《Lord of The Heavenly Villa》 Prologue - The Experiment The existence of other dimensions is not a foreign topic religious believers. In the Abrahamic religion for example, they believe in the existence of angels, demons, and devils who live in the same world as ours, only in a different dimension. People like this believe that our vast universe wasn¡¯t created for nothing, but rather for a specific purpose. So if multiple dimensions exist, how do we connect to them? The theory of parallel universes or the multiverse has long been discussed among the scientists in theories such as Schr?dinger¡¯s cat or the string theory. Although none of these parallel universes have been proven to exist so far, the hype about their possible existence will last forever. There is also a question of the human mind. There is a word, ¡®imagination¡¯ which came from a mind. Imagine. The human imagination is both boundless and unlimited. With it, humans have created numerous wonderful worlds filled with sci-fi, mythical creatures, fairy tales, dreams, reincarnation and much more. Where do all of these ideas come from, and what if all of them actually exist? In 2013, Higgs boson, also know as God¡¯s Particle, was found. This boson is the very foundation of existence, and some scientists believe it to be the answer to open gates to other dimensions. Their theory is that if a certain amount of the boson is accumulated, the gate to another will be opened. Unfortunately, their experiments were force to halt because of a budget deficiency. After that, no public discussion was made about the theory, and the hype about god¡¯s particle slowly died down. However in a place far from public knowledge, the project to open a gate leading to another dimension has been continued. No one but those directly involved know the exact location where the experiment take place, but even so the project is funded by the world government and led by the world¡¯s superpowers. This project has been funded by the world government, led by superpowers. The world leaders have long grown tired of current world peace and were itching for new war. However the masses didn¡¯t approve, so their wanted war never came. Thus the prospect of opening a gate to another new world riled them up and brought forth their greed for wealth and power. Today, the project known only as ¡®The Experiment¡¯ finally reached the most critical moment: initiation. All preparations have been made and carefully examined to assure that nothing goes wrong. The world government leaders who funded the projects, wanting to be the first to witness the new world, have gathered at the location to watch history unfold. Today, all nine planets will align. The moment all nine planets are in place, The Experiment will start. Although there is no relation whatsoever between the planetary alignment and The Experiment¡¯s success, due to superstitious belief that the planetary alignment will bring about a miracle, the leader of The Experiment refused to begin on another date. Although it was unscientific, to him, The Experiment itself was a bridge between science and superstition. One or two superstitions more will change nothing anyways. The leader of The Experiment was called the Chief of Crazy Scientists. Although the members of The Experiment were, not in fact, not crazy or mentally broken, but it was only due to their insane efforts that The Experiment could reach this stage. The Experiment also used to be called nothing more than an insane dream; but managing to reach this stage was a success on its own. Thus, all the members involved in the project were called Crazy Scientists. Currently, the Chief of Crazy Scientists was monitoring the lab from the control room with some of his minions. Chief of Crazy Scientists: ¡°How¡¯s the preparation?" Crazy Scientist One: ¡°Everything is ready, sir.¡± Crazy Scientist Two: ¡°The experiment will be successful. We can guarantee it, sir.¡± Chief of Crazy Scientists: ¡°Idiot, you¡¯re a world renowned crazy scientist but still talking bullshit. Nothing is guaranteed. Double check everything. I don¡¯t want any mistakes! Do you understand?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll go and recheck everything right now, Sir¡±, Crazy Scientist Two replied with a bead of sweat on his forehead. 30 minutes to initiation.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Crazy Scientist One: ¡°Sir, everything has been checked and rechecked as per your orders. No mishaps should happen. Although it¡¯s not guaranteed, but we can assure that you the success of The Experiment is around 99.99%." Chief of Crazy Scientists: ¡°Good, I hope you¡¯re right because if anything happens during The Experiment, you can say goodbye to your head. Hahahaha.¡± Crazy Scientist One: ¡°Yes Sir.¡± Chief of Crazy Scientists: ¡°Where are the world leaders?¡± Crazy Scientist One: ¡°They¡¯re witnessing the event from the next room.¡± ¡°Good. We¡¯re making history today, Crazy Scientist One. We¡¯re making history,¡± the Chief of Crazy Scientists said with a stupid smile on his face. 15 seconds until initiation. Crazy Scientist One: ¡°Sir, the button is ready.¡± Chief of Crazy Scientists: ¡°OK, start the countdown. 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... ¡°Initiate The Experiment!¡± the Chief of Crazy Scientists shouted as he pushed the initiation button. A water like substance started to gather inside a large machine with an appearance similar to that of a Large Hadron Collider. After several minutes, the substance filled the machine and a thin silvery wall-like film appeared within the machine''s spiraling mouth. Everyone in the lab roared in joy, shouting and congratulating one another. The Chief of Crazy Scientists wore a proud look on his face, and just as he opened his mouth to say something, a blinding light shone from the machine and¡­ BOOOOOOOOMMM!!! An earth shattering explosion occurred, followed by a loud cracking sound from the sky. The previously blue sky suddenly turned blood red, bringing a grim and ominous feeling to the heart. The blood red sky was noticed across the world, and the same could be said with the boom and cracking sound. Everyone turned their heads up, looking upward towards the ominous sky, wondering what happened to the world. Was it an apocalypse, they wondered. Since it happened so suddenly, nobody knew the answer and could only speculate. To make thing worse, a shockwave erupted from the explosion that destroyed all electronic devices. Millions lost their lives from the shockwave alone. Critical patients in hospitals that depended on life support to survive, people who used batteries to keep their heart pumping, passengers of crashing planes and those riding on subways were all taken out along with the electricity. Some dams even automatically released the water they held once their systems went down, flooding villages and cities alike. All of that and more in a mere five minutes. What happened to the rest of the population? Without electronic devices to access information, the loud booming and cracking sounds plus the ominous sky left almost everyone in a panic and feeling lost. All they could hope for was that the government would provide them with some form of explanation after everything calmed down. Little did they know that the government was as clueless as they were. Right after the shockwave, a tremor was felt. Not a destructive one, but one big enough to make a person tremble. Unknown to the panicking population of the world, new continents were emerging from the ocean and floating islands were appearing from places unknown within the sky. Anyone who saw these places would immediately say that they were not from this world. The tremor and cracking sounds continued for almost 2 hours before coming to a sudden stop. Right as the survivors were taking a breath of relief, a strange panel appeared before their eyes.
Hello everyone, I¡¯m the overseer of your world. I believe all of you felt that tremor and heard the cracking sound during these past 2 hours. To make things short, due to some good for nothing idiots, the barrier between your world and another dimensions shattered, forcing both to combine. This is merely the beginning of your troubles. In the near future, You will encounter beings from another world. Do not expect a warm welcome. Prepare for the worse, and maybe then you¡¯ll manage to survive. The panel you are currently viewing is part of the system I have implemented to increase humanity¡¯s survival rate. Don¡¯t die too early, as that wouldn¡¯t be any fun. Good luck~.
Thus, a new adventure begun. 1 - Preparing For The Worst Between a great forest and a range of mountains, far from any human settlement, a serene villa proudly stood, looking down at the sea of trees before it. The villa was built in harmony with its surroundings, giving it a certain beauty. The villa was a home to a family of three, but most of the time the only one that stayed there was a 17 year old youth by the name of Acma Heart. His name was Acma Heart. His parents were famously known as the Mad Couple, a nickname they received because of their strange obsessions. His father was a retired super soldier turned mercenary while his mother was a scientist specialized in genetic engineering. ¡°Alice, can you get me some water?¡± Acma asked the hologram beside him. Alice was the personalized artificial intelligence that managed the villa. All of the house chores were dealt by Alice and her minions, the robots. She also handled all of Acma¡¯s needs such as preparing his meals, washing his clothes and everything else. It seem like she only adapted at handling house chores, but Acma knew in his heart that this A.I wasn''t so simple. Given his parent¡¯s backgrounds, that could procure a military grade A.I. with ease, Acma was never sure what capabilities the A.I. named Alice truly held. ¡°Here is your water, Master¡±, Alice said softly as a robot placed a glass of water next to Acma. ¡°Thank you Alice,¡± said Acma. He quickly took a sip and returned the glass to the table, focusing on the video playing upon the huge screen before him. The video showed how a certain project, known only as ''The Experiment,'' progressed. He had always been fascinated with the idea of multidimensional existence, so The Experiment fit right into his tastes. He wished the project would succeed solely because he wanted to go on adventures in different dimensions. The countdown started, and he didn''t dare to blink in the fear of missing something. Ten¡­ Nine¡­ Eight¡­ Seven¡­ Six¡­ Five... Four... Three... Two... One... ¡°Initiate The Experiment!¡± The voice of the Chief of Crazy Scientists reverberated throughout the room. Acma had long since forgotten to breathe in his excitement and unconsciously leaned towards the large screen, as if doing so would give him a better view of The Experiment¡¯s results. But instead of seeing another world, a bright light filled the television screen. Acma froze in shock and unconsciously let out a small, "Huh?" The blinding light had yet to fade when the show suddenly cut off. Acma hurriedly tried to reconnect with the channel, but no matter what he did he couldn''t bring The Experiment back up. Left with no other choice, Acma could only wait patiently in front of the screen in the hope that the show would continue. He sat there for a whole fifteen minutes before something changed. A shock wave swept past his villa, causing a power outage and shutting down Alice along with her robots. What happened? That shockwave seemed like a EMP. I should check on Alice. I hope she is ok, Acma thought . "Is this shock wave related to The Experiment?¡± he questioned. Acma couldn''t think of any other answer for the strange shockwave, but his instincts were screaming at him that something was horribly wrong. While he was still pondering about the origin of the shockwave, he felt the floor beneath him shaking. It''s nothing serious at first, but gradually the tremors turned more and more violent. The shaking continued and there was no sign of it stopping anytime soon. Luckily the tremor wasn''t hard enough to shake the foundation of the villa, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about the house falling down around him. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. First, that blinding light at The Experiment. Then the shockwave. Now these continuous tremors. Something is definitely happening. I should get prepared for the worst. Acma headed to the underground vault where his parents kept their equipment. The vault contained weapons, armor, food, water, clothes, tents, everything he would need to survive for at least two years. When he opened the vault, Acma could see a lineup of both cold and hot weapons to his left. His father was an accomplished super soldier that had mastered countless types of weapons, enabling him to survive in countless battlefields. However his accomplishments did not depend solely on modern technology. He was also an expert in ancient techniques such as martial arts, breathing techniques, and yoga. Acma could barely remember when his father first started training him to inherit his techniques. He could still feel his hand shaking from the 10 thousand sword swings his father forced him to do every day. How many times had he fallen while running with a weight on his back across 5 kilometres of thick rainforest? How many times did his bones almost break while ¡®learning¡¯ a martial arts technique from his father? Reminiscing about the past made Acma smile and forget his current predicament. Although those days of training were harsh and unforgiving, Acma actually enjoyed it. Watching his father''s back as they hunted were one of the fondest moments in his life. In his mind, his father was unbeatable. So he endured any form of training he was put through, solely because he wish to become stronger than the strongest. Oh, I almost forgot about mom¡¯s medicinal bath, Acma thought with a frown. In the past, whenever he finished training, his mother would give him a medicinal bath that made him feel as if he was being sliced by a thousand swords. However back then he would grit his teeth and not make a sound, wanting to show his parents that he wasn''t weak. The medicinal bath was indeed painful, but its benefits were worth the pain. After each bath, his sore muscles would feel relieved, his wounds would heal faster, and the pain caused by the bath toughened his mind. No pain, no gain, he mused. ¡°I miss you mom,¡± Acma muttered while looking at the picture of his mother hanging on the wall. ¡°Ah... I shouldn¡¯t worry about those two monsters. Even a nuclear blast wouldn¡¯t kill them,¡± Acma whispered to pull his mind from worrying about his parents. I can survive if I hole up in this villa. But as father said, the best course of action is to always prepare for the worst. I might have to scout the perimeter, so I¡¯ll need weapons to keep myself safe, he thought. Until Alice rebooted, he couldn¡¯t make head or tails about the current situation. Acma decided to go through all the possible situations he could think of and make suitable preparations for each one. Normally he would¡¯ve depended on Alice to do this, but this time he could only depend on himself. ¡°Terrorist attack,¡± he started, ¡°less than a 5% possibility.¡± ¡°Aliens vs Predators,¡± he laughed. ¡°Half the weapons inside this vault would be useless.¡± ¡°Hmmmm... How about beings from another dimension? This situation happened after The Experiment gave off that blinding light, so it is possible. But what kind of beings will emerge,¡± Acma muttered while lightly scratching his head. While talking to himself, Acma had lined up his favorite pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, combat knives, throwing knives, swords, and katanas on a metal table. He examined them one by one, making sure that they were ready for use. ¡°Should I use FREEDOM?¡± Acma muttered before walking towards a pitch-black metal cupboard not far from the weapon shelves. FREEDOM was a military grade full body exoskeleton suit that consisted of two armored layers. The inside layer was a liquid armor that hardened on impact in order to disperse energy over a larger area, yet still remained flexible enough to allow for free movement. This layer was capable of regulating the body¡¯s temperature, allowing the operator to work in any kind of weather. The outer layer was made from graphene, otherwise known as the strongest material on earth. Its greatest ability to absorb impact and spread out kinetic energy. Looking at the suit, Acma murmured, ¡°If I use FREEDOM, my survival rate will increase 300%. But I need Alice¡¯s help to use this. Connecting the armor to my spinal cord also needs her assistance.¡± Am I too paranoid? What if nothing happened? he thought. It had been an hour since Alice shut down. Acma knew that he didn¡¯t need to manually restart Alice, but he still worried. With nothing to do after he finished examining his equipment, Acma showered and took a nap. After 90 minutes of deep sleep, Acma woke up when he sensed that Alice finally came back online. ¡°Master, I apologize for taking such a long time to reboot. I had to double check my systems to make sure there were no abnormalities before restarting,¡± Alice spoke softly. ¡°It¡¯s ok Alice; please give me a report on your current status.¡± ¡°The main database was secured without issue, but the secondary database is lightly damaged. It is recommended to change several processors. Most of the autobots operating during the blast were damaged, but the villa''s operation will not be affected,¡± Alice explained. ¡°How about the outside world? Is there any problem, because I can still feel the tremor from the blast even now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any information about the world since the blast. I apologize, Master. I can¡¯t connect to any network.¡± Acma stroke his beardless chin, ¡°Hmmm¡­ we are blind then. It seems we need to go outside. Alice prepare to connect FREEDOM and please change to your main database. We need your full processing power,¡± Acma ordered. ¡°Yes, Master. Let¡¯s proceed to operation room,¡± reply Alice. 2 - Lord of The Heavenly Villa
Hello everyone, I¡¯m the overseer of your world. I believe all of you felt that tremor and heard the cracking sound during these past 2 hours. To make things short, due to some good for nothing idiots, the barrier between your world and another dimensions shattered, forcing both to combine. This is merely the beginning of your troubles. In the near future, You will encounter beings from another world. Do not expect a warm welcome. Prepare for the worse, and maybe then you¡¯ll manage to survive. The panel you are currently viewing is part of the system I have implemented to increase humanity¡¯s survival rate. Don¡¯t die too early, as that wouldn¡¯t be any fun. Good luck~.
The panel almost make Acma fell from the operation bed. Its appearance really shocked him. He turn his head to the right and left, but the panel still following his sight. Same goes if he look up or down. He sat on the operation bed side, hanging his legs while trying to figure out anything about the message. ¡°How do I make this panel disappear¡±, muttered Acma. He swipe the panel, hoping it will disappear, but to no avail. ¡°Maybe I should chant the keyword, like a magician do when they¡¯re invoking their magic¡±. ¡°Close panel¡±, say Acma slowly. The panel disappear. ¡°Success. I wonder if I can reopen it back¡±. ¡°Open panel¡±, ¡­, ¡°Open panel¡±, he said it again. But nothing happen. He gave up. Still on the operation bed, Acma is wrecking his brain, trying to understand the message just now. ¡°The Overseer said that he implemented some system to help humans to survive. I wonder what kind of system did he applied¡±. The message didn¡¯t give enough information, but Acma feel something familiar happened before, but he can¡¯t pin it down yet. ¡°Wait, this couldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Acma finally figured out something. ¡°Status¡±, shouted Acma and a status panel appear on his sight.
Acma Heart
Level 1
HP 500 MP 700
Title Lord of Heavenly Villa
Strength 250 Agility 300
Intelligence350Luck220 Unallocated point(s)5 ¡°Game system¡±, shouted Acma excitedly ¡°This is definitely similar to VR game.The Overseer is genius. This system will definitely help humans understand their strength and their weakness better¡±. Acma jumped from the bed with a huge smile on his face. ¡°My stat is quite high. All the game I played before only gave 10 points for the starters¡±. He turned his head and his sight fall on the heavy box at the corner of the room. He remembered that he put it there several months ago. Its weight was around 85 kg if he was not mistaken. ¡°Maybe it depends on my body¡¯s quality. I can lift 120 kg with ease¡±, said Acma coolly. ¡°My luck stat also high. I wonder if being a son of Mad Couples is considered lucky¡±. He chuckled. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it While he is focusing on his status panel, he didn¡¯t realize that Alice hologram is changing. Closing his status panel, he turn his head toward where Alice stood before. But what he saw is really shocked him. ¡°Alice? Why your body become fairy like?¡± asked Acma while his heart still not believe what he just saw. ¡°I¡¯m not sure myself, Master. I had this body after I got a notification¡±. She paused. Acma want to ask about the notification, but he decide to let her continue. ¡°It said, I was given a High Fairy bodybecause I was an aide to Lord of The Heavenly Villa¡±, explained Alice. ¡°Lord of The Heavenly Villa?¡±. ¡°Oh, the title. Open status¡±. ¡°Identify, Lord of The Heavenly Villa¡±.
Lord of The Heavenly Villa
A title that was granted to the owner of the villa which have been build according to heaven¡¯s rule. Your artificial intelligence, Alice have been upgraded to High Fairy. She is bound to the villa and your soul. Your villa also is now a safe zone. No monster will be able to enter the areawithin 1 kilometreof its perimeter. +100 STR +100 AGI +100 INT +100 LUCK ¡°Huh, heaven¡¯s rule? What¡¯s that. What I know is, this villa have been engineered by Grandpa Meng¡±, pondered Acma. Grandpa Meng is one of his parent¡¯s master. He was a grandmaster in fengshui and world renown architech. He remember his father always remind him to train in the villa and his father said that this villa is special. ¡°Close¡±, the status panel disappeared. ¡°Alice, how¡¯s your function?¡±, asked Acma. ¡°I can operate normally, Master. I got some additional features too, like invisibility and scouting the perimeter up to 1 KM from your body or the villa. But it depends on your mana. Some additional features are locked at this time¡±. Explained Alice dutifully. ¡°Invisibility? Nice, I want that too¡±. Chuckle Acma. ¡°It¡¯s good that nothing change. Alice, please prepare FREEDOM, I want to use it soon. I plan to head toward Orca Village and exchange intel with them¡±. ¡°Yes, Master¡±, replied Alice and she flew playfully towards FREEDOM. ¡°Now, to the most important part of the game system¡±. ¡°Open Inventory¡± Inventory panel appeared on his sight. It¡¯s quite spacious and he realized that he hadan infinity space inventory. ¡°Close¡±. ¡°How to get all this equipment into my inventory. Hmmm, lets try¡±. ¡°O pistols, I command you to enter my inventory¡±, ¡®¡­¡­¡­.¡¯ Acma heard an imaginary crow singing ¡®aho, aho, aho¡¯ while flying away. He laughed at himself. Being in his family¡¯s vault lifted Acma¡¯s sense of urgency. He feltsafe in the vault. He wasconfident with its safety because the vault was designed to withstand a nuclear blast. And now, his entire villa is a safe zone, make him feel nothing to be worried about. ¡°Thank you, Overseer¡±, thought Acma. ¡°I think I should touch them and wish they enter my inventory. Lets try that¡±. Acma stretched his hand and one by one, all the equipment on the table disappearedwhen he touched them. ¡°Open Inventory¡±. ¡°Great, everything is inside. I should get more ammo since it can be stacked 999 ammo each. Looks like same items will be stacked together¡±. Acma is satisfied with the inventory. Then, he walk towards FREEDOM where Alice has finished all the preparation. When he equipped the suit, Alice activated it. Acma move all his limb and checking all the sensors and everything is working like it supposed to. ¡°Acma Heart, FREEDOM, Online¡±. 3 - First Kill Wearing his dark suit, Acma went to the living room. Now he was ready foran adventure. At the living room, he sat on his recliner and put three weapons on the table. He wanted to give a final examination because he will depend on this three. ¡°Identify¡±
Dragon Slayer Named weapon made from titanium tungsten. An extremely sharp and tough blade
Barquq Named weapon made from damascus steel. A katana with extremely high slicing power
Sword Breaker Named weapon made from black obsidian. A parrying knife with unparallel cutting capabilities
¡°I should check my skill too¡±, thought Acma. ¡°Open Skill¡±.
Survival
Survival Cooking: Intermediate, Crafting: Intermediate, Climbing: Advance, Tracking: Advance, First Aid: Advance, Sneaking: Master, Swimming: Advance, Language Comprehension: Master, Identify: Grandmaster
Weapon
Hand Gun, Rifle, Knife, Sword, Spear, Archery
Magic
Body Strengthening, Mana Manipulation
¡°Oh, I can use magic. Qi is Mana, I think. I should mastering this next¡±. He smiled, fascinated with this new revelation. He Imagined himself raiseed his hand and, KEBABOOOM, everything around him blew up to smithscreens. In the past, human could only imagine about magic, but now, everyone could use it. Acma close his skill panel and thinking deeply about his next move. ¡°Alice, show me the map to the Orca Village¡±, he said. The residents of Orca Village was a hunter-gatherer. Although they had nothing to do with an orca, the village got the name because of their leader¡¯s obsession with it. He carved an orca¡¯s statue and placed it at the center of the village. They¡¯re an excellent hunters. His father brought him to join their hunting trip on multiple occasions in the past. ¡°I hope they can survive this calamity¡±, he thought. Watching closely at the map in front of him, Acma planned the best route to the Orca Village. He would have to go through the Ba Lum forest, hiking some small hill and then he can reach the village after half a day. Even if he go with full speed, he might need to take about 10hours. But with recent events, it might be longer. Acma also realized that he had too little information about this new world. He knew that behind his villa is a mountainous area, but he didn''t know what kind of creatures were living there. He could say the same about the forest between his villa and Orca Village. ¡°I should gather some information about the surrounding area¡±, he thought. ¡°Alice, how far our surveillance drones can cover?" His villa has several units of surveillance drone, so he thought he could use them to gather the intelligance. ¡°Most effective range is 50 KM¡±, she replied. ¡°Okay then, order half of our drones to map the surrounding. Keep them flying until we get a complete map¡±. ¡°Yes Master¡±. ¡°Yooooshhh, Let¡¯s go Alice¡±, Alice flew closely behind.
You have entered Great Forest of Ba Lum
¡°Great forest? This is supposed a young forest before. Hmm¡­ The landscape indeed has change. That mountains also new. I wonder how long will take to reach Orca Village¡±. Acma sighed helplessly looking to the far mountains in front of him. Acma proceeded through the forest cautiously. He looks like he was walking leisurely at a steady pace, but all his sense are working overtime, trying to pick up anything unusual from the surrounding. The forest were not really bright but not really dark too. Here and there, a strike of light could be seen escaping the forest¡¯s roof, giving enough illumination for anyone to traverse through the forest floor easily. Acma was avoiding bright place, didn¡¯t want to be seen. His dark suit blended well with forest¡¯s shadow, providing a greater camouflouge. 1 km from the edge of the forest, not too far from where he currently was, he saw two cow like beast, walking with its two leg, two meters tall, holding an axe at ready with both of it¡¯s hand, leisurely advance towards him. They seem have not notice his presence yet.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Minatour!¡±, Acma almost jumped with excitement. Those beast will be his first kill in the New World. He had no grudge against this creatures, it just that they were too close to his villa. It was a preventive action. ¡°Cow¡¯s sight is really bad isn¡¯t, I¡¯m this close but they still can¡¯t see me¡±.
Young Minatour LVL 6
¡°I think their weapon and armor were made from bronze. My Barquq should be able to slice them easily¡±. Thought Acma after he saw their equipment. ¡°Lets confirm their route and ambush them¡±. After conforming the beasts route, Acma climbed a tree and stood on a branch while his brain analyzing the fastest way to dispatch those two minatour. He turned his body aligning the young minatour''s direction so when he jump, he could strike their back. Acma closed his eyes, calmed his heart and focusing on the rhythm of the minatour¡¯s step. He slowly unsheathed his Barquq and readied himself. 50 meters. ¡®Step¡¯ ¡®Step¡¯ ¡®Step¡¯ ¡®Step¡¯ 20 meters ¡®Step¡¯ ¡®Step¡¯ ¡®Step¡¯ ¡®Step¡¯ ¡°&&%*^()*&%%$#@%$$$^$&^%¡±, he could hear their conversation in a language he couldn¡¯t understand. 5 meters ¡°*#&$(#^*Q)@#*Q*_R_ER_WER( (ER&^(*&#$@$¡± ¡°&*& *&*&* *&*&¡±. ¡°Poor cow head, that laugh will be your last laugh¡±. 1 meter ¡®Step¡¯ ¡®Step¡¯ ¡®Step¡¯ ¡®Step¡¯ The minatour on the right side wasslightly ahead of the left one. Acma waited until the left one walked past the branch he currently standing on. ¡®Step¡¯, ¡°Now¡±. Acma opened his eyes and free falled towards the minatours at the back. He was 5 meters above them, building enough momentum for a successful slash. His eyes are zooming on minatour¡¯s left shoulder, where he will strike. His face wascalm and his body didn¡¯t leak any killing intent, purposely to conceal himself from detection. 2 meters above the target, he raise Barquq over his head and, ¡®Ting¡¯ His sword slashed the minatours body like a hot knife cutting a butter from the shoulder downward to the stomach. When he wastouching the ground, Acma put all his weight on his left leg and propel himself behind another minatour. He grab his Sword Breaker with his left hand and sliced the lower part of both its thigh, severing the only muscle that support its weight. When his body already passed the minatour, he use his right leg to stop and jump upwards, higher than minatour¡¯s height. The obsidian knife is extremely sharp. The minatour tried to turn its body to face Acma but it haven¡¯t realize that its thigh have been sliced and started to lost its balance backward. At that time, Acma¡¯s katana was already slicing downward through its left shoulder. Both minatour lose their life without realising what have killed them. ¡°Three step kill¡±. Shout Acma with low voice. He took a long and deep breath. His body was brimming with excitement. Now he knew that he was stronger than a mythical creature. Human¡¯s strength definitely able to contend with this creature. Maybe the killing was easy because he used a named weapon. But without strength, a great weapon is useless. Try give a named weapon to a toddler who is facing a minatour, it definitely won¡¯t help him to kill his enemy. Even lifting the weapon will be a great hurdle.
LEVEL UP
¡°Close¡±. The panel disappeared. The corpses turned into a globe of lights and disappered, leaving behind several items. Acma picked them up. ¡°Life potion, 15 copper coins and ¡­ What is this? Cicada wing?¡±. He quickly used Identify and found out that it was an upgrading item. ¡°Just take it, maybe it will have use later¡±. He also found two small white orb among the loots which was a monster core. He stretch his hand toward the potion, cicada wing and coins, as his hand touch them, they immediately disappeared. ¡°Open Inventory¡±. He found the life potion, wing and coins has been transferred to his inventory. ¡°It will be much convenient if I can put auto loot. So I don¡¯t have to collect items each time after fight¡±. ¡°Close¡±, he paused and continue, ¡°Open Settings¡±. While examining the settings panel, ¡°Thank god it¡¯s really there. Hmmm ¡­ I should click auto loot now. I should hide my status too. Good. Owh, I can control either the body of the thing I killed dissapear or not too. This is great. Let set it to disappear automatically¡±. ¡°Close¡±. The settings panel disappear. Acma looked towards direction where the pitiful minatour came from. He thought that their camp was in that direction. Tracking wad super easy for him because he was drilled about it by his father. The minatour¡¯s hoofprint also visible on the forest¡¯s floor. ¡°Alice, can you scout towards the north for me? Expand search area to maximum. I believe this two cow head is just a scout¡±, asked Acma. Came out from his body. ¡°Yes, Master¡±. Alice turned her body invisible and flew towards the north. While waiting for Alice to return, Acma was checking his status. ¡°Open Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level 2 Race Human
Class -None-
HP 550/550 MP 750/750
Strength 252 Agility 302
Intelligence 352 Luck 220
Unallocated point(s) 10
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa
¡°Close¡±, as he closed the status panel, he saw his lovely fairy returned. ¡°Master, I found a camp at the base of mountains, 1.5 KM north. There is 7 sentries like the one master killed before¡±. Alice reported. "Great, let visit them", said Acma. 4 - Minatour Extermination ¡°Is there any vantage point nearby the camp?¡±, he asked. ¡°There is a small hill southwest, 500 meter from the camp¡±, replied Alice. ¡°Good job Alice¡±, he said. Acma run stealthily towards the camp. His pace were steady, not too fast but not too slow. He placed all his steps carefully, amazingly avoided any dead branches or leaves that will make a sound. His peripheral vision and continious training made this possible. Less than 10 minutes, he arrived at the small hill as mentioned in Alice¡¯s report earlier. After zooming in the sight by adjusting his suit¡¯s sensor, he could clearly see 6 cow heads guarding the camp, and one of them wearing a slightly better looking armor than the others. ¡°That one is their leader, maybe¡±,Acma thought. Not far from the guards, there are 4 tents, enough to house 50-60 men. Behind the tent, there is a cave entrance with a guard on both side. ¡°Whatever inside the cave must be valuable to this cow heads¡±, thought Acma. ¡°Alice, carefully examine the tents and the cave. I want to know how many and what type of cow head there are¡±, said Acma in low voice. ¡°Yes Master¡±, replied Alice and again, she turned her body invisible and flew towards the camp. ¡°I should kill as many as I can from this place. The camp entrance is only 300 meters from here. If any of them try to run, I can immediately outrun them¡±, thought Acma. He decided to use a bow. A military grade compound bow were ready at his left hand as he waited for his fairy to return. After a few minutes, Alice returned with a detailed reports about the number and the location of the cow heads. There were 20 cow heads and 4 of them have a darker tone skin. Most of the cow heads are resting inside the tents. Only a few of them were checking the cave. Acma took out several mini drones from his inventory and slowly said to Alice, ¡°After I dispatched all those guards, command this mini drones to scout the perimeter. If any of cow head approacing the camp, notice me immediately¡±. ¡°Yes Master¡±, she replied. Acma raised his bow in front of his face while his body facing the camp and his legs on ready. He put 3 arrows between his left hand fingers and the rest of arrows in the quiver behind his back. His father said, this is an ancient archery stail, designed for a quick and efficient release. In modern archery, the shoulder will face the target because the archer and the target are stationary. Acma was checking the sorrounding for any sign of wind. Satisfied with the results, he took a deep breath, hold his breath and his finger begun to pull the string. His first pull was slow and steady. ¡®Swoosh¡¯ ¡®Swoosh¡¯ ¡®Swoosh¡¯ ¡®Swoosh¡¯, His finger reached an arrow in the quiver and, ¡®Swoosh¡¯¡®Swoosh¡¯¡®Swoosh¡¯¡®Swoosh¡¯. Without a chance to make any sound, all guards fell. Silent and fast kill. His first target was definitely the cow head with a slightly better looking armor, followed by the furthest two cave guard and the rest of the cow heads. The drones start to fly as Alice operated them. Acma slowly descending the hill towards the camp entrance while his eyes keep looking at the tents, checking for any sign of movement. Even after he reached the entrance, there still no sign of movement. ¡°Looks like they haven¡¯t realize that they were under attack¡±. From Alice¡¯s report before, there was 5 cow heads inside the closest tent to the entrance. Acma decided to use a grenade to make them rest forever. He took 5 grenades from inventory, unpinned and threw them inside the tent. He jumped backward, distancing himself from the tent. At the safe distance, he put another three arrow between his left hand¡¯s fingers and ready to shoot. ''BOOOOOOOOOMMM'' Ear shattering sound echoed from the tent. Soon after the blast, Acma threw a smoke grenade in front of the third tent to interrupt the view of it¡¯s resident, giving him enough time to get ready. ¡®Swoosh¡¯, the first one to respond, fall. ¡®Swoosh¡¯, the second one. ¡®Swoosh¡¯, the third one and ¡®Swoosh¡¯, the fourth one. ¡°Eleven cow heads left¡±, Acma counted. Then he wished the bow and the quiver to return to the inventory while he unsheathing Barquq. ''MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO'', A rallying cry echoed in front of the third tent. Soon after, 9 cow heads emerge from the cave and running towards the one who gave the rallying cry.
Minatour SargeantLEVEL 8
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Three dark skined cow head with grim and angry looking face staring at the intruder. ¡°Don¡¯t just standing there, COME¡±, said Acma with a mocking smile while his left index finger gesturing to invite the cow heads to attack. ¡°*%$&$#&(*&%^%¡±, one of the officer gave out an order. Immediately, 8 young cow heads dashing toward Acma. Three on the right, five on the left. ¡°You guys will die young¡±, Acma said it inside his mind while he lunged himself to the right. He gave a destructive flying kick at the neck of the young cow head at the center and breaking it immediately. As his feet touching the soil, he swung Barquq, cutting the throat of another two cow heads. As fast as lightning strike, Acma dashed towards the incoming 5 young cow heads. As he enter their range, he jumped upward and sliced his victim. Then he retreated behind the cow head on his left while slicing it¡¯s thight and stab his sword at another cow head¡¯s throat. Then he took several steps backwards, readying himself for an incoming attack. Acma took another deep breath and dashed forward to intercept the last two young cow head. Both of them know that they were not a challenge to this intruder. But disobeying an officer¡¯s order is far more terriying. They had no choice. Before they could swing their axe, their throat already have been sliced by the intruder. In less than two minutes, 8 young cow heads fall by his sword. He glanced toward the officers. An obvious shocked impression plastered on their face. If a dragon flew nearby, it definitely can take refuge in their mouth, mistaken it as a huge cave. Acma raised his sword and pointed it at the officers. ¡°Your turn¡±, he said coolly. Before he begun his fight against the officers, he got a notification from Alice. ¡°Master, there is two scout rushing towards the camp¡±, ¡°How long will they arrived?¡± asked Acma. ¡°In about 2 minutes¡±, Alice replied. ¡°Try to delay them using the drones. I will deal with them as soon as they arrive¡± ¡°Yes Master¡±. By the time he finished, the officers already begun their attack. ¡°Are these guys twins. They are strikingly similar with each other¡±, he observed while readying himself to intercept their attack. The first strike came from the left officer. As he dodge the swing, it use its shoulder to ram Acma. Unable to dodge, Acma jump ed backward while he crossed his arm to receive the attack. This officer is definitely strong. Acma was sent flying several meters by that ram alone. But he leisurely made a backflip and dashed towards the left officer. The officer make another swing, attempting to sever the intruder¡¯s body. This time, Acma didn¡¯t dodge outward, but inward against the left officer¡¯s body. Before it could react, the sword has already pierced its heart. As the left officer¡¯s body falling down, another swing coming down. Facing the strike, Acma took a large stride far inside the axe range with his left leg and his sword was ready to pierce. He knew, he won¡¯t take a damage if he was hit. The officer clearly shocked but quickly calmed it¡¯s mind. It canceled the swing and sent a front kick to the intruder¡¯s chest. Predicting the kick, Acma knew he can¡¯t underestimate that kick. He quickly turned his body clockwise and manage to cut the officer¡¯s waist. Killing it slowly. The last standing officer look extremely terrified. It repeatedly looking at the entrance. Suddenly, a moooo sound could be heard from the camp''s entrance. The scouts has returned. Acma relaxed his stance and lowered his sword. Seeing the intruder¡¯s action, the officer took his chance to run away. Watching the back of that running officer, Acma took out his Magnum and shot all three cow heads. ¡®BAMM¡¯, ¡®BAMM¡¯, ¡®BAMM¡¯. ¡°Coward officer do not deserve to live¡±, he muttered. All corpes begun to disappear, leaving a strange feeling in his heart. He lowered his head toward the disappearing corpes as a respect to their soul. He took a deep breath and looked at the cave. ¡°What is in the cave¡±. He puzzled. 5 - Lordship; Now It Make Sense What The Title Mean He was curious about the cave, but right now his thought was that there would be some clues in the camp that related to the cave. So he headed toward the tents and checked its contents. ¡°From the camp¡¯s condition, the cow heads must arrive at this cave for several days already¡±. He moved from tent to tent checking all its contents. What he found was that the amount of food and water was enough for several days only and no clues whatsoever about the cave. This puzzled him because if the cave was not important, why they erected a camp, took a trouble to guard and examine the cave. After a long while and he was satisfied with his search, Acma decided to take all the tents and its contents. So he wished all of them to enter his inventory. In a blink of an eye, everything was cleared. Acma returned to the mouth of the cave. He was positive that nothing was dangerous in the cave because whatever it were, the cow heads had already cleared them. Acma was inclined to enter the cave right now, but he hold it. Acma was conflicted but after a while, he managed to calm himself. He thought, it is better for him to take some rest and checked his equipment. Furthermore, having Alice controlling the surveillance drones just now drained his mana a bit. There was a boulder not far from the cave entrance. Acma walked to and sat on it. He asked Alice to run a system check on FREEDOM to detect any anomalies. Luckily, no anomalies founded. It means, his battle before was flawless. He manage to kill all the cow heads without taking even a hit except the ram that sent him flying. He really grateful for all the training and battle experiences he receiveed from his father. If his father¡¯s saw his battle earlier, he must be proud of him. ¡°Open Inventory¡±, He checked thr inventory and found several bronze axes, armors and knives. At the bottom of his inventory panel, he could see a column that indicate how much money he currently have. After the battles and scavenging the cow heads tents, his accumulated wealth were 0 platinum, 5 golds, 75 silvers and 30 coppers. ¡°Maybe current currency exchange is 100 coppers = 1 silver, 100 silvers = 1 gold. Same goes with gold = platinum exchange. What I interested to know is, either previous world¡¯s gold can be exchange with current world gold or not¡±, he thought. There were also 30 white mana cores, several cicada wings, cracked cyclops eyes and cat fangs. The wing, the cyclops eye and cat fang were for upgrading but he still wondering about how to use the mana core. He thought, it must be very useful since every monsters he slain drop the core. It means, every monsters have the core. The color of the core, match the color of monster''s name plate, so if he killed a different color monsters, he will get a different color of the monster cores. He took out one mana core and said , ¡°Identify¡±.
Mana core Formed by a condensed world mana inside the monsters body. Can be use for alchemy or to provide energy
¡°So, this thing is for alchemy and to provide energy. This is interesting. I might not have a use for alchemy yet, but I can use this cores to replace batteries. I will check it first with my drone¡±. He thought. Then he took out one of the drones and remove the battery. His heartbeat was thumping faster and faster. Basically, he was about to make a discovery if the mana core can be used on modern equipment or not. If this successful, he will solve half of the world energy problems. A clean energy too. On a second thought, although if it indeed working, it¡¯s not necessarily a good thing too. He thought that in a long run, it can lead to the extinction of the monsters because the greed of humans were endless. This have been proven numerous times in history. To find an excuse to invade another countries for their energy supplies, some leaders nonchalantly kill their own citizens and blame it on others. After the invasion, even if the truth was found out, it can be silenced easily. But, the energy supplies already theirs.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. But it could work in both ways. If human could use the mana core and hunted the monsters, then it''s also possible thatthe monsterscould use the modern technologies. The minatours just now seemed to be santient and organized, so they had a capabilities to learn. If they could use the modern technologies, human might really goes extinct or worse, become a slave to the monsters and forced to transfer the technologies to them. He realized too, thatthere were many geniuses in the world.So, someday, somebody might discover about this. then they announce the findings to the world and the cycles begun. But that was another story. For now, what most important thing to him is to focus on what lies in front of him. Before he put the mana core inside the drone, he tried to fuse the core with the battery. But there was no reaction. Then he proceed and put the core inside the drone. ¡°What if the energy is too high and fried the circuit¡±. He immediately remove that worrisome thought and proceeded with his little experiment. Once he switch on the drone, he let out a sigh. ¡°It''s not working. Maybe it need aconverter. Alice, can you build a converter that can extract the mana from this mana core and change it into electricity?", he asked. "I need to do some experiment on it first. And I also need a good laboratary", replied Alice. "Okay, set it as an optional task. In the mean time, please work on some theory on it" "Yes, Master" Acma keptthe drone into his inventory.After he was done sorting out his inventory, he went to check his status. ¡°Open Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level 9 Race Human
Class -None-
HP 895/900 MP 950/1100
Strength 266 Agility 316
Intelligence 368 Luck 220
Unallocated point(s) 45
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa
¡°I leveled up 7 times. If this system really similar to game, then I can assign a class when I reach lvl 10. One more level to go. What kind of class should I pick. I have mastered several weapons. But swordsman is probably the most suitable for me right now¡±, he thought with a smile as gentle as a morning breeze on his face. His heart felt great with that many level up. He knew that he might be stronger than average monsters in this world. But with his current level, he could fight against a monster with several levels higher than him only. If the difference was too high, he would opt to run. Safety over pride, life over death. As Starscream said, ¡®Sometimes, cowards do survive¡¯. He didn¡¯t care about what people said, because what the most important to him was what he wanted to do and what he could do. If running away could save his life, he would definitely run. And when he got stronger, he will face the danger again. If he can¡¯t run, then he will wager everything. ¡°Hmmmm¡­running away is indeed sound coward. Let change it with, tactical retreat. Yeah, that sounds better¡±, he reassured himself. He look toward the cave entrance. Now he already get enough rest, his equipment was checked, his inventory was sorted out and he made some new discovery. So he was ready for a new adventure. He moved toward the cave¡¯s entrance with his heart beating faster and faster. When he took a step inside the cave, a notification panel appeared. ¡°This must be important since it came out even after I turned off notifications¡±, he thought. Ding~
You have entered a lord-less Nokium ore mine. As a lord, you can claim ownership over territories, either by force or negotiation. If you wish to claim ownership over this mine, you have to subdue or getting cooperation from the mine¡¯s dwellings
"This is incredible", he praised. 6 - The Benevolent The notifications make his heart beating faster and faster. Numerous questions and ideas came out of his mind. Most of it wasto establish a link between his lordship and claiming a territory. He was not sure either this wasan opportunity or a doomsday to him. On the bright side, owning a mine will ensure an income forhim and having a stable income was a must in any age or any world. However, this mine couldbe a source of conflict too, like the minatours earlier. Sooner or later, he might have to face a stronger and bigger enemies who wereeyeing this mine. There are a lot of other problems too. If he want to mine the ores, he need a worker. But where he wasgoing to get them? ¡°Wait, from the notification earlier, this mine seem to have an inhabitant. There must be something. If I can make them work for me, I don¡¯t have to worry about a worker anymore¡±, Acma thought. But he still not sure about the nokium ore. ¡°Alice, do you know anything about nokium?¡± he asked his trusted high fairy. ¡°From my database, not much was known about this ore. Years ago, there is rumors that a legendary phone have been made from this ore¡±, replied Alice. ¡°Lets explore this mine. Alice I want you to map this mine and search for any of its inhabitants¡±, Acma said while his hand is holding several metal sphere. This sphere will be used to map the mine. After the metal spheres flew into the mine to begin the mapping, Acma walkedinside the mineslowly. Inside the mine was absolutely dark, not a single speck of light available. However, this wasnot a problem to Acma because his suit was equipped with a special camera, enabling him to see in the dark. The mapping was still in progress as Acma exploring deeper and deeper into the mine. After an hour passed, he still found nothing yet. ¡°Master, I found something¡±. Alice reported. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Three humanoid creatures in 500 metres, 1 metre tall and weak. Earlier, they¡¯re hiding at the corner of the cave so my sensor can¡¯t detect them. I apologize Master¡±, Alice explained further. ¡°It¡¯s ok Alice, lets go andmeet them¡±, Acma replied. He moved carefully towards the creatures asdidn¡¯t want to startle them. He alsostored his weapons inside the inventory, hoping that the creatures won''t be alarmed. When he arrived at the creatures location, what he saw really interested him. Bald, pointy ear, sharp teeth, short, four arms, naked and barefooted. ¡°What is this creature? It looks like a goblin, but why it have four arms?¡±. He whispered inside his head. He was puzzled because from what he remembered from Harry Porter¡¯s film,the goblins only have two arms.
Young Miner Goblin LVL 3
There wasthree young goblins. While the taller one is LVL 3, the other two were only LVL 2. Alice was right, these goblins was too weak. Acma approached the goblins slowly, one step at a time, lowering his body a bit while rising both of his hand above his head, signalling that he mean no harm. ¡°I hope these young goblins can understand¡±. ¡°(*&*I&#@*)(*(^%^&¡±, shouted the taller one while the other two hiding behind him. He spreadhis hands, shielding his brothers while holding a stone on each hands. His eyes look determined although his legs weretrembling a little. ¡°A brave older brother ah¡±, Acma thought and take a step toward, closer the trio. ¡®Tak¡¯, ¡®Tak¡¯, ¡®Tak¡¯ The taller one start throwing the stones when Acma were closing in to them. Although his strike didn¡¯t leave a mark on Acma¡¯s armor, he keep throwing it. ¡°*&^&@%#()(((^%^%#@¡±, he shouted again with a louder voice, hoping that his shout will stop Acma.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. This action amazed Acma so he stopped approaching. ¡°Activate Language Comprehension skill¡±. He want to communicate with the trio. ¡°I mean no harm, brave one. I just want to talk with you¡±, Acma said with a low voice but loud enough for the goblins to hear. The taller one appear to be shocked. ¡°Wha.. What do you want, monster¡±. He asked but still keeping its guard. If the goblin can see Acma¡¯s face, he surely could see a smile appear on his face. Being called a monster by a creature that was supposed to be a monster from a human¡¯s view, that was really a funny situation to him. ¡°I just want to talk. I don¡¯t have a weapon on my body so you don¡¯t have to be afraid of me, brave one¡±. Acma explained. ¡°My name is Acma Heart, Lord of The Heavenly Villa. I¡¯m on a journey when I found this mine. I already killed all the cow heads outside the mine. Would you allow me to hear your name, brave one?¡± Acma said slowly. ¡°YOU¡¯RE LYING¡±, shouted the taller goblin. ¡°There is a lot of minatours outside the mine. They¡¯re all stronger, bigger than you. I saw them kill a lot of our people. There is no way you killed them all. YOU¡¯RE LYING¡±. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you, brave one. I really did killed them all. I¡¯m strong you know¡±, Acma replied with a smile. ¡°Owh, I havea prove so you can believe me¡±, he said while taking out several axes belong to the cow heads. Seeing the axes in front of him, a shocked expression visibly appear on the taller goblin face, ¡°I..I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t believe this¡±, itstuttered whileexchangingglances with the other two young goblins. ¡°Yes I am, they¡¯re gone now. Would you tell me what happened to your people?¡± Acma asked. ¡°Milord, milord, please help us. Please help our people¡±, the taller goblin immediately fell to its knees, with tears streaming down from its eyes, begging for help. The other two also follow the suit. ¡°What exactly happened? Do tell me slowly, I will help you if I can¡±, said Acma comforting the desperate young goblins. ¡°Our people have been sealed inside the cave by the minatours. We tried to release them, but we are too weak. Please help us milord. Please, we¡¯re begging you¡±, explained the taller goblin. ¡°Rise, brave one. Show me the cave. I will use all my power to save your people¡±, replied Acma. ¡°Thank you milord, thank you¡±. The taller goblin hurriedly running towards the cave where his people were trapped. After several minutes running, they arrived in front of a sealed cave. Acma shoutedan instruction to clear the cave entrance. He took out his Dragon Slayer and start slashing the boulders that sealing the caves. After several slashes, the sealed entrance have been cleared. When the dust has settled, Acma step inside the cave. The three young goblins rushing inside the cave, loudly calling their relatives. The view inside the cave was really unbearable. 40-50 goblins were lying on the ground, unable to move even their fingers. They have been trapped for far too long. Luckily, they were still alive.Acma secretly feltrelieve inside his heart, that if he were a bit late, all those goblins would lost their life. He already forgot about the matter of searching a miner because his current priority is to give foods and water to these starving goblins. Acma took out foods and water he seized from the cow head¡¯s camp earlier. He called the young goblins and several others who still capable of moving their bodies, to distribute the food and water. They move quickly and orderly. Soon after, life have returned to all starving goblins. They now able to move their bodies again. The young goblins keep thanking Acma, again and again and again. Receiving Acma''s help was like a heavy rain that fell after a long draught. A while after, the taller goblin were helping a staggering elder goblin came to talk to Acma. Itexplained about Acma¡¯s background to the elder and Acma¡¯s heroic deed clearing the mine entrance from the minatours. The elder look at Acma like a devout worshipper meeting his god. But Acma ain¡¯t no god. He just someone who¡¯re looking for a miner to work inside his mine. But, the elder surely don¡¯t know about that. ¡°Thank you very much milord for helping us. Without your help, we¡¯re definitely perish. We also thank you for eliminating the devils who trapped us in here. I don¡¯t know if we can ever repaid your greatness¡±, the elder said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing great, elder. Those cow heads were blocking my path so I just eliminate them all. I¡¯m glad that I can help your people too¡±, replied Acma. Ding ~
You have received a new title: The Benevolent. You saved a weaker race from other world. All other worlds inhabitant will be less hostile towards you +50 Luck
¡°Wow, this is an unexpected¡±, Acma shocked. Seeing a sudden paused, the elder can¡¯t help but asking, ¡°Is there anything wrong milord?¡±. ¡°Nothing wrong elder, I just get an unexpected notification. Hmmmm¡­ I want to ask something, would you like to hear it?¡±, asked Acma expectantly. ¡°Anything milord¡±, replied the elder. ¡°I¡¯ve got a notice that this mine is lordless. So, I want to claim this mine as part of my territory. But, to do that, I needa consent from this mine inhabitant, which is your people. What do you think?¡± asked Acma. Before the elder get to reply, Acma continued, ¡°I will keep your people safe. If those cow heads come again, I will eliminate them all¡±. ¡°Milord, our live is already yours when you unsealed the cave and gave us foods and water. Living under your lordship is definitely a better choices for us. Thank you very much for giving us an opportunity to serve you". Ding~
You have claimed a nokium ore mine. No activities can proceed without your permission. All the miner goblins inside the mine will be your citizens. You can view about this mine in your territory status
¡°Great, now I have a mine and I don¡¯t have to worry about a miner too¡±. "Thank you, elder" 7 - I Hate Centipede ¡°Thank you very much, elder¡±, Acma thanked the elder for its willingness to serve him. He took out a metal sphere from his inventory. This wasa different metal sphere from the one he used before to map the mine. This one wasspecialized for long range communication. As long as there is energy provided, the sphere will be working. He handed the sphere to the elder and said, ¡°Elder, this is a communication sphere. Whenever you face with an emergency that you can¡¯t handle, press this button¡±, he paused when he feel that he forgot about something. ¡°Owh, my mistake¡±, he didn¡¯t know the elder¡¯s name. ¡°Elder, may I know your name. I apologize that I haven¡¯t ask your name earlier¡±, asked Acma. ¡°Milord, I don¡¯t have a name. In our clan, only a warrior have a name. Milord can call me with any name you prefer¡±, the elder politely answered. ¡°Owh, if that¡¯s the case, I will just call you Elder. I want to know about the warrior thing, please explain it to me¡±, Acma asked for more info. He started thinking that, if these goblins became a warrior, they couldguard the mine. ¡°Milord, my people will become a warrior when they reach their first evolution and become a hobgoblin. I heard about this happened in other goblin clans, but in our clan history, none have reach that level¡±. The elder paused and then continued, ¡°We evolve when we reach a certain level, but I don¡¯t know what level it is. I¡¯m already old now, looks like reaching evolution is just a dream for me¡±, the elder said with a sad face. Acma feel that he should comfort the sad elder but decide not to, so he asked another question, ¡°How to increase your level?¡± ¡°Our level may increase with time, the longer we live, the higher our level is. But it extremely slow and most likely we won''t reach our first evolution. On top of that, the previous elder said, we also can increase our level by killing other creature. But, as you can see milord, we are weak. If we try to kill other creature, most likely we¡¯re the one who got killed first¡±, the elder replied and he look more depressed. Acma coughed lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t be depressed Elder, we will think about how to overcome that weakness later¡±. He still doesn¡¯t have anything in mind yet, but surely he can think of solution later. Then he look at the goblins inside the cave. Most of them have recovered, enough to move their bodies and walk. Seeing this, Acma feltrelieved in his heart. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve spend enough time with this goblins already. I should resume my journey to Orca Village. Time to say goodbye to these goblins¡±, he thought and look towards the elder. ¡°Elder, I¡¯m glad that your people is safe. However, my destination is still far, so I have to go now. I will give you an instruction from time to time via the communication sphere, so you don¡¯t have to worry about the safety of your people. After I finish with my business, I will visit you again¡±. ¡°Yes milord¡±, the elder answered. He look at the taller goblin beside him and look at Acma again. He repeat this action several times and Acma feltthat the elder have something to tell but couldn¡¯t. ¡°What is it, elder. You look like have something to tell me¡±, Acma asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry milord. A week ago, before the minatour¡¯s atrocity, our storage have been invaded by a giant centipede. Many of our people have been killed by those monsters. We manage to seal the entrance to the storage, but I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t last any longer. I¡¯m really sorry milord, if you can delay your departure a bit and exterminate those monsters¡±, the elder explained about the current predicament, faced by their people. The crisis is quite grim for them. If their storage were continuously infested by those monsters, his people will lost their food and it will be harder for them to survive. ¡°I understand. I will exterminate them before continuing my journey. Show me the way¡±, replied Acma. "Is there anything else behind this request? Hmmm... Should I be suspicious?" he thought. Considering the elder''s sincere face when it made the request, Acma threw away his suspicion. He wasimagining about how bigthe giant centipedes was. If the characteristics of this giant centipedes wasstill the same as from the previous world, he don¡¯t have to worry. But, nothing is certain in this new world. The elder lead the way to the storage. After a while, they arrived in front of a sealed passage. ¡°Milord, our storage will be at the end of this passageway¡±, said the elder. Although he doesn¡¯t know what kind of giant centipedes he would befacing, to let the goblins felt safe, Acma confidently saidthat he wouldsolve the problems. ¡°Ok, you guys can withdraw from this place. I will let you knowabout the result later through the communication sphere¡±. After the goblins withdrew, Acma made a hole so he couldput the surveillance sphere through it. ¡°Alice, scout the storage and find the entrance where those giant centipedes come in¡±, ¡°Yes Master¡±, the sphere immediately flew away. While Alice was examining the storage, Acma checked his status. ¡°Open Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level 9 Race Human
Class -None-
HP 900/900 MP 1000/1100
Strength 266 Agility 316
Intelligence 368 Luck 270
Unallocated point(s) 10
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent
¡°So the territory is not within main status interface. Hmmmm¡­ The new title already added to my status. Good, now my luck is 270. I wonder if I¡¯m the luckiest man on earth. Unfortunately, the earth has already gone. Haih¡±, Acma sighed a little. ¡°Maybe on new earth too¡±, This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Then he said, ¡°Open Territory Status¡±.
Heavenly Villa Territory
Owner Acma Heart Population 53
Territories 2 Treasury 5000 Golds
Monthly Income 0Gold Monthly Expenses 3 Golds
¡°Hmmmm¡­ I don¡¯t have income yet but I already have expenses. No income maybe due to no trade, and expenses must be because of the villa and the mine. The amount of treasure is not bad, looks like the gold inside the vault can be used in the current world. Those two territories must be the villa and the mine¡±, Acma was analyzing his territory status. ¡°Identify Nokium Ore Mine¡±.
Nokium Ore Mine
Owner Acma Heart Ore Type Nokium
Worker 53/350 Capacity 50 tonne/year
As he finished checking the mine status, the surveillance sphere return. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve finished analyzing the enemy¡±, Alice reported. ¡°What did you get?¡±. ¡°There is dozens of giant centipedes in the storage. Most of them were 4-5 meters long, several of them were 6-7 meters long while the biggest of them was 10 meters long. That one must be their leader¡±, she paused then continued, ¡°They came from a crack on the north wall, it¡¯s about 2 meter in diameter¡±. ¡°Dozens? Damn, I thought it was only several of them. I hate centipedes¡±, grumbled Acma as he remembered one of his painful experience with the centipede when his father threw him in a hole full of centipedes, just to boost his immunity against its poison. He have been bedridden for days because of that. ¡°And father just grinning when he saw me crawling out of the hole¡±. Although the method was painful, but his body indeed have develop an immunity against centipede¡¯s poison. But that was just a beginning. ¡°Arrgghhhh, I don¡¯t want to remember about that¡±. ¡°Lets go¡±, he said as he took out both his Barquq and Dragon Slayer from the inventory. Then he cut the boulder which sealed the entrance close to 3 meters in diameter and then put it inside his inventory. He want to use the boulder to seal the crack, thus preventing more centipedes from invading the storage. After a short walk, Acma now is facing against his hated enemy, centipede. A lot of centipedes.
Giant Centipede LVL 8
Giant Centipede LVL 9
Giant Centipede LVL 10
That was the level of the shortest centipedes. Acma haven¡¯t see the longer centipedes, even the black centipede was nowhere in his sight. He gritted his teeth, his eyes beaming with fiery red light,clearly an expression ofhatred. He has decided, that he will use this opportunity to repay all his past suffering. ¡°Dieee!!!¡±, he shouted as he dashed forward, brandishing his weapon with both of his hands. Each slash successfully cutting his target. Some of them were cut into two pieces, some of them had their head splitted. The centipedes tried to bit Acma, but their effort were fruitless because their fang was incapable to penetrate Acma''s armor. Slashing this hated enemy really amused Acma to the extreme. His heart was brimming with joy. His mouth exploded with a laughter. He already cleared almost all the giant centipedes inside the storageexcepta few of them. Those remaining centipedes were still alive only with half of their bodies because Acma had some plan. ¡°I think I can make the goblins kill these centipedes later¡±, he thought while looking at the remaining half centipedes in front of him. He step inside innermost of the storage. Now he wasfacing the final boss inside, agrim black giant centipede.
Adult Giant Centipede LVL 18
¡°Green monsters, now we¡¯re talking¡±, a smile appeared on his face as he put away his Barquq and readied his stance to accept the black centipede¡¯s attack with his Dragon Slayer. But, before the black centipede begun it¡¯s attack, Ding ~
LEVEL UP
Ding ~
You have reached a required level to go to the Beginner Village. You will be transferred shortly
"Huh?", before he could register what happened, a light envelopedhis body. 8 - Dark Clouds Looming Over Orca Village - Part 1 Let shift our story to Orca Village, the nearest human settlement to Heavenly Villa. Orca Village 30 seconds to The Experiment The villagers were fast asleep. While the humans in the village were deep within their dream, a night dwellers came out from their hiding. The insects showing off their skill, the owl pursuing its prey and sometimes a howling sound could be heard from a far. The village was peaceful at night. A night concert was still going strong when suddenly a shockwave sweeping the area. All electronic devices were burned and all sounds came to stop. BOOOOMMM ¡­ A loud explosion could be heard, followed by a continuous tremor. Meanwhile, in the chief¡¯s house, Pai Chow, chief of the Orca Village also slowly waking up. He look at his side, at his lovely wife who were still deep in her sleep, oblivious to the sound of the explosion. Both of them were at mid fifties while his wife have some problems with her hearing. No wonder the loud sound didn¡¯t even budge her from her dream. Pai Chow became a chief for almost 15 years already. He and several friends decided to built this village as they want to seclude themselves from the modern world. They were tired living in the city. Within this 15 years, the numbers of the villagers never stagnant. Someone come and someone goes, Pai Chow never hold them. Whoever want to live in this village must be someone who are willing to live with the nature. If they¡¯re hunting, they hunt for food, not for entertainment or trade. They hunt for what they need only. They grew their own food and fishing from the nearby lake. Live with nature, that is the idealism shared among the villagers. The number of villagers were close to 150 peoples. Currently they were close to 100 active hunters, men and women alike. The rest of them focused on gathering herbs, fishing, gardening and other domestic chores. Money is not a problem here in this village, because most all of senior members were a successful people before. They just tired of modern living, so they treat the village as their retreat. While the young members treat the village as a challenge. ¡°What was that sound? Why there is a loud explosion nearby the village. I hope we wont face any problems¡±, Chief Pai were in deep thinking while he move towards the bathroom to refresh his body. He knew that his subordinates will come after him to report about the sound. So he need to get ready. ¡®Knock, knock, knock¡¯, suddenly a knocking sound could be heard. ¡°Damn, so fast. At least let me take a piss first¡±. He move towards the door after refreshing himself with warm water. A young man were standing in front of his door while holding a torch. He met this young man at the city several years ago. When he talk about his idealism about the village, this young man immediately decided to follow him to the village. ¡°Why are you holding a torch? Why there is no light in the village?¡±, he asked the young man. ¡°The generator was fried by the shockwave, Chief Pai. In fact, all electrical equipment also broken. That¡¯s why I use a torch¡±, replied the young man with an awkward smile on his face. ¡°I see. Duo Nan, gather the elders, we will hold an emergency meeting now¡±, said Pai Chow as he took a step to go to the meeting room. ¡°Err, Chief Pai, I think you should wear a pants first¡±, Duo Nan said as he clearly holding himself from bursting from laughter. Looking down at his legs, a shocked expression appeared on Chief Pai face and then he also laugh out loud. Soon after, he come out with a pants. Duo Nan lead the way to the meeting room. ¡°You better not telling anyone about this. Give me face ok¡±. ¡°Yes Chief, Hahahaha¡±. ===================================== In the meeting room ¡°Good morning everyone, lets begin our emergency meeting¡±, Chief Pai greet all the elders and young leaders inside the room. ¡°Duo Nan, you may start your briefing¡±. ¡°Greetings everyone, right after midnight, there is a shockwave sweeping our village, frying all electrical devices. I suspect, it was EMP wave. Shortly after the shockwave, a loud boom was heard, which is the one that woke us up. However, the night guard reported that they didn¡¯t see any explosion near our village, which is really weird considering how loud the booming sound is¡±, Duo Nan paused and then continued his briefing, ¡°Other than electrical devices, no other damages reported. That¡¯s all¡±. ¡°How about the cracking noises that come after the boom?¡±, asked Elder Daquan. Elder Daquan was one of martial arts instructor in the village. He was incharge with close range combat while the other two instructor was Elder Fai and Elder Ma. Elder Fai was a weapon instructor, specialize in sword mastery while Elder Ma was a hunting instructor. This three elder will supervise the safety of the village and prepare the villagers with necessary knowledge to survive in the wilderness. ¡°I have no idea what cause that cracking noise is. Also, there is also several tremors after the boom which is also with no explainable reason¡±, replied Duo Nan. ¡°What do you think Elder Ma¡±, asked Chief Pai. ¡°I never face anything like this during my service. But, I strongly believe that we must be prepared for the worst case scenario, considering how weird the situation is. If you look at the moon, it was red now¡±, replied Elder Ma. ¡°Red?¡± Everyone in the room shocked and start making noises. They were in hurry before, so they have no chance to look at the moon. ¡°Yes it is. As far as I know, red moon only appear in the legend, which is also called a blood moon. It was a sign for catastrophe and chaos. I know it sound superstitious, but the moon indeed bloody red, so I suggest we must be prepared¡±, said Elder Ma. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Elder Ma was right, we should prepare for the worst. Duo Nan, after the first light in the morning, bring with you some hunters to scout the perimeter. If you encounter anything strange, do not engage. You must return as quickly as possible. Zi Yi, check our food stock, make sure everything was checked. Brother Fai will have to check our weapons storage and make sure all hunters were ready. Brother Ma will be with me to check the village defense. Dismiss¡±, Chief Pai gave his orders. ¡°Yes Chief¡±, replied everyone. ============================== 6 hours after midnight
Hello everyone, I¡¯m the overseer of your world. I believe all of you felt the tremor and heard the cracking sound since the past 6 hours. Due to some good for nothing idiots, the barrier between your world and another dimensions shattered. To make thing worst, your world and the worlds from another dimensions are combining together. This is just a beginning. Don¡¯t expect a warm welcome, prepare for the worst and fight for your survival. The panel you currently viewing is part of the system I implemented to increase your survival rate. Don¡¯t die too early. Have some fun and good luck
¡°What is this?¡±, muttered Duo Nan when he got the notification. ¡°Hey, did anyone got blue panel on his sight?¡±, he asked fellow hunters who are preparing for scouting mission with him. ¡°I got it too, brother Duo¡±, replied someone. ¡°Me too¡±, replied another confirming that everyone got the notification. ¡°Brother Duo, should we abort our mission?¡± asked a hunter. ¡°No, we continue. We will report to the elders once we return. I believe everyone got the notification, so it will be useless if we go to them now. Lets go everyone¡±, replied Duo Nan as he put his bow on his back and move towards the forest. =============================== 2 hours after the notification In the meeting room ¡°Brother Ma, did you find anything strange inside the village after the notification?¡±, Chief Pai asked Elder Ma, who checked dutifully inside the village, looking for anything strange or loophole in security. ¡°Nothing so far brother. The situation inside the village is the same as ever. But I already forbid everyone from leaving the village until we¡¯re clear about the situation¡±, replied Elder Ma. ¡°Thanks brother. I hope nothing bad happen to us. How about our weapons, brother Fai?¡±, asked Chief Pai. ¡°Swords and knives have been sharpened, the arrows were counted and our guns were ready to use. I think if we were attacked by the otherworlders, we can fight them¡±. ¡°Good to hear that. I will entrusted both of you to keep the village safe. Zi Yi reported to me earlier, we have enough food stock for 3 months¡±, said Chief Pai. While the elders were discussing about the situations, Duo Nan return. His face look worry and his steps were rushed. Looking at that young man, Chief Pai couldn¡¯t help but asked, ¡°What happened Duo Nan? Did you found anything strange outside the village?¡± ¡°We might have a problem Chief¡±, replied Duo Nan while he tried to calm down. Then he resume his report. ¡°We found a strange creatures 5 kilometers to the west. They were half man half horse. I never found anything like that before¡±. ¡°Half man half horse? Do you mean a centaurs. That¡¯s a creature from myth. Are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken Duo Nan?¡±, asked Elder Fai with a frown. ¡°I 500% sure elder. That what my squad and I saw. There are only 5 of them, most likely a scout. When they discover us, they fled. I¡¯m afraid they will return with bigger forces¡±, said Duo Nan. ¡°What do you think Brother Pai?¡±, asked Elder Fai. ¡°If I didn¡¯t see the blue panel earlier this morning, I will also think what Duo Nan said as impossible. But, since last night everything have been strange. Lets prepare for an attack¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°Duo Nan, elaborate further about what you saw¡±. ¡°The creature were 2 meters tall and their speed was like a normal horse. They use longsword and some of them have bow on their back. Other than that creatures, we also found that the landscape around the village have change a lot¡±, Duo Nan paused for a while and then continue, ¡°The range between our village and the southern mountain range have been increased and the lake we use to fish have been enlarge too. We also found many animals that we never seen before. We really lucky that they didn¡¯t sense us¡±. Hearing what Duo Nan said made everyone inside the room quiet. Everyone tried to fathom what was happening. After a long silence, Chief Pai sighed and said, "Lets mobilize everyone". "Yes chief", replied everyone inside the room. 9 - Dark Clouds Looming Over Orca Village - Part 2 6 hours after the notification Orca Village¡¯s Entrance Duo Nan was right, the centaurs returned with a forces. A large movement could be seen inside the forest, indicating that there were many centaurs involved in the attack. They move towards the clearing at the south, in front of the Orca Village¡¯s entrance. Since the village have been built inside a natural fortress, the villagers don¡¯t have many problem to face the attack from the centaurs. A mountain stood tall at the north, behind the village while a vertical cliff on both east and west side. Although the cliff wasn¡¯t very high, but it¡¯s enough to force the centaurs to abandon their plan to attack from that side. The villagers also built a wall around the village, giving an extra protection. With the north, east and west secured, the villagers can focused their attention to the south. Waiting for the centaurs to complete their movement, everyone locked their gaze towards the clearing. This will be their first battle with otherworlders, a mythical creature, the centaurs. However, almost all the hunters inside the village already faced numerous life and death situation when battling with the wild animal. This is the reason why all the hunters were calm and organized while facing this otherworld enemies. Anyone specializing in melee were stationed behind the gate, ready to intercept any centaurs who manage to break through the gate. They were armed with swords, shields and spears. They wore a leather armor, made from the hide of the animals they killed. These melee hunters will be supported by 5 squads of archer. These 25 archers were given this task because they have the lowest accuracy at long range among the archers inside the village, but decent enough to hit a target at low range. These archers will be the first line of defence if the gate was broken. If the enemies manage to reach the malee squad, this archer squad can use their malee weapon to help malee squad. The other 10 squads of archer were placed on the vantage point facing the clearance. These squads consist only the best among the best archers in the village. Their accuracy were the best at 400-550 meters. They also have the fastest speed to reload their arrow. Duo Nan was among these squads and he was stationed at the left side of the entrance. After 15 minutes, the first centaur could be seen annd then the second, the third and so forth until every centaurs gathered. Roughly, there were about 100 ¨C 120 centaurs, armed with longswords, axes and bows. They don¡¯t equip any shield or armor. Although they came together, but they seem disorganize. They keep moving left and right, unable to stay still, but they still facing the village¡¯s entrance. They have an arrogant look on their face, maybe because they think they¡¯re superior compare to the hunters in the village. One of the centaurs come forward, probably their leaders, brandishing his broadsword showing off his skill. His action receive a loud roar from his counterpart. Then he lift his broadsword toward the village and shout. ¡°H)*#&(^*&^(#$¡±, but no response from the village. Then he shout again, ¡°&^$%#*$()FHEUF)Q)@¡±. He was fumed by the lack of response from the village. If only he knew, none of the villagers could understand his language. Because of his lack of experience, he gave an order to all of centaurs to start attacking the village, followed by a earth shattering roar from his minions. They start to move. ================================ 1 hour earlier, Inside the war room Chief Pai, Elder Daquan, Elder Fai, Elder Ma, Duo Nan, Zi Yi and several important figures were standing around the table at the center of the room. They¡¯re looking at the map on the table which show Orca Village and it¡¯s surrounding. ¡°Chief, Elders, our scout reported earlier that they saw a group of centaurs between 100 ¨C 120 were heading towards the village¡±, Duo Nan gave a report to the meeting. ¡°Brother Ma, can you advice us on how to face these centaurs. I believe you¡¯re the most capable person to handle situations like this¡±, said Chief Pai to Elder Ma. Elder Ma was a retired special ops who have participate in many war. That¡¯s why Chief Pai trusted Elder Ma with a responsibility to defend the village. ¡°Brothers, we will receive our enemy at the entrance of the village. Divide our hunters into 20 squads, 15 squads of archer and 5 squads of melee. I already checked our weapon storage, we won¡¯t have a problem to handle our enemy at that number¡±, said Elder Ma while his index finger tapping the village entrance on the map. ¡°The centaurs most likely will gather at the clearance in front of the entrance, since there is the only place they can attack us. We will have 10 squads of archer to face them while the other 10 squads to receive any centaurs who manage to pass the gate. I already order our hunters to put a barricade around and after the entrance so our archers can kill them before they reach our melee squads¡±, explained Elder Ma. ¡°I believe Brother Ma will make sure everything will be fine. How was the moral of our villagers? Did the suddenness of this event shocked them?¡±, asked Chief Pai. ¡°You flatter me Brother Pai, I believe we need everyone¡¯s strength to survive this event. I already briefed our hunters and villagers on what we¡¯re facing. Although some of them still can¡¯t believe what was happening, our hunters can be considered ready. I told them to see the centaurs as a mutant horse or an animal, so they wont have a problem to kill them. I also discussed with them where to shoot¡±, replied Elder Ma with a smile on his face. This old man can still smiling in a situation like this, proving his experience. ¡°How about other villagers, do we need their help to fight too?¡± asked Elder Daquan. ¡°I think we still doesn¡¯t need their help yet. The number of enemies is low and our hunters are more than enough to handle them. Another thing is, having them to help is a risky move because they might disrupt our hunters formation due to inexperience¡±, replied Elder Ma. ¡°Good, I believe we are ready to face those centaurs. Let¡¯s conclude our meeting. Zi Yi, you will guard a non combatant villagers, move them further at the back of our village. Duo Nan, you will help Elder Ma to divide the hunters into squads. Everyone else, double check the wall around the village, and the cliff too. Make sure a horse can¡¯t climb on. Dismiss¡±, ordered Chief Pai. ¡°Yes Chief¡±, replied everyone in the room. =========================== Currently Orca Village¡¯s Entrance Watching the centaurs rapidly moving forward, Elder Ma gave a loud shout, ¡°EVERYONE, READYYY. ARCHERS, WHEN THE ENEMY¡¯S ARCHER ENTER YOUR RANGE, KILL THEM BEFORE THEY SHOOT THEIR ARROW. OPEN YOUR EYES, BEWRE OF ENEMY¡¯S ARROWS AND SPEARS. DON¡¯T GET HIT !!!¡± Duo Nan and everyone else feel a surge of emotions hearing Elder Ma¡¯s shout. Although they were afraid, they definitely won¡¯t go down without fight. The enemy clearly want to harm them, so they must kill them first. Behind them, they have many people they want to protect. If they were to fall during this attack, they will make sure that the enemy fell with them, so their beloved one will be safe and survive the battle. Duo Nan ready his stance. Being the longest range shooter, he will be the first one to release an arrow. He was impatient, hoping the enemy will enter his range sooner. ¡°FIREEEEEE¡±, as soon as that thundering shout heard, everyone release their arrow. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯. Having trained their aim for years in the wilderness, plus a nightmarish training from Elder Fai, all their arrow meet the target. One after another, the centaurs started to fall down, Several arrow pierced their body, which was proven fatal to these centaurs. With the first volley alone, almost half of the enemy fell, leaving their life behind. This clearly shocked the centaurs. Although they want to regroup, stopping their charge was extremely difficult. They can only move forward while hoping they can burst open the gate and kill the enemy behind it. Never cross their mind, a weak looking humans inside this tiny village were able to deliver a fatal blow unto them with just a volley of arrow. ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, ¡®Swoossshh¡¯, another volley were raining down onto them. Each arrow were deadly and another quarter fall. Now, all the vanguard were eliminated. Among the remaining quarter, stood a staggering arrogant leader between the corpes of his fallen comrades. No more arrogance on his face. Numerous arrow stucked on his body, but luckily, none of it were fatal. However, an arrow pierced his right arm, hindering him from swinging his blade anymore. If another volley came, he can only receive it with a close eyes, unable to do anything. He can only hope, his death will come fast and swift. ¡°DON¡¯T KILL THAT ONE, GET HIM TO ME !!!¡±, a loud shout could be heard. Maybe Elder Ma want to interrogate that centaur¡¯s leader. ======================== Left Side of the Entrance Duo Nan All his arrow pierced the head of his enemy. Since the number of enemy is small, Duo Nan were rushing get a few kill. Suddenly, another notification pop out.
