn¡¯t n on summoning Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, and his skeleton minions to fight with him for the duration of the tournament. The Half-Elf only let Orion out because he nned to be recognized as a Summoner, and not a Necromancer by hispetitors. ¡°I¡¯m still a bit worried,¡± Iris looked at the chubby young man who was now standing inside the arena alongside the contestants that would participate in the second round of the Qualifying Matches. ¡°Grandma, how strong is Big Brother, currently?¡± Vera chuckled after hearing her granddaughter¡¯s question. Seeing how anxious she was, the olddy decided to answer her question as honestly as she could. ¡°Right now, I can say that Lux is on par with the Four Kings, and Five Overlords,¡± Vera replied. ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yes. However, he is cing certain restrictions on himself. But, even if that is the case, knowing Lux, he will not allow himself to be at a disadvantage. Have more faith in him, Iris. He will be fine.¡± ¡°Pa.¡± Eiko nodded, agreeing with her great grandma¡¯s words. Lux had taken more than half of the Beast Cores that Eiko¡¯s slimes had collected in order to strengthen his Body Constitution. After experimenting a bit, Lux had found that he could increase the number of points he could gain from a Beast Core if he just focused on adding points to his Body Constitution. Usually, when Lux absorbed Beast Cores he would gain a specific number of points. ¡ª¡ª Rank 1 Beast Cores = 10 Points in Stats, 10 Points in Body Constitution. Rank 2 Beast Cores = 20 Points in Stats, 20 Points in Body Constitution. Rank 3 Beast Cores = 30 Points in Stats, 30 Points in Body Constitution. Rank 4 Beast Cores = 40 Points in Stats, 40 Points in Body Constitution. Rank 5 Beast Cores = 50 Points in Stats, 50 Points in Body Constitution ¡ª- The Beast Cores of Alpha Monsters¡¯ had double stats. For example, a Beast Core that came from a Carbuncle, a Rank 2 Alpha Beast, would give 40 points in Stats and Body Constitution instead of the typical 20 points in stats and 20 points in Body Constitution. Some might say that this point distribution was unfair, especially for Rank 3 monsters and above. However, what the higher-leveled Monsterscked in points, they made up for with the Skills that one could learn from them once they have absorbed their Beast Cores. For most people, the Skills that they could gain from the Beast Core were more important than the Stats. The stronger the skills were, the better their offensive and defensive capabilities would be. In Lux¡¯s case, he had recently discovered that he could convert Skill Points into Constitution Points. For example, if Lux used a Rank 2 Beast Core that gave him 20 Stats points and 20 points for Constitution Points, he could just convert the 20 Stats points and pool them with his Constitution Points, raising the overall points to 40, instead of 20. This tradeoff was something that Lux was able to discover because the rewards he had gained from raising his Body Constitution had helped him increase not only his strength, but his abilities as well. The Immortal Dragon Conqueror¡¯s Legacy was truly one of a kind, allowing Lux to wield the power of Dragons. He believed that if he was able to upgrade his Body¡¯s Constitution rank to the next level, a new set of amazing rewards would be waiting for him. Iris giggled after hearing Eiko¡¯sint about her Papa borrowing her Beast Cores. Because of this, Iris gave Eiko a hundred low-ranked Cores, so that she would stop pouting. Eiko was naturally happy with these unexpected gains. For her, the more Beast Cores she had, the better. ¡°The battle is about to start,¡± Vera said as she looked at the timer that was disyed in the center of the arena. Iris and Eiko focused their attention on the projection that was disyed on the wall of Iris¡¯ room. Even if the Half-Elf were to lose, as long as he was safe, Iris would still be happy no matter the result. She had grown up with him and knew how weak his body had been in the past. Even with the new changes she had seen in his Soul Book, Iris was still worried that her step-brother¡¯s previous illness would return at some point during his battles in the arena. ¡°Brother, goodluck,¡± Iris pressed her hands together in front of her chest and prayed for Lux¡¯s victory. Deep inside, the only thing she wished for was that Lux wouldn¡¯t be hurt in the tournament. ¡ª- Five minutes before the timer started in Arena 4¡­ Rol Mordosk, the younger brother of one of the Four Kings, nced in the direction of the chubby boy standing in one of the corners of the arena. Her brother had told him that there was a possibility that his love rival had disguised himself as one of the participants in the tournament. The chubby boy¡¯s name was one of the people suspected to be Lux¡¯s hidden persona, so his older brother had asked him to give the chubby boy a beating. Although the chances of the Summoner being Lux were small, he was still considered as one of the threats in Arena 4, so it went without saying that Rol Mordosk would eliminate him as soon as possible, even without his Older Brother¡¯s reminder. ¡°Hey, are you Lux Von Kaizer?¡± Rol asked as he gazed down at the chubby boy whose head only reached his chest. ¡°Lux who?¡± the chubby boy replied. ¡°Is he famous?¡± ¡°More like infamous for being a weakling. So, are you him?¡± ¡°Huh? Do I look like a weakling? Do you want me to clobber youter?¡± Rol snorted after hearing the chubby boy¡¯s reply. He had seen that weak and pathetic Half-Elf several times when he had visited Barbatos Academy in the past, because his older brother was one of Iris¡¯ suitors. For him, the Half-Elf was trash, especially since thetter couldn¡¯t even enter Elysium, making him theughingstock of those who were pursuing the blue-haired beauty of Barbatos Academy. ¡°Good, at least you have gutspared to that weakling,¡± Rol stated. ¡°If you beg meter, and vow to be my subordinate, I will only beat you half dead. If you refuse, I will beat you until you¡¯re just a step away from dying. Make sure to choose wisely.¡± Instead of answering, the chubby boy chuckled as he looked up at the Barbarian teenager whose bulging muscles reminded him of the body builders back on Earth. In his mind, if he couldn¡¯t even beat the little brother of one of the Four Kings that represented the young generation then he should just pack up and leave the tournament. Rol frowned after seeing the chubby boy¡¯s response and decided to give the other party a light push. However, before he could even do that, Bruno appeared and held Rol¡¯s wrist, preventing him from hurting the chubby boy. ¡°Do you want to get disqualified?¡± Bruno asked. ¡°It is stated in the rules that fighting before the countdown starts is foul y. Tell me, should I call the guards and escort you out of the arena for breaking the rules?¡± Rol shook Bruno¡¯s hands off before giving the chubby boy a re. He then walked away to return to where he was standing a short while ago and leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. Clearly, getting disqualified was not part of his n. If he were to get really kicked out of the tournament because of something petty, his Older Brother, as well as his family, would be disappointed in him. This was something Rol didn¡¯t want to happen, so he decided to hold himself back until the timer started. Smashing the chubby boy¡¯s face in as punishment for being cocky could wait. Bruno snorted before flying upwards. He then nced at the contestants who were paying attention to the tension that was happening inside the arena. ¡°Rulebreakers will be punished!¡± Bruno dered. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, where you are from, and who your daddy, grandpa, or great grand daddy is. If you break the rules of the tournament, you will be punished ordingly!¡± Bruno scoffed before flying towards the raised tform that acted as the Judge¡¯s seat of honor. Since he was the presiding judge over Arena 4, he had been given full authority to dish out punishments at any given time. This was why Alicia had made sure that Bruno knew that the chubby boy was a VIP. As long as Bruno was the one overseeing the battle, Lux¡¯s safety was assured. ¡°Make yourst minute preparations,¡± Bruno stated. ¡°The battle will begin in two minutes!¡± As if waiting for that cue, the countdown timer appeared in the center of the arena. The contestants immediately formed groups, while solo fighters backed into the far corners of the arena. They already knew that this would be another Royal Rumble, so they couldn¡¯t take any chances. Lux crossed his arms over his chest, as Orion, and one more Rock Golem appeared on his other side, defending him from anyone who wished to harm him. Rol nced at the two Rock Golems with ridicule. He was confident that he would be able to smash his fist into the chubby boy¡¯s face before his summons could even react to him. What Rol didn¡¯t know was that, aside from him, one more person was paying close attention to Lux, and it was none other than Gerhart Cenele. He was the other person that Alicia had warned him about. The clothes of the young man who held the power to control the wind element, started to flutter as he slowly released the power inside his body. His gaze never left the chubby boy, as those who were beside him backed away in a hurry. A powerful gust of wind swirled around Gerhart¡¯s body, making him look like a human tornado that was about to unleash a natural disaster on those around him. Bruno looked at this scene with a calm expression on his face. Although he was told to ensure that Lux wouldn¡¯t die in the tournament, he wouldn¡¯t act until the veryst moment to save the chubby teenager¡¯s life. His reason for this kind of mindset was due to the subtle pressure that Lux was emanating from his body. As a Ranker, he could tell that the chubby teenager wasn¡¯t someone simple. He was looking forward to seeing what the young man, and his summons, could do against other participants whose abilities were said to be nearing the level of the Four Kings and Five Overlords, who stood above the warriors of the young generation. Chapter 228 Next Time We Meet, I Will Show You No Mercy ¡°Battle Start!¡± Bruno¡¯s shout, after the timer hit zero, sounded across Arena 4 and the contestants inside it instantly took action. The most high-handed of them all was none other than Rol, who decided to attack Lux the moment the timer hit zero, ignoring everyone around him. The Barbarian was confident that he could take out the summoner in just two minutes, eliminating one of the candidates that were preventing his brother from winning the tournament. ¡°Time to die, chubby boy!¡± Rol roared as he summoned a War Axe and brandished it towards Lux, who had his arms crossed over his chest. Lux smirked at the approaching Barbarian, who he expected to single him out the moment the countdown ended. ¡°How about, No?¡± Lux replied as he sneered at the young Barbarian whose eyes were locked on his body. However, before Rol could even activate one of his powerful abilities, he suddenly found himself moving against his will. The next thing he knew, he was face to face with a rocky fist, which faintly glowed as a sign of a skill¡¯s activation. ¡°Jackhammer!¡± Orion shouted as he mmed his fist into the Barbarian that was nning to hurt his Master. Rol hurriedly used one of his life saving skills which allowed him to endure one blow that could potentially end his life once a day. Although he believed that the Rock Golem¡¯s attack couldn¡¯t potentially kill him, getting seriously injured at the start of the match was something he didn¡¯t want to happen. Not only would it reduce his chances of winning, the other yers might decide to attack him while he was injured, giving him a lethal injury in the process. A mini-shockwave erupted where Rol stood as Orion¡¯s fist smashed into his chest, sending him hurtling through the air like a kite that had its strings cut. Einar Mordosk, Rol¡¯s older brother, clicked his tongue as he watched the battle from his VIP Seat. Seeing that his Brother had used his life saving ability so early in the tournament made him feel disappointed. However, because of this incident, he now knew that the chubby boy¡¯s Rock Golem had a skill which could force people to exchange blows with it. ¡®ording to the list Nero gave me, this guy is one of the participants that could be that Half-Elf in disguise,¡¯ Einar thought as he looked at the chubby boy in the distance. ¡®Although I highly doubt it, there¡¯s no harm in eliminating him early in the tournament.¡¯ Aside from his younger brother, there were two other people that Einar knew in Arena 4. He had tasked them to support his brother during the fight to ensure that he would pass through the next round safely. Although Rol was only a half-brother, who was born from a different mother, he was still close to the other person and wanted the younger Barbarian to at least reach the semi-finals of the tournament. As Einar gazed at the battlefield, the battle between the participants intensified. After seeing the Rock Golem¡¯s incredible might, the other contestants stayed away from Lux and focused on the other participants. Orion¡¯s punch had sent Rol hundreds of meters away from Lux,nding where the battle for survival was particrly intense. Because of this, Rol had no choice but to defend himself from the blows that wereing from his left, right, front, and back, giving him no room to advance to where Lux was currently standing. Suddenly, a group of six people unleashed a barrage of ranged attacks towards Lux¡¯s direction, forcing Orion, and the other Rock Golem to step forward and use their bodies to tank the attacks aimed at their Master. It was also at that moment when three individuals charged at Lux from the side. Two of them were wielding swords, while thest one held two daggers in his hands. They were part of the group that attacked Lux, and their goal was to eliminate the Summoner as soon as possible in order to decrease the number of strong fighters in the arena. Lux, who saw this, summoned the sword Blood Moon, as well as its new counterpart, Blood Shield. Blood Shield was a Unique Weapon that Lux had crafted personally. He had used a small portion of the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis¡¯ exoskeleton, as well as Mithiril and Steel, to create the best equipment that Lux had crafted to date. ¡ª¡ª¨C (A/N: Just in case you guys forgot the ranking for equipment, here are the rarity ratings. Common weapon, Rare Weapon, Unique Weapon, Mythical Weapon, Legendary Weapon, Demigod Weapon, Divine Weapon.) ¡ª¡ª¨C Blood Shield had two passive Skills which Lux believed were perfect for All-Rounder fighters. One of them was Shield Boomerang. This was simr to Shield Throw, except this Skill had an additional advantage which would make the shield automatically return to its owner after it hits its target or reach its maximum flight range. This Skill had a high chance of stunning its target if the attack hit the target¡¯s head. The second Skill of Blood Shield was called Shield Retaliation. This ability was a charging type skill that stored 5% of the overall damage that was dealt in a single blow. Meaning, if the shield bearer sessfully blocked an attack, the shield would absorb 5% of the total damage of the blow and store it. The stored damage could be stacked up to 20x, which could then be unleashed as a form of AOE energy attack that had a range of five-meters around the shield bearer. Originally, Lux nned to let either Diablo or Pazuzu wield the shield since both summons used shields when they fought. But since he couldn¡¯t summon his two Named Creatures in the tournament, he decided to use the shield for the time being. Just us Lux was about to engage the three attackers in closebat. Several wind des descended from the air, catching them by surprise. Cries of pain escaped their lips as they were hit by the razor-sharp wind des that attacked them from their blindspot. A momentter, a powerful gust of wind lifted the three warriors in the air before smashing them against the barrier of the arena. The deadlybination knocked them unconscious, which forced the Mages, who were monitoring the battle, to teleport them outside of the arena. Lux stared at the green-haired teenager who was floating in the air. He recognized thetter as Gerhart Cenele, one of the two people that Alicia had warned him about. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t know why Gerhart had helped him, but before he could even call out to him, the green-haired teenager spun around, creating a hurricane in the very center of the arena. Soon, shouts and curses of panic and frustration could be heard in Arena 4 as several contestants were sucked up by the hurricane which was getting bigger with each passing second. Orion, and the other Rock Golem, stood firmly beside Lux, acting as his support, preventing him from being sucked up by the fierce winds that had grown to an unbelievable size. Rol, who was near the center of the arena, decisively threw his War Axe to the far end of the battleground. A few secondster, he disappeared from where he stood, and reappeared where he had thrown his Axe. The young Barbarian then smashed his Axe into the ground, using it as an anchor to prevent himself from getting sucked by the hurricane. The audience, as well as those seated in the VIP rooms, watching the spectacle, could only admire the deadly hurricane that single-handedly sucked up almost all of the contestants in the arena. Those that were sucked up by the hurricane found themselves at the mercy of nature as the winds shredded their armor, as well as parts of their bodies with every passing second. The mages who were carefully monitoring the condition of the contestants were frantically using mass teleportation spells to save the individuals who they deemed were in mortal danger. Ten minutester, the hurricane stopped. Gerhart nced down at the ground and saw that Lux and Rol were the only survivors in Arena 4. He had eliminated all other contestants, leaving only the other two behind. Rol stared at the floating youth in the air with a hateful expression before shifting her re to the chubby boy who was clinging to his Rock Golem¡¯s leg. His mission was to eliminate the chubby boy, but after his failed attempt, he no longer had the opportunity to carry out the task assigned to him. ¡°Lucky Bastard,¡± Rol muttered as he red at the Half-Elf. ¡°Next time, I will make sure you get eliminated!¡± Without another word, Rol left the arena without even giving Lux a second nce. Now that only three of them remained, it was impossible for him to attack the chubby teenager because the battle was now over. Gerhart was about to go as well, but a call from the ground stopped him in his tracks. ¡°Why?¡± Lux asked as he looked up at the green-haired teenager who had stopped the attacks that were aiming for him. ¡°The boar you saved is one of my Sworn Brothers,¡± Gerhart replied. ¡°Now, I have repaid his debt in full. The next time we meet on the battlefield, I will not show you any mercy.¡± After saying those words, Gerhart flew out of the arena under the cheers of the people who watched the battle. Lux could only scratch his head. He didn¡¯t even need any help to deal with the people who attacked him. In the end, he decided to just let it go and treat it as his good karma for the good deed he had done the other day. As he walked towards the exit of the arena, he felt several appraising gazes pass over his body. The Half-Elf ignored them and just walked as casually as he could, while waving at the audience like a wrestler who had just won his wrestling match. ¡°It¡¯s not him,¡± Nero muttered as he looked at the chubby teenager using a monocle that was capable of seeing through disguises. ¡°Just where is that sted Half-Elf hiding?¡± Although Nero had handed the list to his other acquaintances, he was a very thorough person. He believed that if he wanted things done right, he should do them himself. Because of this, he personally scouted the people in the list he had made. By now, he had gone over a fifth of them. Nero left Arena 4, feeling disappointed, because he strongly believed that the chubby boy was Lux in disguise. Now that the person he suspected as Lux had been cleared from his suspicions, he decided to visit the other arenas, and see if the other people in his list would be the Half-Elf that he was itching to give a beating to. Chapter 229 Lux’s Next Opponent On the third day, thest Qualifying Matches were held and, to Vera¡¯s and Iris¡¯ relief, Lux had sessfully made it onto the list of thest 32 contestants, which included the Four Kings and Five Overlords. These 32 contestants would now fight one-on-one battles which would allow them to reach the semi-finals and get the opportunity to be hailed the Champion of the Lionheart¡¯s Tournament The victor would also gain amazing treasures that were personally prepared by the Six Kings, as well as the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy. Alexander had already dered that the Champion of the tournament would gain the privilege of bing his daughter¡¯s fiance, which had caused Iris¡¯ countless suitors to take the tournament seriously in order to get the chance to marry the blue-haired beauty that was also referred to as the Princess of Barbatos Academy. Lux looked at the Big Magical Board where the names of the Four Kings and Five Overlords were separated in different brackets. This was to ensure that none of them would fight each other early, which made those that had passed the Qualifiers cry foul. However, since this was the will of the organizers, there was nothing they could do about it. The final groupings were divided into four. Each group had 8 contestants inside it. The Nine Prodigies who stood above the rest were arranged in a manner that they could only fight each other after fighting two times. Meaning, the organizers had arranged for the final battle in each Division to be the Kings and the Overlords fighting against each other. At least, that was what they assumed would happen when they made this setup. They didn¡¯t believe that those who passed the Qualifying Matches would be able to beat the best prodigies of the young generation. ¡®Well, I guess this also works to my advantage,¡¯ Lux thought as he gazed at the groupings on the giant board. ¡®Nero is in Group A, while I am in Group C. It seems that we won¡¯t get a chance to fight each other until the Semi-Finals. Assuming that he doesn¡¯t lose his matches.¡¯ Lux rubbed his chin as he looked at the matchups for tomorrow. ¡®The Boar will be fighting against Rol, while Gerhart will be fighting against one of the Four Kings, who also specializes in the Wind Element,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®What a setup, Barbarian versus his prey, and Wind User versus another Wind User. If I remember correctly the so-called young King is a Prince from an Elven Kingdom. ¡®I guess those who bear the title of King are members of Royalty, while Overlords are those with noble backgrounds or lower, like Nero.¡¯ Lux looked at his opponent in the Rank C tournament and saw a familiar name, which made him chuckle. ¡®Looks like I¡¯m up against that Barbarian who has been courting Iris for years,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Einar Mordosk, neen years old, Middle Grade-A Apostle. Stat wise, he is stronger than me. He is a purebat fighter that specializes in swords, and axes. He also has the Rage Skill, which is simr to Berserk, but with no side-effects. He is going to be one tough cookie to crack.¡¯ Lux had to admit that his first opponent was quite a powerhouse. Einar was one of the Four Kings of the younger generation, and was the second eldest son of the Barbarian King, Amastan Mordosk. When people think of Barbarians, they immediately imagine brutish warriors who only had brawn and no brains. Unfortunately, this was not the case with the Barbarian King. He was a very wise ruler, and had ushered in a new era for his people, making them one of the most powerful Kingdoms within the Eastern Regions of Sis. His Son, Einar, may not be as wise as his father, but he could be considered as someone who had a good head on his shoulders. Some even said that he was one of the top 3 strongest individuals who represented the younger generation. As for whether he was really in the top three, top two, or top one, no one really knew. All they knew was that he was someone they couldn¡¯t afford to mess with because Einar was someone that didn¡¯t show mercy to his enemies. While Lux was about to check who Nero¡¯s opponent was, a shadow fell upon his body. Lux casually looked behind him to see who was blocking the sunlight and saw a man who was over two-meters tall and looking down on him with a calm expression on his face. It was none other than Einar, who was also Lux¡¯s next opponent. ¡°So, you are my opponent in the next match,¡± Einar said as he looked down at the chubby teenager, who was shorter than him. ¡°I already saw through your disguise, Lux Von Kaizer. I will make sure that I cripple you for good in our battle.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the first person to call me by that name,¡± Lux frowned as he looked at the man that towered over him. ¡°There have already been three others aside from you, and I am starting to wonder if you guys have a crush on this Lux Von Kaizer or something.¡± Instead of answering, Einar grabbed Lux¡¯s face and scratched the side of his face with his fingers. It was as if he was trying to remove a mask or something, but his attempts didn¡¯t yield any results. ¡°Just what do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Lux shouted as he pried the Barbarian¡¯s hand away from his face. ¡°Are you trying to injure me before our fight has even started? Is this how you Barbarians do things?!¡± His loud shout caught the attention of people in the arena, which made them look in their direction. Bruno, who was paying close attention to Lux, started to walk in their direction. Seeing that one of the officials of the tournament wasing their way, Einar scoffed before leaving. He had attempted to see if he could remove the mask that the chubby teenager was wearing to confirm whether he was really the Half-Elf they were looking for. In truth, Einar just said that he had seen through the chubby teenager¡¯s disguise in an attempt to see his reaction. However, contrary to his expectations, Lux only gave him a fed up look, which made him execute his n B, which was to forcefully remove any disguise he might be wearing. Lux watched the Barbarian go, while sneering in his heart. No one could remove the Mask of a Thousand Faces unless the one whom it was bound to removed it themself. This artifact was also immune to other artifacts that could see through disguises. The maker of the Mask had made specific adjustments when crafting it to prevent any type of discernment, and identification spells from prating through his disguise. This was why the Mask could only record two faces at a time, because adding more would make its anti-detection skills weaken. With this mask on his face, Lux was confident that no one would be able to know his identity. He had also practiced not reacting to people calling him Lux, while wearing the mask, which had foiled the ns of the Iris¡¯ suitors to try and learn his true identity. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Bruno asked as he stopped beside Lux. ¡°Your next opponent is very strong. If you feel that you can¡¯t keep up with him, make sure to surrender as soon as possible. The mages will immediately take you out of the arena.¡± Lux smiled and gave Bruno a nod of acknowledgement. ¡°Thank you. I will keep that in mind.¡± The chubby teenager then shifted his attention to the board to see who Nero¡¯s opponent was. ¡®An unfamiliar name,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®Well, not that it matters. I¡¯ll just watch his battle before mine tomorrow.¡¯ Everyday there would be four matches held in the Grand Arena of the Coliseum. The betting system would also open, which was something that Lux intended to capitalize on in order to gain money, and of course, Beast Cores, which would help him increase his strength for future matches. He had upgraded his Special Body Constitution to Grade D, and the rewards he received were worth all the Beast Core he had sacrificed for his upgrade. Although he didn¡¯t know exactly how strong Einar was, he believed that with the Trump Cards he possessed, he would be able to give the Barbarian Prince a run for his money. ¡ª¨C ¡°Oh no, Big Brother¡¯s next opponent is Einar!¡± Iris, who had just seen thetest match ups, eximed. ¡°This is terrible. Big Brother might not win against him!¡± Vera, who was handfeeding Eiko a meatbun, nced at her panicking granddaughter who was walking back and forth inside the room. ¡°Calm down, Iris,¡± Vera said. ¡°Lux entered thepetition knowing that he would be facing strong opponents. It makes no difference if he faced Einar sooner orter. In the end, only the strong will be the champion of this tournament.¡± Iris sat beside her Grandma and leaned her head on the olddy¡¯s shoulder, acting spoiled. ¡°I know, Grandma, but I can¡¯t help but worry,¡± Iris replied. ¡°I love Big Brother so much that thinking of him getting hurt because of me makes my heart ache. Maybe the two of us should just elope and hide somewhere in Elysium. What do you think, Grandma?¡± ¡°Believe in him, Iris,¡± Veramented as she wrapped her right arm around her granddaughter to give her a hug. ¡°Lux is strong. Perhaps stronger than both of us think.¡± ¡°Do you really think so, Grandma?¡± ¡°Of course. I was the one that took care of him since he was a baby. Naturally, I know how determined he can be when faced with adversities. I know that you are worried because you haven¡¯t seen Lux fight, but I have.¡± Vera pressed the side of her head against the top of her granddaughter¡¯s as if trying to make a point. ¡°Lux no longer needs my protection,¡± Vera said softly. There was a trace of sadness in it, but her words also contained a sense of pride. ¡°I believe that someday, he will be the one protecting others instead.¡± ¡°Including me, Grandma?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Ma!¡± Eikomented after she finished eating the meatbun in Vera¡¯s hand. ¡°Protect Ma!¡± Iris giggled as she picked up the baby Slime who had just said that she would protect her. ¡°Okay, protect me too, Eiko. Make sure that your Papa and I live a happy life together.¡± ¡°Ma!¡± The Baby Slime nodded her head in affirmation. Eiko gave Iris a confident smile, which made thetter smirk and made Eiko¡¯s cheeks jiggle when she rubbed her hands on them. Vera watched this scene with a smile as she thought of the future where she would hold her great grandchildren in her arms. Lux had already opened up to the idea, and the only one that was blocking her happiness was none other than her son, Alexander, who was also the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy. ¡®As long as Lux wins this tournament, Alex will have no choice but to abide by his own words,¡¯ Vera mused as she looked at the mother and daughter pair who was fooling around together. The reason why Vera was not making her move was because she believed that Lux would win the tournament. By doing so, it would remove all kinds of obstacles, including his son¡¯s opposition, which would pave the way for her, and her granddaughter¡¯s, happiness. Chapter 230 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Part 1] The day that those that had passed through the Qualifying Rounds would begin their one-on-one battles had arrived. The Coliseum was packed with people, and when the countdown for the start of the tournament ended, the lights inside the Coliseum disappeared, leaving everyone inplete darkness. However, before everyone could panic, a booming voice spread in the surroundings, and a spotlight was shot towards the floating tform that hovered at the right-side edge of the arena. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you foring to the Lionheart Tournament!¡± Bruno¡¯s voice spread across the entire Coliseum. ¡°Are you ready to see some exciting battles?!¡± ¡°¡±We¡¯re ready!¡±¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hear you!¡± ¡°¡±We¡¯re ready!!!¡±¡± Bruno smiled as he raised his hand to tell everyone to allow him to continue his speech. ¡°Today, we are going to witness the strongest warriors of the young generation,¡± Bruno said. ¡°First of all, let me introduce the referee that will facilitate today¡¯s battles. Everyone, give a round of apuse to Judge Dredd!¡± Suddenly, a giant fireball materialized at the center of the venue, making everyone gasp in surprise. A momentter, the fireball transformed into a phoenix that flew around the Coliseum, making the crowd cheer, and p their hands in delight. With a resounding screech, the Phoenix dove down at the center of the arena, exploding into a shower or sparks. It didn¡¯t take long before a good looking, chubby man, who seemed to be in his early thirties, appeared in front of everyone. He was wearing a red robe, and yet he looked so fine, and dandy that some of the youngerdies giggled after seeing him. ¡°¡±¡±Judge Dredd!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡±¡±Judge Dredd!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡±¡±Judge Dredd!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡±¡±Judge Dredd!¡±¡±¡± Judge Dredd smiled and bowed at the audience, making them give him another thunderous round of apuse. ¡°Everyone, it is my great honor to serve as the judge for today¡¯s contestants,¡± Judge Dredd said in a light-hearted tone. ¡°Well then, without further dy, let me introduce the two contestants that will fight for supremacy. On my right corner, the Barbarian Prince of the Vado Kingdom, and one of the Four Kings that represents the Young Generation,dies and gentlemen, please wee¡­ ¡°Einar Mordosk!¡± The lights of the arena then focused on the young man who was two-meters tall, and was wearing nothing on the upper part of his body, leaving the tattoo of what seemed like Tiger with its maws opened wide, bare for all to see. Everyone saw the bulging muscles of his body and was awed by the intimidating presence he was radiating. He was none other than Einar Mordosk. The second son of the Barbarian King, as well as one of the strongest members of the young generation. Many had tried to dethrone him from his position, and im his title, but all of them had failed, almost losing their lives at the hands of the man who could break boulders with a single punch. After stepping into the arena, Einar pointed at one of the VIP tforms in the Coliseum. There, an olddy, a blue-haired beauty, and a red-headed teenager sat. ¡°I dedicate my first victory to you, Iris!¡± Einar shouted. ¡°When this tournament is over, you will be my wife!¡± Iris, who had be the center of everyone¡¯s attention, only hugged the red-headed teenager beside her, and thetter hugged her back. Seeing the familiar Half-Elf sticking close to the youngdy he had been courting for many years, Einar could only smirk in ridicule because Lux was no longer a threat to him. Since a Saint had made a deration, he was certain that even if the red-headed teenager cried a river in protest, Alexander¡¯s words would remain firm. ¡°Wow! What a chad!¡± Bruno shouted after hearing Einar¡¯s deration. ¡°The Barbarian Prince had already dered that he is going to be victorious in his first match. Since that is the case, Judge Dredd, please, introduce his opponent!¡± The chubby judge nodded his head and pointed his finger towards the right side of the arena and read the card in his hand that contained the information of the challenger who would fight Einar. ¡°Hailing from the Southern Regions of Sis, our contender has managed to pass through the Qualifying Matches with flying colors and show everyone, including me, that he is a force to reckon with. ¡°No matter how high the mountains, or how deep the sea, this man will cross it and gain victory! Everyone, please wee¡­ My Daddy!¡± The crowds that were about to apud the next contestant nced at the referee in the arena with disdain. All of them knew that this was a battle for the younger generation, and yet, the Judge who facilitated the match had chosen to call his daddy to fight teenagers? How shameless! ¡°¡±Boooooo!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Boooooo!¡±¡± ¡°¡±Boooooo!¡±¡± The sounds of booing spread across the Coliseum as everyone, as a bbergasted Judge Dredd double checked the card in his hand to make sure that he didn¡¯t read wrongly. Iris, who sat at the topmost VIP room giggled and hugged ¡°Lux¡±, while Vera could only shake her head helplessly. When Lux was choosing a name that he would use for the tournament, he wanted to y a prank on everyone. Because of this, the name he chose was someone that would be remembered by anyone that heard it. ¡°Um, I¡¯m not talking about My Daddy,¡± Judge Dredd said as he tried to pacify the crowd who was booing at him. ¡°The name of the contestant is none other than My Daddy, I am not making this up!¡± Suddenly the spotlight shifted to the right side of the arena, highlighting a chubby boy that was standing with his hands behind his back. His robes fluttered in the breeze as if he was an expert warrior who had seen the peak of the world, and had endured thousands of tribtions. Orion, whose head appeared above the ground, was blowing air towards his Master, in order to make him look cool. Since the head of the Rock Golem was not being hit by the spotlight, it created the perfect illusion that the chubby boy was someone quite intimidating. Bruno, Judge Dredd, as well as the other Rankers in the arena, including the powerful officials of the Six Kingdoms, couldn¡¯t stop their lips from twitching because they could clearly see the shenanigans that were happening in the background. In the end, they didn¡¯t say anything because they were thinking that this was the chubby teenager¡¯sst hurrah. Since he wanted to show off before his defeat, they would just turn a blind eye on it for the sake of everyone¡¯s entertainment. A minuteter, Lux stepped forward, and Orion rose up from the ground to meet him. The chubby boy then sat on the shoulder of the four-meter tall Rock Golem, and allowed himself to be carried into the arena where his opponent was waiting for him. The Rock Golem continued to walk until he was standing only a meter away from Einar, who looked up to the chubby boy that was seated on the Golem¡¯s shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s right, look up to me,¡± Lux said as he looked down at the Barbarian who towered over him a day ago. ¡°Take a good look at the true victor of this first match. When this match is over, I¡¯ll let you have the honor of calling me Daddy as well.¡± Lux was doing this as payback for what Einar had done to him the other day. Since the Barbarian had looked down on him, it was now his time to look down on him by sitting on the shoulder of a giant. ¡°¡±¡±Whoa!¡±¡±¡± The audience cheered after hearing Lux¡¯s deration. They didn¡¯t think that someone would be daring enough to tell Einar that he was going to lose to his face. Einar sneered after hearing the chubby boy¡¯s words. For him, this match was already a done deal. The only thing he needed to do was smash his fists into the chubby boy¡¯s face, teaching him that in the face of absolute strength, all tricks were meaningless. Just like two boxers that were about to fight, both fighters sneered at each other. This faceoff made the crowd cheer in excitement because both fighters seemed hell-bent to win. What the crowd didn¡¯t know was that Lux and Einar were thinking the same thing, and that was that, at the end of the battle, the one that would stand victorious in the arena was none other than him. Chapter ?231 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Part 2] Chapter ?231 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Part 2] "Before we start the duel, let me tell you the rules," Judge Dredd said as he stood beside the two fighters, who were still gazing at each other. "Both of you had signed a waiver that even if you die, the other party will not be at fault," Judge Dredd stated. "However, we would like to prevent anyone from dying as much as possible, so when your opponent surrenders, or loses consciousness, the battle wille to an end." "Also, I have the right to interfere when I think that the other party is no longer able to fight. As much as possible, I will hold back in exercising this right, but if I see that continuing the battle is pointless, I will stop it with the authority I have as a judge." "Lastly, I and everyone here today wants to see a good fight. I hope that the two of you will not break our expectations." Lux, who was seated on the Golem''s shoulder, smirked. "As long as my opponent doesn''t croak early then you guys can expect a good fight," Lux said with confidence. "You won''t croak that easily, right?" The chubby boy sneered at the Barbarian who was also sneering back at him. "Weaker dogs bark more," Einar replied in a voice filled with ridicule. "Make sure to not die from a single punch." Lux snorted. "How can I die from a punching from you? Just look at your body. You look so skinny that my grandma can easily p you silly." Judge Dredd, Bruno, as well as a few of the audience couldn''t help but nce in the chubby boy''s direction in disbelief. ''Bruh, are you blind? Can''t you see how buffed up this guy is and you call him skinny?'' That was the collective thought of everyone in the Coliseum, with the exception of Iris, who was holding her belly with her left hand and covering her lips with her right. Unfortunately, she could not prevent her entire body from shaking no matter how she desperately tried to stop herself fromughing out loud. A loudughter echoed from the stands, as the Barbarian King, Amastan Mordosk,ughed without a care in the world. "Good!" Amastan shouted. "I like this kid. He has guts." "Father, he is brother''s opponent," a youngdy, who seemed to be around seventeen years old, gave her father a disapproving gaze. "We came here to support Brother, not to praise his opponents." Amastan chuckled as he looked at his beloved daughter, Fiora, who was his pride and joy. "I believe that your brother is strong, but he''s not necessarily the strongest," Amastan said in a firm voice. "There will always be someone stronger, a mountain above a mountain, and a heaven beyond the heavens. Such is the way of life." "Father, who do you think is Big Brother''s greatest threat in this tournament?" "Threats? I am looking at one of them right now." Amastan''s gaze never left the chubby boy who was seated on top of his Rock Golem. As a High-Ranker, it was fairly easy for him to discern the boy''s strength. A single nce was enough for him to know that although his son, Einar, was stronger than his opponent, the presence of the chubby teenager surpassed his son. As the Barbarian King, he had faced many strong opponents and had ovee adversities through sheer strength. Because of this, his intuition had been developed to such a high degree that he could tell that his son''s foe was not as harmless as he looked. ''Einar, be careful,'' Amastan said in his heart. ''This boy might be masquerading as a pig so that he can eat the tiger.'' ¡ª--- After Bruno''s exnation, both fighters backed away until they were dozens of meters away from each other. Everyone watched with bated breath as both fighters took a fighting stance and waited for Judge Dredd''s signal to start their battle. "Battle Start!" The moment the signal for the battle began, Einar summoned two throwing axes and threw them in Lux''s direction. Orion was about to step forward to block it, but Lux ordered him to stand down and summoned another Rock Golem to block the two axes instead. When the Rock Golem appeared and attempted to block the two projectile weapons, the axes swerved,pletely evading the Rock Golem and continued to head in Lux''s direction. Orion no longer hesitated and attempted to swat the two throwing axes with his rocky hands. However, as if expecting his action, the two axes re-positioned themselves and slipped through Orion''s fingers, before they continued to head towards the Chubby boy, who had a calm expression on his face. The moment the two des were about to hit him. Several spinning des materialized out of nowhere and collided with the two throwing axes, stopping their advance. Having been repelled sessfully, the two flying axes flew back in Einar''s direction where the young Barbarian caught them in a firm grip. ''For a barbarian, he sure uses his head well,'' Lux thought. In the beginning, the Half-Elf assumed that Einar woulde charging at him like what his younger brother, Rol, did in his fight against him. It seemed that Einar had observed Lux''s match with his younger brother, and no longer treated him as an ordinary opponent. ''He''s probing my abilities and my Golem''s reaction speed.'' Lux thought, assuming that this was the Barbarians''s ns. He believed that he wasn''t wrong in his assumptions. Einar, once again, threw the throwing axes, but this time, they were faster than before. Lux already knew that there must be some kind of hidden trick in the thrown axes, but he was unable to ascertain them at this point in time. Instead of defending, he ordered Orion and the other Rock Golem to charge in Einar''s direction and engage him in closebat. With one mighty roar, Orion charged as he activated his Duel [EX] to force his opponent to exchange a blow with him. While this was happening, Lux stepped forward and summoned Blood Moon and Blood Shield to deflect and block the throwing axes that were flying in his direction. To his surprise, the axes were properly dealt with, and both of them fell on the ground motionless. The Half-Elf was now assuming that Einar was remotely controlling the two axes, so he decided to do an experiment. After the Barbarian was forced to face Orion, his connection to the two throwing axes were cut, leaving them unable to perform the maneuvers they did earlier. "Jackhammer!" Orion shouted as he smashed his fist on the Barbarian''s body with the intention of turning him into meat paste. However, to everyone''s surprise, Einar didn''t back down and also threw his punch towards the Rock Golem''s rocky fist, facing it head-on. Contrary to what everyone expected, it was Orion who was sent flying by the exchange of blows, which made even Lux''s eyes widen in surprise. After dealing with the opponent in front of him, Einar unleashed another punch at the other rock golem,pletely obliterating its sturdy arm in the process. Without missing a beat, the young barbarian spun his body around and delivered a spinning kick, hitting the rock golem''s waist, its body instantly shattering in half. The crowd cheered loudly after seeing such a spectacle, but Einar didn''t pay any attention to their cheers. With one powerful stomp of his right foot, he lunged at Lux and roared like a tiger. The young barbarian''s hands slowly transformed until it became the ws of a tiger, with its sharp nails extended in full. "Tiger w!" Einar roared as he extended his hands in a wing position with the intention of ripping off the chubby boy''s head from his body, and put an end to the enemy who dared to look down on him, once and for all. Chapter 232 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Part 3] Chapter 232 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Part 3] "It''s over," Fiora muttered when she saw her brother lunge at his opponent with the ferocity of a wild tiger. Amastan, who was paying close attention to the match, didn''t reply. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and waited for the chubby teenager''s next move that would decide whether he would keep his head on his body. He could tell that his son was serious in ending thetter''s life. As Einar''s father, he knew that once his son had decided on something, he would not stop until he seeded in his endeavor. Judge Dredd, and Bruno, had raised their senses to the limit. Just like Amastan, they also understood Einar''s intention. However, their hands were tied. They didn''t know if Lux was able or unable to fend off the attack. If they blocked Einar''s attack, they would have no choice but to dere him as the winner. On the other hand, if the match was stopped in this manner, Lux might tell them that their help was unneeded, so both of them were in a pinch. Alicia had given both of them an order to protect Lux''s life no matter the cost. But they were unable to decide if the one they needed to protect needed their help or not. Fortunately, before the two judges could decide, Lux made a move. Instead of dodging, or running away, what thetter did surprised both judges. Lux stomped his right foot forward, and also lunged at his enemy with his own ws extended. "Dragon w!" Lux''s hands transformed into red Dragon ws, and shed with Einar''s Tiger''s w, creating a powerful shockwave that sent strong gusts of wind blowing away from their bodies. With both hands firmly gripping each other, the two raised their knees and kneed their opponent at the same time. Due to the height differences, Einar''s blow hit Lux''s chest, causing the chubby teenager to feel a stinging pain on his chest from the blow''s powerful impact. The chubby teenager, on the other hand, was shorter than the barbarian, so his knee directly hit Einar''s balls, making thetter grunt. (A/N: Lux hit Einar''s Family Jewels. If you still don''t know what the Half-Elf hit then you need to return to your anatomy lessons, my friend.) Both repeated their attacks over and over again. The first one to break free was Einar, who jumped back andnded several meters away from Lux. As soon as both of his feet touched the ground, he immediately crouched down. He was biting his lips so hard that blood already started to stream down his chin. Clearly, the injury he received was not something he could brush off like if it was nothing. Lux, who was kneeling on the ground and clutching his chest, spat a mouthful of blood. Einar didn''t hold back and delivered blow after blow of punishment to his chest, breaking two of his ribs. If not for the fact that he had upgraded his Body Constitution and acquired the passive skill, Dragon Scales [EX], and Dragon''s Heart [EX], he might have suffered fatal injuries and would have also been forced to surrender to his opponent. ¡ª--- < Dragon Scale [EX] > ¨C Makes your skin as hard as dragon scales. ¨C Greatly Increase Physical and Magical defense as if you are wearing a set of armor that covers your entire body. ¨C Reduces Physical and Magical damage by 50% ¡ª--- < Dragon''s Heart [EX] > ¨C Increase your Health by 30,000 Points ¨C Increase Health and Stamina regeneration by 100% ¨C When facing an opponent stronger than you, Health and Stamina regeneration will be boosted to 200% Health and Stamina regeneration. ¨C Gain Selective Lesser Immunity passive ability. You may only choose one Lesser Immunity Passive. Once you do, you can no longer change the passive immunity that you have chosen. ¡ª- < Selective Lesser Immunity > ¨C Greatly gain increased resistance to chosen Lesser Immunity. ¨C Chosen Lesser Immunity will automatically decrease the damage you will receive from the chosen option by 30% < Chosen Lesser Immunity: Physical Attacks > ¨C All damage acquired from physical attacks will automatically be decreased by 30% ¡ª--- Thanks to these two skills, Lux was able to survive the punishment that he received from Einar''s merciless attacks that could have ended his life if it had been a few days ago. Although Lux was notpletely immune to Physical Attacks, his passive abilities allowed him to mitigate a great deal of damage, making him a decent meat shield against physical fighters like Einar. ''Sh*t that hurts,'' Lux thought as he gritted his teeth. ''Still, I''m sure that he is hurting more than me.'' Lux didn''t hold back and repeatedly kneed Einar''s balls silly, making the Barbarian unable to sire any children if he didn''t receive medical treatment as soon as possible. "Bastard!" Einar shouted as he tried to stand up, but the damage he received to his family jewels prevented him from doing so. "I''ll kill you!" "You already tried," Lux replied with a sneer. "But you failed." Although he could taste his blood inside his mouth, and was suffering from pain, the Half-Elf felt great because, even if Einar''s balls weren''t crushed after receiving his beating, it was definitely on its way to bing a scrambled egg. Einar''s eyes turned bloodshot as his body grew bigger. Thick fur covered his entirety before he transformed into a giant White Tiger, with a pair of white wings behind his back. His current form was simr to the four-meter tall flying tiger that he had seen in the Beast Tide during their defense on Whitebridge City. The only difference was that the Flying Tiger in front of him was a White Tiger, who was known to be a Legendary Creature, and was well-known as one of the most ferocious tigers in the world. An emblem appeared on the White Tiger''s forehead, which was recognized by everyone as the word for "King". This was also one of the reasons why Einar was one of the Four Kings, who stood at the peak of the prodigies in the younger generation. "I can''t believe it," Fiora muttered as she looked at her brother''s Beast Form. "Brother actually used his Trump Card before the semi-finals." Fiora knew that this was her brother''s ultimate ability. He would only use this when he was facing a strong opponent as ast resort. Seeing the Flying White Tiger in front of her, the youngdy, who was also the Barbarian King''s only daughter, finally understood that her brother had been backed to a corner and was left with no other choice but to go all out against a stranger that she had only seen and heard for the first time in her life. Chapter 231 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Part 2] ¡°Before we start the duel, let me tell you the rules,¡± Judge Dredd said as he stood beside the two fighters, who were still gazing at each other. ¡°Both of you had signed a waiver that even if you die, the other party will not be at fault,¡± Judge Dredd stated. ¡°However, we would like to prevent anyone from dying as much as possible, so when your opponent surrenders, or loses consciousness, the battle wille to an end.¡± ¡°Also, I have the right to interfere when I think that the other party is no longer able to fight. As much as possible, I will hold back in exercising this right, but if I see that continuing the battle is pointless, I will stop it with the authority I have as a judge.¡± ¡°Lastly, I and everyone here today wants to see a good fight. I hope that the two of you will not break our expectations.¡± Lux, who was seated on the Golem¡¯s shoulder, smirked. ¡°As long as my opponent doesn¡¯t croak early then you guys can expect a good fight,¡± Lux said with confidence. ¡°You won¡¯t croak that easily, right?¡± The chubby boy sneered at the Barbarian who was also sneering back at him. ¡°Weaker dogs bark more,¡± Einar replied in a voice filled with ridicule. ¡°Make sure to not die from a single punch.¡± Lux snorted. ¡°How can I die from a punching from you? Just look at your body. You look so skinny that my grandma can easily p you silly.¡± Judge Dredd, Bruno, as well as a few of the audience couldn¡¯t help but nce in the chubby boy¡¯s direction in disbelief. ¡®Bruh, are you blind? Can¡¯t you see how buffed up this guy is and you call him skinny?¡¯ That was the collective thought of everyone in the Coliseum, with the exception of Iris, who was holding her belly with her left hand and covering her lips with her right. Unfortunately, she could not prevent her entire body from shaking no matter how she desperately tried to stop herself fromughing out loud. A loudughter echoed from the stands, as the Barbarian King, Amastan Mordosk,ughed without a care in the world. ¡°Good!¡± Amastan shouted. ¡°I like this kid. He has guts.¡± ¡°Father, he is brother¡¯s opponent,¡± a youngdy, who seemed to be around seventeen years old, gave her father a disapproving gaze. ¡°We came here to support Brother, not to praise his opponents.¡± Amastan chuckled as he looked at his beloved daughter, Fiora, who was his pride and joy. ¡°I believe that your brother is strong, but he¡¯s not necessarily the strongest,¡± Amastan said in a firm voice. ¡°There will always be someone stronger, a mountain above a mountain, and a heaven beyond the heavens. Such is the way of life.¡± ¡°Father, who do you think is Big Brother¡¯s greatest threat in this tournament?¡± ¡°Threats? I am looking at one of them right now.¡± Amastan¡¯s gaze never left the chubby boy who was seated on top of his Rock Golem. As a High-Ranker, it was fairly easy for him to discern the boy¡¯s strength. A single nce was enough for him to know that although his son, Einar, was stronger than his opponent, the presence of the chubby teenager surpassed his son. As the Barbarian King, he had faced many strong opponents and had ovee adversities through sheer strength. Because of this, his intuition had been developed to such a high degree that he could tell that his son¡¯s foe was not as harmless as he looked. ¡®Einar, be careful,¡¯ Amastan said in his heart. ¡®This boy might be masquerading as a pig so that he can eat the tiger.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª After Bruno¡¯s exnation, both fighters backed away until they were dozens of meters away from each other. Everyone watched with bated breath as both fighters took a fighting stance and waited for Judge Dredd¡¯s signal to start their battle. ¡°Battle Start!¡± The moment the signal for the battle began, Einar summoned two throwing axes and threw them in Lux¡¯s direction. Orion was about to step forward to block it, but Lux ordered him to stand down and summoned another Rock Golem to block the two axes instead. When the Rock Golem appeared and attempted to block the two projectile weapons, the axes swerved,pletely evading the Rock Golem and continued to head in Lux¡¯s direction. Orion no longer hesitated and attempted to swat the two throwing axes with his rocky hands. However, as if expecting his action, the two axes re-positioned themselves and slipped through Orion¡¯s fingers, before they continued to head towards the Chubby boy, who had a calm expression on his face. The moment the two des were about to hit him. Several spinning des materialized out of nowhere and collided with the two throwing axes, stopping their advance. Having been repelled sessfully, the two flying axes flew back in Einar¡¯s direction where the young Barbarian caught them in a firm grip. ¡®For a barbarian, he sure uses his head well,¡¯ Lux thought. In the beginning, the Half-Elf assumed that Einar woulde charging at him like what his younger brother, Rol, did in his fight against him. It seemed that Einar had observed Lux¡¯s match with his younger brother, and no longer treated him as an ordinary opponent. ¡®He¡¯s probing my abilities and my Golem¡¯s reaction speed.¡¯ Lux thought, assuming that this was the Barbarians¡¯s ns. He believed that he wasn¡¯t wrong in his assumptions. Einar, once again, threw the throwing axes, but this time, they were faster than before. Lux already knew that there must be some kind of hidden trick in the thrown axes, but he was unable to ascertain them at this point in time. Instead of defending, he ordered Orion and the other Rock Golem to charge in Einar¡¯s direction and engage him in closebat. With one mighty roar, Orion charged as he activated his Duel [EX] to force his opponent to exchange a blow with him. While this was happening, Lux stepped forward and summoned Blood Moon and Blood Shield to deflect and block the throwing axes that were flying in his direction. To his surprise, the axes were properly dealt with, and both of them fell on the ground motionless. The Half-Elf was now assuming that Einar was remotely controlling the two axes, so he decided to do an experiment. After the Barbarian was forced to face Orion, his connection to the two throwing axes were cut, leaving them unable to perform the maneuvers they did earlier. ¡°Jackhammer!¡± Orion shouted as he smashed his fist on the Barbarian¡¯s body with the intention of turning him into meat paste. However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, Einar didn¡¯t back down and also threw his punch towards the Rock Golem¡¯s rocky fist, facing it head-on. Contrary to what everyone expected, it was Orion who was sent flying by the exchange of blows, which made even Lux¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. After dealing with the opponent in front of him, Einar unleashed another punch at the other rock golem,pletely obliterating its sturdy arm in the process. Without missing a beat, the young barbarian spun his body around and delivered a spinning kick, hitting the rock golem¡¯s waist, its body instantly shattering in half. The crowd cheered loudly after seeing such a spectacle, but Einar didn¡¯t pay any attention to their cheers. With one powerful stomp of his right foot, he lunged at Lux and roared like a tiger. The young barbarian¡¯s hands slowly transformed until it became the ws of a tiger, with its sharp nails extended in full. ¡°Tiger w!¡± Einar roared as he extended his hands in a wing position with the intention of ripping off the chubby boy¡¯s head from his body, and put an end to the enemy who dared to look down on him, once and for all. Chapter 233 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Part 4] ¡®Looks like holding back is no longer possible,¡¯ Lux sighed internally as he looked at the four-meter tall flying tiger that was eyeing him with a ferocious gaze. Clearly, he had pushed Einar to the edge, after having his balls crushed by him. He was very tempted to drink a healing potion, but potions were no longer allowed for use in this stage of the tournament. They were only allowed to use them after the battle was over, or get one of the clerics to heal their injuries. Just like Einar, Lux didn¡¯t think that he would be showing his trump cards so early in the tournament. Even so, he was up against one of the Four Kings, who stood above all the other geniuses in the current generation. Lux simply had no choice but to fight with everything he had for a chance to advance in the tournament. ¡®I only have one shot at this,¡¯ Lux forcefully swallowed the blood that was rising in his throat, as he stood up to prepare for one final attack. Orion stepped in front of Lux, allowing his Master to lean on him. ¡°Doppelganger,¡± Lux said through gritted teeth. Immediately two clones that looked exactly like the chubby teenager appeared beside him. Both clones held onto Lux¡¯s shoulder, supporting him, while Orion positioned himself behind the three and took a fighting stance. Einar, might have taken the form of a Flying White Tiger, but the injury he received from Lux was still there, making it extremely hard for him to move, he was only using the strength of his Bestial Form to stand straight, as he prepared to unleash his strongest attack. The Giant White Tiger opened its mouth wide and a silver orb of light appeared in front of it. Einar was gathering a huge amount of magical energy before unleashing his special ability, Hyper st, which was just as powerful as a Dragon¡¯s Breath. This was a trump card that Einar was saving for the final match, but was forced to use it now as ast resort. ¡°Enjoy your stay in the afterlife!¡± Einar shouted via telepathy as he unleashed his strongest attack. ¡°Hyper st!¡± The powerful silver beam of light shot out towards the three chubby teenagers, who had also opened up their mouths and were preparing to unleash their strongest attack as well. In truth, Lux could have ordered Orion to use his Duel [EX] to cancel the Barbarian¡¯s attack. However, a part of him wanted to face Einar¡¯s attack head-on, proving that he was no longer the weakling he once was in the past. ¡°¡±¡±Dragon¡¯s Breath!¡±¡±¡± Three red beams met the silver beam that Einar had unleashed and a sight that had never before seen in the tournament shed in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. As the two colors of light pushed against each other, the barriers that surrounded the arena started to crack. Alexander, who sat on the main seat of honor, stood up and pointed his finger to the arena. Immediately the cracks disappeared, and severalyers of barrier reinforced the existing barrier, preventing it from falling apart. Slowy, but surely, the silver light was starting to get pushed back by the three red beams that were ganging up on him. With one ferocious roar, Einar unleashed all of his magical energy at once, trying to push back the attack that was nearing his location. In the end, a loud explosion took ce as the energy beams reached their limit and detonated against each other. The arena trembled, but the shields protecting the audience held firm, preventing any magical energy from leaking out. When the dust cloud cleared, Einar, who was still in his Flying Tiger form, could be seen at the edge of the arena in a very sorry state. Lux, and his clones, on the other hand, were all caught up by Orion. The Rock Golem had used his body to prevent his Master, as well as his clones, from being blown away. Judge Dredd, who had created a barrier for himself was fine, but his clothes were now all covered up in dirt, making him look like a beggar. ¡°Orion, finish him,¡± Lux ordered. With a loud shout, Orion charged at the Flying White Tiger who was struggling to prop himself up from the ground. The Rock Golem pulled his hand back, making the ground tremble under his feet. When he was only a dozen meters away from his target, Orion leapt up to the air and prepared to unleash his strongest move. ¡°Gaia Smash!¡± Einar looked up at the Rock Golem with unwillingness in his eyes. He no longer had the strength to dodge, or block the attack that wasing straight at him from above. However, before the Rock Golem could unleash his full-powered blow, a hand held his wrist, preventing him frompleting the punch. The one who stopped Orion was none other than Judge Dredd, who was still covered in dirt. ¡°This battle is over,¡± Judge Dredd. ¡°Winner! My Daddy!¡± Fiora, who was seated in the VIP Room reserved for their family, stood up from the couch in shock as she stared at her brother¡¯s sorry state. Although the Flying White Tiger stood tall and proud, its eyes had already zed over. Einar had lost consciousness while standing up, prompting Judge Dredd to stop the match before the young Barbarian received more injuries from his opponent, who had decided to deliver the Coup de Grace. A few secondster, a deafening cheer erupted from the audience as those who watched the battle apuded the two fighters for showing them an unforgettable match. The Clerics, as well as other Medical personnel, rushed towards the young Barbarian who had now reverted to his original form. Blood could be seen staining his pants, and the Clerics focused their healing abilities in that area because they knew that this was where Einar was injured the most. As for Lux, only a single Cleric went to check his condition. ¡°That was an amazing fight,¡± the Cleric said before cing his hand on Lux¡¯s chest in order to stabilize the injury. Only a High-Ranking Cleric was able to mend, or reattach damaged bones, but they were currently too busy gathering Dragon Balls for Einar in order to create a miracle. (A/N: Gathering Dragon Balls to make a wish for Einar to regain his balls kekeke.) Right now, the young Barbarian no longer had the balls to continue because they were literally crushed during his exchange with Lux. if not for the presence of a High-Ranker Cleric, he would have been damaged for life. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t end in the worst case scenario or else the Mordosk Family might have dered a Blood Feud against the chubby teenager, making him their public enemy number one. The next match was dyed for half an hour so they could ensure that Einar¡¯s condition was stable. The young Barbarian was a Prince, so they didn¡¯t have the leisure of treating him as an ordinary contestant, or else, things might get messy with the Barbarian Kingdom who backed him up. As Lux was carried away from the Arena, the remaining three kings, and the Five Overlords, watched him from afar. However, they were not the only ones that paid close attention to Lux. The other influential factions, noble families, as well as the Royal Families of the Six Kingdoms that supported Barbatos Academy were also watching. These powerful individuals had immediately ordered their subordinates to investigate the chubby teenager¡¯s background. If they were to make such a promising youth their subordinate then they were willing to pay any price to bring him under their wing. Nero, who had a frown on his face, once again used the monocle to look at the chubby teenager. ¡®The results are the same,¡¯ Nero thought with disappointment. ¡®He is not Lux.¡¯ He then shifted his attention to the VIP tform where Iris was seated. There he found her hugging the red-headed Half-Elf as she jumped alongside him, creating a weird, yet funny, scene. As if sensing his gaze, the Half-Elf that was hugging Iris, nced in Nero¡¯s direction and gave him a mischievous grin. It was a grin filled with many hidden meanings, and one of them was contempt, which Eiko felt for those who were aiming for her Mama¡¯s hand in marriage, which she didn¡¯t, and would never approve of. Chapter 234 The Pride Of An Elf [Part 1] While Lux was recuperating from his injury, news of his performance spread throughout the other Six Kingdoms like wildfire. The various Information Guilds, Merchant Guilds, as well as the Underworld Guilds, scrambled to put an identity with the chubby boy¡¯s face, who had appeared out of nowhere, and won against one of the Four Kings of the young generation. The high officials of the Six Kingdoms that backed Barbatos Academy had decided to recruit the young man to their side by giving him the most tempting offer. Naturally, in order to do that, they must first know his background. This was the first step to understanding who this person was, and what his goals were. As long as they were able to provide those for him, the possibility of gaining a future powerhouse was already in the bag. The Four Princes, and the Five Overlords had been recognized by everyone as the strongest among the young generations. Anyone who was able to beat any of them would naturally gain poprity because it also meant that the bnce that had long been held in ce had now been shaken. Themoners, nobles, high-ranking nobles, as well as the members of the Royal Family no longer looked down on the remaining contestants, who had stepped into the top 32 of the Lionheart Tournament. If one more rough gem could be unearthed from this group of people, they would certainly profit immensely if they were able to bring them to their Domain and make them one of their loyal subordinates. Iris wanted to visit Lux so badly, but Vera told her that going there would only raise suspicions. Now that Lux was no longer an ordinary chubby teenager, all of his movements, including those who visited him would be scrutinized by those who were trying to discern his identity. One wrong move and the Half-Elf¡¯s n would be ruined, so the blue-haired beauty had no choice but to remain in her VIP seat, and watch the next three battles that would also take ce in the Main Arena. Rol, who was devastated by his brother¡¯s loss, had gone all out in his match. But, since he wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind during his battle, the Boar, who was his opponent, didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and won the match by a very small margin. Amastan, and Fiora, sighed in disappointment at Rol¡¯s performance. Both of them knew that if the young Barbarian had calmly dealt with his opponent, the victor of the battle would have been him, instead of the boar who was feeling very smug at the moment. ¡°Father, you should let Rol take the Trial of the Ancestors when we return home,¡± Fiora said. ¡°He can still participate in the next tournament, so we can just treat this one as a minor setback.¡± Amastan smiled. As the Barbarian King, he knew that losing wasn¡¯t something to be depressed about. As long as you learned from your mistake and strived to be better, a better and improved warrior would be born from the ashes. Unfortunately, Einar and Rol still didn¡¯t know this fact. The Barbarian King wanted to know just how far his sons¡¯ determination was. If they were not able to recover from this setback then it meant that they were never meant to do grander things, which required many hardships, and could only be aplished through sheer determination. ¡®Fortunately, they are still young,¡¯ Amastan thought. ¡®There is still plenty of time to correct their mindset. Still, that boy, My Daddy, is quite an interesting fellow.¡¯ When Amastan thought that he was calling a teenage boy his daddy, he forgot what he was thinking about andughed, which made the youngdy beside him think that he wasughing at the failure of her brothers, making her pout. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Calm down, Fiora. I know. When we return, I¡¯ll take good care of your brothers, okay?¡± Fiora nodded her head and shifted her attention to the next battle. Now that her brothers were no longer in the tournament, her interest in it had waned greatly. However, the next match rekindled the mes of curiosity in her heart after two fighters, who both specialized in the Wind Element, faced each other in the arena. ¡°Enlil Neifion, the sixth Elven Prince of the Elswyth Kingdom, as well as one of the young Kings of this generation,¡± Fiora muttered as she gazed at the handsome, green-haired elf who was smiling with great confidence as he waved at the audiences that hade to watch him. Since her brother, Einar, was of the same ranking as the Elven Prince, there had been plenty of opportunities for her to meet with the Elf, who looked down on the other races, except his own, and with good reason. Elves were superior when it came to wielding the power of the Elements. They also excelled as Rangers, Magicians, Bards, Beast Tamers, Druids, as well as other professions that had something to do with nature. They were also long-lived, which allowed them to learn more than the other races, as well as steadily gain strength throughout their long lifespan. ¡°His opponent is Gerhart Cenele,¡± Fiora stated. ¡°A wandering Half-Elf that cut ties with the Elswyth Kingdom, and has lived among the Nomadic Rowan Tribe that moves along with the seasons. Both of them use the Wind Element. In this battle, the one with the higher Mastery of the Element will win. Isn¡¯t that right, Father?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Amastan rubbed his chin with great interest. ¡°But, I believe that the one whose determination is the strongest will win this battle.