LEVEL UP
¡°What is this? Level up? What does it mean¡±, thought Duo Nan while looking around. He already get this level up notification twice. From time to time, some of his fellow archers stop their attack and stare on something, but quickly resume their attack. Duo Nan was wondering, maybe those archers also get the same notification like him. ¡°Hey, is there anyone got a level up notification?¡±, he shouted. ¡°I got it¡±, someone shouted from his left. ¡°I got it twice, I¡¯m great right? Hahahaha¡±, another shout from his right. ¡°Maybe these notification was related to our current battle and killing the enemies. Lets consult the elder later¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted guys, lets kill these enemies !!!¡±. he shouted. ¡°Huooohhhh¡±, the other archer replied. ==================== After Battle Inside The War Room When all the elders gathered inside the room, Chief Pai asked his first question, ¡°Is there any casualties among us?¡±, the safety of the hunters were what he concerned the most. He was at the entrance observing the battle unfold, but he asked just to make sure nothing missed. ¡°No casualties Brother Pai, not even a scratch from the enemy¡¯s weapon. In fact, all of enemy fell before they could do anything¡±, Elder Ma reported. ¡°Great, that¡¯s really a great news¡±, said Chief Pai. He really rejoice that nobody hurt. ¡°How about the enemies?¡±, he asked. ¡°From more than 100 enemies, less than 30 survived. I already have their captured leader caged with 2 guards. I asked our doctor to stop his bleeding and he is ready for interrogation. However, all the corpes dissapear right after the battle¡±, reported Elder Ma. Hearing that report, all elders in the room slowly nodded their head and a smile appear on their face. ¡°Our arrow were effective and our hunters were well trained. But, I think that we must thank our enemy because they gave an easy win to us this time. Their leader is inexperience, their army was disorganized and their arrogance made them refused to wear an armor¡±, said Elder Daquan. ¡°I agree with brother Daquan, they really underestimate us. I wonder if they¡¯ve met with another human being before because from the look of their eyes, they seem to recognise us as human being. What do you think brother Pai?, asked Elder Fai. ¡°I think it¡¯s still to early for that possibilities, but it¡¯s not entirely impossible. Maybe the humans they faced before were weak, that¡¯s why they underestimate us¡±, Chief Pai paused for a while and then continue, ¡°if there exist a human being from other world, we still cannot lower our guard if we meet them. We still don¡¯t know what their opinion about us. Elder Ma, what would you suggest for us to do after this?¡± Chief Pai asked Elder Ma because there is a possibilities that Orca Village might face another battle after today¡¯s. ¡°Hmmmm¡­. We should build an elevated platform for our archers. From what I saw, the centaurs equipment is really low grade. Their arrow won¡¯t reach 200 meters. But an extra precaution would never harm us. Also, I would like to suggest we seek help from Mad Couple. Even their son alone will be a great help for us. We need their weapons and battle experiences¡±, replied Elder Ma. ¡°Do we really need their help, brother Ma?¡± asked Chief Pai seeking a clarification. ¡°Brother, do you remember 11 years ago when they brought their young son here for the sake of training. In just a mere 3 months, that 6 years old boy absorb all our technique like a sponge absorbing a water. I believe that boy grew up excellently. The way they train their son was really harsh, but the couples brought us a lot of benefits too, especially the medicinal knowledge taught by the mother. The father also gave us several firearms and taught us how to handle them¡±, replied Elder Ma. ¡°If that the case, I will ask Duo Nan to form a group to go to their villa tomorrow¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°Brother Ma, do you think the centaurs will attack us again?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m positive they will attack again, but with a bigger forces. I¡¯m afraid, this time won¡¯t be easy for us to win without a scratch¡±, Elder Ma paused, ¡°The centaurs this morning only took 3 hours to reach us. I believe, we will have around 8-10 hours to be prepared before another attack hit us¡±. ¡°What? Brother Ma believe we can win against a bigger forces, is that true?¡± asked one elder with a confused face. Elder Ma quickly replied with a smile, ¡°I believe so. I strongly believe, even they sent a forces 10 times bigger than our hunter, we still can win. We have a terrain advantages, an advance technologies and a trained hunters. And don¡¯t forget, we haven¡¯t use our firearms too. But of course we need to be cautious too¡±. ¡°Alright everyone, like brother Ma said, we have less than 10 hours to prepare for another attack. Please keep the possibilities of a bigger forces a secret from the hunters and villagers. I don¡¯t want to lower their moral. Brother Fai, take out our firearms and gave them to our hunter. Brother Ma, please supervise how the elevated platform should be built. If there is anything else, please consult with me immediately. Dismiss¡±, said Chief Pai as he ordered the meeting to be adjourned. 10 - A Lonely Sovereign
You have been transferred to the Realm of Void
This blue notification panel was the first thing he saw when he got transferred to this realm. After that panel faded away, he can only see a darkness around him. ¡°Why I¡¯ve been transferred to this realm. Is this a beginner village? The notification earlier clearly state the beginner village¡±, Acma wasconfused with the latest notification. He turn his head to look around, only to see nothing. He was floating inside an empty space, unable to determine which way was up or down, left or right. Let alone any object in his surrounding, he couldn¡¯t even see his own hand. He began to wonder either he was transferred to the right place or not. Since he was unable to determine the flow of time, he doesn¡¯t know how long he have been here. He also start to worry about the event before he was transferred here. What if more giant centipedes coming into the storage? What if the black giant centipede massacred the entire miner goblin community? And lot of other possibilities. While he was thinking, he heard someone talked something into his mind. ¡°What do you think about this place, it¡¯s great right?¡±, said the voice. Although he still puzzled about the origin of the voice, he could made a link between the voice and the realm. Most likely that the owner of the voice was the owner of the realm. So he calmed himself down and answered the question, ¡°It¡¯s nothing here¡±, Acma said nonchalantly. ¡°What do you say? How come you can¡¯t appreciate the greatness of this realm. I created this realm by myself you know¡±, the voice sounds a little angry with Acma¡¯s answer. Acma smiled wryly, ¡°Sir, I didn¡¯t mean to offend you, but I can¡¯t appreciate the nothingness as something great. One more thing, before I can fully appreciate the greatness of your creation, at least let me know your name first¡±, he said. ¡°What a rude youngster. Next time before you asked this Great Void name, tell yours first. I won¡¯t tell you my name unless you beg¡±, said Void. ¡°So, your name is Void¡±, Acma was amused with this Void. ¡°I don¡¯t have to introduce myself right. I think you already know who I am¡±. ¡°How¡­ How do you know my great name? Hahahahaha ¡­ looks like I strike gold this time. A being that capable of mind reading¡±, said Void with a clearly more arrogant tone. Acma started to doubt Void,¡°Urgh, this fellow is problematic. I should hurry to finish this beginner business and leave this place¡±. ¡°O Great Void, may I know why you bring me here?¡± He asked. He doesn¡¯t want to prolong a meaningless chit chat and go straight to the point. ¡°You really know how to call the great me. Alright, since you made me happy, I will narrate to you the history of my greatness. Do you know, since ¡­¡± before Void manage to continue bragging, Acma cut it short, but with a polite tone, ¡°O Great Void, looking at this realm of yours, I can understand why you called yourself great. But truth to be told, I¡¯m supposed to be transferred to a Beginner Village, not to this realm of yours. May I ask you again, why I¡¯ve been transferred here instead of a Beginner Village?¡± ¡°Hey, rude youngster, if you interrupted my speech again, you will definitely suffer from my wrath. I can trapped you here and make you listen to my word eternally¡±, Void shouted angrily. Ignoring the shout inside his mind, Acma asked another question, ¡°How do I get to a beginner village. The great you should know the way, right?¡±. Acma knew that what he was doing right now, asking a question after another, was definitely a bad move. But right now he was kind of a little annoyed with Void. He was rushing, he was trapped in the darkness and thensuddenly a voice which he didn¡¯t knew where it came from continued bragging about something he doesn¡¯t care about. ¡°You really not interested to chat with me right¡±, said Void solemnly. ¡°It¡¯s alright, since you doesn¡¯t want to hear, I will explain to you the reason why I brought you here¡±. Suddenly Acma feel something wasn¡¯t right because Void sound so sad right now. ¡°I want you to receive my blessing and become my emissary. That the reason I brought you here¡±, explained Void. His heart jumped with an excitement because this was a great opportunity. But Acma still need more information before making any decision. Then he calmly said, ¡°I see, being your emissary is like a class change too. Is there any benefit for me if I becomeyour emissary?¡± ¡°You will be able to wield my element. Don¡¯t you think being an Emissary of Void as awesome? You will become the strongest in the world if you play your card right¡±. ¡°Oh really, what is so great about void element. Isn¡¯t all elements have their own greatness and weakness?¡± Acma asked. ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t believe the great me. Let me say this, wait until you traverse the world and meet the other elements holder, only then you will know how great you¡¯re¡±, said Void.Stolen story; please report. ¡°Still didn¡¯t answer my question, what so great about void element?¡±, Acma clearly not satisfied with the answer. ¡°What an impatient youngster. Haven¡¯t you heard a saying, ¡®Patience is virtue¡¯. Hmmm¡­ Alright, let the great me explain this to you. When the world was created, there was 8 basic elements which working in harmony to maintain balance. These elements was water, fire, earth, wind, metal, light, dark and void. All creatures will have affinities with any of these elements in their bodies. Then, they can wield the power of these elements to survive in the world. Each elements have their own strength and weakness. One element maybe have an advantage againsta certain element, but weak against the other element. Among these elements, there is one element that held the biggest advantage against the other elements because it can control space, which is void element. This great me believe that you already know that everything that was created wascontained within aspace, even the elements. Although there should be an element that can control time, but as far as the great me know, no element can control time. This great me think, time is controlled personally by the creator. These elements were controlled by a being like the great me, a Sovereign. Any creatures that get our blessing, may wield the power of the elements. We, the Sovereign will give our blessing at the moment the soul merging with the body. When they reach a certain age and condition, their power will be awoken and they can start using the element. When they died, their accumulated power will return to us. But you¡¯re an exception because the great me isdesperate right now, so the great me intercepted your transportation and brought you here. Okay, let the great me continue. The number of power someone can wield depends on how many blessings they got. Most people only got one or two blessing only. However, there is only one exception. Any creature which got my blessing, will be able to wield all other elements too, although not as strong as the original blessing. But enough to make the opponentsrunning with tail between their legs. This is the second greatness of void element. With this two advantage, you will be able to reach the summit of the world and conquer it¡±, explained Void in detail. Hearing that explanation, Acma¡¯s eyes was brimming with excitement. He was fond ofgreat power because he was train to pursue it since he was young. If void element wasas great asVoid explained earlier, his quest to travel around the world would be much easier and enjoyable. ¡°Now, doyou believe the great me. Will you accept my offer and become my emissary?"Void asked. ¡°Can¡¯t you be a bit patient. I¡¯m still pondering about something, you said that you¡¯re capable of wielding the power of other elements, but why this realm of yours have nothing? Why you didn¡¯t use light element to illuminate this place or other elements to fill this realm. This darkness is really suffocating¡±, Acma asked. ¡°¡­¡±, No answer from Void for a while. Acma wanted to urge him to talk, but decided not to. ¡°This is not just my realm, but also my prison¡±, Void finally gave his answer with a weak voice. ¡°Prison? How come asovereignlike you got prison in his own realm?¡± Void¡¯s short answer left Acma with full of question. He knew from the explanation earlier, Void was supposed to be the strongest sovereign, so how come he was prisoned? ¡°When the creatures which got my great blessing became too domineering andconquering the world, the other sovereigns got envyand blamed the great me. Since they can¡¯t beat the great me alone, they form an alliance and fight altogether and finally manage to imprison the great me here. It was supposed to be eternal, but it seem heaven haven¡¯t abandon the great me when a crack appear on the seal today¡±, Void explained. ¡°No wonder when you start talking to me earlier, you sound so lonely. Will you able to leave this prison?¡± Acma asked. ¡°To leave here, the great me need a body but my great body already destroyed when I was sealed here. The great me that talking to you now is just my great soul. What a let down, although the great me get this golden opportunity to leave this prison, without a body or a vessel, the great me will be trapped here forever¡±, Void said with a sad voice. ¡°I feel sorry for you, Void. I wish I can help you to leave this place. but it seem I can¡¯t¡±, Acma said sympathetically ¡°This great me only need a soulless body of an intelligent being, but the great me already used most my power to bring you here. So the great me was unable to search a suitable body to use. Haih, what can this great me do. Boy, you must reach the summit and let the great name of mine known all across the world again¡±, said Void. ¡°Soulless intelligent being body? Hmmm¡­¡±, Acma was thinking about what Void said and suddenly he got a revelation. His A.I., Alice was a soulless intelligent being, so it might be possible to become a vessel to contain Void¡¯s soul. ¡°Hey Void, how about my Alice? She was an artificial intelligence. Although her body was that of high fairy, but I¡¯m pretty sure she is soulless¡±. Acma asked. ¡°This great me never heard about artificial intelligence before, but the great me can try¡±, answered Void. As soon as he finished saying that, the body of Alice floating out of Acma¡¯s chest. She was sleeping. Then, a light start enveloping her body which Acma believe that Void was starting to merge with Alice. The merging process last for almost 15 minutes. During the whole process, Acma locked his sight unto Alice, hoping that nothing would go wrong. Since his attention was occupied, Acma didn¡¯t realize that his exoskeleton suit was undergone a transformation, indicating that the merging process was successful. However, Acma was oblivious about this transformation. After the light was dimmed, Alice body floating back toward his chest and disappeared. ¡°Successful, the merging process was successful. Now I can see the world again. Boy, I wholeheartedly grateful for your assistance. Without your help this time, most likely I will never be able to leave this place¡±, said Void with an extremely joyful voice. ¡°Congratulations Void. Now you¡¯ve got a body and able to leave this place, do you still want me to be your emissary?¡±. ¡°Yes, although I can finally see the world again, I still want you to be my emissary. As your reward, your armor will receive my finest blessing and I will give you several void element skill too. Unfortunately, my power was extremely limited right now, so I can¡¯t reward you more than this¡±. ¡°It¡¯s ok, lets start the process and leave this place¡±.
You have received a blessing from Sovereign of Void Your class now will be registered as Emissary of Void
Watching the notification, Acma was happy that he just took another step into the new world. 11 - Emissary of Void ¡°You¡¯re now an emissary of the great me. This great me want to elaborate to you about the benefityou got from being an emissary. Other than the benefit the great me gave to you earlier, there is other benefit which is far better and greater¡±. Void continued to explain further about the benefit. ¡°This benefit is an access to this realm and manipulate it as you wish. You already got the great me permission to do so. Check your status if you don¡¯t believe the great me¡±. ¡°Ok, I will check now. Open Status¡±.
Acma Heart
Level 10 Race Human
Class Emissary of Void
HP 950/950 MP 2450/2450
Strength 293 Agility 343
Intelligence 420 Luck 300
Unallocated point(s) 50
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent
¡°Identify; Emissary of Void¡±
Emissary of Void A class unique only for those who got special blessing from Sovereign of Void STR +25 AGI +25 INT +50 LUCK +30 Permission to enter Void Realm ¨C Granted Permission to manipulate Void Realm ¨C Granted
¡°You¡¯re right, I can enter this realm anytime I want. This will definitely increase my survival rate¡±. ¡°You need to use teleportation skill to enter this realm. This great me already imparted the skill and several other skills for you to use¡±. ¡°Alright, noted that. Lets check my skills now. Open; Skill¡±.
Survival
Survival Cooking: Intermediate, Crafting: Intermediate, Climbing: Advance, Tracking: Advance, First Aid: Advance, Sneaking: Master, Swimming: Advance, Language Comprehension: Master, Identify: Grandmaster
Weapon
Passive Hand Gun: Advance, Rifle: Advance, Sniping: Advance, Knives: Master, Sword: Master, Spear: Intermediate, Archery: Master
Active Dimension Splitter: Grandmaster
Magic
Passive Body Strengthening: Beginner, Mana Manipulation: Beginner
Active Blackhole: Grandmaster
Movement
Passive -None-
Active Phantom Step: Grandmaster, Blink: Grandmaster, Teleport: Grandmaster
¡°Hey Void, why there is only one active skill for weapon and magic? ¡°Void element doesn¡¯t need many skills to reach the pinnacle of the world. Both skill the great me gave you, is a divine class skill and the strongest in it¡¯s class. Any skills lower than divine class was called a mortal class. It was divided into several classes which is copper, silver, gold and platinum. So, even with just one skill, most people can¡¯t even hold a stick against you. Dimension splitter can create a rift and push your opponent into a chaotic space while Blackhole is a magic skill that will create a black hole to suck and destroy everything. Their destructive effects depends on how much mana you use to launch it. Be extremely careful when you use this two skill¡±. Void patiently explained about the skill. ¡°Boy, let the great me tell you something, all those fancy skill you thought in your mind, is just a variation of how the user use their element and how much power they pour when they use it. Also remember, great warrior or great magician doesn¡¯t need a thousand skill to win their battle. A few skill was enough for them because they are really proficient in using their elemental power¡±, Void continued. ¡°I understand Void. Actually I always got lectured about this by my father when I got impatient from a basic stance training and ask him for more advance skill. Thank you for waking me up¡±, said Acma while his eyes still checking his skills status. ¡°I wonder what the grandmaster mean. My other skills only got master or advance note beside them¡±, he asked. ¡°That is your proficiency level. Grandmaster is a pinnacle of mastery and enable the user to use the skill to the highest output. The skill¡¯s output have several tiers, which is from tier 1 to tier 5. Tier 1 output have the lowest mana consumption but also the lowest effect. For weapon or magic skill, tier 1 output will have the lowest damage while tier 5 will have the highest damage¡±, Void replied. Acma was really happy with that information and his eyes was glittering with joy. He muttered slowly, ¡°Wow, looks like I can use Dimension Splitter to tier 5¡±. ¡°Not so fast boy. To use a weapon skill, other than proficiency level, it also depends on mana, skill¡¯s class and weapon¡¯s rank¡±. ¡°Weapon rank? How is that related to weapon skill?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s extremely related boy. Like skill classes, weapons is divided to divine rank and mortal rank. To use a divine skill like Dimension Splitter, you need to use a divine rank or at least legendary rank weapon. With legendary rank weapon, at most, you can only unleash the skill¡¯s output to tier 2 or else, your weapon will be destroyed. Sorry to say, but the current you can only use Dimension Splitter with tier 1 only because your mana is insufficient¡±, Void explained. Feeling dejected about his weakness, Acma can only lower his head a little. When he raised his head again, his determination to become stronger has risen to a new level. Then he asked another question, ¡°How about magic and movement skill?¡±. ¡°Rejoice my boy, magic and movement skills only depend on your proficiency level and mana¡±, Void answered. ¡°Do I need a magic staff or magic wand to use magic skills?¡± ¡°Actually, no. You can use magic skills without them. But using the staff or wand can shorten your time to initiate your magic skills. If you don¡¯t have them, just chant the skill¡¯s name and the skill will be initiated. Movement skills also like magic skills, just chant the name¡±. Hearing all that explanation made Acma thinking about his current equipment. He realized that he was clearly lacking a good equipment. His weapons was clearly not a divine rank. Most likely only legendary and epic rank. His armor? He never checked about it¡¯s rank. Now he have another objective to achieve, collecting the greatest weapons and armors in the world. ¡°Why are you suddenly quiet? Did you get a stomach ache? Hahahahaha, unfortunately the great me don¡¯t have any skills to alleviate your pain¡±, Void¡¯s laughter echoing inside his mind, made him frown his brows. ¡°It¡¯s nothing Void, I¡¯m just thinking that in need to obtain a better weapon. Right now, although I have a divine class skill, I don¡¯t have a suitable weapon to use it and it made me depressed¡±, replied Acma. ¡°Someday you will boy¡±. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right¡±, said Acma. He turned his head and look into his surrounding although he still saw nothing. This made him thinking about what should he do about it since have an ability to alter it. ¡°Hey Void, can you use my mana to alter your realm a bit, like adding a ground or give it a lighting? I have some mana cores if my mana is not sufficient. I want to do it myself, but since you¡¯re available, I decided to watch you do it first¡±, he asked and took out 35 mana cores from his inventory. ¡°That amount of mana cores is enough to make a thousand feet of ground and add a lighting. If you want to add grass or tress, you need to deduct a bit from your own mana. You can do it yourself. It¡¯s super easy actually. Just imagine what kind of alteration you want to do and say ¡®Initiate¡¯. The process will begun shortly¡±, Void explained. Acma start to imagine about alteration he want to make. Because of limited mana supply, he decided to make a flat grassland only. He believed that he can make further alteration when he return later. ¡°Initiate¡±, he said softly. As he said the word, the mana cores in his hand slowly disappeared and his surrounding started to change. A grassland was expanding from where he was standing and stopped after it reached a thousand feet square. A light started to illuminate the grassland shortly after. Watching the scenery around him, Acma feels accomplished. Now it¡¯s time to go. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m finished here. Void, transport me back to where I came from¡±, he said. ¡°Before that, This great me want to tell you something. After you¡¯ve been transported back, the great me will start hibenarting for a while, until the great me regain his great power back. But fret not, although the great me is hibernating, the great me will see the world from the eyes of your little fairy. Now, are you ready?¡± "Okay, lets go", he said. Then his body was enveloped with light and start to fade. 12 - Milord, You Look Different
You have return to Nokium Mine
When the notification start to fade, Acma saw a huge, black pair of jaw that closing in towards his neck. Now he remember, he was still fighting against a black giant centipede when he was transported. ¡°Looks like the time was frozen in the Realm of Void. No wonder I have to fight against this centipede again when I returned¡±, he thought. ¡°Hmmmph¡±, without losing his composition, he snorted a little and made his move. ''PHANTOP STEP¡± He moved on top of the black centipede¡¯s head. Without further delay, he impaled vertically the third segment of it¡¯s body, half a meter from it¡¯s head to the ground. Then, with another ¡®Phantom Step¡¯, he move to it¡¯s tail and impaled it with his another weapon. Now the black centipede was unable to move anymore, only wriggling it¡¯s body, left and right. Before long, it stop moving, abandoning any hope for escape. Acma decided not to kill this black centipede, because he want his minion to finish it. Standing on the back of that centipede, he began to wonder, which minion should he pick to kill this centipede. While he was still thinking, he look at the crack on the wall of the storage, where all these giant centipede come in. Then he jump and walk toward it. The crack was too small for him to crawl through it and it was too dangerous for the goblins to investigate it. So he decided to use a mapping sphere. ¡°Alice, can you go and check what is behind this wall?¡± Alice flew out from his chest and answered, ¡°Yes Master¡±. The spheres immediately activated and flew through the crack. ¡°Hmmmm¡­ still the same as the usual Alice. Looks like nothing was change after Void merge with her. Lets find out¡±. ¡°Alice, is there any change with you?¡±, he asked. ¡°I¡¯m still running a thorough check on my main frame and still in the process to transfer several terabyte of data from my secondary database to the main frame. So far, no problem detected¡±. Then she continued, ¡°However, I got a notification when we return to this mine, saying that I¡¯ve got a new ability¡±. ¡°That¡¯s it¡±, Acma thought. Then he asked, ¡°What kind of ability?¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve got a ¡®Teleport¡¯ skill. The description stated that I can teleport Master to any marked coordinate. Master, is that a glitch or a problem with my system? Should I delete it?¡± she asked. ¡°No, keep it as it is. It will be a great help to me in the future¡±. ¡°As you wish Master¡±. ¡°Haha, this is really great. Alice has evolved into a better support character. It will be greater if she can learn other support skills like heal or boost¡±, a genuine smile appear on his face. He really happy with Alice¡¯s change. While waiting for mapping process done, he finally found the best candidate to kill the remaining centipedes, the Elder and the taller goblin. He smiled wryly when he realized, he didn¡¯t know much about the goblins. Those two were the only goblin he talked with before. He walked toward the storage entrance and kicked any centipedes away from the entrance. Those centipedes were on their last breath, so he only kicked them lightly. Then he called the Elder and the taller goblin to enter the storage. Without waiting too long, both of them arrived and they politely greeted him. ¡°Milord, you look different¡±, said the Elder. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°My apologies, Milord. What I meant was your armor look different from before you enter the storage. My apologies again because I didn¡¯t speak clearly earlier¡±, explained the Elder.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Owh, Haha. How much difference did you saw?¡± asked Acma. He was also curious about what the Elder said because he didn¡¯t have time to check his suit after returning from the Realm of Void. ¡°Milord, your current look gave a kind of dangerous and intimidating feeling. Especially the eyes, I don¡¯t dare to stare at it, because it feels like my soul will be sucked away. If I don¡¯t know Milord, I will definitely stay away as far as possible¡±, explained the Elder. ¡°That sound dangerous¡±, said Acma slowly. Then he carefully examined the outer appearance of his suit. Unlike the original plain look, it¡¯s current appearance was definitely much better. It was imitating the human anatomy, giving an impression of tough and strong human. The muscle on the chest, abdomen, arm, waist and other parts of body, could be seen clearly. The joints was covered by a soft armor making it easy to move the limbs. Acma was really happy with his new look. ¡°Alright, let our business done as fast as possible. Elder, take this knife. I will let you experience your first evolution¡±, he said as he hand over his Sword Breaker to the elder. If his deduction was right, the Elder will have his first evolution at level 10. After the Elder took the knife, Acma brought him to the half centipedes scattering around the storage. To avoid any mishaps, Acma carefully pressed his leg on top of the half centipede body to avoid killing it. Then he ordered the Elder to stab it until it died. The Elder was nervous at first, but after killing the first centipede, a cowardly look was completely erasedfrom his face and replaced by a strong determination. They move towards the next half centipedes. After he got his fifth kill, his body was enveloped by a glow of light, indicating that he was undergoing his first evolution. Acma was right. The goblins did evolve after level 10. After he took his knife from the Elder, Acma asked the taller goblin to take it. Then, he use Phantom Step and brought the taller goblin on top of the black centipede¡¯s head. After a word of encouragement fromAcma, the taller goblin gave a loud roar as he stab the black centipede. Unfortunately, the knife was too small to kill it with just a stab, so the taller goblin stab it repeatedly, until his body also bathed with a glow of light. The black centipede finally died and the taller goblin was experiencing his first evolution. While waiting the evolution process to complete, Acma checked his armor¡¯s status. ¡°Identify: Freedom¡±.
Freedom Named armor. Divine rank full body armor, blessed by Sovereign of Void Effect: Immunity against all elemental attack (Full Set) Intimidation (Full Set) 75 % resistance against physical attack Mana absorption Self repair
¡°Divine rank armor, cool¡±, he said and he was extremely satisfied with the effect of his armor. The light that enveloping the goblin finally dimmed out. What came out from the light was a 1.8 meters tall, four arms hobgoblin with more robust and stronger body. They look at Acma and gave a sincere smile. ¡°Milord, please grant us a name¡±, the hobgoblin that once the Elder said. ¡°Alright, you will be called Old, which mean experienced, wise and charisma. You will continue to lead your community¡±, said Acma while looking at Elder Old. Then he look at another hobgoblin, ¡°As for you, you will be called Shield because you will guard all the goblins inside this mine. Work together for the properity of your people¡±. ¡°Thank you Milord¡±, said both of them with a clearly satisfied look on their face. They finally broke a new record in their clan¡¯s history and become the first one who evolve to hobgoblin. As Old and Shield talking to each other, Acma went towards the crack and the hobgoblin followed after him. ¡°Alice, how¡¯s the mapping going?¡± ¡°There is an extremely large underground cave, 500 meters behind this wall. The mapping process will take some time to finish¡±, replied Alice. ¡°If that is the case, retrieve all mapping sphere. We will map that cave again in the future. And also, please prepare the Teleport spell, we will teleport to the mine¡¯s entrance shortly¡± ¡°Yes Master¡±. Acma turn his body facing the hobgoblin and taking out all the loots he got from the cow heads and the centipedes, except the upgrading items and mana cores. Then he gave a special forces knive to both Old and Shield. ¡°Take all of this and equip your community. I will give you a better equipment if you show an improvement when I return¡±. ¡°Yes Milord¡±. ¡°Master, the spell is ready¡±, said Alice slowly. ¡°Lets go¡±. As the light enveloping his body, he close his eyes. When he opened it again, he already at the entrance of the mine. A sudden bright light made him squinted his eyes a little untilhe familiarized himself with the surroundings. Looking at the bright sky, he silently calculating the time he took from the moment he leave the villa until he leave the mine. ¡°It¡¯s less than 4 hours. But why the sky look like it still in the morning. Right now itshould be afternoon already", Acma was puzzled. The position of the sun also didn''t change much. "Was the length of the day different from the old world?", he thought. "Lets confirm about this later.Now, lets rush to the Orca Village. We will use Silent Trail to reach the village as fast as possible¡±, he turned his body and run towards the mountains at Northeast direction. ¡°Yes, Master¡±, said Alice as she flew behind Acma. 13 - Kill the Wolf, Save the Tiger The distance between Nokium Mine and Silent Trail was about 30 kilometers. He had confirmed the distance with a glance before he dove into the forest. However, although he was rushing to the Orca Village, he still want to experience the new world. So he slowed down his pace. With his current speed, he will reached Silent Trail approximately within 45 minutes. During his run, he met with many animals, herbivore and carnivore alike. As far as he remembered, there was a small lake not far from Silent Trail. These many animals most likely reside nearby this area for water source. These animals also shared a same trait, they attacked as soon as they saw him. This was really a weird experience. In the past, animals like rabbit or deer would run away when the saw humans, but now, they look at him with disdain like they look at weaklings. He didn¡¯t complain, those beast¡¯s level indeed higher than him, although not much. Facing their attack, Acma didn¡¯t retaliate because those beasts didn¡¯t incite his mood for killing. Furthermore, he wanted to leave them for the goblins to hunt. So, he just hastened his pace and avoided all those beasts. When he reached a distance about 3 kilometers from the trail, he heard a sound of fightings between beasts. When he carefully listened to them, it was a roar of tiger and a howl of wolf. From the sounds, it was probably a single tiger against a pack of wolves. Those fightings pique his interest so he moved closer to the sounds. It was a fight between close to two dozens great wolves and a single white tiger. The average size of wolves was about a height of human thigh. Several of them was as high as human waist and they were a green rank beasts. However, the alpha was really huge. It height reached a human chest easily. It¡¯s definitely a monster. It was standing proudly on a small hill behind his pack, monitoring the battle unfold. Watching its jaw send a chill down Acma¡¯s spine. This beast were not something you want to messed with. But the white tiger shocked him even further.
Young White Tiger Divine beast, Guardian of the West
The young white tiger have been weakened considerably. A lot of gnashing wounds could be seen everywhere on its body, mostly on legs, tail and backbone. Even in a weakened state, a fierce fighting spirit could be seen from its eyes. It never yield and refused to give up, even in that hopeless state. It look attentively at the surrounding wolves and swiped its deadly paw to any wolves that closing in. ¡°That¡¯s a great fighting spirit, but spirit alone won¡¯t let you to win the fight. I will help you¡±, thought Acma. He already decided to help since he saw the rank. He wanted to befriend the divine beast. He had to divert the attention of those wolves from attacking the tiger towards him. Multiple strategy flashed inside his mind, but the fastest one would be attacking the alpha. ¡°Lets go with that one¡±. He took out his Barquq which had the highest piercing power among his weapons, held it downward, ready in his sword arm. He focused his gaze on the body of the alpha, imagining the location of it¡¯s heart. Then, he relaxed his body to his most comfortable state, calming his heart and slowing his breath. He was ready for an ambush. He gauged the distance again. It¡¯s about 500 meters from where he was standing to the alpha. It was comfortably within the range of his Blink. He was waiting for the right moment to launch his ambush. Failing the ambush will be a disaster. Facing an alpha whose levels close to 30, surrounded by two dozens of it¡¯s pack was a situation you never want to get in. The alpha look attentively at that young white tiger. Looks like it want to finish the fight. It took a deep inhale. Acma knew that stance, it want to gave a loud howl. ¡°It¡¯s time¡±. ¡°Awu¡­¡± ¡°Blink¡±, Acma said softly. As the alpha began to howl, Acma jumped with both of his hand holding the sword downward, high above his head. His eyes shined with determination to end everything with this one stab. His gaze was focused on his sword tip, because after the Blink, that¡¯s where his target is. ¡°¡­uu¡­¡± Before the alpha finished its howl, Acma appeared next it. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. With a move faster than a lightning strike, Acma stab downward aiming for its heart. The tip of his sword cleanly penetrated into the alpha¡¯s body through the silver colored fur. Just a few inches more, it¡¯s heart would be pierced. However, beyond Acma¡¯s expectation, the alpha move its body to the right, avoiding the fatal strike as thin as cicada¡¯s wing, leaving a deep wound on its body. Although it managed to save the heart, but its lung have been pierced considerably. Acma was thrown away but the ambush was successful. Acma sudden appearance and the attack on the alpha, halted all attack on the young white tiger. All the wolves turned their body and facing Acma. A gaze full of hatred and anger from two dozen pair of eyes was stabbing Acma¡¯s body. Several wolves move and stand between Acma and their alpha to protect their leader. Acma took a stance and readied himself against their imminent attack. ¡°Awuuuu¡±, the alpha gave the order and all the wolves dashing towards Acma. Acma have a serious look on his face. He took the fight seriously as a sign of respect against his enemies. ¡®Phantom Step¡¯ ¡®Phantom Step¡¯ ¡®Phantom Step¡¯ ¡®Phantom Step¡¯ His moved to attack the weakest link of the attack, the injured wolves. Then he strike the white rank wolves as their defense was the lowest while avoiding the green rank wolves. Occasionally, he used Phantom Step to escape from an encirclement. All of his attack was aimed at their weak points like eyes, ears, mouth or neck. Most of his attack was successful, but wolves was an agile creatures. So it was hard to get a clean hit. His fight wasn¡¯t easy at all. The wolves attacked him in waves and keep trying to encircle him and then attacked him from behind. But, thanks to 75 % physical attack resistance of his armor and masterful dodging technique, he managed to avoid being injured. From the initial two dozens wolves, almost half have been slain. The alpha wasn¡¯t moving at all during the fight as it tried to heal the wounds. But seing most of its pack been slain, it couldn¡¯t hold its temper anymore. It knew that healing the wounds on it¡¯s body would take some times but the life of it¡¯s pack was more important. The alpha decided to save the pack by sacrificing itself. It hope that this four limb black creature will let the rest of the pack go after it died. ¡°Awuuu¡±, the alpha gave an order to retreat as it move towards the four limb black creature. Watching the wolves retreated and the alpha closing in, Acma knew that the fight was slowly come to an end. He took a deep breath and readied his stance. He have to figure out what kind of attack that the alpha would launch. Then, the first attack came. It was a flurry elemental attack in a form of a giant claw. That attack really caught Acma off guard and made him forgot about his immunity against all elemental attack from his armor. He quickly dodged all the giant claws as his eyes keep locking on the alpha¡¯s movement. Between the elemental attack, sometimes the alpha use it jaw and claws to attack. But it was in vain as Acma never let it getting close. The alpha¡¯s attack gradually losing power. Its move was getting stiff and staggering. The elemental attack really drain it strength. It raise its head and stared at Acma deeply. Shortly after, it lunged towards him. Watching that dying lunge, Acma took a step back with his left leg, adjusting the angle of his body, holding the hilt with both of his hands and lowered the tip of his sword. It¡¯s like a gedan no kamae stance in kenjutsu. It¡¯s a good stance for a thrust. When the alpha was within the range, faster than the speed of light, he thrusted his sword throught its mouth. Thus, the fight finally closed it¡¯s curtain. The bodies of the wolves slowly fading out and turn into a light particles. Watching this scenery, Acma lowered his head. After everything was over, Acma turn his body and walked towards the young white tiger. It eyes was watching every movement that Acma made although its body was laying on the ground, unable to move. It can only watched Acma closing in. Acma stored his Barquq inside the inventory and took out a blood coagulation mixture and put it on his left hand. That mixture was specially prepared by his mother. Although it was extremely helpful for humans, Acma wasn¡¯t so sure about using it on this young white tiger. But he have no other choices. Under the watchful eye of the young tiger, Acma slowly raised his right hand and put one knee on the ground. When there was no response from the young tiger, Acma slowly moving forward until he was closed enough to touch it¡¯s body. There still no reaction and this made Acma feel relieved. Acma decided to spray on its left front leg first since it was the closest to him and the back leg was too dangerous. ¡®Psssss¡­¡¯, ¡®Roaaarr..¡¯ His first spray was welcomed with a kick from the dangerous back leg. The kick sent Acma stumbling backwards for several meters. Acma was stunned and staring at the sky above him. ¡°That was hard¡±, he thought. Then he raised his body and repeat the earlier moves to get close to the young tiger again. ¡®Psssss¡­¡¯, ¡®Roaaarr..¡¯ ¡°Again¡± ¡®Psssss¡­¡¯, ¡®Roaaarr..¡¯ ¡°Agaaaainn¡± ¡®Psssss¡­¡¯, ¡®Roaaarr..¡¯ ¡°I won¡¯t give up. Agaaaainn¡± This scene repeated for several times until the young tiger finally gave in. However when Acma tried to stitch the wound, he got another kick, a harder kick. ¡°Stop struggling or I hit your head¡±, said Acma with a higher tone. Seeing Acma getting angry, the young white tiger forced itself to calm down, close its eyes and laying down its head. Watching the young white tiger calmed down, Acma continued to spray the blood coagulation mixture and stitched the wounds. After some times has passed, the treatment was finally done. Acma was sitting crossed legs, watching the sleeping young white tiger in front of him. ¡°Let me guard you for a while¡±, said Acma. Simple Map of Current Acmas Journey Hi everyone, thank you for reading my fiction despite of so many shortcomings. The laptop i used to write this fiction was down yesterday. it won''t boot. so i''m sending it to the technician. it will take some times to re-upload again so i apologize. i will upload chapter 13 as soon as the laptop was fixed. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.currently i''m in the process to reread my earlier chapters. so many things need to edit, especially grammar. Haha. ============= Below is a rough sketch about current Acma''s journey. 14 - Death Valley Hello guys, i''m back. After much hardship I finally able to post this chapter. Thank you very much for patience. _____________________ After one hour has passed, the young white tiger finally woke up. With a little strength that finally return to its body, it tried to lift its body and standing. Some of its wound was already healed. Looks like a divine beast have a really good regeneration power, but Acma¡¯s treatment earlier also contributed in saving its life. Watching the painful scenery in front of him, Acma also standing up and said softly to the young tiger, ¡°Easy, easy. Your wounds have not healed yet. You shouldn¡¯t force yourself to stand up¡±. Like it could understand his voice, the young tiger slowly lying down again as its eyes keep watching Acma. Acma kneeled on one leg and carefully checked its wound to make sure none was reopened. Satisfied with his examination, Acma stands up and turn his head towards the direction of Silent Trail. ¡°Alright big guy, hmmmm¡­ that sounds weird. What should I call you¡± ¡°Aha, lets call you Byakko. Alright Byakko, we should part here. I still have something to do across the mountains and I believe you have something to do too right? Guardian of the West, that¡¯s really a cool job¡± ¡°Good bye Byakko¡±, Acma took a step back, waived his hand and then turned his body towards the Silent Trail. The young tiger tried to stand up and follow but only to get a smack on its head. So it obediently sits down and stares at Acma¡¯s back. It gave a sad growl but Acma ignored it. Not long after Acma left, the body of that young tiger slowly turned into a ball of golden light an then flew to the west. At the spot where it was laying before, there was a lot of thread which was used by Acma to fix its wound. From where his currently walking, Acma could see the opening between the mountains. That opening was where the previously Silent Trail started. Looking at the opening, he could sense that everything has probably changed. The mountains were bigger and the opening was wider. In his heart, he secretly wished that he won¡¯t face any danger along the trail later. He walked leisurely towards the opening and thinking about his previous battle. He really admired the tenacity of that alpha, guiding its pack to battle with him. However, because he was stronger, he finally prevailed against them. ¡°Let¡¯s see what I¡¯ve got from the battle earlier¡±, Acma said as he opened his inventory. He quickly scanned the contents, searching for any new addition. He got several parts of wolf like meat, pelt and fang. There also several green mana core in addition to an upgrading items. ¡°Nothing new this time¡±, he muttered slowly. But right before he closed the inventory, his eyes stumbled upon an item he never got before. As he looking at the item, his eyes were glittering with an excitement. It was a card with a size of a credit card. ¡°What is this card?¡± he thought. He quickly took it out and closed his inventory. The card was made of unknown metal. Its surface was very smooth and there was an image of a great wolf. At the bottom of the image, several information was written. A symbol of cyclone also could be seen at the upper right corner. ¡°Identify¡±
Great Wolf Alpha Mana requirement : 500 Tier : 1 Owner : Acma Heart
Acma was looking at the card intensely with a frown brow. He clearly puzzled about the usage of the card because there is not enough information on the card. ¡°There must be some use of this card since there is a mana requirement. But how to use it? Maybe I need to chant a keyword like everything else¡±, he thought. ¡°Materialize¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Activate¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Hmmm, wrong again. Maybe summon¡±, ¡°Summon¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Okay, that¡¯s weird. Last chance¡±, ¡°Summon: Great Wolf Alpha¡±. After he said it, the card was glowing brighter and brighter. Soon after, a ball of light flew from his hand to the ground in front of him. From the light, a Great Wolf Alpha materialized with the same look as the alpha he killed earlier. ¡°Whow, it¡¯s actually a summon card. Cool, it¡¯s really cool. Now I have a blue Great Wolf Alpha as my summon¡±, he said excitedly. Ding ~
You have received a new title: The Grand Summoner. You¡¯re the first person among your peers to summon a beast. The title enable you to summon up to 12 beasts or monsters simultaneously. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.STR+10 AGI+25 INT+30
¡°A grand summoner. Not bad¡±, said Acma smilingly. ¡°I wonder how many beasts a common summoner can summon¡±. Ding ~ A summon panel appeared in front of him. It contain several sections which is active summon, deck, item, upgrade and settings. It also gave a simple instruction of how to use the summon card. This was similar with an online card games that Acma used to play. So he was familiar with the settings. Ding ~
You have learned Wind Blade skill
¡°What?¡± Acma almost shouted when he read that new notification. This information was a greater shocker than getting a new title. Acma was so excited and couldn¡¯t wait to try. He took out his sword and facing a huge tree. He would experimented his new skill on that tree as a target. ¡°Wind Blade¡± A beautiful arc of azure light formed as he swung his sword. The arc was about a meter and half in length. When the arc hit the tree, it left a deep imprint on it. The effect somehow below of what Acma had expected. What he expected was a trail of destruction left by his wind blade. But having a skill was far better than haven¡¯t. ¡°The power of this skill was just average. Maybe I haven¡¯t truly master this skill yet¡±, said Acma as he check the effect of wind blade on the tree. He put his sword back into the inventory and then said; ¡°Open: Summon¡± He only have a Great Wolf Alpha card on the deck so he placed it at the active summon section. After that, he checked the upgrade section. As he was expected, the various upgrading items in his inventory was an items to upgrade a summon card. Then he quickly checked the requirement to upgrade his great wolf. Unfortunately, the items needed were a higher quality items. It was a blue rank upgrading items and he have none of them. As he start to feel despair, he carefully checked a settings section. Finally, he found what he was looking for, an option to merge various low level upgrading items into a higher rank items. Without further delay, he began the process of merging them and finally he had enough items to upgrade his great wolf from tier 1 to tier 3. Feeling accomplished, he closed the summon panel and look at his great wolf. The great wolf look at Acma attentively like it was waiting for an order. Looking at that expression, Acma was feeling very good. ¡°Lets call you Silver¡±, he said as he pat its head. ¡°Follow me, let¡¯s go to Orca Village¡±. Man and a beast slowly walked towards the Silent Trail.
You¡¯ve entered Death Valley
¡°So, the name changed. No wonder it gave an ominous feeling. I have to be very careful trailing this valley¡±, Acma thought. ¡°Open: Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level14RaceHuman
ClassEmissary of Void
HP1150/1150MP2705/3400
Strength311Agility376
Intelligence458Luck300
Unallocated point(s)70
TitleLord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner
He took a deep breath and then start walking. He walked deeper inside the valley. However, not even 2 kilometers have passed, Acma was startled at the scenery in front of him. It was a blood red mist completely covered the valley. 15 - Inside the Mist Hi guys, i''m started getting cold feet. This fiction reached 1k readers which i really thankful of all of the readers. The pressure was real. Sometimes I felt the immerse inferiority when I read the other fictions. Thank you everyone for reading my fiction. _________________________________ The sight of blood red mist in front of him really gave a dangerous feeling, make people want to avoid from entering it no matter at what cost. But Acma was not like an average youth like the others at his age. Since he was young, he already forced to face innumerable dangerous situations to temper his body and his spirit. Although he have not fully grasped the danger in the new world, he knew that he don¡¯t have other choice but to steel his heart and went through the mist. ¡°Grrrrrrrrr¡±, The great wolf beside him, Silver, gave a low growl while its eyes was looking fiercely at the mist. Then it look at Acma with a pleading eyes. Maybe it wanted to warn Acma about the danger of the mist. Looking at the face of his companion, Acma smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay Silver, this mist won¡¯t give me any trouble at all. My armour will filter all the poisonous gas from harming me¡±. He pet the great wolfs head and then unsummon it. Acma slowly walked forward into the mist. With a single glance he could tell that the mist was poisonous, because the vicinity around the mist was void from any life. Not even a bird dare to fly over the mist. Inside the mist, Acma noticed that the ground was full of blood red flowers. When his legs touched them, the flowers would release a blood red gas. Since the flowers covered the whole area and the wind was not strong enough to blow the gas, the mist was formed and finally covered the valley. However, a question pop up inside Acma¡¯s head, if a touch was needed for the flowers to release the gas, why the whole valley was filled with it? Unable to find the answer, Acma readied his sword because something must be lurked inside the mist, something that living co-existent with this poisonous flowers. Acma walked with a steady steps but careful. His eyes was full of vigilance. His senses was put on the highest level, ready to intercept anything that may attacked him. After half an hour walking inside the mist, there still no attack. But Acma still keeping his guard up. Suddenly, he sense several sets of movement nearby. The mist was too thick that he couldn¡¯t even see further than 5 meters from his feet, so he had to depend on his hearing. From the sounds, he knew that he was already surrounded. He stop all his movements and stood straight. He could only hope that the enemies won¡¯t attack him simultaneously, so he would be able to intercept every attack that came one by one. When the enemies was closed enough, only then he could see the panel on their head.
Blood Lizard LVL 35
¡°So, it was a lizards. Most likely that they were poisonous. Must not get bitten¡±, he thought. Acma felt relieved when he saw the panel on the lizards head. Because through it, he could determined the range and the timing of the attack. ¡°Bring it on, lizards¡±, he shouted loudly and began to run towards the lizards on his right. Meanwhile he release several wind blades. When the lizards was within his range, he slashed downward at the center of the panel. He believe, below the panel was where the lizards head was located. ¡®Clank¡¯ Acma couldn¡¯t believe it, the lizards skin was as hard as a rock. A simple slash from his sword couldn¡¯t penetrate their skin. This is the first time he encountered this situation. All his previous prey was easily killed, so this lizards was absolutely abnormal. What made things worst was he couldn¡¯t attack accurately due to the mist. When his first attack failed, Acma retreated several yards away from the lizards. ¡°This mist is giving me headache. I must do something about it first¡±, then he start spinning his body and created a gale of wind. However, only a space about 50 meters around of him was cleared and several Blood Lizards was finally exposed. Their size was about as big as komodo dragon, only their look was scarier. They have two fangs protruding out from their lower jaw, with long tongue occasionally slipping out from their mouth. Maybe their tongue helped them to accurately locating Acma. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Acma doesn¡¯t miss this opportunity and start attacking the lizards. His target was clearly their eyes. He leaped out above their head and quickly stab their eyes. ¡®Puchi¡¯ Their eyelids definitely not as hard as the skins. Acma¡¯s sword easily penetrated their skull deep into the brain. ¡°Finally¡±, said Acma slowly as he continued killing the lizards within his sight. However, the lizards definitely wouldn¡¯t stay still and get killed, they also began to running and attacking Acma with their jaw wide open. Sometimes they used their front paws and swinging their tail. Acma masterfully dodged their attack and returned it with a kick, stab, slash and thrust. When his kick successfully overturned their bodies, a stab would easily pierced the skin because it was a lot softer compared to the skins on their back. ¡®Swish¡¯, ¡®Swish¡¯, ¡®Swish¡¯, ¡®Clank¡¯, ¡®Clank¡¯, ¡®Puchi¡¯, ¡®Da¡¯, ¡®Da¡¯, ¡®Da¡¯, ¡®Swish¡¯, ¡®Clank¡¯ The sounds of battle reverberating inside the valley as the blood red mist gradually returned to their original state and obstructing Acma¡¯s vision again. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s too quick¡±, cursed Acma. He knew he couldn¡¯t prolong the battle because the situation wasn¡¯t favourable to him. He must escape as fast as possible. However, would the lizards just let him escape just like that? Definitely not. Their attack gradually became more intense as they were enrage. Maybe because Acma trespassed their territory and killed their members. Acma manage to dodge all the biting attempts but he got slammed by the tails multiple time. Normal person could get lost easily in this situation, but Acma was careful enough to not losing his bearing, so he made a steady progress through the mist, avoiding as many as possible the lizards that came his way. It was a difficult battle for Acma. His sight was impaired and his other senses were not working to their fullest. The enemies had almost an impenetrable defence and the master of the region. What keep him going was his higher agility and vast battle experiences. Acma was running when suddenly; ¡®BAMMM¡¯ His body was slammed by a powerful tail, far stronger than the previous tails attack he got before. Acma was sent tumbling for several meters. That attack was the strongest attack he received so far. When he look at his surrounding, the sight startled him. ¡°The king and his generals has arrived¡±, said Acma. He was surrounded by a group of lizards several levels higher than the previous one. Some of them was a green rank and their leader was an elite monster.
Blood Lizard King LVL 48
¡°Welcome Your Highness to my humble battlefield. I will serve you the finest battle performances. I hope Your Highness will be entertained¡±, said Acma as he made a welcoming gesture to the lizards king. But in his mind, he was cursing the sudden increase of difficulty levels that was several folds harder than before. ¡°How do I escape this predicament? Hmmmmm... Lets try Black Hole¡± Acma decided to use this spell because he knew that his weapon was definitely useless against his current enemies. To get the best results, he had to herd the lizards into one location before he unleashed his spell. ¡®Da¡¯, ¡®Da¡¯, ¡®Da¡¯, ¡®Da¡¯, ¡®Da¡¯, ¡®Da¡¯ The lizards that surrounded him began to move their heavy legs towards Acma. Without further delay, Acma was sprinting towards the king with many lizards close behind him. When the numbers of lizards that congregated around the king increased to close to two dozens, Acma took some distance and began the process to release the spell. He set his eyes on the panel above the kings head as he slowly raise his left hand forward to add his aim. ¡®BLACK HOLE¡¯, he said slowly. 16 - Experimenting the Spell ¡®BLACK HOLE¡¯, he said slowly. As soon as Acma said it, a black sphere instantly appeared on top of kings head. Its size was about 5 metres in diameter. A sucking sound could be heard from the sphere as the surrounding mist began to move in and then disappeared. The sucking forces of the sphere was really strong, even a gale of wind slowly forming around it, clearing more and more blood mist in the area. As for the lizard king below the sphere, it was struggling violently, trying to escape the sucking forces from the black sphere above its head. However, how can it escape the force of nature, formed by the extremely powerful gravity. The kings body slowly floating upwards and then disappeared into the nothingness. The two dozens lizard that previously congregated around the king, upon seeing their king perished by the might of the black sphere, began to scatter. But, no matter how fast they move their legs to escape, bit by bit, their bodies slowly came to halt and then dragged away by the Black Hole sucking forces. They also perished like their king. In a mere 1 minute, everything within 100 meters from the black sphere was disappeared. A crater of 50 meters deep was formed in the ground. The mist have been thinned out close to 500 meters. With the mist cleared, the aftermath of destruction could be seen. Nothing was spared within the spell radius. Watching the scenery in front of him, Acma couldn¡¯t help but smile when he remembered about how he painstakingly spinning his body to create a gale to disperse the mist. The lizards started to scatter away from the battle zone, leaving Acma alone at the edge of the crater, formed by his spell earlier. ¡°This spell was really effective. But mana consumption was too high. This tier 1 alone ate 1500 points of my mana. If this spell can be used below tier 1, it will be really great¡±, he was in deep thought while looking at the crater in front of him. After a while, he turned around and continue his journey. His journey was way easier than before. Most of the lizards would gave away and scampered. Only a few of them were ignorant enough to attack him. Even if he was attacked, if possible, he would avoid them and hasten his steps. After traversing the mist for another half an hour, Acma finally come out from the mist. ¡°Colours, lot of colours. No more bloody red mist. Hahahaha¡±, Acma laughed out loudly as soon as he emerged from the mist. The entire journey inside the mist was a real torment for him. He hastened his pace away from the mist region. Looking at the bright blue sky above his head bring enormous joy in his heart. Since he was still closed to the mist and the lizards territory, he doesn¡¯t want to stop to rest to avoid an attack. The lizards was really a headache for him. While walking through the valley, his eyes was wandering around, looking for anything interesting. With Identify, he could determine the worth of anything that caught his attention. If he found a herb for example, he would sampled it and took it into his inventory. Although he doesn¡¯t know how to used these herbs, the healer at Orca Village might be able to use it. Currently he was hiking uphill. It wasn¡¯t too high and there was a high cliff at both right and left side. In the beginning, no beast was seen. But as soon as he reached the summit, he heard a flapping sound coming from above.
Mountain Harpy LVL 37
¡®SCCCRRRRRRKKKKKYYYAAAAA¡¯ That beast gave a loud scream to notice its group. Soon after, a swoop of harpies were flocking between the cliff. They were fugly and keep screaming even for a tiniest thing. These fugly birds were really annoying. However, Acma had a big grin on his face while looking at those fugly birds. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°These birds come at right time. They will make a good target to test my theory on Black Hole spell¡±, thought Acma. After he exit the blood mist, he keep thinking about the Black Hole spell mechanism. The answer he was looking for was either that spell could be released with lower mana consumption or not. Tier 1 of Black Hole spell used 1500 mana and it was too big for the current Acma and it wasn¡¯t practical. Smaller Black Hole was more efficient to battle multiple enemies. With the appearance of those fuglies, he would have enough opportunities to find the answer. Acma summoned his great wolf and waiting for an attack. Those harpies didn¡¯t wait long to begin their attack. They alternated between a physical attack with claws and an elemental attack which in form of wind blades formed by flapping their wings. Facing these kind of attacks, Acma just ignored all the wind blade attacks and focused his attention to the harpies that dived in from the sky to attack him physically. In coordination with his great wolf, he avoided all those harpies and let his great wolf to battle them. His great wolf was a great fighter. Before the harpies could flew back to the sky, it would jump and slammed those pitiful harpies down to the ground. Then it casually bite their neck with its powerful jaws and killed them. ¡°Good. Now Silver got the attention of those harpies. Lets start the experiment¡±, he thought. ¡°Black Hole¡± A fist sized black sphere instantly appeared above the head of one of the harpies. The suction force from the black hole immediately devoured its head. ¡°Success. One tenth of tier 1 mana consumption and it stay for 6 seconds. Good. Now, lets try with 200 mana¡± ¡°Black Hole¡± ¡®...¡¯ Nothing happened. ¡°So its failed. Maybe it will be successful with 300 mana¡± ¡°Black Hole¡± He targeted a space between two harpies and a black sphere with a size slightly bigger than a fist appeared. Before those harpies could do anything, their wing have been destroyed by the sphere and they fell to the ground. ¡°Hahaha. Now it was confirmed. Below tier 1, this spell is divided to 10 levels¡±, said Acma happily while he masterfully dodged an attack. ¡°Lets started another experiment¡± Acma was delighted with his finding. Now he want to test another theory, releasing multiple Black Hole at once. To do this, he targeted several harpies that was busy with their wind blades to attack Silver and they were idle in the sky. They were an easy target practice for Acma. Acma only picked 5 of them because he wanted to conserved his mana. After all the target was set, he released the spell. ¡°Black Hole¡± As he said the keyword, 5 fist sized black spheres appeared simultaneously on the target. ¡°Hahahahahahaha¡±, Acma laugh out loudly as he was extremely satisfied with the results. Although he couldn¡¯t use the Black Hole spell leisurely like Phantom Step due to mana constrain, at least he doesn¡¯t have to waste the mana to release the overpowered tier 1 Black Hole spell. He can used the lowered down version of it to eliminate the enemies. Watching the black creature laughing like a madman, plus an agile great wolf that keep killing their brethren, the remaining harpies began to feel fear. Their numbers won¡¯t help them to kill this duo. They have to escape or suffer more loss. They turned around and tried to run away from Acma and his great wolf. ¡°You want to run? Not so fast¡± 17 - Floating in the Sky for a Second Thank you everyone for reading my fiction. ================================= ¡°You want to run? Not so fast¡±, said Acma with a cold voice. He took out his bow and began chasing the harpies. The harpies were too distracted because of fear. Instead of flying higher across the cliffs, they choose to fly low between the cliffs, not far from the ground. They flew low but faster. Maybe there was less wind resistance inside the valley compared to across it. Acma maintain his chase. Since the harpies was the one who attacked him first, so he was just returning the favour. When the harpies was within his effective range, he nocked an arrow and snipe the harpies. ¡°Swiissh¡± ¡°Swissshh¡± ¡°Swisssshhh¡± The harpies couldn¡¯t avoid the arrows because they don¡¯t have an eye behind their head. So all the arrows meet their target. If one arrow couldn¡¯t bring down the prey, Acma would sniped it again until it fell to the ground. On the ground, Silver was waiting with its jaws open, ready to finish the harpies. One by one, the number of harpies have been reduced to only a few of them. These remaining harpies were the fastest in the group. Before long, Acma decided to stop his chase because his preys already disappeared into the mountain range. Silver returned to his side and Acma decided to take a brief rest to recover. He believed that the harpies won¡¯t return for a while, so he was safe now. His mana was almost depleted . He had several vials of mana potion but he wanted to use them when he was in desperate situation like fighting a super strong enemies or battling a huge amount of enemies. Currently he wasn¡¯t desperate enough to use the potion. So he wanted to recover his mana naturally. He sat crossed legs on the ground while pondering about how to increase the speed of his mana recovery. In the previous world, whenever he was exhausted, he would meditate to increase the recovery of his energy. If mana had the same properties as the energy, he probably could increased the mana recovery through meditation. ¡°Its no use to overthink about it. I should just try it and see the result¡±, thought Acma as he slowly closed his eyes and meditate. After a few minute, he checked his status and found out that his mana was recovering. So he continued the process until his mana was full again. It took about 30 minutes. ¡°Lets check my status again before continuing the journey¡±, ¡°Open: Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level28RaceHuman
ClassEmissary of Void
HP1850/1850MP4100/4100
Strength339Agility404
Intelligence486Luck300
Unallocated point(s)140
TitleLord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner
¡°I have level up 14 times. Not bad at all. Hmmmm... How about the loot. I hope the lizard king drop a card¡± ¡°Open: Inventory¡± ¡°There it is¡±, he shouted happily as he saw the new summon card available inside the inventory. It was the lizard king card. He quickly placed it on his summon deck and then proceed to summon it. ¡°Summon: Blood Lizard King¡± A big lizard materialized in front of him, next to Shiro. ~ Ding
You have learned Poisonous Breath skill
¡®...¡¯ He can¡¯t imagine himself letting out a blood red gas from his mouth. He definitely won¡¯t use this skill in front of people or he will die from embarrassment. Unless its a totally emergency case to save his live. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Watching the built of his new summon, Acma was satisfied. He planned to use the lizard as a defender because of its extremely tough skin and poisonous mist that came out of its mouth. If anything tried to attack it, the lizard could use its powerful tail and jaws to counter attack. Now Acma has an attack and defender summon. He was looking forward for the next summon that he will get. After he fully comprehend the abilities of the lizard king, he unsummon it. ¡°Time to go¡±, said Acma. He stood up and start walking. From afar, he could hear a familiar screaming. The harpies scream. They had returned. He raised his head up and look towards the sources of that screaming. He saw several dots in the sky that was getting bigger and bigger. The numbers this time were not as many as before. However, among the newcomers, there was one harpy that was slightly bigger than the others. Its feather has a silver and blue colour, compared to dark black of the others. Its face showed arrogance, like it was looking down at anything beneath it. ¡°Another summon card¡±, said Acma joyfully when he saw that elite mountain harpy. Acma has came to understanding after he got the lizard king card, that only an elite or above rank monsters will became the summon card. As for common and uncommon monsters, he already killed a lot of them, but none of them became a summon card. However he wasn¡¯t sure either this only applied to him or to the others too. He would confirmed about this when he reached Orca Village later. Acma took out his Dragon Slayer and he was thinking about the best way to kill that elite harpy. Among many choices, he decided to kill it with the fastest move, the Black Hole. He aimed his left hand at the elite harpy and ready to release the spell. However, before he could chant the word, the elite harpy retreated several feet backward and flew erratically. Looks like its subordinate already gave a detailed report about the previous battle. ¡°Damn, this one is smart¡±, cursed Acma as he planning an alternative battle strategy in his head. ¡®SCCCRRRRRRKKKKKYYYAAAAA¡¯ The elite harpy gave a loud battle cry to start the second round of the battle. The harpies quickly divided themselves into two groups, one group attacked Silver with wind blades and the other group attacked Acma physically. Looks like the group that attacked Acma had a faster speed than the others. Whenever they saw Acma raised his left hand, they would scattered away as fast as possible. ¡°This is fun¡±, muttered Acma slowly. Watching the reaction of those harpies, Acma feel amused and he wanted to teased them a little. From time to time he would playfully raised his left hand and then do nothing. This action has enraged the harpies greatly, but they could do nothing because they were too afraid of him. On the other side, the attacks on Silver wasn¡¯t successful either. Shiro was nimble, fast and his silver fur was capable to withstand the wind blades. This has rendered the harpies helpless. The elite harpy was enrage greatly and gave a louder scream as its eyes looked at Shiro sternly. ¡®SCCCRRRRRRKKKKKYYYAAAAA¡¯ ¡°NOW¡± ¡°Blink¡± Instantly, Acma appeared behind the elite harpy in the sky, 500 meters from the ground. Before the elite harpy could do anything, ¡°SLAAAASH¡± One of its wing have been cut off by Acma¡¯s blade and its body slowly falling to the ground. All of this happened in less than a second. Acma had defeated the elite harpy elegantly. Since Acma was incapable of flying, after floating in the sky for a second, he also was falling to the ground. But, Acma had already anticipated this when he formulated the plan earlier and use Phantom Step to land on the ground. ¡®SCCCRRRRRRKKKKKYYYAAAAA¡¯ The elite harpy was screaming pitifully on the ground while the other harpies stared at it. They were shocked. Their leader was on the ground, struggling to stand up. The dark creature with a weapon on his right hand slowly approaching their leader, but they don¡¯t know what to do. Retreat, right now, was the best action they could do. Acma look at the retreating harpies emotionlessly. This time, he didn¡¯t feel like to chase them anymore. SCCCRRRRRRKKKKKYYYAAAAA¡¯ The elite harpy let out another scream. ¡°Shut up¡±, said Acma coldly as he slashed its neck and kill it immediately. 18 - At the Center of the Valley Thank you everyone for reading my fiction. If you have any suugestion, please leave a comment below. When I was writing each chapter, google is my best friend, especially when I don''t know how to describe something like battle or scenery. Everytime I''m not sure about sentences or words, I will use google. As for grammar, I really hope there will be an application that will check my grammar automatically. Awkward sentences? I raised a white flag. I''m not fluent with english. Need an editor for that. Haha. Maybe after i became richer, I will hire one. Please, enjoy your reading. ============================= The body of the elite harpy slowly turned into a ball of light and then disappeared. Watching that light ball disappeared, Acma took a deep breath followed by a sigh. The battle finally came to an end. ¡°Open: Inventory¡± He checked the contents of his inventory carefully. He was searching for two things. First, upgrading items and the other was the elite harpy card. In a mere second, he found them. The amount of the upgrading items was enough to upgrade Silver to another tier which is tier 4, so he quickly opened the summon panel to do so. After he finished upgrading Silver¡¯s tier, he turned his attention to the elite harpy card. The card was rightfully his, but he doesn¡¯t want a fugly harpy as his summon. He rather have a monstrous bear as a summon than this harpy. Although he could used the harpy as aerial attacker, he prefer to have a better looking flying beast. A giant condor or a flame wyvern for example. He must find the way to relinquish his ownership over this harpy card so he could trade it with others. ¡°I wonder which keyword to use¡±, he muttered slowly. ¡°Disown: Elite Mountain Harpy¡±, said Acma after a deliberation. Looks like this time he was succeed on his first try. He picked the right word. Immediately, the harpy card was glowing for several seconds. Acma checked the information about ownership on the card, he was extremely delighted when he found out that he no longer the owner of that card. He felt a huge burden was lifted from his shoulder. Acma continued to proceed toward Orca Village. This time he didn¡¯t walk but rode on Silver¡¯s back. Walking on his feet was a pleasure because he could examined the valley more carefully. There should be a better reason why the valley was named Death Valley other than just a poisonous mist, hard skinned lizards or fugly harpies. However, riding on Silver¡¯s back was more convenience for many reasons. One of it was he could encounter more battlefields faster. ¡°Beware of what you wished. I might encounter stronger opponents than the lizards¡±, he thought. Although he was looking forward for more battle against new world creatures, a little constrain should be exercised. But he was too late. His next battlefield already appeared.
Stone Golem LVL 32
¡°Damn, stone golems¡±, he cursed. The area in front of him was filled with stone golems. Battling with them would be much harder than the lizards because Acma didn¡¯t know its weak points like the eyes for the lizards. To made thing worse, the valley was narrower compared to the previous areas. Even avoiding the golems would be extremely hard. At the end of the golem infested area, there is a natural wall about 10 meters height. So Acma was really facing an uphill battle. The size of the golem was about an average adult. There was a glow at their joints that keep their limbs attached together. The colour of the glow was different from one golem to the other. Most of them were white and some of them were green. Acma guessing that the colour was indicating the type of those golem. White for common golem and green for uncommon one. Just like the name plate above the monsters head. They have no face and there was no clue which one was the front and which one was the back. They have fist but no fingers. Although their levels wasn¡¯t high, Acma knew that battling these golems would be difficult because their defence was astronomically high. The golems were just stood still like a statue. Maybe because Acma haven¡¯t enter their operational area yet. Once Acma closing in, the battle would be triggered. Acma was ready. He step forward slowly towards the golems. Silver was close behind him. Acma didn¡¯t take out his weapons because he knew they would be useless. He could use Black Hole to obliterate these golems, but their number was too high. Most likely Acma would depleted his mana first. So he decided to avoid these golems as much as possible. ¡°Let¡¯s start the battle¡±, said Acma as he began to sprint. Passing this area as fast as possible was his main objective. He passed through the first golem before it could do anything. As he moved deeper into the stone golems territory, he simply couldn¡¯t sprinting anymore. Either he had to dodge, roll or sometimes he was forced to leap and step on the head of the golem. While doing all those acrobatic stunts, he paid attention at the colour of the glow on the golems joint. He was looking for a blue glow. The golems attack was simple. They keep swinging their arms until their body rotated 360 degrees. Each swing send a chill down to Acma¡¯s spine. It look devastating. If Acma was close enough, it would swung down its fist as if the mountain itself was raining down onto Acma. That was the attack of the golems with white glow. As for the green glow, they have an additional attack which was a stomp that was powerful enough to gave a shock wave. Acma was almost hit by one of those stomp, but he was fast enough to jump upwards and avoided the shock waves. He wasn¡¯t a fool to test the effect of that shock wave while been surrounded. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. So far, Acma manage to avoid all the attack. But his favourite move was stepping on the golems head. That was the safest place within the golem territory because the hand of the golems was too short to touch its head. Furthermore, they couldn¡¯t sense his presence when he was standing on their head. ¡°Hahahahaha¡± Acma was reaching the natural stone wall at the back of the golems territory when suddenly he let out a loud laugh. ¡°Finally, I found what I¡¯m looking for¡±, he roar loudly while standing on top of the head of one of the golem. Not far from the wall, surrounded by a cluster of a golems, Acma saw a blue glow. Not just one but three. One of them have a slightly dark blue glow compared to the other two. That special golem was bigger than the other golems and slightly taller too. Acma wanted that golem as his next summon. As for the other two, he would disown and trade them. ¡°Time for a Black Hole¡±, he said coolly as he pinpoint the best target to maximize the Black Hole effect. ¡°Black Hole¡± As he said that, a five foot diameters black sphere appeared above the elite golems. With the appearance of that black sphere, everything within 100 meter radius vanished. Although it was already the second time he used tier 1 Black Hole, he still amazed with the power of that spell. This time, Acma found out three points. Firstly, the spell didn¡¯t affect him at all. He was standing within 100 meter radius from the center of the spell, but he didn¡¯t feel the suction forces from the spell. Secondly, the weight of the golems able to withstand the suction forces for a while. They only perished because they were too close from the spell. Therefore, depends on the size of the opponents, Acma must have to use a higher tier Black Hole spell. A higher rank creatures also possible to withstand the Black Hole spell. Thirdly, what puzzling Acma the most was the 10 meters stone wall also didn¡¯t affected by the spell even though there already a crater on the ground. ¡°That stone wall is so mysterious. I must be extremely careful with it¡± thought Acma. After a minute, the effect of the spell was gone. Most of golems in front of him was disappeared and the remaining few were stumbling into the crater when they tried to reach Acma. It was a comical sight. Acma paid no heed toward the remaining golems inside the crater. As the golems behind him closing in, he raised his head and look at the top of the stone wall. ¡°Phantom Step¡±, he said. He reached the top of the wall instantly. Soon after that, a ball of light flew beside him and then turned into a great wolf. Acma quickly pat its head. ¡°Let¡¯s check what is behind this wall¡±, muttered Acma slowly and turned his body. ¡°Whow, what is this place?¡± Behind the wall was a gorge with numerous white bones scattered within it. The gorge was about 1 kilometre deep and several kilometres wide. The wall has many lifelike carvings, showing a story of a man and his journey to reach a pinnacle of life, battling a gigantic creatures, commanding a million armies and so on. On the bottom right of the gorge, there was an entrance with a broken door, made from stone. Acma was interested of what behind the broken door. There must be something precious kept inside it, but the volume of scattered bones made him wary. He thought that he must be extremely careful and prepared himself fully. He took out some scouting spheres from his inventory and put it on his palm. ¡°Alice, can you check what is wrong with this gorge and then go inside through that entrance and examine it¡±, said Acma. A ball of light flew from his chest and hovering in front of him. ¡°Yes Master¡±. Alice turned her body invisible and then the scouting spheres started to float and flew through the entrance. While waiting for Alice to return, Acma checked the inventory and looking for the elite stone golem card. There was indeed three cards as he predicted before. Then he checked the cards carefully, hoping that one of them was different. ¡°This one must be the special stone golem earlier¡±, said Acma slowly as he stared at the card in his hand. It was a tier 3 elite stone golem summon card. He was happy with it because he didn¡¯t have to waste the upgrading items to upgrade it and he could use them to upgrade his other summons. He quickly opened the summon panel and put the card on the active summon section. He didn¡¯t summon the golem because he wanted to preserve his mana. He already used a lot of it for his spell earlier and haven¡¯t fully recover it. Since he would be exploring later, he need to be fully prepared for anything that may come and his mana was the most important life saving requirement. After a while, Alice returned with a report. ¡°Master, the gorge was filled with an invisible and odourless gas that will make a person hallucinate and enrage if they inhale it. All the skeletons below have a sign of cuttings and crushing, the floor and the wall also have a sign of battle. They must have fell victim to the gas and battling each other¡± ¡°Beyond the broken door, there is a long tunnel. At the end of it, there is a wall¡±. ¡°Did you find anything dangerous?¡± asked Acma. His curiosity was increasing. ¡°Nothing that can harm Master. Only insects and small animals. Even the traps have been cleared by the previous explorer¡±, said Alice. ¡°Thank you Alice. Please continue examining the tunnel. I will enter shortly¡±, said Acma as he began to descend into the gorge. 19 - Thousand Bones Graveyard Hi everyone, thank you for reading my fiction. Truthfully, I don''t have a fixed release date but maybe every 4-5 days and I wish I can stick to it. Normally I released a chapter after I have 2 chapters in my hand. Thank you again for reading my fiction. Enjoy ================================== ¡®Craaaack¡¯ ¡®Craaaack¡¯ When Acma landed on the floor, he couldn¡¯t help but stepping on the brittle bones scattered everywhere inside the gorge. Looking at the amount of the bones, one could deduct that numerous lives have lost in this place. ¡°This place is super suspicious¡±, he muttered while looking at his surrounding. Most of the bones were closed to the wall and there were many traces of stabbing on the lower part of the it. Most likely they were trying to climb the wall before losing their life. Why they tried to climb the wall with hands when they can easily reach the top with magic? This puzzle made his heart shivered. This place must be more dangerous from what it seem. The gorge and the long tunnel behind the broken door seem ordinary, but many have lost their life in this ordinary place. So he decided to gather more information about this place before exploring the tunnel. Acma took a closer look at those skeletons. Some of skeletons were bigger than an adult human, some of the skulls have horns like a cow or other animals. Most likely they belong to a beast men because the lower part was humanoid. Acma fought against a minatour before, so there should be many other type of beast men exist. Most of the skeletons were at the size of human adult with an exception few. ¡°Hmmmmmm... This skeleton must be belong to a dwarf¡±, said Acma. In front of him was a skeleton with a short limbs. There was an axe nearby and it was wearing a rusted chainmail. Inside the chainmail, there was a shiny cloth. He took that shiny cloth and realized that it was also made of metal. He quickly said, ¡°Identify¡±
Soft Armour A mithril armour made by a master craftsman. Can be worn inside the cloth to offer an extra protection +10 AGI 50 % resistance against physical attack and piercing
¡°This is a great stuff, like the one Frodo wore in The Lord of the Ring¡±, said Acma happily. The he look at his surrounding, hoping there were more armour like the one in his hand. He spotted several skeletons wearing the chainmail like the one at his feet. ¡°Silver, find a soft armour similar to this one and bring them to me¡±, said Acma to his great wolf. His wolf immediately executed his order. Acma turned his body and continued to examine the skeletons around him. He was threading his path carefully to avoid stepping on the bones. Although the owner of these bones have been long dead, it just a matter of respect not to step on the bones. After a while, Acma came to realize that some of these bones were faintly glowing with an undiscernible colour. Upon closer inspection, these glowing bones were a lot tougher than non glowing one. However he didn¡¯t have any reasonable explanation about. So he just left it there. ¡°Silver, find a long bow and an arrow similar to this one¡±, shouted Acma. In his hand, there was an ordinary looking, string less long bow, made from a black wood. Acma felt this bow was special although it look ordinary. On its body, there was an enchantment with a golden ink. In the quiver next to the long bow, there was many arrow. Its tip was made from a mithril and its shaft was made from the same material as the long bow. He found the long bow and arrows at a glowing skeletons without a skull. He must have been decapitated. At the moment, Acma seem to forget about the reason why he began to inspect the skeletons at the first place. He was immersed with the treasures in his surrounding. From time to time, he would shouted at his wolf, urging it to find something for him. ¡°Silver, find this ...¡± ¡°Silver, could you please ...¡± ¡°This knife is good. Silver ...¡± ¡®...¡¯ ¡°Awooooooooo.....¡±, after a while, Silver gave a loud howl as a protest. ¡°Hahahahaha¡±, looking at his miserable great wolf, Acma laughed like there was no tomorrow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Silver, I will help you too¡±, said Acma. But he still laughing. After a diligent search, a number of equipment was gathered in front of him. A weapons, an armour, an accessories and other valuables formed a small mound in front of him. All the items he was looking for was found. Looking at the great wolf next to him, he said, ¡°Good job Silver¡± and he slowly pat its head and rub under its chin. All the items in front of him was definitely a magical items, like the string less long bow earlier. There was no sign of a string have been tied on it. So the only explanation was that the long bow feed on mana to form the string. It was a magical long bow. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Magical weapons, wield by a person capable of using a magic, but in the entire gorge, no one have died from magic. All of them succumbed to a physical injuries. ¡°The real culprit must be this place¡±, said Acma slowly. He remembered about how his Black Hole incapable of scratching the stone wall. Most likely the same wall was blocking the magical power inside the gorge. So no one was capable of using magic while still inside the gorge. To make thing worst, the odourless and colourless poisonous gas that made people hallucinated and enrage. To Acma, the gas was the real killer. Normally, anyone who entered the gorge would be concerned about their blocked magical power, so they won¡¯t notice the gas. Acma couldn¡¯t imagine the chaos inside the gorge when everyone started to attack each other after the effect of the poisonous gas kicked off. They couldn¡¯t even use their magical items to fend themselves. In the end, everyone died. Anyone who entered this place was fated to die. No one could escape unless they were able to block the poisonous gas from entering their system, like his full body armour that has a gas filter installed. ¡°Phantom Step¡± ¡®...¡¯ ¡°Black Hole¡± ¡®...¡¯ He tried his magic one by one, but nothing happen. No magic can be used inside the gorge. No wonder all these victims tried to climb the wall with their hands. He tried to summon his other beast too, that also failed. As for Silver, he already summon it outside the gorge. Maybe that¡¯s why it stay summoned. Acma took all the equipment in front of him into his inventory. Then he turned his body towards the broken door and walk to it. After a while, Acma arrived at the broken door. It was an entrance to the tunnel behind it as Alice mention before. The door was broken by a blunt force like a fist or a mace not by a sword or a blade. The one who broke the door must have an immense strength. Acma secretly admired the strength used to break the sturdy stone door in front of him. He passed through the broken door and step into the tunnel behind it. It was a long and dark tunnel with a good temperature. From time to time, Alice would remind him that the density of the poisonous gas inside the tunnel was increasing. She advised him to connect an oxygen gas to his armour and he did it. He didn¡¯t want to end up like the numerous skeletons on his path. At the end of the tunnel, there was a hall. Its just a small hall. On the floor, there were many broken stone statues as well as skeletons. No exit could be seen. The wall of the hall was simple and have no decorations. The only thing visible on the wall was a strange symbol. From the top to the bottom, the symbol was about 3 metres high and it was located right at the center of the wall. Acma never saw that symbol before, but somehow he could read it. Maybe it was due to his Language Comprehension skill. It was read as ¡®Earth¡¯. He moved closer to the wall and touched the symbol. Since there was nothing on the wall except this symbol, Acma thought that maybe it was a clue to open a path to another section of this place. He didn¡¯t believe that this wall was the end of this place. There must be something extremely valuable inside this place that attracted many people to enter it. After looking for a hidden mechanism for a while, suddenly, ¡®Rumble¡¯ The wall started to move an a path opened up behind the symbol. At the end of that path, there was a second hall. Acma keep walking until he was several steps left before entering the hall. He stopped because he was amazed with what he saw. The hall was filled with a stone statues. These statues were holding a stone weapons like sword, sabre, spear, halberd and axe. If one can imagine, it was similar to terracotta army inside the tomb of Shi Huang Di, only at a smaller scale. Acma was hesitated to enter the hall. The reason was several skeletons on the floor that was clearly mutilated. Some of them was hanging at the weapon of those statues. Acma had a suspicion that those statues were the killer. Behind the rows of stone statues, there was a tunnel that may lead to another room. However, the distance between the place he currently standing and that tunnel was about 500 metres. He was racking his brain on how to get to that tunnel safely. Acma took several steps and standing really close to the boundaries between the path and the hall. ¡°Lets test the reaction of these statues¡±, said Acma and he slowly took a step into the hall with his right leg. His eyes were looking at the closest statue which was holding a stone sword. As soon as his leg touched the floor inside the hall, ¡®.........¡¯ Nothing happened. ¡°Tsk... Am I too paranoid?¡± ============================ 20 - Behind the Wall Hi guys, thank you for reading my fiction. Enjoy =============================== He took another step into the hall and then wait. A few seconds after his left leg step onto the hall¡¯s floor, a creaking sounds reverberating inside the hall. However, the sound didn¡¯t come from the statues, but it was the sound of the door behind him closing. ¡°Crap, I¡¯m trapped¡±, he thought. However, its already too late for him to escape. After the door completely closed, Acma was dumbfounded as he wasn¡¯t sure about what to do. Should he break the door and escaped, or should he moved forward? However, his choice actually was pretty clear, its to move forward. As for the door behind him, he was definitely didn¡¯t have enough strength to break it. ¡°Allocate 100 points to agility, 40 points to strength¡±, said Acma. When he levelled up, he had 140 unallocated points. He didn¡¯t use them before because he didn¡¯t feel a need to do so, but current situation was something that he need to be extremely careful. He was preparing to sprint across the hall as fast as possible. Currently, he need speed more than strength. He believed that even if he put all the points to strength, he still couldn¡¯t beat the statues in front of him. It haven¡¯t yet 2 minutes since Acma step into the hall. The statues was still, but Acma knew that he didn¡¯t have much time left before all the statues moved. The countdown started when the door closed. He took a deep breath, put out his sword and, ¡®Swooosh¡¯ His body blurred as he propelled himself forward. 10 metres, 25 metres, 50 metres, 100 metres, 200 metres and suddenly, ¡®Creaaaakk¡¯ ¡®Creaaaakk¡¯ ¡®Creaaaakk¡¯ ¡®Creaaaakk¡¯ A sound of breaking stone echoing inside the hall followed by a movement from the statues. When the statues started to moved, Acma has arrived at the area where the mutilated skeletons was located. He increased his vigilance and readied himself to intercept anything that came his way. ¡®Swiisssh¡¯ ¡®Swiisssh¡¯ A statues on his right and left, both were sword wielder, gave a horizontal slash towards his neck and his waist. If he can¡¯t evade this slash, Acma can gave farewell to this world. But, with increased agility, his speed and nimbleness was far outclassed the statues. He choose his favourite move when he fought against the stone golems, jumping on top of the head from one statue to another. He choose this move because it was the quickest and safest. He could dive or rolled his body below the slash, but he might got entangled by another attack from other statues. It also time consuming as well as his stamina. Losing the target in front of them, the statues just walked aimlessly. Whenever Acma step on their head, they tried to react and slash him. But Acma was too fast for them so they only slashed nothing. Acma continued jumping from one statue to another. In less than 5 minutes, he already arrived at the other side of the hall. ¡°Success¡±, shouted Acma. He was extremely happy because everything was going right and he could cross the hall safely. The statues return to their original position when Acma entered the path. He walked leisurely for a while to calm his breathing. Soon after, he reached another door, also with a carving of ¡®Heaven¡¯ symbol. Although the symbol was similar to the previous one, the hidden mechanism didn''t necessarily located at the similar location. Acma quickly searched the place where the hidden mechanism should be located but didn''t found it. So he spread his search. After some times, ¡®Clak¡¯ ¡®Rumble¡¯ The stone door slowly opening, revealing a space behind. When Acma realized what was behind the door, he was speechless. It was a treasure trove. Heavens. From the screen inside his helmet, he could clearly saw hills of coins, plates, bars, bullions, housewares and many other forms of gold and silver. A ray of light coming from numerous bulb of light on the ceiling, made the treasure hills in front of him more mesmerizing. His jaws already reached the floor and his eyes couldn¡¯t even blink. He never saw something like this in his life before. Not in a reality like this. The closest resemblance could be a Smaug¡¯s treasure hoard. He couldn¡¯t imagine anything else. What kind of person who have a riches like this in the world? Unconsciously, his pace became faster and faster. His mind wasn¡¯t functioning normally. A normally cautious Acma seem to forgot about his surroundings. Looks like his heart already been captivated by the treasures. He was just a normal person after all. ¡°Master, there is a trap trigger 5 steps in front of you¡±, Alice gave a report. Her voice was like a thunder that brought him back to the reality. ¡°Huh? Is that you Alice?¡± He questioned. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Yes Master. It¡¯s me, Alice. Master, the trigger was just one step in front of you. Master should stop now¡± ¡°Owh, right¡±, he halted his advance immediately and carefully looking at his surrounding. He took a deep breath and realized that he just made a grave mistake. He shouldn¡¯t lost himself in a place like this. He quickly calmed himself down. He took another deep breath and started to analyse the situation at his hand. ¡°Alice, mark the place where the trigger is. The other trigger also if you find it. I need to reach the treasure safely¡± ¡°Yes Master¡±. The mark immediately appeared on his sight. Acma carefully treading his way to the treasure trove. He was determined to take everything. Step by step, Acma finally reached the trove. His heart was palpitating. He was so nervous. He was about to become rich. Extremely rich. He touched the trove with his left hand and slowly said, ¡°Absorb¡± The trove immediately glowing and turned into a huge ball of golden light before moving towards Acma and disappeared into his body. ¡°Hah, hah, hah¡±, Acma was breathing erratically. He didn¡¯t have a courage to open his inventory to check the amount of gold he have. It was freaking scary. After a while, he managed to forcefully calmed down. He gave an order to Alice to look for the trap inside the treasure hall. Meanwhile, with the treasures gone, Acma realized that the size of this treasure hall was about the same as the previous two hall. The only different was this hall have more decorations and there were a carvings on the four wall. It was a carving of four guardians, a white tiger, a phoenix, a tortoise and a dragon. The carvings was lifelike and Acma really admiring it. The guardians was holding something in their mouth. It was round and its size was about the size of football. ¡°A pearl, maybe?¡± he thought. All the guardians have a pearl made of stone in their mouth, except the dragon. However, there was a socket in its mouth with the same size as the stone pearl inside the mouth of the other guardians. That socket made Acma thinking where should he find something like that to fill the socket. ¡°Open: Inventory¡± After deliberate thinking, he decided to check the content of his inventory, looking for something like pearl, treasure box or container. The dragon pearl must be within the treasure troves earlier. While looking for the pearl, he took a glance at the amount of money he have. Looking at the amount, he couldn¡¯t help but taking a deep breath and smiled. It was a lot of money, enough to buy a nation and sustain it for a hundred years. Inside his inventory, he found numerous items. Although most of them were luxurious items, some of them contained a magical properties too. He wanted to examined them one by one, but right now he needed to find something much important first. After searching for a while, his eyes finally stumbled upon a treasure box with a delicate and beautiful carving of a dragon. His instinct told him that the dragon pearl must be inside the box. He took out the box and closed the inventory. Under the beautiful light inside the hall, Acma took a closer look at the treasure box in his hand. He was nervous. His instinct rarely wrong and he hope this time wasn¡¯t either. Luckily, the box didn¡¯t need a key to open. Acma slowly open the box and revealed a glowing pearl with a beautiful colours. His instinct was right. ¡°Identify¡±.
Dragon Pearl Priceless treasure capable of neutralizing any kind of poisons within 500 metres. If soaked inside water, the water will have a diluted properties of the pearl
¡°I will take this pearl back after I open the door¡±, thought Acma. He was clearly excited with what this dragon pearl capable of. He took out the pearl from the box and slowly insert it into the socket inside the mouth of the dragon. Then he waited patiently for the result. After a while, the wall with the dragon carving started to move backwards. Before he followed the wall, Acma took a glace over the other carving of the guardians. He believe, if he found another tomb like this one in the future, he might need to find a similar pearl like the Dragon Pearl used to open the wall. Acma followed the wall closely didn¡¯t want to be left behind. Each steps he took, he placed it carefully. He moved forward only after he was sure nothing dangerous or no sign of traps detected on the floor. Although he moved very slowly, he was closed enough behind the moving wall. The wall stop moving only after 100 metres. After that, the wall started to spin slowly revealing the space behind it. Acma didn¡¯t dally any further. He quickly slipped pass the slow spinning wall. 21 - Drink With Me ¡®Baaaaam¡¯. The wall finally came to stop. Acma turned his body around. The room he was inside now was half the size of previous hall. On the ceilings, there were numerous crystal that began to lighten up one by one soon after Acma step into the hall. It gave a bright white light, similar to the morning sun. Bathing under that light, a warm feeling birthed inside his heart. In the previous hall, it felt suffocating, far different from this room. At the end of the room, there was a throne, elevated 15 feet from the floor. Whoever sat on that throne will look down at everything inside the room. In Acma¡¯s mind, only a king or an emperor was entitled to sit on a throne like that. Acma moved his gaze toward the throne. He realized that something shiny was sitting on it. With his keen eyes, he was able to determine that it was a golden statue wearing a black helmet, which covering the head completely except the eyes. Acma look at the golden statue only for a while. He wasn¡¯t interested at it too much. What captured his attention the most were the shining crystals on the ceiling. ¡°Damn, too bad that I can¡¯t fly¡±, thought Acma while looking at those crystals. He really want to take all those shining crystals. He was thinking about many ways to use those crystals. For example, he could use them inside his nokium ore mine. Currently, there only the miner goblins inside the mine, whose capable of seeing in the dark. If he were to employ other creatures as a workers, he might need to lighten the mine because not all creatures were capable of seeing in the dark. He moved his gaze all over the room. When he look at the wall, its colour was dark red. Suddenly he realized that it was different from the colour of the wall at the previous hall or the gorge outside which is absolute black. He stroke his chin and thinking about something. ¡°Why it was different?¡± he muttered. He still couldn¡¯t find the answer. He felt that the answer behind this puzzle was really important so he keep pushing to solve it. After a while, something crossed his mind. ¡°MAGIC!!¡± he shouted with a low voice. He finally realized that the wall from the gorge until the treasure trove have suppressed the magic. He came to this conclusion when thinking about numerous skeletons and magical items inside the gorge. Those walls were built from a different materials from the wall inside this room. So, Acma was excited to try his magic. In the beginning, he wanted to release a wind blade towards the ceiling, but decided to abandon that idea in fear of triggering something sinister inside this room. Then, he summoned his stone golem and it was successful. Ding ~
You have learned Earth Stomp skill
Acma was extremely excited, not because of the new skill but because he was able to use magic again. ¡°My dear visitor, come here and have a drink with me¡±. Suddenly, Acma heard a voice calling for him. The voice came from the direction of the throne. When he turned his head toward that direction, he saw a man not far from the throne. Acma couldn¡¯t hide his shock and his heart was thumping like a running horse. He was pretty sure nobody was inside the room when he entered earlier. Furthermore, he wouldn¡¯t miss if anyone was sitting at that tea table near the throne. It was obvious that man was came out of nowhere. That man was about 40-50 years old, wearing a white loose garment with a golden horse embroidery on the chest. From the look, that man most likely a seasoned martial artist. Emanating from his body, was a faint golden glow, giving a surreal look. Was he a real human being or not? Acma wasn¡¯t sure but his heart was inclined to think that this man wasn¡¯t real. Acma was hesitated to go to the man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these statues won¡¯t attack¡±, said the man referring to two columns of statues between the throne and Acma. There were 25 metal statues, 12 statues on both left and right side and the last one was standing in front of the throne, holding a great sword. 12 statues on the left were holding a shield and a spear with a sword as a second weapon on their waist. The other 12 statues on the right were basically an attackers. They were holding either a great sword, twin swords, great axe or twin daggers. Their look were like a human who was wearing a full body armour. ¡°How does he know?¡± Acma was startled with what that man just said. It was true that Acma was hesitated to step forward due to those statues. After thinking for a while, Acma mustered his courage and step forward. He slowly walking between the statues and finally reached the man and his tea table. The man took out a beautiful teapot from out of nowhere and poured a glowing blue water into a cup in front of Acma when he sat. The man¡¯s hand that hold the teapot was almost transparent, making the teapot looks like floating in the air. Acma put off his helmet and put it inside his inventory. He raised the cup in front of him with his right hand while his eyes was staring at the glowing blue water inside the cup. Should he drink it or not? While he still weighing his options, the man in front of him just look at his face and smile. After a long while, Acma finally drank the water. Like its look, the glowing blue water wasn¡¯t normal. As soon as it touched Acma¡¯s tongue, it dissolve into an energy and it gave Acma a refreshing feeling all across his body. Ding ~
You drank a Cosmic Dew for the first time +5 STR +5 AGI +25 INT +10 LUCK
¡°Great drink right?¡± said the man with a bright smile on his face. ¡°This water is called a Cosmic Dew. It have numerous benefits that even I don¡¯t know. But one thing I am sure, it can replenish your spent mana instantly. Other than that, I love the feeling when it dissolve inside my mouth¡±. ¡°...¡± Before Acma could reply, the man continued. ¡°Too bad that I can drink it only with this tea set or pour it directly into my mouth¡±. The man was looking at the tea set solemnly. His eyes look sad. Then he raised his head and said, ¡°Take this tea set as a gift for you. May it help you in your future endeavour¡±. He shoved the tea set to Acma. ¡°Thank you¡±. Acma was shocked greatly but nevertheless, he still thanked the man although he wasn¡¯t sure the man could hear it or not. He immediately kept the tea set into his inventory. When he identified it earlier, it was a divine items, called a Cosmic Dew Tea Set. The man shook his head and said, ¡°No need to thank me. This tea set was fated to be yours. I am waiting countless years for someone to pass that door. You¡¯re indeed lucky¡±. Acma couldn¡¯t reply anything and now he was sure the man could hear him. He secretly thinking, ¡°Am I really lucky like this man say?¡± He started to recall the moment he step into the gorge until he reached this room. Was he lucky because he was wearing FREEDOM suit? Was he lucky because he had Alice¡¯s help? Was he lucky because he didn¡¯t lost the treasure trove to the trap? Was he lucky because he had a systematized inventory so he could find the dragon pearl among the treasures easily? Or was it because all of it? Thinking of it, Acma couldn¡¯t help but sighed, ¡°Looks like I¡¯m really lucky like he said¡±. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I hope my luck will never cease in the future¡±, said Acma with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s a good reply¡±, said the man. ¡°RUMBLE¡± The dragon wall suddenly moved and slowly spinning again. Acma was extremely worried by this sudden turn of event. He doesn¡¯t want to lost the dragon pearl on the door. When he tried to stand up and went to the wall, he was stopped by the man and he assured him not to worry. The wall stopped after there were a gap about several metres wide. Acma felt relieved but only for a while. ¡°Clak¡± ¡°Clak¡± ¡°Clak¡± ¡°Clak¡± Side by side, the stone statues from the previous hall marched into the room. ¡°I ordered them to come here but don¡¯t worry, its not to harm you. They were part of what I¡¯m about to tell you¡±, said the man while looking at the marching stone statues. He continued, ¡°These moving statues were made by me as a passing time. I called them as The Guardians. Not because I need their protection, but just as a hobby¡±. The man turned his head toward the metal statues and said, ¡°However, these 25 were my pride. They were so great that even a dwarf supreme blacksmith can hardly make one of them, let alone 25¡±. The man continued to talk for a long while about the greatness of his guardians. Acma couldn¡¯t tell apart which part were just a bragging and which part was the truth. But one thing he was sure that these guardians were extremely powerful. ¡°I wish I was able to make them in the future¡±, he thought. Acma gradually held a respect towards the man in front of him. Although this man looks ordinary, he had many hidden talent and maybe he only showed a few of them. Secretly, Acma felt he wanted to surpass this man like he wanted to surpass his father. The man took out a black, metal tablet from out of nowhere and gave it to Acma. ¡°This is a controller. Drip your blood on it and all these guardians will be yours¡±, said the man with a smile on his face. Hearing that words, Acma grew excited. Although he couldn¡¯t make something like this guardians yet, but having them right now was something he could never say no. He took the tablet, bite his lips and use his thumb to swipe the blood onto the metal tablet. Ding ~
You have received a new title ¡®The Puppeteer¡¯ You¡¯re able to control golems, puppets as your extra hands +10 STR +10 AGI +10 INT
Ding ~ A puppeteer panel appeared on Acma¡¯s sight. On the main section, there were information about the number and the type of golems or puppets he have. Currently he have 300 stone golems and 25 metal golems. The second section was a control panel where he could give a passive command like standing guard or active command like fighting a battle. ¡°Try to move any of these guardians. You can command them with your mind¡±, said the man. Acma picked one of the stone guardians and tried to move it. In the beginning, his mind was greatly strained to the extent he got a headache. Only after several tries, he was successful and the movement of the guardian also became smoother and smoother. As for the metal guardians, even moving its finger proved to be a challenge. He should practice more in the future, or he could let Alice to control them. "How do you feel? With more practice, you will be more proficient in controlling this guardians. I wish you a good luck¡±, the man said. ¡°It was hard, but I take it as a challenge. Thank you very much¡±, replied Acma. He gave a sincere smile and he was really moved by this outstanding gift. He never thought he would get something like this and he never thought about it. His future would be more colourful with this gift. ¡°That¡¯s all the gift I want to give you. Now, lets talk about something else¡±, said the man. ¡°Knowing the reputation of the owner of this tomb, I bet you enter this tomb to get something right? Something that could make you powerful or strong. I already give you what you¡¯re looking for. Actually I should make it more difficult, but I don¡¯t want to wait anymore. I¡¯m tired of waiting¡±. Acma was shocked. The truth was he didn¡¯t even know who was the owner of this tomb. It was purely coincidence that he found this tomb and entered it. ¡°Sir, I ...¡±, he tried to tell the truth, but he was cut short by the man. ¡°Hahaha, no need to tell me. It was your secret¡±, said the man. ¡°...¡± It was a misunderstanding. Once again, before Acma could say anything, the man already started talking again. ¡°The owner of this tomb have all the definitions of being strong and revered or feared by many because of his strength. It¡¯s not a shame if you also want to follow his footsteps¡±, said the man. He was looking deeply into Acma¡¯s eyes like he was scouring his soul for some answer. ¡°May I know what is your reason to become strong?¡± he asked. Although Acma was still irked by that man¡¯s misunderstanding, but his last question was valid. Acma turned his head and look at the golden statue. He was looking for his own answer, why he wanted to become strong? The truth was, he never thought about it seriously before. Since he was young, everything was prepared for him. He got the best physical training methods from his father, best medications and supplements from his mother, mangling and interacting with the scientists whom were a friends of his mothers for his intellectual development, sparring, hunting and killing live targets with his father¡¯s friend, he treated all of this as something fun, time killing and following the footsteps of his parents. It got nothing with being strong. However, the question from man in front of him was something fundamental and made him thinking. He have to think about it seriously. ¡°Why I want to become strong? ... I can¡¯t find a good answer. What a shame¡±. Unable to answer the question, Acma lowered his head and gave an awkward smile. The man seem to understand Acma¡¯s difficulty. He spoke with a gentler tone, ¡°Everyone have their own reasons to become strong. Some reason is to protect, or for revenge, or to gain wealth, fame, companions, women and numerous other reasons. These reasons mould the way they fight and that¡¯s why the reason to become strong is extremely important. You must never lost your sight¡±, he paused and the continued, ¡°Above all these reasons is, to do as you wish¡±. ¡°To do as I wish¡±, muttered Acma. That phrase was like a thunder that waking him up from a deep slumber. ¡°Everyone have desires, dreams and hopes. But to achieve all of them, a strength and luck was needed. With a supreme strength, physically and mentally, you will be able to do as you wish. Nobody will dare to obstruct your path¡±, the man continued. ¡°To do as I wish¡±. Acma kept repeating that phrase until it was engraved deeply in his soul. Now he was more determined to become strong. If he wanted to protect, with strength, everything will be safe. If he wanted to destroy, with strength, everything will be obliterated. His eyes was brimming with new determination to become strong. He gripped the metal tablet tightly and look straight into the eyes of the man. ¡°Thank you very much for your enlightenment¡±. ¡°Good, your current eyes look better. However, having fun in everything you do is also a form of strength. Only a strong can have that. Keep it up boy¡±. Acma just chuckled when he heard that. The man was right again that he always having fun in everything he did. The metal tablet inside his hand suddenly glowing and then disappeared. However, he didn¡¯t worry because he could feel the connection with the guardians intact. So he just ignored it and proceed with the most important question. ¡°Sir, may I know your glorious name?¡± he asked. The man just smiled and slowly he stood up. ¡°Eventually, you will know my name¡±. After he said that, he lightly pressed his index finger onto Acma¡¯s forehead. The finger was glowing for a while before he pulled it back. ¡°I give you the location of the other three tomb and a method to find them. But I would suggest you go to the one inside Metal Kingdom¡¯s territory first. If you¡¯re lucky again, you will get a suitable weapon for you¡±, he paused and the continued, ¡°Its time for me to go. Good luck boy. With you as emissary, the future of void element will be brighter. May the wrong past will be corrected¡±. As soon as he finished saying that, the man suddenly disappeared, leaving a dumbstrucked Acma on his seat. 22 - A New Objective Hi guys, I''m really sorry for the delay. Kind of writer''s block. Thank you for reading my fiction. Enjoy. =============================== ¡°Tsk, why so hurry to leave, I still have many things to ask. The location of the other grave and the method to locate them do not even appear. At least, explain about it before you go¡±, Acma was complaining about the suddenness of the man departure. When the man were talking about the other tomb and the method to locate them, nothing was actually appeared, either panel or mind map. Even when he tried several words that he thought can be used as password like map or location, were also failed. The other problem was he didn¡¯t even know where the Metal Kingdom was located. ¡°How do I find this Metal Kingdom? At least give me a working map or something useful. Damn old man¡±, he cursed. ¡°Let it go, let it go¡±, Acma tried to consoled himself. Since nothing come out even when he tried harder, he decided not to think about it anymore. He believe, when the time and place was right, he would know about their location eventually. Realising that nothing he could do for now, he turned his head and look at his newly acquired guardians. He was thinking about something and he was eager to try it. ¡°Alice, could you control these guardians like our drones?¡± he asked. A ball of light immediately flew out of his chest and turned into a beautiful fairy with a golden wings. ¡°Let me try, Master¡±. Seconds later, the guardians started to move. They began with keeping their weapon safe and then moved into several uniform column. The speed of their movement shocked Acma, especially the supreme guardians who stood in the front row. ¡°How do you do that?¡± Acma asked with full of admiration. ¡°They were just like our drones. It seem, they already have a built-in systems and I only give two simple orders and they execute them flawlessly. Even master can do this with the control panel. However, to completely control their movement is difficult. With my current processing capacities, I can only control flawlessly about 10 of the metal statues or 25 of the stone statues¡±, replied Alice. ¡°I will leave the control to you. 10 is extremely great because I only need two or three of them to cover my blind spots. Can you move one of these statues with a complete control and do something highly complex, I want to see to what extent is the capabilities of these guardians¡±. ¡°Yes Master¡±. One of the supreme guardians who wield a twin swords moved forward and performed a beautiful sword dance. Its move was simple in the beginning and becoming more and more complex. It even added several acrobatic moves like backflips or summersault, several types of kicks and many more. Acma was speechless because that sword dance really similar to the sword dance that his father performed. ¡°Hahahaha. Alice, you copied father¡¯s sword dance¡±. Acma was extremely excited. ¡°Yes Master¡± ¡°Hahahaha.... Now I have 10 fathers watching my back. Alice, I will entrust my back to you in the future. Lets fight together¡±, said Acma with a laughter that reverberating throughout the room. ¡°Yes Master, I will fight together with you¡±, replied Alice before it flew back into Acma¡¯s chest. Acma quickly kept all the guardians in his inventory. Then, he opened the summon panel and puppeteer panel simultaneously because he wanted to compare between the two. In his mind, both systems have their own plus and minus. Puppet or golem were considered as an equipment so their strength were fixed. It also depends on their controller and rank. Legend rank golem like his supreme guardians were obviously stronger than his epic rank stone guardians. However, they were versatile, no mana consumption and ready to use. Furthermore, under Alice¡¯s complete control, they were an extremely deadly weapon. Summons also good. They were either beasts or monsters and their strength increased with their levels. He can effortlessly use them and he only need to give simple orders like attack or defend. They also could became a great companion like Silver. However, to increase their levels took time and efforts. Increasing their class also very costly. The higher their class, the higher was the cost and he could get the upgrading items from killing the beasts or monsters only. So, the summon was great for a long run if they were trained diligently. As for the puppet or golem, they were great for an immediate use. This was Acma¡¯s conclusion when he compared between the two. He closed both panels and his eyes started to wander across the room, looking for anything available left. He already decided to take the dragon pearl last to avoid any mishaps. As for the light crystal on the ceiling, he could only take them later in the future after he learned some flying or levitation magic. So the only thing left was the golden statue and its helmet. He stood up and walked towards the throne. Meanwhile, he took out some drones and ordered Alice to find any hidden mechanisms inside the room that may lead to a treasure. Acma reached the golden statue after a while. He touched the statue here and there, looking for any hidden mechanism but nothing was found. The statue was just a simple golden statue. Alice also returned empty handed. It also couldn¡¯t find any hidden mechanism or secret room. Acma kept the drones while his eyes locked onto the helmet on the statue¡¯s head. He raised both his hands and grabbed the helmet. Then he slowly took it off very carefully. Inside the helmet was a golden skull, but he didn¡¯t care about it. Its just a skull, not something special. ¡°Identify¡±
Conqueror Helmet Named divine helmet, part of Conqueror Armour set. 250 % mana regeneration, +500 INT
¡°Wow, this is a great helmet. I wish I can collect all armours from this Conqueror¡¯s set. Alright, lets make that as an objective in my adventure¡±, said Acma with a wide smile. This helmet will be a great help whenever he was running low on mana. He took a look on the golden skull again and secretly thinking, maybe it was belong to a conqueror. That¡¯s why it was wearing a helmet from a conqueror¡¯s set. The skull was missing several tooth, maybe from an intense fight. It also have several fractures on its jaw bone and cheek bone was also visible ¡°This skull was well made. Almost like a real thing¡±, muttered Acma as his fingers flicked the forehead of the skull, trying to figure it out, either it was made of gold or a just a bone. However, beyond his expectation, the skull moved and rolled backwards. ¡®TAANGGGG!!!¡¯ Before Acma could do anything, the skull already reached the floor behind the throne. It fell. Acma was dumbfounded. He never thought that the skull was actually separated from the statue. ¡°Damn¡±, he cursed. He immediately running down the throne as fast as he could to collect the skull. He didn¡¯t want to be cursed by the owner of the skull from Netherworld and suffered from miserable things throughout his life. However, as soon as he touched the skull, it turned into a ball of golden light and disappeared into his body. He felt a warm energy rushing to his head. Luckily, he didn¡¯t felt any pain, only a refreshing feelings that made his mind clearer and comfortable. ¡°Am I cursed?¡± After the effect of the golden light disappeared, he immediately checked his head with his hands, secretly hoping nothing strange found. Luckily, no horns, no pains or whatsoever. He was safe but something must happened since he could sense the energy from the skull entering his body. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Open: Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level28RaceHuman
ClassEmissary of Void
HP1850/1850MP154975/154975
Strength354Agility419
Intelligence521Luck310
Unallocated point(s)0
TitleLord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner, The Puppeteer
¡°........¡± ¡°........¡± ¡°........¡± No matter how many times he look at it, he still couldn¡¯t believe it. His mana reservoir skyrocketed to 150000 in just a mere second. ¡°Whew, 150k mana increase permanently just from a single skull. This is surely not an ordinary luck¡±, said Acma with a great smile as he look at his status panel. He tried to reason the increase, but most likely it was due to the fact that the skull was belong to a supreme expert. When that supreme expert still alive, his power must be seeping into his bones and it stay there even after he died. That was the most reasonable explanation Acma could came out. Looking across the room, Acma thought that it was time to go since no more treasure inside the room. He stood up and walked towards the dragon wall. His target was the precious dragon pearl inside the dragons mouth on the wall. ¡°Alice, teleport to outside of the gorge as soon as I take the pearl¡± ¡°5 seconds, Master¡± ¡°Ok¡± When the Teleport spell was ready, Acma slowly took the dragon pearl. ¡°Teleport¡±, said Alice. Immediately, Acma¡¯s body was glowing and then disappeared from the room. The light crystal on the ceiling slowly dimmed out as no more visitor inside the room. Outside the gorge, the situation was calm as usual. The sky was still bright and the wind occasionally blew over the valley. Suddenly, a ball of light appeared at the edge of the gorge¡¯s wall, followed by three others. The first ball of light was slightly bigger than the others. Soon after, they turned into a youth wearing a black armour, a great wolf, a stone golem and a fairy. ¡°Good job Alice, we teleport at the right place¡±, Acma praised his A.I. ¡°Thank you Master¡± Acma took a good look at the gorge for the last time. His harvest from the tomb this time was quite generous. Although the treasure trove was immense, but the real catch was those guardians. Especially 25 supreme guardians. Those guardians was definitely priceless. "It''s confirmed, the day have become longer", he murmured as he look at the slightly redden sky. "In the previous world, right now should be at night already". He turned around and walked forward. Both his summons closely followed behind him. On this side of the gorge, the valley¡¯s floor was flat and the width was about several hundred metres. There were no trees or boulders that provided a hiding spot for predators. An exit also could be seen at the end of the valley. Acma was excited. He couldn¡¯t wait to get out from this Death Valley. Unconsciously, he began to relax and lower his guard. It was definitely a big mistake. He shouldn¡¯t lower his guard, especially when he was still inside the valley. There were about 700 metres left to exit. Acma began to jog so he could reach the exit faster. Silver was running in front of him while his golem walked as fast as it could. Each steps leave a small crack on the hard floor. With his guard lowered, Acma didn¡¯t realize that there was a cave not far from the exit, a hundred metres above eye level. With his current speed, he would reach it in several minutes. He was getting closer to the cave. Several metres from the cave, Silver stopped its advance and gave a low growl but it was ignored by Acma. Although Silver¡¯s behaviour wasn¡¯t normal, Acma didn¡¯t think it was a warning since he couldn¡¯t see anything suspicious or dangerous in his surrounding. However, Acma did stop his jog and continued walking leisurely. The cave entrance was closed enough but Acma was still oblivious to it. Suddenly, a long, black shadow came out of it an strike towards Acma. ¡®Grrrrrrrrrr¡¯ Silver gave a loud bark and jumped towards Acma as fast as it could. Silver used its head to push its master backwards. ¡®Boooooom¡¯ Silver turned into a light particles after its body received the attack from the black shadow when it pushed Acma. That attack was heavy. A small crater with a crack like a spider web appeared from the attack. ¡°Silverrr!!!!¡± Acma shouted loudly. He didn¡¯t register why Silver pushed him earlier. But, when he realized about the black shadow, it was already too late. Silver was gone. Luckily, a panel appeared on his sight, mentioning that Silver didn¡¯t perish permanently, it just couldn¡¯t be resummons within one hour. Only after reading the notifications did Acma gave a relieve sigh. He turned his sight toward the direction where the black shadow came from. Only now Acma realized about the cave. Secretly, he cursed his carelessness that almost took his live. He was saved by the sacrifice of his summon only. Acma renewed his determination, he won¡¯t get careless again in the future. The black shadow retreated back to the cave. Acma didn¡¯t pursue it, but he keep his vigilance high. Finally, the cave master emerged from its dwelling to show itself after a minute passed. It did not immediately attacked Acma, but slowly stationed itself between Acma and the exit. Look like it wanted to prevent Acma from leaving the valley. The size of the cave master send a chill down to Acma¡¯s spine. It was huge, almost as big as a small hill. It was a huge python. ¡°I¡¯m in a deep shit this time¡±, he cursed. =============================== Actually, I can''t decide the best amount of mana he get from the skull, either 100k, 150k or higher. During the planning stage, I even put 1.5 millions. Haha. The reason is, I can''t gauge the opness of his Dimension Splitter skill and Blackhole spell, worth their rank as divine skill. Op skill = huge mana consumption. It will be wirthless if Acma didn''t have enough mana to execute them. This is where the golden skull idea came. Anyway, please bear with my indecisiveness for a while. 23 - Facing the BOSS Enjoy ================================ The length of this huge python was more than 600 metres while its body¡¯s diameter was bigger than a lorry. Its skin has a batik pattern like a batik python from South East Asia, just with a different colour. This huge python has a dark purplish skin and a golden stripe above its eyes. Furthermore, its level was unbelievable.
Sawa LVL 513
¡®...¡¯ Acma could not believe his eyes. Its level and font colour was extremely shocking. This was his first time meeting such high level beast. ¡°Identify¡±
Sawa LVL 513 Named beast, king of python. Highly resistance against physical and magical attack, capable of using earth element magic such as Stone Spike, Stone Splinter, Stone Shield
¡°How the hell I¡¯m going to kill this damn snake !!!!¡± Acma shouted loudly. It was funny, considering that the first thought appeared in Acma¡¯s mind was how to kill this damn huge python although it seem almost impossible. Maybe because it was just almost but not totally impossible. He always believe that he could turn the impossible possible. He was really frustrated. If this king of python use an elemental attack, he wouldn¡¯t worry because his armour gave him immunity against such attack. But, currently he was within a valley, surrounded by stone. If this python decided to use a real stone to attack, he would be in a deep trouble. His armour only gave 75% resistance against physical attack. 25% damage from a beast of this calibre might endanger his life. Furthermore, this overgrown python had a superb resistance against any kind of attack plus superb defence skill. All of this really gave a headache to Acma. What made Acma felt more miserable was the fact that he couldn¡¯t retreat, he must kill this python here and now. If he choose to avoid it and went to Orca Village, it might traced him to the village. That would brought an unmeasurable danger to the village. A lot of lives might lost because the location of this valley was too close to Orca Village. It might be within the hunting range of this python. Teleport back to his villa? It was definitely out of question. He already spent a lot of time and energy to reach this point. He also had disturbed this beast already, so he was worried that it would hunted him down, or worse, the villagers. Find another way around also not a choice because he had to scale the mountains to find a new route. It might even more dangerous than facing this huge python. Although he felt helpless, actually it wasn¡¯t 100%. Deep within his heart, he still believe he had a chance to overturn the situation and kill this python. His brain almost overheated already, running one battle simulation after another. Although the chances were low, he had to try. He must try. Worse come to worse, he might had to lure the python into the gorge and trap it inside the tomb, then teleported out from the throne room. It was great that he retrieved the dragon pearl before he exit the tomb. ¡°Calm down Acma, you can do this. This is just an overgrown worm. You will use it as a fishing bait. Calm down, kill this worm and then you can rest forever¡±, he thought. Acma desperately trying to calm down. While his eyes locked onto the python, wary of its movement, he unsummon his stone golem because it couldn¡¯t help anything against the python. His next step was taking out several supreme guardians with the best attacking power. He also took out his Dragon Slayer. ¡°Alice, always keep your distance from this python. Only attack just to slightly distract it if I¡¯m in dangerous situation¡± ¡°Yes Master¡± Acma¡¯s best trump card was his two divine skills, Black Hole and Dimension Splitter. His other skills like Wind Blade, Earth Stomp and Poisonous Breath can be considered as worthless against the python. At most, he could used them as a distraction only. The Black Hole spell was powerful, but high tiered Black Hole might destroyed the entire mountain range, or worse destroying the Orca Village that wasn¡¯t too far from Death Valley. It was possible because even the 1st tiered Black Hole was disastrous. So, his other choice was Dimension Splitter, which he haven¡¯t test its power yet. ¡°Okay worm, lets fight¡± ¡°Wind Blade¡±. Acma took an initiative to attack while the guardians took their position surrounding the python. The python ignored the guardians. It didn¡¯t even blink at the incoming Wind Blade. It clearly looked at Acma disdainfully. Acma didn¡¯t get discourage. He keep attacking from different angle. He even attacked the eye of the python but also with no result. It just defend its eye with closing it. Even the eyelid was strong enough to thwart off Acma¡¯s attack. The python just coiled itself doing nothing. After several tens of minutes, the python king moved. Several stone splinters as slender as women¡¯s leg appeared in front of its face and then shooting towards Acma. At the same time, it slammed its tail onto the ground, executing a Stone Spike skill. A sharp stone spike immediately appeared beneath Acma¡¯s legs. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t fast enough because Acma was faster to move away with his Phantom Step. Watching its prey successfully avoided its prided attack, the python started to grow restless. It increased the intensity of its attack, almost changing the texture of the valley¡¯s surface anew. Its prey was nimble and skilfully avoided each of its attack, either by dodging or kept disappearing reappearing several tens of meters from it. If this python could talk, it must have endlessly cursing Acma to death. Acma was getting calmer and calmer as the time grows. His confidence was increasing, just enough to clear his head. He knew, he must not let himself succumb to arrogance as it may lead him to make a mistake. Facing this python, even the smallest mistake may became a fatal mistake. He patiently waiting for his chance. He still haven¡¯t cast any Black Hole yet. Suddenly, the python opened up its mouth as wide as it could. An yellow coloured earthen energy congealed in front of its mouth, forming a sharp boulder. Watching that action, Acma knew that the chance he was waiting for finally arrived. ¡°Black Hole¡±. He shouted. His target was the innermost of the python¡¯s mouth. This time, he only used the 1st tier Black Hole because inside the mouth was definitely a weak point of the python. A black sphere emerged and enlarged inside the mouth of the python, along with its destructive sucking forces. Sensing that something was amiss, the python immediately realized that there was a black sphere with a devastating forces was gaining power inside its mouth. Instantly, it snapped and closed its mouth along with the boulder and the black sphere. Acma¡¯s Black Hole was destroyed with just a snap of its mouth. This python was really powerful. However, a blood could be seen dripping from the corner of its mouth. That alone brought an enormous joy inside Acma¡¯s heart as he finally managed to injure the python. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Great, my attack finally worked. But most likely this worm won¡¯t open its mouth anymore. Lets try a higher tier Black Hole¡±, muttered Acma. ¡°Black Hole¡± This time, Acma was using 2nd tier Black Hole to attack the right side of the python¡¯s head. To kill this python, he better started with destroying its head. But, betraying Acma¡¯s expectation, the python easily destroyed the enlarging black sphere by puncturing it with its tail. Acma was felt helpless again. Looks like his divine Black Hole have a fatal weakness, which it could easily be destroyed using a greater forces before it reached its maximum size like what this python just did. ¡°Damn, this worm break my spell so easily. I should find a way to eliminate this weakness when I got a chance later¡±, thought Acma while keeping the same distance as before. The python was pursuing. With its speed and body length, it could easily reached Acma, forcing the latter to phantom stepping multiple times, sometimes in succession. Acma already tried to lead it to slam its head on the cliff, but the hardness of its skin was unbelievable. It easily tore a hole on the cliff wall. ¡°Alice, restrict its tail for a moment¡±, he ordered. At the same time as the guardians grabbed the tail, ¡°Black Hole¡± Acma targeted the head again. The python didn¡¯t have enough time to use its tail as it path was obstructed by the guardians. So, instead of using its tail, it wriggled its head, closed its eyes and slammed the enlarging black sphere. It successfully destroyed it again without sustaining any injuries. ¡°Damn¡±, he cursed. He already wasted a good amount of his mana without any desirable effect. This python was really powerful. Acma knew that he could not prolong the fight any longer. He must finish the fight as soon as possible. He raised his blade high above his head and ready to use his another divine skill. ¡°Dimension Splitter¡±, he said the name as he swung his blade downwards. A dimension tear appeared beneath the body of the python. In a glance, it look harmless. But, as the clock ticking, the python seem struggling to escape from some invisible forces, formed by the tear. The tear appeared to be about 100 metres wide and 300 metres long. After 10 seconds, the tear disappeared without leaving any destruction trail. Not even a pebble was gone. Looks like this divine skill was nature friendly. The python was uninjured, but it definitely pissed off. Although his 1st tier Dimension Splitter attack failed, Acma¡¯s eyes was glittered from excitement. He had a certain ideas on how this Dimension Splitter worked. He immediately initiated his next move. ¡°Alice, launch me to the sky¡±, ordered Acma as he lunged himself toward a guardian with a great axe and jumped. The guardian swung the blunt side of its axe and propelled Acma several hundred metres into the sky. When he reached the maximum height, Acma readied his Dragon Slayer high above his head and began the process to unleashed his current deadliest attack, 2nd tier Dimension Splitter. ¡°DIMENSION SPLITTER !!!¡± He slashed down his blade toward the pursuing python. As soon as he finished casting the skill, a strong gravity appeared beneath his feet, pushing down the python strongly to the ground. It tried to resist with all its might to escape, but to no avail. At the same time as the gravity appeared, 300 metres wide and 700 metres long dimension tear appeared beneath the body of the python. The tear have a great sucking effect, adding the effect of the gravity. The python was perfectly trapped, unable to do anything. The python wailed and hissed continuously. A good part of its body already sunken into the dimension tear while numerous wounds appeared on other part of its body, due to the massive pressing force of gravity. It clearly suffered from this attack. Acma use a Blink skill to distance himself several hundred metres from the python. He was excited. He never thought that 2nd tier of Dimension Splitter was this powerful. He was extremely satisfied with the effect of this divine skill and he waited patiently for the python to die. Suddenly, ¡®Craaaaaaack¡¯ ¡®Craaaaaaack¡¯ ¡®Boom¡¯ ¡°WHAT !!!!¡± ¡°SHIIIIIIIIIITTT !!!!¡± Before the skill could fatally injured the python, Acma¡¯s Dragon Slayer shattered, thus halted the skill¡¯s effect from fully materialized. The previously sunken part of the python body, bounced back to the ground, only with some light injury. Sawa, the king of python was extremely lucky today. It could keep its life for another day. Although, it still keeping its life, its body was heavily injured. Blood was gushing out from the wounds like a broken water hose. It wriggled its body, trying to alleviate some of the pain, but the pain was still there. Fighting the pain, it turned its attention to the wretch human who injured it, who was still staring at the hilt of his shattered blade like an idiot. Never crossed its mind that this little creature was capable of injuring its body, the body that never been scratched for thousands of years. Anger, rage boiled up its remaining blood. It must kill this little creature, it must. As for Acma, he was gobsmacked and still couldn¡¯t register what happened just now. In his mind, a voice kept ringing, telling him that his current weapon, his Dragon Slayer was capable of unleashing the Dimension Splitter to 2nd tier. He felt betrayed, Void lied to him. He shouldn¡¯t blindly believe Void. He should test the skill earlier, not at this critical times. ¡°Master, we must run¡± A worried voice woke him up, pulling him back to the reality. From the moment his blade shattered until Alice called him, it was just a mere 2 seconds. In that 2 seconds, Acma was stunned when he couldn¡¯t believe that his blade was shattered. In that 2 seconds, Acma was actually gambling his live because in a battle of life and death, he shouldn¡¯t let anything disturbed his mind away from the battle. Let alone a mere blade shattering. This was a prove that Acma should tempered his mind harder so he could became a better warrior. In front of him, the python king was fast approaching head first with its jaws wide opened. It wanted to swallow him whole. ¡°Alice, plan Z, RUUUUUUUNNNNNNN !!!¡±, he turned his body and instantly sprinting to the gorge as fast as he could, followed by his lovely fairy and its controlled guardians. 24 - Killing the BOSS Hi guys, thank you for reading. ======================= Meanwhile, deep in an older than ancient forest, a ripple appeared on the bark of a gigantic tree revealing an indescribable face. A hoarse voice come out from the ripple, ¡°We felt a power similar to his. The seal must been broken. This is a good news. A wheel of history is rolling again. Good, good, now I can ask for his forgiveness¡±. Then the ripple disappeared. Meanwhile, at a place that was darker than the darkest black ant on the black stone during the moonless, starless night, a deafening laugh erupted. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, he is back. I couldn¡¯t wait to see the damn face of that damn LIGHT¡±. Meanwhile, a blinding light shining brighter that even closed eyes could be blinded, bringing along an erupting angry voice, ¡°WHO BREAK THE SEAL!!!! I MUST DESTROYED THAT ABOMINABLE CHAOS AGAIN OR I WON¡¯T GET A REST. GO, MY APOSTLE, GO AND KILL WHOEVER WIELD THAT POWER !!!¡± Meanwhile... meanwhile ... While all those mysterious entities were discussing, our young adventurer who was frantically phantom stepping to avoid an attack from an extremely angry huge python. Our young adventurer was oblivious that he was currently been discussed by others. Acma have several hundred metres left before he reached the gorge. While running, he kept his attention to the screen inside his helmet, predicting the trajectory of the attack from Sawa without the need to turn his head around. ¡°Booom¡±, another Stone Spike appeared below his feet but he successfully avoided it with Phantom Step. ¡°Dammit. Stupid worm, why you¡¯re so keen to kill me. I cursed you stuck inside the tunnel and die¡±, shouted Acma while he keep cursing the python. He seem to ignore the fact that he was the very reason why the python wanted to kill him. Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed inside his mind and he immediately use it. He took out something from the inventory without reducing his running speed and passed it to the guardians beside him. ¡°Alice, take all this explosives and plant them at the first and second tunnel. When I reached the second hall, blow the tunnel when this damn snake within it. When you finish planting all the explosives, bring all the guardians to the 2nd hall. Go, quick, I will stall this snake for 2 minutes¡± ¡°Yes Master¡±. Without delay, the guardians darted off to the gorge to finish their mission. ¡°Good thing that I prepared those explosives before departing from the villa. Like people says, preparation never betray you. Now, how do I stall this damn worm¡±, said Acma. He already facing off the python with a mithril sword he got from the gorge in his hand. This mithril sword was a better quality than his Barquq and it can amplify the damage several folds. Too bad that it was only an Epic rank sword. If it was a Legend rank, then he wouldn¡¯t have a problem to kill the python. Sawa, the king of python halted its pursue when it saw its prey stopped. It didn¡¯t mind the pain from its wounds. It only focused at the damn wretch prey in front of it. Slowly, it coiled its body and gathered its remaining energy. Its previous painful experience make it wary of this creature, fearing his counter attack. ¡°Good, good. The longer you stare at me, the better¡±, Acma was amused. He didn¡¯t attack the python and just waiting for it to take the initiative to attack. That stand off lasted only for a minute before Acma began to attack. Although he could keep waiting, he was afraid that the python became too wary of him. He systematically released all his known attack one after another. Wind Blades, Earth Stomps, Black Holes hitting the python. The python couldn¡¯t held its rage any longer, so it retaliate with deadly attacks towards Acma, which all have been successfully avoided. Acma¡¯s objective was only to stall the python. Even if he wanted to killed it, he couldn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t have power to do so. ¡°It¡¯s time. Now follow me you damn worm¡±, said Acma. He already stalled the python for 5 minutes. With his movement skill and agility, it wasn¡¯t hard if it just to stall for time. He immediately turned his body and sprinting again towards the gorge with the python close to his tail. When he jump off into the gorge, his speed wasn¡¯t as fast as the python, so his body was slammed by its head. ¡®Booom¡¯ The sound of Acma¡¯s body crashing into the gorge was earth shattering loud. Acma was injured internally, but it wasn¡¯t severe enough to rend him immobile. He immediately pushed himself up and start running toward the broken door. Now, he can only rely on his legs. When he jumped earlier, he already anticipated that the python would caught him up. He jumped toward the door so when he crashed, he was closed to the door. He passed through the door, but in a split second, the angry python already slammed its head onto the door, sending the already broken door flying toward Acma. Acma couldn¡¯t avoid it, so he gritted his teeth and jumped forward to lessen the impact of the door. He didn¡¯t know either it was a blessing or a curse, the flying door propelled him forward several times faster than he predicted although the pain was unimaginable. He was sent flying straight into the 1st hall. There was one more tunnel to go. When he was enduring the pain while staggeringly stood up, he took a glance toward his pursuer. The tunnel was just enough for the python to pass through, so its speed was reduced considerably. It was struggling to pass through the tunnel. Without delaying even a second, Acma dragged his battered body into the already opened 2nd tunnel. In his mind, he kept recalling the location of the trap mechanisms inside the 2nd tunnel so he could avoid them. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. When he reached the 2nd hall, the python was several tens of metres behind him. That was a good distance. Acma didn¡¯t stop as he kept running toward the 3rd tunnel. While inside the 3rd tunnel, he turned his body and waiting for the python¡¯s head appeared into the 2nd hall. He waited patiently. All the guardians already safe kept inside his inventory. Now, what left was to blast the tunnel. When the tip of the python¡¯s nose emerged from the 2nd tunnel, ¡°Alice, now. Blast the tunnel¡±, said Acma with a weak voice. He clearly weakened and didn¡¯t have energy to shout loudly anymore. Without waiting for the explosion, he already long reaching the end of the 3rd tunnel. Secretly in his heart, he hope that the blast won¡¯t destroyed the 3rd tunnel too. But it might cave in, so he kept running into the treasure hall. ¡°BOOOOOOM¡± ¡°BOOOOOOOM¡± ¡°BOOOOOOM¡± ¡°BOOOOOOM¡± A deafening explosions reverberating inside the treasure hall. If not because of his highly sophisticated armour with the control of his highly advanced super A.I, Acma¡¯s hearing might be a history already. Before the explosions occurred, Alice closed off all hearing devices inside his armour and set the armour for maximum protection against the shockwaves. But the shockwaves sent Acma flying and crashed into the treasure hall, thus made his injury worsen. Even his ears was in great pain because of the sounds. Looks like his armour was incapable of filtering all the sounds. He was coughing out bloods multiple times and he could feel blood dripping from his ears. Although he was heavily injured, he didn¡¯t wait to watch the result of the blast. He knew that he was running out of time. The tomb might caved in at anytime. He finally reached the dragon wall after some great difficulty. Without taking a breather, he took out the dragon pearl from the inventory and slotted it into the socket inside dragon carving¡¯s mouth. While impatiently waiting for the dragon wall to move, he took a glance at the 2nd hall. Through the 3rd tunnel, he saw that the 2nd hall already caved in. Even the treasure hall started to have a cracked on its ceiling. Its speed was beyond his calculations. It won¡¯t be long before the treasure hall also caved in. ¡°MOVE, MOVE. MOVE FASTER YOU DAMN WALL !!!¡± he shouted while ignoring all his pain. Acma grew desperate. ¡°Alice, when you¡¯re able to cast a spell, prepare to teleport immediately. We can¡¯t die in this place¡± ¡°BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM¡± The wall already moved for 25 metres when the treasure hall finally cave in. The sound of the its ceiling crashing down send a shiver down to Acma¡¯s spine. He was sweating profusely, his legs was almost limped down, his mind was already blank, all he could think was cursing the wall to move faster than light. Both of his hands were pushing the wall as hard as his could, hoping it would help moving the wall faster. ¡°Craaack¡± ¡°BOOOOOOM¡± Another crashing sound was heard. The booming sound this time, made Acma lost all his hope. If the previous sound was the sound of the treasure hall caved in, this sound must be the sound of the 4th tunnel caved in. That¡¯s all he could think. Acma was in despair. ¡°Alice, pass my regard to my parents when they return. Tell them that I¡¯m really sorry that I died earlier than them. Tell them that I really love them and proud to be their son¡±. Alice¡¯s true body was hidden deep under his villa, so it wouldn¡¯t have any problem to relay his message. He also believe that his parents won¡¯t die easily, so 99.99% they would return and receive his message. After finished sending his final message, Acma close his eyes and relax his body. He already kneeling on the floor, waiting for his final moments. Deep inside his mind, he was recalling all the moments he experienced throughout his 17 years of his life. It was extremely satisfying. Receiving his parents love was the best thing he got in his life. Their trainings, their educations, their concerns fulfilled all his desire. Nothing less that what he deserved. He love his parents so much. He remembered his father¡¯s centipede training, which he hated the most, he remembered his mother¡¯s medicinal bath, he remember the first bear he killed when hunting, he remembered the first human he killed when on assassination mission given by his father. He remembered all of them while waiting for his death. ¡®...¡¯ ¡®...¡¯ ¡®...¡¯ ¡°Why I didn¡¯t feel any pain? Even the previous pain was gone. Is this how dying feels like? Painless¡±, he muttered to himself. Its already a long while since the last booming sound. He didn¡¯t feel the floor shaking anymore. It was calm and serene. Slowly, he opened his eyes only to see nothing. It was a pure darkness. When he tried to hear something, he heard nothing. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m really have died. Luckily, I didn¡¯t feel any pain¡±, he said slowly. He tried to feel his surrounding with his hand, only to feel a cold floor beneath his knees. ¡°Where am I? Am I transported to another world? That must be it, like all the light novels I read. I hope it was a good world. Haha¡±. Betraying his expectation, a familiar sound echoed in his ear. ¡°Master, are you alright?¡± ¡®????????????¡¯ ¡°Alice?¡± 25 - To Orca Village Haha, Orca Village finally on sight after 25 chapters long. Lets hope nothing blocking our mc''s path anymore. Thanks a lot gaiz for reading my fiction. Enjoy ================================ ¡°Yes, its me, Master¡± ¡°What are you doing here? Are you following me even to this Land of the Dead?¡± ¡°I¡¯m with you Master, but not in the Land of the Dead, but inside the 4th tunnel¡± ¡°What!!! 4th tunnel??? Am I still alive?, he thought. Hearing Alice¡¯s word made him confused because he was pretty sure that the 4th tunnel has collapsed. But, was he really that sure? He just heard the sound, but not actually saw the tunnel collapsed. He also did not feel the first contact with the collapsing stone with his body. ¡°Alice, are you sure we¡¯re still inside the 4th tunnel? Are you sure that I¡¯m still alive?¡± he asked repeatedly. His premature conclusion earlier maybe due to his tired mind and injured body, so a confirmation from Alice was what he wanted the most. He patiently waited for the answer. ¡°Yes Master, we¡¯re still inside the 4th tunnel and Master was pretty much alive. However, Master¡¯s internal organs were injured, so I suggest Master to take a rejuvenation pill immediately¡±, replied Alice. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m still alive. My body!! Urrgh!!¡± Acma was trying his hardest not to scream although the pain was unbearable. The moment he felt relaxed that he still alive, the pain returned and bringing an imaginable strain to his mind. A searing pain inside his body almost made him fainted. He quickly took a rejuvenation pills and then staggeringly sat in lotus position to meditate. Slowly, he gathered all his internal energy and circulated it across his body to heal his internal wounds. Using meditation to heal wounds have long been practiced by humans since ancient civilisations like in India or China. Acma learnt them from his father when he was young. Looks like he was saved by what he learnt from his father again. The rejuvenation pill was prepared by his mother who was proficient in ancient medication. Although modern medicine was advance, but ancient human achievement in medical science was something that could not be ignored. Those rejuvenation pill was made base on several ancient pills found in a tomb of unknown emperor in China. Somehow her mother got her hands on that pills and researched it. Only after several years of painstaking research, she successfully replicated the effect of that ancient pill. After almost 30 minutes, he managed to force out all bad blood from his injuries out of his system and coughing out several mouthful of dark red blood. Only then the pain subsided and Acma finally could take a deep breath. He was out of any dangerous situation but he still need to take a good rest to let his injury to be fully healed. He lied down on his back, spreading his arms to his side. Lying down on the floor after a dangerous and heart-wrenching fight was really comfortable, felt almost like in heaven. Acma just stared at the ceiling, emptying his mind and he stayed like that for several minutes. ¡°Alice, why this tunnel is still intact? I really thought it collapsed like the other sections¡±, he asked. ¡°This tunnel and the throne room was built separately from the other sections. Furthermore, the materials used also sturdier¡±, replied Alice. ¡°Built separately? Then what about the last booming sound? Where does it come from?¡± ¡°That was the sound of the floor of the treasure hall crashed down. There was a deep hole under the floor. After the ceiling cave in, the floor couldn¡¯t handle the weight and collapsed. Its depth was approximately 3 kilometres into the ground. When I probe it earlier, there was an underground river at the end of the hole¡±. ¡°Deep hole under the floor? I wonder if I step on the trap you warned me that time, all the treasure will be gone¡± ¡°I can agree with that. Master, shouldn¡¯t we get moving?¡± ¡°Let me rest for a while¡±, said Acma. He really tired and the pain was still killing him. This fight against the python was really a dangerous one. ¡°The python!¡±, he finally remembered about that angry python. ¡°Alice, what about the python¡±, he asked his fairy who was playfully hovering above his chest. When it heard Acma¡¯s question, it stopped and replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Master. Should I go and check now?¡± ¡°No need, it probably dead already under those rubbles¡± ¡°Okay, Master¡± If the python still alive, there should be some movement. But, since Alice didn¡¯t notice anything about it, indicated that it should be dead. Other than that, there were two more ways to confirm it. ¡°Open: Inventory¡± Acma was still lying down on the floor, trying to get as much rest as he could. Watching the inventory panel in his sight, he was nervous. He prayed ¡®that¡¯ thing was there. If it wasn¡¯t, then the danger was still lurking somewhere under those rubbles. He already customized his inventory panel when he got time earlier so the new addition would be shown on the front page. The older items were already divided into separate sections like weapons and armours, accessories, raw materials, ingredients, medicines, potions and others. On the front page, he immediately located ¡®that¡¯ thing. It was the Sawa summon card. When he saw it, he immediately felt relieved because the python king was definitely dead. He took out the card and identified it.
Sawa Mana requirement : 2000 Tier : 3 Owner : Acma Heart
¡°Phew, a tier 3 purple class beast¡±, said Acma slowly. Looking at the colour, he was thinking, ¡°How should I rank the beast in this world? If it goes by the previous world game standard, purple beast should be considered as Epic class beast while orange was Legend class. Alright, I will go with this setting¡±. Acma opened his summon panel and put the card on his active summon. Currently, he have 4 active summons and Sawa was his strongest summon. However, he didn¡¯t rush to summon it because the place and time wasn¡¯t suitable. He had to wait until he was outside the tomb later. He closed the summon panel and contemplating about what to do about his summons. Previously, he prioritized to upgrade Silver which currently a tier 4 Elite beast because it was an agile attacking beast. Only one more tier to go then he could upgrade it to Epic class. His Stone Golem was a tier 5 Elite monster while his Blood Lizard King was a tier 1 Elite beast. Both of them were suitable as defensive summons. He already checked the requirement to upgrade from tier 5 Elite to tier 1 Epic. The only thing needed was a mana crystal from an Epic beast, and it happen that he had one from killing Sawa. He found that an elite beast dropped a mana crystal instead of mana core unlike the lower class beast. With an appearance of superior attacking beast, he was thinking whether he should upgrade Silver from Elite to Epic class first or upgrade Sawa from Epic to Legend class. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I have to think about this later¡±, thought Acma. He still couldn¡¯t come out with the answer yet. While thinking about his summons, Acma could feel that his internal injury was healing way faster compared to previous world. He suspected it was related to the system implemented by the overseer to increase the rate of survival among the human races. The stronger he became, the faster he would recover his health. ¡°I wonder how much I level up this time¡±, he muttered. When he was running from the explosion earlier, he didn¡¯t notice the ¡®Ding¡¯ sound at all. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t know whether the python was still alive or not. ¡°Open: Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level366RaceHuman
ClassEmissary of Void
HP15735/18750MP93679/163425
Strength1030Agility1095
Intelligence1197Luck310
Unallocated point(s)1690
TitleLord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner, The Puppeteer
¡°Haha, that¡¯s a really nice level up¡±, he was amused. Killing a high level beast gave him a huge boost to level up although the risk also higher. Even a smallest mistake might claimed his live. ¡°Looks like my wounds almost healed, I should get going now. Lets go, Alice¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma stood up and walked toward the throne room. When he reached the dragon wall, he grabbed the pearl and gave an order to Alice to teleport. His target this time was the exit of the valley. After 10 seconds, Alice¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Teleport¡± Almost instantly, Acma appeared at the exit of the valley. In front of him was a sea of trees as far as he could see. At the corner of the forest, he could see a human settlement which supposed to be the Orca Village. As far as could remember, Orca Village was indeed in that direction. Since the village was already in sight, the only thing left was to reach it. On the horizon, the sky was covered by the colour of dusk and the night was fast approaching. Watching this beautiful scenery brought peace and calm into Acma¡¯s heart. However, it also mean that Acma have to reach the village as fast as he could or he have to travel through the forest at night. Its not like Acma was afraid, it just inconvenience to do so. Why go through a trouble if he could do it in easy way? ¡°Summon: Sawa¡±, said Acma. Sawa was the best choice to reach the village as fast as he could. In addition to its fast movement, its high level could make all other beast or monster to scampered away. Acma was pretty sure that no other beast or monster as powerful as Sawa within the forest. Ding ~
You have learned a passive skill; Skin of Python King
Ding ~
You have learned Earth Splinter skill
Ding ~
You have learned Earth Spike skill
Ding ~
You have learned Earth Shield skill
One announcement after another made Acma smiled brightly. He already saw the might of these skill when Sawa used them in the battle before. What intrigued him the most was the first skill which was a passive skill. ¡°Identify: Skin of Python King¡±, he said.