¡± ¡°What makes you say that, father?¡± ¡°Just a hunch.¡± Fiora quieted down as she shifted her attention back to the arena where the two fighters were facing each other. Gerhart had a serious expression on his face, while Enlil had a rxed smile stered on his face. Clearly, the Elven Prince didn¡¯t take his opponent seriously, even though the two of them were Wind Elementalists. ¡°Half-Elf, I admire your luck foring this far, but this is where your luck ends,¡± Enlil stated. ¡°A defective creature like you is a stain in thispetition. I will make sure that your journey ends right here, right now.¡± Gerhart didn¡¯t reply and simply removed the cloak that covered his body. Pointy ears that were simr to a Human¡¯s framed his face. His green-hair wasn¡¯t as green, or as lustrous, as Enlil¡¯s, but his eyes, which were as clear as the blue skies, stared at his opponent fearlessly. The girls looked at the two handsome young men in the arena and giggled, while the boys wished that both fighters would kill each other in the match, so the world will have two less handsome boys that might be their rivals when it came to wooing the women¡¯s hearts. Just before the match was about to begin, Lux appeared on one of the tforms reserved for the contestants of the arena. He had wanted to watch Rol¡¯s and the Boars¡¯ fight earlier on, but his broken ribs took some time to get patched up. ¡°Gerhart!¡± Lux shouted. ¡°Defeat him using the strategy we talked about earlier!¡± Gerhart nced up at the stands and gave Lux a brief nod. However, deep inside, he was saying ¡°What strategy? I didn¡¯t talk to you earlier. We¡¯re not even friends!¡± The smile on Enlil¡¯s face disappeared as he gave Lux a side-long nce before shifting his attention back to his opponent. Although he half doubted the chubby teenager¡¯s words, Lux was still someone that managed to defeat his acquaintance, Einar. This meant that he needed to be careful when fighting against opponents who might have coborated with each other in order to make a strategy that worked against him. ¡®I can¡¯t lose here,¡¯ Enlil vowed in his heart. ¡®I can¡¯t ruin the reputation of the Four Kings, just like that dumb Barbarian did.¡¯ The contestants who were also in the same tform as Lux, looked up at him with admiration. Although they didn¡¯t want to admit it, they aspired to be like him and defeat one of the Four Kings and Five Overlords, who had long lorded above their heads for the past few years. It was at that moment when two people stood on Lux¡¯s left and right side. One of them was a blonde teenager, with blue eyes and sharp features. The other was a good looking boy, with light-brown hair and eyes. The one that stood on his left side was Gilmore Faisal, the Third Prince of the Axton Kingdom, and one of the Four Kings. The one on his right was none other than Nero, who carried a strong grudge against Lux, because he had everything he ever wanted in life. ¡°Who do you think will win?¡± Gilmore asked while looking at the two fighters in the arena. ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± Lux answered without even bothering to look at the blonde Prince, who suddenly decided to stand beside him. ¡°The one who will win this tournament is me. All of you can just fight for second ce.¡± The contestants who heard Lux¡¯s deration sucked in deep breaths. Clearly, the question that Gilmore asked was who would win between Gerhart and Enlil. However, the chubby teenager didn¡¯t care and simply dered that he will be the one winning the tournament and everyone can just fight for the second spot. ¡°Interesting,¡± Gilmore stated. ¡°I think the one who will win THIS match is Enlil. After all, ants who think too highly of themselves are easily crushed by someone simply stepping on them.¡± ¡°You must be talking aboutmon ants,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I know a few ants in Elysium that can easily step on a king and turn him to meat paste. Hah~ ignorance is truly bliss.¡± Nero, who had kept his silence on the side, suddenly spoke out loud. He felt irritated about the chubby teenager¡¯s wittyments, which reminded him of the Half-Elf whom he hated with every fiber of his being. ¡°You are quite eloquent with your words,¡± Neromented. ¡°It reminds me of a certain pathetic Half-Elf who got lucky in life.¡± The ridicule in Nero¡¯s tone was quite scathing, but instead of getting annoyed, Lux found his words very funny. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know who that Half-Elf is, but it¡¯s not his fault you got born with a baboon¡¯s butt for a face,¡± Lux chuckled. ¡°Better luck in your next lifetime. Make sure to do good deeds so that you will have good karma in life. Maybe, just maybe, you will be reborn and, just like that pathetic Half-Elf, get lucky in your next life.¡± Gilmore and Nero suddenly had the strong urge to p the chubby teenager at the same time for turning their words against them. Both of them were already starting to regret their decision to stand beside the chubby teenager, whose tongue was sharper than both of theirsbined. Chapter 235 The Pride Of An Elf [Part 2] ¡°Battle Start!¡± Enlil smirked as he rose up from the ground and high to the air. As a Wind Elementalist, he nned to use his ability to the fullest and show everyone that was watching that his ¡°King¡± title was not just for show. Gerhart hovered above the ground as well and flew high in the air to face the Elven Prince, who looked down on Half-breeds like him. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before both of them unleashed a barrage of wind des. Their attacks met mid-air and canceled each other out, showing that they were almost equal in strength. Well, almost equal in strength. A momentter Enlil sneered as he summoned a few more wind des, and Gerhart did the same. However, when the wind des they unleashed met each other, Gerhart¡¯s Wind des dispersed, as they were ovee by Enlil¡¯s attack. Gerhart had no choice but to dodge the attacks that were flying in his direction, but as if reading his thoughts. The Elven Prince whistled and summoned a Giant Eagle in the arena. With a resounding screech, the eagle unleashed a gust of wind that held Gerhart in ce, preventing him from dodging the Wind des that were headed in his direction. Left with no other choice, Gerhart summoned a Wind Barrier in order to protect himself from the iing Wind des that were all as sharp as razors. Enlil, who was standing from far away, wasn¡¯t idle either. He summoned a luminous green bow and pulled on the string. Immediately, a green arrow, that was radiating a green light, materialized out of thin air and its radiance grew brighter the more Enlil pulled on it. ¡°Exterminate!¡± Enlil dered as he released the string to unleash one of his strongest attacks. ¡°Wind Reaver!¡± A green arrow that shone in radiant light flew straight and true towards Gerhart, who was being besieged on all sides. Enlil had timed the attack perfectly, leaving his opponent no time to block his killer move, which he had shot to end the Half-Elf¡¯s life. He wasn¡¯t someone like Einar, who liked to take chances. If there was a way to defeat his opponent as swiftly, and elegantly as possible, he would execute it without fail. Gerhart, who had known Enlil for quite some time understood what thetter was trying to do, so he decided to go all out in order to protect himself from the impending death that was now shing right in front of his eyes. In a desperate attempt, Gerhart took out what seemed to be an ornamental dagger from his storage ring and raised it above his head. A momentter he spun around like a top, creating a tornado that rose towards the sky. Putting his life on the line, he charged at the barrage of Wind des, dispersing them with the power of his own attack. The tip of the tornado was shining in a silver light, as the dagger that was firmly held by Gerhart pierced through the attacks like a knife cutting through butter. When the green arrow and the tornado collided, an ear rending screech that was simr to nails scratching a ckboard spread inside the Coliseum, making the audience, as well as the other contestants, cover their ears. Lux, whose hearing was sharper than most, gritted his teeth as he covered his ears with both hands. Even though he felt great difort, his eyes focused on the tornado that was fighting Enlil¡¯s attack head on. After several seconds, the green arrow lost its luster and exploded in a shower of green sparks, which were absorbed by Gerhart¡¯s tornado, turning it into a luminous green tornado that was now headed towards the Elven Prince, whose expression contorted in rage. ¡°Bastard!¡± Enlil shouted as he mounted the back of his Giant Eagle in an attempt to escape the green tornado that was flying straight towards him. ¡°Why do you have Kinyer?!¡± When he saw the dagger in Gerhart¡¯s hands, he thought that he was just seeing things. But after it had sessfully diffused and absorbed his skill, Wind Reaver, Enlil finally confirmed his suspicions. The ornamental dagger, Kinyer, wasn¡¯t just an ordinary dagger but a Heirloom of the second King of the Kingdom of Elswyth. Just as the name implied, it was a dagger that was used to kill the First King of the Elven Kingdom, which ended his rule thousands of years ago. The de had remained in the safekeeping of the Royal Family, and was said to have been sealed in an unknown location to prevent it from being used to endanger the lives of the current members of the Royal Family. Because this was part of their history, all the members of the Royal Family had seen the replica of the dagger, which hung in one of the rooms of the pce that was reserved for the artifacts that could only be viewed by the Royal Family. Gerhart didn¡¯t answer Enlil¡¯s question and just continued to approach his target, like a hunter going for the kill. Enlil urged his Giant Eagle to fly high in the air beforemanding it to descend towards the green tornado, creating a tornado of its own. ¡°Sky Fury!¡± Enlil shouted as he imbued his Beast Companion with the power of the Wind Element. The two tornadoes collided like two green dragons fighting for supremacy. Sparks of lightning erupted at the center where the two tornadoes were confronting each other. ¡°Pierce through!¡± Gerhart roared. ¡°Kinyer!¡± The de of the dagger in his hand turned crimson red. Not long after, the luminous green tornado turned into a crimson tornado, making it look more deadly and intimidating. Slowly, but surely, the green tornado was being pushed back, as the power of the dagger that killed the Elven King showed its might. A resounding cry of pain spread in the surroundings as the red tornado pushed through the green tornado, dispersing itpletely. A giant, severed wing fell on the ground, which was followed by a second pained cry as the rest of the Giant Eagle crashed on the ground. Enlil nimbly jumped off his Beast Companion before it fell. He was unscathed because he had used his Beast to take the brunt of the attack, allowing him to avoid a direct hit. The Elven Prince looked up at the Crimson Tornado as it slowly decreased in size until it disappearedpletely. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you got Kinyer, but that de doesn¡¯t belong to you,¡± Enlil said in a voice that reeked with venom. ¡°I will give you two choices, concede and return the artifact to me and I will no longer pursue this matter. Or¡­¡± ¡°Or you can just shut the f*ck up,¡± Gerhart shouted as blood dripped off the tip of his de. The blood didn¡¯te from the Giant Eagle that he had almost in, but his own blood. Kinyer required its user to pay the price of using it, and that was to feed it with the user¡¯s blood. Several steel spikes had emerged from the handle of the de, piercing the palm of Gerhart¡¯s hand, drawing blood, which also gave the de its Crimson color. The Elves who were watching the battle red at Gerhart andbeled him a thief who had stolen something from the Royal Family. The Elves that belonged to the Kingdom of Elswyth didn¡¯t know that, in the hands of others, Kinyer was only an ornamental dagger. However, in the hands of the members of the Royal Family, this de could unleash a power that threatened those who shared the same blood as them. Enlil knew this, but he chose not to recognize the identity of the opponent in front of him. Because by doing so, he would be forced to acknowledge that the Half-Elf in front of him was a member of the Royal Family, whose blood was just as royal as his own. Chapter 236 The Pride Of An Elf [Part 3] Gerhart could feel himself getting dizzy because Kinyer required a lot of his blood in order to activate. That also meant that he needed to end the battle as soon as he could, or else he would faint due to loss of blood. Taking a fighting stance in mid-air, Gerhart pointed the tip of the dagger towards the Elven Prince who was ring back at him. ¡°Sigil of Wind,¡± Gerhart said softly as he imbued his entire body with the power of the Wind Element. ¡°Blood Rage.¡± The de in Gerhart¡¯s hands glowed eerily as red mists rose up from its de. ¡°Blood Rite.¡± The sharp spikes that had dug deep into his palms grew longer, piercing right through the skin in his hands, drawing more blood as it increased the potency of Gerhart¡¯s final blow. ¡°Blood Mist.¡± This time, red mist rose from Gerhart¡¯s entire body, making him look like a red Demon that was out to seek vengeance. ¡°Life Break!¡± Gerhart roared as he descended towards the ground like a redet, trailing a deadly red trail in its wake. Seeing the redet descending towards the ground. Judge Dredd knew that even he, a Ranker, was in grave danger. ¡°Get me out of here!¡± Judge Dredd¡¯s voice spread in the surroundings. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Immediately, one of the Mages forcefully teleported the referee outside of the arena as per his request. Enlil, who was the target of Gerhart¡¯s attack, took out his own Ornamental Dagger and stabbed his chest where his heart was located, drawing blood. ¡°Mark my words, I will hunt you down!¡± Enlil pledged as blood flowed out from his body. ¡°This isn¡¯t over!¡± Enlil¡¯s body was immediately covered with a red light, before it disappearedpletely from existence. He didn¡¯t ask to be teleported away by the Mage because Kinyer would attack its target without fail as long as it was within a mile-wide radius. Since Gerhart had designated him as a target, he needed to get as far away as he could in order to prevent himself from losing his life. The ornamental dagger he used was a life-saving item that would teleport him back to the Elven Capital back in the Elswyth Kingdom. Just like Kinyer, the ornamental dagger that Enlil used required his Heart¡¯s Blood, in order to fully activate. A secondter, a redet descended on the ce where Enlil was standing and exploded. ¡°Brace!¡± Bruno shouted as he raised his hands to reinforce the barrier. The other mages also did the same, and castyer uponyer of barriers around the arena. One by one, these barriers broke apart, proving how strong Gerhart¡¯s kamikaze attack was. In the end, Alexander was forced to take action as he, along with the other high-rankers, personally ensured the safety of the people. Red mes that seemed to devour everything could be seen through the transparent shield that Alexander had summoned to contain the destructive power of Gerhart¡¯s attack. This was no longer an attack that belonged to an Apostle Grade warrior. It was an attack that was capable of killing a high-ranker. Five minutester, the mes subsided. When the barrier was removed, the arena was no more, and a giant crater that was dozens of meters deep appeared in front of everyone. At the center of it, a person, who looked like a dried up husk while holding a dagger in his hand, could be seen. ¡°Take him to the Intensive Care Facility,¡± Alexander ordered. ¡°Alicia, make sure to ce High-Rankers to guard the boy. He cannot be killed on the grounds of the Academy.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± Alicia nodded as she contacted the High-Rankers of Barbatos Academy to take Gerhart into custody. This matter was an issue between Gerhart and the Elven Royal Family, and Barbatos Academy had no interest in involving themselves in their dispute. After the Rankers had taken custody of Gerhart, who was still holding Kinyer firmly in his hand, an announcement was made by the Academy. The next match would be moved the next day, so they had time to repair the damages that were caused by the battle between the two warriors. The audience left the arena with disappointed looks on their faces. Even so, they understood that the next match couldn¡¯t be held with the current state of the Coliseum. However, as soon as they left the venue, word spread about the exciting battles that had happened during the first day, which instantly sparked the interest of those who hadn¡¯t watched the battles in the arena. Although Lux¡¯s and the Boar¡¯s battles were overshadowed by Gerhart¡¯s suicide attack, their names were still mentioned from time to time, especially Lux who had also defeated one of the Kings in the tournament. Although Enlil didn¡¯t experience a crushing defeat, he was forced to teleport away from the arena. A loss was still a loss. Gerhart had staked his life to take the Elven Prince¡¯s life, and thetter chose to preserve his life, rather than risk it to fight the Half-Breed he hated with every fiber of his being. Now that two of the Kings had been defeated, the invincibility they projected towards the younger generation had shattered. The awe and respect vanished, and all that remained was a shadow of their former glory. If they were mentioned and talked about in reverence in the past, they were now treated asmon prodigies who were slightly better than most. This new realization of the masses made the two remaining Kings, as well as the Five Overlords, feel like their reputation had been tarnished. Even so, they couldn¡¯t refute the fact that Einar was defeated by the chubby teenager, My Daddy, and Gerhart had unleashed an attack that was capable of killing even a High-Ranker, forcing Enlil to escape. With two losses under their belt, the prestige that had been built around their identities, had crumbled just like a sand castle that was swept away by a wave, forcing everything to revert to how it once was. Chapter 237 League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s not here?¡± an High-Ranking Elf Official asked after he was stopped at the infirmary where Gerhart was taken after the battle. ¡°If you don¡¯t give me that brat, I promise you that you will not like it. ¡°You can¡¯t get what we don¡¯t have,¡± Alicia replied. ¡°If you really are so adamant in looking for him, I will not stop you, but, know this, angering three Saints is not a good idea. Next time, be careful with your words in case you are unable to take them back.¡± Alicia¡¯s words made the Elven Official¡¯s face be pale. Due to what happened in the tournament, he hadpletely forgotten that Barbatos Academy didn¡¯t only have one Saint, but two. Also, the Nomadic Rowan Tribe, that traveled all over the Six Kingdoms, was led by a Saint. In the Western Regions, where the Six Kingdoms, and Barbatos Academy were located, there were only five Saints remaining. Most of the powerhouses in the region were killed during the Hundred-Year War, which greatly weakened the military power of the Six Kingdoms. Two of those Five Saints were in Barbatos Academy, and the third one belonged to the Nomadic Rowan Tribe. The two remaining Saints were Hermits, who preferred to live alone and not mingle with the political framework of the region. Because of this, the Saint that was more active within the six kingdoms was none other than Alexander, who was the current Headmaster of Barbatos Academy. ¡°Forgive me, Lady Alicia,¡± the Elf Official apologized for his rash actions. ¡°I got too emotional after knowing that someone had stolen one of the Relics of our Kingdom.¡± Alicia nodded. ¡°I will turn a blind eye to your outburst this once. Go and see for yourself if the person you are looking for is there, but I warn you to not disturb the other patients in the infirmary.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the Elf Official promised before he was escorted, along with his entourage, inside the Infirmary where several contestants of the past Qualifying Rounds of the Lionheart Tournament were still recovering. As Alicia looked at the back of the Elven Delegation, a frown appeared on her beautiful face. ¡®This is going to be a bitplicated,¡¯ Alicia thought. ¡®To think that Gerhart has such a background. Looks like the Elf Royal Family of Elswyth will have no choice but to post a bounty on his head in order to reim their Sacred Relic.¡¯ When Gerhart was brought to the Infirmary to receive treatment, the Ornamental Dagger in his hand, Kinyer, suddenly shot up towards the sky and flew towards West. A momentter, Gerhart¡¯s almost dried up body vanished without a trace, leaving the Clerics, as well as the other medical personnel, in shock and disbelief. Clearly, Gerhart had made preparations before the battle, should he ever use the power of Kinyer. Since he would be exposing himself to the world, he made a n that would instantly allow him to leave Barbatos Academy, to prevent himself from getting captured by the Elf Royal Family. Several minutester, the Elf Envoys left the infirmity in haste. They nned to return to the Elven Capital and share the news of what happened in the tournament. What they didn¡¯t know was that the moment Enlil teleported away from the Arena, he had escaped to the Inner Pce of the Elven Kingdom, where members of the Royal Family would appear once they used the life-saving artifacts that were given to them by their family. After having his injuries treated, Enlil narrated everything that had happened in the tournament, including Gerhart who now possessed Kinyer. The Elf King, who heard this, had a calm expression on his face and told Enlil that he would handle the rest, and the Prince should just rest and recover from his injury. On that same day, the different Elite Forces of the Elswyth Kingdom departed from the Elven Capital with two goals. One was to visit the Rowan Tribe, and negotiate for Gerhart¡¯s surrender to them. The other was to look for traces of the artifact in the off chance that Gerhart didn¡¯t return to the Rowan Tribe to seek asylum. While this was happening, the arena was being repaired for the next battle that would be held the following day. After a first day of exciting battles, the audience was quite excited for what would be waiting for them when morning came. ¡°It seems that your sworn brother is on the run right now,¡± Lux said to the Boar who refused to return to his original form, and kept his transformation up all the time. ¡°Hmph! Those pointy-eared elves will not be able to catch Gerhart even if they mobilize their entire army.¡± The Boar snorted. ¡°Oh? You sound so confident.¡± ¡°Of course I am confident. No matter how arrogant they are, they will not do anything to annoy Grandfather. If that old man got angry, even the Elven King would have no choice but to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness.¡± Lux gave the smug-faced Boar a side-long nce before looking at the arena that was being repaired by Earth Mages. ¡°I forgot to say congrattions for beating Rol,¡± Lux said. ¡°Although I wasn¡¯t able to watch it, some said that it was a close match.¡± ¡°I admit he got me in the first half,¡± the Boar replied. ¡°But, that was because I was taking things easy. If I unleashed my full powers, I would have killed him with just a single re, you know?¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know you were that powerful. Last time we fought together, you were almost turned into Boar Stew during the Qualifiers.¡± ¡°That is because I don¡¯t think it was worth it to show my trump cards so early in the battle. I am saving them for the final match.¡± Lux nced at the delusional boar with an amused look on his face. ¡°Has anyone told you that you have thick skin?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the Boar replied. ¡°My Sworn brothers and Grandfather always tell me that, but they also know that when I go all out, even Saints will have to run for their lives. I am that good.¡± Lux turned around and left the Boar to his fantasies. He was afraid that if he stayed longer, the Boar¡¯s delusional tendencies would rub off on him. ¡°Oi, where are you going?¡± the Boar asked as it hurriedly followed the chubby teenager who was leaving him behind. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the part where you will say ¡®Oh! You¡¯re so amazing! Please make me your sworn brother!¡¯. Fortunately, I like you, so I don¡¯t mind making you my sworn brother. How about we share some good food and wine as we pledge our brotherhood?