Skin of Python King Mortal class, Gold rank passive skill. Greatly enhance the defence of the user almost like the python king itself +45 % resistance against physical attack +45 % resistance against elemental attack
¡°This is great. With this passive skill, even if I didn¡¯t wear FREEDOM, I can avoid been fatally injured¡±, he thought. But on a second thought, even if he wore FREEDOM, he must not lowered down his guard even for a second during a battle. From his experience battling with Sawa, he still got injured internally, so he must never be reckless. While Acma was checking his new skill, the python already materialized in front of him. It still have the same look as before. Watching the huge python in front of him, Acma couldn¡¯t help but smile brightly. It was a great summon. He jumped onto its back and said, ¡°Lets go, Sawa. To Orca Village¡± ======================== If you have any opinions about the number of level up mc got, feel free to drop a comment. I''m really appreciate all you comment. Thanks. 26 - Please Dont Shoot Me Hi everyone, this chapter was a bit longer than usual. Thank you for reading my fiction. Enjoy ============================== Chief Pai was standing on top of a platform, not far from the entrance of the village. This platform was built for the archers, in preparation for the incoming attack from the centaurs. They already attacked this morning but failed to achieve anything. So the village was preparing for another attack, presumably from a far bigger forces. His gaze was wandering across the forest, looking for any sign of movement. He already doing this for several hours. If the enemies came, he wanted to be the first one to notice it. In all 15 years he lead the village, this was definitely the biggest crisis he ever faced. Although his face look calm, his hands was sweating. That¡¯s why was doing his best. On his shoulders, a lot of people depends on it. ¡°Husband, come here and sit for a while. I brought you some snack and tea¡±, he heard a lovely voice that he never bored hearing it. Maybe for others, it was a voice of grandma, but for him, it always a voice of an angel. It came at the right time and always helped him to ease some burden in his heart. ¡°My beautiful wife, why do you bring this here by yourself. Just ask someone to bring it to me. Its dangerous here, I¡¯m afraid you get hurt¡±, he said with a worried tone. His wife smiled and then look around across the forest behind him. Then she opened her mouth and said, ¡°I don¡¯t see anything dangerous around here. Even if danger is here, I know you will protect me¡±. ¡°My wife, I will protect you with all my life¡±, he smiled while looking deeply into her eyes. ¡°Alright, no more talking. I¡¯m already here, just eat¡±, she said hurriedly. ¡°Hahahaha, I love your shy face. Ouch, don¡¯t pinch me¡±. The couple continued joking with each other while been ignored by other hunters on the platform. Looks like they already used with this couple. ¡°Chief, look. Something was moving fast towards the village¡±, one of the hunters suddenly spoke while his finger pointed out toward the forest. Chief Pai turned his head and spotted the movement mentioned. Then he quickly grabbed the shoulder of the hunter closest to him. ¡°Ah Ming, take my wife back to main building. Please protect her as far as you can. On your way back here, notify the elders about the attack¡±, he said. Although he still didn¡¯t see the ¡®enemy¡¯, at this point, he couldn¡¯t think about anything else other than ¡®enemy¡¯ that will attack the village. ¡°Sound the alarm, archers on platform!!!¡±, he stood up and gave a loud shout. Instantly, the sound of gong ringing throughout the village, notified everyone about the incoming attack. The archers from every corner of the village quickly climbed the platform, with a bow and a quiver full of arrow. Everyone were rushing to their designated station. Melee fighter behind the entrance and the helpers consisted of non combatant villagers were line up not far from the defence line. The latter¡¯s job was to replenish the arrows and tend the injured. After the battle this morning, Chief Pai briefed everyone about the situation and all the villagers were determined to help. In less than 5 minutes, everything was ready. Chief Pai and the elders were observing the situation from an elevated platform not far from the entrance. The ¡®creature¡¯ have long stopped before it reached the border of the forest. Looks like it sensed that the village was battle ready. At the forest border, not far from the clearing in front of Orca Village entrance, Acma was on alert when he heard a sound of gong reverberated from the village. He recognized the pattern and the tempo, he suspected that the village was getting ready for battle. He unsummoned his Sawa and lowered his body, facing the village, making it look as small as possible. He took out several drones and gave an order to Alice. ¡°Alice, survey the village and then tell me what is going on¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Alice turned itself invisible and lead the drones toward the village. Meanwhile, Acma was contemplating to pick the best choice on how to approach the village. After several minutes, Alice returned. ¡°The village is battle ready. Almost everyone is carrying a weapon and they focused their attention at this location¡±, Alice reported. ¡°Thank you, Alice. Continue your surveillance and wait for my order¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°What is actually happen to the Orca Village? Their manoeuvre began as soon as I approaching the clearance and they actually complete it in less than 5 minutes. Looks like they were expecting an attack on their village¡±, he thought. Acma knew he had to approach the village carefully or he would become a dead porcupine. ¡°Alice, have one of the drones slowly approach the highest platform behind the entrance and then project my hologram. I want to speak with the elders. Don¡¯t get shot¡± ¡°It will be done, Master¡± Acma watched his drone flew slowly over the entrance to the highest platform. He assumed that the elders will be there to oversee the battle. He was nervous. High on the platform, Chief Pai was patiently waiting for the ¡®enemy¡¯ to emerge from the forest. Next to him, Elder Ma stood valiantly, ready to give orders. The other elders also present. Actually, it wasn¡¯t wise for all the elders to congregate at one place like this, but most likely that the elders were eager to see the ¡®enemy¡¯. Although he could understand their eagerness, Chief Pai issued an order that all the elders except Elder Ma and him, must dispersed and waited far behind the defence line as soon as the ¡®enemy¡¯ emerged. After waiting for several minutes, the ¡®enemy¡¯ still didn¡¯t come out. Chief Pai tried to calm down and he was thinking that this ¡®enemy¡¯ was so mysterious. Or was it already retreated? He saw several sphere drones flew out of forest and hovering high above the village, but he couldn¡¯t figure out their purpose. Numerous questions circling inside his head as he gripped his bow harder. Next to him, Elder Ma was calm observing the sphere drones. ¡°What do you think about that drones, Brother Ma?¡± Chief Pai asked. ¡°It was a surveillance drones. A highly sophisticated one. Looks like this ¡®enemy¡¯ wasn¡¯t the enemy we¡¯re waiting for since this morning. Ah, look, one of the drones is approaching¡±. The drone stopped several metres in front of the elders. Soon after, a blue hologram was projected from the drone, revealing a youth with one knee on the ground. The youth was donning a full body armour without a helmet and he look majestic. ¡°Greetings, honourable elders of Orca Village. My parents, the Mad Couple always spoke highly about all of you. My name is Acma Heart and I sincerely apologize for approaching the honourable elders like this. I came in peace and I sincerely wish that the village will allow me to come out from the forest¡±, the youth said. All the elders on the platform was stunned for a second before Chief Pai responded with a shout. ¡°You damn kid! It have been 10 years since your last visit and this is how you called us? Elder!! I¡¯m not that old yet you know. Come here at this second or I will give you a beatings!!¡± The youth smiled wryly and replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Uncle Pai. I will go there immediately. Please don¡¯t shoot me¡±. ¡°Alright everyone, stand down. Its not an enemy, its a reinforcement¡±, Elder Ma gave the order to stand down. ¡°All guards on duty will continue their duty while the others can go back and rest. Open the gate!!!¡± The hunters were hush hushing after they heard the orders to stand down. The gate was opened and the hunters move closer to it. Although the got the permission to disperse, they were curious about the reinforcement, so they waited. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Acma retrieved all the drones before stepped out into the clearings. He walked with a uniformed pace toward the village¡¯s entrance. He was nervous. Like Chief Pai said, this was the first time he visit the village after 10 years. Last time he came here was with his parents to learn the art of hunting from the villagers. When he reached the entrance, Chief Pai and the elders were waiting. When he was closed enough, Acma lowered his head and politely bowing to the elders. Then he awkwardly wave his right hand with a nervous smile plastered on his face, he said, ¡°Hi Uncle Pai, Uncle Ma, Uncle Daquan, Uncle Fai, long time no see¡± Chief Pai¡¯s face twitched a little. Then he step forward and gave Acma a bear hug. If not because of his armour, Acma was surely been squeezed to death by that hug. ¡°This is how you greet people after 10 years not meeting them. Go, greet your uncles¡±, said Chief Pai with a wide smile on his face. One after another, the elders gave a squeezing hug, followed by a thunderous slap on his back. The elders was quite fond of this youth although they only been together for several month. After exchanging greetings, Chief Pai dragged the battered Acma to the main building. Acma was touched by the way the elders welcomed him. He was here at this village for just a few months only, but these elders already treated him like their own son. No wonder his parents also viewed these elders highly.
You have entered a lord less village As a lord, you can claim ownership over territories, either by forces or negotiations. If you wish to claim ownership over this village, have the villagers to recognize you as their lord
A notification panel appeared on his sight as soon as he crossed the main gate. Without even thinking about it, Acma immediately dismissed the panel. In the meeting room inside the main building, Acma was welcomed with a pinch on both of his cheeks from Madam Pai. Pinching his cheeks was her favourite. Madam Pai was his mother whenever his parents left for missions during his stay for training at this village. So he was really closed to her. When the village was preparing for battle earlier, all women, elderly and children were sheltered in the main building because it was the safest place in the entire Orca Village. ¡°Aaah, no more chubby cheeks. Look at you, you¡¯re taller than me now. You grow too fast. Little Acma, after you¡¯re finish with those smelly old man, make sure you come to auntie¡¯s house. Auntie will cook your favourite dishes. Aahh, I¡¯m so happy today¡±, she said. ¡°Alright auntie, I will surely pay a visit later. I¡¯m start missing your cook already¡±. Madam Pai was smiling brightly. She only left after she gave another heartful pinch on his cheeks. ¡°Have you done flirting with my wife? Come here right now, you damn kid or I give you a heartful beatings¡±, said Chief Pai. A thunderous laughter erupted in the room. Acma don¡¯t know how to react and just smiled awkwardly. ¡°Okay Uncle Pai¡±, he replied as he proceed and sat next to Chief Pai. ¡°So, how are Mad Couple now? Are there still doing missions?¡±, Chief Pai began the ¡®interrogation¡¯. ¡°They¡¯re doing just fine. Last time I talked with father, he still at his office in Shanghai while mother was at her lab. They got things to do¡± ¡°Looks like they¡¯re still going strong. So, what is your story? You¡¯re living alone in that villa right?¡±, Chief Pai asked again. ¡°I¡¯m doing great¡±, Acma gave a short reply. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re really taking your mother¡¯s side. Shy, antisocial, a few word. Brothers, you definitely have to tie down your daughters. This kid is definitely a lady killer. Did you see how he flirt with my wife earlier?¡± said Chief Pai with a gloomy face while looking at the elders around him. A louder laughter erupted in the room. ¡°I won¡¯t dare. Uncles don¡¯t have to worry. So, what happen to the village? Why everyone is carrying a weapons?¡± Acma quickly change the subject. He definitely didn¡¯t want to talk much about himself. ¡°Hahahaha, brother Pai, you¡¯re killing me¡±, Elder Ma was wiping his tears and then continued, ¡°Little Acma, we¡¯re preparing for battle. In fact, we almost dispatch our hunters to your villa, seeking your help¡±. ¡°The village is preparing for battle? With who?¡±, Acma quickly asked. ¡°Centaurs. They came here this morning with a clear hostility. We manage to route their forces and capture the leader, but we afraid they will come with a larger forces. If only we can understand their language, maybe we can force something out of the leader¡¯s mouth¡±, Elder Ma replied. ¡°Centaurs? Another mythical creature¡±, he thought. He never expected that Orca Village already facing an attack from the new world natives. With this revelation, Acma also did not need to ask about the appearance of blue panel earlier this morning although that was his main purpose coming to this village initially. ¡°Centaurs? How about the villagers? Is there any casualties among the villagers?¡±, Acma¡¯s face turned serious. To him, all battle is a serious matter although he like to do his battle leisurely. Battle and battling had to be treated differently. ¡°Relax kid, no casualties among the villagers¡±, Elder Daquan suddenly spoke. Then he looked toward Chief Pai and said, ¡°Brother, looks like this kid¡¯s temperament haven¡¯t change a bit. He still like his young self, whenever he heard about battle, his face turn serious. Brother, you worry too much¡±. ¡°Hahahaha. Brother, I was just joking earlier¡±, Chief Pai answered and then look toward Acma. ¡°Kid, since you¡¯re already here, I have a favour to ask you for¡±, he said. Acma was listening attentively, ¡°Any kind of favour, Uncle. I will help to fulfil it if it still within my capabilities¡±. ¡°Its good to hear that. The thing is, like Elder Ma said earlier, we might be facing a larger enemy forces. Although this village have some weapons to defend itself, but I¡¯m afraid its not enough. The favour I am asking for is ...¡±, before he could finished his word, he was interrupted. A little girl whose age around 6 or 7 years old with a cloth doll in her right hand suddenly barged into the meeting room and ran directly to Chief Pai. ¡°Little Mei, you can¡¯t barge into the room just like that. Grandpa still in an important meeting right now¡±, said Chief Pai while his fingers lightly pinch the little girl¡¯s nose. The little girl wasn¡¯t actually his granddaughter, but he doted her like his own. The girl¡¯s family live next to his house, that¡¯s why they were close. The little girl was like a shining sun in his life. Chief Pai lost his only son when the latter was doing his college in Tianjin City several years ago. That time, his world turn dark but luckily, this little girl entered his and his wife¡¯s life. Little Mei puffed her chest and said loudly, ¡°Grandma give Little Mei an utmost important mission. Grandma said, ¡®Dear husband, get home right now and bring Little Acma along. That¡¯s all, roger and out¡±. After completed her delivery, the little girl turned around and swiftly ran out of the room. Everyone was stunned. ¡°Hahahaha, looks like Brother Pai have been summoned¡±, one of the elders said and a small laughter came out of his mouth. Chief Pai looked at everyone inside and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone, looks like I have to go. My chief have issued a summon. Come with me kid, lets go home¡±. Everyone dispersed and the sun sets sail. 27 - Explaining the System (Part 1) Whey they reached the home, Madam Pai already waiting impatiently in front of the door. When she saw Acma, she quickly grabbed the latter¡¯s hand and dragged him to the wooden table where the meals were already served. Chief Pai could only watched them helplessly and then followed. From the state of his house, it was strikingly clear that Chief Pai live modestly. The house was made from wood and could be considered small with just two bedroom, 1 bathroom, living room and kitchen. The furniture in the living room was made from a rattan, simple yet exquisite. No television could be seen, only a small radio. ¡°My wife, looks like you¡¯re really happy to the max. Look at all this dishes¡±, said Chief Pai complimenting his wife. She looked at her husband, smiling to the ears and replied, ¡°Of course I am. I haven¡¯t see Little Acma for ages already¡±. ¡°I¡¯m sorry auntie, I know I should come earlier¡±, said Acma. He wanted to come, but for various reasons, he couldn¡¯t. The couple in front of him understand, that¡¯s why they never blamed him for not visiting. ¡°We know you can¡¯t visit us. Your parents already explain it to us. Aahh, lets forget about it, the most important thing is, you¡¯re now already here. It¡¯s more than enough. Let¡¯s eat. ¡°Lets dig in¡± ¡° Alright auntie¡± The dishes in front of him was just a simple dishes. Fried home-grown vegetables, fried meat probably from a wildlife, vegetable soup and a bowl of rice. Although Acma had tasted numerous delicious dishes, but he still longed for this simple dishes. Even he couldn¡¯t explain it. He picked up his chopstick and start eating. He chewed slowly, carefully savouring the taste. ¡°My wife, this kid eat like a judge in the cooking competition. Let¡¯s ask for the verdict later. Haha¡± ¡°Eh, uncle, auntie. Why are you staring at me?¡± he realized the couple was just staring at him and not eating while smiling from ear to ear. ¡°Nothing my dear, we just love to see you eat. Ok husband, lets eat too or little Acma will stop eating¡±, said Madam Pai. While eating, they talked about many things. From Acma¡¯s childhood story, his parents to his future wife. Of course that last question left Acma with red face, he didn¡¯t have time to know any girls, how could he have a future wife. He also asked the couples about the village and the surroundings while carefully avoided anything that may lead to the couple¡¯s son. He knew about the tragedy and he didn¡¯t to make the couples sad. They continued exchanging stories for a couple of hours, only stopped when Chief Pai realized he needed to go to the main building. ¡°Aaaahhh, that¡¯s a good story¡±, said Chief Pai while stretching his body. ¡°My wife, I have to go to the main building. The hunters might have a new information about our enemies¡¯ movement. Take a good rest tonight. Things might be chaotic tomorrow¡±, said Chief Pai while kissing his wife¡¯s forehead. Then he look at Acma and said, ¡°Come with me, the village need your help¡±. Acma stood up, bidding farewell to Madam Pai and followed Chief Pai. Inside the meeting room at the main building, several elders were discussing. Chief Pai walked to his seat while Acma went to the corner of the room and stand there. He did not sat at the table because he knew that was reserved for the important people in the village. He was an outsiders, so it was natural that he stood at the corner. ¡°Hei kid, what are you doing there. Come here, sit next to Elder Ma¡±, said Elder Daquan. Acma complied and sat next to Elder Ma. ¡°Brothers, what are you discussing just now? Is there anything new about the enemy?¡± asked Chief Pai. ¡°Nothing so far, brother. No enemy within 50 km from our village. Right now we¡¯re discussing about how our village could be attacked¡±, replied Elder Daquan. ¡°Are we sure no enemy within that range? I thought our hunters were not permitted to venture far from the village¡± ¡°The sky is quite clear tonight so the moonlight give us enough light to monitor any movement in the forest. So far the forest is calm and no indication that there was an army traversing through it¡±. ¡°I hope it stay like that¡±, said Chief Pai, then he continued, ¡°Brother Ma, how is our preparation?¡± ¡°The preparation was complete. Majority of our hunters were focused on the southern gate since that was the only place where the centaurs can penetrate. However...¡±, Elder Ma¡¯s face suddenly look worried. ¡°However?¡± asked Chief Pai. Elder Ma continued, ¡°However, if the enemy somehow have a humanoid soldier among their ranks, then our eastern and western will be breached easily. The number of our hunters only enough to effectively defend one front only. If we spread them up, I believe defending will be quite a challenge. Even so, we still have to defend our village to our last blood¡±. The room was silent. Everyone agreed that the situation would be dire like Elder Ma said. The hunters were limited and they didn¡¯t how many was the enemies. Facing the centaurs was easy because they couldn¡¯t climb the wall. But, there were many mythical humanoid monsters like werewolf or vampire. Beasts like ape or snake also dangerous because they could scaled the wall easily. If this type of enemies appeared, like Elder Ma said, defending the village would be extremely difficult. ¡°Kid, can we borrow some weapons from your villa to defend this village. I know that this request is against the law, but as Uncle Ma explained, the situation was dire. Beside you and your parents, we don¡¯t know anywhere else we can get help. Of course you don¡¯t have to return alone, we will dispatch some of our hunters to escort you back to the villa and receive the weapons, if you¡¯re agreed to lend us some¡±, said Elder Daquan. Chief Pai awkwardly said, ¡°We¡¯re also willing to pay any amount if you¡¯re willing to lend them to us¡±. Hearing what the elders just said, Acma just smiled. In his heart, he already willing to help to defend Orca Village. As for the weapons, he already brought several of them with him. He just need to take them out onto the table. Although Chief Pai said that the village was ready to pay for the weapons, Acma didn¡¯t need them. He had a trove of treasures inside his inventory. Acma slowly stood up and said, ¡°Uncle Pai, Uncle Daquan, we don¡¯t have to go to my villa because I already brought some of the weapons with me¡±. Then Acma took out the weapons and line them up on the table. There were 10 AK-207, several hand guns, grenades and bullets. All the elders inside the room was stunned. They didn¡¯t know which one was more shocking, the amount of weapons on the table, or the scene when Acma magically took out the weapons from out of nowhere. ¡°Acma, how do you keep all of this? Is this real?¡± asked Chief Pai stutteringly. ¡°I keep them inside my inventory¡±, answered Acma short. ¡°Inventory? Can you explain about it?¡± asked Elder Daquan. Another elder asked, ¡°Where do you keep your inventory? Why we see nothing?¡± Multiple questions was hurled toward him. Acma didn¡¯t know which question to be answered first as a bead of sweat was forming on his forehead. Speaking in front of the crowd like this was always a nightmare for him. He took a deep breath and slowly, he managed to calm down. ¡°Does uncles remember the blue panel which pop out in our sight this morning?¡± he asked. Rather than answering the questions about the inventory one by one, he thought its better if he explained about the beginning of everything that happened today. He got a nod from the elders. So he continued, ¡°That blue panel informed us that our world have merged with several other worlds. We can say, our old world is already gone after that notifications. It also said that we must fight for our survival. To help us survive in the current world, the overseer said, he implement some sort of system and I can say that it was similar to the RPG games system in our old world. In RPG games, a player will get an inventory or a storage to keep his items. When I said I kept all these weapons inside my inventory, it was similar to the player who kept his items inside the inventory in the RPG games¡±. The elders started discussing with each other. Some said he knew about the rpg games while the others replied he saw his grandsons playing games on the computer, but he didn¡¯t know what kind of game it was. Chief Pai was curling his brows. He didn¡¯t have any ideas about what Acma just explained. ¡°I¡¯m confused. Brother Ma, do you know what rpg game is?¡± he asked Elder Ma with a low voice. Next to Elder Ma, Acma was smiling. He already anticipated that some these elders might have no clue about the game system. ¡°Uncles can open your inventory by saying Open: Inventory. After that you can try keeping an item inside your inventory by wishing it to enter your inventory. Same process if you want to take it out¡±, he explained. Hearing that, the elders chanted the word, followed by a gasping sounds. They were shocked by what they just experienced. ¡°Hahahaha, with inventory like this, our hunters doesn¡¯t have to worry about supplies anymore¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°Indeed¡± ¡°What Brother Pai said is true¡± ¡°Ehemm, enough with this inventory thing. We still have important thing to discuss¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°Now we have an extra weapons from little Acma, our defence will be much sturdier. Little Acma, thank you for your assistance. Like uncle said before, we¡¯re willing to pay for these weapons¡±. Acma quickly replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay uncle. There is no need to pay. I¡¯m sure father will be glad if his weapons was used to help this village to survive. But uncle, I have to warn you, these weapons only able to kill a low class monster or monster with low defence¡±. ¡°Can you explain a bit further?¡± an elder asked. ¡°During my journey to this village, I met with many types of monster. Some of them were agile, some of them were using magical attack and some others have high defence¡±, explained Acma. ¡°How do you survive fighting them?¡± ¡°I wore an exoskeleton armour suit so their attack won¡¯t harm me. When I met the monster with high defence, I just avoid them. Depends on what type of monsters we¡¯re facing, we might need to revamp our strategy¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, little Acma¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°But it¡¯s no use to worry about it too much. All we must do is fighting with all our might. Brother Ma, I entrust you with these weapons. It''s up to you how to divide them. Alright, is there anything else to discuss? If there is no more issues, I will conclude our meeting¡±. ¡°I have something to share¡±, Acma raised his hand after all the other elders didn¡¯t speak. ¡°Please proceed, little Acma¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the caught centaur leader. I have a way to understand their language¡± ¡°Ooohhh. Tell me, kid¡±, said Elder Ma excitedly. He was exhausted in finding a way to communicate with that centaur. ¡°Uncle Ma only need to say Activate: Language Comprehension. Everyone have this skill in their skill list so I suggest to activate this skill. After that you can interrogate the centaur smoothly¡±, replied Acma. Elder Ma quickly chanted the words and rushed to the captive. Looks like he wasn¡¯t patient enough to test his new skill. 28 - Explaining the System (Part 2) Ignoring the fleeing Elder Ma, everyone else in the room was staring at Acma because he dropped another new information; Skill. Acma understood the meaning behind their stare. But, before he could explain, Chief Pai suddenly spoke. ¡°Looks like Little Acma have a lot of information to share. Brothers, I suggest we call all squad leaders to hear this information too so they can spread it to their squads¡±. ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more with Brother Pai. I will go and call all the squad leaders¡±, said one of the elders. Chief Pai turned his head and look at Acma, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind sharing all the information you have about this new world. I, as well as the other villagers, know nothing at all. In fact, we¡¯re quite shocked this morning, seeing those centaurs¡±. ¡°I have no problem with that, Uncle¡±, said Acma. Although he said that, he was doing his best to hide his nervousness. He began to sort out all the information he have about the new world while waiting for the squad leaders to arrive. In less than 15 minutes, several men walked through the door. Acma assumed that they were the squad leaders. All of them have a warrior disposition. ¡°Chief, all of the squad leaders who were not on guard duty arehere¡±, one of them spoke. ¡°Thank you, Duo Nan. You all may take a seat. Everyone, I would like to introduce you a hunter who killed a bear when he was 6 years old with only a knife, Acma Heart¡±, said Chief Pai as his hand toward Acma. He deliberately said that to gain the squad leaders¡¯ attention and it was a success. ¡°6 years old?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°There is no way a 6 years old kid can kill a bear¡± Chief Pai¡¯s announcement created a ruckus among the squad leaders. All of them stared at Acma with an extremely shocked face. All of them were hunters and they knew exactly how hard it was to kill a bear. ¡°You guys were shocked right? Haha. You can ask him later about that. I call you here for another matter and I will have Acma to explain about that. Pay your full attention because it may help us to defend our village¡±, said Chief Pai. Then he look at Acma and asked him to begin his explanation. Without delay, Acma stood up and look briefly at each of the squad leaders. He smiled awkwardly and look nervous. After a deep breath, he spoke. ¡°Thank you Uncle Pai. Hi everyone. I wish to share with you about several information which I think will be very useful to all of us. Firstly, lets recall about the blue panel we got this morning. I believe something happened after that notification. On my way here, I found minatours, goblins, golems and what I heard from the elders, you fought against centaurs this morning. Before this morning, all of these creatures were just a myth, but now it''s all real. Therefore, I strongly believe that the contents of that blue panel was real. We have to fight for our survival. Before I go further, may I know how many of you ever play a role-playing game?¡± he asked. Secretly, he hope that all of them have that experience because he didn¡¯t have to explain any further. Almost all the squad leaders nodded. It was expected considering their age. Even if he asked about vr game, they might also have played it. Gaming was so common among young people since the boom of smart phones during 21st century. ¡°I played role-playing games before, so what¡¯s about it?¡± one of the squad leaders asked. Acma smiled when he heard that question. He wasn¡¯t nervous anymore. ¡°Our world have become a huge role-plainggame¡±, answered Acma while spreading both of his hands. A bright smile was plastered all over his face. ¡°What nonsense are you speaking about?¡± said someone while the others just frowned their brows. ¡°Let me ask another question, when you¡¯re fighting the centaurs this morning, did you see a panel above their head with an info about its name and level? Or, when you killed them, did you heard a ding sound and then you are notified that you have level up? Acma asked. ¡°I get all of them. Not just me, but all my brothers in my squad too¡±, said a young man which Acma remembered as Duo Nan. The others also said the same thing.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°If you put it two and two, then what I said just now was right. Our world have became a role-playing game. Only role-playing gameswill have the same features like what we¡¯re hacing right now¡±, said Acma. ¡°What about status panel, inventory, skill panel?¡±, Duo Nan asked. ¡°We have them. All you need to do is say the keyword; Open. Like, Open: Inventory. When you want to close them, just say; Close¡± All the squad leaders, even the elders were chanting the keyword. Someone opened the status panel, some others opened the skill panel and started a conversation with each other. After a while, the room become silent because everyone was so focused on something on their sight. Acma waited patiently for them. ¡°Hey kid, why my level is still level 1?¡± asked Elder Daquan. ¡°Uncle have to kill monsters or beasts to level up. The more you kill, the higher you will level up. Each level up will grant you 5 points which you can allocate them to either strength, agility or intelligence. Each point on strength will make you stronger, agility for speed and intelligence for mana points. HP means health point and I believe, if it reach zero, we will die. As for mana, we need them for executing an active skill, either weapon skill or magic skill in your skill panel¡±, replied Acma. ¡°What do you mean by active skill? I¡¯ve checked my skill panel, none of them were active skill¡± ¡°You will have them when you reach level 10. When you reach level 10, you will be transported to a beginner village to get your class and your active skills. Before that, you have to depend on your strength to kill your enemies¡±, Acma paused and then continued, ¡°Other than that, you can get your active skill by having a summons, like this¡±, Acma gestured his hand to a space near the door and said, ¡°Summon: Stone Golem¡± A ball of light glowed on the floor and materialized into a big stone golem with a dark blue glow on its limbs. Suddenly, ¡®Craaack¡¯ ¡®Craaack¡¯ ¡®Boooom¡¯ The floor couldn¡¯t handle the weight of the golem and crashed in. ¡®...¡¯ ¡®...¡¯ ¡°Hei kid, what was that? How did you get that thing?¡± someone exclaimed while the others had their jaws on the floor, unable to say anything. The golem didn¡¯t move as Acma didn¡¯t want it to cause more destruction. Then he slowly regained his composure and continued his speech. ¡°Ehemm... I¡¯m really sorry everyone, I broke the floor. As I said before, you can get an active skill by having a summon like this. This stone golem have a Earth Stomp skill, so I also have that skill as my active skill. But I won¡¯t demonstrate it here because it will destroy this building. Our brother here asked, how do I get this stone golem?¡±, Acma paused for a while and he took out three summon cards from his inventory, spread it on the table and continued, ¡°Whenever you kill a beast or a monster, you have a chance to get a summon card like the cards in front of me. This is a summon card from an elite monster. I hope whenever you kill a beast or monster, even a common one, it will drop a summon card. Because ...¡± One of the squad leaders, Duo Nan suddenly interrupted. ¡°Slow down brother, slow down. You¡¯re going too fast. Look at Chief Pai, his soul already fly to the nine heavens¡±. Everyone look at Chief Pai who have a blank expression on his face, maybe from trying his hardest to digest all the information that came from Acma. They laughed merrily. ¡°Haha, maybe I was going too fast. I¡¯m sorry¡±, said Acma. He also realized that he gave too much information in a short time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Chief Pai, this brother will explain it slowly to him later. Brother Acma, I also played a rpg game before, so I can relate most of what brother said just now. But, can you elaborate further about the rank of the beast and monster?¡±, said Duo Nan. Acma took a breather and said, "As for the beast rank, I use the rank in the role-playinggames in the previous world. There are5 ranks minimum, I think, depends on the colour of the word in their name panel, white means common beast. Green for uncommon, blue for elite, purple for epic and golden for legendary. That¡¯s all I know about beast¡¯s and monster''s rank. Oh wait, there is a divine rank beast. The colour of the font is also golden but it was stated there that it was a divine beast. I met one, a Guardian Beast of the West, the White Tiger. But I let it go¡±. ¡°Aaaahhh, why you let it go? Such a waste¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know about summon beast yet at that time. As for killing it, how come a mere mortal like me dare to mess with a divine beast like that. I¡¯m still young you know¡±, said Acma. ¡°Haha. You¡¯re right, brother. Please continue¡±, said Duo Nan laughing lightly. ¡°Hmmmm... where are we ... alright, about summons. Ask the hunters to get the summon card as many as they can because it will helps a lot when defending the village in the future. I will give this three cards of mine to Chief Pai. I hope it will help Orca Village¡±, said Acma. He took the cards in front of him and politely passed them to Chief Pai. ¡°You can trade the summon card with each other. To do that, you just have to discard your ownership over the card. Place the card in your hand and say Discard. Also, you can upgrade your summons from a lower rank to a higher rank with an upgrading items which you will get them by killing the beasts or monsters. You can discuss about this matter with whoever get the card from Chief Pai later¡±. ¡°Although I feel like I have tonnes more to say, but currently I have no idea what it is. So I think I will end it here. If anyone have any question, please ask me later. Thank you for your attention¡±, said Acma. Before he sat down, Acma unsummoned his stone golem. ¡°Thank you little Acma for the briefing. Although I can understand only a bit of it, I¡¯m sure all you of it is important for us. Alright everyone, I hope all of you have a gist of our current situation. I also believe, it¡¯s not happen only to us, but to all over the world. We have to think carefully about what we¡¯re to going do from now. About these summon cards, I have to discuss with the elders and I will inform you about the result later. If you have any question, please raise your hand and speak. If there isn¡¯t, you¡¯re dismissed¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°Chief, one of my younger squad member are worried about their family and he wanted to return to his home. I manage to convince him that it was not a good idea no matter how worried he was. But I think this will be quite a problem for us since many of our hunters have their family far from Orca Village. What do you think, Chief?¡± asked Duo Nan. ¡°This problem have already been discussed among the elders since this morning , but we still didn¡¯t come out with any solution yet. Either to let them return to their home or not. But, please tell them to wait until tomorrow. If nothing happen tomorrow, I will gather everyone to settle this problem together¡±. ¡°Okay Chief¡± ¡°Is there anything else?¡± asked Chief Pai. After a while, no one asking a question. ¡°Since there is no more questions, our meeting is dismissed. Thank you¡±, said Chief Pai. Before anyone begin to vacate the room, Elder Ma entered the room with a clearly troubled face. ¡°Chief, we got a problem¡± 29 - Big Problem Hearing what Elder Ma just said, all the elders and squad leaders who was leaving returned to their seat. They also curious about what kind of problem mentioned by Elder Ma. ¡°What kind of problem, Brother Ma? Is it related to that captive?¡± asked Chief Pai. ¡°Not just with that one, but bigger problems¡±, said Elder Mas as he sit. ¡°Before this, that centaur just shouting randomly, not helping at all. But after I activate the Language Comprehension skill like little Acma said, its attitude completely change because it also understand our language and became unbelievably cooperative, not like a weak and submissive captive, but like an arrogant young noble¡±. ¡°Noble? This is indeed a trouble¡±, said Chief Pai, nodding his head slowly. ¡°What is its name?¡± ¡°Its name is Grustag and it was a third young master of Dyno tribe. Its brother, Grufin is a captain of hunters in its tribe. I think, most likely, its brother will be the one who will lead the next attack¡± ¡°How big is their army?¡± ¡°It said, its tribe has more than 10 thousands army, armed to the teeth. But, considering how crappy their equipment this morning, most likely it just bragging. I think their army is no more than 1000 strong. But, if it just 1000 strong of centaurs, its not that big problem, our wall can keep them in check. the real problem is we¡¯re currently surrounded by numerous tribes of beastman and forest dwellers who was extremely hostile toward human. It said, humans was their most hated enemy since thousands of years already, even now, there is still an ongoing war with the humans. If the centaurs seek help from other tribe of beastman, then I¡¯m afraid ...¡± ¡°Our fight won¡¯t be easy anymore¡±, continued Chief Pai as he slowly leaned his back against the chair. Everyone in the room lowered their head. This news is clearly devastating. If the other hunters knew about this news, their moral surely would plummeted down. Even Acma couldn¡¯t help but frown his brows, this is indeed a big trouble. ¡°Brother Pai, should we go and get help from the humans in this world?¡±, asked one of the elders. ¡°If we go to them, most likely we will be treated as a spy because of the direction we came from. Also, we don¡¯t know how they will welcome us, we¡¯re not from the same world as theirs. It is too risky¡±, replied Chief Pai ¡°Before we reach them, we might have been eliminated too because, from what our captive said, our location is far from the nearest human kingdom. Its about several thousand kilometres. Although I doubt that too, but we have no other information about this world¡±, said Elder Ma. ¡°What else did it say?¡±, asked Chief Pai. ¡°It said we should kill ourselves. If the high elves from Isebial Kingdom know about us, they surely send their notorious Forest Knight to destroy us. Even if we beg them to kill us, they won¡¯t let us go. Their nearest city is just a week on foot from us. That¡¯s all of useful information from it. Everything else other than that is just a cursing and bragging¡±, replied Elder Ma. ¡°Thank you brother Ma. I will let the captive under your care from now. Treat it well while trying to get as many useful information as possible¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°What if its brother demand us to release it?¡±, asked Elder Daquan. ¡°We will hold it until our safety is secured as long as possible. If they force our hands and block everything, just kill it and sent its head to its parent. We are going to fight to our last breath anyway, killing another centaur won¡¯t change anything at all¡±, replied Chief Pai coldly. Hearing that answer, Acma raised his right brow and whistled secretly. He totally supported that decision. Orca Village was currently in a state of war, soft-heartedness won¡¯t save it. If the enemies wanted to kill us, why cleaned our neck for them to cut it off. ¡°I agree with brother Pai¡¯s decision, but what about our youngsters, I think they should know about this situation¡±, said Elder Daquan. ¡°What do you think, squad leaders?¡± asked Chief Pai as he looked at all the squad leaders. ¡°I know nothing about war at all, but we¡¯re hunters. We used to kill animals for food. Like Elder Ma said this morning, we just need to treat those centaurs as a dangerous mutated horses, so I don¡¯t mind killing them. Furthermore, they try to kill us so we have to retaliate¡±, said a middle age squad leader. ¡°I agree with brother Chia¡± ¡°Me too¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°I also agree with brother Chia¡±, said the others. ¡°Since that¡¯s your decision, prepare your squads for the upcoming battle, mentally and physically. You don¡¯t need to tell them everything, because it might lower their moral. Just tell them how bad our situation is and they need to steel their heart. If not, they will die. Either they fight, or perish¡±, said Chief Pai. Then he look at Acma and tried to say something. Before he could say anything, Acma spoke. ¡°Give me eastern and western wall, I will defend them¡± Everyone stunned. ¡°Hey boy, don¡¯t speak nonsense. Are you trying to get us all killed?¡± one of the squad leaders shouted. Acma didn¡¯t mind him. His eyes still focused at Chief Pai, waiting for his decision. ¡°Are you sure?¡± asked Chief Pai. ¡°I¡¯m sure. I will let you all see how I will defend the walls, tomorrow¡±, said Acma. The previous squad leader was fuming. He tried to shout again but was prevented by Duo Nan who sat next to him. Duo Nan asked him to let Chief Pai spoke first as all decision depends on him. ¡°Little Acma, I never doubt your strength and I never will. But you¡¯re alone, how will you defend both of the wall?¡± asked Chief Pai. ¡°I have 300 of this¡±, said Acma coolly as he immediately took out a stone guardian from his inventory. Suddenly, ¡®Craaack¡¯ ¡®Craaack¡¯ ¡®Boooom¡¯ Since anything he took out from the inventory won¡¯t be far from him, that stone guardian immediately appeared next to him thus lead to another hole on the floor, bringing down both he and Elder Ma who sat next to him. Everything went still in the room. ¡°Looks like Elder Ma is the first casualty of this battle¡±, said Duo Nan nonchalantly. Everyone laughed. Even the fuming squad leader also couldn¡¯t help but laugh together with everyone else. Acma¡¯s face was beet red. After he helped Elder Ma get out of the hole, he also jump out. ¡°This village is strong. Even at the eve of battle, they still can laugh like this¡±, he thought. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Uncle Ma, Uncle Pai. I was rushing just now and never thought this will happen¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, Little Acma. Make sure you fix the floor tomorrow. Haha. Now, can you tell us about your new summon. 300 of them isn¡¯t. You¡¯re surely full of surprise¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°Make sure you pay for my medicine too. I almost died from heart attack you know. Aahhh, my back¡±, said Elder Ma while both his hand massaging his back. Acma smiled awkwardly and then spoke. ¡°This is not a summon, but more like a puppet. I accidently got this on my way here too. I call this a guardian and I can control it like my drones. I¡¯m assure you, with this guardians, I will definitely capable of defending both walls. So the hunters can focus their attention on defending the gate¡±, said Acma. ¡°How can we get a strong puppet like this? The letter on its head was purple, awesome¡±, asked Duo Nan. ¡°I don¡¯t know, brother¡± ¡°Can you give me one?¡±, Duo Nan asked again. ¡°I can¡¯t¡± ¡°Hahahaha, this brother just joking. Don¡¯t mind it¡±, said Duo Nan merrily. ¡°If I can replicate its control panel, I don¡¯t mind giving this village some of them¡± ¡°Is it true? The replicate it for this brother. I want an awesome puppet like this too¡±, said Duo Nan. ¡®...¡¯ Seeing Acma stayed silent, Duo Nan raised both his hands and not asking anymore. ¡°If Little Acma know how to, he surely give one to you Duo Nan¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°and your squad will be helping Little Acma in the next battle¡± ¡°Okay Chief¡±, replied Duo Nan. ¡°Little brother, make sure to keep this brother safe¡±. ¡®...¡¯ Acma didn¡¯t reply but he had a faint smile on his face. He will protect not just this brother but everyone in the village as far as he could so could face his parents proudly. ¡°Everyone, is there anything else to discuss?¡±, asked Chief Pai. ¡®...¡¯ Okay, I will make a conclusion of our meeting. Elder Ma will be handling our captive for more information. All the hunters will be defending the gate while Acma and Duo Nan¡¯s squad will defend both eastern and western wall. Do not let anything pass through them¡±. ¡°Affirmative¡± ¡°Dismiss¡± While everyone was leaving the room, Chief Pai still discussing something with several elders. Acma thought he shouldn¡¯t stay any further in the room, so he asked permission to leave. Tonight and also in the future, whenever he was at the Orca Village, he would be staying at Chief Pai¡¯s house. When he reached the house, Madam Pai was sleeping on the couch in the living room. Slowly, he woke her up and politely asked her to sleep in her room. Its chilly at the night so he thought it would be bad for her health. After giving him another pinch on his cheek, she went into her room. After a while, Acma was in his room, the same room when he was at Orca Village before and he shared this room with his deceased ¡®brother¡¯. Slowly he lay his back on the bed, but he didn¡¯t sleep. ¡°Alice, show me a simulation of a battle on both eastern and western wall. Make it against 100 humanoid enemies and then 500 enemies¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Instantly, a battle simulation appeared in front of him. 30 - 6 in the Morning The night went peacefully without any incident but the hunters on duty still guarding the village at the peak of their vigilance. On the other hand, Acma was calmly meditating on his bed. He already went through multiple battle simulations with different type of situations throughout the night. He didn¡¯t sleep at all. He could only hope that the humanoid in this world had the same characteristics as humanoid in the myth, so his battle will be smoother. ¡®Tang¡¯¡®Tang¡¯¡®Tang¡¯¡®Tang¡¯¡®Tang¡¯¡®Tang¡¯ Suddenly a sound of alarm could be heard from the outside. Acma opened his eyes. He knew that the enemies was approaching. Immediately, he equipped his FREEDOM armour except his helmet and rushing out of the house. On his way out, he could hear that Chief Pai was also woke up but he didn¡¯t wait for him. He went straight to the western wall. In less than 10 minutes, everyone was ready on the platform, complete with their armours and bows. Even the helpers also ready with an extra arrows. The women with a first aid kit in their hands were waiting inside the main hall, guarded by a squad of female hunters. It was 6 in the morning. Usually, this time is the most peaceful times at Orca Village, but today was totally different. ¡°SQUAD LEADERS!!! ON THE OBSERVATION PLATFORM, NOW!!!¡± ¡°Lets go, brother¡±, said Duo Nan to Acma who was standing on the western wall. ¡°I¡¯m not a squad leader¡±, said Acma. ¡°Never mind that, just follow me. I don¡¯t want to return later to call you. You know how is Chief¡¯s temperament right¡± ¡°Okay, I will go¡± On the observational platform, Chief Pai and Elder Ma was standing with a serious face, waiting for all the squad leaders to arrive. When everyone was arrived, Elder Ma started his briefing. ¡°Everyone, half an hour ago, our sentries spotted a big movement in the forest. After they confirmed it was an enemy, they reported it back to me. Currently, the enemies is still 10 kilometres from our village and they¡¯re slowly advancing. I don¡¯t know how many their number is but it far bigger than yesterday¡¯s battle. Our battle strategy is still what we decided last night. Duo Nan and Acma will guard the eastern and western wall. Zi Yi will guard the main building and the others will focus on the gate. Depending on situation, I might ask you all to switch your position. So, be ready. As for the firearms and summon cards, I will distribute it among the squad leaders who is defending the gate¡± What kind of enemies we¡¯re facing against?¡± a squad leader asked. ¡°Currently, we only know that there is centaurs. Our sentries quickly return after the saw the enemies as per my order¡±, said Elder Ma. Then, he turned his head and look at Acma, ¡°Acma, what is your battle plan. Can you share it with us?¡± ¡°Soon after this, I will enter the forest on the western side and spread a poisonous gas around 3-4 kilometres from the village. I already look at the surrounding and we¡¯re lucky that there is no wind blowing and I hope it will stay like that. My poisonous gas will stay at the floor of the forest and assimilated with the morning fog. I believe, the enemies will having a hard time to notice them¡±, said Acma. ¡°How do you release that gas and what if the wind suddenly blowing toward the village?¡± ask Elder Ma. ¡°I have a summon that capable of releasing a poisonous breath. About the wind, considering the air temperature and the position of the sun, it will be several hours before the wind will be blowing toward the village. Although I still don¡¯t know about its effect toward our enemies, but I hope it will weaken them enough¡±, replied Acma. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just kill them with that gas?¡± asked one of the squad leader. ¡°I want the hunters to be the one to kill the enemies so they can level up¡±, replied Acma. Everyone nodded their head. They approved the reason given by Acma. If the hunters level up, the village would have a bigger chance to survive. ¡°Okay Acma, I give you permission to proceed with your plan. But warn us immediately if the wind is blowing toward our village¡±, said Elder Ma. ¡°Anyone else, is there any question?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a question, but I have a suggestion. Please instruct all the hunters to be calm when they reach level 10. In my experience, the time at the place where I receive my first class, flow differently than the time in this world. It¡¯s almost time freeze. I don¡¯t know what will happen in your cases, but I hope the time will freeze too. When you guys going and return from the beginner village , I hope everyone will be calm since we¡¯re still in the middle of a battle¡±, said Acma. ¡°Okay brother, I will instruct my squads about this¡± ¡°Me too¡± ¡°If they want the reason, what should I say?¡± ¡°Just say, ¡®If you panic, you die¡¯, as simple as that¡±, answered Elder Ma. ¡°Other question?¡± ¡°Can we have a big party tonight, a celebratory party?¡±, asked Duo Nan. Everyone was looking at him. ¡°Why everyone is looking at me? We fight to win and we¡¯re going to win this battle, right?¡± he explain. ¡°Hahahaha¡±, Chief Pai laugh out loudly, making everyone turned their head toward the observatory platform. ¡°EVERYONE OF ORCA, WE¡¯RE HAVING A BIG PARTY TONIGHT. SO, KEEP YOUR LIFE SAFE AND WIN THIS BATTLE. HAHAHAHA¡±, he continued. ¡°Good Duo Nan, good. You¡¯ve lifted my mood. Now, everyone to their station. Defend well and pray for victory. Dismiss¡± Everyone dismissed and move toward their designated area. While running to the western wall, Acma spoke to Duo Nan. ¡°Brother Duo, you make Elder Ma forget everything he wanted to say¡± ¡°This brother just want to lighten up the mood a bit. All we have to do now is defending the village with all our might¡±, said Duo Nan as they reached the western wall. ¡°I understand. Brother Duo, I will go and make some preparation inside the forest. If anyone ask, assure them that they don¡¯t have to worry¡±, said Acma as he jumped down the wall. When he reached the ground, Acma took out 150 guardians and ordered Alice to line up 100 of them along the western wall while moving the rest to the eastern wall. He didn¡¯t want to take out all of his guardians yet to prevent the enemies became too wary of the village¡¯s strength. At the same time when Alice was preparing the guardians into formation, Acma already disappeared into the forest. He was rushing because he knew that he didn¡¯t have much time left. The enemies was approaching. When he reached 3 kilometres distance from the village, he stopped. ¡°Summon: Blood Lizard King¡± A ball of blue light flew in front of him and materialized into a big, ominous looking blood lizard. Luckily, it was his summon. If not, he surely already running for his life. Acma equipped his FREEDOM helmet and took his blood lizard toward a dense foggy area inside the forest and ordered it to release its poisonous breath. Acma also wanted to help as well, so he took a position and activate the skill. ¡°Poisonous Breath¡± ¡®...¡¯ ¡°Why did I failed?¡±, Acma was alarmed. He tried to activate the skill multiple times but still failed. He took a glance at his summon. Its poisonous breath already covered several hundreds metres and it started to move toward other location already. ¡°How do I activate this skill?¡±, he thought. He studied the movement of his summon at the moment it released the breath. Only then he realized that it took a deep breath first, straighten its back, firmly planted its front paws on the ground and released the breath. ¡°Should I crawl like a lizard? No, no, no, I should try other stance first¡±. Acma mimicked the process except he took a horse stance instead of crawling on the ground like a lizard. He took a deep breath and... ¡°Poisonous Breath¡± A trail of blood red smoke emerged from his mouth and moved forward for several hundred metres. Acma was elated but soon after, he immediately cancelled the skill. ¡°Shit, too thick¡±, he cursed. The density of his poisonous breath is several times higher than his summon, so was afraid the enemies would be able to notice them. But the good thing was, he could cover more areas than it. So he hasten his pace and moved to another foggy areas, followed by his blood lizard right behind him. In just half an hour, Acma and his summon already covered more than 2 kilometres wide. Luckily the fog was dense and the forest floor is still dark. So, the poisonous gas was perfectly concealed. Satisfied with his job, Acma unsummoned his blood lizard and returned to the village. Meanwhile, a large troop assembled at the foot of a hill, north-western of Orca Village. Their distance was about 7 kilometres from the village. The troop consisted of a large number of centaurs and several hundreds of humanoid creature. Looks like, Elder Ma¡¯s worry have came true. The centaurs had seek help from a humanoid creature. ¡°Bardalph, we¡¯re close to the human village. In the battle later, remember your task¡±, the leader of the centaurs spoke. ¡°Hmmpphh, killing those puny humans is as easy as snapping a dry branch. How lucky they¡¯re to be killed by this mighty Bardalph. Grufin, you can plunder the village as you wish, but the humans are ours, dead or alive. It¡¯s been long since I taste their meat. Even thinking about it already make me drooling¡±, said the creature called Bardalph. ¡°I never go back my words, you can have their bodies¡± ¡°If they threaten to kill your brother, what will you do?¡± ¡°That stupid brother of mine is a disgrace to my tribe, so I don¡¯t care he is alive or not. Even if they used him to threaten me, I still will attack. In fact, annihilating this humans can be considered as a contribution to the kingdom and we may get a promotion to become a Forest Knight too¡±, said Grufin. ¡°Grrrrr, indeed. This will be a fine contribution to the kingdom¡±, replied Bardalph. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate these human or you may face the same fate as your brother, Grufin¡±, a centaur wo stood next to Grufin spoke. ¡°I never underestimate my enemies, Glaraios. Its just that I am confident of my strength¡± ¡°Never in our history we lost a company of warriors in a single battle. Even worse, they lost in just a mere half an hour. It was a solid prove that the humans we¡¯re facing arestrong¡± ¡°Glaraios, it''s unlikely for a vice captain like you to have a cold feet before a battle. If you think that these humans are too powerful, you can return to the village and suck your mom¡¯s tit¡±, said Grufin with a sharp glare on his eyes. ¡°Mind your words, Grufin. I¡¯m not a coward¡±, said Glaraios and returning the glare. ¡°Grrrrrr, easy brothers¡±, said Bardalph. ¡°Hmmmph. Lets move. Bardalph, took your men toward western wall while my troops will attack them from the south. While they¡¯re distracted with us, break through the wall and massacre them¡±, said Grufin. ¡°Grrrrr... I like this plan¡± ¡°EVERYONE MOVE... SOUND THE DRUM. TODAY WE WILL HAVE OUR REVENGE!!!!¡± 31 - I Dont Want to Get Bitten ¡®BAM BAM BAM¡¯ ¡®BAM BAM¡¯ ¡®BAM BAM BAM¡¯ ¡®BAM BAM¡¯ ¡®BAM BAM BAM¡¯ The sound of drums reverberating throughout the forest, intimidating the hunters in the Orca Village. Suppressing their nervousness, they tighten their grip on the weapons until, tight enough to make their fingers numb. Their eyes were staring dagger at the direction where the sounds came from. ¡°Is it done?¡±, said Duo Nan welcoming Acma who just arrive at his side. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s done. But, for the next few days, please advise the hunters to avoid those areas¡±, replied Acma. ¡°Why? I thought it wasn¡¯t fatal to humans¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t, but it will make them feel nausea and vomiting, in addition to a muscle cramp¡± ¡°You also said, you¡¯re not sure about its effect to our enemies, so why do you use this gas?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±, asked Duo Nan again. His face darken. ¡°You asked too many questions. You should ask them on the platform¡± ¡°AHHH DAMMIT, I CAN¡¯T FIGHT WITH AN UNSURE, RISKY FACTOR LIKE THIS. THAT¡¯S WHY I ASKED. YOU WASN¡¯T EVEN SURE IT WILL EFFECT OUR ENEMIES OR NOT, YET YOU STILL USE THIS GAS. WHAT IF IT BACKFIRE AND WEAKEN OUR HUNTERS INSTEAD OF THE ENEMIES?¡±, said Duo Nan with a supressed voices. His voice didn¡¯t alert the hunters at the front, but loud enough to make his squad noticed his anger. His anger puzzled the squad because normally, Duo Nan was hardly got angry. But, considering the current situations, even the calmest could get stressed. So they ignored it. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure because I haven¡¯t test it on them¡±, said Acma nonchalantly and wasn¡¯t effected by Duo Nan¡¯s anger. ¡°...¡± This time, it was Duo Nan who didn¡¯t say anything, but his face was clearly twitching from supressing his anger. ¡°Lets focus to our enemies¡±, said Acma. Then, he turned his head and looked at the forest where the sound of drums came from. The sounds is getting louder and louder as it closing in toward the gate. ¡°Brother Duo, should we help to defend the gate? The enemies are moving toward the gate¡±, asked a nearby hunter carefully. He couldn¡¯t help but asking because no movement was detected on this side of the forest. ¡°Elder Ma didn¡¯t say anything yet, so we will stay here¡±, replied Duo Nan. That hunter nodded and slowly retreated to his previous position. At the clearing in front of the gate, row and row of centaurs emerged from the forest. The troop that came today was clearly different than yesterday. They marched uniformly, lead by a robust male centaur wielding a giant axe. They wielded a shiny broad sword while the archers was using a long bows. The only similarity with the previous troop was they also didn¡¯t wear any armour, clearly displayed their toned muscle on their bodies. They look strong. After several minutes, the whole troops filled the clearing, facing the gate. Behind them, a band of war drummer still hitting their drum diligently. Soon after, the robust male centaur raised its left hand, instantly halting the drum. Then it slowly move forward with a calm and steady pace, getting closer and closer to the gate. It only stopped after it reached a distance about 300 yards from the gate. ¡°HUMANS, RELEASE MY BROTHER AND I WILL GIVE YOU AN EASY DEATH!!!¡± ¡°WHAT IS YOUR OFFER FOR YOUR BROTHER?¡±, Elder Ma shouted. ¡°EITHER YOU RELEASE MY BROTHER, OR DIE PAINFULLY¡± ¡°ARE YOU A RETARD, CAN¡¯T YOU UNDERSTAND MY WORD? WHAT IS YOUR OFFER FOR YOUR BROTHER¡±, shout Elder Ma again followed by a chuckle from the hunters. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Interesting, a puny humans dare to negotiate with me. Listen up, humans. I will give you an hour to decide. If I didn¡¯t see my brother by that time, then don¡¯t say I¡¯m ruthless¡±, it said arrogantly. It turned its body around and returned to its troop. ¡°Young Master Grufin, Young Master Grufin. I have an urgent news to report¡±, said a young centaur agitatedly. Grufin turned its head and slowly put his great axe at the neck of that young centaur and then said, ¡°Who do you mean by Young Master?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master Grufin, I¡¯m really sorry¡± ¡°Good, that¡¯s better. Now, speak¡±, said Grufin. Grufin was respected but feared in its tribe due to its temper and ruthlessness. But, among younger generation, nobody could deny its strength. He fought with many other centaur tribes and also other beastman, but always returned victorious. Currently, Grufin was a candidate to become the next head of its tribe. But he already posed himself as a head and forced the younger centaurs to call him Master Grufin. ¡°Master Bardalph sent a messenger just now, saying that they got a problem. When they are waiting to launch an attack, some of their troops were poisoned and suffered from nausea and vomiting¡±, it said. ¡°Poisoned? Were they attacked by those humans?¡± asked Grufin. ¡°They say nothing about enemy, but they were poisoned while waiting inside a foggy area, 3 kilometres from the human village. Now they have retreated back a kilometre to recuperate¡±, it replied. ¡°Damn those humans, what kind of poison they use that even Bardalph can not detect¡±, said Grufin. The news made it shivered. ¡°What about Bardalph, did he get poisoned too?¡± ¡°No news about Master Bardalph¡± ¡°Clever¡±, said Grufin smirking. ¡°He must be poisoned too since he always fight at the front line. What do you think Glaraios?¡± ¡°We should delay the attack until they recovered¡±, answered Glaraios. ¡°Hmmppphhh, I say we attack immediately. If Bardalph have a strength to retreat a kilometre, it mean they still can fight. Glaraios, move our troops and pretend that we¡¯re organizing them. Move the shield bearer to the front and archers on the second row. We must kill those human archers as fast as possible. I already said to those humans that I give them an hour, so we may catch them unguarded¡± ¡°As you wish, Grufin¡± ¡°Call me Master Grufin, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Wait until you become the head first¡± ¡°I will Glaraios, I will¡± ¡°And you, send a message to Bardalph. Tell him to initiate an attack after 30 minutes¡±, said Grufin to the young centaur. ¡°Yes, Master Grufin¡±, said the young centaur as he dashed away. On the western side of village, there still no sighting of enemies. Previously, when Acma went into the forest, he sent several drones to scout for an enemies. While Elder Ma and the leader of the centaurs were shouting at each other, the report from the drones came in. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve spotted the enemies. Currently they were lurking inside the foggy areas, 4kilometres from here¡±, said Alice. ¡°What kind of enemies?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a werewolf¡± ¡°WEREWOLF?¡±, Duo Nan and his squad were the first one to respond. Their face turned pale and drained of blood. They were terrified because from what they understand, if they were bitten by a werewolf, they also might turned into a werewolf too. They were too focused on that fact so they seems like ignoring Alice who was floating in front of Acma. ¡°Brother Duo, I don¡¯t want to get bitten. What should we do now? We don¡¯t have a silver arrow, how do we kill them?¡±, one of the hunter said. He was clearly scared. ¡°Calm down brother. They may not be the same as the werewolf in our legend. Brother Wang, please report this to Elder Ma and wait for his order¡±, said Duo Nan. Although he said that, he also scared stiff deep inside his heart. He just putting a tough front to encourage his squad members. ¡°Yea..yeah, brother Duo is right. They may not be the same. I will go now. Thank you brother Duo¡± Acma on the other hand was calm because he was wearing a full body armour, so there was no chance of him to get bitten. ¡°Wait, brother Wang. Don¡¯t go just yet. Let Alice finish her report first¡±, said Acma. ¡°Ooo..okay¡± ¡°Alice, how many they are and what are their condition?¡± asked Acma. What he wanted to hear the most was they showed the symptoms that they were poisoned. ¡°Their numbers is about 300-400 werewolves and currently they already retreated from that foggy areas after some of them start to vomit non-stop¡±, replied Alice. ¡°YESS!! My plan work¡±, Acma exclaimed. Even though only some of the werewolves were poisoned, it¡¯s good enough because he managed to cut down some of their battle prowess. ¡°Okay, brother Wang, report to Uncle Ma what you just heard, but assure him that he don¡¯t have to worry because we already have a solution¡± ¡°Really? But..¡± ¡°Just go. When you return, we will let you know¡±, said Acma confidently. When Wang was far enough, Duo Nan asked with a fierce gaze in his eyes. ¡°Are you sure you have a solution?¡± ¡°I have some ideas¡±, replied Acma as he waved his right hand. Immediately, the rest of his guardians appeared followed by his Supreme Guardians. He ordered Alice to line them up inside the wall. ¡°This guardians will handle all the werewolves that manage to slip through¡±, said Acma while he taking out several mithril swords which he got from the gorge yesterday and gave them to Duo Nan and his squads. They received it with a shocked face. They not even sure which one was more shocking, the sight of Acma¡¯s guardians lining up outside and inside the wall, or the shiny mithril sword they just received. All of them were surreal. Looks like the youth in front of them was full of surprise. ¡°We still don¡¯t know what a werewolf in this world is capable of but we don¡¯t have to worry about that. Rather than worrying about something we¡¯re not sure, let assume that they were the same in our myth¡±, Acma paused, looking at the mithril sword in his hand, he continued, ¡°I will lend you those swords. They were made from mithril, a holy iron, so I think we can kill those werewolf using these swords. But, please return them to me after the battle. They are my precious collection¡±, said Acma with a big grin on his face. ¡°What if this sword can¡¯t kill them?¡± asked Duo Nan coldly. ¡°We will cut off their head¡±, replied Acma short. ¡°Next is about our new battle plan. All battle on the western and the eastern wall will be handled by me and my guardians to prevent any of you from getting bitten by the werewolves. So, you have to retreat far behind the guardians. If any of the werewolves manage to get on the wall, please pin them down with your arrows. Although we can¡¯t kill them with a normal arrow, at least it will be easier for me to kill them¡±, explained Acma in detail. Duo Nan immediately brought his squad to take cover behind the guardians. Although he was reluctant to leave the battlefield to Acma alone, he had no choice. He felt so helpless and powerless. All he could do was helping Acma by pinning down the werewolves just like Acma said, that if any of them managed to slip through. 32 - Battle (Part 1) ¡°Brother Ma, I really salute you. You stay calm even in front of this many enemies¡±, complimented Chief Pai after the shouting exchange between Elder Ma and Grufin. ¡°That¡¯s nothing, brother. I¡¯m just putting a tough front only. That arrogant bastard didn¡¯t come here to negotiate, so why should I cower?¡± Elder Ma replied. ¡°Furthermore, this many centaurs are not the real threat to us. I¡¯m afraid there are something in the forest beyond the western wall, something that can scale our wall¡± ¡°Why do you say so, brother Ma?¡± ¡°They took too long to get here considering their third young master was taken prisoner. Gathering this many troop will take only several hours at most. Even if they¡¯re from several different tribes, it only add up 2 or 3 hours max. But they took a whole day. There must be some dealing have been made. Furthermore, they lost miserably yesterday, so they must do something to wash the dirt on their face¡±, Elder Ma explained. Hearing that, Chief Pai threw his sight toward the troop of centaurs who have finished their formation at the clearing in front of the gate. By rough estimation, there only around 600-700 centaurs. Like Elder Ma said, it won¡¯t take long to gather this many. Furthermore, they also look organized and disciplined, so they must be together for quite some time. Chief Pai nodded his head slowly. ¡°I agree¡±, he concurred. ¡°Chief, Elder Ma, I have something to report¡±, a voice interrupted them. When both of them look at the bottom of the observatory, they realized it belong to a hunter called Wang. In their memory, this Wang belong to Duo Nan squad which were guarding the western wall. Hunter Wang stayed under the observatory and did not climbing up. He looks rushing and eager to return to his post. ¡°There are enemies inside the forest. They are werewolves¡±, he reported. ¡°Werewolf?¡± ¡°Yes, Chief. Acma¡¯s drones spotted them but currently, they are recuperating from been poisoned, 4kilometres from the village¡±, Hunter Wang confirmed. ¡°This is terrible. What should we do, Brother Ma?¡± ¡°Give me some times¡± ¡°Chief, Elder Ma, Acma also said that you don¡¯t have to worry. He already have a solution¡± ¡°Already have a solution?¡± asked Chief Pai unbelievably. ¡°Wang, go and tell Acma to come here. I want his explanation¡± ¡°There is no need for that Brother Pai. Look¡±, said Elder Ma as his finger pointed at the western wall. Over there, there were three rows of stone guardian while Acma himself was standing on the wall, looking over the forest. Duo Nan and his squad, except Wang were standing behind the rows of stone guardians. What Elder Ma and Chief Pai couldn¡¯t figure out was several humanoid, wearing a black armour were standing between the stone guardians. ¡°That kid...¡±, muttered Chief Pai. He didn¡¯t know what to say about that kid. ¡°It¡¯s ok brother, at least we don¡¯t have to worry about that side and we can focus on the centaurs in front of us¡±, said Elder Ma to reassure his brother. On the centaur¡¯s side, there were some movement. They were rearranging their troops although there still a lot of time till the designated time. They moved their shield bearers to the front while their archers were right behind them. They moved to and fro but still keeping their distance about 1000 metres to 800 metres. They also divided their forces into two groups. Their main group was facing the gate while the other, numbers about 200-250 strong were moving toward the western wall. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Elder Ma and Chief Pai believed that the centaurs were getting ready to strike. ¡°Wang, come back here. Quick¡±, shouted Elder Ma, calling back Hunter Wang who was running back to his post. When hunter Wang returned to the observatory, Elder Ma gave his orders. ¡°Relay my orders to all squad leaders on the platform. Release the arrow when the enemies reach 700 metres, followed by another volley for every 50 metres. When the enemy archers reach 350 metres, all the hunters on platform must hide, do not continue firing the arrows. My second order is for the shooters. They will start shooting the enemy archers when they reach 250 metres. Eliminating the archers will be their priorities. Do you get it, Wang?¡± ¡°Yes, I get it, Elder Ma¡± ¡°Good. Now go¡± ¡°Right away¡±, said Hunter Wang as he sprinting toward the archer platform on the left side of the gate. 5 minutes passed. The centaurs still rearranging themselves. 10 minutes passed. The centaurs were moving closer and closer to the village. 1000 metres. 900 metres. 800 metres. 750 metres. 725 metres. 710 metres. 705 metres. 700 metres. ¡°RELEASE THE ARROWS. KILL THOSE DAMN HORSES¡±, shouted Elder Ma loud enough to make the sky tremble. Thus, the second confrontation between man and centaur begun. ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ A volley of arrows blacken the morning sky. Although it was just a metaphor, but at the eyes of unsuspecting centaurs, those 70 plus arrows enough to make them forgot what colour the morning sky was. The shield bearer who acted as a vanguard quickly raised their shield, but they underestimated the penetrating power of the modern arrows. They definitely couldn¡¯t block it with just a simple wooden shield. ¡®Thud¡¯ ¡®Thud¡¯ ¡®Thud¡¯ ¡®Thud¡¯ ¡®Thud¡¯ Many of the shield bearers fall prey to the first volley while many others injured. ¡°CHAAAAAAAARGE¡±, a rallying cry could be heard. This time it came from the center of the centaur troop. Grufin wasn¡¯t a hot-headed captain, so he always started deep behind his troops. ¡®HUAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH¡¯ The centaurs started running. ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ As the centaurs troop reached 600 metres distance, the shield bearers were downed to several tens. The number of archers also dwindling but they still charging forward. Their eyes were red, burning with anger and hate. Never crossed in their mind that they were reduced to this state with just 4 volley of arrows. Why those arrows were so powerful? What kind of bows they used? Why these humans so strong? Question after question flashed in their mind as their hooves kept running forward. Their mind wanted to retreat, but their pride as a warrior kept them going. ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ ¡°All archers, HIDE!!!¡±, Elder Ma ordered although the enemy¡¯s archers still in distance. ¡°SHOOTERS, READY TO FIRE!!!¡± Hearing that order, all the archers fell on one knee and hide themselves behind the wall of the platform. The wall was made from 15 centimetres thick log. It was sturdy enough to cover them from those centaurs¡¯ arrow. On the same platforms, several sections were made for the shooters. They were lying on their stomach to increase stabilities, waiting for their orders. Realizing that the human archers have stopped releasing their arrows, Grufin¡¯s heart was palpitating. ¡°Everyone, those humans used up all their arrows. It¡¯s time to break the gate and kill them all!!!¡±, he roared. ''HUAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH¡¯ The centaurs increased their pace, running as fast as they could toward the gate. The swordsman unit were given the task to break through the gate while the archers and the shield bearers working hand-in-hand to pin down any human who dare to raise his head. But, suddenly; ¡®Peng¡¯ ¡®Peng¡¯ ¡®Peng¡¯ ¡®Peng¡¯ Four alien sounds exploded from within the human village. The swordsman unit who were charging turned their head toward the sound and almost stop. Behind them, Grufin also turned his head. His face darken when he realized four of his archers died with their head exploded. One of them have its head intact, but it died with a hole between its eyes. That sight sent a chill down to Grufin¡¯s spine. He shivered. ¡®Peng¡¯ ¡®Peng¡¯ ¡®Peng¡¯ ¡®Peng¡¯ With each sound, an archer fell. Grufin was in dilemma, either to continue or retreat. He realized that this time, he was facing the same situation as his third brother. Annihilation. The weapons employed by the humans in this village were totally nothing like he ever faced. In a blink of an eye, Grufin made a decision. He decided to retreat and regroup with the werewolves. He raised his hand and inhaled a large amount of air. But before he could shout, a loud howl was heard. ¡®AWUUUUUUUUUUU¡¯ That was a werewolf battle cry. The werewolves also begun their attack. Earlier, before the battle started, Grufin ordered his vice captain to move toward the western wall because he noticed that there were two rows of stone statues outside the wall. He knew those statues but he was confident that his counterpart, the werewolves could easily overtaken them with their superior speed. Those statues were strong, but slow. Still, he sent his vice captain to ¡®disturb¡¯ those statues so the werewolves didn¡¯t have to fight them and easily slipped pass the western wall. Grufin felt relieve when the werewolves moved earlier than he expected. With a stomach full of air and a newfound confidence, he gave a loud battle cry. ¡®CHAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!!!!!!!¡¯ ¡®CHAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!!!!!!!¡¯ Replied his troops. 33 - Battle (Part 2) ¡®AWUUUUUUUUUUU¡¯ The werewolves started moving. On top of the western wall, Acma expressionlessly watching the werewolves that were closing in. He unsheathed his sword with a calm manner and moved toward the frontline. ¡°Alice, I¡¯m going to fight those werewolves head-on. Collect all their data and use it for our defence strategy¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± The information of the enemies he needed was about their speed, reaction, defence and strength but the most crucial data was their speed and reaction because they would rely on these two factors to bypassed the defence line. That¡¯s why Acma would be the first one to face those werewolves because this will let Alice to concentrate on controlling the guardians. The werewolves were still about 500 metres from where Acma was currently standing. From his observation, it was clear that some of them were sluggish and their movement were somehow look restrained. Acma was delighted seeing this because the effect of his poisonous fog was better than he expected. ¡°They might be sluggish, but I still don¡¯t know about their strength. Let¡¯s find out¡±, he thought and then immediately he sprinting towards the incoming enemies. Watching a lone swordsman sprinting towards them unhesitant, several werewolves quickly changed their direction and moved to intercepted him like a group of wolves toying with their prey. ¡°This puny human really couldn¡¯t wait to die. Brothers, I will have its heart¡±, one of the vanguard said it cheerfully. ¡°Hahahaha. Its heart belong to the one who kill it first¡±, replied another as it hasten its pace. The werewolves were physically stronger than humans so they were arrogant. Unfortunately for them that this lone swordsman was a human with a level they couldn¡¯t hope to reach in their lifetime. ¡®WIND BLADE¡¯ A low shout was heard. They immediately halted their advance as their face were stricken with fear. In front of them, a large arc of a glowing pale blue light with several metres width rapidly flying, cutting everything on its path. One of the werewolves tried to dodge while shrieking in fear, but its effort was futile as its body was cleanly cut into two parts. ¡°DAMMMMNNNN!!!! Magic swordsman. Quick, alert the lead.....¡±, it couldn¡¯t finish the word when another wind blade cut its head off. Acma was expressionless even after killing several dozens of werewolves. These level 40-50 monsters were not enough to give trouble. His tactics was simple. He fired several wind blades towards the incoming werewolves and then killed any survivor with his sword. Occasionally, he used Earth Spike spell too. With his superior strength and agility, he easily outmanoeuvred the enemies but he never delved too deep into enemy ranks. ¡°Alice, how¡¯s the fight?¡± asked Acma while evading a claw attack. ¡°The werewolves manage to slip through our first defence line due to interference from the centaurs, but all of them were killed inside the wall. As for the centaurs, I allocate 25 guardians to intercept them. Elder Ma had dispatched twohunter squads to fortify our defence¡±, replied Alice. ¡°Is there any casualties?¡± he asked again. ¡°No injuries so far. Most of the enemies become a hedgehog once they step on the wall. The luckier one were cleaved into two parts before their foot touch the floor and the luckiest who manage to touch the floor have become a mincemeat. Looks like they never anticipate that our defence is tighter inside the wall¡± ¡®EARTH SPIKE¡¯ ¡°How many werewolves have been killed?¡± ¡°283 werewolves and counting¡± ¡°Good, that was close to half of their numbers. If I kill their leader, this fight will be over. Tighten the defence¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma took a breather and scanning his surrounding, looking for the leader. Currently he was surrounded by his enemies, but they clearly terrified of him, unwilling to get close. ¡°Hey you. Yes, you. Where is your leader? I want to fight him¡±, asked Acma nonchalantly as he pointed his finger at the werewolf in front of him. ¡®...¡¯ The pointed werewolf just exchanged glances with its companion next to it and didn¡¯t answer the question. As he tried to open his mouth to rephrase the question, Acma sensed something was approaching at a neck-breaking speed from his left side. Without delay, he raised his sword to block it. At the same time, he lightly jumped backward to reduce the impact of the collision. ¡®BOOOMM!!!¡¯ ¡°Grrrrr.... Are you looking for me, human?¡± Acma turned his head toward the voice.
Werewolf Captain LVL 64
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. This was the highest level monster he seen in the battlefield today. Even the leader of the centaurs was just level 56. Its strength also praiseworthy. No wonder it¡¯s attack just now sent Acma flying for several metres. Without saying anything, Acma dashed toward the newcomer and swung his sword downward, aiming to end the battle as fast as possible. The werewolf captain¡¯s eyes almost pop out, not believing the speed of the human in front of him projected. But it quickly regained its senses and took a step backward to dodge the slash, followed by a horizontal claw slash aimed at Acma¡¯s head. Without losing momentum, Acma brought his sword to the left and slashed its chest. This time, his attack was fast enough to meet the target and forcing the werewolf captain to retreat further. ¡°Master Bardalph!!!¡± one of the nearby werewolves shouted full of worry. ¡°Shut up you worm¡±, spat Bardalph. It pressed its right hand on the wound to stop the bleeding. After several seconds, the bleeding stopped and the wound slowly regenerating. Then he glared menacingly at Acma. ¡°Grrrrrrrr.... You are quite fast for a human. I¡¯ll go all out this time¡± The surrounding werewolves murmured excitedly. From their words, looks like Acma was definitely doomed. ¡®MIRAGE!!!¡¯ As soon as Bardalph shouted the word, its body blurred for a second and then several of its images appeared. Slowly, they encircled Acma to attack him from all direction. Facing this move, Acma relaxed his body and closed his eyes. No matter how many doppelgangers the enemy has, only one of them was real. As long as he could determined the timing of the attack via sound, Acma could counter the move. ¡°Nice skill¡±, praised Acma. ¡°But it won¡¯t work on me¡± ¡®EARTH SPIKE!!¡¯ Acma immediately used a tier 2 Earth Spike spell and set it as an AOE attack. He felt relieved that it worked as he imagined. An area within 50 metres with Acma as its center was full of earth spike. One by one, the images of Bardalph disappeared, leaving only the original one, which have been impaled with several spikes and struggling to get free. Adding to its misery, several wind blades was released at its body and limbs, send it tumbling several metres. Luckily it was just a low tier wind blades. If not, Bardalph would surely lost its life. Everything went quiet. Acma turned his body toward Bardalph and lowered his sword. ¡°It¡¯s better for you to regroup and retreat. It was meaningless to continue fighting¡±, advised Acma. Initially, he wanted to annihilate the whole werewolf troop to prevent future headache. But, considering the location of Orca Village that was surrounded with a hostile forces, annihilating them wasn¡¯t a wise decision at this time because it may incite the enemies to send more troops. If he let the remaining werewolves to retreat, they might warned their people about the strength of Orca Village and make them fearful and hesitated to send another attack. Furthermore, the werewolf captain in front of him was surely a highly regarded warrior within its tribe, so killing it will surely increase the enmity between them and Orca Village. With full of difficulties, Bardalph stood up. The wounds on its body had stopped bleeding, but losing a lot of blood weaken both its strength and fighting will. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to humiliate you, but look at your surrounding. Look at the eyes of your troop. There¡¯s nothing but fear. About your allies, it¡¯s only time before they were annihilated. If you¡¯re thinking about your brethren who manage to pass over the wall, all of them were already dead¡±, explained Acma as short as he could. Bardalph stubbornly staring dagger at Acma. Then slowly it turned its head around and look at its troop. Bardalph was silent. It took glance at Orca Village, find out that there was no smoke or screaming. Meaning that what Acma just said was right. ¡°Do you think I will retreat just like that, after all my brethren you killed?¡± exploded Bardalph. Its eyes emanating with a thick killing intent and ready to attack Acma again. Acma sighed heavily. ¡°Do you want everyone to die?¡± he questioned Bardalph. ¡°DIEEEEE!!!¡±, instead of answering, Bardalph lunged toward Acma. ¡®PHANTOM STEP¡¯ Acma reappeared behind Bardalph and hit behind its neck hard enough to knock it out. With a loud ¡®thud¡¯ sound, it fell on the ground. Acma turned his body around and pointed his finger at the werewolf he questioned earlier. Although all werewolves look similar, but this one was the only uncommon werewolf around. ¡°You, come here¡±, shouted Acma but that werewolf turned its head and look behind, hoping that Acma was calling for someone else. ¡°Tskk, don¡¯t turn around, it¡¯s you that I call. Come here and take your captain. The battle is over already. So go back to where you came from¡± That werewolf was hesitant at first, but after its friend nudged it, it slowly stepped forward and carried the unconscious captain on its shoulder. Then they disappeared inside the forest, followed by the other werewolves. ¡®AWUUU AWUUUU AWUUUUUUUUU¡¯ A wailing howl could be heard after some time. ¡°Master, the werewolves are retreating. Should I give a chase?¡± reported Alice. ¡°There is no need to chase them. Alice, when all the werewolves have retreated, assign 50 guardians from the western wall and all the guardians from the eastern wall to the main gate. Also, inform Duo Nan that I will return shortly¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Meanwhile, In front of the main gate, Grufin and its swordsman unit still struggling to breakthrough the final defence line formed by two elite stone golems and an elite mountain harpy. Thus the main gate was still standing firm. These three unit was the summons given by Acma last night. One of the stone golem belong to Chief Pai while the other stone golem and mountain harpy was given to two hunter squad leader. This final defence line works wonder. The golems just trading all the attacks they received on their sturdy body with a devastating blow of their fist. Each blow if connected, sent the centaurs flying with a shattered bones. To make thing worse, an ear-shattering shriek came from the sky, leaving no room for the centaurs to dodge. Even Grufin itself was rendered immobile by the continuous shriek from the fugly harpy. With these three unit working together, Elder Ma has long given an order to stop firing, so all the hunters on the platform happily enjoyed the show below. After quite some times, the remaining Grufin¡¯s troop took some distance from the main gate bringing the injured with them under the watchful gaze from the hunters. Grufin and its officers were wrecking their brain on how to breakthrough the main gate. They surely cannot scale the wall and the final defence line was deadly. So they were left with no options. Thankfully the humans had stop attacking, if they didn¡¯t, they surely have long perished from this world. ¡°Those damn werewolves, what took them so long to open the main gate?¡±, complained Grufin. The werewolves were his final hope to win this battle because since the beginning, he never dreamed to open the main gate with his troop. That was the werewolves task. If the werewolves failed to penetrate the humans defence and opened the main gate for them, this battle was deemed to lose. ¡®AWUUU AWUUUU AWUUUUUUUUU¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s not a howl for victory¡±, exclaimed a centaur swordsman next to Grufin. ¡°Master Grufin, look. The troop that went to the western side has returned. They look miserable¡±, said another centaur swordsman. Grufin quickly turned his body toward the returning troop. Because of his injury, he could only waited for them to arrive. ¡°Grufin, the werewolves have retreated. Although we manage to distract the human defence and let them breakthrough, they couldn¡¯t harm the human village at all. I think, those humans had set up a tighter defence behind the wall¡±, reported Glaraios. ¡°How come that stupid Bardalph failed? Scum, he couldn¡¯t even accomplish that simplest task¡±, Grufin raged. ¡°There is a demonic magic swordsman among the humans. I saw it with my own eyes. It manage to wreck havoc among the werewolves front lines single-handedly and easily defeated Master Bardalph. Grufin, I think the humans inside this village are strange. They¡¯re nothing similar to the humans we knew before. Let''s retreat. The werewolves have failed, so we have no mean to enter the village¡±, said Glaraios. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Are you telling me to retreat?¡± Grufin raised his voice. ¡°If you keep stubborn, all of us will be annihilated, just like your younger brother¡±, Glaraios tried to reason. Then he pointed his finger at the main gate and said, ¡°Look there, look at those stone statues, do you know how strong they are? Look at my troops, we¡¯re thrown into this state by just 25 of those statues. Now the main gate were guarded by 100 of them. Tell me, how are you going to defeat them?¡± Grufin was startled and nothing could come out from his mouth. He just stared blankly at Glaraios. ¡°But my brother is still with them¡±, Grufin finally managed to calm down. ¡°Lets the elders think about that. Right now we need to fall back¡±, replied Glaraios. Grufin took a deep breath and then ordered his remaining troops to retreat. Acma who was lurking inside the western forest, silently watched the retreating centaurs. ¡°It¡¯s time to return. Phantom Step¡± Acma returned to Western Wall. After retrieving all his guardians, he walked toward Duo Nan and his squad, who were smiling to their ears. And then, he found out the reason.
Apprentice Knight Duo Nan LVL 34
¡°Awesome¡±, he praised. 34 - Ive Never Been There When Duo Nan saw Acma approaching, he immediately rushed toward the latter and grabbed both his shoulders. ¡°Little bro, something good happen, something that even better than defeating those monsters¡±, he said with a big smile plastered on his face. ¡°What is it, brother Duo?¡±, Acma feigning ignorance. He already anticipated that Duo Nan¡¯s happiness was definitely due to his Apprentice Knight class change. But Acma let Duo Nan tell it himself. When someone was so excited to tell you something, don¡¯t cut him off and let him told it until he was satisfied. ¡°Let me tell you this, right after all those monsters retreated, everyone who participated in the battle today, even the helpers were transported to a place called Beginner Village. You know what, the name might be lame, but that place was magical. A knight in a shining armour, mighty magical beast, powerful looking masters and ever better, ladies. All the ladies at that place was really really really a drop dead gorgeous. If I can marry any of those ladies, I can die smiling. I couldn¡¯t describe everything about that village, but it really a wonderful place. You can ask my brothers if you don¡¯t believe me¡±, Duo Nan narrated with his arms swinging all over the place, showing how excited he was. ¡°Oh¡±, Acma reacted. That wasn¡¯t something he expected to hear. ¡°That was shocking right? Come one, take off your helmet. Let me see how shock you are¡±, Duo Nan gestured asking Acma to take off his helmet. ¡°Alright, brother Duo¡±, replied Acma as he took off his helmet. ¡°Aaahhh, what with your no emotion face, you broke my heart. At least you can pretend to be interested with my story¡±, said Duo Nan dejectedly. Acma just smiled wryly but didn¡¯t say anything. Realizing the reaction he expected would never come, Duo Nan can only sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really dense little bro. Aaahhh, forget it. Lets go to the meeting room. Chief Pai just call for meeting¡±, Duo Nan said as he started walking followed by Acma and the other hunter. ¡°Little brother Acma, why we didn¡¯t see you at the Beginner Village just now?¡±, Hunter Wang greeted Acma and asked. Acma turned his head and answered, ¡°My level is over 100 already¡±. He noticed the name plate above Hunter Wang¡¯s name but quickly switched his gaze towards somewhere else.
Apprentice Knight Wang Tian LVL 28
Acma¡¯s action was noticed by Hunter Wang. He immediately understand why Acma showed no reaction toward Duo Nan¡¯s story earlier. Then he proceed with an explanation. ¡°From everyone that got transported to Beginner Village, 80of us took an Apprentice Knight class while the others took a support classes like blacksmith, healer, builder etc. There are others who took a Acolyte Mage class like Sister Zi Yi who have high INT or Scout class for those who have a high AGI¡± Acma showed a confused face. He was thinking about many things like why apprentice? Why not full knight? Is there any other classes available? Why 80hunters took the same class? Since he didn¡¯t have the answer, he asked Hunter Wang. ¡°Brother Wang, why 80of you took the same class? Is there no other classes available?¡± ¡°There are many classes available but not all of it were suitable for us like Apprentice Death Knight or Acolyte Necromancer which demand us to consume a soul and absorbing a death miasma. Oh, before that, you remember what Duo Nan said earlier right, that all of us was transported together at the same time. When we arrived at the Beginner Village, Chief and the elders asked us to gather information first¡±, Hunter Wang paused and then he continued, ¡°We speak with almost everyone at the village to find out every information available, not just about available classes. After that we shared all the information and discussed it. About matters related to class, after considering all pro and cons, we decided to follow the elders¡¯ decision which is Apprentice Knight class¡±, he paused again. ¡°Ahhh, we arrived at the meeting room already. Little brother, if you don¡¯t mind, we can continue talking about this matter later¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk again then. Thank you Brother Wang¡±, replied Acma. Inside the meeting room, almost all villagers that participated in the battle today have been gathered. With a forced smile on his face, Chief Pai stood up and look at the face of everyone in the room. He took a deep breath and delivered his speech. ¡°Looks like everyone is here. Lets start our quick meeting.Thanks to everyone¡¯s effort, we manage to repel the attack on our village today. What¡¯s more, we did that without shedding a single drop of blood, which I believe is superbly incredible. However, I would like to give a reminder that things will get a lot tougher in the future because we are surrounded with creatures that were hostile toward humans. This is the info we¡¯ve got from our captive yesterday. Although we¡¯re human beings from earth, they still consider us as humans. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve fought two battles already.This matter lead to the main topic of our meeting, our survival. How we are going to survive while been surrounded with numerous enemies?¡± Some hunters in the meeting room were nodding their head slowly while the others fixed their gaze at Chief Pai. ¡°The elders and I have several ideas about this, but we want to look from different perspectives. Youngsters like you always have a wilder and fresher ideas, maybe you have a lot of better ideas than us old bones. Please contribute your ideas about two aspects, either to increase our strength or escape from here. If you have ideas about negotiation with the enemies, please share with us too. Come to us whenever you have the ideas, but preferably as soon as possible before we face the enemies we couldn¡¯t win against. However, we have nothing to reward you, only a thanks on behalf of Orca Village. I hope you won¡¯t get discourage with that.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The second topic is about the tasks you get from the Beginner Village. I hope everyone will spend your best effort to accomplish them as soon as possible. Either you want to advance as soon as possible or completing as many tasks as you can before advancing, I believe in your choices. Alright, that¡¯s all I want to say. Thank you¡±, Chief Pai took a seat and waiting. After a while, he suddenly stood up again and spoke, ¡°I just remember another important issue. It¡¯s about non permanent resident in our Orca Village. I bet all of them, even among you guys hunter are eager to return as soon as possible. So, if you plan or heard someone talking about this, please come to me or the elders. This is extremely important and I don¡¯t want anyone making a rush decision. Before this, I never stop anyone from going or coming to our village without good reason, but now everything is different, so I¡¯ll be a bit stricter. I hope you can understand. Thank you¡±. Chief Pai¡¯s latest announcement made the room restless. One by one, people were asking questions to the chief and elders while the others were discussing with each other. Despite all the commotion, Acma was isolating himself into his own world, focusing about the contents of Chief Pai¡¯s speech just now. About strengthening the hunters, he believed the elders already have the answer for that. Although he wasn¡¯t sure about the tasks from Beginner Village, he bet they were important for everyone¡¯s survival. Negotiating with enemies? Not his problem. He never been good at negotiating. Let an extrovert person dealt with that. Last but not least, non permanent resident issue, this one also no need for his concern because he would come and go as he please. No need to get anyone¡¯s permission. The only issue that pique his interest was the escape plan for the villagers from the enemies they couldn¡¯t win. He have some ideas that would work but he still need to polish it. Suddenly, a sound of clasp woken him up from his isolation. He turned his head and looking for the culprit who woke him up. It was Chief Pai but he was sitting on his chair while clasping his hands. ¡°Alright, this meeting is dismissed. I hope you can come to us later¡±, he said. Slowly, everyone was evacuating the meeting room except a few person who still talking with the elders. ¡°Little bro, Elder Ma ordered our squad to collect the arrows. You go with Wang first, I will join you guys later¡±, said Duo Nan to Acma. ¡°Okay, brother Duo. Let¡¯s go little brother. We will continue our talk earlier¡±, Hunter Wang interjected. Then he lead Acma and the other members toward the main gate. ¡°When did I joined this squad?¡±, Acma was puzzled. ¡°Hmmmm... maybe because of the fight this morning or the fact that I only close to Duo Nan¡¯s squad compare to other squads. Never mind, let''s go with the flow for now¡±, he thought. While on the way to the main gate, Hunter Wang continued his explanation. ¡°We¡¯re talking about the elders¡¯ decision before, right? They choose Apprentice Knight because this class were the most suitable class for group fighting. And according to the elders, Orca Village hunters used to fight in a group instead of fighting individually. We tried to argue at first, but after careful consideration, we also agree with them. Their point is, we¡¯re still too weak to fight individually. The battle this morning for instance, they said, without your help and the wall surrounding the village, we already long dead. That¡¯s why we need to fight together as a group and Apprentice Knight class will help us to accomplish that. There are some sort of buff available if all Apprentice Knight are fighting together. More is better¡± ¡°I also agree with the elders¡¯ point. Its like sacrificing oneself for the benefit of the masses¡±, Acma supported. ¡°You¡¯re right. The other point why they choose Apprentice Knight class is that the evolution tree for this class is either a full fledge Knight or a Guardian, which is supporting the elders main point. We can apply for it after we reach level 50 and having enough points...¡± ¡°Points?¡±, Acma interjected. ¡°Yes, points. Points we get from accomplishing the given tasks. You should know about this¡±. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. This is the first time I heard about it¡±, said Acma with an embarrassed face. ¡°How come? You took your class at Beginner Village too right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been there¡± ¡°Where did you get your class then? Hmmmm, I can¡¯t see your class at your name plate either. Little brother, what is your class?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated. Explaining it will take too long. You can say that my class is a bit ¡®special¡¯ compare to others¡±, replied Acma. ¡°Sort of a ¡®hidden¡¯ class then, I think. Yup, that must be it. Come one, tell me¡±, Hunter Wang ¡®trying¡¯ to uncover the truth. ¡°Err, Brother Wang, can you explain about the tasks you mentioned earlier?¡± Acma changed the subject. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t change the subject. Come on, tell me¡±, Hunter Wang insisted. ¡°Magnanimous person like brother Wang surely won¡¯t mind small matter like that¡±, Acma said with a bright smile. ¡°Wow, flattery. Little brother must be desperate. Hahahaha... Okay then, lets continue about the tasks I mentioned earlier. Each individual who take a class at Beginner Village will get a certain tasks to accomplish, depends on the class they take. For an Apprentice Knight like me, our tasks were focused on bodily exercises like swinging the sword, running, sparring etc. When we have 1000 points and reach level 50, we will be able to return to Beginner Village and complete the procedure to advance from Apprentice Knight to Knight class or Guardian class. What¡¯s more, you can also exchange the points with equipment or skills. Brother Duo, me and the rest of our squads already planning that, if possible, we will accumulate more than 2000 points before returning to Beginner Village so we can exchange it with a good skill. Right now, we only have a basic slashing skill¡±. ¡°...¡± Acma was speechless. He never thought that going to Beginner Village would provide a lot of benefits that not lose to his. He didn¡¯t care much about class or equipment because he was satisfied with his own, but the chances to obtain skills and upgrade it made him quite envy. As long as those tasks were available, the prospect of these people were boundless. In his case, he only got two attack skills. Although both of them were divine class skill, their application were limited, especially the Dimension Breaker skill which needed a superb legend rank weapon to use. ¡°Haaah¡±, he sighed. He look at Hunter Wang and said, ¡°With such a chance, Brother Wangbetter get a superb skill from there¡± ¡°Of course we will¡±, Hunter Wang said it full of determination. ¡°How are you going to return to Beginner Village later?¡± asked Acma. ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. Maybe it will happen like when we reach level 10, instantaneous teleportation. But I hope we were given a choice¡±, replied Hunter Wang. ¡°Brother Wang, we¡¯ve arrived at the main gate. What do we do?¡± shouted one of hunters from Duo Nan¡¯s squad at the front. ¡°Alright, lets spread out after we¡¯re out of the village and collect as many arrow as possible. Make sure we¡¯re not overlap with the other squads. Lets go¡±, replied Hunter Wang. 35 - Trade Picking up the arrows after the battle was an easy task but dangerous due to the possibilities of an enemy¡¯s attack. Because of this risk, the hunters were collecting the arrows in pair while been monitored by the guards on the platform. Acma was supposed to collect the arrows with Hunter Wang, but he leisurely using 10 Supreme Guardians to do the job. They were more delicate than the Stone Guardians and Alice was a superb controller. Thus the task to collect several hundred arrows was done much earlier. ¡°Brother Wang, my task is done. If Brother Duo is looking for me, tell him that I¡¯ll be at the Western Wall¡±, said Acma. ¡°Okay, little brother. Take care¡± Inside the meeting room, there was no one other that Chief Pai and several elders. ¡°How was it Brother Acolyte Mage Ma? Did you hear any good ideas from the youngsters?¡± asked Chief Pai as he stretching his back. ¡°There is not much new ideas, Brother Apprentice Knight Pai. Their ideas focused on strengthening our village. Like us, they also don¡¯t have any ideas about escaping from this place in case of emergencies¡±, replied Elder Ma. ¡°Knock it off, both of you. That was embarrassing. Even the youngsters didn¡¯t call each other like that¡±, Elder Daquan was fuming with the behaviour of both his buddies. ¡°Hahahaha... Brother Apprentice Knight Daquan was fuming¡±, Chief Pai was laughing. ¡°We''re just joking to lighten up the mood. Who knows, we might get a good ideas. Hahahaha...¡± ¡°I know¡±, said Elder Daquan short. ¡°One of the hunters shared his idea about negotiation. He said, it¡¯s better to exchange our prisoner with information about this world. Although it is hard to verify the truth, we can lure the enemies to give the right information. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know how to do that. What do you think, brothers¡±. ¡°That was a good idea. We can call him to discuss about it further¡±, replied Chief Pai. ¡°Looks like we only lacking the option to escape. Should we ask Little Acma? He knew more about this new world compare to any of us. Maybe he have a solution¡±, said Elder Ma. ¡°That boy haven¡¯t come yet. Knowing him, either he have no ideas or he wasn¡¯t sure but I hope it was the latter. Right now, let us focus on strengthening our village first¡±, said Chief Pai. On the Western Wall, Acma was oblivious that the elders were waiting for him. He was sitting on the wall with his right hand stroking his chin. He was here to scout the forest, making sure that there were no enemies lurking within. It wasn¡¯t his job, nobody told him to do it, it just something he wanted to do. ¡°Open: Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level 368 Race Human
Class Emissary of Void
HP 18850/18850 MP 163275/163475
Strength 1034 Agility 1099
Intelligence 1201 Luck 310
Unallocated point (s) 1700
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner, The Puppeteer
¡°I level up twice. It¡¯s good¡±, he thought. ¡°Open: Inventory¡± His new items consisted of werewolf fang, potions, mana cores and upgrading items. He counted the amount of the upgrading items he have and there still not enough to upgrade Silver. He already decided to upgrade Silver first before his other summons. Sawa was strong enough right now, so he didn¡¯t need to upgrade it further yet. His two other summons, he didn¡¯t use them as much as he used Silver. ¡°Maybe I can buy the ingredients from Uncle Pai¡±, he murmured. He threw his gaze towards the sea of trees in front of him and stretched his legs. ¡°Alice, how¡¯s the forest?¡± he asked. ¡°There is no enemy within 5 kilometres from the village and the poisonous fog also have dissipated mostly¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good¡±, he surprised. He thought the poison would take several days to dissipate. ¡°Thank you, Alice¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Master¡± ¡°Alright Alice, keep scouring the forest. If you met anything suspicious, let me know immediately. I¡¯m going to meet the elders¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± After a short while, he arrived at the meeting room. ¡°Wassup kid? Come here and sit¡±, urged Chief Pai as soon as Acma entered the room. ¡°Hello Uncle, elders¡±, greeted Acma while taking a seat next to Chief Pai. ¡°I have something to discuss with Uncle, elders. I hope you don¡¯t mind¡± ¡°No no no, not at all. What do you want to discuss with us?¡± Chief Pai asked. His eyes were elated. He just talking with his brothers about this kid and he just pop out of nowhere. ¡°It¡¯s about the summon upgrading items. I wish to buy all those items in Orca Village¡¯s stock¡±, explained Acma with a sincere eyes. Since Orca Village engaged in battle twice, he assumed that the elders would be the who kept all those items. ¡°Upgrading items? Do you mean those cicada wing, cyclop eye and cat fang?¡± ¡°Yes, it is¡± ¡°We do have them in stock but kid, you don¡¯t need to buy them from us. We will give them to you as a gift¡±, said Chief Pai. Acma unintentionally showed a troubled face. He sincerely wanted to buy those items. He was thinking rigorously on how to convinced these elders to accept his intention. ¡°I can¡¯t accept that Uncle Pai. I already have my share from killing the werewolves. I am insisted on buying¡±, he said. ¡°Hmmmmpphhh... Brother Pai, lets do as he want. Since old currency already obsolete, we will use the ancient currency, gold, silver and copper. I checked my inventory earlier, looks like this new world also use the same currency system. Kid, I¡¯ll put the price 5000 gold. If you don¡¯t have the money, then receive the items as our gift¡±, Elder Ma said while slamming his right hand on the table, an obvious act of provocation. ¡°5000 gold?¡±, Chief Pai stuttered briefly. Then he smiled after he realized Elder Ma¡¯s intention. It was impossible for this kid to have 5000 gold. That¡¯s what he believed. All sign of happiness rushed out of Acma¡¯s face. Usually, a normal person won''t easily agree to the price or he will be considered as naive. But he, who had a hoard of treasure won¡¯t even noticed a million gold coins, let alone 5000. ¡°5000 gold then. Alright, Uncle Pai, lets trade¡±, he immediately opened his inventory and pressed the trade button with his index finger. In a game, it was usual practice to trade between players, so the system implemented in the new world also have this option. Acma was so excited and didn¡¯t realized that the room had turned so quiet. ¡°Huh? Uncle Pai, what happened? I think you should accept my invitation to trade¡±, Acma inquired. Acma waved his hands in front of Chief Pai¡¯s face, making sure nothing was wrong. ¡°Uncle Pai, are you there?¡±, he asked. ¡°Huh? Oh, trade. Okay, I¡¯ll accept the invitation. And then... then what?¡± Chief Pai stuttered and look at Acma nervously. ¡°Drag the items from uncle¡¯s inventory to the trade panel. I also will input the right amount of gold and then conclude the trade¡±, Acma explained. After a while several hundred of upgrading items appeared on Acma¡¯s trade panel. After he input 5000 golds at the price panel, he concluded the trade. ¡°A little bit more and then I¡¯ll be able to upgrade Silver¡±, he thought. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Pai¡± ¡°... Ah ha ha ha, you¡¯re welcome kid¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Unbelievable. How did you get that much money?¡± Elder Ma inquired. ¡°I found it¡±, replied Acma short. ¡°...¡± He didn¡¯t lie. It was the truth that he found the gold although it was hard to believe. Looking at the face of the elders, they surely didn¡¯t believe it too. Acma couldn¡¯t help but smiled wryly. ¡°Errr... Uncle Pai, I have one more thing to discuss with you¡±, he said. Hearing what Acma just said, Chief Pai¡¯s face immediately changed. ¡°Look kid, I won¡¯t sell anything this time. You must accept it as a gift¡±, said Chief Pai with a stern face. He was so embarrassed when thinking about the trade earlier. Who ever think that this kid could nonchalantly put out 5000 golds. ¡°... I¡¯m not buying anything this time. It¡¯s about an escape plan. Do you like to hear it?¡± Chief Pai¡¯s face changed again. This time it showed a happiness. He exchanged look with the other elders and smiled. This was what he wanted to hear the most. ¡°Sure, what is your plan?¡± said Chief Pai eagerly. ¡°When I came here from my villa, I went through the Silent Trail. But, it was Silent Trail no more. Right now it has transform and become Death Valley. It was dangerous, but I don¡¯t think it was deadly to the villagers anymore¡±, Acma explained. ¡°Death Valley? How do we get there?¡± asked Chief Pai. This news was hard to believe, but after so many unbelievable things brought by this kid, he didn¡¯t want to argue anymore. ¡°I can send you there¡±, said Acma ¡°What do you mean by sending us there?¡± Elder Daquan interjected. He couldn¡¯t hold the fort anymore. Acma turned his head toward Elder Daquan and smiled. ¡°I have a class restricted skill that enable me of teleportation. I haven¡¯t tried teleporting another person before, but I don¡¯t think there will be a problem¡±. ¡°...¡± Another shocking news. Chief Pai was massaging his temples and the other elders were gasping for breath. They couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Alright kid, let us old bones discuss about your plan first. After we come out with an answer, we will call you later. Thank you¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be waiting outside.Thank you uncle, elders for taking your time to hear me out¡±, said Acma politely. Then he stood up and slowly leaving the meeting room. 36 - Let Me Show You After Acma step out of the meeting room, he took a seat on a nearby stool, but far enough to not hearing the discussion in the room. He was waiting for the elders to come out with their decision. In the mean time, Acma was hearing a report from Alice about the villa and its surrounding. Since the place he was going to show the elders was close to his villa, he could use the report to give a clearer view to them. Acma raised his head and look at the sky. The day already long passed the afternoon but the elders still didn¡¯t finish their meeting. But there still a lot of time left before the night came. In reference to yesterday, it took close to 26 hours to complete a daytime and another 10 hours for a night. So, it could be understood that the new world was slightly bigger than Earth. Although the daytime was long, the temperature was mild and comfortable. Another hour passed before the elders finally concluded their meeting. ¡°Acma, come in¡± Acma entered and took a seat. ¡°Kid, when do you plan to bring us to see Death Valley?¡±, asked Chief Pai. ¡°Anytime you¡¯re ready¡±, replied Acma. ¡°Okay then, we will go now. Elder Ma and I will follow you¡± ¡°Okay, lets go¡± Acma stood up and approached Chief Pai and Elder Ma. A few seconds later, ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ They reappeared on the wall between the territories of stone golem and the gorge. Chief Pai and Elder Ma blinked their eyes rapidly to familiarized themselves with the sudden change of sceneries. On second they were inside the meeting room, another second they were already at an unfamiliar place. ¡°What is this place?¡±, both of them asked simultaneously. They were looking around curiously. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of Death Valley. That way is the exit to Orca Village¡±, said Acma, pointing his hand toward the direction of Orca Village. Although they briefly look at the exit, the elders were more interested at the gorge in front of them. ¡°The gorge in front of us, I call it Thousand Bones Graveyard because as you can see, it is full of white bones. Unless you¡¯re wearing an oxygen mask and covering your whole body, do not enter this gorge because it contain a hideous gas that make you hallucinate and enrage. The owner of those bones all of them died because they were killing each other¡±, Acma explained. ¡°How do you know? Did you enter it?¡± asked Chief Pai. He look worried. ¡°Yes, I am, but I¡¯m wearing my full body armour suit. So there is no problem at all¡±, said Acma. ¡°The wall we¡¯re standing right now is special. It is immune to any kind of magical attack no matter how strong it is. All the wall of this gorge were made from the same stone, so it produce a sealing effect. If you entered the gorge, you won¡¯t be able to use any magic. If we can entice the enemies to enter the gorge, it will be quite a sight to behold, watching them struggle and die slowly¡± Acma turned his head to see the reaction of the elders next to him. Nothing unusual was shown. ¡°Why did you show us this?¡± asked Chief Pai. ¡°I think I can understand the kid¡¯s intention. We can make this place as a natural defence. Unless the enemies can fly or scale those mountains, they won¡¯t be able to attack us¡±, Elder Ma who had a military background gave his opinion. ¡°I agree with Uncle Ma. There is another dangerous place in this Death Valley, I will show it to you later¡±, said Acma as he turned his body around. ¡°This is where I¡¯ve got my golem. There still hundreds of them. If all the hunters and villagers can have these golems as their summon, the village¡¯s defence will increased dramatically¡± The elders showed an excited faces. This was a good news for them. After a while... ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ ¡°This is the boundaries between the territories of mountain harpies and blood lizard¡±, explained Acma as soon as they reappeared. ¡°And that blood mist?¡± asked Elder Ma. ¡°That blood mist is poisonous and it is the territories of blood lizard. There is a lot of them but I don¡¯t know their exact number. So it really dangerous inside the mist¡± ¡°So this is where you mean as the second natural defence¡±, said Chief Pai while stroking his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can taking refuge at this place¡±, said Elder Ma. ¡°You¡¯re right¡±, Chief Pai agreed. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Acma smiled as he heard that. He also agreed with Chief Pai. This place was too barren. ¡°I¡¯ll show you another place¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ This time, Acma was taking them straight to the small hill outside the Nokium mine. ¡°Here is?¡±, asked Chief Pai ¡°Ba Lum Forest, close to my villa. My villa is in that direction¡±, Acma pointed out. ¡°Is this really a Ba Lum Forest. Why is it so different from my memories?¡± ¡°It was a great forest now so it look different. It was upgraded yesterday¡± ¡°I see...¡±, said Chief Pai with a shocked face. ¡°Let me explain about this area. 500 kilometres to the South, there is a swamp with several tribes of lizardman live over there. I know nothing about them so we shall skip it for now. To the East, West and North, all of it are mountain range. The closest way out of here is through Death Valley. I haven¡¯t explore enough to say that Death Valley is the only way out. Maybe there is another path lead to this place because inside the forest, there are several camps of minatour. For sure they can¡¯t go through Death Valley¡±, explained Acma. All of this were part of the report given by Alice before he showed the elders the Death Valley. ¡°Are they dangerous, I mean the minatours?¡± asked Elder Ma. ¡°The one I fought yesterday were only a low level minatours¡±, Acma replied. Acma took a breath before he continued. ¡°I think this area is suitable for a temporary retreat, until the hunters were strong enough to return to Orca Village. There is little to no threat from enemies, plentiful of food and water sources, lands for cultivation and the hunters can train their skills. As for shelter from heat and rain, that mine is good enough¡±, said Acma as he pointed out the mine entrance. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a cave?¡±, asked Chief Pai. ¡°That is not an ordinary cave. It is a nokium ore mine¡±, replied Acma. ¡°Let me show it to you. In fact the place where the hunter can train is located inside the mine. Uncles, please wear this night vision goggle¡±, said Acma. He gave two night vision goggle to the elders. The elders wore the goggle and didn¡¯t say anything. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯
You¡¯ve entered Nokium Mine This is a territory of Heavenly Villa.
¡°Alice, please inform Old and Shield to come to this storage. Tell them that I come with a friend¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Uncle Pai, Uncle Ma. That one was my artificial intelligence. Old and Shield I just mentioned just now are the leader of the miners in this mine. They are a Miner Goblin. I hope you don¡¯t attack them. Anyway, the goggle looks good on both of you¡± ¡°Hey kid, just how many more times you¡¯re going to shock us. The more I look at you the more I don¡¯t know you. Are you really that little Acma? You¡¯re not some devil incarnate, aren¡¯t you?¡± asked Chief Pai with a face that cannot be describe because of the darkness inside the mine. ¡°I¡¯m sorry again Uncle Pai if I make you worry. I assure you, I¡¯m still the same Acma, just with a bit more secret. If I really a devil incarnate, isn¡¯t too late already to realize that. This darkness...¡± ¡°Okay okay, don¡¯t scare me. I just can¡¯t handle too many shocking news about you¡± "Hmmmm... Uncle should prepare for another one. You¡¯ll know soon enough. Lets wait for the goblins to arrive¡±, said Acma. The elders exchanged look with each other and keep silence. After a while, a few creatures whose height was 1 metre tall, bald head with four hands rushing into the room. Among them there were two who were taller and have a stronger looking body. ¡°Milord, thank you for coming¡±, said one of the two. ¡°Uncle Pai, Elder Ma, let introduce you these two. This is Old who manage this mine and this is Shield who is responsible for safety. Old, Shield, this is Chief Pai, leader of the hunter from Orca Village and this is Elder Ma, an elder of the same village¡±. The four immediately shaking hands and the elders couldn¡¯t help but stared at the extra hands. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re really the son of your mother. You even inherit her bad naming sense. Could you give these two a better name. Old and Shield? I feel pity for them¡±, said Elder Ma shaking his head. ¡°Erk... Uncle Ma, please don¡¯t mention that¡±, Elder Ma¡¯s remark really hit his sore spot. ¡°Haha.. Also, why they call you Milord? When did you become a noble?¡± All the goblins inside the room just watching the exchange between these three humans silently. They didn¡¯t dare to interrupt. As for Acma, he was choosing the best phrase to explain his title to the two elders. ¡°After the Overseer¡¯s notification appeared yesterday, I got another notification, mentioning that I¡¯ve got a title, Lord of the Heavenly Villa. One of the benefit is that I can claim a lordless territory as my territory after I get the recognition of its inhabitant. Like this mine, I claimed it after I save all the goblin miners who inhabit it and they accepted me as their lord¡±, Acma replied. ¡°Hmmmmm... I don¡¯t have a lord title, it¡¯s mean that Orca Village is a lordless village. Kid, did you come to Orca Village so you can claim it as your territory?¡± asked Chief Pai boldly. ¡°...¡± ¡°That¡¯s hurt. Looks like Uncle Pai didn¡¯t trust me after all. Should I call him Chief Pai after this or stay with Uncle Pai. Naah, lets stay with Uncle Pai so it won¡¯t be too obvious¡±, he thought. He was lucky that the darkness inside the mine blanketed the expression on his face. All his planning for Orca Village were down the drain . He was just a youth after all, it¡¯s was easy for him to felt betrayed. ¡°Not at all, Uncle Pai. That¡¯s why I never mention about this before¡±, replied Acma with a flat tone. Then he walked toward a boulder at a corner of the storage room. ¡°...¡± Chief Pai wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t. Looks like he noticed the changing tone of Acma¡¯s speech. ¡°Behind this boulder is the entrance to an underground cave. I think the hunters can train themselves in this cave. Previously, I killed several giant centipedes which level is below 20. I think it was suitable for the hunters to train themselves¡±. ¡°But there might be a more dangerous creatures right?¡± Chief Pai asked. He started to feel uncomfortable. ¡°Uncle Pai is right¡±, replied Acma short. ¡°This is all I want to show Uncle Pai and Uncle Ma for the escape plan¡±, said Acma as he turned his body and walked toward the two hobgoblins. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Old, Shield. I¡¯ll visit you again later. Uncle Pai, Uncle Ma, lets return to Orca Village¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not inviting us to your villa?¡± asked Chief Pai. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Uncle Pai, father and mother wasn¡¯t at home. So I can¡¯t bring you there¡± ¡°Oo.. okay then, lets return¡± Acma preparing the spell after leaving some instructions to his goblins. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ 37 - INT After they returned to Orca Village, Acma immediately excused himself and walked out the meeting room. There was nobody in the room when they returned, if not, they would surely noticed the awkward situation between Acma and Chief Pai. After Acma left, Elder Ma gave a deep sigh. ¡°Brother, you really mess up big this time. Your question earlier really hurt the kid. You can see that from his flat tone¡±, said Elder Ma. ¡°It''s just a question, I don¡¯t think it was a big issue¡±, Chief Pai defending himself. ¡°You¡¯re suspecting his sincerity in helping the village. His help might not be much, but his role in defending the western wall this morning was vital for our survival. What happened if he doesn¡¯t want to teleport the villagers to the safe place?¡± ¡°...¡± Chief Pai wanted to say something but didn¡¯t. He still think that he didn¡¯t do anything wrong. It¡¯s just a question. He was the chief and he has the right to ask that question. But he also couldn¡¯t dismiss his brother¡¯s word. ¡°He is too sensitive¡± ¡°He is just a kid after all. You better apologize. It might cool his head down¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take too long. It¡¯s us who need him more than he need us¡± ¡°I know. Anyway, lets call all the elders for meeting¡± After he walked out the meeting room, Acma was looking for Duo Nan¡¯s squad to take back the weapons he lend them. Those weapons were rare articles, so he wanted to keep it. After asking someone their whereabouts, he head toward the training field behind the village. The hunters have started their training regiment to accomplish the tasks from the Beginner Village. On his way, he was thinking about Chief Pai¡¯s question. He found all the reason why Chief Pai shouldn¡¯t asked that question except one, which has made him depressed. Chief Pai was the Chief of Orca Village so it was acceptable if he asked that question. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention to claim this village at the first place, so I shouldn¡¯t brooding over it. It¡¯s just a small matter. It¡¯s just a question¡±, he persuaded himself. ¡®HUAARGHH¡¯ ¡®HIYAAA¡¯ ¡®BOOOOM¡¯ A sound of shouting could be heard from the direction of training field. Looks like everyone was in high spirit. What he couldn¡¯t understand was the sound of explosion. So he hasten his pace. At training field, what he saw was astonishing. At one side, a group of apprentice knight were practicing their swing from one type to another. Downward, upward, backward, horizontal and diagonal slash. All the slashes were performed beautifully. On the other side, a small group of young huntress were facing the rear hill holding a wand. Acma guessed that this group was the reason of explosion and he was right. ¡®BOOOM¡¯ Another explosion. ¡°Sister Zi Yi, you¡¯re awesome. Your Fireball explosion was much stronger than ours¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Not only you¡¯re beautiful, you¡¯re also the strongest among us. Aaaahhhh, I want to be like Sister Zi Yi¡± Several young huntress were crowding over Zi Yi, who were just unleashed a crimson fireball as big as an toddler¡¯s head. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t overpraise me like that. I just comprehend the skill a bit more than you all¡±, Zi Yi gave a faint smile and trying to refute their praise. ¡°Kyaaa... Sister Zi Yi so humble¡± ¡°What make these huntress behave like this? I don¡¯t understand them¡±, thought Acma while shaking their head slowly. Acma was dumbstrucked watching the sceneries in front of him that was totally betrayed his imagination. The huntress in his imagination was someone cold and refine, not the one who goes kyaa kyaa over something so insignificant like a fireball. At least they should follow the temperament of their Sister Zi Yi. What Acma didn¡¯t know was the fact that in Orca Village, hunter and huntress never trained together and after two shocking battle, only now they could take a breather. That¡¯s why they acted a bit out of norm. ¡°Okay okay, enough. Now your turn. Quick¡±, said Zi Yi, shooing her admirer. When she turned her head over, she noticed Acma was staring at their direction. She called out for him. ¡°You¡¯re Acma, right? It¡¯s rude to stare. Come here¡±, Zi Yi raised her melodious and enchanting voice. ¡°....¡± The training ground suddenly turned silent. All eyes were on Acma who were walking toward Zi Yi. ¡°Hey kid, come here right now and swing a sword like a man¡±, shouted one of the hunter who were nearest to the huntress group. ¡°Shut up you sweaty old man. How dare you shout at Sis Zi Yi¡¯s guest. Eat this, FIREBALL!!!¡± ¡°Yan Zi you bitch. Aaaaah... hot hot hot¡±, the man scampered away after been bombarded by a fireball. ¡°You mischievous girl, don¡¯t be so naughty¡±, said Zi Yi ¡°Theehehe... Okay Sister... and you, don¡¯t try anything funny or I¡¯ll blow you up¡±, Yan Zi who were not much older than Acma gave a sharp stare at Acma. ¡°Okay sis Yan, I won¡¯t. I just want to ask some question¡±, replied Acma. He look at Zi Yi and asked, ¡°I heard you said, you comprehend the skill faster than the rest. May I know how do you do that?¡± ¡°Tsk.. You can¡¯t even think about that? Sister Zi Yi is smart, of course she can comprehend better. Hmmmmph¡± Zi Yi put her hand around Yan Zi¡¯s neck, squeezed it a little and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t mind this girl. I¡¯m not really sure how, I just unleashed the fireball repeatedly when suddenly I got a notification that my spell mastery has increased a level¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Just like that¡±, she admitted. ¡°Interesting. They started training together but Sister Zi Yi increased her mastery level faster than anyone else. Maybe it¡¯s due to INT differences. Lets find out¡±, thought Acma while stroking his chin. ¡°Sister, how much is your INT compare to the others?¡± ¡°Mine was 138, Yan Zi was 98 but I¡¯m not sure about others¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. That¡¯s why Sister Zi Yi increase your level faster than the others¡±, Acma¡¯s eyes were elated. ¡°Oh, I see¡±, said Zi Yi while her hand covering her slightly opened mouth. ¡°This is really great. My INT is much higher, I surely can master all my spells fast¡±, he thought. ¡°Thank you, Sister Zi Yi. I¡¯m going to train right now. See you later¡±, said Acma and then turning his body around. ¡°Hey, pay for the information!¡±, shouted Yan Zi. ¡°Oh. Here, take this¡±, Acma hastily grabbed Zi Yi¡¯s hand and put several bottles of mana potion into it. "YOU!!! How Dare You!! FIREBALL!!!¡± ¡°Opppssss... I¡¯m sorry¡±. Acma successfully evaded several fireballs while running away from training field. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll get pregnant. Here, take your information fees¡±, Zi Yi pushed the mana potions into Yan Zi¡¯s hand. ¡°Buuuut, he sully your hand. Huhuhu¡± Zi Yi just smiled faintly and look at the direction Acma ran away. Acma was running in the direction of Chief Pai¡¯s house. He totally forgot the reason he went to the training field. He also totally forgot about his disappointment toward Chief Pai. What he was thinking right now was to get into his room and teleport to Realm of Void as soon as possible. Acma was lightning fast until his image blurred. He even ignored several greetings. Before long, Chief Pai¡¯s house already on his sight. He could see Auntie Pai playing with Mei Mei in front of the house. But just right before he reached the house, ¡°Hey kid, can we talk?¡± He recognized the voice so he halted his steps. ¡°...¡± He turned his head toward the voice. ¡°Sure, Uncle Pai¡± 38 - Training ¡°Let¡¯s talk somewhere else¡± ¡°...¡± They were out of Auntie Pai¡¯s sight but Chief Pai kept walking toward the Western Wall. Acma stopped him. ¡°Uncle Pai, we¡¯re far enough. May I know what do you want to talk about?¡± Chief Pai turned his body around and look at Acma for a brief second. ¡°It¡¯s about what I asked you inside the mine¡± ¡°...¡± Acma didn¡¯t react. He wanted to know what exactly Chief Pai wanted to say. Chief Pai hesitated a bit but he continued, ¡°I want to apologize for what I asked you. I shouldn¡¯t suspect your sincerity in helping this village¡± ¡°Apology accepted¡±, Acma grinned. ¡°Eh?¡±, Chief Pai was stunned. He felt it was too easy for Acma to accept his apology. ¡°It¡¯s ok Uncle Pai. Please be assure that it never cross my mind to claim this village as my territory. And thank you for the apology. If not, it will very awkward for me to stay at this village¡±. Acma wanted to explain why he easily accepted the apology, but he was afraid that it would create more misunderstandings. Chief Pai¡¯s face immediately change from gloomy to relieved. But before he could open his mouth, ¡°Uncle, I have something to do. I got to go¡±, Acma hastily turned his body around and walked away, leaving the dumbfounded Chief Pai behind. It¡¯s not that didn¡¯t want to speak further, but he really had something to do. So he had to go although he felt pity toward Chief Pai. In front of the house, he greeted Auntie Pai. After exchanging several complimentary words, he proceed to his room. ¡°Blueeerhhh¡±, little Mei Mei stucked-out her tongue once he saw Acma. Acma startled and halted his steps. He never had a little sister so he didn¡¯t know he should react. But he seriously thought, that face was overly cute. He grinned. ¡°Here¡¯s the medicine¡±. He extended his hands and pinched that chubby face. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaa¡± ¡°Haha... Take care little Mei Mei¡±, he patted her head and then disappeared into his room. Once he locked the room, he began the sequence to teleport to Realm of Void. The reason why he picked Realm of Void to train because in there, he could train as long as he wanted without worrying about the passing time. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯
You¡¯ve entered Realm of Void
This realm was still the same as he left before. A boundless darkness with a piece of land covered by grasses. Acma took a deep breath before he began stretching his body. ¡°First thing first. Open: Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level 368 Race Human
Class Emissary of Void
HP 18850/18850 MP 163400/163475
Strength 1034 Agility 1099
Intelligence 1201 Luck 310
Unallocated point(s) 1700
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner, The Puppeteer
¡°Allocate 1000 points to INT, 500 to STR and 200 to AGI. Now I have 2201 points INT. That should be enough. Next, Open: Skill¡±
Survival
Survival Cooking: Intermediate, Crafting: Intermediate, Climbing: Advance, Tracking: Advance, First Aid: Advance, Sneaking: Master, Swimming: Advance, Language Comprehension: Master, Identify: Grandmaster
Weapon
Passive Hand Gun, Rifle, Knives, Sword, Spear, Archery
Active Dimension Splitter: Grandmaster
Magic
Passive Body Strengthening, Mana Manipulation, Skin of Python King
Active Blackhole: Grandmaster, Wind Blade: Beginner, Earth Splinter: Beginner, Earth Spike: Beginner, Earth Shield: Beginner
Movement
Passive -None-
Active Phantom Step: Grandmaster, Blink: Grandmaster, Teleport: Grandmaster
¡°I have 4 beginner level skill to train. Wind Blade, Earth Splinter, Earth Spike and Earth Shield. Should I train them one by one or altogether?¡±, he asked himself. ¡°... Let familiarize myself with the skill first¡±. He immediately use 10000 mana to create a legend rank training doll to be his target. He wasn¡¯t stingy at using his mana in this training because he felt it worth it. ¡®WIND BLADE¡¯ ¡®EARTH SPLINTER¡¯ ¡®WIND BLADE¡¯ ¡®EARTH SHIELD¡¯ ¡®EARTH SPIKE¡¯ ¡°...¡± The time it took to cast the skill was differed between the three. Wind Blade only took half a second to cast. Same goes with the Earth Shield and Earth Spike while Earth Splinter took a second and half. To cast Wind Blade, he need to swing his sword and a thrust for Earth Splinter. When he casted Earth Shield, a small shield with the size of Sawa¡¯s single scale was formed on his left hand. After several hours repeating this three skill one after another, Acma was familiar enough with them but it only against a stationary target. Within these hours, he managed to grasp the ¡®timing¡¯ between incantation and the skill released by the swing of his sword. However, in battle no enemy would stay still. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Beside grasping the timing, Acma also find out that the effect of Wind Blade and Earth Splinter was different by different range. Most effective range was 100 metres. Minimum range was 3 metres while maximum was 500 metres. He found these fact after moving the training doll to a different range, hit it and scrutinized the sound of impact. It was quiet in the Realm of Void, so it¡¯s easy to differentiate them. Earth Spike¡¯s range was less than that. It could only reach 50 metres. ¡°It¡¯s time to apply it in battle¡±, murmured Acma He took out all 325 of his guardians and made them encircled him. All the stone guardians were put at the distance between 100 metres to 500 metres. They would be moving with different patterns set by Alice. So, if he wanted to hit them, he can¡¯t predict their movement but react to it. As for the supreme guardians, 20 of them were put sporadically within 100 metres and they also moving with different patterns. ¡°Alice, here is the training setting. You¡¯ll be attacking me with 5 Supreme Guardians aand from time to time, switch the attacker with the other guardians. The target will be those Stone Guardians. Please select them for me by switching on the light on their forehead and change the target for every 5 seconds. I must hit it within 5 seconds¡± ¡°Yes, Master. He choose this setting because Wind Blade and Earth Splinter were range skill and the primary objective for this training was to help him familiarize with the skills in a battle simulation. ¡°Alice, coordinate with my movement. Don¡¯t go too fast or too slow. One more, please start with beginner level¡± ¡°Yes Master¡± ¡°Begin¡± ¡°BANG¡± ¡°...¡± Before he could move, he was hit by all 5 guardians. ¡°Alice, start attacking with one guardian first¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°Begin¡± 1 HOUR It was a mess. Acma couldn¡¯t hit any target. Before he could cast Wind Blade or Earth Splinter, he already have to cast Earth Shield to meet with Alice¡¯s attack. 5 HOURS He was calmer and could pay more attention to the movement of the guardians. With that, his success rate of hitting the target also increased. But fighting a prolonged battle was taxing especially his mana. He felt relieved that only 5 supreme guardians were controlled directly by Alice. If she controlled more, his mana consumption would be doubled or tripled. Acma was tired but he persevered. He knew that if he wanted to achieve success, he needed to keep fighting and soldier on. 7 HOURS and 38 MINUTES
Your mana have been depleted
¡°Finally, I can rest for a while¡±, Acma forced a smile and slowly rest his back on the floor. He was exhausted to death and it even hard to move his limbs. All the guardians also stopped moving and stood motionlessly. That sudden notification made him thinking and a wild assumption pop out that his stamina was related to his mana reservoir. It should be like that because as soon the notification appeared, he also cannot move anymore. It¡¯s just a wild assumption without any concrete evidence. However, no matter how exhausted he was, he still could smile because all four skills had reached Advanced level mastery. He took out his Cosmic Dew Tea Set and drink a cup of it to replenish his mana. Then he rose up on his feet and look at the surrounding with a big grin. It¡¯s time to continue. He have decided that he won¡¯t return until he reached grandmaster level. ¡°Alice, second round¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± 13 HOURS and 12 MINUTES
Your Earth Shield mastery have reached Master level
Of course it would be. He took more beatings than he beat those guardians. That¡¯s why Earth Shield skill level up first because he had to defend himself more than he could attack. 32 HOURS and 8 MINUTES This was the 4th times his mana was depleted. Each round would take approximately 8 hours. His mana consumption rate was about the same for each round because he only casted the same four skills. With repeated practices, the quality of those skills have become better. His Wind Blade for example. At beginner level, Alice could split it apart easily. But after it reached Master level, the forces it carried could blasted the guardian several steps backward. Like the saying, practices make perfect. 48 HOURS He was proficient enough to insta-cast the skills. This is important because he didn''t have to yell the spell''s name everytime he want to cast it. It also prevent the enemies from anticipating his moves and keep them in the dark. He could even used Wind Blade or Earth Splinter simultaneously with both Earth Shield and Earth Spike. That were the results he got from casting the skills for more than 10000 times. However, his mastery level still haven¡¯t reach grandmaster level. ¡°What am I lacking?¡±, he asked that question repeatedly but still couldn¡¯t find the answer. He raised his head and look at his surrounding. The guardians has stopped moving, not because of mana depletion but he ordered so. He knew that he couldn¡¯t find the answer in this session, so he stopped the training. He retrieved all his guardians and prepared to teleport back to his room. ¡°Alice, lets go¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ After a while, Acma reappeared inside his room. He saw an intense orange light seeping through the gap of the wall, hinting that the day was nearing the end. Looking at that beautiful light, Acma was puzzled. ¡°I thought the time inside Realm of Void is frozen¡±, he thought. ¡°Alice, how much time has passed since I went to Realm of Void?¡± ¡°2 hours and 13 minutes¡± ¡°That¡¯s mean 1 hour in this world is equivalent to 24 hours in that realm. Thanks Alice¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡± Acma unlocked the door and walked out of the room. The house was empty. 39 - Night Hunting
Shadow Puma LVL 48
This was one of many beasts he encountered after leaving Orca Village. Acma was heading toward northwest from Orca Village, searching for the centaurs village. This was an approximate direction of their village according to the hunter¡¯s report and Alice¡¯s analysis. He was going to pay them a visit and uncover their intent toward Orca Village because only he was capable of doing so right now. The hunters of Orca couldn¡¯t do it because they had to guard the village and completing their Beginner Village¡¯s tasks. Although there was another beastman tribe attacking, he believe that the centaurs have a deeper grudge against Orca village compared to the werewolves because of two reasons. They were defeated twice and their 3rd young master was still in custody. They had lose face badly and they should be trying to get it back. ¡°This Shadow Puma''s skillis quite good¡±, thought Acma after killing it. Its jet black body movedlike a smoke and it''s hard to pinpoint its location especially in the darkness of the forest. It also able to release a body double to confuse the enemies and then attacked them with a powerful claw. Realizing the elusiveness of the beast, Acma took his time battling it to familiarized himself with his skills. Although he reached a Master level in several of his skills, he still needed a real battle to hone them further. After leaving Orca Village, Acmafound no dangerous beasts within 15 kilometres area from the village. Maybe they avoided the village because of the battles. That¡¯s what Acma thought. However, once he stepped out that range, one by one, he was attacked by predators. Great wolves and jackals were just a few of them. Earlier at the village, he caused quite a ruckus when he voiced out his intention to find the centaurs'' village. Chief Pai kept blaming himself although Acma had repeatedly assured him that his decision had nothing to do with it. He repeatedly assured them that he was strong enough to take care of himself plus his ability to teleport would ensure his safety, the elders finally gave in. He also revealed the fact that he wanted to polish his skills further, only then the elders agreed to let him go. He even got a refreshing view from Elder Daquan and Elder Fai who were martial artists. They said, the grandmasters were someone who weren¡¯t bound by techniques or skills. They knew the in and out of that techniques but never be restricted to it. If someone only followed the path forged by the predecessor, the could be a master, but never be a grandmaster until they came out of that cocoon. Not straying out of the path, but innovating it. Each path has an essence. As long as someone adhered to that essence, they will never deviating from the path. Acma was so indebted to that insight. He kept thanking those two masters repeatedly. They¡¯ve opened a new world to him. Before leaving, Acma gave a communication sphere to Chief Pai, reminding the latterto contact him immediately if something serious happened. He gave his words that he would immediately return. He also visited Sister Zi Yi. Under the watchful gaze from Yan Zi, he thanked her for the information about skill level advancement. Duo Nan tried to avoid him but to no avail. So he got back all the weapons he lend them previously. He also didn¡¯t forget to eat dinner with Auntie Pai. Only then he leaved the village. In the forest, there was quite a distance since fought with Shadow Puma. He choose not to mountSilver, but walked. Right now, Acma was fighting against several tusked creatures which were renown of their deadly charge. The wild boar. But these wild boars were giving more pressure because of its height of one metre and half tall, in addition to its ability to use skill to plough the earth. Anything in line of this skill was immediately split apart. The boars used this skill before they began their charge. Acma was fighting leisurely, not rushing to end the fight quickly but not delaying either. He wanted to recall the sensation he felt during his training with Alice but it was clearly different because of the pressure given by these boars. They might be weaker, but they fought with the intent to kill. The pressure he felt was due to this killing intent. After a while,
Wild Boar LVL 53
This boar was the last member of its herd and it was charging madly. Acma sidestepped to the left while pointing his left-hand sword finger at its head. ¡®Puchi¡¯ An Earth Splinter bore through its skull, killing it immediately. Soon after, its carcass glowed and then disappeared. Acma found this type of activation during this fight against the wild boars. When he stumbled upon this herd, their amount were close to two dozens, given him enough target to try his theory. He found out that Earth Splinter could be activated not only with a thrust of sword, but also with palms and sword fingers which made him very delighted. To him, sword finger was really cool. ¡°I should try to unleash Wind Blade with sword finger too¡±, he thought. He continued his journey. He wish to arrived at the centaur¡¯s village before sunrise. After several tens of kilometres, his beautiful tiny High Fairy suddenly flew out of his chest and reported. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Master, I found a centaur scout closing in. Its range is about 3 kilometres from the northwest direction. If we continue, we will meet it after half an hour¡± ¡°Okay, we continue for 15 minutes and then wait for it. We will follow it afterwards. I hope it will lead us to their main army¡± Acma never expected he would found the centaurs in the forest. He thought, even if they wanted to take revenge, it shouldn¡¯t be this soon. They already lost twice, even with the help from the werewolves. Just how many troops they have? Acma couldn¡¯t find the answer. After 30 minutes, he saw a skinny centaur walking cautiously in the darkness. The darkness wasn¡¯t a problem to Acma, because he equipped his FREEDOM suit which has a night vision camera. ¡®PHANTOM STEP¡¯ Without making any sounds, Acma appeared on top of its horse body while his sword was pressing lightly on its throat. ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound or die¡±, he said coldly. The skinny scout trembled and sweating profusely. It tried to keep its body stable but failed to do so. It was terrified. It never thought that a humble and handsome scout like it ever get a sword pressed on its throat. ¡°Tell me, are your people attacking the human village again?¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t kill me¡± ¡°Are you a retard? If I want you dead, you¡¯ll be dead. Now, answer me¡± ¡°T..Thank you. We¡¯re not attacking. We just sending an envoy¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°T..To discuss the terms to release third young master¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°H..How many what?¡± ¡°Tsk..Wanna die? Envoy group, how many?¡± ¡°Ple..please sir, don¡¯t kill me. Our group have 2 envoys, 15 guards and me¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Lead me to your group¡± Acma jumped and distanced himself from the scout. The scout immediately limped down, losing all its strength. Acma ordered the scout to lead the way because he wanted to make sure that it wasn¡¯t lying. He also anticipated that, when the scout returned to its group, it will delivered the news about him. This way, depended on their reaction, he could prevent any unnecessary conflict. ¡°Thank you sir. Thank you¡± ¡°Shut up. Move¡± The scout immediately stood up and turned its body around. It started running and disappeared. After following the scout for half an hour, he saw it reached the group. Acma was watching silently the reaction of the envoys from under the cover of the bushes. Unrest immediately erupted among them. All the guards encircled the envoys and kept watching around with their weapons at ready. They¡¯re preparing for any attack. Acma kept watching in silence and didn¡¯t do anything. He knew that nothing good would come from attacking these envoys. Obviously he could win easily, but its effect to Orca Village would be very bad. So he stayed his hands. The stand-off continued for a half an hour. Both sides didn¡¯t make any move or sounds. But the envoy group were clearly grew restless. After a while, one of the envoy suddenly spoke. ¡°Sir warrior, I know you¡¯re watching us right now. Please don¡¯t be alarmed, I want to assure you that our people have no desire to continue fighting with your people. My mission tonight was to ensure this message is conveyed as clearly as possible. Please excuse us¡± After that envoy spoke, the guards lowered their weapon one by one. Then they rearranged their formation and continue walking towards Orca Village. ¡°That was unexpected, nobody was provoking me. I thought with their temper, one or two of them will doing so. Looks like those envoys were really influential among them¡±, he thought. Acma just watched those group walked away. Soon after, he also proceed toward the centaur¡¯s village. He was following the trail of the envoy group, so he didn¡¯t encounter any beast or monster along the path. Since the night still long and he wasn¡¯t rushing, he familiarized himself with the surrounding and letting Alice mapping the area. ¡°Master, we¡¯ve arrived. However, a large group of centaurs and werewolves were gathered in front of the village¡±, Alice reported. ¡°Large gatherings? Are they wearing equipment?¡± ¡°Weapons and armours¡± ¡°They were preparing for an attack. So the envoys were just a diversion. Alice, lead the way¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma reached the edge of the forest and hiding himself. From a far, he could see a lot of centaurs and werewolves like Alice had reported. Among the werewolves, there were many groups wearing an iron chest plate. They clearly a higher ranked fighter compared to group who attacked Orca Village yesterday. As for the centaurs, their equipment was about the same, but with a better quality. Looked like they were preparing for an all out battle. He scanned those armies and saw a familiar face among the werewolves troops. A long scar across its chest was a proof that it was the werewolf he fought yesterday. But he might be wrong because all werewolves looked the same. So double checked it with Alice. ¡°Alice, that was Bardalph right? The leader of the werewolves I fought yesterday?¡± ¡°99.99 % it is the same werewolf, Master¡± ¡°How should I approach it?¡± he thought. He look around and picked the most inconspicuous route to get close to Bardalph who was now facing its troops. Bardalph was standing at the front, talking with some of the werewolves closed to him. It didn¡¯t realized that Acma was approaching yet. Some of the werewolves noticed him but choose to ignore since he didn¡¯t exclude any threatening gesture. He just walking out of the forest like someone walking in the park. ¡°Hello Bardalph, I can¡¯t believe I get to see you so soon¡± Bardalph turned its head around. When it finally noticed Acma was standing so close behind it, its eyes bulged out and scampered several steps backward until it fell on its butt. Even when it was on the ground, it still trying to get away. Acma¡¯s right hand scratching behind his head. He can¡¯t believe that Bardalph was this afraid of him. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that. Am I that scary?¡± he asked. ¡°You...you.. What are you doing here?¡± Bardalph stuttered. The other werewolves wore a shocked face, looking at Bardalph and Acma alternately. ¡°Bardalph, is this your friend? Introduce him to me¡±, one of higher level werewolf who wore an iron chest plate looked at Acma and asked. Acma was wearing his full body armour and no one could tell he was a human except Bardalph and its troop. In this world, an elf race which have the similar built with human existed, so they might be thinking that Acma was an elf who made a friend with Bardalph. ¡°Thi..this is the monster I told you from the human village¡±, Bardalph ¡®introduced¡¯. ¡°WHAAAATTTT!!!¡± Bardalph¡¯s testimony caused a huge uproar among the werewolves troop. Everybody instantly jumped out and distanced themselves, leaving Acma and still on the ground Bardalph. ¡°Hmmmm... Looks like I have quite a reputation among your tribes¡± Acma looked at the werewolves in front of him. He raised his right hand and waived. ¡°Hello everyone¡±, he said cheerfully. 40 - A Reason To Fight ¡°A human who look humble is always the wickedest¡± The owner of that voice revealed itself from the crowd and walked slowlytoward Acma. It was wearing a bronze breast plate with an image of wolf head onto it. Its calmed demeanour made Acma wary of it because it was completely opposite to the other werewolves who were unrestrained and having a bad temper.
Werewolf Elder LVL 235
Acma didn¡¯t react to its opinion. ¡°What are you doing here, human? Chatting with your friend?¡± A sarcasm was thrown and it was cold enough to make Bardalph shivered. Even this mighty elder viewed it as a friend to this human. ¡®...¡¯ Acma wasn¡¯t perturbed by that verbal attack. Instead of answering that sarcasm, he jumped straight to the main issue. ¡°I met the centaur¡¯s envoys in the forest. They said the centaurs doesn¡¯t want to fight anymore. So, I want to know, what is the meaning behind this gathering?¡± asked Acma fearlessly. The elder immediately lost it calmness as soon as Acma said the word ¡®envoy¡¯. It snarled offensively, revealing a row of sharp teeth. ¡°Despicable! You¡¯re really a despicable human. You even dare to kill an envoy. You want to know the meaning of this gathering? It is to kill you and all the humans in that village! I will kill every single humans in that village and eat their hearts¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t accuse me with something I didn¡¯t do¡±. Acma erupted. His face darken and his fists shivered, trying to contain his anger. That accusation has gone too far. ¡°Accuse you? No, I do not accuse you. I¡¯m just stating the fact. Do you think I don¡¯t know you humans, the vilest creature in the world? Even the devils will cower in shame if compared to you. Since you¡¯re already here, doesn¡¯t that mean everyone in that group was dead?¡± ¡°What kind of reasoning was that?¡±, thought Acma. ¡°Calm down, I really didn¡¯t kill the envoys. If you don¡¯t believe me, we can¡¯t wait for them until this evening¡±, Acma lowered his tone as he was calming down. He wanted to ask the elder werewolf about their extreme hatred toward human but it was so blinded. Its almost impossible to reason with this creature anymore. Acma¡¯s word was like putting off the fire with an oil. The elder raised both of his hands to the sky and howled. It voice reverberated throughout the field. This angry howl became a war horn that marked the beginning of a war. Then, it lowered its body, ready to dash forward. ¡°DIE!!!¡±, it roared an then catapulted its body forward. Acma shook his head a little, unable to believe what he saw. This elder was really unfathomable. First it slandered Acma, then accused him killing the envoys. Now it wanted to kill him. Unforgivable. He took out his Sword Breaker from the inventory and hold it backward with his right hand. ¡®PHANTOM STEP¡¯ Instantly, Acma reappeared in front of the sprinting elder and extended his sword hand slightly to the left of its neck. Like a hot knife cutting a butter, his Sword Breaker easily cutting off its head. Its body was leaning powerlessly on Acma. The red blood still spurting out of its neck, raining onto Acma¡¯s body, giving his armour more ominous looking. All the audience¡¯s eyes bulged out and their mouth was on the ground. They couldn¡¯t believe that their mighty elder was easily been killed. What¡¯s made them couldn¡¯t accept more was the fact that the elder was killed by a human. ¡°You¡¯ll live until evening if you choose to believe me. But now, I only need less a second to cut off your head¡±, said Acma coldly as his gaze fell on the dead elder¡¯s body on the ground. In a normal situations, this fight might be lasted longer. But that elder had lose its reasoning due to anger. Furthermore, Acma was using his Phantom Step that enabled him to shift location instantly. The deadliness of Phantom Step also contributed by its unpredictability. This three factors lead the fight to end in less a second. ¡°Grrrrrrrr... You¡¯ve killed the elder. Human, a debt of blood must be paid in blood. You will die today¡±, said an elite werewolf wearing an iron chest plate followed by a deep growl. Its eyes was blood red due to an extreme hatred. All the werewolves in the surrounding were closing in, but they didn¡¯t sprinting. However, they¡¯re still fast. The enemies was closing in, but Acma still had time to look at his surrounding. This was important to him because it helped him in planning his battle better. 500 metres to the West or 500 metres in front of him, he could see the village gate, built with a deep brown colouredwood. The field where his enemies was gathering right now has a width about 2 kilometres from North to South and behind him was a forest. The ground was flat and it was extremely suitable for battle. Since the marching wasn¡¯t started yet, the troop of both camps were scattered across the field. They lumped together with 8 to 10 in each groups and they¡¯re doing their own things. The ruckus he created only spread among the werewolves. It still hasn¡¯t caught the attention of the centaurs. ¡°If this really going to be a fight, it¡¯s better if the centaurs joining in too¡±, he thought. The reason why he came to this village was to prevent any attack on Orca Village, although he didn¡¯t have any specific way to do it. However, he did thought several of them. The worst was to annihilate every single centaurs in the village and the best would be planting a deep fear into their heart.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. If he going to annihilate this tribe, he also have to annihilate every single beastman tribes around Orca Village. Nothing could be worst than that. In fact, he might invited more formidable enemies like the notorious Forest Knight of Isebial Kingdom. If he focused on what he has on his hand, right now there were more than 1000 werewolves and 2000 centaurs ready to attack Orca Village. There might be more because although it already in the morning, they still didn¡¯t marched forward. The armies at this size surely able to trample Orca Village down. So he had no other choices but to fight. The enemies had brought this calamity themselves. The choose to become his enemies. He had no deep attachment toward Orca Village, but Auntie Pai¡¯s fried meat was so tasty and he wanted to eat it again. ¡°Tsk.. these guys are too slow¡±, he thought. The closest werewolf was about 25 metres. Acma immediately switched his Sword Breaker with a Mithril Sword. He took a step forward with his right foot and brought his sword to the left. Soundlessly, he slashed the sword horizontally to the right. A 5 metres wideazure coloured Wind Blade flew forward for 500 metres, leaving a trail of blood behind it. ¡°Lets the fight begin¡±, he said coolly. His voice might sound cool, but to the ears of the werewolves in front of him, it¡¯s like the voice of grim reaper. He jumped towards the nearest werewolf. In a blink of an eyes, he smashed its head with his left knee, immediately exploded it. Blood and white brain matter smeared his knees adding a new colour on his armour. At the same, he slashed down his sword downward, unleashing another Wind Blade, splitting apart anything on its path. When the tip of his foot touched the ground, almost instantly, a diamond coloured spike rose from the ground and impaled everything within 50 metres. He run toward the North where most of werewolves were located. Acma was unstoppable, not by an ordinary werewolves, not by an elite werewolves, not by anything. His steps triggered an Earth Spike while his sword unleashing series of Wind Blades. When he reached North, he turned to East and then proceed to South, like a lawn mower sweeping through the yard.
Werewolf Captain LVL 125
This courageous captain lunged itself from Acma¡¯s side with two other werewolves. The worked together harmoniously, aiming to attack Acma¡¯s head, chest and stomach. Acma sidestepped to the right, dodging within inches the claw that were swung horizontally toward his stomach. At the same time, his sword already cutting its head off. The other two were off target. Before they could repositioning themselves, Acma already jumped high and swung his sword downward, splitting the left werewolf symmetrically into two. Only the captain were left and it became Acma¡¯s next target. From squatting position, he swung his sword, opening a bloody big wound on its stomach, leaving the intestines hanging out. The captain slowly fell on its knees with its hands trying to insert the intestines back. After a few seconds, its body stopped spasming. Acma continued his carnage. His armour was blanketed with layers of blood, faeces, innards. His jet black armour was now multi-coloured. Black, green, yellow and red could be seen. He already forgot the sounds of screaming, shrieking or the bodies fell on the ground. He cannot differentiate the expressions of his enemies either it were fear, shock or helplessness. He only focused on killing. ¡°Mo..mon..monster¡±, a werewolf with a sword piercedthrough its cheststuttered, before its eyes dimmed. Slowly, it knees fell on the ground and stop moving. It was dead. Acma pull his sword from its left rib cage as he pushed the body with his left leg. He already lost count on how many werewolves he had killed. He turned his head to the left, searching for his next target. He found his target, a staggering werewolf wearing an iron chest plate. When Acma was looking at it, without delay, it turned around and run. However, before he could take a step, a 10 inches long, 1.5 inches thick Earth Splinter pierced through its throat, killing it slowly. ¡°Surround him and kill him, he¡¯s just a human. Do not fear him¡±, Acma heard a shout approximately 300 metres to his right. That range was just nice for his Wind Blade.
Werewolf Captain LVL 120
It was standing behind several werewolves giving orders to surround Acma. Acma immediately swung his sword diagonally toward the captain. In a second, it lose its ability to give orders and fell for eternity. Acma continued to wreaking havoc inside the werewolves camps. Although they tried everything they could, they still unable to stop Acma. If only their elder was still alive, they might have a chance to kill him. Unfortunately, that elder was the first to fall. Finally, Acma arrived at the boundaries of the centaurs camp. As soon as they saw Acma, they hastily cleared off his path with an intention not to engage him. They obviously terrified of Acma, watching his savageness in dealing with the werewolves. How could he let them do as they please, after all what they did to Orca Village? He didn¡¯t mind the first two battle because he considered them as giving a free experience to the villagers. But sending an envoy while amassing a big forces to attack again? That¡¯s not something he could forgive. He raised his left hand toward the centaurs camp. ¡°Tier Two¡± ¡°Blackhole¡± A black sphere with diameter spanned to 25 metres appeared above the center of centaurs, sucking everything within 300 metres radius. One by one, the helpless centaurs flew into the sphere and disappeared. Since most of the centaurs were closely clustered together to avoid Acma, most of them fell prey to the sphere. The sphere vanished after a minute, leaving behind a 250 metres deep crater on the ground. The battlefield turned silenced. They never experienced something bizarre like a sphere that sucking everything. They knew that they were doomed. This human wasn¡¯t someone they could afford to provoke but they already did. ¡°Alice, kill all the centaurs outside the village¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Alice took 25 supreme guardians to the centaurs camp. Soon after, a voice of helplessness, a shriek of fear and a scream of agony echoed into the air. After giving his order to Alice, Acma headed toward West. His target was the deep browned wooden gate. He arrived in front of the gate without any obstruction. He stood there for a moment, looking at the 5 metres tall gate. It look sturdy. Acma took a breath and raised his sword. Suddenly, before Acma could swing his sword, the gate opened. ¡®CREEEEAAAAAAAKK¡¯ That sturdy wooden gate fully opened after a minute, revealing an old centaur woman, kneeling on the ground with two streams of tears flowing down from its eyes. Behind it were many centaurs women and children. When it saw Acma standing outside the gate, the old centaur woman immediately prostrating on the ground while mumbling something. Acma couldn¡¯t hear the mumbling clearly so he walked into the village. He already lowered his sword to the side as no clear sign of danger were seen. The village¡¯s entrance look plain and simple. The street was wide enough to accommodate two cars side by side. The street were decorated with beautiful wild flowers as high as 2 metres tall on its side. From what he looked, Acma felt that this village was peaceful.