¡± ¡°Not interested,¡± Lux replied without even bothering to look at the boar, who was walking by his side and doing its best to convince him like a door-to-door salesman. ¡°Howe? Don¡¯t you want to be part of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? If you join now, I will share with you the recording of Lady Iris when she performed a ritualistic dance when she visited our Tribe a year ago.¡± ¡°¡­ You, do you want me to turn you into roast pork? Why do you even have Iris¡¯ dance performance?¡± The Boar thought that Lux was just being shy, so it decided to continue trying to make him a member of the group that he had established alongside Gerhart. ¡°Are you interested now?¡± the Boar said with a smug-look on its boarish face. ¡°Unfortunately, the recording crystal is a prized possession of our organization. If you want to see Lady Iris dancing in her Celestial Robes, you need to join us first and be my sworn brothea€¡°argh!¡± The Boar wasn¡¯t able to finish its words because Lux started to beat the crap out of it until it squealed like a pig being ughtered. The arrogant boar begged for forgiveness over and over again, and was only released from its suffering after it had surrendered the recording crystal that had the video of Iris dancing. After taking the crystal from the boar, Lux gave it onest kick in its belly, sending it rolling across the ground while crying ¡°murderer!¡± and ¡°fatty boy¡±. Since the battle wouldn¡¯t start until the next day, Lux decided to return to his room to rest. ¡°I haven¡¯t been around Iris much for the past two years because I was busy training for the entrance test for Elysium,¡± Lux muttered as he yed with the recording crystal in his hand. ¡°I rememberst year, Grandma asked me if I wanted to apany Iris in the Rowan Tribe for their annual celebration. I guess this is where the Boar got this recording from.¡± Lux decided to activate the crystal to see Iris dance. The crystal shone and transmitted a projection in front of him. In the projection, Iris was wearing a colorful dress that seemed to be a traditional attire of the priestess of the Rowan Tribe. As the tribaldies yed their musical instruments, Iris spun slowly as if addressing everyone before she started to dance. Her graceful movements, apanied by her beauty was enough to mesmerize those whoid their eyes on her. For Lux, Iris was a symbol of Luck. He believed that her Luck Stat was so high that if she stood in the center of a group of people, and bird poop rained down from the sky, everyone else, aside from her, would get hit by it. ¡®Perhaps this was why she was invited to their annual festival,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®The Tribe Chief might have thought that if she were there, she would bless their tribe with her Luck, allowing them safe travels because of their Nomadic Lifestyle.¡¯ When the dance ended, Lux felt refreshed as if he had just been given a buff for rity of mind and a cure for minor injuries. Iris¡¯ performance was simply that good, that he couldn¡¯t help but feel happy, and regret at the same time. Happy because he was able to see her sweet smile as she danced. Clearly, she was enjoying what she was doing, which also brought happiness to those who were watching her. Regret that he wasn¡¯t there to apany him and watch the performance live, alongside the Rowan Tribe, that had been blessed by her luck. ¡°I hope that Eiko is behaving herself properly,¡± Lux muttered. The day before, Eiko had taken his form and appeared beside Iris to make those who were looking for Lux think that the chubby boy and him weren¡¯t rted. Also, it might also make them think that he had lost in the Qualifying Matches, allowing them to lower their guard. For them, Lux was their greatest Love Rival, because Iris had kissed him in front of everyone in the past. News of this had spread like wildfire making those who wanted to make the blue-haired beauty their fiance, wish that they could strangle the red-headed teenager, and feed his remains to the fishes. ¡®Tomorrow it will be Nero¡¯s turn to fight,¡¯ Lux mused. ¡®I bet that he will take this battle seriously and defeat his opponent in a spectacr manner in order to regain the dignity of the Four Kings and Five Overlords. Unfortunately for him, this will be a useless endeavor.¡¯ Lux knew that, even if Nero won in a shy way, the prestige they once enjoyed was a thing of the past now. Only if one of the Kings or one of the Five Overlords were to win the tournament then and only then would they be able to salvage their reputation. ¡®I hope his opponent is strong,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®That way, I will be able to see some of the aces that he has been hiding.¡¯ For the Half-Elf, the brown-haired teenager was someone he would like to meet personally in the arena. However, he was not delusional enough to think that fighting Nero would be easy. Lux understood Nero, probably more than anyone else. He knew that Nero would keep his aces close to his sleeves, and only use them at the right time, to turn the situation around, making him a tricky opponent even for the Half-Elf who had gone above and beyond all means, to fight the person who coveted the blue-haired beauty that loved him so much. Chapter 238 Nothing Personal, Okay? The next day, the crowd gathered in the arena once again. The coliseum was filled to the brim, to the point that those who were unable to get in had no choice but to watch the battle on the projectors that were ced in various ces of Barbatos Academy, so that everyone could watch the battles unfold in real time. Nero stood in the arena as he faced his opponent. A confident look was disyed across his face. The battle should¡¯ve been yesterday, but because of what had happened during Gerhart¡¯s and Enlil¡¯s battle, his match was postponed and moved to the next day. As soon as Judge Dredd gave the signal to start the fight, Nero and his opponent charged towards each other. A momentter, his opponent copsed on the ground, unconscious. ¡°Winner Nero!¡± The audience wasn¡¯t able to react in time, not expecting the battle to end so quickly. All it took was a single exchange for the good-looking brown-haired boy to win his match, without even breaking a sweat. Nero turned around and walked steadily out of the arena. He was projecting an expert¡¯s attitude, which made the audience remember that he was one of the Five Overlords, who wouldn¡¯t just lose to anyone. ¡®Well yed, Nero,¡¯ Gilmore, one of thest two Kings, mused. ¡®We definitely gained a bit of our dignity back after this quick win.¡¯ Yesterday, the two remaining Kings and the Five Overlords had met and discussed a strategy for how to regain the dignity that they had lost. It was Nero who proposed that they should end their battles as quickly as possible so there would be no room for doubt that they were truly the strongest members of the young generation. His proposal gained the agreement of everyone present, so all of them decided to end their matches as quickly as they could. As Gilmore was thinking that they had regained a bit of their fame, a gloatingughter that was magnified by a special artifact spread in the surroundings. ¡°Hahaha! He managed to win so fast because he was facing a weakling!¡± the Boar said with arrogance. ¡°If I was the one who faced him in battle, that brown-haired wannabe wouldn¡¯t evenst five seconds!¡± ¡°Hah? What crap are you talking about?¡± a chubby teenager asked. ¡°If that was me, before the match can even start, I would have immediately kicked him out of the arena!¡± Judge Dredd, who was standing in the arena, red at the two clowns that were saying a bunch of bullcrap in his presence. Beat Nero in five seconds? You barely passed the Qualifiers, yet you, stupid Boar, dare to say that you can beat Nero in five seconds? Utter nonsense! Kick him out of the arena before the match even started? Do you want to get disqualified? That¡¯s foul! Do I look like a joke to you? Just as Judge Dredd was about to tell the two to shut up, the stupid Boar raised its voice and made a stupid deration. ¡°Hmph! Remember this, members of the Four Monkeys and Five Baboons!¡± the Boar dered. ¡°The moment you face me in the arena is the day that all of you will know what true strength is!¡± ¡°Um, I apud your boldness, but you made a mistake. It¡¯s not Four Monkeys and Five Baboons. It¡¯s Four Clowns and Five Buffoons. Please apologize to all the Monkeys and Baboons in the world. Having thempared to those weaklings brings shame upon their good names.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! Um, sorry dear Monkeys and Baboons. I didn¡¯t intend to bring shame to your good names! Please forgive my ignorance.¡± As if waiting for that cue, a Monkey Beastkin stood up from the audience and shouted. ¡°On behalf of all the Monkeys in the world, I ept your apology,¡± the Monkey Beastkin said. ¡°Make sure to not make the same mistake again.¡± ¡°I also ept your apology.¡± A Baboon Beastkin stood up and made his presence known. ¡°Beingpared to them brings shame upon our race. Can¡¯t you see how handsome we are? We¡¯re the ones losing out from beingpared to them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± the Monkey Beastkin nodded his head in agreement. ¡°They just can¡¯tpare to our awesomeness!¡± The Boar and chubby teenager praised the two Beastkins who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Clearly, this was not part of the script. This unexpectedbo attack almost made Nero slip as he walked towards the exit of the arena. A secondter, the boar¡¯s neck and the chubby teenager¡¯s neck were grabbed by Bruno whose face had already turned beet red due to anger. ¡°Are you two going to shut up first, or should I shut you up personally?¡± Bruno asked. The Boar nervously chuckled as he handed the artifact that magnified its voice to Bruno who took it with a grumpy look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m watching both of you,¡± Bruno stated before releasing the two troublemakers, making both of themnd on their bums. The audience roared inughter after seeing the two¡¯sedic act, and hadpletely forgotten Nero¡¯s dominating performance. The prestige that they had tried so hard to regain turned into a joke, which made the Boar and the chubby teenager Public Enemies Number One and Two for the two remaining Kings and Five Overlords, who were still in thepetition. ¡°You¡¯re up, Norman,¡± Gilmore said while facing one of the Five Overlords. ¡°End the battle as fast as you can.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me; I know what to do,¡± Norman snorted as he jumped towards the arena from the contestants tform like a Mad. His next opponent was none other than the skinny swordsman, who had been with Lux and the Boar during the Qualifying Matches. The skinny teenager calmly walked towards the arena, while Norman looked down on him with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, or where you are from, but I will end you quickly,¡± Norman dered as soon as the skinny teenager walked up in the arena. ¡°Nothing personal, okay?¡± The skinny teenager nodded his head and stood in ce, waiting for Judge Dredd to start the match. ¡°Are both of you ready?¡± Norman raised his hand with confidence. ¡°I was born ready!¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the skinny teenager replied. ¡°Battle Start!¡± As soon as the battle started, a soft, yet resounding clinking sound spread in the arena. A momentter, a cry of pain, followed by a shower of blood was heard and seen in the ce where Norman stood. His arms, and legs were cut off from his body. The young man, who was one of the Five Overlords, found himself lying helpless on the ground, with blood spurting from the severed limbs of his body. ¡°Nothing personal, okay?¡± the skinny teenager said before turning around to leave the arena under the dumbfounded gaze of the audience who couldn¡¯t believe what they just saw. The skinny teenager didn¡¯t even bother to wait for Judge Dredd¡¯s deration of his victory. In his eyes, his opponent was simply too weak for him to consider him as a serious opponent. ¡°Nice!¡± the Boar said with a smug-look on its face before turning to the chubby teenager beside it. ¡°Do you think we can invite him into the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? He has what it takes to be my sworn brother!¡± Lux rolled his eyes at the shameless, thick-headed boar, who would pester strong people for them to join its organization. He had long known that the skinny swordsman wasn¡¯t simple. His performance alone was enough to shut up all opposition, leaving Gilmore¡¯s and Nero¡¯s group of elite prodigies, unable to stop themselves from treating the mysterious swordsman as a seriouspetitor in the tournament. Chapter 239 You Dare to Chop Me? ¡°Are you sure that guy isn¡¯t Lux in disguise?¡± One of the Five Overlords asked Nero and Gilmore who both had serious expressions on their faces. The skinny teenager who wore a bamboo hat was one of the suspicious people that Nero had listed as a possible candidate for Lux¡¯s hidden identity. ¡°I have double checked and that¡¯s not him,¡± Nero replied with a frown. Gilmore also nodded his head. ¡°I also used an artifact just after the match ended, and it is certainly not him.¡± ¡°Then could Lux possibly be that boar? Just looking at it irritates me.¡± ¡°Yeah! That boar deserves a good beating. I¡¯ll make sure to turn him into a pork chop when we fight.¡± Nero and Gilmore weren¡¯t paying too much attention to the discussion as they¡¯re still bothered that they couldn¡¯t assess how strong the swordsman truly was. Both of them were Grade A Disciples in the middle-ranks, so they had a hunch that the skinny teenager was about the same as them, making the other party a serious opponent that they couldn¡¯t afford to ignore. ¡°He is in group B,¡± Nero said as he nced at Gilmore. ¡°If nothing unexpected happens, the two of you will be fighting each other at the final match of your division.¡± Gilmore nodded. ¡°I will watch his next matches in order to better understand his abilities.¡± Deep inside, Nero was thankful that he wouldn¡¯t be facing the skinny swordsman in his division. He was certain that the mysterious swordsman had the ability to force him to bring out his trump cards, which he only nned to use in the Final Match. ¡®I¡¯ll also better take a look at his matchester,¡¯ Nero thought. ¡®Right now, he is the biggest threat in the tournament, next to that chubby teenager.¡¯ After theirtest loss, the Elite Prodigies were no longer in the mood to discuss other things with each other. The only thing they wanted to do was to ensure that they would win their next fights in order to avoid bingughing stocks. The high-ranking officials of the six kingdoms also took note of the mysterious swordsman and immediatelyunched an investigation. Right now, Lux¡¯s and the skinny teenager¡¯s backgrounds were being dug up, so the officials could better understand their identities. The next three matches were also quite entertaining to watch. Gilmore, as well as two of the Five Overlords defeated their opponents without too much problem, leaving a decent impression on those who were watching the tournament. ¡ª Meanwhile, somewhere in the Academy¡­ ¡°Stop following me, you¡¯re annoying,¡± the skinny teenager wearing a bamboo hat said to the Boar who was chatting beside him as if the two of them had known each other since they were kids. ¡°I will stop following you if you join the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,¡± the Boar said. ¡°If you join, I will be your sworn brother. With me by your side, you can walk unhindered anywhere.¡± ¡°I already said no. Stop being persistent.¡± ¡°Is that a Yes?¡± ¡°Are you deaf? I said no.¡± ¡°Yes, right? Great! Now you just need to sign this contract and we¡¯re good to go.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll chop you.¡± The Boar snorted and raised its chin arrogantly. ¡°You dare to chop me? Fine. I will stand here. I dare you to chop me! Let¡¯s see if you can live peacefully afterward!¡± The skinny teenager was really tempted to slice the boar into pieces. If not for the fact that he would be disqualified from the tournament and be a wanted criminal, he would have done it already, even disposing the body as sneakily as possible. ¡°So, are you going to join?¡± the boar asked as it continued to walk beside the irritated teenager. ¡°We have freebies as well. Do you know the legendary sword called Excalibur? I have it in my room. If you join, I¡¯ll give it to you as a freebie.¡± ¡°Not interested,¡± the skinny teenager replied as calmly as he could. However, the trace of frustration and annoyance was clear in his voice. He was nearing his limit, and if he didn¡¯t get to his room soon, he was afraid that he would really throw caution into the wind and hack the annoying boar into pieces. ¡°Oh, then how about Gram? This sword also goes by the name Balmung. Are you interested?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I also have Arondight, Durandal, Harpe, Kusanagi, Caliburn, and many other swords. I¡¯ll give one of them to you for free if you join my group.¡± ¡°I said no!¡± The Skinny Teenager finally entered his room and mmed the door in the Boar¡¯s face. He had done his best to prevent himself from using violence because his Master had told him that violence wouldn¡¯t solve anything. The skinny teenager signed in relief. Now that he had finally entered his sanctuary, he thought that the Boar would leave him alone. Unfortunately for him, a knock on his door shattered this hope, which almost made him take out his sword from its sheath to hack the boar into pieces. ¡°Hello? What kind of sword do you want?¡± the Boar¡¯s annoying voice, which resembled a persistent salesman, reached his ears as it continued to knock on his door. ¡°Just name it, and I¡¯ll give it to you. Have you heard of Cdbolg, Dainsleif, and Ascalon? ¡°If you join now, I¡¯ll give you not one, not two, but three swords free of charge. I¡¯m so generous, right? Do you want to join now? Hey! Are you there? Knock knock! Um¡­ if you join within the next five minutes¡­¡± On that day, one of the strongestpetitors in the tournament conceded and joined the Boar¡¯s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in fear that he would develop aneurysm if the Boar kept on knocking on his door until he was driven crazy. The Boar left and happily hummed as it walked in the hallway after managing to add one more member to his group. It was still doing its best to add Lux to its group, but the chubby teenager was someone who didn¡¯t bat an eye, not scared of using violence against it, forcing the Boar to beg for forgiveness after receiving a one-sided beating and escape with its tail tucked between its legs. Chapter 240 The Boar That Gets On Everyone’s Nerves The Lionheart Tournament continued with four matches being held everyday. On the fifth day, only four participants of each Division remained and they would fight until only two remained. On the sixth day, the final two would fight, and on the Seventh Day the remaining participant would enter the Semi-Finals. A one day break would be held before the Semi Finals to allow the participants to fully recover their strength before their final matches. The next day, the Elite Four would fight until only two remained, who would then fight in the Final match. The winner would of course be the Champion of the Lionheart Tournament and receive the prizes that would make him the envy of every member of the young generation. Of course, the Second ce opponent would also receive some decent rewards, but it was nothingpared to the Grand Prize, where Iris¡¯ happiness was at stake. Today was the Fifth Day of the Tournament and Lux easily defeated his opponent without breaking a sweat. The Boar got lucky and managed to defeat an opponent who received a terrible injury during his previous match and had entered aatose state. Because of this, it won by default, allowing it to proceed to its next match without even lifting its hoof. The skinny swordsman also won his match. If one of the two Kings, Gilmore, didn¡¯t make any blunders, the mysterious swordsman and him would fight at the Final Division Match. This was a match up that everyone was looking forward to watching. Nero had also sessfully won his battle, and would face thest member of the Four Kings. If he managed to ovee this obstacle, he would be the Division Winner, and advance to the Semi-Finals, alongside the other Semi-Finalists. ¡°You know, havinge this far, I realized one thing,¡± the boar said as it ate some bacon. ¡°If we all win our respective matches, we will enter the Semi-Finals and fight each other. If one of us bes the Champion, then that means that it is still the win of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen! I¡¯m so excited.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a member of your League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,¡± Lux replied in an irritated tone as he watched the boar eat the bacon that he had ordered for himself. ¡°Also, why are you here? Can¡¯t you let people eat in peace?¡± ¡°One moment, I¡¯m still eating,¡± the Boar replied. ¡°It¡¯s not all the time I get to eat free food paid for by others. But, when I do, I make sure to eat everything.¡± ¡°Excuse me? I didn¡¯t give you permission to eat my food.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t disturb me while I eat. Didn¡¯t you learn good manners and proper conduct?¡± Lux sighed as he waved for the waitress to get another order. ¡°Can I have another bowl of bacon?¡± Lux asked. ¡°And one bowl of stir fried noodles.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to have some pork chops please,¡± the Boar said to the waitress. ¡°Also, add some ham on the side, thank you.¡± The waitress smiled and bowed her head before leaving the two alone. ¡°Swordy will definitely beat that wimpy blondie and be the Division Winner,¡± the Boar said as it waited for its order to arrive. ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. It is certain that the winner of tomorrow¡¯s match will be one of the Five Overlords. That means that you will have to face someone strong before you be the Division Winner.¡± ¡°Just worry about yourself, okay?¡± Lux snapped. ¡°You just got lucky that your opponent was in aa. If not, you wouldn¡¯t even be standing here right now.¡± The Boar chuckled before wagging its hoof at the chubby teenager, who was fighting the strong urge to stab the boar¡¯s nose with a fork. ¡°He got lucky,¡± the Boar stated. ¡°If he fought me, he might not even be able to keep his life. So this is a blessing for him.¡± Lux rolled his eyes at the shameless boar, who he was certain would immediately be defeated after it faced the winner of tomorrow¡¯s match for its Division. Right now, there were two matches that he would like to see, and they was none other than Nero¡¯s fight with a King of the young generation, as well as the mysterious swordsman¡¯s battle with Gilmore, who was the Prince of the Axton Kingdom, and was said to be the strongest member of the Four Kings. It was at that moment when Nero, Gilmore, as well as the rest of their Elite Group entered the restaurant that was reserved for the contestants of the tournament. The moment they saw the chubby teenager and the Boar eating together, they decided to walk in their direction to give the two a greeting, and a bit of intimidation. ¡°Well, well, well, look who¡¯s here, it¡¯s the chubby gang,¡± Gilmore said in a teasing tone. ¡°Having yourst meals before you lose in your next matches?¡± The Boar gave the blondie a side-long nce before shifting its attention to Lux. ¡°The loser of tomorrow¡¯s battle is talking to me,¡± the Boar said. ¡°What should I do? Should I give him my autograph so that he can keep it as a memento after he loses to Little Swordy?¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure that he will treasure it and make it his family heirloom. After all, it was signed by one of the Final Four that will enter the Semi-Finals.¡± Although Lux knew in his heart that the Boar couldn¡¯t possibly enter the final four, he couldn¡¯t possibly ignore it after their rivals were talking smack about them. ¡°Good idea,¡± the Boar took a small scroll from its storage ring and ced it on top of the table. There were some words written on it, but Lux wasn¡¯t too interested to take a look at it. The Boar then dipped its hoof in one of the sauces that Lux had ordered beforehand and stamped it on the scroll. ¡°Here you go,¡± the Boar said as it handed the scroll with its hoof print to the blondie whose expression was simr to someone that had eaten a fly. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you make this your family heirloom. You should be honored that I even took the effort to give you my autograph.¡± Gilmore didn¡¯t ept the scroll that the Boar was offering to him. Instead, his pupils changed color for a brief moment. Immediately, the scroll on the boar¡¯s hooves burst into purple mes, which made thetter squeal in shock. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that you¡¯re not in my division,¡± Gilmore stated. ¡°Otherwise, I would have already turned you into roast pork.