You¡¯ve entered a lordless village As a lord, you can claim ownership over territories, either by forces or negotiations. If you wish to claim ownership over this village, have the villagers to recognize you as their lord
A notification panel appeared but he immediately swipe it off. Acma was a few steps away from the old woman. When it heard Acma approaching, it raised its head, showing a faint elated expression. Unconsciously, its eyes briefly glanced at the wild flower decoration to his right. Watching that glance, Acma knew something was wrong. He immediately moved his sword, ready to defend himself. At the same time, he heard a sound from his right and left. Within his periphery vision, he saw two sturdy centaurs already swinging their sword diagonally. Both of their front foot were high in the air to increase its power.
Centaur Elder LVL 215
Centaur Elder LVL 208
Without moving his head, Acma pointed his sword and his left-hand finger sword at the head of the attacker. ¡®EARTH SPLINTER¡¯ After a while. ¡®THUD¡¯ Their bodies fell to the ground with an extra hole on their forehead. The old woman stared blankly at two bodies lying motionlessly on the ground. Acma was staring dagger at that old woman. He almost lose his mind and killed it. But he managed to hold that urge and gritted his teeth. "Do you still have any tricks left", he asked. 41 - A Reason To Hate The old centaur woman got all Acma¡¯s attention. Its body was trembling from fear but it kept staring at Acma with a gaze full of hatred. It was facing Acma alone in the middle of the beaten dirt street. When Acma killed both elders, all women and children behind the old woman fled. ¡°Could you let go that old grandma. She got nothing with that attack. Its all my plan¡±, A hoarse voice could be heard from inside the nearby building. A short while after, an old but strong looking centaur emerged from inside the building. Each of its step made a clanking sounds that came from a friction between its bronze body armour and a sword sheath on its left waist. Its face was covered with a dirt of pain and sorrow. Acma ignored the old woman and shifted his attention to that old centaur and two other centaurs behind it.
Centaur Elder LVL 235
Centaur Elder LVL 208
Centaur Elder LVL 210
¡°This old centaur said he drew the plan so he must be the chief¡±, he thought. ¡°You even involved the children in your plan¡± ¡°If I could kill you, everything was worth it¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Why do you hate humans so much?¡± Acma didn¡¯t beat around the bushes. ¡°Are you planning to insult me by pretending not knowing the reason? Is it fun, human?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who is asking the question¡± The old centaur didn¡¯t speak any further. Its face twitching and a sounds could be heard from its gritted teeth. Since Acma¡¯s face was covered by his helmet, this old centaur didn¡¯t know what Acma was thinking. So it didn¡¯t know how to face this human properly. ¡°Alice, you can stop the killing for now. Gather the remaining centaurs at the main gate¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°How many were left?¡± ¡°487 survivors¡± After Alice replied, Acma spoke to the chief. The chief couldn¡¯t hear Alice¡¯s voice because it was sent through an earphone inside Acma¡¯s helmet. ¡°There is 487 warriors left from your troop outside. Their fate depend on your conduct, so choose wisely¡±. Last night, the envoy called him a warrior, so he thought that calling each other warrior was a common practice in this world. ¡°Huh?¡± The chief was startled, like it was just remembered something and then immediately running to the main gate, ignoring Acma. It was looking right and left, searching for someone. After a while it was seen asking something at one of the centaur. ¡°Alice, what is he asking?¡± Acma couldn¡¯t hear their conversation, so he asked Alice who was guarding the centaurs at the main gate. ¡°About his son, Grufin¡± ¡°Did he found him?¡± ¡°No, he was just informed that his son had been swallowed by a black sphere together with the son of a centaur behind him¡± ¡°Here comes more trouble¡± ¡°Indeed¡± The chief grabbed its head with both hands and faced the sky. While one of the elder behind him lowered its head and shaking it a little. Their shoulders were trembling. ¡°AAAAAAHHHHHHH..... GRUFIIIIIINNNNNNN!!!!¡±, the chief roared loudly. It turned its body around and glaring at Acma unblinking. If stares could kill, then Acma already dead with ten thousand cuts. Its face darken with each passing seconds. It slowly stepped forward as its hand tightly grabbing the hilt of his sword. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I WILLL KILLLL YOUUUUU!!!¡±, it roared and sprinting forward. When it was 3 steps away from Acma, it raised its front legs with its sword high above its head. Like a lighting fast, it slashed its sword diagonally at Acma¡¯s neck. ¡°Too slow, if I thrust my sword right now, you are dead already¡±, thought Acma, watching the speeding sword. He willed his sword into the inventory and fight the chief bare handed. He took a stance with his right foot at the front, ready to receive the strike. ¡°Grab his wrist and thrust my right-hand sword finger at his chest. That should be sufficient. Lets do that¡±, he planned. The sword were reaching its target. ¡®Swoooosh¡¯ In a split second, Acma entered the strike range and executed his plan. The chief¡¯s right hand halted several centimetres above his shoulder, trembling and unable to go down further. ¡°You¡¯re dead¡±, he said softly. Then he withdrew his sword finger and distancing several steps backward. Everyone was stupefied. They couldn¡¯t believe an all out swing from their enraged chief were stopped just like that. The chief¡¯s face was indescribable. Anger, shock, fear alternating with each other. ¡°Your son died because of your foolish plans. Instead of getting angry at me, you better kill yourself¡±, said Acma coldly. ¡°YOUUUU!!!¡± The chief tried to lunged itself again, but this time, a strong hand grabbed its shoulder and stopped it. It was one of the elder, the one that wasn¡¯t grieving. It whispered something to chief¡¯s ear. ¡°Chief, we better not aggravate this human any further. He¡¯s too strong. We better let the Forest Knight handle him¡± ¡°HE KILLED MY SON!¡± ¡°I know, but just now, he could kill you but he didn¡¯t¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Let me talk to him¡± ¡°...¡± That elder stepped forward and talked. ¡°Sir warrior, my name is Strabeous, an elder. Thank you for sparing the lives of our chief and our warriors. I will answer all your question in place of my chief¡± ¡°You may proceed¡±, said Acma giving his permission. ¡°As per your question, it¡¯s all began 20 years ago after humans breached the peace treaty and invaded our lands. They massacring all non humans, beastmen, demi-humans, beasts, monsters. They even made a pact with the undead to enslave our soul. They enslaved the captured, raping our women and put them on display. We were killed to the brink of annihilation, if not for the help from the Sacred Forest, we all already dead¡±, explained Strabeous. It paused for a while to see Acma¡¯s reaction. ¡°Go on¡±, said Acma. ¡°... We were force to leave our lands and finally taking refuge in this place. Can¡¯t you see why we hate humans so much?¡± ¡°That didn¡¯t justify your action attacking my village¡± Strabeous¡¯s face were twitching from anger, glaring at Acma who was stroking his chin. ¡°You said humans were breaching the peace treaty, why there was a treaty?¡± asked Acma. ¡°It was from the previous war which happened several hundreds years ago. At that time, human were much weaker and fewer in numbers compared to non humans. They lost a lot of cities and were driven to the edge of the continent at Far East. With nowhere to go, they begged for mercy and we agreed to sign a peace treaty. That was a golden years for non humans. Unfortunately, we put too much trust on human, reverted to our old lifestyles and minding our own business without realizing that human were harbouring an unfathomably deep grudge against us. 20 years ago, one of their leader got his hand on a divine weapon which elevated himself to a rank of hero. He unified the human and lead them to a war against non human. In the beginning, we retaliated, but that hero was just too strong. In a short 5 years, we were reduced to our current state. And now, even killing a single human like you was proven a difficult task for us¡±. ¡°I¡¯m not a human from your world¡±, Acma was dying to explain that, but he endured. He asked another question. ¡°How the Sacred Forest end the war?¡± ¡°The Sacred Forest send 13 of their protectors. One of them were also a hero. They defeated the hero from the human side and sealed him. They also constructed an Enchanted Forest as a barrier between a human land and a non human land. There were rumours that the human¡¯s hero was sealed inside that barrier with his weapon and he became the power source to maintain that barrier. Once that hero died or removed from the barrier, that barrier will collapse¡±, Strabeous paused his explanation. ¡°...¡± Acma waited patiently. ¡°... This is what I heard from the capital. The Enchanted Forest were divided into two parts and both side, human and non human were given an authority over half of it. On the human side, Aurea Empire held that authority while on the non human side was Isebial Kingdom. From time to time, there were battles between two side at the middle of the Enchanted Forest. Rumours said, that the trees inside the Enchanted Forest were alive and they only let the races with the correspondent authority to enter it. Which mean, if human wanted to cross over, they will be killed by the trees on the non human side and likewise. Rumours also said, all the warriors who were killed inside the forest will become a nourishment to the forest to keep the barrier working longer¡±. ¡°... that¡¯s quite a good solution¡±, Acma thought. ¡°Why the Sacred Forest didn¡¯t interfered earlier? Why they let non human close to an extinction before they decided to interfere?¡± asked Acma curiously. Right now he looked like a student who was craving for knowledge and Strabeous was the professor. Strabeous sighed before continued, ¡°They weren¡¯t called the Sacred Forest for no reason. They only concerned with their sacred land. They were forced to interfere because the war had reached their borders and the refugees were breaching their forest¡±. ¡°Who reside the Sacred Forest?¡± ¡°A high elves and anyone who reached the Legend rank¡± ¡°What is Legend Rank?¡± ¡°A rank higher than Sage rank¡± ¡°... then what is Sage rank?¡± ¡°A rank higher than Grandmaster rank¡± ¡°What is the lowest rank? ¡°A warrior¡± ¡°After that?¡± ¡°Master¡± ¡°Hey, human. Why are you asking so many question? How come you didn¡¯t know all of this¡±, asked Strabeous as its patience wearing thin. ¡°You''re also asking questions like me¡±, answered Acma nonchalantly as he still thinking other questions to asked. An opportunity like this was rare. All his previous encounter were cut short by the opponent¡¯s short temper. This Strabeous was quite nice to answer all his question patiently. ¡°YOUUUU!!!¡±, Strabeous¡¯s forehead were decorated with an extra black lines. 42 - Grateful and Pity Looking at the boiling elder made Acma thinking that he might have gone a bit too far. If this elder also erupted like everyone else, he would lose a lot of benefit like getting an information, a minions or worse, he might end up wiping out the entire village. This elder was the only centaur he could reason with. He look at the Strabeous side where the chief was standing. Looks like the chief had manage to calm down a bit, but its eyes were still piercing. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t talk to this grieving father yet¡±, he thought. ¡°Elder Strabeous¡±, he called. He used ¡®Elder¡¯ although they were still could be considered as enemy to make it loosened up a bit. ¡°I want to inform you that all the human in my village were not from this world. We came from a world called Earth and we end up at this place only after 2 days ago¡±, said Acma. ¡°Bullshit. Why should I believe in this blatant lie? Otherworld? Earth? I¡¯ve never heard any of this before¡±, shouted the still angry chief. ¡°Just because you never heard it, it doesn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t exist¡±, refuted Acma in his head. He chose to ignore the chief. ¡°Think, this land have been sealed for 15 years from human invasions. But out of nowhere, a well defended human village appeared in this part of the land. You¡¯re familiar with this area, you should know that we¡¯re not here before 2 days ago¡±. He started with the most crucial fact. If this elder could accept it, then he might be able to get its help to explain the fact to the other beastman. If this happened, an attack on Orca Village could be avoided. ¡°You might came through the Umedour Kingdom or traversing through the Bottomless Swamp. That might be hard, but it¡¯s not impossible. Then you were hiding until 2 days ago¡±, said Strabeous ¡°Umedour Kingdom? So there is a way to bypass the Enchanted Forest. Damn. Now it would be hard to convince them. Just forget about it. It¡¯s up to them either they want to believe it or not¡±, thought Acma. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to believe me. That¡¯s your own problem. However, the most important thing is, if you make a wrong decision in dealing with my village, you can imagine what will happen to your village¡±, Acma said. ¡°...¡± ¡°We understand. I assure you, that today¡¯s battle will the last between our village¡±. ¡°Just like that? That¡¯s too easy. I thought this Strabeous will retaliate a bit or at least ask more questions. He¡¯s too calm. I wonder if he was the mastermind behind all what happened in this three days. I must beware of him¡±, thought Acma. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it¡±, he said then pointed his finger at the chief, ¡°... and you, if you have a grudge against me, I¡¯ll take on you anytime¡± The chief only glowered at Acma, but it didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Elder Strabeous, can you explain a little about Umedour Kingdom¡±, asked Acma. ¡°Hou, you¡¯re not telling us a story about your place anymore?¡± asked the chief with a sardonic smile. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Tsk..This guy became more irritating¡±, thought Acma but he ignore it, again. He won¡¯t lowered himself to its level. Watching Acma ignored it, the chief¡¯s face was twitching. ¡°It¡¯s a dwarven kingdom, located between Aurea Empire and Isebial Kingdom. It was built inside the Metal Mountain Range which is rich with numerous metal ore. Because of their location, the human didn¡¯t attack them in the previous war. Furthermore, nobody dares to trespassed their border because of their magnificent metal golems¡±, explained Strabeous. ¡°Metal golems?¡± ¡°Yes, metal golems, just like yours I think, but I¡¯m not sure because I¡¯ve never saw one before. That¡¯s also the reason why I still suspicious about your people¡¯s origin¡± ¡°Metal Mountain Range, metal golems. Maybe the Metal Kingdom was there too. ¡®That¡¯ guy also mention about dwarves. Hmmm... I should confirm this in the future¡±, Acma said to himself. ¡°So both Metal Mountain Range and Enchanted Forest were located between Aurea Empire and Isebial Kingdom. Just how long is the Enchanted Forest? ¡°Yes, they were. It¡¯s about 2000 kilometres from the border of Metal Mountain Range and a Dark Mountain Range¡± ¡°Another mountain range?¡± asked Acma in his head. ¡°Why is it called Dark Mountain Range? ¡°Because it was plagued with dark energy. Only dark creatures were able to live in there. I don¡¯t know for sure what type they were except the undead¡± ¡°Elf, dwarf, minatour, centaur, werewolf, human, undead, lizardman, so my types of creatures in this world. I haven¡¯t ask Strabeous about Sacred Forest and Bottomless Swamp yet, but maybe next time¡±, he thought. ¡°Thank you very much, Elder Strabeous. If I have anymore questions in the future, I¡¯ll have to bother Elder again" "..." "... One more question, do you have a map of this world?" "... No, I don''t have it. You can get it at the capital" "Capital of Isebial Kingdom. Haha. It''s like handing my head to the executioner. Anyway, thanks again" Acma felt grateful for Strabeous because of all those new information. He felt he can work together with this elder. ¡°Elder Strabeous, I wonder if someday in the future, someone make a country for everyone, human and non human alike, what will you do?¡± It was just spontaneous idea and didn¡¯t mean he was going to built one. ¡°A country like that was impossible to exist. Even if it do exist, I won¡¯t join them. My hatred against human will never disappear¡±, replied Strabeous. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I thought we would be able to work together¡±, said Acma. ¡°Is there any possibilities you would reconcile with the human, like right now you were talking with me?¡± ¡°...¡± Strabeous gritted its teeth. ¡°Never¡±, it replied. ¡°... So why are talking to me nicely?¡± Acma asked curiously. ¡°...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want to answer ah? Looks like your hatred were just as deep as the others¡±, Acma concluded. ¡°If the hatred will never disappear, there is no use to talk anymore¡±, he thought. He felt pity that this elder also trapped in its hatred. Acma took out all his guardians from inventory. Instantly, all 300 of them filled the street. ¡°Summon: Great Wolf Alpha¡± Silver materialized in front of Acma. ¡°Alice, gather all the centaurs in the village at the main gate. Follow Silver to locate them. If anyone refuse, beat them to submission¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma patted Silver head and said, ¡°Please locate all the centaurs in the village and show their location to Alice¡±. Silver gave a low growl and the sprinting forward, followed by the guardians. Acma¡¯s sudden action gave a lightning shock to the centaurs. ¡°Hey, what are you going to do?¡± asked Strabeous fearfully. Acma look at Strabeous but didn¡¯t say anything. He kept walking toward the main gate with 2 supreme guardians escorting him. 43 - Trust Acma was standing in the middle of the field, facing the main gate. His supreme guardians were still guarding the centaur warriors while the other guardians were busy escorting children, women and old centaurs out of the village. Strabeous were negotiating but Acma kept his silence. The chief were fuming and tried to attack Acma, but its weapon were immediately confiscated by Alice before it could do anything. It was to prevent any disturbance later. After half an hour, all centaurs were gathered in front of the main gate. Silver returned to Acma¡¯s side while the guardians were encircling the centaurs. The main gate was shut. ¡°Alice, make a stage for me with two stone guardians. I want to talk to these centaurs¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Two guardians stood in front of Acma, facing each other. They bent their knees to let Acma climbed on their palms. Then they rose their palms a bit over their forehead. Their palms were wide enough for him to stand on. Now, Acma was standing high enough to look down on all the centaurs. The average height of the centaurs was 2.2 metres tall while Acma was only 1.8 metres tall. He had to look up when talking to them. He wanted to avoid that, that¡¯s why he use the guardians as a stage. Acma scanned the faces in front of him. Fear, nervous, confuse, angry, unyielding and hatred. All of this were etched on their faces. The chief already stopped making ruckus, Strabeous shut its mouth and the others were glaring at Acma. ¡°Good spirit¡±, praised Acma in his head. Actually, his forehead was littered with beads of sweat. He was nervous. Never in his life before, he gave a speech in front of a large crowd like this. He could only hope that everything would be okay. He took out several spheres and let them float above their head. Those sphere would amplify his voice, so he didn¡¯t have to shout. Everything was ready. It¡¯s time for him to speak. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m so nervous. What to do.....¡± ¡°Alice, I¡¯m nervous. Do you have any tips to alleviate it¡±, he whispered while keeping his posture straight. It already a few minutes since he stood on the stage. It looks like he was trying to give an air of mysteriousness by keeping his silence. ¡°Breath into your balls¡±, replied Alice. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Stretch your arms up and take a deep breath three times. Introduce yourself short and then speak your hearts out¡±, said Alice giving the tips. ¡°Ouh, thanks Alice¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡± He stretched his arms up and it startled all his audience. When he finally felt he was ready, he spoke. ¡°My name is Acma Heart and I am Lord of the Heavenly Villa¡± His introduction reverberated in the ears of the centaurs. This person was a lord. ¡°I am a human and I don¡¯t give a shit about your hatred toward human. If you¡¯ve some courage, come and kill me¡± ¡°...¡± Nobody moves and nobody dare to say anything. The warriors already saw Acma¡¯s prowess in battle and the saw the 25 metal guardians belong to Acma massacring their brethren. As for the chief, he as the strongest warrior in the village was easily defeated, so he also kept quiet. ¡°So far so good. Next thing will be hard¡±, he thought. ¡°Since you lost to me in the battle this morning, now you¡¯re my prisoner. I want you to swear your oath of allegiance to me and obey my orders as your lord¡± Initially, Acma wanted to give some justifications why he gave that order like the centaurs had to pay for their crime attacking Orca Village or kept planning to attack. But he retracted that plan. He only went with the simplest reason. The centaurs were looking at each other, full of anxiety. All of them were looking at the elders, hoping that they would say something. Acma was expecting that this won¡¯t go smoothly as he wished. The elder would retaliated for sure. The only question was how fierce would they retaliated. Not giving a chance for them to retaliate, Acma spoke.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some times to think. No matter how angry or confused you¡¯re, think carefully before you respond¡± Suddenly, Acma noticed something was leisurely moving down the cliff on the southern side of the centaurs village. A fiery red lines could be seen on its huge pair of grasping pedipalps, giving a unique look with its jet black body. By rough estimation, its length from the tip of its pedipalps to the end of its stinger was about 25 metres while the width between its pedipalps if fully spread out was about 10-13 metres. On its back were several mole-like creatures whom probably a rider. Its dark brown, velvety fur blended well with the colour of its ride. It¡¯s a kind of big mole, but it sit on its butt while its hands skilfully handled the rein that was tighten at the base of its ride¡¯s femur. ¡®RUMBLE¡¯
Pandinus Scorpiones LVL 135
Talpid Mole LVL 56
There were a dozen of scorpiones with 8 of them carrying 7-9 moles on their back which fixed with a leather couch. Each moles were carrying javelins or bow on their back. As for melee weapon, they used a knife. The rest of the scorpiones were carrying several boxes made from wood and vines. ¡°I guess, this is the reinforcement they were waiting since this morning. A unit that capable of scaling the mountains. But they didn¡¯t look like they were going for battle¡±, thought Acma while side-glancing at Strabeous. Acma look at Strabeous and asked. ¡°Strabeous, is this your friends?¡± ¡°They were a Talpid Mole, they were traders. I don¡¯t know why they came here¡±, said Strabeous. ¡°Then go and ask them. I don¡¯t want them to delay our matter¡± Strabeous was frowning but it didn¡¯t move. The Talpid Mole finally reached close to the gathering. Acma looked at them but couldn¡¯t read anything from their expressionless face. He also cannot compare it with the information about the moles in the previous world because the only similarities they have was their look but their habit was totally different. ¡°Hey Strabeous, what is the meaning of this? You said you¡¯re going to attack a human village tonight, why you¡¯re surrounded like a prisoner?¡± shouted one of the mole. It has a rounder belly than the others which made it look shorter. ¡°It is the reinforcement and that mole must be the leader of this group. Strabeous said they were trader, if I play a right card, they might become a friend¡±, Acma thought. ¡°Strabeous, did you trade their services with the information about my village?¡± asked Acma. ¡°...¡± Strabeous kept quiet. The leader of the moles were looking excitedly at the guardians. It jumped down its ride and running with its short legs toward one of the guardians. It touched the guardian here and there, knocked it with its fingers and sized it. It really interested at the guardian. Acma let it be for a while and then threw a cold water on its head. ¡°It¡¯s not for sale, so stop touching it¡±, said Acma with an unfriendly tone. ¡°Aahhh, this is an extremely good stone golem. That metal one is even better. Sir warrior, please don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m only interested at it, not to buy it because I know I can¡¯t afford it. How rude of me, I haven¡¯t introduce myself yet. Sir warrior, my name is Sirsutor. You can call me Sir, Sutor, Sirsutor or even better Sir Sutor. Hahahaha. I¡¯m the leader of this group. May I know sir warrior¡¯s name?¡± asked Sirsutor. ¡°Nice to meet you Sir Sutor. My name is Acma and I am a human from the village you¡¯re going to attack tonight¡± ¡°Hahahaha, I like it. So you¡¯re Acma from .... Whaaaaaaaaaat!!!!¡± It fell on its butt instantly and tried to hide its plumpy body behind the guardian¡¯s leg. A commotion erupted among the moles and they immediately grabbed their weapon and aimed it at Acma. ¡°Wha..what are you doing here? I didn¡¯t mean that we, the Talpid Mole will join the attack. We just renting the scorpiones to the centaurs. Sir warrior, please believe me¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Renting the scorpiones? Should I believe this mole?¡± thought Acma. ¡°Order them to lower their weapon¡± ¡°Ye..yes sir¡± ¡°All of you idiot, lower your weapon immediately. Be thankful that almighty sir warrior didn¡¯t kill you¡± ¡°Those scorpiones are for rent? Interesting¡± ¡°Yes, yes sir Acma. But if sir Acma want, we can lend them to you for free, no charge¡± ¡°How much these centaurs pay for them?¡± 5000 arrowheads for each scorpiones¡± ¡°Arrowheads? Did these centaurs make them?¡± ¡°Yes, they make them. They¡¯re the only blacksmith in this area¡±, Sirsutor blurted out everything. It really cannot keep a secret. Acma was shocked with that info. He never thought that the centaurs were a blacksmith. This info made him more interested to take over the village. He already have a nokium mine. If he have a blacksmith, he could produce an equipment for Orca Village. He turned his head toward Strabeous. He was grinning. ¡°Strabeous, my interest in your village just increase to a whole new level¡±, said Acma. ¡°I¡¯ll never let the village fall in your hands, evil creature¡±, shouted the chief who stood next to Strabeous. ¡°I almost forgot about you, chief. Your name should be Gru too right. Chief Gru, I won¡¯t make any excessive demand from your village. For now, it¡¯s just simple order like do not attack my village and do not participate in any attack on my village. In return, I will protect your village from your enemies. Even if you don¡¯t have any enemies, I¡¯ll still protect it. You have my word¡±, explained Acma. ¡°Trusting you will only lead my village destruction. Human could never be trusted¡±, said Chief Gru with a stare. ¡°You trusted your elder to attack my village, look at what you end up?¡± asked Acma sarcastically. Acma let Chief Gru and the centaurs thinking their answers. He jumped down and walked toward Sirsutor. 44 - Soul Slaver ¡°Hi hieee...What are going to do to me?¡± asked Sirsutor anxiously as he watched Acma walking towards him. It grabbed the leg of the guardian harder. ¡°Nothing, I just going to stand you up¡±, replied Acma as he grabbed its shoulder and helped it to stand on its feet. ¡°It¡¯s better to speak with Sir Sutor while you¡¯re standing up¡±, said Acma. ¡°Th.. thank you¡± ¡°Lets talk on the scorpiones back. I like to siton it for once¡±, Acma lead the way toward the Sirsutor¡¯s ride like he¡¯s the one who owned it. ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Hey, give us some space. I want to talk with sir warrior here¡±, said Sirsutor. The other talpid moles jumped down to give Acma and Sirsutor a space to talk. ¡°Sir Sutor, there many thing I want to ask you, but I will ask only a few. I hope you don¡¯t mind¡± ¡°Sir Acma, I don¡¯t really mind, but our tribe never give anything for free¡±, said Sirsutor while kept avoiding looking at Acma¡¯s face. ¡°He want a payment even for information. Really a trader. But this fatty seem to forget his place after a few sir and now he think I¡¯m a pushover?¡±, thought Acma. ¡°I understand that everything has a price. But I want to remind you, that you came here to attack my village. With that fact alone I should kill you and your group. Then, to prevent more trouble, I will trace your tribe and annihilate them. But I didn¡¯t. Do you understand?¡± Acma¡¯s sudden change of tone coupled with intimidating pressure from his body made Sirsutor shivering non stop in fear. It never thought that this human¡¯s mood could change this fast and it almost lost its life because of a simple statement it made earlier. ¡°Do you have a map of the entire Isebial Kingdom?¡± asked Acma didn¡¯t give a chance for Sirsutor to answer. ¡°Sir Acma, possessing a map is forbidden by the kingdom¡± ¡°...¡± It¡¯s not impossible for a kingdom to do that especially Isebial Kingdom who were recovering from a devastating war. But a trader should have a map or a mean to navigate safely throughout the kingdom. Acma wanted to know that. ¡°How do you navigate your trading route?¡± ¡°We depend on our memory and this baby here¡±, replied Sirsutor while patting its scorpiones. ¡°Only a senior member of our tribe will lead a trade convoy and scorpiones can easily remember all the routes they take during the journey¡±. ¡°Looks like this scorpiones is really special¡±, praised Acma. He also patting its carapace and secretly planted a tracking device between the carapace intersection. ¡°Yes, they are. They are our tribe most prized possession¡± ¡°How do you control it. I mean, your strength not even half the scorpiones¡±, asked Acma curiously. ¡°... I shouldn¡¯t tell you this but it wasn¡¯t a secret either. Our tribe have a scorpiones tamer. They were the one who control these scorpiones¡± Acma restrained himself from looking at each of the talpid moles around him to locate the tamer. He had some ideas about what tamer was but maybe it was different in this world. ¡°What is a tamer?¡± Sirsutor looked at Acma unbelievably, maybe because Acma asked about a fairly common knowledge. But it still answered. ¡°They were the one who formed a contract either with beasts, monsters or insects. To form a contract, a contract rune is needed except for some of the high rank beasts, monsters or insects which are known to be prideful and refuse to be contracted. Most of the time, the tamer will use a slave ring or slave collar to forcefully make them submit¡± ¡°Scorpion is not an insect¡±, Acma refuted in his head. ¡°That was interesting. Do you sell a contract runes or slave ring?¡± ¡°... No, we do not sell them. Only the kingdom have them¡± ¡°...¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°It¡¯s mean this moles have the contract rune for scorpiones. Since they have it, there is a possibilities that I can get the runes from other parties and not from the kingdom. I can¡¯t ask too much about this or this fatty will get suspicious that I will rob the contract rune from them. Lets ask about something else¡±, thought Acma. Acma called Silver to his side. He unsummoned and then re-summoned it just to show it to Sirsutor. ¡°What is this ability called?¡± he asked. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve never thought you¡¯re a Soul Slaver¡±, said Sirsutor as its face darken. ¡°Soul Slaver?¡± asked Acma. He was curious about the reason why Sirsutor suddenly became agitated. ¡°Other than necromancer, soul slaver is the most hated profession among non human. Why? Because they kill and then enslave the soul to become their summons. The enslaved soul will never die and never be able to return to the afterlife. That¡¯s why we hate the soul slaver¡±, said Sirsutor without looking at the Soul Slaver in front of it. The other moles also looked agitated. They distancing the other scorpiones from Acma. ¡°...¡± ¡°Enslaving the souls? How about look at it from another perspective, I suggest, repurposing the souls. If I argue with this fatty, it will become a classic unending debate about good and evil, or about the act of manipulation and this kind of debate is useless. Hmmmm... I should tell about this to Orca Village. I wonder what are their view on this¡±, Acma was contemplating. He never viewed things as black and white like he never viewed a weapon as good or evil. Weapon was just a weapon. It¡¯s the wielder who wasgood or evil, not the weapon itself. It¡¯s also similar to skills or techniques. In his opinion, soul enslaving could be bad or evil. He didn¡¯t care about Sirsutor or other non human¡¯s view on him.The most important thing, either it was useful to defend himself and to defend someone or something close to him or not. ¡°What is the difference between Necromancer and Soul Slaver?¡± ¡°Both of them enslaved the soul, but necromancer enslaved the soul of a sentient being while soul slaver enslaved the soul of a non sentient being. Look, can we talk about something else?¡± said Sirsutor as it look directly at Acma. ¡°Impressive, your hatred have overcome your fear. Now you even dare to look straight at my face¡±, praised Acma. He stroke its shoulder repeatedly, each stroke was harder than previously. Then he slapped its face lightly several times. Its head immediately shrunk after hearing Acma¡¯s words. ¡°No.. no sir, I.. I won¡¯t dare. I apo.. apologize for my behaviour just now. I will never repeat it again¡±, said Sirsutor stutteringly as it lowered its head. ¡°I have no more questions but I want you to spread the news about me. You can aggravate it if you want to. But, let me remind you, if anyone dare to touch my village, I will annihilate yourentire tribe. Who knows, I might be a necromancer too. Let them think about it¡± Acma stood up and look at Sirsutor. ¡°Sutor, raise your head and look at me¡± ¡°Sir warrior, I.. I won¡¯t dare¡± ¡°I said, raise your head and look at me. Do not let me repeat it again¡± With much difficulties, Sirsutor raised its head and look at Acma. ¡°Sir Sutor, your courage just now is what I admire the most. Keep it. Although we¡¯re not friends, but we¡¯re not enemies either. Don¡¯t let your hatred blind your judgement¡± After he said that, Acma jumped down and walked toward the centaurs followed by Silver, leaving the gobsmacked Sirsutor who seem couldn¡¯t comprehend Acma¡¯s praise. ¡°Alice, activate that tracking device and let me know if it stop moving permanently¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± The centaurs seemed to have come to an agreement and were looking at Acma. When Acma arrived, Chief Gru stepped forward and spoke. ¡°Acma, we¡¯ve agreed to accept you as our lord, but we will never call you our lord. As long as you keep this village safe, we will follow your order. This is our decision¡± ¡°Good, I accept that. I will leave two guardians at your village. It will help you to defend the village. Also, take this sphere. If you face any emergency, push this button and I¡¯ll immediately know¡±, replied Acma as he shoved the communication sphere at Chief Gru¡¯s hand. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand¡±
This village have become your territory. You can view about the status of this village in your territory panel
¡°My third territory, awesome¡±, thought Acma. ¡°Chief, what is the name of this village?¡± ¡°We have no name. It¡¯s not important¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll name this village as Gru Village since you¡¯re the founder. Everything in the village will proceed as it was previously except I am the lord. You will lead the village as usual. If I have anything for you in the future, I¡¯ll tell you. Right now, take this metal and forge your best weapon from it¡±, said Acma as he gave a hundred gramof nokium metal to Chief Gru. ¡°This is a rare metal. Where did you get this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not important¡±, replied Acma short. He look at the sky and noticed the deep orange colour were plastered all over the horizon. ¡°It¡¯s not even 9 hours since the sunrise, but now its already near sunset. What happened?¡± ¡°Chief, why it¡¯s already near sunset? Compare to yesterday, it should be much longer right?, he asked. ¡°The daytime is always shorter on the 3rd day and the night-time is longer ¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird. Nevermind, I¡¯ll get use to it sooner or later¡± ¡°I see. Chief, I need a guide to the werewolves¡¯ tribe. I still have some business with them¡± ¡°Are you going to kill all of them?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll know when I reach them. Do you have a guide?¡± ¡°Yes we have. He will come to you shortly¡± While waiting for the guide, Acma ordered 2 stone guardians standing guard beside the main gate like a door god. Shortly after, a guide came forward. ¡°Lead the way. We leave immediately¡± ¡°Yes, sir¡± 45 - Blow Them Up Hello, I want to thank everyone for reading my fiction. Last week, LHTV reached top 300 onactive fiction list and top 100 on popular this week list. This is already a great achievement for me. It all thanks to you. ============ Not long after Acma leave Gru Village, the sun has retreated into the horizon and the sky began to darken. Night has arrived. Acma followed the guide on Silver¡¯s back, heading toward north of Gru Village. ¡°I forgot to tell them what to do about the moles. Hmmm... I hope Strabeous will handle them neatly¡±, Acma lamented. ¡°Alice, can you call Uncle Pai, I want to talk to him¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ... [Hello kid, how are you?] ¡°Hello Uncle Pai, I¡¯m on my way to the werewolves¡¯ den. How¡¯s the negotiation with the centaurs going?¡± [How do you know? Emmm... negotiation is good. The centaurs are willing to pay 2500 arrowheads and 1000 silver for Grustag. The ransom will be paid tomorrow morning. They also reassure us that they won¡¯t attack again] ¡°Did the elders accepted?¡± [Yes, all the elders accepted since we lost nothing at all. Kid, when will you return?] ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be okay¡± [It¡¯s good to hear that. Don¡¯t get hurt] ¡°Okay Uncle Pai. One more thing, please keep an eye on the cliff surrounding the village. The enemies might have a unit that capable of scaling the mountains¡± [Hmmm... that¡¯s a bad news. Did you found anything?] ¡°I did found something. Alice will show you the recording¡± [Okay] ¡°Okay then, see you again Uncle Pai¡± The conversation ended. Acma didn¡¯t reveal everything about what happened today because the centaurs won¡¯t attack anymore just like the envoys said. ¡°Alice, give the recording about talpid moles and their ride to uncle¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± It was half an hour journey from Gru Village to the werewolves¡¯ den. The journey was quiet and peaceful. Acma didn¡¯t encounter with any beast, maybe because it was close to a settlement. Suddenly, the guide halted its step and turned its head toward Acma. ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve arrived. The den is over there¡±, it pointed its finger toward a small cave about 2 and half metres height at the foot of the mountain, 500 metres from where they were standing. ¡°Thank you. Do you want to stay? You don¡¯t have to worry about your safety¡±, Acma extended his offer. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m going back now¡± ¡°Okay then, take care of yourself¡± ¡°...¡± The guide turned its body and then disappeared into the darkness. Acma didn¡¯t force it to stay because that guide was surely capable of defending itself. Acma turned his head toward the den. Under a moonlight, he could see an empty ground in front of the den. No werewolves could be seen. ¡°Alice, turn invisible and check inside the den¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± While waiting for Alice, Acma examined the items he got from the battle this morning. What exciting him the most was the amount of the upgrading items. He already waited for too long to upgrade Silver. Open: Summon¡± A summon panel appeared on his sight. He picked the upgrade section before he touched the image of Great Wolf Alpha to determine the amount of upgrading items needed. ¡°Looks like I have everything to advance Silver from elite rank to epic rank¡±, thought Acma. When everything was in place, he pushed the upgrade button. Immediately, a bright purple light enveloped Silver¡¯s body, illuminating the dark forest. Acma did nothing to cover the light because he was more concerned about Silver¡¯s advancement. Slowly, Silver floated in the air while still bathing in the purple light. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Within the light, Acma could see Silver¡¯s body slowly enlarged until it reached 1.5 metres height. Its paw already bigger than human adult palm while it sharp claws could make someone shivered in fear by just looking at it. It was a huge wolf. The only similarities was its silver fur. It still a beautiful comfy silver fur. The whole process took a full five minutes. After everything ended and the purple light finally dimmed out, Silver was standing in front Acma. Its height reached his chest made him catching his breath in admiration. His Silver has become stronger. Now he has two epic rank offensive beast other than Sawa. Ding ~
You have learned Tornado skill
¡°Tornado? This is great. I wonder what rank it is¡±, thought Acma. ¡°Identify: Tornado¡±
Tornado Mortal class, Gold rank offensive skill
¡°This is exciting¡±, Acma exclaimed. He already imagining the havocs he would create, watching his enemies swirling in the air when he unleashed a full-blown tornado. It¡¯s even better if he fought against multiple enemies. ¡°I must raise its mastery level as soon as possible¡±, he thought with his face full of determination. Then he realized that Silver only gave him two skills instead of four unlike Sawa. ¡°I wonder what is the reason. Hmmmm.... Oh, maybe because Sawa is a named beast. Silver is just a normal beast. That¡¯s a reasonable explanation. It¡¯s about time Alice return. There she is¡±. ¡°Master, you must see this¡±, Alice reported after turning her beautiful fairy body visible. ¡°It must be extremely important thing that make Alice skipped everything about the den just to show me it¡±, thought Acma. A blue hologram appeared in front of him, depicting an image of a big hall with many werewolves crouching on the floor. They were having a feast. From their position, Acma could guess their rank within their community. The werewolves crouching on the outer perimeter were smaller in size while at the center of the hall, the werewolves were wearing a chest armour, had a sturdier built and bigger in size. They were feasting with meat. From the hologram, Acma could see oxen and wild boars were eaten by the werewolves on the outer perimeter. However, those at the center were feasting on something else, something that made Acma got a goose bumps and his hair stand on its end. His face darken and his eyes bloody red. Something that made him angry, extremely angry. ¡°What was it eating?¡± asked Acma while pointing at the big werewolf at the center on the hall. He already knew what was it but he was hoping that he was wrong. ¡°It appear to be a human children¡¯s right arm¡±, replied Alice. ¡°...¡± Acma took out ten supreme guardians and handed them several explosives. Then he walked slowly toward the den with a heavy heart. ¡°Alice, plant these explosives on the wall and wait for my signal. I want a maximum destruction¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma entered the cave, followed by Silver and his supreme guardians. It was a 250 metres tunnel before he could reach the feasting hall. He didn¡¯t put any effort to conceal his track. He didn¡¯t care. Even when he entered the cave, he already heard the werewolves were shouting ¡®Intruder¡¯ ¡®Intruder¡¯. He reached the end of the tunnel. ¡°Summon: Stone Golem¡± He ordered the golem to guard the entrance. He wanted to summon Sawa to do the job, but couldn¡¯t because of its size. Looking into the dark hall, he could see many pair of eyes glowing in a green light staring at him. But he didn¡¯t bother with the others. His only concern was several werewolves who was eating the human remains. ¡°How brave you are, intruding into my place¡±, the one with a children arm in its hand spoke.
Werewolf Elder LVL 244
¡°...¡± Acma didn¡¯t bother to reply. He unsheathed his sword and walked slowly toward the center. ¡°Kill it!¡± ordered the elder. Several werewolves immediately dashed toward Acma, but before the could do anything, Silver was much faster biting on their neck. After killing its first target, Silver unleashed several Wind Blades to open the path for Acma. ¡®EARTH SPIKE¡¯ Several werewolves who manage to get pass Silver were impaled. Acma didn¡¯t change his speed. If the werewolves came from his right, a casual swing of his sword cut them into two. If they came from his left, they would die with extra hole on the forehead or throat. After several exchanges, nobody dare to approach Acma. All the werewolves in the hall retreated except several werewolves at the center of the hall. They were shivering in fear but couldn¡¯t move because Silver already standing behind them, cutting their path of retreat. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Why do you do this to us?¡± it said. The arm in its hand was dropped on the floor already. ¡°...¡± ¡®PHANTOM STEP¡¯ Acma reappeared in front of the elder. He dropped on his left knee while swinging his sword horizontally to the right, cutting both of its knees. As fast as lightning, he followed with two other swing cutting both its arms before he grabbed its head. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± Acma turned his body toward the entrance and walked, dragging the limbless werewolf elder. It howled in pain ceaselessly. Silver, Stone Golem and the supreme guardians followed closely behind. When they reached the outside. ¡°Blow them up¡± ¡®BOOOOOOOOOOM¡¯ 46 - Why Should I Tell You? Hi there, thank you for reading my fiction. ================ ¡®BOOOOOOOOOOM¡¯ A quarter of the mountain caved in, made it nearly impossible for the werewolves to survive, unless there were another entrance to the den. Acma didn¡¯t bother to think about it. He dragged the werewolf 100 metres to the edge of the empty ground before he tossed it like a rag. Then he sat on the boulder, trying to calm himself down. The werewolf elder put some effort to sit up. It didn¡¯t want to speak with its captor while lying on the floor. It tried several times, but it limbless body didn¡¯t operate like it wanted to. Thanks to its regeneration power, the bleeding was stopped but it wasn¡¯t enough to regrow its limbs. ¡°Why did you do this to us? Why did you destroy our home?¡± It barked furiously. ¡°Think¡±, replied Acma coldly. ¡°...¡± The werewolf furrowed it brows, thinking of something. It look at Acma and his armour, it paused for a while. Then it look at the supreme guardians behind Acma. It took some times before it laughed a little. ¡°You¡¯re the monster that everyone was talking about since yesterday¡±, it said with a low voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it at first, but now I¡¯m convinced. You¡¯re really a monster. You killed us like a monster would do. What do you want?¡± ¡°Where did you find those humans?¡± ¡°Why should I tell you? You¡¯re going to kill me anyway. Do it, kill me!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°This werewolf won¡¯t talk¡±, thought Acma. ¡°It¡¯s not like I won¡¯t be able to find the trace without its help¡± Acma turned his head toward Silver. When it lowered its head, he rubbed it softly. ¡°Could you help me find the traces of those humans?¡± ¡®Grrrrr...¡¯, Silver rubbed its head on Acma¡¯s palm before it turned its body, sniffed the air for a while before running to the north. ¡°So, it¡¯s further up north¡±, thought Acma while looking at the direction where Silver disappeared. ¡°Unsummon: Stone Golem¡± Acma stood up and retrieved all the supreme guardians. ¡°Let¡¯s go Alice¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma walked passed the lying werewolf, not even paid a glance at it. He treated it like it didn¡¯t exist. ¡°Hey, monster. Where are going?¡± the werewolf started barking when it realized that Acma was leaving without taking it along. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you want to know where I captured those humans? I¡¯ll te....¡± ¡°EARTH SPIKE¡± Instantly, its body was covered with spikes. Acma didn¡¯t like to haggle and he won¡¯t beg. He already gave that werewolf a chance but it wasted it. Although his heart was still bleeding when thinking about the children it ate, he realized that it was pointless to prolong its suffering. Acma entered the forest and proceed to the north. There was no sign of Silver but he could feel the connection that it wasn¡¯t far at the front and still moving. He moved faster so could catch up. From time to time, he would use Phantom Steps or Blink whenever he could see the ground. It was dark in the forest and his night vision equipment had a limited range, but the moonlight which penetrated through the tree canopy helped him to see the ground. It¡¯s already half an hour but Silver was still moving. During this time, Acma was reminiscing about what happened today. He didn¡¯t felt much emotions, but he believed that he was a step closer to successfully defending Orca Village. The villagers of Orca were strong without doubt, they were united, had a good leadership and equipment. The had varied professions such as knights, mages, scouts and healer, but their enemies were just too many and stronger. It was impossible to defend the village with a less than 120 combatants for a long time. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. When he departed last night, Chief Pai informed him that the elders decided to wait for several more days before making another decision about either Orca Village should relocate to somewhere safer or not. Acma respected their decision. He understand that the village had some sentimental values for them so it was hard for them to relocate. But he didn¡¯t have a patience to just wait and see what will happen. He wanted to act. When he met the envoys last night, he already sceptical when they said they won¡¯t attack the village. Why it said that when the envoys should be tight-lipped? After he found out their scheme, he didn¡¯t hesitate to attack and subjugating the centaurs was just a bonus. He had no previous hatred against the werewolves. On the first encounter, he just defending the village. Either killed or be killed. On the second meeting, although the elder shouted that it would killed everyone in Orca Village and eat their heart, he only thought, ¡°It was just an angry werewolf¡¯s rambling, no big deal. I just need to stop him¡±. But what they did in their den were just unforgivable. Subjugating the centaurs and annihilating the werewolves fulfilled one of his objectives which is reducing the number of the enemies. He also hoping it would achieved his two other objectives which is planting a fear in the enemies¡¯ heart and shifting their attention from Orca Village to him. However, these two objectives depends on either the enemies feared him or not, or they actually care about him or not. If they feared him, they might stop attacking Orca Village. But, if they didn¡¯t fear or care about him, then he had another tribes either to subjugate or annihilate, depends on the situations. But there is another possibility which might come out from his action today. It might also aggravate the enemies¡¯ wrath up to the point they decide to send a huge army, just to deal with him and Orca Village. ¡°That is impossible¡±, he thought. ¡°But if it did happen, I just have to convince the elders to relocate¡± ¡®PHANTOM STEP¡¯ He shifted his location several hundred metres to the front. After a while, ¡®AWOOOOOOOOOO¡¯ Silver gave a signal that it found its target. After running for another 15 minutes, Acma saw Silverstanding near an overhang at the foot of a cliff. The height of that overhang were about 5 metres and its size were just perfect for a temporary shelter. He reached the overhang, patted Silver¡¯s head several times and then took out several spheres. ¡°Alice, scan the surrounding¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma examined closely the space under the overhang. What he saw was a mess. Dried blood splattered everywhere, pieces of clothes, canned food and broken equipment, but no human remains. ¡°Looks like the monsters has clean up everything here¡±, he thought. When he was rushing here, he already anticipated that he won¡¯t find any survivors here, but he never thought it would be this bad. From the volume of the dried blood, he could deduce that the amount of people taking shelter here would be around 10-15 peoples. He looked around, hoping to find any clues about where this people came. His eyes finally stumbled upon a school bag, probably belong to a kindergartener at the deepest part of this shelter. He took it and checked its contents. He saw an envelope with a school emblem on it stuck between the workbooks. He carefully opened it and found a letter addressed to the parents of the owner of the school bag. ¡°Boulder Town? Why does it appear here?¡±, he puzzled. Boulder Town originally located at more than 250 kilometres, northwest from Orca Village, but now it had shifted about 100 kilometres closer. This town was a mining town, specifically mining a taconite oand processed it into an iron pellet before shipping it to a bigger city by train. It was a town with no more than 20000 population. Most of them were miners and factory workers, but there were others who worked as farmers, educators and other jobs. ¡°What happened to the town? Why these people took refuge here?¡± Questions and questions appeared in his mind. One thing he was sure that its location wasn¡¯t far from this shelter. He was anxious. There must be something big happened that forced these people to flee away from the town. ¡°Alice, expand the search area and look for a town¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma kept the bag and the other broken equipment into his inventory. If there was a survivor Boulder Town, there might be a relatives to the peoples who died here. He was just hoping he might find one, although he wasn¡¯t sure about the chances. ¡°Let¡¯s go Silver¡± He rode on the back of Silver and urged it to a nearby hill. Looking for a town in the middle of a night was much easier from a vantage point. ¡°Master, there is a town in that direction¡±, said Alice who was in her high fairy form as she pointed at one direction. Acma turned his head and saw a solitary mountain, isolated from the mountains range behind him. Under a moonlight, it looks serene and beautiful. Acma shifted his gaze toward its base where he saw a faint light flickering in the middle of the night. He couldn¡¯t see clearly the buildings, but he knew it were there. What obstructed his view was a dark cloud covering the town. What is that dark cloud, thought Acma. He had a bad feelings about that. 47 - Beastmen Brigade Hi there, sorry for the delay. I just moved in to my new rental house and I couldn''t steal the time to write. Even this chapter was below average. I''ll improve it in the future. If you noticed, the body of animals and humans that were killed by the werewolves weren''t disappear unlike the monsters or beastmen than MC or the Orcas killed. I''m finding a good way to explain this to avoid any loophole. Thank you for reading my fiction. ========================== Beastmen Brigade Regional Camp ¨C Yesterday ¨C Afternoon ¡°Captain Arturas, I have something to report¡±, said a beastman with an upper body of a tiger who entered the room. ¡°What is it, Lieutenant Tristan?¡± asked Arturas. Arturas was the highest rank officer in the camp who lead 300 troops which were part of Beastmen Brigade of Forest Knight. Arturas was a bearman, hailed for his explosive strength and in the Beastmen Brigade, strength were everything. Initially, the Forest Knight only have an elves as their members. But, the last war has changed its structure. The massive influx of beastmen refugee forced the Isebial Kingdom to form a Beastmen Brigade and assimilated them into the Forest Knight. This brigade were responsible to monitor all the beastmen refugee and to make sure they obey the law of the kingdom. ¡°The Whisperers said, the centaurs seek help from the werewolves to attack the human village. Eventually, they got defeated again¡±, replied Tristan. ¡°Defeated again?¡± Arturas seem couldn¡¯t believe the news. ¡°Did those elves said how many were the attacking troops?¡± ¡°They amount about 600 centaurs and 500 werewolves. The centaurs were leaded by Grufin and the werewolves were leaded by Bardalph. From the initial 500, the werewolves retreated with less than 200 troops. What¡¯s more unbelievable, they were defeated by a dual element magic swordsman. His element was wind and earth¡± ¡°They even got a magic swordsman? There was no magic swordsman in yesterday¡¯s report. Who are those humans? Where are they come from? They just pop out of nowhere¡±, thought Arturas with a stern face. In the last war, the magic swordsmen were the highest damage dealer among the human troops. Even the mage weren¡¯t comparable to them. ¡°Did Bardalph survived?¡± asked Arturas. He was well informed about the beastmen in this area and was planning to recruit Bardalph into the Beastmen Brigade. Bardalph who possessed a Mirage skill, met a minimum requirement to join the Beastmen Brigade. ¡°He survived¡±, explained Tristan. ¡°Good¡±, Arturas felt relieved. ¡°Thank you for the report. You¡¯re dismissed¡± ¡°Captain, what should we do about those humans? They killed our brethren, I think we should attack them¡± Arturas looked at Tristan¡¯s face expressionlessly. ¡°We haven¡¯t receive any order from the headquarter yet, so keep your head cool. One more thing, do not let our troops know about those humans. I don¡¯t want any of them get a punishments from the higher-up¡±, said Arturas. Among the beastmen under his command, many of them had a deep scar when it came to humans. If they knew there were humans nearby, all hell breaks will loose. ¡°But, captain...¡± ¡°No but. Remember, we¡¯re an ordinary beastmen no more, we¡¯re the Beastmen Brigade. We can¡¯t let our emotion cloud our judgement. I understand your resentment toward humans, but, like we¡¯ve discussed yesterday, the humans in that village were not the same humans we faced in the last war. They weren¡¯t there two days ago and our land was sealed, there is no way they are the same humans¡±. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°...¡± ¡°Just wait for the orders. The higher-up surely know what to do¡±, Arturas continued. ¡°I understand, captain¡± Beastmen Brigade Regional Camp ¨C Today ¨C Afternoon Arturas was standing in front of two elves who wore a green robe in a room full of veins. Those two were The Whisperers, who were dispatched from the Forest Knight headquarters to this regional camp to collect intelligence from the surrounding via the plants. That¡¯s how they got their title, they listened to the plant¡¯s whisper and communicate with them. This ability was special even among the elves. Arturas was in the room since this morning because The Whisperers had an urgent news. ¡°Captain, the battle has ended. It was a one-sided massacre¡±, one of elves spoke after he lifted his hand from a three finger thick vein. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°That magic swordsman was too strong. He used a strange skill to kill a werewolf elder and then kill a quarter of the werewolves troop. The werewolves can¡¯t even lift a finger against him. His magic skill seem ordinary, but it was deadly¡±. ¡°Only a quarter?¡± ¡°Yes, only a quarter. But the centaur troops were almost annihilated except a few hundreds. Most of the centaurs were killed by a black sphere, and then he took out 10 metal golems to continue his massacre¡± ¡°Black sphere? Is it magic? Do you recognize the type of that black sphere¡¯s element?¡± ¡°It is a magic I¡¯ve never seen before and I can¡¯t determine its elemental type. It sucked everything in its vicinity and destroyed them. No traces were left¡±. ¡°...¡± ¡°Report about that black spheres to the headquarters¡± ¡°Yes, captain¡± ¡°Continue monitoring him. Inform me immediately if he make any movement¡± ¡°Yes, captain¡± Beastmen Brigade Regional Camp ¨C Today ¨C Night ¡®CRUSH¡¯ Arturas powerful grip crushed the edge of the table in front of him. His blood was boiling when he heard the news that the magic swordsman destroyed the werewolves den. At the same time, he also confused because he couldn¡¯t comprehend the motive why that magic swordsman did it. In the battle this morning, he let most of the werewolves retreated, but suddenly he annihilated the entire tribe. ¡°There must be some reason¡±, thought Arturas as he looked at the fuming tiger man in front of him. ¡°but, I shouldn¡¯t hold anymore longer¡± ¡°Tristan, gather the troops. We will hunt that bastard tonight¡± The tiger man¡¯s eyes shone with excitement and grateful. ¡°Yes, Captain. But, how about the headquarters? We were ordered to met the troops they sent at the human town at the west¡±, asked Tristan. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the headquarters. Go, we must set out as soon as possible¡±, ordered Arturas. ¡°Yes, Captain¡±, replied Tristan as he dashed out of the room. ¡°The headquarters skipped all our report regarding the human village and ordered us to go to the human town. I wonder what make them think that the threat of the magic swordsman was lesser that that town¡±, thought Arturas. ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯ll capture that magic swordsman and hand him to the headquarters¡±, muttered Arturas as he walked out of the room. 48 - Boulder Town - Three Days Ago Hi guys, took some time to finish my closed door cultivation. I hope you can enjoy it. Thank you for reading my fiction. =========================== Boulder Town ¨C 3 Days Ago ¨C Morning
Hello everyone, I¡¯m the overseer of your world. I believe all of you felt the tremor and heard the cracking sound since the past 6 hours. To make thing short, due to some good for nothing idiots, the barrier between your world and another dimensions shattered. To make thing worst, your world and the worlds from another dimensions are combining together. This is just a beginning. Don¡¯t expect a warm welcome, prepare for the worst and fight for your survival. The panel you currently viewing is part of the system I implemented to increase your survival rate. Don¡¯t die too early. Have some fun and good luck
¡°Barriers between dimensions shattered? World merging? Fighting against other world creatures? What¡¯s all of this about?¡± Huo Feng stared at the notification panel on his sight while stopping his mouth from chewing a food. It was a weird thing he never experience in his 16 years of life. He waved his hands in front of his face, trying to wipe it off, but failed. The panel was still there. When he turned his face around, the panel followed. He tried closing his eyes for a minute, but he still could see the panel after he opened his eyes. Feeling dejected, he looked at an old man who were having a breakfast in front of him. This old man was his father who was burning his life to raise him since the death of his mother 10 years ago. He also having a shocked face and occasionally, he waved his hands and sometimes rubbed his eyes. ¡°Dad, did you also saw a blue panel on your sight?¡± he asked. ¡°Feng¡¯er, what is this thing? Why can¡¯t I shook it off?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know dad. Maybe it will disappear shortly¡±, he replied. ¡°Is this related to what happened last night?¡± thought Hou Feng. Last night, his sleep was disturbed by a tremor. In the beginning, he didn¡¯t care about it because it was just a small tremor and this town were not inside an earthquake area. But after it continued after a while and an objects inside the house started falling down, he forced himself to run outside. It took a while before the tremor calming down. Worrying about his old man who was working a night shift at a hospital morgue, he grabbed a torchlight only to find out that it was broken. Having no choice, he put a faith on his memory and start walking in the dark toward the morgue. The journey to the morgue will take about 10 minutes using the usual route. But, if he use the route through the graveyard, he will save 4-5 minutes. The hospital and the graveyard were located at the easternmost of Boulder Town because it was the furthest from the iron mine which located at the western side of the town. ¡°Should I go through the graveyard?¡± he thought while walking slowly as his eyes began to familiarize with the darkness. His heart shuddered when thinking about the graveyard. Everyone will stay away from the graveyard, especially in a situation like this. But, he was a son of a gravedigger, so he should not afraid of a graveyard. ¡°Lets go through the graveyard. I hope dad is alright¡±, he reassured himself. He safely reached the destination and found his father was standing outside the morgue with two of his colleague. They were talking with hushed tone. With the help of the light from their lighter, Huo Feng could discern the terrified expression on their face. Initially, he felt relieved that his father was safe but now he also feel worry after looking at their faces. Something must have happened. ¡°Dad, what happened?¡± he asked as soon as he stood next to his father. ¡°Feng¡¯er, thank god you¡¯re safe. Is our house okay?¡± ¡°Our house is okay, just several items in the house were broken. But, I can¡¯t check what were broken because the electricity was out. Dad, you look terrified, what happened here?¡± ¡°The corpses, they were emitting a black gasses from their bodies. I never seen anything like this before. When the tremor started, we were processing the body of Grandpa Chu who passed away several hours ago. We wait for the electricity to come back, but it didn¡¯t. So we use the lighter to tidy things up before continue later. Then we found out about the black gasses. It was terrifying¡± ¡°Is that true, Dad? That was impossible¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. Here, take this lighter. You can go and check it yourself¡± ¡°...¡± Hou Feng reluctantly took the lighter but didn¡¯t move his legs. He only stared blankly at the door of the morgue. He couldn¡¯t decide what to do and he was thinking about endless possibilities. ¡°Dad, what if the corpse move? You know, like those in the zombie movies¡±, he asked. ¡°We also think about that, so just now, we tied the body with ropes and wrapped it tightly with a bedsheet. I bet it won¡¯t be able to move¡±, replied one of the old man next to Hou Feng¡¯s father. ¡°That was good¡± ¡°Are you going to see the see the corpse?¡± asked Uncle Cheng. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Errr... I will do it tomorrow¡±, answered Hou Feng as he swiped a sweat on his forehead. Who the devil would dare to check the corpse out of curiosity after he heard the story like that? After that, they headed to Grandpa Chu¡¯s house to inform his family about the situation. The news caused a huge ruckus at the house as the superstitions kicked in. Even the neighbours who came to help the family to go through the grieving period deserted the house, fearing they also will be inflicted by the bad luck. After delivering the news, they didn¡¯t return to the morgue but returned to their house. It was a long night and they couldn¡¯t get asleep. ¡°Dad, I wonder what happen to Grandpa Chu. Do you want to go to work after breakfast and check it?¡± asked Hou Feng after returned from his reminiscence. ¡°Hmmmphhh, if you¡¯re that curious, go check yourself. I¡¯ll never ever return to that place. Even if someone pay me hundred million, I won¡¯t go back¡± Hearing his father¡¯s reply, Hou Feng could only smile. ¡°I¡¯m just curious¡±, he said. ¡°Oooooohhhh¡± ¡°What is it Dad?¡± ¡°The blue panel, it disappeared by itself. Now, I can rest easy. Hahahaha¡± A while after, Hou Feng¡¯s panel also disappeared. After the breakfast, the duo tidy up their house before heading out to the house of one of his father¡¯s friend. Before they could go far from their house, ¡°KYAAAAAAAA.....¡± A heart wrenching scream could be heard from the direction of the graveyard. Both of them turned their head toward the graveyard at the same time and them looked at each other¡¯s face. Hou Feng could feel the uncertainties from the face of his father. He too felt the same. What should he do right now? Most reasonable choice was running to the graveyard to confirm the situation, maybe the lady who just scream needed an immediate help. But there came his memories about Grandpa Chu¡¯s body last night and also the blue panel this morning. ¡°Dad, what should we do?¡± he whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But I think we should check the graveyard¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Wait, you go back to the house and bring the hoe. Who know we might need them. I¡¯ll wait you at the entrance¡± ¡°Okay dad, I¡¯ll go right now¡± Hou Feng quickly ran to his house and grab two hoes. Then he immediately sprinted toward the graveyard to rendezvous with his father. Half the way, he saw his father speed walking toward the house. Hou Feng¡¯s worry intensified as he saw his father who was clearly more terrified than last night. ¡°He look worse than last night¡±, thought Hou Feng. ¡°Dad ...¡± ¡°Run Feng¡¯er, Run !!!¡± his father shouted before he could say anything. His father immediately grab his right arm and dragged him toward their house. Every few minutes, he kept turning his head toward the graveyard, looking for something. The grip on his arm was so tight that made Hou Feng frowned from pain but he kept his mouth shut. He knew it was unwise for him to disturb his father right now. He gripped the hoes in his hands tighter and loosen his body, ready for action if anything came out from the graveyard. The thing that could make his father this terrified must be extremely terrible. His father let him go when they reached the house. He didn¡¯t say anything. With trembling hands and shaking legs, he took out two bags from the bedroom and gave one of it to Hou Feng. ¡°Feng¡¯er, pack your clothes enough for a week and pack some of mine too. Don¡¯t forget about daily necessities. Go, quick. We don¡¯t have much time¡± Hou Feng say nothing and quickly followed the order. His father went to the kitchen. While packing his clothes, occasionally he could hear clattering noises from the kitchen. A few minutes later, ¡°Feng¡¯er, let¡¯s go. Come, quick¡±, urged his father. ¡°Okay¡±, replied Hou Feng although he still didn¡¯t finished packing the clothes. He zipped the bag and followed his father. They moved north. Hou Feng watch his father¡¯s face. His eyes were unfocused and his body still trembling although it was lesser from before. Hou Feng mustered his spirit and asked. ¡°Dad, where we¡¯re going?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just want to go away from the graveyard¡± ¡°What happened at the graveyard?¡± His father didn¡¯t reply but his trembling immediately intensified, almost made him tripped. ¡°... Errr, It¡¯s ok Dad, tell me about it later¡± He felt regret and wished he never asked the question. After a while, he got an idea. ¡°Dad, how about we go to the police station. You can tell them about what happened at the graveyard and let them handle it. If we¡¯re lucky, we might be able to hide there¡±, he suggested. His father stopped his step and look at his face. ¡°You... you¡¯re right. They might be able to handle it. Let¡¯s go¡± 49 - Entering The Town Hi guys, thank you for reading my fiction. ================ Acma reached the border of Boulder Town, but didn¡¯t proceed further. He took a good time to familiarize himself with the surrounding before deciding when to proceed. Different from his memories, the current Boulder Town was elevated about 100 metres from the ground where he need to climb a slope which stretched for several hundred metres until he met the first building in the town. To his left or behind the town, stood proudly the solitary mountain which look more magnificent compared to when he saw it from afar. ¡°Alice, scan the town and look for the source of the flickering light we saw earlier¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± That flickering light was like a beacon of hope for Acma. He hoped that he might found survivors who gathered at the place where the light came from. He knew that something had happened to the town. Something extremely bad that forced its citizens to evacuate like those he found at the overhang earlier. But, there were close to 20000 residents at Boulder Town, so there might be survivors. ¡°Let¡¯s go Silver¡±, he nudged Silver to move. After a while, he could see row of buildings at the side of the street, dark without light. Acma made an assumption that the town also suffered from a black out three nights ago, just like his villa and Orca Village. The buildings here were built partly wood and partly brick, mostly single stories. The street were wide enough to let two lorries went through side by side and spaces for pedestrians on both sides. There were other streets to go to and fro Boulder Town, but the street where Acma currently was considered the main street and this street divided the town into east and west district. The visibility wasn¡¯t good, only a few hundred metres with assist. This mainly due to a dark mist in the town which blocked the sight. Although it was dark, the town was far from been quiet. Acma could hear a lot of strange noises which sounds like animal growling. Whatever made that sounds, Acma knew it was nothing good. He took out his Mithril sword and nudged Silver to go faster. ¡°Master, the light came from the north of the town. I didn¡¯t scout that far because I found something else¡±, reported Alice who came out flying from his chest. ¡°What did you found?¡± asked Acma curiously. It piqued his interest after he felt relieved when he heard that Alice had found the source of the flickering light. Now he had a target to go. ¡°A lot of humanoid were walking aimlessly not far from here. They seem like human, but didn¡¯t behave like one. I can¡¯t detect a heat from their body and they walked staggeringly. They also growled like an animal¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s where the sounds came from but what was that? Is it a kind of monsters or what¡±, he thought. ¡°Any resemblance in your database?¡± asked Acma. ¡°Most likely they were a walking dead or zombie¡±, answered Alice. Acma took a deep breath. If Boulder Town were attacked by zombies, it was reasonable why the residents had to evacuate. He took out five Supreme Guardians and ordered Alice to cover his blind spot. He needed to reach his beacon of hope as fast as possible. ~ Ding
You¡¯ve entered a lordless town As a lord, you can claim ownership over territories, either by forces or negotiations. If you wish to claim ownership over this town, accomplish the following tasks 1. Destroy all the undead in the town 2. Rescue the survivor 3. Secure food and water supply 4. Restore the administration 5. Appoint 500 town guards 6. Build a wall 7. Get the recognition of the residents
¡°Tsk. So troublesome¡±, thought Acma as he stared at the notification panel. ¡°1, 2, 3 and 6 wasn¡¯t hard to achieve, but 4, 5 and 7... I wonder how to do that¡± Destroying the zombies and rescuing the survivors could be done at the same time although it may take some times. About the food and water, the amount needed was depended on how many survivors he manage to rescue. He also have a lot of meat in his inventory so the survivors can use them for the time being. In the future, he could bring them to hunt or have some survivors farming. Building the wall also not much a challenge. He just need to convince the survivors of the current reality and wall is needed to keep them safe.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. However, restoring the administration was something he didn¡¯t have a confidence. Actually he never had any administrative experience before. He could read the theory from the books, but doing it is a different thing. Same goes for appointing the guards and getting the residents approval. ¡°I will think about this later. Right now, getting to the north is more important¡±, thought Acma. After a short while, he met the first zombie. A one arm zombie with part of its stomach torn making it imbalanced and walked like it might fall anytime. It noticed Acma approaching from more than a hundred metres and moving toward Acma as fast as it could. Behind it were several other zombies.
Mangled Zombie LVL 6
¡®Swissh¡¯ Without pausing any second, Acma swung his sword from Silver¡¯s back and decapitated it instantly. The body of the zombie disintegrated into nothingness right after it was decapitated. Then he proceeded to the next one, followed by his guardians. The zombies were swarming him right after he destroyed the first one, not just the nearby zombies but also those at several hundred metres away. It made him thinking, how did these zombies sensed him? His armour should sealed his scent and Silver¡¯s step was careful enough not to make any noticeable sounds. Even when destroyed any zombies, he did it with a calculated move to prevent any noises. It¡¯s not like he was afraid of being swarmed by the zombies, it¡¯s just bothersome if they gathered too much because it would delay his journey. He could understand if the nearby zombies somehow able to detect his presence, maybe through vibration or something similar, but it would be strange if those who were far away also able to do it. Did they have a collective mind? But do they have a mind? Maybe there was a controller who could detect him from afar and then ordered the zombies to attack him. If this is true then he need to find the controller as soon as possible before he reached the town hall. ¡°Zombies, zombies, zombies. Zombies everywhere. I wonder if there still survivors other than those who too refuge at the north¡±, thought Acma while his eyes wondering between the zombies and the buildings surrounding him. ¡°Could they sensed life?¡±, he speculated. ¡°These zombies only reacted to me but ignored Silver and the guardians. Damn, I want to test this speculation, but getting to the north is more important¡± He tried to spot the place where the zombies gathered in large number but he didn¡¯t find any. He couldn¡¯t see beyond several hundred metres because of the dark mist hindering his sight. He could see the dark mists all thanks to the moon. Although its light to the town were blocked by the mountain, but the reflected light from the ground around the town were bright enough to let the eyes to function normally. ¡°Alice, do you see any place swarmed by zombies around us?¡± ¡°At the center of the town, Master¡± ¡°Huh? Why they gathered there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± ¡°Any survivors?¡± ¡°No survivors¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°No survivors, but a large amount of zombies gathered. That was suspicious. There must be something¡±, thought Acma. He couldn¡¯t come out with any answers so he just left it. Since he need to cross over the town center to reach town hall at the north, he will know the answer eventually. After a long while, he was closing in to the town center. That place was a field where the residents gathered for festivals, events or just for recreation. The field was enough to host five thousand peoples at a time and if they could pack in, even close to ten thousand peoples also possible if they were standing on the road surrounding the field. But their sight will be blocked by the trees which were planted around the field. Alice was right. When Acma reached the field, there were a huge number of zombies, far from his expectation. Too far that he started to feel regret making a decision to cross over this field because if these number of zombies tailed him to the north, it would put the survivors in a great danger. But something at this place made him confused, the zombies didn¡¯t bother him at all, unlike their previous ¡®brothers and sisters¡¯. They just standing in the field gazing at the center. Acma looked at that direction and discovered a dense dark mist that blocking any light to go through. Acma got a sinister feeling from that mist, but not enough to make him wanted to avoid the place. ¡°That sphere of dark mist or something in it must the one controlling all these zombies¡±, thought Acma. Acma stopped at the border of the field, standing under a tree among the zombies. Silver and the guardians were not far from him. Next to him was a ¡®young lady¡¯ with half of it face ripped off, showing its finely cared white teeth. ¡®She¡¯ had a short hair, showing ¡®her¡¯ neck with a small golden necklace. A bright bi jade pendant was hovered above her cleavage. Suddenly, ¡®she¡¯ turned ¡®her¡¯ head and looked at Acma. ¡°!!!¡± Startled, Acma quickly turned his head. Both of them continued looking at the center of the field without bothering each other. Acma was thinking, considering his options about his current situation. ¡°Should I destroy all these zombies or should I cross the field quietly?¡± Both options were good. Killing them would greatly reduce the threat to the survivors and also make his job wiping out the zombies in the town easier since a lot of them were gathered here. When he joined the survivors, he could tell the stories of his fight and probably captured their heart. Avoiding these zombies also a good choice because he could reach the survivors faster. When he joined the survivors, he could discussed the plan to clear the town from the zombies together, giving the a few good suggestions and worked with them. More zombies means more time to build rapports with the survivors. But, would the dark mist at the center of the field or something in it let him do as he please? Probably not. 50 - KA KA KA KLAK He reviewed his options again and began to convince himself that eliminating all the zombies at the field right here right now was the best choice. He realized that it seem as a rushed decision, but he believed that delaying won¡¯t do any good. What if the creatures in the mist suddenly ordered all the zombies to move north? If that happened, it would be very dangerous situation for the survivors. He looked at his surrounding to get a clearer mental view about his fight soon after. He noticed that the ground was firm and devoid of any obstacles like uneven grounds, pot holes, vines or clumped grasses, at least as far as his eyes could see. Unless something unforeseen happen, he could prevent himself from tumbling. He took a mental note not to fall to the ground because of some unnoticed zombies. Once he fell on the ground, things might get ugly. His armour might be able to prevent himself from getting bitten but it couldn¡¯t stop himself from getting dismembered if too many zombies pulling all his four limbs at once. He took out all his guardians and lined them up at the edge of the field. Luckily, the zombies still didn¡¯t move. ¡°Alice, have all the guardians encircle the field and then exterminate the zombies while moving in. As for the supreme guardians, have 20 of them wreaking havoc inside-out of the field. The final five will accompany me to the center¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°Once the guardians completed their encirclement, we will begin the operation¡± The guardians started to move to their station. However, they didn¡¯t even move 100 metres from Acma when suddenly, ¡®SCREEEAAAAAAACHHHHHH¡¯ A high pitch scream could be heard from inside the mist. Looks like there is a creature inside it who gave orders to all the zombies at the field. Acma was safe from been effected by that scream due to his helmet, but normal people without ear protection would surely rendered immobile or might even lost their consciousness. With that scream, all the zombies in the field moved toward the Acma so he had to gave orders to begin the operation. He looked to his left and swung down his sword. ¡°Rest in peace, lady¡±, he said. The half-faced ¡®young lady¡¯ who was grabbing and biting his left arm instantly disintegrating. Then he noticed that a black smoke were released from the disintegrating zombies and then it flew toward the center of the field. Acma turned his head around and noticed the same phenomenon happened to all the disintegrating zombies which were destroyed by the guardians. ¡°Alice, lets clear this field¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma took a normal steps forward while his guardians running into the field. ¡®SWOOOSH¡¯ His horizontal slash beheaded four zombies who was running altogether toward him. Acma didn¡¯t used any Wind Blade or Earth Spike yet because a normal slash was enough against these low level zombies. The zombies lunging themselves and tried to grab him whenever they got pass through the guardians. Some of them tried to come from his side or from behind but all of them were prevented by the four supreme guardians who covered his blind spots. During the battle, never once Acma averted his sight from the dense black mist at the center of the field. It¡¯s already half an hour since the battle started but that mist still didn¡¯t move from its spot. Since the mist haven¡¯t move, Acma also didn¡¯t go all out but he already took out almost one tenth of all the zombies in the field. ¡°I need to provoke the thing inside that mist further, but how?¡± Acma questioned. Meanwhile, further up north, at the gate of a small Buddhist temple, several youths were gathered and looking toward the direction of the center of the town. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± said a youth with an attire of a priest and holding a silver wand. ¡°Yeah. I wonder what kind of monster screech like that¡±, replied the other youth as he raised his broadsword and leaned it on his shoulder. ¡°Thanks to that screech, the zombies retreated and headed toward the south¡±, said another youth with a broadsword. ¡°Yeah¡±, agreed the others. They were part of the survivors who took refuge at the temple after the zombie outbreak. Somehow, the zombies cannot breach into the temple compound like there were a barrier around it. When some survivors noticed this, they gathered a few volunteers to search for the survivors and guided them to the temple. After several successful rescue operations, those volunteers levelled up and got their first job at the Beginner Village. Some of them chose to be an acolyte or priest apprentice while the others chose to be a knight apprentice. The acolyte played a vital role in their fight against the zombies as they were able to cure the person who was bitten as well as supporting the fighters with buffs and healing their injuries.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°What to do now, Hou Feng? Should we pursue them?¡± asked the acolyte. ¡°No, it¡¯s too risky because we don¡¯t know their numbers in this darkness. Lets stay here¡±, replied Hou Feng. He paused a little before turned his head toward a fighter on his right and said, ¡°Kang, please go to the main hall and report this to the leader. Also, asked him what to do¡± ¡°Roger¡± While Acma was fighting against the horde of zombies, there was a small group of beastmen gathered at the edge of the forest, at the same place where Acma stopped before he entered Boulder Town. ¡°Squad Leader, the monster entered that place. Should we enter too?¡± asked a beastmen with a head of a mule. The Squad Leader who was a werewolf replied, ¡°No, we wait for Captain Arturas. We already determine it¡¯s location and that¡¯s enough for now¡± ¡°Okay. But, I have a really bad feeling about this place. That mist look ominous¡±, said the mule as it looked at the dark mist above the town. ¡°I think it was a dark mana and most likely there are a walking dead inside that place¡±, the Squad Leader explained. ¡°Walking dead?¡± ¡°Yeah. Oh, I forgot, you¡¯re new, so you didn¡¯t meet them during the war. Our enemy, the humans, when they died, their bodies will release a dark mana and turn into a walking dead unless they were blessed by any of the Gods before they died. However, during the war, due to the collaboration between the humans and the Dark Lord to fight us, the Church of Light, who is the representative of the God of Light refused to bless the human army. Thus, a lot of humans who died during the battle turned into a walking dead and they were manipulated by the necromancers to continue fighting¡± ¡°How evil!¡± spat the mule. ¡°Yup, it was extremely evil. Our brethren who got bitten by the walking dead, their bodies were corroded by the dark mana and then they also become a walking dead. We lost a lot of our people to them¡± The mule looked at the Squad Leader¡¯s face and tried to say something, but nothing come out of his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will have our revenge at this place. I heard, the headquarters also sent a team to deal with this problem and we are suppose to help them¡±, said Squad Leader as he patted the mule¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yes, we will¡±, said the mule. At the center of the town, Acma had to order the guardians to make a wall around him as more and more zombies swarming him. He had underestimated the zombies too much. When the battle began, he only had four supreme guardians guarding him while the other guardians move individually into the field to eliminate the zombies. That was a mistake. The zombies ignored the guardians and rushed toward him and only him as a target. If there were only a few dozens, Acma could manage alone. But, when dozens became hundreds, he felt he needed to change the battle strategy, having some of the stone guardians acted as a wall and surround him while the others continued massacring the zombies unhindered. ¡°Still not going to move ah? Fine, I¡¯ll make you move. I bet those dark mist are important to you¡±, muttered Acma as he stared dagger at the unmoving dark mist at the center of the field. He raised his right hand and pointed it at the dark mist. ¡°Tier 1¡± ¡°Black Hole¡± A sphere of Black Hole appeared above the dark mist, 500 metres above the ground and began to suck in the dark mist in the surrounding. ¡®SCREEEAAAAAAACHHHHHH¡¯ Another high pitch screech was heard followed by the movement of the dark mist. It tried to get away from the Black Hole sphere and moved toward Acma. ¡°Finally¡±, thought Acma as he was grinning when the dark mist moved. The Black Hole disappeared and the dark mist finally freed from the clutches of the Black Hole sucking forces. Within a few seconds, Acma and his wall were completely engulfed by dark mist. It was so dense that Acma had a trouble to see a few metres in front of him. ¡®KA KA KA KLAK KA KA KA KLAK¡¯ He heard a strange noises like a clattering teeth. Then he saw a panel that informed about the thing that made those noises.
Skeleton Soldier LVL 58
Acma was surrounded by a dozen of those panels and they moved with a walking pace toward him. When they were close enough, he saw several skeletons raising a bone sword high above their skull and then strike it down. ¡°Tsk... Only skeletons? There must be something else¡±, he thought as his eyes wandering around looking for something. ¡°Earth Spike¡± The striking skeletons were impaled and then disappeared. The second wave arrived. More skeletons were summoned but the summoner was still nowhere to be seen. The battle within the enclosed wall continued and Acma already lost count on how many skeletons did he destroyed. But, he still kept his vigilance up. Until he saw,
Lesser Lich LVL 138
¡°Now that what we¡¯re talking about¡±, said Acma excitedly. He felt the battle was coming to an end. The zombies and the skeletons were just a small fry. The real enemy was this lich who was capable of controlling all the undead in this place. ¡°Wind Blade¡± Several azure wind blades flew in the direction of the panel. He did this when he faced the Blood Lizards in the Death Valley a few days ago and now he did it again. Although he haven¡¯t see the lich yet, but that blue panel uncovered its location. Acma¡¯s eyes followed the wind blades. He hope to see the lich with the help from the glow of the blades. But what he saw was an ominous black scythe moving horizontally as fast as lightning toward his neck. ¡°Huh?¡± he was alarmed. 51 - Seed of Darkness The scythe was fast but not fast enough to exceed Acma¡¯s reaction time. If there was anything to it, it only made Acma startled a bit. He quickly rotated his wrist and used his left hand to support the sword. ¡®Ting ~¡¯ The scythe was blocked but what happen a few second later shocked Acma greatly. The scythe turned into a mist and then disappeared. Acma took a few seconds to process what he just saw. The scythe was formed purely from the dark mist and it even solid enough to make a sound of metal when colliding with Acma¡¯s sword. Acma kept an eye on the lich, who began to move to the right as it tried to encircled Acma and attacked him from the side. Right now, the lich was close enough so Acma could faintly see a hooded figure about 2 metres tall. He couldn¡¯t figure out the other details as it was enshrouded by the mist. It swung the scythe again. ¡®Swooosh¡¯ ¡®Ting ~¡¯ Before the lich could reformed its weapon, Acma unleashed a wind blade and successfully cut its body into two. ¡°No way¡±, he exclaimed. The lich was cut, but it took only two seconds to reform its body back like nothing happened at all. Acma released multiple wind blades but the result was still the same. Each time its body was cut, it would return to its previous condition after two seconds. Whenever it had a chance, the lich would summon waves of skeleton soldiers to distract Acma. However, those skeleton soldiers posed no threat to Acma as their level was too low. Even a simple flick of his finger could destroy their skull. So he focused all his attention at the lich. ¡°This is going nowhere¡±, thought Acma. It¡¯s already half an hour but the end was still nowhere close. All his attack were successfully cut the lich but it kept reforming itself and continued swinging the scythe to kill Acma. However, Acma noticed that when the lich reforming its body, it would become paralyzed and all its movement were stopped. If he wanted to keep the lich stayed idle, it only mean that he needed to release the wind blades continuously every second or stroke physically with his sword but both of this were time and mana consuming. Basically, he couldn¡¯t kill the lich and it also couldn¡¯t kill him. At least for now. ¡°Alice, how¡¯s the battle outside?¡± asked Acma as he looked at the dark mist around him that have become thicker and thicker. If not because of the blue panel on top of the head of those undeads, for sure he wouldn¡¯t know that they were around him. ¡°Half of the zombies were done but there still a lot of walking skeletons and they keep appearing¡± ¡°Can they breach the wall?¡± ¡°The chances are extremely low¡± ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t let them¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± He couldn¡¯t see the wall of stone guardians anymore. But he was aware of the distance between the wall and himself because he counted his steps. Unless the wall itself shifted its location, he won¡¯t collide with the wall during the battle against the lich. He could control the battle up to this point also due to those wall preventing the zombies and the skeletons from interfering with his battle.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Zombie, dark mist, lich and skeleton¡±, thought Acma as he step backward to avoid the scythe and crushed the skeleton behind him with his left elbow. ¡°Keep striking the lich will be useless in this mist. Lets reduce the mist first¡± ¡°Tier 1¡± ¡°Black Hole¡± The lich responded to the Black Hole with another high pitch screech. Erratically, it unleashed a continuous slash but Acma evaded them all and distancing himself. ¡°Now you can worry¡±, said Acma cynically. Several Black Holes appeared in the sky above the field, one after another followed by a continuous ear piercing screech. ¡°Master, more zombies are gathering at this place¡±, Alice reported. ¡°They¡¯re answering to the call of the lich¡±, thought Acma. Thinking that he could finish all the undeads in one swoop tonight make him grinning with pleasure. ¡°Let them come¡±, he said. ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°How long do you need to destroy them all?¡± ¡°Approximately an hour and half¡± ¡°Okay, thanks Alice¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Master¡± ¡°An hour and half to destroy the zombies and another half to kill this lich¡±, said Acma to himself. Two hour and 15 minutes later... The lich was very much alive although it couldn¡¯t summon many skeletons anymore. Its source of power have been robbed by the Black Hole spell and all the zombies were already destroyed. Its body had shrunk considerably. It also took a longer times to reformed its body or the scythe. However, maybe because it didn¡¯t have any consciousness or intelligence, it didn¡¯t run away and its pure instinct drove it to keep attacking Acma. ¡°Just die already¡±, Acma bellowed. He send a flurry of wind blades to exhaust the lich faster. ¡°Tier 1¡± ¡°Black Hole¡± Finally, the lich disappeared and the battle ended. ~ Ding
Level Up
Looking at the blue panel, Acma laughed. Although he only levelled up one level, killing the lich and its more than ten thousand minions really brought him a satisfaction because he had liberated the town from the undeads. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His stamina recovered bit by bit with every deep breath he took. It was refreshing. ¡°Open: Status¡±, he said.
Acma Heart
Level 371 Race Human
Class Emissary of Void
HP 18950/19000 MP 183450/188625
Strength 1536 Agility 1305
Intelligence 2207 Luck 310
Unallocated point(s) 15
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner, The Puppeteer
He closed the status panel and looked at surrounding. No more dark mist and he could see the glittering stars clearly. Then he took a glance at the place where the lich disappeared and immediately he was thrown into full alert. He felt something was wrong. What he saw was a wisp of black flame floating at same place where the lich previously disappeared. It¡¯s not the lich and he couldn¡¯t identified it because no blue panel on top of it. Suddenly, the black flame darted toward Acma¡¯s forehead like a released arrow. Acma reacted instantly by swinging down his sword, hoping it would destroy the black flame. Unexpectedly, the black flame swiftly avoided the sword and kept moving toward Acma. Before he could activate the Phantom Step, the black flame already struck his forehead. Acma sensed a dreadful feeling from the black flame but he could do nothing to prevent it except moving his head backward. Everything happened before he could blink his eyes. But, when he refocused his eyes, he realised that the black flame was vibrating a few centimetres in front of his forehead like it was trying to free itself from something. Furthermore, it was shrinking and disappearing. After a few seconds, its shape changed from a wisp of black flame to a black sphere at the size of a ping-pong ball.
The Lesser Lich Soul has been purified by the Blessing of Void into a Seed of Darkness. Do you wish to integrate with a Seed of Darkness?
¡°...¡± ¡°What should I do?¡±, Acma muttered. 52 - Dark Magic Acma was thinking deeply about what he saw. He already guessed that the result of integrating with this Seed of Darkness must be sort of getting a darkness type of power like necromancy, dark magic, curse or maybe he would become a darkness creature like vampire, lich, spectre or something similar. He remembered his talk with Sirsutir, the talpid mole at Gru Village, about Soul Slaver and Necromancer. If the power from Seed of Darkness happen to be a necromancy, then he will have a lot of enemies among the non-human. It¡¯s not like he cared about having more enemies. What worry him the most was the probability that he himself will turned into an undead and say goodbye to the world of living. Even thinking about it sent a chill down his spine. ¡°Since it have been purified, I guess nothing bad will happened, right?¡± he said, trying to console himself. He read the notification again and made his choice. ¡°Yes, I want to integrate with Seed of Darkness¡± As soon as he said that, the Seed of Darkness immediately bore itself into his left hand, triggering an excruciating pain like been eaten by a thousand bugs, alive. The pain spread from the backhand to the shoulder and it went back and forth repeatedly. It was so intense that he felt nothing except pain. He fell on his knees and his right hand tightly gripping his left forearm. Beads of sweat raining down his forehead as his body began to sweat profusely. A few seconds later, he lost energy to stay on his knees so he fell to his left, crouching. It was a terrible pain. The worst he ever felt in his life. Scream, scream, scream. Let out all your pain with your scream, his brain told. His heart refused. Screaming only mean that he lost against the pain. He wanted to fight it to the bitter end and conquer it. That¡¯s why he gritted his teeth as hard as he could until his gums were bleeding. After a full 5 minutes, his body was convulsing and spasming. He slowly lost control over his body and lied helplessly on his back. The only thing he could do was staring blankly at the blinking stars. He lost. Regret? No, it¡¯s not a regret that he felt, but a feeling that he couldn¡¯t describe what it was. This was the second time Void betrayed his expectation. Firstly when his weapon broke during releasing the Dimension Splitter skill. Now the second time. He expected nothing like this pain would happen after the Blessing of Void had purified the lich soul. Or, was he expecting too much? Maybe the purification already eliminated the worst from the lich soul. He struggled to let out a smile. Then everything went dark. Acma lost his consciousness. During the time Acma was fighting with the pain on his left hand, there was a group of rider arrived outside the town. It¡¯s a group consisted of close to 500 elves, riding on a majestic white horses. A chilly night wind sent their cloak fluttered, revealing an armour artistically engraved with an image of a tiger holding a sword on their right chest. They marched uniformly in two columns and at the center of formation, there was a young lady riding a unicorn. Her silvery armour was glowing with a faint white light, made her stand out among the rest of the troop. ¡°Princess, we have arrived¡±, one of the rider spoke to the young lady. The Princess threw her sight at the town and frown before her an enchanted voice, pleasant to the ears departed her beautiful lips. ¡°Why can¡¯t I sense any dark mana from this place?¡± ¡°My apologies, Princess. My humble self do not have an answer for that. The scout from Beastmen Brigade said, it gradually disappeared a few hours ago¡± ¡°Beastmen Brigade? Have they arrived?¡± asked the Princess with her right brow raised a little. ¡°No, they have not. Only their scouts did¡± ¡°... Have their captain meet me after they arrive¡± ¡°Yes, My Princess¡± The princess looked at the town again before giving out an order. ¡°Set up a camp. We will move in after the first light in the morning¡± Accepting the order, all the riders dismounted and began to setup a camp. A few hours later, ¡°Urgghhh, my head¡±, a weak voice broke the silence. Acma tried to touch his temple, but found out that he still wearing his helmet. His head was spinning and he still felt nauseous, leftover from the pain he suffered before he lost consciousness. Slowly, he opened his eyes and tried to familiarize himself with the surrounding. After a few seconds, he knew that he was lying in someone¡¯s living room, surrounded by his guardians. They stacked close together, forming a wall around Acma. He didn¡¯t see any blue panel on his sight so he didn¡¯t know what he got from integrating with the Seed of Darkness. But he didn¡¯t worry because he knew that the panel only came out for a short time and then disappeared. ¡°Open: Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level 368 Race Human
Class Emissary of Void
HP 19000/19000 MP 188625/188625
Dark Mana 0
Strength 1536 Agility 1305
Intelligence 2207 Luck 310
Unallocated point(s) 15
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner, The Puppeteer
¡°Dark Mana was added. Hmmmmm... I guess it¡¯s for some new skills¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Open: Skill¡±
Survival
Survival Cooking: Intermediate, Crafting: Intermediate, Climbing: Advance, Tracking: Advance, First Aid: Advance, Sneaking: Master, Swimming: Advance, Language Comprehension: Master, Identify: Grandmaster
Weapon
Passive Hand Gun, Rifle, Knife, Sword, Spear, Archery
Active Dimension Splitter: Grandmaster
Magic
Passive Body Strengthening, Mana Manipulation, Skin of Python King
Active Blackhole: Grandmaster, Wind Blade: Master, Tornado: Beginner, Earth Splinter: Master, Earth Spike: Master, Earth Shield: Master
Dark Magic
Active Weapon Make: Beginner, Summon: Skeleton Warrior: Beginner, Summon: Skeleton Archer: Beginner, Summon, Skeleton Spearman, Beginner, Summon: Skeleton Guard: Beginner
Movement
Passive -None-
Active Phantom Step: Grandmaster, Blink: Grandmaster, Teleport: Grandmaster
¡°...¡± ¡°Why dark magic was separated from magic?¡± ¡°Identify: Dark Magic¡±
Dark Magic Branch of magic which utilize only dark mana
¡°I see, dark magic only use dark mana. It¡¯s mean currently I can¡¯t use any of these dark magic skills since I don¡¯t have any dark mana. I wonder how to obtain the dark mana. Hmmmm... Maybe the dark mist I saw last night was a dark mana¡±, thought Acma. ¡°Identify: Weapon Make¡±
Weapon Make A dark magic to make a weapon from dark mana. The weapon will contain a corpse poison
¡°So this is the skill used by that lich last night. I like this skill. About corpse poison, I think it will turn a living into a zombie. I guess that lich was the main culprit that caused the zombie outbreak at this town¡± ¡°Identify: Summon: Skeleton Warrior¡±
Summon: Skeleton Warrior A dark magic which summon a skeleton warrior from dark mana at 25% of caster¡¯s level
¡°Only 25% of my level? Maybe because the mastery level is still beginner. Too bad that I don¡¯t have any dark mana right now¡± Then he identified the rest of his dark magic summon spell and found out that they have the same characteristics as Summon: Skeleton Warrior spell. He took a deep breath, trying to remember what happened last night. Right now, he was quite satisfied with what he obtained from integrating with the Seed of Darkness. Looks like the seed was really been purified by the Blessing of Void. Pain. He suddenly remembered about the pain. Acma tried to move his left hand fingers and squeeze an invisible ball. ¡°Haaaaaah, I¡¯m worry for nothing¡±, he exclaimed and sighed. He felt nothing wrong with his fingers. Same goes with his arm. They functioned normally like nothing happen at all. ¡°Alice, is there anything wrong with my left hand?¡± he asked. He raised his body and sat crossed legs. Then he continued the squeezing motion with his left hand and repeated it. ¡°Welcome back, Master. Nothing wrong with your left hand, but I suggest to return to the villa for a thorough examination¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Is my hand really okay?¡± thought Acma. He unequipped his left hand armour and shocked. There were many runic black lines embedded on the skins sprouting from his wrist. He couldn¡¯t decipher the meaning behind those lines, but he knew that they definitely related to dark magic. ¡°If mom see this, she will kill me¡±, he said dejectedly. Luckily, there was no change in the colour of the skins. ¡°Well, I can hide them if I wear a long sleeve. Or I can just say it¡¯s a tribal tattoo if someone see this¡±, he smiled. He took out his Sword Breaker and pressed the blade on his thumb. Another shock. He felt the pain but no blood came out. He pressed a little deeper but still no blood. His heart was racing. He removed the knife and saw the wound closed up in a split second and then disappeared. ¡°...¡± He looked at his right hand and thinking of making some cut on it as a comparison but then decided not to. He raised his left hand in front of his face and poke it with the tip of his knife. The tip went into his palm and the wound disappeared as soon as he pull out the tip. He couldn¡¯t think anymore. He felt the pain and could move it, but his left hand was absolutely not normal. ¡°There is no need to think about it any longer. It¡¯s still my hand no matter what happened to it. And there still a lot of thing I don¡¯t know about this Seed of Darkness. I have to figure it out later¡±, he thought as he trying to calm himself. He re-equipped the left hand armour and kept all the guardians into the inventory. Then he rose on his feet and exit the house. ¡°That¡¯s a nice blue sky¡±, he said as the first thing he did when emerged from the house was looking at the sky. Looking at those blue skies cleared up his mind. He took a deep breath and then released it. No more worries about his left hand. The house where he took shelter was nearby the field. He look at the hole he made where he killed the lich last night. He sighed. That was the place where he passed out too. ¡°Alice, how long did I lost consciousness?¡± ¡°8 hours 37 minutes¡± ¡°That long? Wow. And what happened in the town when I passed out?¡± ¡°An army of elves and beastmen entered the town 1 hour and 13 minutes ago and then spread out. Since master still unconscious, I took liberty to follow them. They found the survivors hiding in the mines at the western side of the town, in the police station, in the town hall and in the mayor¡¯s bungalow. They met a little resistance and then gathered all the survivors in front of the Buddhist temple at the north. Somehow the army couldn¡¯t enter the temple so right now they are negotiating with the survivors in the temple. Some of the soldiers came to this place too but I repelled them all and they never came back¡± ¡°Thank you, Alice¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Master¡± ¡°How many survivors did they found and did they killed those resistant?¡± ¡°Their numbers are approximately three thousands and the resistant was spared¡± ¡°Good. Please show me the way to the temple¡± ¡°My pleasure, Master¡± Acma was nervous about the condition of those survivors. They just went through the nightmare of zombie outbreak and right after that, they were captured and taken prisoner by a creature they never thought exist. ¡°Summon: Great White Alpha¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Silver¡± 53 - Release Those People After a quarter of an hour, Acma stopped two kilometres from the temple. He didn¡¯t want to get too close to avoid been detected by the enemies. ¡°Alice, show me the situation in front of the temple¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Multiple live videos appeared on the screen inside of Acma¡¯s helmet, covering scenes like inside the compound of the temple, the armies of elves and beastmen and the survivors with more than 50 elf warriors guarding them. Acma focused his sight on the video of the survivors and it immediately enlarged. Most of the survivors looks weakened and while the rest of them had a blank look in their eyes. In front of them was a group of a beaten men and women, probably the resistant who resisted their capture. Some of these people were lying on the floor. Acma gritted his teeth while his eyes were looking at the guards. At the same time, he was calculating their distance from each other and finding a way to bring them down in a shortest time. After a while, the result he got was approximately between one to two minutes depending on the guards reaction. It might be longer. He shook his head. One minute was too long. ¡°I need to find another way to save the prisoners¡± He rejected his own idea. He shifted his sight and then focused on a bird view video covering the whole area in front of the temple. The temple was located between two small gardens and enclosed in a 2 metres tall wall. Like most of the Buddhist temples, this temple was also built facing east and in front of it, there was an empty space. The army and the prisoners were gathered there. The army was divided into two sections, elves and beastmen. The beastmen were standing on their feet with the elves sitting on their mounts. They looked orderly and disciplined. In front of them, several riders and a huge bearman were facing a group of humans who were standing 50 metres from them. There was another group of elves not far to the right, guarding an important looking woman who was riding a unicorn. The prisoners were sitting together at the left side of the army, separated by an empty line about 5 metres wide. Men, women, elderly, children and infants, all of them were closely watched by the elf guards. Acma closed his eyes and all the videos disappeared. He rewinding the scene in front of the temple in his mind, again and again to find the best way to save the prisoners. ¡°The small group in front of the army should be their officer but the true leader must be that woman. Damn, she¡¯s gorgeous¡±, he thought. After a few minutes, Acma knew that his options were limited. The biggest problem was he didn¡¯t know the individual strength of the soldiers. It would be a huge problem if all of them were stronger than him. ¡°I must determine their individual strength first¡±, he came to a conclusion. ¡°Let¡¯s go closer, Silver¡± Silver moved its feet, carefully threading between the buildings and streets. Acma was nervous because he needed to avoid been detected at all cost. After a long while, they arrived behind a double-storey house at the edge of the empty space in front of the temple. After a few calculations, he used Phantom Step and landed on the roof soundlessly with Silver left behind the house. He laid on his stomach and carefully moved to the ridge. ¡°It would be great if I could see their level through drones, so I don¡¯t have to do this. This is troublesome. I wish the Overseer will upgrade the system in the future¡± From the ridge, he could clearly see the level of the soldiers from the panel above their head. ¡°All the ordinary soldiers are knights only. That woman too. But her guards are elemental knights. Same goes with the officers at the front¡±, said Acma in his mind. Since he already obtained the information he needed, he retreated behind the house, sat on the ground and leaned his back against the wall. He looked at the sky while rubbing Silver¡¯s back who was sitting next to him. He was thinking about his next move. ¡°I need to be extremely careful if I¡¯m going to free the prisoners to avoid any collateral damage¡±, Acma muttered. He prioritized saving the prisoners before anything else. Although those prisoners weren¡¯t his family or friend, but they shared the same root as him, the Earth. If someday he want to talk about earth, he can talk with these people. So, when these people¡¯s life were threaten in front of him, it¡¯s normal to save them.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Do I even need a reason to save people?¡± a thought suddenly appeared in his mind. It made him smile. ¡°Alice, do you know what there are talking about?¡± ¡°The elves are demanding the survivors in the temple to surrender and kneel to the 3rd Princess of Isebial, Princess Nidhwen. They also claim that this town is now a territory of Isebial Kingdom¡± ¡°Tsk. They talk like they already own the place. That woman is a princess? That¡¯s even better. I can use her as a bargaining chip to free the prisoners¡±, Acma spat. His initial plan was using his speed, Phantom Step and several supreme guardians to kill the guards and then summon Sawa to separate the prisoners from the enemies. But the guards were strong and they would retaliate if they were attacked. Some of the prisoners might get killed in the process and Acma must avoided that from happen. ¡°Hmmmm... how should I make an entrance so all their attention will be on me?¡± Acma looked at Silver and asked, ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± Silver tilted its head and its green eyes were looking straight at Acma. ¡°Nevermind, I already have one. Let¡¯s go¡± Acma stood up and dusting off his butt. He turned his body around and then looks at the furthest elf guard at the space between the prisoners and the army.
Knight Urdir LVL 237
¡°Here we go. Blink¡± Acma reappeared right behind Urdir. Before the oblivious elf could notice, Acma grabbed his neck, lifted him off the ground and threw him toward the temple. Urdir flew and flew and then Bammmm!! He hit an invisible barrier. He floated in the air for a second before crashed down onto the ground. ¡°Alice was right. There is a barrier around this temple¡±, thought Acma. He walk leisurely toward the temple followed by Silver. He noticed that all eyes were on him, from the prisoners, the guards, the beastmen, the elves to even the princess and her guardians. Some of soldiers followed the flying Urdir with their eyes almost out of the socket. They couldn¡¯t fathom how a powerful knight like Urdir was thrown like a dirty rag. Acma ignored them all. ¡°Summon: Sawa¡± A globe of purple light appeared beneath Acma¡¯s feet and it slowly raised both he and Silver floating 20 metres in the air. Then, the globe enlarged before forming a huge coiling python with Acma and Silver standing on its head. The coiling Sawa took a large space so the army had to move to avoid been crushed alive. The prisoners were safe because Acma purposely avoid them. He also did this to enlarge the distance between the prisoners and the army. With his jet black armour and a huge silver wolf, standing on the head of a hill-size python, Acma¡¯s appearance was kind of ... evil. No, majestic. The prisoners were looking at each other. Some of them had their face brightened with new hope that the newcomer will save them. However, most of them still have their gloomy look because they¡¯re still surrounded by enemies. Things were different on the army side. An unrest erupted among the beastmen because they knew who the newcomer is. That was the person they chased overnight who annihilated the werewolf tribe and destroyed their den. The elves maintained their indifference but their leaders were frowning. They heard the report from the captain of Beastmen Brigade about this newcomer. But seeing him openly flaunting his power with their own eyes, made their blood boiling. Looking down on everyone, Acma was satisfied that he got their full attention. He willed Sawa to move its head toward the army leaders. Sawa lowered its head and move toward the army leaders. Just after it moved, Acma noticed a werewolf running out of its group and jumped toward him.
Wind Chaser Ranulf LVL 241
¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU, FIEND!!! DIEEEEE!!!!¡±, it roared as it jumped high in the air. Acma turned his head toward the jumping Ranulf. It raised it right arm above its head and Acma could see its claws were glowing with faint blue light. ¡°Stone Shield¡±, said Acma with a low voice. Instantly, a round stone shield at the size of a large plate appeared in front of the Ranulf¡¯s nose before it could released its skill. ¡®Thud¡¯ Ranulf crashed its head against the stone shield before it could do anything and the momentum it gained by jumping forced its body to swing forward. Taking the opportunity, Acma willed Sawa to slam the helpless Ranulf with its tail to the ground. Acma let out a sigh before turning his head. Sawa continued moving and stopped between the army leaders and the representatives from the temple.
Elemental Knight El¡¯Tael LVL 356
Elemental Knight Meluinir LVL 345
Elemental Knight Sidhon LVL 318
Great Berserker Arturas LVL 311
A staring contest began between Acma and the these army officers. A few moments later, Acma broke the silence. ¡°This is our home and we are not your subject¡±, he said coldly. He meant to say that the elves were trespassing Boulder Town. ¡°What do you say?¡± questioned El¡¯Tael. ¡°Release those people¡±, Acma replied while maintaining his posture. ¡°...¡± 54 - We Wont Do That ¡°You came out of nowhere, attacked my men and now you¡¯re ordering me? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?¡± El¡¯Tael roared. Acma didn¡¯t reply but he laughed a little. Thinking back of what he said just now, Acma knew it wasn¡¯t the best way to start. He wasn¡¯t in control of the situation and he couldn¡¯t deny that the enemy was still hold the advantage. That¡¯s why this enemy officer was so enraged when he demanding him to release the prisoners. He also revealed his intention to save the prisoners too soon. But why he said that? He couldn¡¯t answer it. He thought a lot, planned a lot, but when it turned to speaking, everything went to dust. ¡°Sir El¡¯Tael, no need to be so serious¡±, he said. ¡°It¡¯s Young Lord El¡¯Tael to you¡±, Meluinir interjected. ¡°Oh, where is my manner? Nice to meet you, Young Lord El¡¯Tael, Young Lord Meluinir, Young Lord Sidhon, Young Lord Arturas¡±, said Acma before turning his head to the left, ¡°... and 3rd Princess Nidhwen¡± ¡°Let me introduce myself, I am Lord of Heavenly Villa but you can call me Lord Acma¡±, he continued after looking back at Meluinir. Meluinir raised his brows when Acma introduced himself as a lord. It¡¯s not that he believe it, he was just surprised at it. El¡¯Tael¡¯s face was twitching when Acma ignored him by replying to Meluinir interjection. He slowly placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword and ready to unsheathe it. He hated been ignored, but he hated it the most when it was done by the man who just injured his subordinate. It¡¯s like tearing his face apart. He always dreamed on having a subordinate and leading a military squad. Although he came from a military family, his father never let him do it and after the war ended 20 years ago, his chance only became dimmer. Who thought that he finally able to fulfil his dream when he was called by his father yesterday? He was ordered to escort the 3rd Princess Nidhwen for some inspection. It¡¯s only a simple task but he didn¡¯t care. What¡¯s important was that he got to lead a military squad, a knight squad at that. He even had Meluinir and Sidhon, his two best friends to accompany him. And then, this vermin attacked his subordinate and ordered him to release his prisoners. Who was he? A killer, a slaughterer. How dare he ordered him, son of a the mighty general of Isebial Kingdom? He want to teach this vermin a lesson. He didn¡¯t care about the vermin¡¯s reputation as a monster or a slaughterer, those reputation were just a hoax or rumours. If the huge python try to interfere, he will use the army to deal with it. But suddenly, a hoarse voice came from his right which belong to one of the princess¡¯s guard. ¡°Get yourself on the ground right now and don¡¯t casually speak the princess¡¯s name, you lowly human¡± Acma turned his head toward the speaker.
Elemental Knight Eruben LVL 415
¡°To taunt or not to taunt?¡±, Acma thought. ¡°Hmmmm... Lets just ignore him, for now¡± Dealing with a higher level knight while still entangled with an enraged officer in front of him was a risky action. Eruben was boiling when Acma ignored him, but he didn¡¯t do anything because his job was to guard the princess. If he wanted to force this black armoured human to compel with his order, he might have retaliated and it could endanger the princess¡¯s life. ¡°Sir El¡¯Tael, I¡¯m just stating my intention. I didn¡¯t mean to order you. Those people just escaped from the undead. Have been captured right after that nightmare will bring a serious trauma to them. There are a lot of children among them too¡±, said Acma. ¡°Do you think I care about what they feel? They were prisoners. Let me tell you straight, this land belong to the glorious Isebial Kingdom and any trespassers will be hunted and killed. They were lucky that they are still breathing¡±, exasperated El¡¯Tael with a smug face. He relaxed a little after the Sir Eruben also showed hostility against this vermin so he didn¡¯t want to cut the line. ¡°You¡¯re wrong about that. This land came from Earth, a different world from yours. We were transferred here only four day ago and we didn¡¯t mean to trespass anyone¡¯s territory¡±, Acma explained. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I said? I said, this land belong to Isebial Kingdom. Earth, earth, earth. All of you spouting the same thing. I don¡¯t know any place called Earth and I.DON¡¯T.CARE. If I said this land belong to Isebial, then it belong to Isebial¡±, shouted El¡¯Tael. Hearing that, Acma paused a little. He willed Sawa to move toward the temple and stop at the barrier. He saw the temple representatives and nodded a little to them. They replied with a forced smile. Acma knocked on the barrier a few times while looking at El¡¯Tael.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°How about the land beyond this barrier, does it belong to Isebial too?¡± Acma snickered. El¡¯Tael¡¯s face turned dark when Acma said that. His troop tried to enter the compound but they couldn¡¯t break the barrier no matter what they did. ¡°You can¡¯t break this barrier, right? You want to force the people inside the barrier to surrender by using those prisoners, killing them if you have to. How evil. But, considering the enmity between your people and humans, I think you will do that. Am I right?¡± ¡°How dare you...¡± El¡¯Tael gritted his teeth. Acma cut him off and continued, ¡°And if threatening didn¡¯t work, you¡¯re going to barricade this place and starve them to death¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m evil like you? Killing the whole werewolf tribe just because they attack your village¡±, El¡¯Tael retaliated. Before Acma could reply, he heard a beautiful voice drifting to his ears. ¡°Lord Acma, we definitely won¡¯t do that¡± The guards opened up a way so the owner of the voices could speak with Acma without anyone disturbing. Her bright eyes were looking straight at Acma as her lips parted with a faint smile that all the onlookers would never forget. Acma just looked at her without saying anything.
Knight Nidhwen LVL 239
Golden Horned Unicorn LVL 463
¡°Interesting. Its a Golden Horned Unicorn, but its horn looks like a white bone¡± Rather than being mesmerized with the beauty, Acma was more interested with her mount because this was the first time he saw this mythical creature. He looked suspiciously at the unicorn, trying to find a reason why the horn was white when it should be golden. Until he found a silver ring at the base of its horn. It¡¯s a Slave Ring. ¡°It¡¯s a slave. What a pitiful creature. Maybe that ring is the cause of the colour change of its horn¡±, he thought. His sight returned to the princess. ¡°Then, what are you going to do?¡± he asked. Acma didn¡¯t have any positive opinion about the beastmen because of their extreme hostility toward humans. He was a bit reserved toward the elves since they only captured the survivors without killing them although they had the power to do so. However if they show their hostility in the future, Acma will make sure that they will regret it for life. The princess kept quiet. She looked at Acma for a few moments before turning her mount toward the south. Her guards followed closely behind. Her sudden action made El¡¯Tael puzzled. He quickly turned his mount and tried to get closed to the princess. ¡°Your Highness, please wait. Your Highness, please ...¡± ¡°We will retreat outside the town¡±, replied Princess Nidhwen short. ¡°What.. what about the prisoners?¡± El¡¯Tael stuttered. ¡°Release them¡±, she replied. ¡°Wha.. Why?¡± Eruben who was riding next to the princess scolded him. ¡°Young Lord El¡¯Tael, you¡¯ve been given the order¡± ¡°Ye.. Yes, Milord¡± El¡¯Tael halted and then returned to his previous position. He began ordering his troops to retreat. Before he leave, he gave a hateful gaze at Acma. Acma watched closely the retreating army. Although he couldn¡¯t fathom the reason behind their retreat, he was thankful to the princess because she just avoided a bloodbath. ¡°Alice, follow them until they left the town¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma unsummoned Sawa and walked towards the injured survivors who were laid in front of the others. Most of them were unconscious while the others were growling in pain. One of them was a man in his forty with a little boy next to him. The man was unconscious too. His name was Tan Jian, a level 57 apprentice priest while the little boy was Tan Meng, level 1 and no class. Acma assumed that both of them were a father and son. With one of his knee on the ground, Acma put off his helmet and smiled at the little boy. The little boy was sobbing and didn¡¯t pay attention to Acma. ¡°Hi, can I help your father?¡± Acma asked. The little boy lifted his head and nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking its food. ¡°Okay¡±, said Acma while taking out a vial of Life Potion from his inventory. When he wanted to put the vial into his left hand, Acma hesitated when he suddenly remembered about what had happened to it last night. ¡°Will it be okay? What happened if I touched a living human with this hand?¡± Acma was struggling in his mind. ¡°Big brother? Are you okay?¡± asked Tan Meng. His sobbing almost stopped. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just checking this medicine. What is your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Tan Meng. This is my father. Those men beat ...¡±, before he could finished, he cried again. ¡°...¡± Acma showed a painful expression and he didn¡¯t how to cajole the little boy. So he only looked at him. A few moments later, Acma touched the left wrist of Tan Jian with his left fingers, pretending that he was checking his pulse. His real intention was to see if there is any reaction when he use his left hand to touch a living. No reaction, but he didn¡¯t feel relieved yet. He opened his status to check the amount of his dark mana. It¡¯s still zero. Only then he felt relieved. He hold the vial with his left while he raised Tan Jian¡¯s head a little with his right palm. Then he slowly poured the Life Potion into his mouth. A few moments later, the pale Tan Jian¡¯s face regain its healthy colour and all the wounds on his body began to heal. ¡°A¡¯Meng! A¡¯Meng¡±, he called out for his son as soon as he regained his consciousness. When he realized that his son was safe next to him, he was happy beyond words. They hugged each other like nothing in the world could separate them. Acma watched the father and son silently from the side. He smiled and slowly retreated to attend the other wounded survivors. 55 - Maybe Hes a Lord While moving away from the father and son, a man in mid forties rushed toward Acma and grabbed Acma¡¯s right hand with both of his hands. ¡°Thank you, thank you very much, young man. Thank you for saving us¡±, said the man. He kept thanking Acma while tears running down his eyes and he even bowed several times. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, uncle. I¡¯m just helping¡±, Acma hastily replied. He flustered and at lost. He raised his head and noticed more and more survivors closing in and thanked him. A while after, he was surrounded. ¡°Thank you, kid¡± ¡°How do you tame that gigantic snake and where did it go?¡± ¡°Where do you come from?¡± That was just a few from many questions he received. Before Acma could answer a question, he already received another. It made him wondered, how the celebrities or politicians confront a situation like this. He answered several questions as briefly as he could. ¡°Do you know what is happening to us?¡± asked the man who was grabbing his hand earlier. Acma looked at him and thinking the best answer he could give. ¡°Do you remember, four days ago in the morning, a blue panel appeared in your sight¡±, asked Acma. ¡°Yes, yes, I remember¡±, the man nodded. The others too. ¡°It mentioned about world merging. So, our world have merged with the world we¡¯re currently now. That¡¯s why we met those elves and beastmen¡±, Acma explained. Everyone in the surrounding nodded their head slowly. They already knew something was wrong. After all, they went through the nightmares for a few days already Zombies, walking skeletons and today they even met elves and beastmen. All of them were just an imagination creature previously, but now they¡¯ve became a reality. But they still asked Acma, just to comfort themselves. ¡°What do we do n...¡±, before he could finish, a shout was heard from the entrance of the temple. ¡°Fellow survivors¡± A few young monks wearing a clean saffron robe walked out from the entrance, accompanied by several apprentice knight youths. Then they separated into several groups and walked toward the survivors. ¡°We would like to invite everyone to enter the temple compound. I¡¯m glad to inform you that there is a barrier surrounding the temple and no one can go through without the permission from the abbot. So, it¡¯s safer inside¡±, said young monk. ¡°Although the enemies have retreated just now, they might come back later. That¡¯s why we have to hurry before they return¡±, he continued. Acma looked at the group who just came out of the temple. He felt relief because they¡¯ve shifted the attention of the survivors from him. ¡°We should go. I think they are right about the enemies¡±, he said to the man in front of him. ¡°Do you think so? Hmmm... okay. By the way, I am Shu Long. You can call me Uncle Shu¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Uncle Shu. I am Acma¡±, replied Acma with a smile. They walked toward the temple with the others. The survivors have gathered in front of the temple¡¯s entrance and crowding the young monk who gave the announcement. ¡°Young monk, is what you said true? Will those monsters return?¡± a survivor asked the young monk who spoke earlier. ¡°Kid, do you have any food? We haven¡¯t eat yet since the zombies outbreak¡±, another survivor spoke with a pleading eyes. ¡°Are we truly safe inside the temple?¡± Shelter, food, drink and safety. These were what the survivors desperately needed at this time. The young monk answered all the questions patiently and reassured the survivors. A few moments later, the survivors began to entered the temple compound. However, several cluster of survivors moved toward different directions. This action startled the young monk as he immediately moved to intercepted them. They conversed a little but the young monk failed to make them reconsidered their decision. Acma shook his head a little. He heard their reason that they wanted to return to inspect their home while the others wanted to take their belongings at their previous shelter. Acma thought that their action was a mistake since the enemies were still close. But it was their choice. He moved his sight toward the temple¡¯s entrance only to see Tan Meng running toward him while waving his hand. His father was standing not far from the entrance, waiting for his son. ¡°Big brother, are you coming with us?¡± asked Tan Meng. Acma smiled faintly and waved back. He felt warm in his heart. ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s go¡±, Acma replied. Tan Meng tugged Acma¡¯s right hand and pulled him toward the temple. Acma let himself dragged by the kid and felt amused. They reached Tan Meng¡¯s father and then entered the temple compound. The front yard was almost filled with people. From the entrance, Acma could see a few monks wearing a saffron robe directing the crowd. They said the meals were being prepared at the backyard so the survivors were advised to go there. Acma followed the crowd with Tan Meng and his father. ¡°Big brother, do you know what we eat?¡± asked Tan Meng. He look eager to reach the backyard. Acma smiled hearing the question. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think it will enough to fill our stomach¡±, he answered. ¡°Owh, okay¡± However, a middle age monk suddenly approach them. ¡°Excuse me, young man. Are you the one with a huge snake who confronted the enemies before?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Yes, I am¡±, answered Acma briefly with a smile. ¡°Our abbot wants to meet you. Could you please come with me?¡± asked the man politely. ¡°Sure, no problem¡±, he answered. Acma patted Tan Meng¡¯s head and asked him to go first and promised that he will join them later. Then Acma followed the monk to the main hall. A short while after, they arrived at the main hall. Acma tossed a coin into the offering box out of respect before entering the hall. He took off his shoes and then proceed into the hall. It was a simple hall without many decorations except a big, golden sitting Buddha statue at the end of the hall. Acma could see several middle aged men sitting in front of the statue and discussing. ¡°Welcome, my friend. Please take a sit¡±, a man at the center of the group said when Acma was close enough.
Warrior Monk Shi Ming LVL 59
¡°A warrior monk? Awesome¡±, thought Acma as soon as he saw the class on the man¡¯s nameplate. He assumed that the warrior monk was the abbot since he sat at the center. After bowing a little, Acma sat crossed leg with hands on his knees. Acma was calm. Although this is the first time he entered this temple and he didn¡¯t know the reason behind the request of meeting by the abbot, most probably they only want to discuss about the recent change to the world. The warrior monk was smiling brightly as Acma took a sit. ¡°Welcome, my name is Shi Ming and I¡¯m the abbot of this temple. I believe your name is Acma, right? I heard it when you said in front of those elves before. May I know where are you coming from¡±, said Shi Ming with a friendly tone. ¡°I came from Orca Village¡±, Acma answered short. ¡°Owh, I know that village, village of hunters. Are the village all right?¡± ¡°The village is alright although we got attacked by a centaurs and werewolves on the first and second day, but we manage to repel them without any casualties¡± ¡°Centaurs and werewolves? So we¡¯re not the only one... Looks like the Orca¡¯s hunter are better that what people said about them. I wish I could meet them someday. Unfortunately, their location is too far away from here. My friend, are you here on the order of the village¡¯s chief?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Yesterday, when I was attacking the werewolves¡¯ den nearby, I found a trace of the survivors from this town. So I came here¡±. ¡°What do you mean by trace? Are those people okay?¡± someone asked. ¡°They were killed by the werewolves when I found them. No one survived¡±, Acma paused a little then continued, ¡°Actually, the location of this town had shifted a lot. Previously the distance to Orca Village is about 200 kilometres, but now it¡¯s less than 100¡±. The news shocked everyone in the hall because of huge difference of the distance. ¡°How¡¯s that happened¡±, a murmur was heard. ¡°Because of world merge I think. But I never thought the change would be this much¡± Shi Ming said. ¡°It seem the world has change. Those elves also look like they never expect we are here too. I wonder how much difference our world have become¡±, a middle age man at the right side said, shaking his head. ¡°Could you tell us more about your experiences? We were trapped these days, so we don¡¯t know much about this new world. Since you came from the outside of the town, surely you know much more than us¡±, a man next to Shi Ming asked. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you what I know¡±, replied Acma. He took a deep breath before continued. ¡°Firstly, the location of this town and also Orca Village are within the territory of Isebial Kingdom, which is an elven kingdom. The army we met this morning were called the Knight of Forest, which belong to the kingdom. Secondly, human are their enemy because there was a war between human and non human 20 years ago that forced the non human running for their lives. I believe their hatred toward human is really deep because the Orca Village got attacked as soon as it was discovered by the centaurs. No negotiation at all¡±. ¡°...¡± Everyone in were silent. They never expected there was a bitter news than being attacked by the undeads. Been located within the enemy territory made their safety hanging in balance. Furthermore, those enemies had a deep hatred toward human. ¡°Are you close with any of the village¡¯s elder?¡± asked Shi Ming. ¡°Yes, I am. Close enough to call them uncle¡±, replied Acma with a smile. ¡°May I know what¡¯s their opinion about this matter? What¡¯s their decision?¡± ¡°As far as I know, they were considering the option to relocate the village, but it depends on the reaction of the natives either they attack again or not¡± ¡°They want to relocate? But to where and how?¡± ¡°About that, I¡¯m afraid you have to speak with Chief Pai himself¡±, Acma said. After a little consideration, Acma rose to his feet and took out a communication sphere before gave it to Shi Ming. ¡°This is a communication sphere. Press this button and say the name of the person you want to contact, either Chief Pai or myself. It will connect immediately. For now, this is the fastest way to communicate with each other. The battery will hold for several months with a careful usage¡±, explained Acma while showing the abbot how to use the sphere. Then he return to his seat. The abbot was surprised but he took a good look at the sphere in his hand. ¡°This is not ordinary communication device. Just who are you?¡± ¡°Nobody important, but I¡¯m sure it will be a great help¡± ¡°...¡± The abbot didn¡¯t say anything and kept the sphere into his inventory. Since Acma refused to say anything, he won¡¯t inquire further. ¡°Sir, may I asked? I wonder how this temple have a barrier while the other part of the town have not¡±, Acma asked. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can not disclose about that to you yet. But please don¡¯t misunderstand me, I mean, less people know, it is better for our safety¡±, the middle aged man on the right side hurriedly answered. ¡°I understand. I¡¯m just curious. That¡¯s all¡±, said Acma. ¡°The answer must be related to the abbot. He might be a lord like me since the structure of the barrier is similar to the barrier at my villa¡±, thought Acma. Acma were observing the reaction of the abbot but the man was brooding over something while rubbing his chin lightly. A short while after he spoke. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not a big secret. I¡¯m not sure myself but maybe Lord Buddha is helping us to survive. The barrier was here since that morning four days ago and I was given the right to control it. I can accept anyone to go through it or prevent them. I can even expel anyone from within the barrier to the outside. Unfortunately, the barrier only covered this temple, not the whole town¡± ¡°I see¡±, said Acma while nodding lightly. Young friend, I have a lot more to ask, but I¡¯m afraid that have to wait. Thank you for the information. I have to discuss about what you told us just now with the leaders here, so let¡¯s meet again later¡±, said Shi Ming. ¡°Then I¡¯ll excuse myself. I¡¯ll be at the backyard if you need anything¡±, replied Acma. he stood up and walked toward the hall entrance. After Acma leave the hall, ¡°This boy is interesting. He introduced himself as Lord of Heavenly Villa, right? Who knows, maybe he is a lord like me. Hmmm... Everyone, what do you think about the him?¡± asked Shi Ming. ¡°Everything about him was suspicious. His calmness when facing the enemies, his equipment, his strength, that huge snake. I think he is just as dangerous as those elves and beastmen. I can¡¯t see his level or his job, so he might be a spy, sent by those elves¡±, the middle age man on the right side gave his opinion, frowning. ¡°I agree with Mr. Shen that the boy is suspicious and dangerous, but most likely he¡¯s not a spy. He¡¯s from Orca Village. We can verify his background with Chief Pai later and he even gave us the communication sphere. About him being a lord, I doubt that because maybe he just playing along with those elves¡±. Shi Ming nodded a little. ¡°I will contact Mr Pai to confirm his background later. But right now, we need his strength if those elves come back. Him being here can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. However, I believe he wasn¡¯t lying about the other thing and we need to let everyone in the town know¡±, he said. ¡°But Mr Shi, if he was right about the hatred, why those elves and beastmen only captured the residents and not killing them?¡± ¡°Probably because they were an army. Unless they were ordered to, they won¡¯t act no matter how much they hate us¡±, replied Shi Ming. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about what are we going to do with those survivors. Also, we need to plan for our future if what the boy said was true¡± ¡°Okay¡±, the others concurred. 56 - I Wont Surrender ¡°Master, the enemies had retreated outside the town¡±, Alice¡¯s voice was heard as she flown out of Acma¡¯s chest. ¡°How far they are from the town?¡± asked Acma. ¡°It¡¯s about 500 metres¡± ¡°That¡¯s too close¡±, Acma mumbled. Those knights could cross that distance just in a few seconds and enter the town before the residents have a chance to do anything. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s being paranoid, it¡¯s just he was thinking about probability and risks. ¡°Show them to me¡± ¡°Yes, master¡± Alice immediately showed the video and Acma halted his steps to watch the video. Acma could see a few of the knights standing guard facing the town while the others gathered in a several small groups, looking for a place to rest. Not far from them, one of the princess¡¯s guard was raising one of his hands and chanting something. A moments later, a circle of several roots as big as an adult male arm emerged and extended 3 metres from the ground and bent toward the center in a shape of a circular tent. Then the branches and leaves began to grow from the root and covered everything except the door. Then, the finishing touch was added when several cluster of red flower that look like bougainvillea grew from the branches. ¡°What a convenience¡±, thought Acma when he saw that circular tent erected from a flowering plant was completed. ¡°Master¡±, Alice¡¯s voice was suddenly heard. ¡°I spotted several survivors gathered at the edge of the town and they¡¯re observing the enemies¡± The scenes in the video shifted and showed several human hiding behind a building while one of them were stretching his neck to look at the knights who were resting outside the town. ¡°What are they doing?¡± asked Acma with a frown on his face. Meanwhile, inside the circular tent outside the town, ¡°Your highness, why we retreated when we clearly have an upper hand?¡± asked El Ta¡¯el with a lowered head. El Ta¡¯el couldn¡¯t fathom Princess Nidhwen¡¯s order to retreat. He didn¡¯t question it in front of the human since it would tarnish the image of the elves as a whole. But since they already outside the town, he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He patiently waited for an answer from the princess who sat on a beautiful chair made of root. It¡¯s nothing extravagant but it have an artistic look. Princess Nidhwen didn¡¯t immediately answer. She gracefully took a sip of tea from a silver cup engraved with flowers images. Slowly, she put down the cup while she threw a look at the town. She appeared to be thinking of something. ¡°Young Lord El Ta¡¯el¡±, she spoke softly. ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡± ¡°Do you believe what they said that they came from another world?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s impo..¡± ¡°I believe them¡±, the princess cut it short. She slowly turned her head and looked at El Ta¡¯el who was clearly shocked. ¡°We interacted with human for thousand of years, but I never saw anything like this town. Everything about them was strange. The buildings, the road, their clothes, equipment, the way they interact with us, everything¡±, She paused a little, then continued. ¡°I want to know more about them¡±, she said with a firm voice. ¡°I understand, Your Highness. Please forgive my rudeness¡±, reply El Ta¡¯el with a lowered head. Then he retreated several steps before turning and exit the tent. After El Ta¡¯el walked out of the tent, Eruben approached the princess and handed her a big leaf with a silvery letter on it. She took the leaf and read it. A while after, Princess Nidhwen put the leaf on the table after she finished reading it. The leaf immediately withered and turned to dust. She leaned her back on the chair while massaging her temple softly. ¡°So this is the answer from the military headquarters¡±, she said weakly. ¡°If the second brother come, there will be a massacre. No one among those human are able to resist his troop except that black armoured swordsman. But he alone won¡¯t change anything¡±, the princess continued while looking at Eruben. She looked troubled. ¡°Do Your Highness want to warn those human?¡± ¡°No, let them be. Even if they turtle up inside that barrier, brother will just siege it until they surrender. In the end, they still will die¡± ¡°I understand, Your Highness. But, you just said that you want to know them better?¡± ¡°As you know, I can¡¯t fight against my brother. He¡¯s both superior than me either in strength or influence. I¡¯m just a shrine maiden while he is a general. Although I am part of the Knight of Forest, I am just a regular knight¡±, said the princess gloomily.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Her mission this time was from the shrine to investigate this place as it was plague with dark miasma. But, she didn¡¯t expect to meet a human in this place. Since it was related with human, it was within a jurisdiction of the military. Therefore, the command of the knights who escorted her will fall to the Second Prince, Prince Iandithas Isebial who was a general. ¡°I apologize, Your Highness¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Captain. I will ask my brother to spare a few of them. I also need to report this to Lady Kylana¡±, said the princess. Then she waived her hand and chanted. ¡®Message Tree¡¯ As Princess Nidhwen said that, a plant was sprouting next to the table. From a small sprout, it grew until it reach a metre in height and then a leaf grew from the trunk a second later. The princess chanted something as her index finger began to dance on the leaf. A faint silvery light glowed from the tip of her finger before it turned into a letter and embedded itself onto the leaf. After she was done, the message tree shrunk back and disappeared into the soil. ¡°Captain, get the troop ready to receive my brother. And let us get prepared too¡± ¡°I will go right away¡±, replied Eruben. At the edge of the town. ¡°Boss, those bastards still didn¡¯t leave. What we¡¯re going to do?¡± A man spoke. He was the one Acma saw in the video who observing the knights for his friends. ¡°Let¡¯s stand guard here. If they attack again, one of us will run to the town and tell everyone to take shelter at the temple. The others will do anything necessary to slow down the enemies¡±, said the man who was called Boss. His real name was Li Susheng. The men around him were the people he saved during the zombie outbreak and some of them were his friends. They were working together at the iron mine. Somehow, they began to listen to his orders and called him Boss. ¡°Yes, Boss¡± ¡°Boss, do we fight them if they attack?¡± ¡°It will be a suicide if we fight them head on. They are too strong for us. But we can blow them up with dynamite. Is there any of you who work in a demolition team?¡± asked Li Susheng. ¡°I am, Boss. I have experience handling the explosives. Boss, I like your idea. We may not able to fight them with our fist, but the explosives will do the job¡±, a skinny man said. he was grinning and gave a thumbs up to Li Susheng. ¡°Haha, explosives are risky, but I don¡¯t know the other way to fight. Do you know where the explosives were kept?¡± ¡°Yes, Boss. They were kept at the mining office. Supervisor Wang have the key to the warehouse, but he already become a zombie¡± ¡°Do anything you can to open the door. Tear a hole on the wall if you must¡± ¡°Okay, Boss. I¡¯ll let you know if I manage to open the door. Do I need to bring the explosives here?¡± ¡°Not need. We will discuss about where to plant them later. Just prepare them so they¡¯re ready for use anytime¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go now¡± The skinny man quickly run toward the western part of the town where the office of the mining company was located. ¡°Do you guys have any other ideas about how to defend our town?¡± Li Susheng asked. ¡°I have one, but I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t like it¡±, said a man in his thirties and a well built body. ¡°What is it, Rocky?¡± ¡°Okay. If the plan to use explosives failed, how about we surrender. I thi..¡± ¡°Hey, what do you mean by surrender? Are you those bastard¡¯s lackey now after they beat you up?¡± a man asked with a slightly high voice. ¡°Calm down, Brother Shi. Let him finish¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Brother Shi. I know everyone want to fight to defend our town. I want to fight too. But, as Boss said, our enemies are just too strong for us. My suggestion is only if we have no other choice, we surrender. We can live. As long as we live, we can wait until we can fight again¡±, explain Rocky. ¡°Without honour, what is there to live¡±, someone mumbled. ¡°...¡± Everyone was quiet. ¡°I lost my wife, my daughter to the zombies and if I didn¡¯t met you guys, I probably ended my life by suicide already. I want to see all of you survive, so when I meet my family again, I can tell my heroic deeds to my daughter. Actually, I¡¯m confused myself whether I want to die or live. When I thought about my family, I¡¯m thinking of dying. But, deep inside my heart, I want to keep living¡±, Li Susheng broke the silence. ¡°Boss...¡±, everyone lost their words. "We fought them and we lost. They rounded us up like a cattle. The way they looked down on us, it''s shameful. I don¡¯t want to live in shame. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s your choice is, but I won¡¯t surrender. This is my choice and you guys don¡¯t have to follow¡±, he continued. ¡°Boss, we also want to live. Let¡¯s survive together¡±, someone exclaimed. ¡°Yeah, me too¡±, the others supported. ¡°However, Rocky is also right. We can surrender after we have no other choices. It¡¯s up to you¡±, Li Susheng said. ¡°...¡±, Everyone was thinking their choice. Dying was easy, but the already gone through the hell against an undead. Some even had to kill their family members, just to survive. They want to keep living, but they also had their own pride. ¡°Errr.. Boss, I have another idea¡±, Rocky spoke again. ¡°How about we ask that boy to help us?¡± ¡°Do you mean that black armoured boy?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s him. He drove those bastards away from the town. I think he¡¯s quite strong. Did you see his snake? Just a whip of its tail sent that werewolf flying¡±, said Rocky with an excited face. ¡°Hahaha, good idea. So, who will go and ask for help from that boy?¡± someone asked. ¡°Calling him a boy isn¡¯t right. How about we call him young man?¡± said another man. ¡°He¡¯s right. Let¡¯s call him young man¡±, the others concurred. ¡°Rocky will find that young man at the temple and ask for his help. Can you do it, Rocky?¡± Li Susheng made a decision. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it¡±, replied Rocky. ¡°Good luck¡±, said Li Susheng. At the temple, Acma was watching closely through the video. ¡°They¡¯re clearly planning something. Do they want to fight? But how?¡± Acma was puzzled. ¡°Master, should I follow any of them?¡± asked Alice, referring to two man who were going somewhere. ¡°...¡± ¡°No need. I will go to the group. Maybe I can help them with something. Alice, teleport me¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ A few seconds later, Acma arrived at the edge of the town, not far from those men gathered. They didn¡¯t notice his arrival because he teleported behind a building, outside of their view. Then he walked toward the group. ¡°Hey Boss, that k.. that young man came¡±, someone pointing his finger and shake the shoulder of the one he called Boss. Acma was noticed so he quicken his steps. ¡°Hello everyone¡±, he greeted them. 57 - Preparation ¡°Hello¡±, some of them replied. ¡°Although it¡¯s a bit late, but, thank you for saving us before¡±, said Li Susheng. ¡°Yeah. Kid, thank..¡± ¡®SMACK¡¯ A man tried to thank Acma, but got the back of his head smacked by his friend. Acma was puzzled with their action, but he didn¡¯t pursue it further. ¡°Please don¡¯t be alarmed, we already decided not to call you ¡®kid or boy¡¯. That¡¯s why he got smacked. I am Li Susheng. I¡¯m currently their leader¡±, Li Susheng explained as he extended his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr Li. My name is Acma Heart¡±, replied Acma. He smiled to show that he didn¡¯t take the incident to heart. He shook Li Susheng¡¯s hand firmly. ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± ¡°No, I purposely came here since I saw you guys gathered here¡± Hearing the answer, they looked at each other. Then, one of them asked. ¡°How do you know we¡¯re gathering here?¡± Acma pointed his finger to the sky and smiled. ¡°Are you a prophet? Did you received a revelation from your god above about us gathering here?¡±, spat a man called Shi. ¡°Calm down Brother Shi¡±, Li Susheng tried to pacify. Acma laughed lightly when he heard that. ¡°I¡¯m pointing at my drone. See, over there. I have it hovered around here to monitor the enemies. Then I saw you guys gathered here¡±, Acma explained. He threw a glance at the bad tempered Brother Shi. ¡°A sphere drone?¡± ¡°My father¡¯s collection. I just borrow it from him for a while. Anyway, what are you guys doing? It¡¯s quite dangerous here because the enemies is too close. You won¡¯t able to escape if they decide to attack¡± ¡°We are planning to fight¡±, replied Li Susheng short. His eyes were looking straight at Acma. ¡°I was right. They really want to fight¡±, Acma thought. ¡°We planned to use explosives. We have some stick dynamites, but mostly we have black powders¡± ¡°Dynamites and black powders. Hmmmm...¡±, Acma mumbled. He turned his head around, looking at the street, then at the direction of the field at the center of the town. His mind immediately working to find the best place to use the explosives where it were most effectives. ¡°What do you think?¡± Li Susheng asked. He was quite shocked at Acma¡¯s reaction because he didn¡¯t expect the youth in front him seem to be familiar with the explosives. Since he wasn¡¯t sure, so he probed him with a question. Acma turned his head and looked at Li Susheng. ¡°I think using explosives is a great idea. Especially when you use it at a perfect location¡±, replied Acma. Li Susheng smiled wryly when he heard that and he scratched his head a little. ¡°We just come out with that idea, so we haven¡¯t discuss where to plant it yet¡± ¡°Owh. Hmmmm.. How about in front of the temple?¡± Acma suggested. ¡°In front of the temple? Why?¡± ¡°Since everyone are inside the temple, the enemies will be gathering in front of it. So, if we blow them up there, they will suffer a lot of casualties in one go. The only problem is either those monks will permit it or not¡±, Acma explained. ¡°Boss, it sounds good. Let¡¯s do that¡±, someone exclaimed. Everyone were looking at him. ¡°He¡¯s right, Boss¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Li Susheng was frowning. ¡°Do you think those monks will let a blood spilt in front of their courtyard? They were Buddhist. Do you want everyone in the town hate you?¡± questioned Li Susheng. His face was stern. Everyone was quiet. They understand that Buddhist monks were pacifists. There was a high chance that they won¡¯t allowed their front yard become a killing field. ¡°How about the center field? The enemies can gather there too¡±, someone suggested. ¡°It only work for a small troop if we use center field. For a troop as big as this morning or bigger, they may just run over or surround us. Also, it¡¯s hard to conceal the traces of the explosives, so they may become suspicious about our intention to keep them there¡±, answered Acma. ¡°But, if it really impossible to use the empty space in front of the temple, then the field is the best choice¡±, he continued.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Silence. Everyone was thinking. ¡°...¡± A few moments later. ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaahh¡±, Li Susheng sighed after a deep breath. ¡°I will handle the monks¡±, he said. ¡°Brother Shi, please go to the temple and find anyone who can handle the explosives. Ask them if they¡¯re willing to help us or not. Long Arm, take a few man and go to the mining office. Help Skinny to move the explosives. Remember, always be extremely careful. The others will stay here to monitor the enemies¡±, Li Susheng distributed the tasks. ¡°Yes, Boss¡±, everyone replied with almost a shout. Then everyone moved except Li Susheng and Acma. ¡°Will you help us?¡± asked Li Susheng. Acma smiled, then he replied. ¡°Sure, leave the head-on fighting to me¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Other than using explosives, we really have no other means to fight. But, with your help, I¡¯m sure the enemy won¡¯t dare to do as they please anymore¡± ¡°You¡¯re overpraising me, Mr Li¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s the truth. But I¡¯m a bit puzzled, because our enemies are really cold and treat us harshly when they came for us this morning. I can sense their deep hatred toward us. I wonder why they feel like that¡± ¡°Haha¡±, Acma chuckled a little. ¡°It¡¯s all because they lost a war to the human 20 years ago and they lost badly. They lost most of their lands, their brethren were slaughtered and some of them were enslaved. Now, we are a perfect target for them to relieve their 20 years worth of grudge and rage¡± ¡°...¡± Li Susheng was speechless. He never expect that there was a dark history between the elves, the beastmen and human. He asked several questions about the topics and Acma gladly answer them as much as he knew. ¡°But I never expect the elf princess to spare your lives and gave the order to retreat this morning. I think we could reason with her¡±, said Acma. ¡°Yeah, I agree¡±, Li Susheng ¡°When they came to our shelter and started beating everyone who tried to resist, I felt really helpless. I never felt the urge to become stronger as much as at that time. Strong enough to protect everyone I care about. I don¡¯t want to stay as a weak father and husband who can¡¯t even protect his family¡±, Li Susheng lamented. After a careful thought, Acma spoke. ¡°Mr. Li have to keep survive then. Fight and survive¡± Both of them were walking side by side toward the temple while talking about miscellaneous topics. After a while, Acma excused himself to look after an electronic components around the town to make a device to detonate the explosives remotely. ¡°May I ask, why you didn¡¯t stop us from fighting?¡± asked Li Susheng before Acma¡¯s departure. ¡°Because Mr Li and friends plan to fight and keep living. It¡¯s like fighting for one¡¯s honour or something similar. So, rather than stopping you guys from fighting, it¡¯s better if I joining in too¡±, Acma explained. ¡°Thank you, Acma¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡± Half an hour later, at the backyard of the temple. ¡°Big brother, are you finished talking with the monks?¡± a little boy asked when he saw a youth wearing a black armour walking toward him and his father. ¡°Yes, I am finished. Have you eaten?¡± ¡°I eat already. Big brother, I keep some food for you¡±. The boy showed a piece of white bun. ¡°Well, thank you¡±, Acma smiled as he received the bun from the boy. ¡°Here some tea though it¡¯s cold already¡±, said the father. ¡°Thank you Uncle Tan¡±, said Acma. he chewed the bun slowly to savour it¡¯s taste. It was a white bun with potato filling and it¡¯s taste was bland. But Acma wasn¡¯t a picky eater. If he can swallow it, then the food is good. ¡°How was it? The taste is quite bland, but this is all they have¡±, Uncle Tan looks worried. ¡°If I can swallow it, then it¡¯s good¡±, said Acma as he laugh a little. After he was finish eating, Acma took out the electronic components he found in the town under the eyes of Tan Meng and his father. He wanted to make a detonator. He felt the urge to complete them as soon as possible because his heart couldn¡¯t calm down when thinking that the enemies were just outside the town. In the meantime, inside the temple¡¯s main hall, Li Susheng was sitting together with the abbot and the others. These people were the same people Acma met before. ¡°Mr Li, do you really have to fight with the enemies?¡±, asked the abbot, Shi Ming. ¡°If they attack us again, yes, we have to fight. I believe they won¡¯t leave us alone. Right now they were camping just outside the town. I think they were waiting for orders from their higher-ups¡±, replied Li Susheng. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean they will attack. Maybe they are waiting for an envoy¡±, said a man ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right, maybe you¡¯re wrong. If they return with an envoy, then it¡¯s all good. But, if they attack when we¡¯re not prepared... I don¡¯t want to say what will happen to us. I already told you the reason why we must fight since half an hour ago, but you still insisted not to fight. ¡°...¡± ¡°Actually we¡¯re not totally against fighting, we just don¡¯t know how to. About your plan, we¡¯re reluctant to destroy the front yard, just to kill the enemies. But, we also realize that broken things can be repaired, but live lost will be gone forever¡±, said the abbot. ¡°Also, you plan to detonate the explosives from behind the barrier, so the risk is low and it¡¯s quite safe. Therefore, my decision is, we will support your plan to fight¡±. ¡°You opposed my suggestion for half an hour, made me sincerely thought that you will against fighting until the end. It seem that I was mistaken. I¡¯m really grateful for your decision¡±, said Li Susheng. ¡°Most people mistaken us to be a pacifist, but we¡¯re not. In a situation like we¡¯re currently facing, we have to fight. I¡¯m sorry if what we done earlier created a misunderstanding. We just want to make sure that you really know what you¡¯re doing and not planning to suicide¡±, explained Shi Ming. ¡°Everyone, since I already got the agreement from the abbot, I will excuse myself first. My men most likely have finish gathering all the equipment. Thank you very much¡± Li Susheng rose to his feet and walked away. A few hours later. ¡°Master, a new troop consisted of 300 horsemen have arrived outside the town¡±, Alice reported. ¡°A new troop? Thanks Alice¡±, said Acma. ¡°Mr Li, I have something to tell you¡±, shouted Acma to call Li Susheng who was standing not far from the temple¡¯s entrance. Li Susheng, Acma and the others had finished planting the explosives around the empty space in front of the temple, based on the enemies¡¯ position this morning with a few correction. In addition to the explosives buried in the ground, they also prepared dozens of pipe bombs. Those pipe bombs were a back up plan. ¡°What is it, Acma?¡± asked Li Susheng when he reached Acma. ¡°There is a new troop arrived¡±, said Acma with a grave face Everyone nearby were shocked hearing the news and looked at each other. ¡°I will go and see what their intention is¡±, Acma continued. ¡°I will go with you. Skinny, you will be in charge of the explosives. Make sure they will work. Brother Shi, inform everyone outside the temple¡¯s barrier to go to the temple right now. Tell them that the enemy have returned. Rocky, you come with me¡±, said Li Susheng. ¡°Okay, Boss¡± ¡°Boss, be careful¡± ¡°You guys be careful too. Lets go, Acma¡± 58 - Please Turn Around ¡°Mr Li, what do you think?¡± asked Acma. He was observing the situation at the enemies camp with Li Susheng from a cover. ¡°I know nothing about cavalry formation. But they look ready to sortie anytime¡± Both of them were looking at the new elven troop who just arrived. Their armour was the same as the previous elven troop, but the tip their pointy helmet had a long green tassel. They didn¡¯t dismount and stayed in line facing the town and divided into 5 ranks. Before long, they were joined by the rest of knights, elves and beastmen alike. No sounds were made. All of them were waiting for an orders. ¡°Yeah. This new troop is a bad news. All of them are level over 300 and there even 20 mages. They must be an elite troop¡±, said Acma. ¡°I wonder what is their plan about us¡±, Li Susheng mumbled. ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. Let¡¯s watch them a bit longer¡± Inside the flowery tent built for the princess. ¡°Big brother, you have arrive¡±, said Princess Nidhwen as she stood up ceremoniously to welcome her brother. ¡°Why do you have to come? I already have everything here under control¡±, she said. The prince sneered. He waived his hand and chanted something. Soon after, a root began to sprout before peeling its skin, exposing a silvery inner root. That inner root then began to interweave. Soon after, a silvery chair was formed. ¡°My lovely sister, the only thing that you have under control is that the sky over this town is clear again. But, since I can¡¯t see any Hell Suppressing Plant around, that¡¯s mean the threat of the undead was eliminated before you¡¯ve arrived. Am I right?¡± The princess didn¡¯t reply and just turned her head toward the left. ¡°The human in this town are still alive, right?¡± She¡¯s still silent but she lowered her head, looking at her feet while she started nibbling her fingers. ¡°Let me inform you, there are many human town like this one appeared throughout our kingdom and all of them are in similar situation as this town. They were plagued by an undead till the sky was covered by dark mist. The headquarters and the shrine already gave orders to eliminate all the human in these towns to prevent any undead outbreak in our kingdom¡± ¡°Lady Kaylana didn¡¯t say anything last night¡±, she replied. Her replied was met with a sharp gaze and stern face. That gaze made her flinched. ¡°You¡¯re a knight and the princess of Isebial. You should prioritize the safety of the kingdom¡± ¡°A knight must follow the orders from the headquarter and a princess must obey her father. I really receive nothing except the order to eliminate the undead last night. It¡¯s not my fault¡±, she tried to defend herself. ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯m not blaming you. I just ...¡±, the prince stopped his words when looking at his pouting sisters. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know you didn¡¯t receive the orders. I¡¯ll help you handle this matter¡± ¡°Hmmmpphh¡±, the princess folded her hands and turned his head to the right with a slightly raised chin and a closed eyes. The prince scratched the back of his head a little then looked at his adjutant who was standing next to him. ¡°Is Captain Arturas arrived?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness, he was standing outside the tent. Young Lord El¡¯Tael is also there¡±, the adjutant replied. ¡°Let Captain Arturas in¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡± A few moments later, a huge bearman entered the tent. After a slight bow and his right hand on the left chest, he took one step forward and lowered his body to kneel on the floor. But, he was stop by the order from the prince. ¡°No need to kneel, Captain. Is what you report about werewolves den and the centaurs true?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I sent my men to investigate the werewolves den. It was destroyed completely and it was impossible to determine either there is a survivor or not. As for the centaurs, they lost close to 2000 men of their tribe. They were attacked by a single human¡± ¡°Where is that human? Have you captured him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s supposed to be inside this town and we almost had a fight with him this morning¡± ¡°Almost? What do you mean?¡± Arturas didn¡¯t reply. He look awry as he lowered his head. ¡°I ordered them to retreat to avoid a meaningless bloodshed. We still don¡¯t know the extent of his strength yet¡±, the princess answered.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What?¡± the prince startled. He look unbelievably at his sister. She raised both of her hands a little while rolling her eyes and then she said, ¡°He rode a huge purple rank python king and treat it as his pet. How am I going to let my men fight that thing?¡±, she protested. ¡°...¡± ¡°Forget about it¡±, the prince surrendered. ¡°He came from a village right? How much do you know about that village?¡± he asked Arturas ¡°Yes, Your Highness. From the information given by the centaurs, the number of defender shouldn¡¯t exceed 200 men and most of them were archers. They also have two blue rank stone golems and one blue rank mountain harpy as a guard. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t know the exact number of human in that village¡±, Arturas reported. ¡°Hmmmm... they repelled the attack on their village with just that number. They are dangerous¡±, said the prince. Then he turned his head and looked at one of his officer. ¡°Arael, take 100 warriors and 5 mages to that village and eliminate them. Captain Arturas, have one of your men follow them as a guide. Go¡±, ordered the prince. ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡±, both of them answered and then exit the tent. ¡°And you¡±, said the prince as he turned his body toward his sister. ¡°You¡¯re going to listen to a special lecture by Prince Iandithas, a mighty General of Isebial Kingdom¡±. The princess hurriedly edged herself as to try to avoid his brother. ¡°Errrr... brother, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to handle the matter here? Sooner is better, right?¡± she asked stutteringly. ¡°That can wait. Now, first lesson ....¡± Everyone walked out of the tent to give space to the princess to receive her special lecture. At the edge of the town, Acma was busy selecting a suitable weapon to use if he have to fight those knights. Sword was out of question since they wore a full body armour. From many types of weapon he had in his inventory, his choices were finally narrowed down to a warhammer and an axe. He rubbed his chin slowly and he still couldn¡¯t decide. ¡°Hey, look..¡±, Li Susheng suddenly nudged Acma¡¯s side, pulling him back to reality. He saw two person, an elf and a bearman came out of the flowery tent. The elf immediately mounted his horse and began to give orders. A moment later, 105 knights line up behind him and all of them from the same troop that just arrived. After giving a few words, he led the troop into the forest. ¡°Where are they going?¡± asked Li Susheng. ¡°...¡± Acma was puzzled too. After a few thinking, he arrived at two conjectures. First, they were to inspect the werewolves¡¯ den or the centaurs¡¯ village. Two, they went straight to Orca Village. Both of them eventually led to the same ending, Orca Village. Secretly, Acma was hoping that their trip wasn¡¯t to attack the village, but he couldn¡¯t take the risk. He must return to Orca Village. Somehow, Acma could feel that these knights knew about him, they knew about what happened to the werewolves and the centaurs were related to him, especially if he counted the behaviour of the werewolf he slammed with Sawa¡¯s tail this morning. If these feeling were true, more reason for him to worry about Orca Village¡¯s safety. ¡°Most likely they were heading toward Orca Village¡±, Acma answered worriedly. Li Susheng looked at Acma with concern. Worry was plastered all over his place. ¡°You should go¡±, he said. ¡°That¡¯s your village, right?¡± Acma smiled and he felt warm in his heart. ¡°Mr Li is a good man¡±, he thought. ¡°We have the temple¡¯s barrier here, so we can hold out for a few more days. Go¡±, Li Susheng continued. ¡°Thank you Mr Li. I will come back here as soon as possible¡±, said Acma. ¡°The trip back to your village will take times, right? So, take your time. Don¡¯t worry about us¡± ¡°Okay¡±, said Acma short. He stood up and scanned the horizon, calculating the location of Orca Village. When he saw the movement of the trees, he was almost confirmed that the troop earlier was heading toward the village. Right now, he have two choices in front of him. Either return to Orca Village straight away or try to delay the enemies in the middle of their journey. He turned his face toward Li Susheng and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go first, Mr Li¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ Acma faded into nothingness after his body glowed with a bright light, leaving the dumbfounded Li Susheng behind. He didn¡¯t tell Li Susheng what was needed to do, because as a leader, Li Susheng surely knew by himself. A second later, Acma appeared on top of a small mound, halfway from Boulder Town to Orca Village. The journey to Orca Village was approximately three hours. If he engage the enemies here, they will have one hour minimum to reach their destination either they choose to advance or retreat. This will give him a lot of time to prepare for his next move. Acma looked around as he descended, forming a plan in his head. The trees were a few metres apart of each other, giving enough spaces for a cavalry manoeuvre. The floor was solid and clear except a few bushes and thicket here and there. ¡°This is a good place. I thought I need to teleport a few more times to find a suitable place¡±, he said slowly with a gleam in his eyes. ¡°Alice, contact Uncle Pai and warn him that a strong enemies are coming. They are Knights of Forest with level over 300. Also, there are 5 mages among them. Tell them to decide. If they decide to relocate, I¡¯ll return and teleport them right away to safety. Otherwise, I¡¯ll return before the enemies¡¯ arrival¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± An hour and half later. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived¡±, said Acma. While waiting for the enemies, he was sitting crossed legs, meditating on a boulder on top of the mound. Now, they have arrived. He looked at the leader of the troop as he slowly stood up and dusting his butt in a carefree manner.