¡± ¡°Stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me,¡± the Boar replied after it had regained itsposure. Before Gilmore could even retort, Bruno, the High-Ranking judge of the tournament entered the restaurant. When he saw the Boar, he immediately approached it with a scowl on his face. ¡°Oi! Where is the scroll that the Headmaster gave you?¡± Bruno asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t he tell you that it was something that was supposed to be passed to me before the match began because it was something important?¡± The Boar suddenly said ¡°Ah!¡± before it rummaged through its storage ring. Giimore suddenly had a bad premonition, so he decided to walk away while he still could. However, Bruno saw a part of the burnt up scroll on the floor and his face became extremely serious. The stamp of the Headmaster could still be seen at the corner of the remaining part of the scroll, which made Bruno¡¯s face turn livid. ¡°You burned the official document of the academy?¡± Bruno said in a tone that reeked of bad vibes. ¡°You dare?!¡± ¡°Um, it wasn¡¯t me that burned it,¡± the Boar pointed at Blondie who was almost outside the door of the restaurant. ¡°It was him that burned it.¡± Bruno turned around and saw the Prince of the Axton Kingdom casually walking out of the restaurant as if he was just taking a stroll. Before Gilmore could even take a step outside of the restaurant, arge hand rested on his shoulder, holding him in ce. ¡°Gilmore Axton, how about you and I have a little talk?¡± Bruno asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will settle this matter before your match tomorrow. Come with me to the Headmaster¡¯s office.¡± Bruno didn¡¯t even give Gilmore a chance to exin his side of the matter before he teleported both of them out of the restaurant. Nero and the other members of their Elite Group made themselves scarce and left the Boar and the chubby teenager alone. They had a feeling that if they remained longer, the Boar might do something stupid again and involve them in the mess that it created. Lux chuckled when he saw Nero and hisrades retreat far from their location. Even though the Boar was irritating, it managed to bring trouble to their opponents, which was a plus in his book. In truth, he sensed that Nero and Gilmore were using some kind of appraising tool to check his, and the Boar¡¯s bodies. Naturally, he knew that they were trying to confirm whether he was the ¡°Half-Elf¡± they were looking for or not. Fortunately, the Mask of a Thousand Faces wasn¡¯t a simple artifact and no matter how many times they tried to use their anti-illusion artifacts, the results would always be the same. ¡°Here¡¯s your order,¡± the waitress arrived a few minutester and delivered their orders. Lux ate his meal in a casual manner, while the Boar ate like a pig, leaving nothing behind. After it finished eating, it immediately left without saying a word, which left the Half-Elf dumbstruck. It was only after Lux was about to pay for the meal that he realized what the Boar had done. Clearly, the Boar was a Dine-and-Dash type of creature, which made the Half-Elf wish that the one he would be facing in the next match, was the chubby Boar that was quite good at getting on everyone¡¯s nerves. Chapter 241 I Just Want Peace ¡°Keane, someday, you will find your reason for living,¡± an old man wearing a robe that had seen better days said. It was old and ragged, and yet, it couldn¡¯t hide the majesty of the person wearing it. ¡°Right now, you just live, for the sake of living. Life shouldn¡¯t be lived like that.¡± ¡°Master, isn¡¯t being alive enough?¡¯ the skinny teenager replied. ¡°I eat when I¡¯m hungry. I drink when I¡¯m thirsty, and sleep when I¡¯m sleepy. I am content with what I have right now, I don¡¯t want anything else.¡± ¡°Keane, contentment leads to stagnation,¡± the old manmented as he stroked his beard while eyeing the young man in front of him. ¡°Just like a sword that is forever inside a sheath, it is unable to show its true potential. It is merely a decoration, having lost its true value.¡± ¡°But, Master, isn¡¯t being a decoration enough?¡± Keane inquired. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t peace be better than war?¡± ¡°Peace is always better than war, but have you ever thought that in order to keep the peace, someone must have the strength to prevent it from copsing? If bandits were to descend on a peaceful vige to steal their livestock, money, and women, what could being peaceful do? ¡°If Beast Tides were about to trample on everyone, and everything you hold dear, does living peacefully make them go away? The answer is No. Only those with power can protect the peace of the world. A decoration may look pretty, but that is all it is. A decoration. It cannot carry the sky when it falls down on your head. Remember this Keane, and remember this well. ¡°Only those who have the power to protect the peace, are the one that keep the peace and safeguard the people from their suffering.¡± The skinny teenager didn¡¯t reply right away as if pondering something inside his head. A momentter, he looked up at his Master and said. ¡°Master, I have no desire to argue with anyone,¡± Keane stated. ¡°I choose to walk away because I just want peace.¡± The old man smiled and nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Keane, travel the world, and see with your own eyes if you can find the peace you are looking for,¡± the old man replied. ¡°Also, I have signed you up for the Lionheart Tournament that will be held in Barbatos Academy. Maybe, by interacting with people the same age as you, you will see things you have never seen before. Experience feelings, you have never felt before.¡± ¡ª¨C A young man sat in the lotus position with his sword resting on hisp. He was breathing steadily as he meditated in order to cleanse his mind before his match that would be happening in two hours. He didn¡¯t know who his opponent was, nor did he care. His Master had told him to see the world, and his first stop was Barbatos Academy. Even though he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he felt as if he had glimpsed the meaning of his Master¡¯s words, about the true meaning of peace. Suddenly a loud knocking sound was heard from his door. A familiar voice, which made Keane¡¯s heart tremble and his skin crawl, reached his ears. ¡°Hey! Little Swordy, are you awake? Your fight will begin in a few hours!¡± the Boar¡¯s voice shouted from outside the door. ¡°Have you eaten? Did you go to thefort room? Want me to help you bring your breakfast? Ah, they are havingmb chops for breakfast, should I order two of them? I don¡¯t mind eating with you because you always look lonely¡­¡± Keane opened his eyes and exhaled deeply. ¡°Master, the outside world isn¡¯t peaceful at all,¡± Keanemented. ¡°I want to go back to the mountain.¡± Unfortunately, his Master wasn¡¯t there, so Keane had no choice but to fend for himself, and try to settle the matter with the annoying Boar that was knocking on his door in a peaceful manner. ¡ª¨C ¡°Listen, Little Swordy, your opponent today might be weaker than me, but you mustn¡¯t underestimate him,¡± the Boar said as it walked beside the skinny teenager and escorted him to the waiting area of the Coliseum. ¡°He is one of the Four Clowns and Five Buffoons. Although they are a bunch of d*cks, they are still stronger than most.¡± ¡°I understand. I will not underestimate him,¡± Keane replied. ¡°Good. as one of the members of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you mustn¡¯t lose to him and uphold our honor.¡± ¡°I understand. I will do my best.¡± ¡°This is what I like about you, Little Swordy,¡± the Boar said as it nced at the skinny swordsman with satisfaction. ¡°You¡¯re very easy to talk to.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Keane replied. Right now, he was just talking automatically like an answering machine. He had long understood that the Boar would just prolong his suffering if he denied, or disagreed with its words. ¡°Well then, this is as far as I go,¡± the Boar patted Keane¡¯s waist with its hoof. ¡°Go break a leg. Rather, go slice a leg.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Keanne nodded as he went to the hallway that would lead him to the arena. As soon as he appeared, the cheers and apuse of the audience descended on him like a tide. He was one of the crowd favorites to win because of his mysterious identity, as well as his one move, insta-wins. In truth, many of the young warriors who were watching the matches in the arena had aspired to be just like him. Even the youngdies found his unique style quite intriguing, making them want to know more about him. They just couldn¡¯t understand how he managed to do it. The moment a clinking sound was heard in the arena, his opponents arms, and legs, would be cut off, preventing them from continuing to battle. He was using the Sword Art that his Master had created and its name was ¡°Grand Void¡±. His attacks were so sharp, that the severed limbs could easily be reattached and healed without problem. It was a Sword Art that only the most powerful individuals within the Six Kingdoms were aware of. Without even fully drawing the sword, one could effectively slice a mountain in half. Keane¡¯s Master jokingly said that when Keane was able to draw the sword out of its sheath and execute the final form of the Grand Void Sword Art, he would be able to slice the void, which would allow him to travel through the void, where space and time flowed differently. The moment he stepped into the arena, Keane was finally able to see his opponent. One nce alone was enough to tell him that the blonde teenager in front of him was not like those people that he had defeated in the past. ¡®He¡¯s the real deal,¡¯ Keane thought as he rested his left thumb on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike as soon as the referee gave the signal to start the match. The skinny young man hoped that after this match was over, he would be one step closer to the peace he desired, so he could return to the mountains where his Master was patiently waiting for him. Chapter 242 Peace Will Never Be An Option [Part 1] Gilmore looked at his opponent with a serious expression on his face. His casual smile could not be seen anywhere, and it was reced by a solemn look that he rarely showed to anyone. This just proved that the person standing in front of him was someone that he couldn¡¯t afford to look down on, or he would suffer a terrible defeat at the mysterious swordsman¡¯s hands. After watching the skinny teenager¡¯s battle, Gilmore had finally understood how the Swordsman was able to execute those deadly attacks that were able to slice off his opponent¡¯s limbs in an instant. GIlmore was also a Swordsman. As a Prince of the Royal Family, he had been trained by only the best swordsmen of thend. Some even said that he was the next candidate in line to be able to bear the title ¡°Sword Saint¡± when he grew up, but Gilmore knew that he was still far from achieving this prestigious title. He might be arrogant, but he wasn¡¯t delusional. Gilmore knew that he was meant for greatness, but it would take him a long time before he could finally reach that peak where the Masters of the Worlds stood, looking down upon the mortalnds like Gods from their heavenly thrones. ¡°Are both of you ready?¡± Judge Dredd¡¯s question broke Gilmore out from his daze, as he refocused on the opponent in front of him. ¡°Yes,¡± Gilmore replied, as he unsheathed the sword in his scabbard. He knew that if he didn¡¯t take out his weapon now, he wouldn¡¯t have a chanceter on. The skinny teenager, on the other hand, nodded his head, signaling to their referee that he was ready to fight as well. Judge Dredd nodded and raised both of his hands high in the air. ¡°Battle Start!¡± As soon as the signal for the start of the battle was announced, Gilmore disappeared from where he stood and reappeared two meters away from the skinny Swordsman. He had used the skill ¡°sh Step¡±, which was simr to a blink ability that allowed Swordsmen like him to close the distance to deliver an attack against their opponent. Gilmore¡¯s sword strike was like a blur that struck his opponent, but the skinny teenager was prepared to meet his attack as well. A metallic ring reverberated inside the arena as two swords shed against each other. Both Swordsmen had calm expressions on their faces as if they had already expected this oue. Gilmore knew that he couldn¡¯t distance himself from his opponent because his one-slice-attack was a long-ranged one. As long as he engaged him in closebat, the skinny teenager wouldn¡¯t be able to use the technique that had allowed him to progress this far in the tournament. As they continued to exchange blows with each other, they got a better understanding of their opponent¡¯s abilities. The audience roared and cheered for both fighters, despite the fact that they could only see two blurs moving around in the arena. All the contestants were paying close attention to the battle, especially Lux, Nero, and the Boar, who stood beside the Half-Elf. ¡°Little Swordy is at a disadvantage against his opponent,¡± the Boarmented. ¡°If he can¡¯t gain enough distance to execute his attack, he will lose in a prolonged battle.¡± Lux continued to look at the battle with great focus. He didn¡¯t affirm or deny the Boar¡¯s words. The Half-Elf didn¡¯t know the skinny Swordsman enough to judge whether he could fight a prolonged battle or not. All he knew was that a single mistake from either fighter would end this match in a heartbeat, and he was waiting for that small gap to better understand his future opponents. Lux arched an eyebrow when he noticed something peculiar in the battle. Whenever Gilmore executed a sh, the Half-Elf could see two shes instead of one. The shes happen in very quick sessions, making him understand how deadly Gilmore¡¯s attack was. It was like a hammer, hitting a nail twice. These attacks done in quick session would greatly sap his opponent¡¯s stamina due to the power of two blowsbined. This was a passive skill that Gilmore had learned in Elysium which was called ¡°Double sh¡±, allowing him to do double damage with a single sh. However, the skinny Swordsman¡¯s counter to this ability was more interesting. After blocking Gilmore¡¯s attack for the first time, he would skid his sword downwards until it reached the handle of Gilmore¡¯s sword, before using the momentum to counterattack by moving his sword in a hacking motion, forcing his de to descend on Gilmore¡¯s shoulder. Whenever this happened, Gilmore would take a step to move to his right, in order to allow the de to pass briefly by his side, dodging itpletely. A minuteter, both of their swords started to shine, infusing their magical abilities to them, making them sharper and increasing the power of each blow they delivered. Lux was also a Swordsman, but he had to admit thatpared to the two fighters, his sword skills were mediocre. If he didn¡¯t have his crippling disability when he was young, he might have mastered the Kaizer Family¡¯s Sword Art, allowing him to stand toe to toe with the young Swordsmen of his generation whose way with the sword had surpassed most of their peers. ¡°Omnish.¡± As soon as the name of this skill left Gilmore¡¯s lips, his body blurred which made the skinny Swordsman lose sight of him for a brief moment. A secondter, he felt a stinging pain in his back as Gilmore hacked him from behind. A momentter, another sh was delivered to his left shoulder. If not for the fact that he had somehow managed to take a step back, Gilmore¡¯s sword strike might have severed his shoulderpletely. Even so, a centimeter deep cut still ran down from his shoulder to his elbow, causing Keane to grit his teeth, as he blocked the consecutive attacks that followed afterward. All in all, Gilmore delivered six attacks that were too fast, even for Keane to follow. Only his instincts as a Swordsman allowed him to barely block the third up to the sixth blow, avoiding serious injuries to his body. When the blonde Swordsman finished delivering his devastating attack, he reappeared in front of Keane and delivered a sword thrust aimed on the skinny teenager¡¯s chest. A metallic ringing sound spread throughout the surroundings as Keane¡¯s sword deflected Gilmore¡¯s attack, forcing the de to pierce his left shoulder instead. The blonde Swordsman was nning to deliver another deadly thrust but his instincts screamed at him to put some distance between them. Gilmore immediately stepped to his right and backed away in a hurry. A secondter, a three-meter deep cut sliced the arena in half and made the Boar, who was watching from the stands, gasp in shock. Gilmore, as well as the audience, stared at the Swordsman, who was standing straight and holding his sword in his right hand. Its tip was pointed at the ground, right where the deep cut started. His left arm was a bloody mess, but his gaze was still as calm as the surface of theke, untouched by the elements of the world. For some reason, everyone looking at the skinny teenager felt as if his aura had changed. Right now, the presence that Keane was radiating was so sharp that everyone looking at him could feel their skin tingle. Gilmore gave the deep cut on the ground a side-long nce before shifting his attention to his opponent. He had already known that his opponent was strong, but he never expected that the skinny swordsman¡¯s mastery of the sword to be able to cut the arena cleanly in half. ¡°So, you finally decided to get serious,¡± Gilmore stated. Keane shifted his attention to him as a bitter smile appeared on his face. He had done his best to hold back, but doing that against an opponent as strong as Gilmore was a stupid thing to do. ¡°I guess ending this battle peacefully was never an option,¡± Keane replied. ¡°I still have a long way to go before I reach my ideal.¡± Keane sighed in his heart as he pointed his sword towards his opponent. ¡®Forgive me, Master,¡¯ Keane thought as he prepared to fight with the Sword Skills that had been engraved in his body through constant training he had received his Master since he was young. ¡®It seems that I still have many things to learn about how the outside world works.¡¯ Keane mused as another sigh escaped his lips. ¡°I need to find my version of peace, and in order to do that I must first sweep away the obstacles that block my way. That¡¯s right, I need to start with you first.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being quite talkative for a duel to the death,¡± Gilmore replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t your Master ever tell you not to do that?¡± The blonde Swordsman took a step and reappeared in front of Keane, who moved his sword to meet his attack as if he had predicted where GIlmore would strike him. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Keane replied as he gazed at his opponent who was hell-bent on striking him down. ¡°My Master taught me a lot of things, and one of them was¡­ in the face of someone who wants you dead, Peace will never be an option. Since that is the case, I will no longer try to settle this matter peacefully.¡± Yes. He no longer wanted to settle this match peacefully. Since his opponent was someone who was determined to win, he could only answer his determination with his own, and teach him that even someone as peace-loving as him, knew how to draw his sword with the intent to kill. Chapter 243 Peace Will Never Be An Option [Part 2] Grand Void. This was the sword skill that Keane¡¯s Master had perfected over the years. The first form of this skill was called Splitting Trees. The moment that his thumb pushed the hilt of his sword up, and allowed his de to peek out of its sheath, trees would be split apart in half. The Second Form of this sword skill was called Splitting the Land. When the de left its sheath, a deep gash, that ran dozens of meters in length and several meters deep, would appear in the ground in front of him. The Third Form was Splitting The River. With a single, quick sh, the raging water of the river would be cut in half, creating a passage that would allow anyone to traverse it. The Fourth Form was Splitting a Hill, this attack would effectively slice a hill in half, in any way he¡¯d like to have it cut. These were the four Basic Forms of the Grand Void Sword Style. What followed next were the advance forms namely, Splitting the Clouds, Splitting the Mountains, Splitting the Sea, Splitting the Firmament, Splitting the World, andstly, Splitting the Void. Keane¡¯s Master could do all of these, which had allowed him to walk thends unhindered, even though he was only a High-Ranker and not a Saint. His Master had also earned a title among the High-Rankers. His peers called him ¡°The Void¡±, out of respect and fear for his insane sword skills. When this powerful individual chose Keane to be his disciple, he was amazed because not only was the boy a genius in the way of the sword, he was also capable of analyzing any sword art and fusing it to his own. Keane had even formed his own sword style which he called ¡°Universal Peace.¡± Keane said, with as much seriousness as a seventeen-year-old could muster, that the moment he perfected this Sword Style, a Universal Peace would fall upon the world. Keane¡¯s Master had no doubt that his disciple would surpass him in the future. A part of him was even looking forward to thepletion of this Sword Style, which would usher in a new era of peace upon the territories that were under Keane¡¯s protection. ¡°Let me give you a warning,¡± Gilmore said. ¡°My sword has the chaotic attribute. I know that you are now feeling its effects, which dampens the cirction of your mana and blood flow. Even though it¡¯s not life threatening, it can still put you out ofmission for several months if you have a weak constitution. ¡°So, if you n to go all out, now is the right time for it. In a few minutes, I will assure you that you will be unable to raise that sword that you wield in your dominant hand.¡± In all honesty, Gilmore didn¡¯t have any obligation to tell Keane one of the attributes of his Pseudo-Legendary Weapon. The reason he told his opponent this was because he had recognized Keane as a Master Swordsman. As someone who was also treading the path to be a Sword Saint, Gilmore didn¡¯t want his opponent to think that he used dirty tactics to win against him. A sword was just a sword. It was a means to an end, and it was a weapon bestowed upon him by his father, the King, on his eighteen birthday, as recognition of his strength and abilities. ¡°Thank you,¡± Keane replied. ¡°I will also give you fair warning. I am going to get serious. I will apologize in advance if I identally kill you.¡± Gilmore smiled and nodded his head. He knew that Keane wasn¡¯t lying. This was another reason why he recognized him as an opponent that he wanted to defeat using all of his might. Keane¡¯s vision was starting to be blurry because of the chaotic mana flow and blood flow that was rampaging over his body. He was hurting all over, and he understood that he needed to end the battle in one swift strike that would defeat the strong opponent in front of him. The skinny teenager returned his sword inside its sheathe in a quick, and elegant manner, like he had done countless times in the past. His aura surged around his body, making the ground under his feet shatter, causing dirt, and rocks to rise upwards. Gilbert held his sword with both of his hands and took a striking pose. He also unleashed his aura and prepared for onest strike that would end this battle. The blonde Swordsman¡¯s sword style was called the Azure Sky Sword Style. It was a sword style that relied on quick and deadly attacks to end his opponent. Seeing that his opponent wanted to end the battle with his finishing move, Gilmore decided to pit his own finishing move against Keane¡¯s, to prove to himself that he was stronger than him. The audience quieted down as tension filled the air. No one dared to disturb the two fighters who were about to end the battle any moment from now. Even the chatty boar had closed its lips as it focused its eyes on the skinny Swordsman, whom it called Little Swordy. Judge Dredd, Bruno, as well as the other Rankers and High-Rankers in the Coliseum watched with great interest for the final oue of the battle between two peak Swordsmen of the young generation. Lux took out a coin from his pocket and flicked it towards the arena. For some reason, he felt like the two swordsmen were waiting for a signal to unleash their attacks at the same time, so he decided to be the one to give them what they wanted. As soon as the coin fell on the ground, Keane unsheathed his sword, while Gilmore shed down. ¡°Brilliance!¡± ¡°Spectral sh!¡± The moment these two attacks were unleashed, the entire arena was covered in a blinding light, forcing those whose Ranks weren¡¯t high enough to see through the radiance to cover their eyes. The Boar and Lux reluctantly covered their eyes because the brilliance was too piercing, even for them. Both of them felt that if they continued to look, even a moment longer, a sword would stab their eyes and make them go blind due to how sharp and powerful the two attacks were. When the light receded, only one young man stood in the arena, while the other was on the ground, lying in a pool of blood. With a silent victorious roar, the young man raised his sword towards the heavens, as if dering his victory. On that day, two swordsmen fought, and only one emerged as the winner. It was a battle that would be remembered as one of the greatest highlights of the Lionheart Tournament for many years toe. Chapter 244 Easy Peasy Judge Dredd approached the young man who had raised his sword towards the heavens to dere his victory. ¡°Winner! Keane!¡± Cheers rang out from the stadium while the skinny young man released a deep sigh before copsing in Judge Dredd¡¯s arms. The Clerics who were waiting at the scene immediately rushed to treat the two Swordsmen who had awed everyone with their superb swordsmanship. Even those who thought badly of the Four Kings didn¡¯t say anything bad towards Gilmore, whoid unconscious on the ground. He had fought wonderfully as one of the strongest members of the young generation, and no one would fault him for losing in such an amazing match. ¡°I¡¯m so proud,¡± the Boar wiped the tears in its eyes. ¡°I was the one who raised Little Swordy since he was young. This fight makes me very satisfied as a parent.¡± The contestants who heard the shameless Boar¡¯s statements couldn¡¯t stop their lips from twitching. Clearly, someone was taking credit for something it obviously didn¡¯t do, making everyone who heard it despise the Boar, who imed that it was the one who raised the Mysterious Swordsman, who had sessfully be one of the Elite Four that would enter the Semifinals. Today was thest day of the intra-division battles, and whoever won their matches today would immediately advance to the Semifinals. ¡°My match is next,¡± the Boar said in an arrogant tone. ¡°Watch me win this match easy peasy.¡± ¡°I will light a candle for you and put a flower on your grave,¡± Lux replied as he watched the Boar walk down the tform that led towards the arena. The Boar didn¡¯t even bother to turn its head because it didn¡¯t want to hear any bullsh*t before its match. The audienceughed when they saw the Boaring up on the stage. In truth, none of the audience expected this creature to advance to the Final Division Battle due to itsckluster performance. Its opponent was one of the Five Overlords, but it looked at its adversary fearlessly with the ¡°Never Say Die, and Never Surrender¡± expression on its face. Judge Dredd nced at the two fighters, and asked them if both of them were ready. ¡°I was born ready!¡± the Boar dered as it arrogantly raised its snout towards the sky. Judge Dredd nodded his head before looking at the Boar¡¯s opponent. ¡°How about you?¡± Judge Dredd inquired. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°I concede this match,¡± the young man who had several tattoos stered on his body said with a firm and steady voice. The audience, who was waiting for a good fight, thought that they were mishearing things. This match was important since the winner would immediately be one of the Elite Four, yet one of the Five Overlords, who was one of the seeded participants, conceded to the Boar, who was clearly no match for him. ¡°Um, are you sure?¡± Judge Dredd asked just to be sure. ¡°Since the fight hasn¡¯t started, you can still change your mind.¡± ¡°I will not change my mind,¡± the young man replied. ¡°I will concede this match.¡± Without another word, the young man turned around and left, leaving a dumbfounded Judge Dredd behind. The Boar, who had just won its match because its opponent conceded, sighed. ¡°He understood that he didn¡¯t stand a chance against me, so he decided to concede as soon as he could,¡± the Boar said with a smug look on his face. ¡°Such an admirable warrior. I¡¯m sure that the heavens will bless him. Um, referee¡­ can you dere my win now? I mean, there are still other matches, right? I don¡¯t want to get med by dying their fights¡­¡± Judge Dredd nced at the Boar before shifting his gaze at Bruno who was seated in the Supervisor¡¯s seat of honor. Bruno could only shrug, which meant that he didn¡¯t see anything wrong with the fighter¡¯s decision to concede. ¡°The winner for this match is Cai!¡± Judge Dredd announced, making the Boar walk out of the arena with its snout raised high. Lux, who was standing on the tform with the other contestants, was just as confused as everyone else. He didn¡¯t know why one of the Five Overlords would forfeit his match against the annoying Boar, whose only redeeming points were its appetite and chatty mouth. A few minutester, the said Boar returned to the viewing tform with a smug expression on its face. ¡°Maaaaan, I told you I would win my match easy peasy,¡± the Boar bragged as soon as it stood beside Lux. ¡°I¡¯m so amazing, right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Lux replied as he nced at the chubby boar, who was humming happily beside him. ¡°Did you bribe your opponent? Did you threaten his family? What kind of ck magic did you use against him?¡± All the contestants¡¯ ears perked up after hearing Lux¡¯s questions. They also felt that the oue of the match was very suspicious, so they decided to eavesdrop on the two chubbyrades who were seen together all the time. ¡°Bribe? Threatened? Used Dark Magic?¡± the Boar asked with disdain. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m that rich, intimidating, and magically blessed to make my opponent concede without even fighting me? Just who do you think I am?¡± ¡°A thick-headed, shameless pig, who only knows how to eat pork dishes.¡± ¡°Absolute nder. Isn¡¯t that cannibalism? Hey, I¡¯m a vegetarian. I only eat healthy foods like vegetables and potatoes. Clearly, my opponent knew that I was superior to him, so instead of being hurt and humiliated by me, he decided to cut his losses short and admit defeat. This is a very noble thing to do, and I can understand his hesitation to fight me. I mean, I¡¯m that awesome, you know?¡± Lux rolled his eyes at the shameless braggart beside him and just focused his attention on the next match. It was Nero¡¯s turn to fight, and Lux had always been interested in seeing how his rival fought, so he could observe his fighting styles and abilities. ¡®He is going to fight thest King that belongs to their group of elites,¡¯ Lux thought. ¡®I hope that I will see some of his trump cards before we sh in the Semifinals.¡¯ Lux firmly believed that Nero would not lose his match, even if he was fighting against one of the Kings of the younger generation. That was how highly the Half-Elf thought of his opponent, who had looked down on him ever since they had gotten to know each other. As if waiting for that moment, Nero entered the arena, bathing in the cheers of the people that hade to watch him fight. His walk was calm and steady, and he was radiating a confident aura from his body. Clearly, he was sure that he would emerge victorious from this battle. After stepping to the center of the arena, he raised his head to look at the tform where Iris was currently seated. He didn¡¯t say anything and simply stared in the youngdy¡¯s direction for half a minute before shifting his gaze to his opponent who had entered the arena. The brown-haired boy who hade from amoner¡¯s household now stood on the greatest stage meant for the strongest individuals in the six kingdoms. This was the thing that he had strived for the past few years of his life so, now that he was here, he had no intention of letting others take the spotlight. ¡°Showoff,¡± Lux muttered as he narrowed his eyes on the young man, who was trying to score brownie points with his step-sister, who only had eyes for her step-brother. Lux knew that no matter what happened, he must win against the young man who now had everyone¡¯s attention. He would fight and win not only for the blue-haired beauty whom he cared deeply for, but also for his past self, who had long longed to stand on the same stage as the brown-haired young man that stood before him. Chapter 245 Overlord Versus King Nero looked at the young man with curly dark-brown hair and green eyes, who was also looking at him with a calm expression. He was none other than thest King of the younger generation, Ackley, who was proficient in using the Earth Element. Just like Gilmore, he was also a member of a Royal Family that belonged to one of the Six Kingdoms that supported Barbatos Academy. ¡°The moment I saw your name on the list in my Division, I knew that the two of us would meet in the final match,¡± Ackley said. ¡°I had the same thought,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I knew that you would be myst opponent before I stepped into the Semifinals.¡± ¡°You¡¯re that confident in winning, eh?¡± ¡°But of course.¡± Ackley smiled because he had known Nero for a very long time. He knew that the young man in front of him had the qualifications to be arrogant, even if he was up against a Prince from one of the Six Kingdoms. ¡°Well, then, I hope you will give me a good fight,¡± Ackley stated. Nero didn¡¯t reply and only smirked. Words no longer mattered, and only their fists would do the talking. Judge Dredd, who was officiating the match, nced at the two fighters who seemed to have finished their little chat. ¡°Are both of you ready?¡± Judge Dredd asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Judge Dredd nodded and raised his arms. ¡°Battle Start!¡± Ackley stomped his right foot on the ground and immediately, his entire body was covered in a rocky armor that increased his defense many fold. Nero, on the other hand, mmed his fists together, creating a powerful spark that enveloped his entire body. A momentter, a silver-blue armor set with tendrils of lightning crawling all over its surface could be seen on his body. Ackley stomped the ground a second time and several rocks, the size of an adult¡¯s head, flew towards Nero. Judge Dredd, who was watching the match from the side, sighed internally. ¡®Why do you kids always have to destroy the arena? Don¡¯t you know how much it costs to always repair it every time your battles are over?¡¯ In the earlier match, the Earth Mages had to work together in order to fix the stage that had been cut in half by Keane¡¯s sword sh. Fortunately, the cut was quite clean, so the mages only needed to fill the gap with Earth Magic, and reinforce it several times, before it got Bruno¡¯s, who was the final decision maker of the matches, approval to be used again. Despite Judge Dredd woes, his gaze was still fixed on the two fighters who were fighting inside the arena. Nero was moving around, evading Ackley¡¯s attacks, while thetter stood firmly in ce, unleashing a barrage of Earth Magic at his opponent. Several lightning bolts descended upon the Earth Magician, but thetter only summoned rocky pirs to block the barrage of long-ranged attacks that Nero was hurling at him. ¡°Earth has very strong defensive properties, while Lightning has a very strong offensive power,¡± Lux muttered. ¡®Right now, Ackley has the advantage, but his attacks aren¡¯t able to touch Nero due to his quick movements.¡¯ Nero tried several times to get close to Ackley, but whenever he did, several three-meter Earth Spikes would shoot up from the ground, stopping him in his tracks. ncing at his surroundings, Nero started to increase his speed, going around Ackley and trying to look for his blindspot. Ackley knew what Nero was doing, so he decided to use one of his Trump Cards called ¡°One with the Earth¡±. The young man that was covered with rocky armor merged with the arena until he disappearedpletely. At that exact moment, a giant hand made up of rock materialized in the air and swatted down on Nero from his blindspot. As if sensing the attack behind his back, Nero cloaked himself with lightning and shot towards the sky like an arrow in flight,pletely evading the giant hand behind him. Nero hovered dozens of meters above the ground and raised both of his arms. Dark clouds appeared and blocked the clear, blue sky from view. Clearly, he had summoned a lightning cloud to aid him in his battle. The High-Rankers, who were observing the battle, frowned when they realized that the lightning they saw shing amidst the dark clouds was ck. This was no ordinary lightning, and those who had seen it in the past looked at Nero with a nod of satisfaction. A momentter, a loud thunder p reverberated in the surroundings before several ck lightning bolts descended upon Nero¡¯s body. ¡°Abyss Lightning Bolt!¡± Nero roared and a giant ck lightning bolt descended on one specific point in the arena. A few secondster, Ackley emerged from the ground. With a nce, everyone could tell that parts of his armor were destroyed, and his left shoulder had a big, ck burn mark on it. The smell of burning flesh reached Judge Dredd¡¯s senses, making him frown. ¡®Abyss Lightning from the Abyss Monsters,¡¯ Judge Dredd thought. ¡®That is one nasty ability.¡¯ Most Abyss skills could prate through the hardest defenses and deal significant damage to their foes. While Nero¡¯s ck lightning bolt could bypass any defensive abilities, the damage that it could deal to its target would be reduced by half. Even so, he could easily rain ck lightning bolts on his opponent until they were burned to a crisp with his long-ranged attacks. Lux, who had experienced how strong Abyssal Monsters were, now had a serious expression on his face. Since Nero had acquired this Abyssal ability, it also meant that he had fought against one of them. The Half-Elf was right in his assumption. During one of Nero¡¯s expeditions, he had stumbled upon a Rank 4 Abyssal Creature who specialized in casting long-ranged lightning bolts. After much hardship, his guild managed to defeat it and acquire its Beast Core, which was prized for the amazing skills that one could acquire from them. Since Nero was the Guild Master, he was able to get the Beast Core without too much resistance from his guild mates, allowing him to learn the skill, ck Lightning, whichplimented his other lightning based attacks. Lux observed the battle with a critical eye and paid extra attention to the intervals at which Nero could fire his lightning bolts consecutively. He was looking for any kind of loophole that he could exploit, but after five minutes of observation, he wasn¡¯t able to see anything that he could use to his advantage. After the match had dragged out for another twenty minutes, Ackley finally surrendered after being repeatedly attacked by the ck Lightning, which rendered his defense useless. Neronded on the ground and gave a salute towards Iris¡¯ VIP tform before leaving the arena. The crowd cheered and apuded the winner of the battle, and some of the girls even giggled after seeing the good-looking-teenager¡¯s performance of saluting the youngdy, who was hugging the handsome Half-Elf beside her. In terms of looks, Lux was clearly superior, but when it came to fighting prowess, Nero reigned supreme. At least, this was what Alicia thought as she nced in the chubby boy¡¯s direction, who was going to fight in the arena next. Keane, Cai, and Nero, had now entered the Semifinals. Only one spot remained, and Lux would be able to im thatst spot, only if he won his match against thest of the Five Overlords, who was said to be as strong as Nero. Chapter 246 Deadly Beauty [Part 1] Lux gazed at the blue-haired teenager who was not as handsome as him. Although he was fairly good looking, the Half-Elf felt that his opponent was a bit of a narcissist because he kept on admiring himself in the mirror, whilebing his hair in the middle of the arena. ¡°Um, can we start?¡± Judge Dredd asked the blue-haired teenager with an impatient look on his face. ¡°Just another minute,¡± the blue-haired teenager said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m almost done.¡± Judge Dredd sighed, as he gave Lux a nce. The blue-haired teenager had beenbing his hair for five minutes, and some of the people were starting to get impatient because of this. Lux only shrugged after seeing Judge Dredd¡¯s gaze, which meant that he didn¡¯t mind even if his opponent took a little longer to prepare his hair before they started to fight. Vaki Meitar, Vall for short. This was the name of Lux¡¯s opponent, and one of the Five Overlords. He had seen his battle once, and Lux assumed that Vall¡¯s battlestyle was somewhat simr to his Grandma Vera¡¯s. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting,¡± Vall said as he faced Lux with a confident smile on his face. ¡°We can start the battle now.¡± Lux nodded, and Judge Dredd raised both of his hands to dere the start of the battle. ¡°Battle Start!¡± When the order for the battle started, Lux summoned his two golems, Orion and another Rock Golem, at the same time. A momentter, the second Rock Golem charged at Vall, while Orion pressed his hand over the arena to make the ground shake fiercely. Vall calmly observed this as if he was just a spectator and not a contestant fighting inside the arena. Even though the arena was shaking badly, he remained standing as if his feet had been nailed on the ground, preventing him from losing his bnce. When the Golem was only a few meters away from him, Vall waved his hand and the Rock Golem came to aplete halt. Silver strings had wrapped around the Golem¡¯s body, restricting its movements and preventing it from moving. ¡°Ugly things are not worth my time,¡± Vall dered. A momentter he made a cutting motion with his right hand, and the Rock Golem was sliced up into dozens of pieces by the silver strings that were as sharp as adamantium swords. Vall then smirked before running towards Lux and Orion, who was still manipting the arena to make it shake. As if he was skating on ice, Vall traversed the arena with ease, waving his hands fluidly and elegantly, like a maestro directing an orchestra to y a masterpiece. ¡°I have been paying close attention to you, My Daddy,¡± Vall said as he circled around Lux and Orion with a smile stered on his handsome face. ¡°Even after disying several powerful abilities, I have a feeling that you still have many aces under your sleeve. Care to show them to me?¡± Lux didn¡¯t answer, and ordered Orion to smash his fist on the arena, causing Earth Spikes to jut out of the ground, forcing Vall to distance himself from them. ¡°How rude, I was just asking questions,¡± Vallmented in a teasing tone. ¡°No matter. I will see it for myself, isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Orion?¡± Lux, who was paying close attention to Vall¡¯s movements, suddenly jumped to his right side and rolled on the ground. A secondter, a loud smashing sound reached his ears, as his Named Creature, Orion, tried to smash him with his fist. Before Lux could even take a breather, the Rock Golem roared as it tried to stop himself from attacking his Master, but his body wasn¡¯t cooperating with him. ¡°Nice set of skills you have here, Mr. Orion,¡± Vall stated. ¡°Now, let him have a taste of your Gaia Smash!¡± Orion jumped into the air and prepared to unleash his strongest attack on his own Master, who was looking at the blue-haired teenager with a serious expression on his face. When the Rock Golem¡¯s fist was about to hit the chubby teenager, he instantly vanished in the air as he was forcefully unsummoned by his Master. Now that the Rock Golem was gone, Vall could no longer manipte anything to attack Lux, or so he thought. Without any warning, Lux¡¯s right hand moved by itself and punched his face, making him grimace in pain. Vall chuckled as he waved his arms left and right, controlling Lux¡¯s left and right hands as he manipted them to continuously punch their own body¡¯s face. ¡°How does it feel to get punched by your own two hands?¡± Vall inquired as he continued to manipte Lux to give himself a beating. ¡°Are you enjoying it?¡± Lux didn¡¯t answer, instead he kept on punching himself repeatedly, making Vall chuckle in amusement. However, the smile on Vall¡¯s face disappeared when he felt that something was amiss. Lux just kept on punching himself repeatedly, and yet, thetter hadn¡¯t uttered a single word since the battle had started. Vall¡¯s ability was to conjure strings. He could extend them for several miles, and use them to shred, slice, hack, bind, and even manipte his opponents as long as the right conditions were met. Even Nero was very wary of Vall¡¯s ability because once he started to infuse his mana into his strings, they turned invisible, preventing anyone from seeing them. One could even say that Vall was every Summoner¡¯s, or Beast Tamer¡¯s, nightmare. Once he had attached his strings to their creatures, their Masters could only helplessly watch as their own creatures would attack them without any mercy. It was at that moment when a rocky hand grabbed Vall¡¯s leg from the ground and held it in a vice grip. The blue-haired teenager didn¡¯t panic and simply waved his hand in a slicing motion, cutting off the rocky arm with the strings in his hands. A secondter, he felt himself moving uncontrobly towards his right, where Orion had materialized. The Rock Golem had used its taunting skill, Duel [EX], to force Vall to exchange a blow with him. Naturally, the Rock Golem nned to use one of his strongest attacks, and it was none other than the Jackhammer, that could easily smash giant boulders with ease. ¡°Impertinent creature!¡± Vall shouted as he made a crisscrossing gesture with his hands. Orion¡¯s hand was cut off from its body, preventing it from dealing a devastating blow to his opponent. But, before Vall could even celebrate, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as a powerful Dragon Breath collided with his back, which mmed him against the barrier of the arena and held him there until the duration of the attack ended. Lux emerged from the ground, with smoke rising up from his mouth. He had timed his attack perfectly, hoping that it would put an end to his opponent, but it was not enough to defeat the blue-haired teenager, who had wrapped his body with the silky threads that were as tough as the strongest armors. ¡°You almost got me there, chubby boy,¡± Vall said as he wiped away the blood that had seeped out of the corner of his lips. ¡°Good thing, I prepared my String Armor just for you.¡± The smell of strings burning permeated the arena, as Vall endured the pain on his back. Although he had survived Lux¡¯s sneak attack from behind, the armor that he had weaved a day ago was burned to a crisp. Fortunately for him, he was also wearing additional armor that mitigated most of the damage he received from Lux¡¯s Dragon Breath. ¡°I see, so that one is only a clone,¡± Vallmented as he looked at the clone that was still punching its face left and right. ¡°Well yed. But, you have wasted your only opportunity to defeat me.¡± Vall raised both of his hands, and the entire arena was covered in a dome made of strings that looked just like a spiderweb. The handsome teenager¡¯s face started to contort before his entire body was wrapped up in a silver cocoon. A few secondster, the cocoon broke apart and a giant, Alpha-Ranked Elegant Golden Jumping Spider, appeared in front of Lux. The three-meter tall Alpha Spider emitted an ear-piercing shriek which showed how much the chubby teenager had infuriated it. The handsome-blue haired teenager was gone, and what had reced him was a monstrosity, which would give anyone a nightmare the moment theyid their eyes on it. Vaki Meitar. One of the Five Overlords, and was said to be just as strong as Nero, had finally shown his true colors. The Boar, who was watching from the tform, shuddered as it looked at the colorful, yet deadly, Jumping Spider, which was a Rank 4 Alpha Monster. It was a creature that had long been recognized as something that a Grade A Apostle couldn¡¯t possibly fight on his own. Nero, who was watching from the contestants tform, sneered as he looked at the chubby teenager who was facing death directly in the face. The brown-haired boy admitted that if he was the one fighting Vall, he would have no choice but to use everything in his power to beat him in his spider form. ¡®You should have defeated him while you still had the chance,¡¯ Nero chuckled internally as he looked at the giant Jumping Spider encircling the chubby boy, while spewing silky spider threads in the surroundings. He knew that unless Lux had a way to overpower his opponent, his chances of beating Vall once hepleted his ughter Domain was as good as zero. That was how powerful Vall was in his Beast Form, and even the Kings of the Younger Generation, didn¡¯t want to mess with him and left the narcissistic, and handsome, blue-haired teenager alone. Chapter 247 Deadly Beauty [Part 2] After getting hit by Lux¡¯s Dragon Breath, Vall immediately took on his Arachnid Form in order to recover faster from the injuries that he had received. The Half-Elf gazed at his opponent with a serious expression on his face, somewhat regretting turning off the effect of his newly acquired skill, Abyss Touch. As much as possible, Lux didn¡¯t want to kill anyone in the tournament, so he hesitated using strong attacks like Dragon Breath, while under the effect of Abyss Touch. If this ability of his had been active, there was a high chance that Vall would suffer grievous injuries or, in the worst case scenario, die due to hisst attack. ¡®I guess it¡¯s time to get serious as well,¡¯ Lux thought. Immediately, Lux¡¯s body was covered from head to foot with dark-green armor. It was none other than the Favonius Legacy, which had been bestowed upon him by Cedwyn before he left Leaf Vige. ¡ª¨C < Favonius Legacy, The Heirloom of the West > (Degraded Pseudo-Demigod Armor) Rarity: Mythical (Degraded) Requirements: Must gain the recognition of Favonius¡¯ Will. ¨C This armor was once worn by a Saint. However, due to the passing of hundreds of years, the armor has degraded to the Mythical Rank. ¨C After its rank degraded, the stats of this armor also degraded. In order to restore the armor to its former glory, you will need the help of a Saint-Ranked cksmith. ¨C Only those that had been recognized by the will of Favonius can wield this armor set. ¨C This armor is Soulbound to Lux Von Kaizer. ¨C This armor can be worn by any Creature under yourmand. +20 to all stats +300 to Defense. ¨C 50% Resistant to Wind Element ¨C While this armor is equipped, the wearer will gain the ability to fly. ¨C While this armor is equipped, the wearer will gain the ability to use the skill ¡°Sky-High Rush¡±. ¨C While this armor is equipped, the wearer will gain the ability to use the skill ¡°Gale Storm.¡± Active Skills: Razor Wind, eleration Charge. Passive Skills: Levitation, Auto Fit Title: Favored by the Wind. ¡ª- < Razor Wind > (10 Mana) ¨C Send razor-sharp wind des at your target that deals +100 Wind Elemental Damage. ¡ª¡ª- < eleration Charge > ¨C Increase flying speed by 100% ¡ª¡ª- < Levitation > ¨C The wearer of this armor can hover up to two meters above the ground. ¨C This passive skill can be turned on and off. ¡ª¡ª- < Favored by the Wind > ¨C The effect of Wind Elemental Damage, or skills, will increase by 20% ¨C Thrice a day, you may cast the skill, Healing Wind. ¡ª¡ª- < Healing Wind > ¨C Restores 20% of the Maximum Health Points of everyone that is within a two-hundred meter radius of the wearer of this armor. ¡ª¨C ¡®This is not enough,¡¯ Lux thought as he turned on his passive skill, Tempest Fury, that he had disabled before the start of the battle. ¡ª¡ª < Tempest Fury > (Can be switched On and Off at any given time) ¨C Any weapon that the user wields will be enchanted by the wind element, making it sharper, and able to deal additional Wind Elemental Damage. ¨C This Skill is applied to unarmedbat as well. Punches and kicks will be imbued by the power of wind, and deal additional Wind Elemental Damage. ¨C This Skill is also applied to ranged attacks, including arrows, throwing knives, throwing axes, darts, or any projectile weapons that the user wields. ¨C Adds +100 Wind Elemental Damage to all attacks by the user. ¡ª¨C A gust of wind blew around Lux¡¯s body as invisible threads of wind swirled around his arms and legs. The High-Rankers amongst the audience in the coliseum could faintly see something simr to small tornadoes swirling around Lux¡¯s arms and legs, This passive skill was a perfect pair with the Favonius Legacy Set because anything with the Wind Element was empowered by the Mythical Armor. The Boar, Nero, as well as the other contestants, looked at the chubby boy¡¯s armor that they were seeing for the first time. ¡°So, you still have a few tricks under your sleeves,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°But will that be enough against your opponent? I highly doubt it.¡± Vall, who was paying close attention to Lux¡¯s movements, was unfazed by his armor. Although he could tell that it wasn¡¯t something simple, he firmly believed that no one could overpower him inside the arena as long as he was in his Arachnid Form. The Giant Jumping Spider then began to jump around the Arena, as it weaved a silky web of death around the chubby teenager who had dared to hurt him earlier. The near-invisible threads criss-crossed against each other before descending upon Lux. Seeing that his opponent was hell-bent on cutting him into ribbons, he hastily levitated above the ground, barely evading them by a hair¡¯s breadth. The razor-sharp threads then sliced up the ground around the chubby teenager, turning it into cubes, making those who saw it gasp in shock. ¡°eleration Charge,¡± Lux stated and his flying speed increased, allowing him to evade the countless silky threads that were being weaved around him by the Jumping Spider, whose movements had also increased dramatically. Left with no choice, Lux flew towards the sky in the hope to evade Vall¡¯s dogged attacks. Suddenly, Lux felt something tug at his foot, preventing him from flying higher. When one of Vall¡¯s silky threads managed to grab hold of the chubby boy¡¯s foot, he used this opportunity to drag the other party back towards the ground with a vengeance. ¡°Razor Wind!¡± Lux made a shing motion with his hand, and a wind de cut off the thread that bound his leg, allowing him to break free from Vall¡¯s hold. After distancing himself from his opponent, Lux was nning to unleash a barrage of Wind des towards the persistent spider when he noticed something bizarre. The Jumping Spider was jumping in the air, using the silky threads as a means to propel himself higher. Clearly, he didn¡¯t want to let Lux have the advantage in aerialbat. Vall lunged at Lux with his jaws open wide. His movement was almost like a blur, but thanks to the power of the Wind Element, Lux was able to predict where Vall was going to hit him, so he managed to evade the attack just in time. Unknown to him, this was part of Vall¡¯s n in order to gain a higher altitude than Lux so he could initiate one of his Trump Cards. After emitting another ear-piercing shriek, the Giant Spider unleashed a torrent of silver threads, encapsting the entirety of the arena in a dome-like structure. This special ability was something that Vall used to permanently trap his opponent, so he could slowly whittle them to death. Only people who had stepped into the Initiate Rank could break past the deadly dome that he just created. The threads covering the entire arena were more than capable of slicing anything that went through it like knife cutting through butter. Vall stood at the very top of the spider¡¯s web, while looking down on the chubby, flying insect, who was doing his best to not get tangled up in his spider webs. Nero, who was watching Lux¡¯s futile struggle,ughed in his heart, knowing that this was the same move that almost defeated him when he fought against Vall several months ago because of a conflict in Elysium. The only reason he managed to escape was due to his inherent lightning abilities that allowed him to flee the moment he realized that he was about to be put inside a silky cage, whose owner was known for his narcissistic and sadistic tendencies. As the minutes ticked by, Lux finally understood that the more he dyed the battle, the thicker the cage became. Right now, the audience was having a hard time seeing what was happening inside the arena because of the thick webs that blocked their view. ¡®Fine, since you are so adamant on going all out, I¡¯ll do the same,¡¯ Lux thought as he stood at the center of the arena. A faint crackling sound spread in the arena as Lux activated the skill, Abyss Touch [EX]. Since his opponent was doing its best to keep him inside the cage, then he would just attack the cage and its Master at the same time with one of the most deadly attacks in his arsenal infused with the Abyss Touch skill. ¡°Dragon War Art Ninth Form!¡± Lux roared as an image of a Red Dragon appeared above him. ¡°Draco-Meteor!¡± Chapter 248 Deadly Beauty [Part 3] ¡°Dragon War Art Ninth Form!¡± Lux roared as an image of a Red Dragon appeared above him. ¡°Draco-Meteor!¡± The Giant Spider, that was resting on the top of the Spider Web, felt the hairs on its entire body stand on end. A momentter, several fireballs materialized from above, then descended upon its silky home. The moment the fireballs made contact with the spider threads, they were immediately ignited, and the red mes started to spread like wildfire. A pain-filled shriek reverberated in the arena as the mes reached the Giant Spider¡¯s Body, breaking past its defenses, and burning it from within. The smell of burning flesh and threads reached everyone¡¯s nose, as thick smoke spread across the coliseum, covering everyone¡¯s sight. Alexander, who was standing at the highest seat of honor, stood up and waved his hand. Immediately, the smoke dispersed, and everyone was able to see the giant spider, whose entire body was burning like crazy. Its shriek, which was filled with pain, anger, frustration, and unwillingness, was like music to Lux¡¯s ears. The mes that were burning its body, as well as its spider web, were made up of mes infused with the power of the Abyss Touch. After a minute, its giant body crashed down to the ground like a burning meteor. Judge Dredd and Bruno, who were the official judges of the battle, immediately appeared in the arena and extinguished the mes on the Giant Spider¡¯s body. ¡°Medics!¡± Bruno shouted. ¡°Emergency Aid, now!¡± As if finally broken out of their daze, the Clerics, as well as the other healers of Barbatos Academy, rushed towards the arena and simultaneously cast their healing spells on the twitching spider, who seemed to be just a step away from going to the afterlife. Lux, who was responsible for this scene, could feel the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead. He didn¡¯t expect the Giant Jumping Spider, who was as strong as an Rank 4 Alpha Monster, to almost turn into a barbecued spider, after receiving one of Lux¡¯s strongest Draconic Attacks. ¡®The Abyss Touch is something that I should use in moderation,¡¯ Lux thought as he stared at the spider who was being treated by all the Clerics and Life Mages that belonged to Barbatos Academy. Judge Dredd and Bruno nced at each other before shifting their gaze at the chubby teenager who was still covered in his dark-green armor. Neither of them could believe that someone had been able to deal this much damage against Vall who clearly had the advantage in the match. As High-Rankers, they were familiar with the skill, Dragon Meteor, because it was an ability that Elder Dragons, especially Red Dragons, used whenever powerful trespassers entered their Domain. ¡®Is he a Dragonborn?¡¯ Judge Dredd asked Bruno using an artifact that allowed them to talk via telepathy. ¡®I don¡¯t know, but whoever he is, he will definitely be in everyone¡¯s crosshairs from this moment onwards,¡¯ Bruno replied. ¡®Dredd, it is time to announce the winner of this match.¡¯ Judge Dredd nodded and walked towards Lux who was standing not far from them. ¡°Winner! My Daddy!¡± Right after Judge Dredd announced the winner of the battle, the audience stood from their seats and apuded with all of their might. Their resounding cheers descended upon the arena, causing Lux to break out from his daze. ¡°¡±¡±My Daddy!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡±¡±My Daddy!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡±¡±My Daddy!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡±¡±My Daddy!¡±¡±¡± The audience chanted Lux¡¯s alias repeatedly, making Iris and Eiko, who was currently imitating the Half-Elf, join the chant as well. The Boar¡¯s eyes sparkled as it looked at the chubby teenger on the arena. In truth, it had decided that Lux had lost the moment the entire stadium was covered with spider threads. It didn¡¯t expect that those same spider threads that had trapped its friend would only serve as the fuel to barbecue the Giant Spider, who had now reverted to his original form. The Clerics immediately carried the unconscious, and naked boy, who had suddenly turned bald after being exposed to the searing mes that burned his entire body, away from the arena. Nero, who was watching this scene, clicked his tongue in annoyance. Just like the boar, he had alsobeled Lux as the loser of the match. However, beyond his wildest dreams, thetter was able to reverse the situation to his advantage and win the battle, advancing to the Semi-Finals. ¡®No matter,¡¯ Nero thought as he gave Lux onest nce before leaving the arena. ¡®I will crush anyone that gets in my way. The champion of this tournament will be no one but me.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª Half an hour after Lux¡¯s victory in the arena¡­ ¡°You didn¡¯t disappoint my faith in you,¡± the Boar said as it patted Lux¡¯s waist. ¡°It didn¡¯t cross my mind for even a second that you would lose the match. As a member of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the three of us did well.¡± ¡°How many times must I tell you that I am not a member of your League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,¡± Lux retorted as he walked towards the restaurant to have an early dinner. ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯re friends, right? Since we¡¯re buddies, it is only natural that you are now part of my organization.¡± ¡°What kind of logic is that? I have human rights, you know?¡± The Boar chuckled, walking beside Lux as if it was thetter¡¯s best friend. The other contestants that were in the hallway, stepped aside to allow the two of them to pass. Although it didn¡¯t look strong, the Boar had still managed to be one of the Elite 4, who would fight in the Semi-Finals. Nero, Keane, Cai, and My Daddy. These four individuals were now hailed as the four strongest members of the young generation, whose prestige now exceeded the previous Four Kings, and Five Overlords. In Sis, the strong were revered, while the losers were forgotten. Such was the way of the world, and now, these four individuals were now under heavy scrutiny by the high-ranking officials, nobles, and ruling families of the Six Kingdoms that supported Barbatos Academy. ¡°Too bad, Little Swordy is still unconscious,¡± the Boar stated. ¡°Otherwise, the three of us could celebrate together.¡± Lux had given up on trying to break free from the Boar who wouldn¡¯t stop acting chummy with him. He understood that this was its personality and the more someone tried to push it away, the more it would stick to that person like glue. Since that was the case, he no longer bothered and epted its chattypany. ¡°Fortunately, we have been given a one-day break to recover,¡± the Boar said as it sat on the ground, while Lux sat on a chair. ¡°I hope that he wakes up after a day. I¡¯d hate it if he ended up sleeping until the Final Round.¡± ¡°You should worry about yourself,¡± Lux stated. ¡°Tomorrow, we will be drawing ballots. You already know that, regardless of who your opponent will be, you¡¯re not their match, right?¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re looking down on me?¡± the Boar asked as it tapped the top of the table with its hoof. ¡°You really think I¡¯m a pushover, huh? Just you wait. Make sure to pray that I will not be your opponent in your next match, or else you will understand how to spell the word Defeat.¡± ¡°¡­ Just where are you getting your confidence from?¡± ¡°Hehehe. That¡¯s a trade secret. Only members of my Secret Organization are able to learn this secret skill of mine.¡± Lux scoffed at the thick-skinned boar, who had called for a waitress and ordered pork chops and baby back ribs. It was nning to order more, but it stopped after receiving Lux¡¯s re. ¡°I¡¯m not going to pay for your meals likest time, okay?¡± Lux said. ¡°If you Dine and Dash again, I wille find you and beat you up.¡± ¡°¡­ Um, Waitress, you can forget my order of extra fries, and chicken nuggets,¡± the Boar stated. ¡°Just pork chops and baby back ribs will do.¡± The waitresses had already gotten used to the Boar¡¯s tendency to order meat dishes, especially pork, whenever it was in the restaurant. ¡°Understood,¡± the Waitress replied. ¡°How about you, Sir?¡± Lux was about to tell the waitress his order when his gazended on Nero, who had also entered the restaurant to eat. The two of them held each other¡¯s gaze for a brief moment before minding their own business. They knew that this was not the ce to settle their disputes. Whatever grievances or grudges they held against each other would be settled in the arena in two days time. Chapter 249 I’ll See You In The Arena ¡°Little Swordy, don¡¯t die on me,¡± the Boar said as it looked at the sleeping skinny teenager in the infirmary room. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting for you to treat me to food at the restaurant after you wake up. I¡¯m out of money now and can no longer eat pork chops and baby back ribs. I have to settle for steak instead. Oh, the horror~¡± ¡°Um, excuse me, but can you not be too noisy inside the infirmary,¡± a Clericmented. ¡°You might disturb the other patients.¡± ¡°Oh. Sorry~¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as you understand~¡± Lux helplessly shook his head after seeing the Boar get reprimanded by the Cleric inside the infirmary. The Boar had been pestering him to apany it to visit Keane, A.K.A Little Swordy, to check his condition. The doctor said that most of his physical injuries had already recovered and there was no danger to his life. It was just that he had overexerted himself in the previous battle and he was emotionally and spiritually exhausted to the point of copse. However, the Head Cleric had already given him some rejuvenation potions to help him recover faster. ording to the one assigned to look after Keane, his vital signs were improving at a rapid pace and he should wake up tomorrow before the match starts, making the Boar quite happy. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lux said after giving the skinny swordsman onest nce. ¡°We still need to head to the arena for the drawing of ballots.¡± ¡°Right,¡± the Boar replied. ¡°I almost forgot about this. I hope that I can fight that Nero boy, so I don¡¯t have to fight against my friends. I¡¯m sure that I can send him flying.¡± The Half-Elf could onlyugh in his heart after hearing the Boar¡¯s words. If Cai really ended up fighting against Nero, it was certain that the Boar would leave the arena as a roasted Boar once the brown-haired teenager was done with it. Lux gave the Boar, who was humming beside him, a side-long nce. Clearly, he didn¡¯t have much hope of the Boar winning any of its matches. Still, being in the Elite Four had given it the confidence to brag at the other contestants whom it acted chummy with. Surprisingly, although it could get annoying at times, the Boar was well liked by the other contestants that were eliminated in thepetition. Some of them even encouraged it to do its best in the Semifinals, which boosted Cai¡¯s determination to win. Several minutester, Lux and Cai arrived at the Arena. Nero was already there with his arms crossed over his chest. Cai snorted in his direction andpletely ignored him. Clearly, the Boar didn¡¯t like Nero that much due to the times when thetter and his gang ridiculed it during the Qualifying Matches. ¡°Good, all of you are now here,¡± Judge Dredd said as Bruno walked beside him, carrying a box with both hands. ¡°In truth, we only need one of you to be here, but for the sake of transparency, we decided to let the three of you see the result of the drawing of ballots,¡± Bruno exined. ¡°Now, I need one volunteer from the three of you. All you need to do is draw one ball from this box. The name written there will be your next opponent. The other two contestants will then be paired against each other. Easy enough to understand, right?¡± Lux, Cai, and Nero nodded their heads. Just like Bruno said, only one of them was needed to draw the ballot to determine who would be paired up against who in the Semifinal Matches. ¡°I don¡¯t care who I fight,¡± Nero stated. ¡°So, I¡¯ll give them the opportunity to draw from the ballot box.¡± Lux smirked after hearing Nero¡¯s words. He then nced at Bruno and made his thoughts known as well. ¡°I also don¡¯t have any problem with who I will be paired up with,¡± Luxmented. ¡°Cai, you can draw from the box, so we can go back and eat.¡± The Boar raised its snout in arrogance because it didn¡¯t want to lose to Lux and Nero who had dered that they didn¡¯t want to draw ballots. Since the two of them didn¡¯t draw, why should it draw? It also didn¡¯t care who it was going to be paired up with! ¡°I also don¡¯t care who I will be facing in the finals,¡± Cai dered with arrogance. ¡°They can kiss my foot for all I care, so I am not going to draw any ballots!¡± Judge Dredd and Bruno suddenly had the strong urge to spit at the Boar who had a smug look on its face. ¡®If no one wants to draw, then how can we proceed with the match ups?!¡¯ That was the thought that the two judges had. Seeing their dilemma, Lux decided to take the initiative to settle this issue peacefully. ¡°How about this?¡± Lux said with a smile. ¡°Sir Dredd and Sir Bruno should just draw one ballot each. That would solve the problem, right?¡± Judge Dredd and Bruno nodded their heads because this was indeed the best course of action. ¡°Are you fine with us doing this?¡± Judge Dredd. ¡°If you are, then we can both promise that we will not do anything underhanded in choosing the matchups for the Semifinals.¡± ¡°I have no problem with it,¡± Nero replied. ¡°No worries here,¡± Luxmented. ¡°I trust the two of you!¡± Cai stated. ¡°Let Fate decide who fights against who!¡± Judge Dredd and Bruno nced at each other and nodded their heads at the same time. Since the contestants had no problems with this arrangement, they could draw the ballots without any problems. Bruno was the one that drew first, and Judge Dredd was the one that drewst. Half a minuteter, both of them showed the colored balls in their hands, and the names of two contestants that would fight against each other. ¡ª¨C Nero. My Daddy. ¡ª¨C As soon as they saw their names, Nero and Lux nced at each other. ¡®So, it finally happened,¡¯ Lux thought as he stared at the brown-haired boy, whom he held a grudge against for a long time. Naturally, Nero also held grudges against Lux, which made both of them fated enemies in the tournament. Cai, who was standing beside Lux, sighed internally. ¡®Um, good thing I am not fighting against these two monsters,¡¯ Cai thought. ¡®Little Swordy is my opponent, but he is currently bedridden. Should I sneakily let him drinkxatives before the match started? I still have some of the potions Grandma gave me that are strong enough to make Mammoths fart like there¡¯s no tomorrow¡­¡¯ While the Boar was still thinking of something diabolical inside his head, sparks were already flying between Lux and Nero, who had just learned that they would fight the first match the next day. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the arena,¡± Nero said. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t disappoint me. I disdain weaklings.¡± ¡°The match hadn¡¯t started, and I already know that I¡¯m going to win,¡± Lux replied. ¡°I¡¯m so lucky that I¡¯ll be fighting the weakest among the bunch. You better prepare your coffin before tomorrow¡¯s match, since I might identally kill you like Spider Boy.¡± Judge Dredd and Bruno calmly watched the two teenagers trade barbed words with each other. In reality, both of them were quite excited about this matchup and were looking forward to seeing who among the two young prodigies would triumph over the other. Judge Dredd and Bruno had already asked Alicia about the chubby boy¡¯s true identity. Unfortunately, thetter¡¯s lips were as tight as a chaste maiden who hadn¡¯t known any men. The only thing they got from her was a good nagging, telling them that they should just mind their own business and not pry into other people¡¯s privacy! Alicia, who was standing on top of the tform, looked down at the three contestants with her arms crossed over her chest. Now that Lux had sessfully entered the Semifinals, she wanted to know how the sickly Half-Elf, whom she had known for most of his life, had suddenly be so powerful in just the span of a year. ¡®Just what kind of serum did you drink to havee this far?¡¯ Alicia thought as a gentle breeze made her hair flutter behind her. ¡®Still, will you be able to ovee the one whom everyone favors to be the champion of this tournament?¡¯ Alicia didn¡¯t know the answer to this question. Even so, she hoped that after the tournament was over, Lux¡¯s rtionship with his step-father, Alexander, would have a little bit of improvement. ¡®I wonder what his Excellency would think if he discovered that My Daddy is actually his step-son before this is over?¡¯ Alicia mused with a smile. ¡®Goodluck, Lux. I¡¯ll look forward to your performance tomorrow.¡¯ The beautiful woman gave the chubby teenager onest nce before returning to her duties. Now that the Semifinals were about to start, she had to ensure that the security in Barbatos Academy wouldn¡¯t bepromised on such an important day. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!