Elemental Knight Arael LVL 415
¡°Fuh, 415¡±, Acma told himself. He felt pressured but he¡¯s still calm. Arael raised his right hand to order his troop to stop then waived it to the right. The knights behind him began to fanned out to form a line with 20 knights in each rank. Acma was standing on the boulder, looking down on the knights below. Nobody talked. The standoff lasted for a minute. ¡°Could you please turn around and leave my village alone?¡± Acma broke the silence. ¡°Turn around? Hmph¡±, Arael sneered. ¡°Knights, dismount and kill this ant as quickly as you can. We have a lot of things to do¡±, He shouted. Ten knights began to dismount and walked toward Acma with their weapon in hand. Acma just calmly looked at the incoming threat. ¡°This is the worst¡±, Acma thought as he shook his head lightly. ¡®Inhale¡¯ ¡®Exhale¡¯ ¡®Inhaaaaaaaaale¡¯ Acma fixed his eyes on Arael. ¡®PHANTOP STEP¡¯ Instantly, he appeared right behind Arael as he equipped his helmet and a knife in his right hand. He grabbed Arael¡¯s forehead and dragged it to his left shoulder. Faster than a lightning strike, he stabbed Arael¡¯s neck and pulled the knife to the right. ¡°Die, please¡±, he whispered. 59 - Execute The blood spurting and painting the head of the horse red. Acma released Arael¡¯s head and let his body dropping to the left. In front of him, the ten knights were still advancing toward the mound while the others showing no emotions as they stared at the location where Acma was standing before. Most of them still didn¡¯t realize that their captain was attacked except the knight behind Arael. ¡°Eh?¡±, the knight exclaimed. However, before he could shout, his face was rammed by a knee, forcing his head facing the sky. When he finally able to open his eyes, he saw a bloody knife in a hand raised high in the sky. He tried to think, but the knife suddenly turned into a war hammer and the hand that hold it, swung the war hammer down to his face. ¡®THUD¡¯ The war hammer was lodged deep into the knight¡¯s head. Without delay, Acma pulled the hammer and lunged toward the next target, a knight who was in the middle of unsheathing his sword. Acma landed on the neck of the horse and threw a kick to stop the knight as he swung his hammer diagonally toward the knight¡¯s head. A cracking sound was heard and the blood flowing from the nose like a waterfall. The war hammer might not able to penetrate the helmet, but the force behind the strike was enough to shatter the knight¡¯s skull. ¡°BIND¡± A feminine shout was heard. Immediately, several roots as thick as a children arm sprouting from the ground and moving up to bind Acma¡¯s limbs. Acma turned his head to the left and saw behind enemies rank, a hundred metres from him, a female magician holding a staff with both of her hands and pointed it at him. She was the one who casted the spell. ¡°Tsk¡±, he clicked his tongue. ¡®PHANTOM STEP¡¯ Acma reappeared behind the female magician. He immediately spinning his body clockwise to increase the force of his strike. ¡°IRHAAL, BEHIND YOU!!!¡±, someone shouted urgently. Irhaal the magician, tried to turned her head back, but that was clearly a mistake. She should casted a shield instead of turning back. By the time she turned 90 degrees to the left, Acma¡¯s war hammer already arrived in front of her left eye. ¡®PUCHI¡¯ Part of Irhaal¡¯s head from her left eyes to the back was gone, showing a white brain matter. Her blood spurting and landed on Acma''s armour. Acma¡¯s attention quickly shifted toward another female magician, a few metres on his right. He extended his right hand and pointed at her with his index finger. She flinched but she immediately raised her staff to cast a spell. ¡®TORNADO¡¯, said Acma softly. ¡®THORN¡¯, she shouted at the same time A small azure coloured tornado enveloped the magician, raising her 5 metres above the ground together with her mount as she started shrieking like a pig at slaughterhouse. At the same time, Acma was bombarded by a dozen sharp thorns aiming at his vitals. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t even put a scratch on his armour. ¡®WIND BLADE¡¯, he added. A few wind blades merged with the tornado and turning it into a meat grinder. The magician wasn¡¯t screaming anymore after a minute and her blood was spraying everywhere around the tornado. ¡®PHANTOM STEP¡¯ Acma disappeared before a few deadly arrows flew across the place where he was. Then he reappeared again on the boulder on top of the mound. Acma was looking down at the knights below. Traces of dread and fear could be seen in their eyes. They looked alternately between Acma and his war hammer which still dripping with blood. Everybody was silent. Their formation still retained their original form due to Acma¡¯s sudden attack, but they look sluggish and stiff. Maybe because they suddenly lost their leader. ¡°KNIGHT, HOLD YOUR GROUND. YOU¡¯RE THE PROUD KNIGHT OF ISEBIAL. DO NOT FEAR YOUR ENEMY!!!¡± Suddenly, a loud shout reverberated in this quiet forest, bringing back the knights to their original composure. It¡¯s coming from the left side of the formation by a knight called Arlen, a level 376 Elemental Knight. ¡°AULATHAR, BRING SIX SQUADS AND FINISH HIS HIGHNESS¡¯ ORDER. THE OTHERS, COME WITH ME AND KILL THIS FIEND!!!¡± ¡°YES SIR !!!¡± Except the 60 knights who began to escape the battle area, the others unsheathed their weapon and charging toward Acma. With Arlen as their new leader, they spread out and sprinting. Their body was brimming with killing intent and it soared higher when they rushed pass the body of their previous leader. ¡°CHAAAARGEEE!!!¡± ¡°KILLLLLL!!!¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll let you go?¡± said Acma coolly. He was quite astonished by the reaction of the knights in front of him. From changing the chain of command to the knights executing the order of the new leader to divide troops, all of them were done swiftly. Initially, his plan was to engage the enemies by himself as long as possible and he already expected that they would be divided into two teams, one to continue their mission and the other to deal with him. But he didn¡¯t expected it would be this soon. Now he need to alter his plan a little. ¡°Summon: Sawa¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. A globe of purple light appeared in front of Acma and then it flew to his left due to Acma¡¯s will to cut off the path of the knights who were escaping the battle. The purple light enlarged and formed Sawa¡¯s body. But, as fast as it slithered forward, Sawa could only prevent a quarter of the knights from escaping. Some of the knights halted their mount and turned around when Sawa cut off the path of their brothers. But a loud shout from Arlen forced them to continue their journey. They left in rush. Acma didn¡¯t intend to chase them. He turned his head toward the charging knights at the foot of the mound. ¡°Sawa, surround them¡±, ordered Acma. Acma jumped onto Sawa¡¯s head when it completed its encirclement. Then he waived his left hand and all his guardians appeared on the Sawa¡¯s back. The Supreme Guardians stood next to Acma while the Stone Guardians began to spread out along the Sawa¡¯s body and then jumped down. The knights immediately halted their mount when the guardians appeared. Their eyes followed the movement of the guardians as they moved to surround the knights. The knights were restless and confused. They looked at each other without saying anything. ¡°Summon: Blood Lizard King¡± Adding to their misery was the appearance of an ugly and grim looking lizard. They knew what it was. It was a Blood Lizard, a poisonous lizard. ¡°Coward!!¡±, Arlen bellowed. ¡°You use poison!!¡± Acma tilted his head a little when he heard that. He was curious and wanted to ask the angry elf, why he reacted to the lizard but not to the guardians. But he decided not to because his time was limited. The escaped knights might reach the village in less than an hour. So he had to finish the battle as soon as possible. Acma looked deeply into the eyes of Arlen. He was searching for any intention to surrender. Any form of hesitation, restlessness or unwillingness was enough. Initially, Acma could see that Arlen seems to be hesitated when the guardians appeared but that hesitation was gone after the appearance of Blood Lizard King. Acma raised his war hammer and swung it down. ¡°Execute¡±, he said coldly. The Stone Guardians closing in to attack the knights. Their steps were uniformed and unhurried, but each steps were capable of striking fear in anyone¡¯s heart. ¡°KNIGHTS!!! THIS BATTLE HAS NOTHING BUT A SIMPLE FACT, KILL THAT FIEND AND OUR BATTLE WILL BE CONCLUDED¡±, shouted Arlen to the peak of his voices and pointed his sword at Acma. ¡°HU AAHHH!!!¡± ¡°Form a ring formation and defend against those golems. You must raise your aura to the peak, that fiend surely will use the blood lizard. Ten knights come with me, we will kill that fiend¡±, Arlen ordered his troop, then he began to charge toward Acma together with ten knights behind him. At the same time, Acma gave another order. ¡°Blood Lizard King, Poisonous Breath¡±, he said. His voice was calm. The Blood Lizard King step forward and released the poisonous breath as much as possible into the sky until it formed a mist. Then the mist slowly spread downward until the foot of the mound was filled with a blood red poisonous mist. Not only the mist was poisonous, it also stole the knight¡¯s sight, rendering them unable to fight properly. The sounds of coughing, vomiting, screaming and weapon clashing were heard everywhere inside the mist while Arlen helplessly trying to raised the moral of his troop. Acma saw the struggle of Arlen and the knights to defend themselves against the guardians¡¯ attack and the poisonous mist, but such sight didn¡¯t stirred his emotions. His face was emotionless and his eyes showed neither joy nor hesitation, only coldness. ¡°Vice Captain, please go. We will hold this golems. Uhuk-uhuk!!!¡±, someone shouted before he was coughing blood. ¡°Go, Vice Captain!!¡±, urged the other. ¡°Sergeant!!¡±, Arlen looked at his officer who were holding back two broadsword wielder guardians. Then a determine look exploded on his face as he turned back and charge toward Acma again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone. I¡¯ll surely kill this fiend¡±, he shouted. ¡°Hahahaha. Go, Vice Capt..¡±, someone cheered, but his mount suddenly fell down, sending him rolling forward. He stood up and coughing some blood. He wiped the blood with his left and then he roared loudly. ¡°BROTHERS!! THIS POISON IS NOTHING. DESTRO.. Argh!!¡± He struggled to look down. He saw a stone spear tip penetrated his chest. He realized his death was close. Slowly, he grabbed the bloody spear tip with his left hand, trying to push it back. His legs lost its strength as he fell on his knees. He laughed a little, but his tears began to flow. He looked up, staring at the sky. ¡°Elya¡± That was his last word. The other knights heard his last word. They also roared defiantly. They tried to escaped the poisonous mist area, but the Stone Guardians easily forced them back into the mist. At the top of the mound, Acma narrowed his eyes when he saw Arlen came out of the mist. Arlen¡¯s body was glowing with a purple light. He urged his mount to go faster when they finally escaped the poisonous mist. When he was a few metres close to Acma, he ordered his mount to stop abruptly and borrowed the momentum to jump. ¡°Alice, send him back into the mist¡±, said Acma coldly as he willed Sawa to move its head away from the incoming Arlen. ¡°Yes, Master¡± A Supreme Guardian wielding a giant axe jumped down and swung its weapon. ¡®BAAAAAMMM¡¯ Arlen¡¯s body slammed the ground and a crack like spider web spread out from the point of impact. He had returned into the poisonous mist. Before he could stabilize himself, the following strike from the Supreme Guardian already arrived. The battle continued for half an hour before everything went silent. By that time, the mist already thinned enough to show the bodies sprawled on the ground and the guardians stood still a few metres from each other. Acma unsummon Sawa and Blood Lizard King. He walked down the mound and when he reached the foot, he saw the Supreme Guardian who fought against Arlen standing with its axe on the shoulder. Next to it, Arlen laying down motionlessly on the ground. His left leg was gone while the other sprawled awkwardly, probably from a broken bones. There was a cave in on his chest. Obviously he was on his last breath but his sword was firmly in his grip. When Acma get closer, Arlen slowly opened his eyes and tried to move his head but he wasn¡¯t able to. When Acma finally stood next to him, Arlen let out a strained smile and raised the hilt of his sword. ¡°Kill me¡±, he said. Acma took the sword. ¡°Let... let me see your face¡±, Arlen begged. ¡°...¡± ¡°You should retreat¡±, said Acma. He didn¡¯t remove his helmet. ¡°...¡± ¡°You... never give... a chance¡± "..." ¡°You¡¯re too proud to take it¡±, said Acma in his head. He raised the sword and aimed the tip toward Arlen¡¯s neck. ¡°Tha..nk you¡±, said Arlen as he closed his eyes. ¡°...¡± After a while, Acma pulled out the sword. He looked up into the sky and took a deep breath. "HUAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGHHHHHH" He roared. 60 - Thats The Only Way Acma let out all the burden in his heart, so what happened in this battle won¡¯t affect him anymore. Not now, not in the future. These knights were on their way to kill the villagers so he had to stop them. He already asked them to turn around, but they replied his request with an unsheathed swords. Acma turned his head around, looking at the disappearing body of the knights. He bowed his head a little as an offer of respect. A while after, only armours and weapons were left. Acma was thinking about leaving them here but he suddenly had a better idea. ¡°Alice, collect all these equipment and bring them to me¡±, he ordered. ¡°Yes, Master¡± All the guardians began to move their limbs and collecting the armours and the weapons on the floor before gathered them in front of Acma. While waiting for all the equipment were collected, Acma took a glance at his current status. ¡°Open: Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level 374 Race Human
Class Emissary of Void
HP 19150/19150 MP 176370/188750
Dark Mana 8700
Strength 1542 Agility 1311
Intelligence 2213 Luck 310
Unallocated point(s) 30
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner, The Puppeteer
¡°Oh¡±, he startled, ¡°My dark mana increased¡± ¡°Hmmmm.... I killed 58 knights and half of their mounts. That means 100 dark mana per kill. That¡¯s probably right¡±, he thought. ¡°Should I try my Dark Magic now?¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Maybe not¡±, he stopped himself. A while after, his lovely fairy Alice flew back and reported. ¡°Everything is here, Master¡± ¡°Thank you, Alice¡± He kept all the equipment in his inventory as well as all his guardians. ¡°Lets go, Alice. To the Orca Village¡± ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ A second later, he appeared in front of the main hall in the Orca Village. He unequipped his helmet and then looked around. He saw a group of women and children sitting together at the empty space next to the main hall. They didn¡¯t do anything in particular. Some of them just talking and laughing together while some others looked worried and restless. From time to time, some of them would take a look at the village¡¯s entrance as if something would suddenly barged into the village. Acma turned his head toward the archer¡¯s platform next to the entrance. Only a few hunters were standing guard as their eyes staring dagger at the forest surrounding the village. ¡°Hey look, the kid is back¡±, someone shouted when he noticed Acma standing in front of the main hall. ¡°Call the Chief¡±, his friend urged. ¡°You call. I still have things to do¡± ¡°Tsk.. You lazy bum. Let me call the chief then¡± Acma turned around and waived at the duo who were dismantling the unneeded platform near the entrance. On of them ran toward the residential area, probably yo call for Chief Pai. Acma entered the main hall and waiting for Chief Pai to arrive. A few minutes later, Chief Pai arrived. Acma who was sitting on the chair immediately stood up and greet him.
Apprentice Knight Pai Chow LVL 37
The first thing Acma noticed when Chief Pai entered the hall was the latter¡¯s level. It was increased several levels compared to yesterday. Acma¡¯s puzzlement was clearly shown on his face and it was noticed by Chief Pai. ¡°Are you that happy meeting this old man?¡± Chief Pai questioned. Acma scratched his head a little. Looks like Chief Pai was misunderstood. ¡°Your level, it increased¡± Acma was puzzled because there should be no attack on the village yesterday. Maybe Chief Pai went out hunting, but that probability was low because Chief Pai was needed at the village in this uncertain situation. As far as he knew, to gain experience was only by killing. He had done several things other than killing like rescuing the miner goblins, saving the divine beast, subjugating a centaur¡¯s village, eliminating the threat of werewolves and saving the Boulder Town residents, but he never get any experience to increase his level from that. ¡°Owh, you noticed. Haha. I completed the tasks taken at the Beginner Village and levelled up¡±, Chief Pai answered with a happy smile on his face. Acma raised his brows because didn¡¯t expect that answer. ¡°Tasks from Beginner Village? Owh, I remember you talked about it before. But I thought you would get points only from those tasks¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we initially thought too. But after several hunters reported the same thing about getting the experiences from completing the tasks, everyone began grinding those tasks. Unfortunately, I was busy so I only levelled up five times¡±, Chief Pai explained. ¡°Haahhh¡±, Acma sighed.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Looks like I lost quite a benefit from Beginner Village¡±, he thought. ¡°But in the second thought, although I lost some benefits, what I¡¯ve got from Void is definitely better that what I probably get from the Beginner Village¡± ¡°Why did you sighed?¡± asked Chief Pai. ¡°I wish I have the same option to level up¡± ¡°Option?¡± ¡°Yes, an option to level up by completing the tasks from the Beginner Village¡± Instantly, Chief Pai¡¯s face look shocked. A while after, it regain it¡¯s calm. ¡°So it¡¯s true. I heard from Wang Tian that you never go to the Beginner Village¡± Chief Pai said. ¡°Yes, it is true¡± Chief Pai stroke his chin and rub it slowly. He looks like was thinking something. ¡°Your only way to level up is killing monsters?¡± asked Chief Pai. ¡°For now, that¡¯s the only way for me¡±, replied Acma. ¡°...¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing¡± ¡°Yeah¡±, Acma agreed. ¡°It¡¯s just that my level will be stagnant if I didn¡¯t kill. By the way, may I know the villager¡¯s decision about the attack this time? Do they want to fight or to relocate?¡± Acma changed the subject. Lingering around this subject for too long, it would lead into an endless philosophical debate between lawful and unlawful killing for example. So Acma had to divert the issue because he didn¡¯t want to talk about it. For him, he killed when he had to kill. Like killing the Knight of Forest who were attacking the Orca Village. ¡°...¡± Chief Pai was quiet for a second. He seem to be hesitated either to continue with the previous topic or not. ¡°We already have a decision¡±, Chief Pai spoke as he could see Acma¡¯s restlessness. ¡°The villagers agreed to relocate and we already made the preparation. Since you¡¯re already here, we can proceed anytime. Actually, it¡¯s quite difficult to get everyone¡¯s consent, but after we told them about all the risks if they stay here, they finally agreed¡±, explained Chief Pai. ¡°That¡¯s great¡±, a faint smile flashed through his face. ¡°What is it? You don¡¯t look happy¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Uncle. I think that the villagers made a right decision¡± ¡°Hmmmm... You¡¯re suspicious. You must be hiding something¡±, Chief Pai accused. ¡°Let¡¯s relocate the villagers first¡±, said Acma dodging the subject as he smiled wryly. It¡¯s not like he was hiding anything. It¡¯s just that he felt that their decision was a bit late. They should relocate two days ago after the second battle. After defeating the enemies twice, it was highly possible that there will be another strike from a stronger troops until the village was destroyed because the enemies really hate human. It¡¯s a logical conclusion. But, although the decision to relocate was a bit later, it was still a good decision. Chief Pai smirked haughtily and stroked his chin. Then he smiled. ¡°Whatever it is, all the villagers and I are really appreciate what you¡¯ve done to us¡±, he said and tapped Acma¡¯s shoulder multiple times. Acma smiled. It did feel good being appreciated. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Pai¡±, said Acma. Both of them walked out of the main hall and headed toward the gathering area near the village¡¯s entrance. Outside the main hall, Chief Pai asked a hunter who was having a conversation with his friends near the main hall to call for everyone in the village to gather at the empty space next to the main hall. Listening to Chief Pai¡¯s order, the hunter and his friends run toward the residence and the other areas to call every villagers. While waiting for the villagers to gather, Acma told Chief Pai that he wanted to survey the empty area in front of the nokium mine. He didn¡¯t want any mishap happened during the relocating process if there were any danger lurking around the places. By doing an inspection, he could prevent the villagers from being attacked by the enemies as soon as they relocated to the place. After making sure that there were no dangers around the nokium mine¡¯s entrance, he went to meet Old and Shield, leaders of the Miner Goblin inside the mine to make some arrangement about the soon to be arriving villagers from the Orca Village. 15 minutes later, he returned to Orca Village. ¡°I¡¯m back. Is everything ready?¡±, Acma asked Chief Pai as soon as he met the latter at the main hall. Inside the hall, Chief Pai was talking with several elders and squad leaders. ¡°Owh? Their level increased too¡±, Acma thought when he looked at the name plate on top of their head. ¡°Yes, everything is ready¡±, replied Chief Pai. He was wearing a green hunting suit with a bow on his left hand and a quiver strapped on his right waist. ¡°Okay, Let¡¯s go¡± Outside the main hall, every villagers had gathered. The hunters, ready with their equipment were surrounding the non combatants in the middle to protect them after they¡¯ve been teleported. A few hunters were still standing guard on the platform and Chief Pai had informed Acma that those guard will join them shortly. Acma took a deep breath. Deep inside his heart, he felt a bit of anxiety and worry because this is the first time he teleported a big number of people at once. Previously, he only teleported Chief Pai and Elder Ma. There weren¡¯t any problem at that time because maybe it was only two person. But this time, he had to teleport more than a hundred people. So it was quite a challenge. ¡°Everyone, I¡¯ll teleport all of you shortly. Please keep calm and do not move¡±, said Acma. A murmurs could be heard from the crowd as a few of them were holding each others hand. Some of the hunters were visibly seen tighten their grip on their weapon as the tried to hide the anxiousness on their face. ¡°It¡¯s safe, right?¡± someone shouted. ¡°...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±, replied Acma in his head but he could utter that answer. Suddenly, a hand tapped his shoulder. It was Chief Pai¡¯s hand and he tried to calm Acma. ¡°Elder Ma and I had an experience been teleported by Acma before, and I assure you that it was safe¡±, said Chief Pai. ¡°You might feel a bit dizzy after you reach the new place, so keep calm until you¡¯re aware of your new surrounding¡± Acma felt grateful because the villagers were calmer right after Chief Pai gave his assurance. Then he visualized the empty space in front of the Nokium mine as a huge light circle began to materialized below everyone¡¯s feet. The light circles were formed by an intertwined rune-like designs and it took a minute to cover every villagers. ¡°Uncle Pai, please call back the guard¡± ¡°Duo Nan, call everyone¡± ¡°Yes, Chief¡± A while after, everyone had gathered. ¡°TELEPORT¡± The light circles enveloped everyone and soon after, they vanished into nothingness. In front of Nokium mine, the situation was calm when suddenly a ball of light appeared out of nowhere. That light exploded and covered the entire area in front of the mine and then disappeared. ¡°Where are we?¡± a voice was heard after the light disappeared. ¡°I don¡¯t know, let¡¯s wait for the Chief¡± ¡°What Chief said was right, the teleportation is safe, but I do feel dizzy¡± ¡°Luckily it still bearable¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Standing at the front, Acma was smiling when he realized that everyone were safe during teleportation. ¡°Uncle Pai, can you check if everyone are okay or not?¡± he asked Chief Pai who was standing next to him. ¡°Hmmmmm...¡±, Chief Pai¡¯s gaze swept across everyone in front of him. ¡°They look okay to me. I¡¯ll inform you again if there is anything wrong. Thank you very much, Acma. You save us again¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Uncle Pai¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, kid. We need everyone to settle down as soon as possible¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Master, there is a call from Mr. Shi¡±, suddenly Alice¡¯s voice was heard as she flew out of Acma¡¯s chest. Everyone around Acma stopped and paid their attention to Alice. Acma¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard that. ¡°Did the knights move into the town already?¡± he thought. ¡°Connect us¡±, said Acma. ¡°Yes, Master¡± The call was connected. [H. H.. hello.. hello.. Is this Acma?] Mr Shi¡¯s voice was stuttered and it sound that he was in fright. ¡°Yes Mr Shi. This is Acma¡±, Acma hurriedly replied. [Young friend, please help us] Acma and everyone around him frowned. 61 - Save Them ¡°What happened, Mr Shi?¡± Acma asked. There was a rush in his tone. [The enemies stormed the town and captured everyone who were outside the temple] ¡°What?¡± Chief Pai exclaimed. ¡°Are those enemies are the Knight of Forest?¡± [...] ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr Shi. This is Chief Pai of the Orca Village. Mr Shi, what did those enemies do?¡± said Acma. [Hello, Mr Pai. The enemies indeed are the Knight of Forest. They gathered in front of the temple and bombarded the barrier with spells and physical attacks. It totally frighten us. Then they demanded us to surrender and assured us that they won¡¯t treat us badly. That was half an hour ago. 300 of the town residents chose to surrender. I tried to talk to them, but they refused to listen and went out of the barrier. I tried to negotiate with the enemies but they said that they only receive a surrender but no negotiation. However, 5 minutes ago, they were attacking again. Young friend, please help us. They¡¯re too strong for us] Acma didn¡¯t have to think as he replied immediately. ¡°Please hold on, Mr Shi. I¡¯ll go there as soon as possible¡± [Thank you, young friend] The call was ended. Acma swivelled his head toward Chief Pai. But before he could say anything, Chief Pai cut him off. ¡°Let us go with you¡±, said Chief Pai with a determined face. His hand was tightly gripping his bow. ¡°...¡± ¡°The residents of Boulder Town also a human like us, so we have to save them¡± Acma was hesitated. Chief Pai¡¯s spirit was commendable but the Knight of Forest weren¡¯t an enemies that could be defeated with spirit alone. He had to reject Chief Pai¡¯s intention. ¡°No, Uncle Pai. I can¡¯t bring you with me. The villagers need you here¡±, said Acma. He lowered his voice and tried to calm Chief Pai down. ¡°How can I let you fight those enemies alone? Don¡¯t be stubborn and let us help too¡±, Chief Pai bellowed. His face was stern and he was clearly dissatisfied with Acma¡¯s rejection. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Uncle Pai. I won¡¯t fight them head-on. The temple at Boulder Town have an invisible barrier so I will employ a hit-and-run tactic from inside the barrier to reduce their numbers if we end up fighting¡±, Acma explained. Hearing that, Chief Pai immediately grabbed Acma¡¯s shoulder and dragged the latter closer to his face. ¡°Hit-and-run? Do you think I don¡¯t know you?¡± Chief Pai scolded. ¡°I saw how you fight the werewolves before, so we will pin down the enemies with the arrows while you finish them with your vanishing skill¡±. Acma felt a headache. He wanted to teleport but he can''t before he settled this issue because it¡¯s really rude to leave just like that. He needed to find a way, quick. ¡°Uncle Pai, I really can¡¯t bring you along. Look¡±, said Acma as his hand pointed at the sky. ¡°The day is reaching the end but the villagers still didn¡¯t have a shelter. They need you to give orders. Here, take this¡±, a pile of the folded tents which he pillaged from the minatours appeared nearby. ¡°This should help a little¡±, he said. ¡°We should let the kid go, Brother Pai. He is right, we need you here. He brought us here so we don¡¯t have to fight those knights. Let¡¯s appreciate his effort¡±, a moustached elder said after he tapped Chief Pai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Brother Xu..¡±, said Chief Pai but his hand still grabbing Acma¡¯s shoulder. He looked at everyone and then took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, alright¡±, said Chief Pai as he released Acma¡¯s shoulder. Acma felt relieved as he immediately prepared to teleport. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Pai. I¡¯ll go now¡± Chief Pai didn¡¯t say anything. He just nodded his head a little. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ Acma disappeared. Chief Pai looked at everyone around and then rested his gaze on the moustached elder. ¡°Brother Xu, I¡¯m worried about the people at the town. We¡¯re safe here, but they¡¯re still in danger¡± ¡°I think they aren¡¯t in much danger¡±, suddenly a sound was heard from the crowd. A person emerged and it was the Elder Ma. ¡°We spoke with the abbot before, they have the barrier so they are in much safer place than us¡±. Elder Ma walked closer. ¡°The kid is worry about our safety so I think let¡¯s just follow what he said and settle down here as soon as possible¡± ¡°Brother Ma, you too¡±, Chief Pai paused then he asked ¡°Am I too impulsive?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re just a nice old man¡±, replied Elder Ma, then he laughed. ¡°I agree with you that we should help the town residents, but not by fighting those knights. Maybe we will have our chance later¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s think about that later¡±, Chief Pai concurred. He turned his head toward Duo Nan. ¡°Take two squads with you and check the perimeters. Make sure this place is safe. Brother Ma and Brother Daquan, please arrange our settlement so it will be easier to defend. Brother Xu, please take these tents and get some help from the hunters to find the suitable pole to erect them. As for the others, please help the villagers to settle down¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Yes Chief¡±, everyone affirmed the orders. ¡°and I will enter the mine to meet the leader of the goblins¡±, Chief Pai continued. Everyone except Elder Ma were shocked when they heard about the goblins, but after Chief Pai assured them that the goblins weren¡¯t dangerous, only then they continued with their tasks. Acma reappeared in front of the temple¡¯s main hall. The place was vacant except a few young monks who almost fell on their buttock when they saw Acma appeared out of nowhere. From afar, Acma could heard the booming sounds from the direction of the temple¡¯s entrance. He knew he needed to hurry. Acma waived at the young monks and then ran toward the entrance as fast as he could and phantom stepping in the middle. Soon after, he arrived. The entrance was crowded by the town residents. The person at the back tip-toed so they could see what happen outside the barrier. Acma trying to slip through the wall of the residents. While doing so, he could heard a lot of noises. The calmer one were explaining, the furious were cursing while the scared were sobbing. A few among the crowd couldn¡¯t handle the pressure as they wailed as loud as the could. Acma finally reached in front of the entrance. He greeted Mr Shi and Mr Li while nodding to the others. Horror could be seen on their face. Several monks tried to control the crowds and calmed them down although they themselves were scared. Acma turned his head toward the sources of horror. Outside the barrier, a dozen of 10 metres tall humanoid tree were lining up, slamming their devious hands onto the barrier. The booming sounds that Acma heard earlier were their doing.
Elder Pine Treeherd LVL 278
Elder Pine Treeherd LVL 256
Elder Oak Treeherd LVL 283
Behind each treeherd, standing an Advance Magician who were pointing their glowing staff with a purple light toward the treeherd. ¡°They¡¯re probably controlling the treeherd¡±, a thought instantly crossed Acma¡¯s mind. ¡°Knights, smoke them out¡±, suddenly, a loud shout was heard. ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡± Several groups of elven and beastmen knight ran toward the barrier and slammed it with their weapon and fists. ¡°Tremble to death, pitiful human¡±, a beastman with an upper body of a lion slurred followed by a thunderous laugh by the others. ¡°You missed your opportunity to live when you didn¡¯t surrender earlier. His Highness is a honourable person, yet you doubt him. Now you can die¡±, another beastman shouted as it punched its fist which glowed with a faint blue light. ¡°Why does it glowed? Arlen¡¯s sword also glowing when he tried to strike me. But the colour was different. Arlen¡¯s was purple while this one is blue. Hmmm, maybe it¡¯s related to their rank. Arlen was an Elemental Knight. Maybe the glow is a warrior aura ... I should capture one of these knights to get the answer¡±, Acma thought when he saw the glow on the beastman''s hand. Acma was calm because of the barrier and his eyes were scanning the enemies. The leader of the knights was a male elf who looks like in early twenties. He wasn¡¯t wearing a helmet, so his silvery long hair flutter along the green cape which rest on the back of his horse. Acma could see a vivid image of a tiger holding a sword on right side of the chest armour which made him remembered the young divine tiger he met a few days ago. The number of the enemies were more or less about 1000 units. The beastmen were standing at the left while the elven on their mount at the right side, similar to this morning¡¯s formation. The princess and her guards were located at the far right. El Ta¡¯el and his noble friends weren¡¯t far from the princess¡¯s group. Acma let his eyes swam across the enemies, looking for the residents who were captured or surrendered. But he didn¡¯t find any. ¡°Mr Shi, do you know where they took the residents who were surrendered?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, but I saw they were taken toward the field. They¡¯re probably there¡±, replied Mr Shi. ¡°Center field huh ... All the explosives were planted in front of the temple, but we can¡¯t explode them without knowing the locations of the surrendered residents. Too bad I didn¡¯t leave an extra drones before¡±, thought Acma. He took out a drone from the inventory. ¡°Alice, take a detour and find the captured and the surrendered residents. They are probably held at the center field. Don¡¯t let the elves see you¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± The drone flew toward the temple at low altitude. ¡°Young friend, can you help to free the captured residents? I¡¯m worried about the one who surrendered too, but nothing I can do because it was their own choice. I can¡¯t force them to stay¡±, Shi Ming pledged. ¡°I¡¯ll try¡±, replied Acma short with a faint smile. ¡°What did Mr Shi want to negotiate with them earlier?¡± he asked after a short pause. ¡°I¡¯m planning to ask them to let us live within the border of the town and set free the residents who got captured, but who knows that I was rejected even before I could speak. They didn¡¯t want to negotiate¡±, explained Shi Ming. ¡°It¡¯s hard to negotiate when they held a much superior position and we have nothing to offer them¡±, Li Susheng joined the conversation. Acma nodded his head, agreed with Li Susheng argument. ¡°We can force them to negotiate¡±, he gave an opinion. ¡°How?¡± both Shi Ming and Li Susheng asked. ¡°We capture some of them. That princess is a good choice for starting¡±, said Acma as he looked at the princess¡¯s direction. ¡°Owh, that¡¯s a great idea¡±, supported Li Susheng. ¡°If you can, try to capture the leader too. He said he was a prince. If we capture both of them, they definitely will negotiate with us¡± ¡°But the captured residents might become a collateral damage¡±, Acma threw a cold water. ¡°...¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. But if we don¡¯t do that, more people will die¡±, said Li Susheng depressed. ¡°Unless our young friend can capture them both before they could react, I think we can minimize the losses¡±, a middle age man who stood next to Shi Ming spoke. He was one of the leaders Acma met inside the temple¡¯s main hall. ¡°Can we make it zero loss?¡± another leader spoke. ¡°That would be as hard as climbing the Everest backward¡±, someone replied as he chuckled. ¡°Do you mean we let them die?¡± ¡°... I don¡¯t mean that. But, try putting yourself in young friend¡¯s shoes. How are you going to keep the zero loss?¡± ¡°...¡± Everyone were silent while looking at the treeherds slamming the barrier. The horror on their faces still visible due to Acma¡¯s indefinite answer. They already pinned their hope on Acma but they couldn¡¯t blame Acma either because the matter at hand was really difficult to solve. A while after. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve found the residents¡±, said Alice who suddenly flew out of Acma¡¯s chest. ¡°Great, show them¡±, Acma ordered. ¡°Yes, Master¡± Alice immediately extended her hand and a rectangular frame at a size of A4 was projected a metre in front of her hand. The frame was formed by a particle of light. Soon after, a bird view video showing the location of the captured residents. Everyone focused their attention on the video and what they saw made them frowning. A while after, some of them shook their head and some others sighed. 62 - I Cant ¡®BAM¡¯ ¡®BAAM¡¯ ¡®BAM¡¯ The sounds of treeherd fists slamming the barrier still thundering across the temple at a constant tempo, but Acma and the leaders of Boulder Town survivors were still quiet. They were deep in thought while looking at the projection in front of them. After a while, Shi Ming ended the silence. ¡°Being so close to the main troop while being surrounded like that, how can we save them?¡± he lamented. The captured and the surrendered residents were grouped together behind the army and were surrounded by close to fifty knights. Among them were three magicians. This situations made the rescue effort harder and more dangerous. Acma didn¡¯t reply. He knew, he can¡¯t move recklessly. The cards he have in his sleeve were his summons, his guardians and the Teleport spell. But he used them before so the enemy might already have an information about them. He need to rely on the best card he have which is the explosives beneath the enemies foot. He had to coordinate all his cards well so he could catch the enemies off guard and save the residents. ¡°Mr Li, do you still have the detonator?¡± he asked in a low voice. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s in my inventory¡± ¡°Detonator? Young friend, isn¡¯t using an explosives right now are dangerous since our residents are too close to the enemies?¡± one of the leader questioned. ¡°Yes, it is. I need to modify the detonator a bit so not all explosives explode. Actually, the explosion are just a deadly distraction so I can arrange my helper to save the residents¡± ¡°You have a helper? Where are they?¡± Acma looked at the man and smiled. ¡°You will see them soon. Don¡¯t worry, they are really reliable¡±, he paused and ignored the uneasiness on the man¡¯s face. He turned his head toward Li Susheng. ¡°Mr Li, please give the detonator to me¡± ¡°Sure, here it is¡±, replied Li Susheng. Acma thanked Li Susheng after he received the detonator and began working immediately. While they were discussing, Acma¡¯s presence was finally been noticed by Prince Iandithas, leader of the knights in front of the temple. The prince raised his right hand and immediately all attacks stopped and silence immediately enveloped the town. But it only lasted for a while because the town residents began to speculating the reasons behind the sudden halt of the attacks. Acma and the leaders turned their head toward the center of the enemies formation and saw the enemies¡¯ leader stepped forward and headed toward the temple. ¡°Human in the black armour, step forward. I want to ask you something¡±, said the leader after he stopped 100 metres from the barrier. ¡°This guy is a prince, right? Hmmmm... how should I reply? I never talk to a royalty before. ... Nevermind, just talk normally¡±, thought Acma. He knew that the prince was addressing him because he was the only one who was wearing a black armour. ¡°What do you want to ask?¡± shouted Acma without moving his legs. The prince¡¯s face became stern. Acma¡¯s behaviour toward him was extremely rude but he chose to ignore it, at least for now. ¡°Human, are you the one who killed my men?¡±, he accused. ¡°I killed a lot of undeads last night, I¡¯m not sure which one was your man¡±, replied Acma with a ridiculed tone. ¡°Do not feign ignorance, you pest¡±, the prince¡¯s voice was stern. ¡°If those undeads aren¡¯t your men, then what do you mean by killing your men?¡± ¡°I sent my men south and I got a report that my captain was killed by a human in a black armour. And here, you¡¯re the only one who use a black armour and you¡¯re the only one who¡¯re capable of fighting us¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure all the escaped knights were heading toward the village, so how this prince get the report? Did some of them turn back to the town after I¡¯m gone?¡± Acma puzzled. ¡°I know you¡¯re spying on us when I arrived at this town. Then you¡¯re just disappeared right after my men setting off to the south. You must be tailing them¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite a good imagination¡±, said Acma neither conforming nor denying. Acma¡¯s word made Prince Iandithas frowned. He expected this man would deny his accusation, but he never expected that this guy just kept a poker face and slandered him imagining thing. He raised his left hand next to his shoulder and moved the index finger twice like he was calling someone behind. An elven knight immediately dismounted and ran to the back. A while after, he returned with a resident. Then, both of them standing next to the prince with the knight a step behind the resident. ¡°You fought because you want to protect your people, right? I understand that, but you should never kill my men. I will make sure you pay the price. I will kill you and I will kill the people you want to protect¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°However, I am happy today because I finally able to meet my sister after a long time. So, I¡¯ll give you a chance to save this man and the others at the back¡± Acma raised one of his brows. The prince¡¯s words were unreasonable and not relate to the current situation. ¡°A chance?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a choice, kill yourself and I¡¯ll release them without harm¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Or, I will kill all of them in front of you then I will kill you miserably. Choose¡± Acma didn¡¯t say anything but his face had a trace of a chilling smile. A storm of hatred were brewing inside his heart. This prince dare to force him to kill himself. Before, he fought the knights to protect the Orca Village. No hatred involved. But now, the prince is going to pay for what he just did. ¡°You will regret that you threaten me¡±, he swore in his heart. ¡°Equip: Helmet¡±, he said. ¡°Mr Li¡±, said Acma while looking at Li Susheng. ¡°Please take this detonator¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± asked Li Susheng after he took the detonator. ¡°I¡¯m going to attack the leader and save the residents at the same time. To succeed, I need Mr Li to coordinate with me¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°As soon as I disappear like I did before, detonate the bomb¡±, Acma answered. ¡°I repeat, As soon as I disappear, detonate the bomb. While they are still in confusion, I¡¯ll rescue the residents¡± ¡°I.. I understand. I just need to hit this button after you disappear, right?¡± said Li Susheng as he gripping the detonator tighter. There was a hesitation on Li Susheng¡¯s face which made Acma frowned a little. Although it was just a slight, that hesitation made Acma wasn¡¯t sure if Li Susheng really up to the job or not. He could make thing easier if he depended on Alice to detonate the bomb, but, it was Li Susheng¡¯s idea to use the explosives and he also wanted to give Li Susheng a chance to prove his determination to get stronger.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Yes, Mr Li¡±, replied Acma. Everyone looked at Li Susheng with anticipation. ¡°You can do it, Mr Li. You will save our town residents¡±, a man supported. The others also gave their encouragement to Li Susheng while the man himself didn¡¯t say anything. He looked alternately between the enemies and the detonator in his hand. Nobody knows what he was thinking at the moment. Acma looked back at the prince. ¡°Done talking?¡± the prince asked. ¡°I won¡¯t kill myself but I¡¯ll fight. Let see if you¡¯re capable of killing me or not¡±, replied Acma as he waved his hand. Five Supreme Guardians and 100 Guardians appeared around Acma before spreading to his right and left. This sudden development startled the prince but he kept his cool. ¡°You want to fight? Hmph, do you think you can bargain with me?¡± he scoffed. ¡°Coward¡±, Acma provoked. ¡°What did you say?¡± the prince incensed. ¡°I said, you¡¯re a coward. You have all these garbage with you, yet you didn¡¯t dare to fight me¡±, Acma proved further. His right hand swiped horizontally indicating all the knights in front of him were garbage. ¡°...¡± The prince¡¯s face darken when he heard the insult. But he immediately controlled his anger when he realized that Acma must be up to something. ¡°INSOLENCE!!!¡± a bearman shouted. He raised his great axe and step forward. ¡°Your Highness, let me kill this vermin¡± A few beastmen shouted angrily while the elven were gritting their teeth and tighten the grip on their weapon. They looked at the prince, waiting for his order to attack. The prince took a glance at the bearman and shook his head a little. The bearman understood and returned dejectedly to his line. ¡°Eilavel¡±, he called the elven knight on his right. ¡°Your Highness¡±, answered Eilavel. ¡°Get ready. Tighten the formation and kill the prisoners as soon as he is attacking¡±, said Prince Iandithas in low voice. ¡°Consider it done, Your Highness¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate him. His ability is quite special and he can strike anywhere. But, I think he will target me first, so watch my back¡± ¡°I will sacrifice my life to protect Your Highness¡± ¡°Go and relay my order¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡± Acma quietly watched the prince talking to his assistant. He was amazed on how the prince controlled himself and didn¡¯t fall for his provocation. But he believed that calmness would soon evaporate when the bomb underneath their feet exploded. ¡°Alice, are you able to control all these guardians perfectly?¡± ¡°There is no problem, Master. It still within my operating perimeter¡± ¡°It¡¯s great to hear that. I want you to teleport the stone guardians around the captured residents and secure their safety. Kill the guarding enemies¡± ¡°It will be done, Master¡± ¡°Good. I will attack that elf soon and have these great axe and great sword wielder metal guardians thrash him. Don¡¯t kill, just incapacitate him. As the other metal guardians, have them kill those magicians¡± ¡°Rest assured , Master¡± ¡°Thank you Alice¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Master¡± ¡°Initial preparations is done. Next¡±, thought Acma as he turned his body toward Li Susheng and looked at everyone around. ¡°Everyone, I will begin soon¡±, he said. ¡°Mr Li, are you ready?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± ¡°Great. Let us send these bastard back to their forest¡± Everyone nodded and uneasiness seem to faded away from their face, replaced by a determine look. Acma was satisfied with their response but when he looked at Li Susheng again, he frowned. He could sense a hesitation on the latter¡¯s face. ¡°Mr Li, are you sure you can do this? You seem to be hesitated¡± he said. ¡°Wha.. what are you talking about? I¡¯m ready. It¡¯s just pressing a button. What¡¯s hard about it¡±, Li Susheng stuttered. ¡°...¡± ¡°Okay then¡±, said Acma short as he turned around and facing the enemies. He took a deep breath and threw away all disturbing thoughts. Then he step forward with his left leg and began running. ''PHANTOM STEP'' As soon as Acma disappeared, the bodies of the guardians began to glow and then disappeared. Three of the Supreme Guardians headed toward the magicians in front of the enemy¡¯s troop while the two heavy weapon wielder ran toward Prince Iandithas. Acma reappeared with his left forefoot stepped on Iandithas left shoulder. His body tilted a little to the left while both of his hands spread to balance. He accumulated energy and then sent it to his right leg that was swinging toward the back of Prince Iandithas¡¯s head. Acma was kicking the head as a ball. The body of the prince shook as he reacted to Acma¡¯s sudden reappearance and began to glow with purplish light, but it was already too late. ¡°Baaammmm¡± The forming purplish light shattered as Acma¡¯s leg connected to the prince¡¯s head and exploded a loud booming sound. The impact of the kick threw Prince Iandithas flying toward the two Supreme Guardians. The great axe Supreme Guardian stopped to fix its stance and welcome the prince by swinging its great axe downward toward the prince¡¯s back. The prince saw a pair of metal legs on top of his head and another pair shifting toward his right. They were a bad news. He hurriedly recast his purplish glow and focused it around his back, but to his despair, he saw a black great sword swung toward his right thigh. ¡°Baaaamm¡± Another booming sound and the prince¡¯s purplish light shattered again. Both attacks left the prince disoriented and his body slammed the ground a few metres from the barrier. On top the prince¡¯s mount, Acma¡¯s eyes glowed brightly when the attack of his guardians connected to the prince. He produced a great axe in his hands and ready to join his Supreme Guardians whacking the pitiful prince. At the same time he heard numerous shouting and screaming from behind the troop indicating that his guardians were engaging the enemies. But, he didn¡¯t hear the explosion. He suppressed his worries by thinking, maybe Li Susheng only delayed a little but would press the detonator soon. ''PHANTOM STEP'' Acma ignored the shouting elven knights behind him who just woke up from their shock and joined his Supreme Guardians. There still no explosion. Acma raised his and searched for Li Susheng only to see the latter¡¯s teary eyes and his mouth saying, ¡°I can¡¯t¡±. ¡°Tsk¡±, Acma clicked his tongue. ¡°Alice, detonate the bomb¡±, he ordered. ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡®BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM¡¯ A pandemonium erupted after the bombs went off. A fiery orange flames engulfed the majority of the knights while the blast waves killing them indiscriminately. A stone shards became a shrapnel that killed or injured the knights outside the blast radius. the surviving knights fell on the floor, clutching their ears. their bodies twitching. the same goes to the captured residents. They too weren''t spare from the effect of the explosion. Everyone was gobsmacked. Even the crying Li Susheng halted his teardrops from falling when he saw the results of his plan. Acma stood up next to the unconscious prince. His sudden attack had successfully incapacitated the target. ¡°Alice, bring this elf into the temple¡±, he ordered. ¡°Yes, Master¡± He heard a repeated shout to his left. ¡°PROTECT THE PRINCESS!!¡± ¡°PROTECT THE PRINCESS!!¡± Acma smiled faintly when he heard that. He found his next target who was surrounded by her guardians, protecting her from the blast. Acma calculated the distance and ... ''BLINK'' Acma reappeared on the Golden Horn Unicorn¡¯s neck while holding the great axe in his left hand. ¡°Hello Princess Nidhwen. You will come with me¡±, he said to the princess whose face was drain of blood. Before the princess or everyone around her could react, her chin was hit by a backhand, jolted her brain and rendered her unconscious. Acma put the princess on his shoulder and ready to teleport. He wanted to use the princess to stop the knights from killing the residents. ¡°BASTARD !!!! RELEASE THE PRINCESS RIGHT NOW!!!¡± the guard captain shouted menacingly while branding his sword. Acma scoffed a little. Then he swapped the great axe in his hand with a battle hammer and swung it at the base of the unicorn¡¯s horn. His target was the Slave Ring that enslaved the unicorn. ¡®Clank¡¯ The ring shattered and at the same time, the princess¡¯s body jolted and then she coughing blood. The eyes of the unicorn immediately regained its clarity as well as the horn which regained its golden colour. ¡®Crackle¡¯ ¡®Crackle¡¯ ¡®Crackle¡¯ A wisp of electricity formed around the horn and the sky began to rumble. Acma raised his head and looked at the sky. No black cloud were formed so he had no idea where the rumbling sound came from. But he was sure that something is about to happened and he didn¡¯t want to wait for it. ''TELEPORT'' At the same time Acma and the princess disappeared, the unicorn raised its front hooves and multiple lightning snaking through the air and hit several knights around it, followed by a loud cracking sounds of thunder. ¡°That was unexpected. It must be suffered a lot during the time it was enslaved¡±, thought Acma as he watch the unicorn stabbing the chest of a knight with its horn. Occasionally, the unicorn would release a lightning attack on the knight before stabbing them with the horn. Acma was standing on a guardian¡¯s shoulder and its spear was impaling a body of a female magician. Acma looked around him. The destructiveness of the bomb was evident. Craters were formed, body parts were scattered everywhere, the blood were dying the ground red and painful screaming were quenching everyone¡¯s heart. However, the knights weren¡¯t the only one who lost their lives during the battle. A number of the residents too. Some of them were cut by a sword and some of them were impaled by a sharp root, jutting from the ground. The surviving residents were surrounded by the guardians who were fending off the attacks from the knights. Since all the three magicians who were guarding the residents were already dead, the guardians burden was lighter. Acma grabbed the back of the unconscious princess¡¯s neck and raised her. ¡°KNIGHT OF FOREST, STOP YOUR OFFENCE!!!¡± he roared. 63 - Blame Acma was standing facing the sunset, bathing his body in a golden glow. His adrenaline was all time high, forcing his heart beating faster and faster. Killing more than 600 enemies in a single blast, there is no way he could calm down. He swept his eyes across the destroyed space in front of the temple. The knights gradually halted their actions and focused their full attention toward Acma. The wanted to charge, but with Acma¡¯s hand gripping their princess¡¯s neck, they won¡¯t risk it. They could only swallow their rage and listen to Acma. After a while, the only group that was still fighting was the princess guardians who were still facing an attack from the unicorn. However, since the unicorn was alone, injuries began to accumulated across it body. Before long, the unicorn unable to fight anymore and limped down to its belly. Acma felt pity and wanted to save it. He took out the rest of his guardians and spread them around him. ¡°Alice, save the unicorn¡±, he ordered. ¡°Yes, Master¡± Five Guardians reappeared around the unicorn and deflected any attacks thrown toward it. The appearance of the Guardians forced the princess guardians to halt their attacks and retreated. They had to. They knew who the owner of these Guardians and he was currently holding their princess as a hostage. So they decided not to fight against the Guardians. Thus, the unicorn was saved. Acma arranged his Guardians around the residents and have a few of them enlarge the gap between the residents and the knights. ¡°Back off!!!¡±, he shouted at the knights who refused to bulge from their position. They were forced to comply and one by one they began to distance themselves from the residents. ¡°Fiend!!!¡± Suddenly, a knight shouted from the front of the troop. Acma remembered him. He was supposed to be Eilavel, an aide who the prince talked to before the fight. ¡°Release the prince and the princess!¡± Eilavel continued with a gritted teeth. His face was twitching with anger. ¡°Idiot. Do you think I will listen to your order?¡± said Acma in his head. Acma raised the princess higher and tightened his grip that made the princess¡¯s mouth letting out a strange noise. ¡°What did you call me?¡± he asked while looking at Eilavel. ¡°You!!!¡± Eilavel really wanted to curse but he swallowed it. ¡°What do you want!!¡± he said with a pressed voice. ¡°Retreat from this place and come back with someone who can talk¡±, Acma commanded. ¡°...¡± Eilavel was quiet for a while. Thinking. ¡°Captain Eilavel, we can¡¯t retreat¡±, a shout was heard. It came from Acma¡¯s right side. Both he and Eilavel turned their head and looked at the speaker. The speaker was Eruben, leader of the princess guard. ¡°We must save the prince and the princess¡±, Eruben continued. ¡°Captain Eruben...¡±, said Eilavel with a low voice. He was hesitated. ¡°Eilavel¡±, Acma called. ¡°Make your decision fast. You don¡¯t have time to waste¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t take things too far, human. If anything happened to the prince or the princess, I assure you, Isebial will never forgive you. His Majesty will deploy the Divine Generals to hunt you and eliminate this town. Think, human. Is it worth to lost everything you care for?¡± shouted Eruben. Acma just took a glance at Eruben as he didn¡¯t care about what Eruben said just now. ¡°Looks like you still need a push¡±, he said to Eilavel. He swapped the battle hammer in his hand with a pipe bomb and show it to Eilavel. ¡°This thing can kill your men just like the explosion before and I have tonne of them. I really don¡¯t mind if you want to try to free this princess from my hand. But you will pay the price¡± ¡°Stop!! Alright, alright, we will retreat. But, if anything happen to the prince or the princess, I¡¯ll make sure you will never be able to step out of this town¡±, Eilavel shouted. ¡°Captain Eilavel! We..¡± Eruben tried to said something but was cut off by Eilavel. ¡°Captain Eruben. I¡¯ll explain to the headquarters later and take responsibilities for this. Let¡¯s retreat¡±, Eilavel explained. Then he raised his voice and ordered the surviving knights to pack up and retreat. The knights reluctantly preparing to retreat. Then they discarded all the difficulties after survivibg the blast and systematically marching out of the town while bringing the injured with them. Before they left, they threw a menacing glare at Acma like they were warning him that they will return. Acma took a deep breath and put the princess on his shoulder before jumped down. ¡°Alice, bring the princess into the temple¡±, he ordered as he took off his helmet. ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°Collect the equipment too¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± A Guardian took the princess into its arms and then teleported while the other Guardians began to spread out to collect the equipment littered on the ground.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Collecting those equipment one by one is really troublesome. I should turn back the setting to auto-collect. Although it¡¯s more pleasureable to see what I gained from my kill, but looks like it¡¯s really not practical. I might miss some of the loot too¡±, thought Acma. Acma swivelled his head and looked at the freed residents. Some of them were crying, probably the relative to the deceased. What puzzled Acma was that the bodies of the deceased residents didn¡¯t disappear unlike the dead elves or the other creatures. He will thought about the answers later. He walked to them. After a step, his feet kicked a small leather pouch, most likely belong to the impaled magician just now. He bowed and took the pouch.
Seed Pouch
¡°Interesting. I wonder what kind of seed in it¡± He unfurled the rope that strangled the mouth of the pouch and his eyes glittered as he saw many seeds glowing faintly with either green, blue or purple colour. He pinched one of the purple glowed seed and took it out. ~ Ding
You¡¯ve obtained an uncontracted Seed of Elder Pine Treeherd. Do you wish to make a contract? Yes/No
¡°So, those previous treeherd came from a seed like this. Awesome. I should make a contract¡±, he said in his head. However, before he could say yes, Alice gave a warning. ¡°Master, a captured resident threw a stone toward you¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Acma was startled. He swivelled his head to the left and saw a fist sized stone was flying toward his head. His eyes contracted and immediately swung his body to the right just enough to avoid the stone. The stone missed the target. At the same time, the blue notification panel on his sight disappeared. ¡°MURDERER!!!¡± A woman shouted. Acma looked at her with a confused face. She still sobbing from too much crying. She bent her body to pick up another stone and hurled it toward Acma. Acma dodged again. She took several stones and hurled them. All of them missed. The women fell to her knees while Acma still standing at the same place. She wailed loudly. ¡°Please die!! You killed my husband!! We surrendered so we can live, why must you fight them!! Waaaaaaaa!! Give back my husband!! Waaaaaaa aaa aaa aaa¡± She shouted in the middle of her wail. Only then Acma understood. She blamed him for the death of his husband. Acma looked down at the ground, thinking for a solution. But unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t found any. He looked again at the women. He tried to say something but no word come out of his mouth. He saw several others who had a stones in their hands. They looked like they were inspired by the woman¡¯s courage and tried to attack Acma too. But looking at a few Guardians who were just appeared out of nowhere to protect Acma, they stopped. They only looked at Acma with an eyes full of hatred. ¡°Murderer!¡± ¡°I hate you, murderer¡± ¡°You kill my father¡± A few others joined in cursing Acma. There were only a few of them but they represented the majority. When Acma looked at the others, they just averted their eyes but didn¡¯t say anything. Their silence could be translated as agreeing that Acma was the cause of the death of their friends. Acma aborted his initial plan to greet the captured residents. He just walked away from them and headed toward the temple entrance. His heart was heavy. His steps were heavy. He felt like sinking into the ground. In just a few minutes, he took a roller coaster ride of emotions. It began with he felt pressured after killing so many enemies with a single explosion, then he felt relieve when the enemies retreated, then he was elated when he found out about the seed and the contract. And now, he was feeling awful after he was blamed by a widow for her husband¡¯s death. Acma took a deep breath and raised his chin a little. He tried to throw the disturbing feeling to the back of his head, but it was futile. ¡®BLINK¡¯ He reappeared in front of the temple¡¯s entrance. ¡°Acma, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really really sorry¡± Li Susheng greeted Acma with a face full of regret. ¡°I know what I had to do, but I can¡¯t press the button. I don¡¯t know why. I¡¯m so sorry to disappoint you¡±, Li Susheng continued. He lowered his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mr Li¡±, replied Acma as he tried to smile. ¡°But you were blamed by those people. If only I had a courage to press the button, you wouldn¡¯t face this situation¡±, said Li Susheng as he pointed his finger at the residents in front of the temple who were still cursing at Acma. Acma smiled wryly when he heard that. He didn¡¯t reply and headed into the temple compound, followed by Shi Ming, Li Susheng and the others. After a while, they arrived at a small room where Prince Iandithas and Princess Nidhwen were held. A middle age monk was standing by the door, guarding the room. Both the prince and the princess were still unconscious and laying on the floor side by side. Their hands and feet were tied with a rope. Acma squatted down and then stretch the rope with both of his hands. The result was he easily snapped it. Since the prince had a similar level to Acma, most probably that the rope wasn¡¯t strong enough to hold them. Acma was thinking the solution and unconsciously brought his thumb to the side of his chin. He had two options. either to break their bones so they couldn¡¯t struggle or getting a stronger rope. But, the first option was immediately rejected since he wanted to use them as a bargaining chips if the Isebial Kingdom decided to negotiate for their release. Thus led to the third option which is stationing a few Supreme Guardians around them. ¡°Strong rope. Where can I find them?¡±, he thought. Then he remembered about the treasure trove he took from the tomb. He opened the inventory and searched for the rope. ¡°Rope, rope, rope. This one? No. How about this one? Hmmm. I think this is good enough. A rope made from a Purple Eyed Spider silk¡± He took out the rope and stretched it. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s good enough¡± Acma turned around and looked at Shi Ming. ¡°Mr Shi, please tie them with this rope. As you can see, normal rope can¡¯t hold them¡±, he said. ¡°Okay¡±, replied Shi Ming short as he took the rope. He looked at Acma¡¯s face and spoke. ¡°Young friend, I will talk to those residents after this and have them understand about our decision to fight. Young friend no need to worry¡±, Shi Ming assured. ¡°Thank you Mr Shi¡±, replied Acma. He looked at the name panel above Shi Ming¡¯s head and everyone inside the room. ¡°Level 136. Looks like you level up quite a lot. Everyone too. Congratulations¡±, he said. Shi Ming and the others smiled but the didn¡¯t look happy. ¡°We did almost nothing, yet we still received the reward from the battle. We truly didn¡¯t deserve it¡±, said Shi Ming. ¡°I don¡¯t know how the Overseer decide who participate in the battle and who aren¡¯t, but I think it is good for Mr Shi, Mr Li and the others to level up. You can protect the town better.¡±, Acma demurred. ¡°But if we face the enemies as strong as those knights, we¡¯re still helpless¡±, replied Shi Ming dejected. ¡°We will find the way¡±, Acma said. ¡°Yeah, we will find the way. Thank you, young friend. May I know, did you level up too?¡± ¡°13 times¡± ¡°Just 13?¡± ¡°Yes. Because my level is quite high already. Anyway, I have to return to Orca Village to bring the elders here. I¡¯m sure that Isebial Kingdom will send a delegation tomorrow and I think the Orca Village¡¯s elders should participate too¡± ¡°We understand. But, what are we going to do with these two?¡± ¡°If they wake up, interrogate them. Let see what kind of information we can get. If anything happen, just call me. I¡¯ll leave some of my golem here as a guard¡± ¡°Okay, we will inform you if anything happen. Young friend, thank you very much for coming¡± ¡°No problem, Mr Shi. I¡¯ll go now¡± ¡°TELEPORT¡± 64 - Planning ¡°Urghh...¡± ¡°Brother, you¡¯re awake¡± ¡°Nidhwen? ... Where is this place?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Brother, please don¡¯t move. The golem will attack if you move¡± Iandithas opened his eyes wider and scanned the surrounding. The room was dimly lit but he could see a golem was standing next to him. He was laying on a stone floor and it¡¯s cold. His hands and feet were tied. He tried to move his head but immediately a tip of spear was pressed against his cheek. He stopped. He moved his eyeball to his left without moving his head and saw a glimpse of Nidhwen laying on the floor. ¡°We were captured¡± ¡°Yes, we were, brother¡± ¡°Nidhwen, did those filthy human hurt you?¡± ¡°No, that man just hit my chin and I passed out. When I woke up, I already in this room. I¡¯m not hurt. ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re not hurt¡± ¡°Are you okay, brother?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t feel my leg and my body is hurting all over. I think my bones are broken¡± Nidhwen sighed and stayed quiet for a while. ¡°Even a general as strong as you were defeated instantly¡±, she said gloomily. ¡°...¡± ¡°I think you made a mistake this time. You attack before you fully understand the enemies¡±, she criticized. ¡°What are you trying to say, sister?¡± ¡°Do you want to know, what happened after you were defeated?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Something exploded underneath the floor and a lot of the knights were killed¡± ¡°What!¡± ¡°I never see something like that but I read an old records, it should be a fire element spell used by human from the Land of Fire¡± ¡°Are you saying that they came from the Land of Fire?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible to travel from there to here because of the creatures of water and wind who governing the Eastern Sea. They cut off all the contact between our continent and the Land of Fire since thousand years already¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°You¡¯re unusually speak a lot, Nidhwen. Are you scared?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m scared. What kind of idiot would be happy in a situation like this. I told you many times, talk first, don¡¯t attack. Yet you still attack. You never listen. Now what? You got broken bones all over your body and I? I don¡¯t even know what they will do to me¡±. ¡°Hahaha¡± ¡°What so funny?¡± ¡°You never raised your voice like this after big brother joined the Sacred Forest. You always listen to me¡± ¡°I hate you¡± ¡°So cute¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°When big brother received the invitation from the Sacred Forest after he reached the Gold rank, he didn¡¯t even ask our opinion first. He just go. Brother, don¡¯t tell me you will join the Sacred Forest too in the future?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°If I also join them, who will inherit father¡¯s throne? You¡¯re the future Holy Maiden of the Guardian Shrine, so, I¡¯m the only one left¡± ¡°Thank you, brother¡± ¡°Do you remember when we were young, we used to play with big brother and you always gang up with him to bully me?¡± ¡°Yes, it was the greatest memory I have¡± ¡°Yeah, me too¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Brother, I¡¯m scared. Do you know what they will do to us?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister. Nothing will happen to us¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Trust me¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Sister, have you contacted the headquarters or the shrine?¡± ¡°I tried, but I can¡¯t get through. It¡¯s like my power is sealed in here¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°That¡¯s bad¡± ¡°...¡± While the siblings were chatting inside the detention room, there was a riot outside the temple. The rioters were the residents who were surrendered to the enemies. The reason was they were denied an entrance into the temple. Furthermore, not everyone were denied, only those who surrendered were. The entrance to the temple was tightly shut and nobody was standing guard outside of it. Even after several hours, it was still shut. Finally, when the rioters realized that the people inside the temple had no intention to invite them in, they settled down in a few abandoned houses near the temple. They burned woods from broken houses and furniture to produce light because there is no electricity after the Merge. The Merge, that¡¯s the word that was raising popularity among the town residents when they referred to the event which the Earth merged with this new world. Some of the rioters were still hoping to be allowed to enter the temple tonight, so they made a big bonfire in front of the entrance. From time to time, they would shout and sometimes they sung. Inside the main hall, the leaders of the community inside the temple were sitting together, discussing about today¡¯s event. They sat in circle around a bonfire. ¡°Mr Shi, is it okay to let those people staying outside the barrier tonight? Isn¡¯t dangerous?¡± a middle aged man wearing a priest robe asked. ¡°Mr Ho, they deserve it. They are the one who abandoned us first¡±, replied another middle aged man. ¡°In my opinion, the goal of the enemies was to drive all of us out. That¡¯s why they started with the captured residents first. Then, after some of us surrendered, they also were used to threaten us¡± ¡°Indeed, while we repeatedly advised them not to surrender, they still proceed with their plan. They just have to understand why we refuse their entry, it¡¯s due their own decision¡± Shi Ming still kept his silence. He was torn inside when he made the decision to refuse their entry. But he had to do it. In a critical situation like now, solidarity among the survivors is a must but they choose to do as they want without considering the others. Majority of the survivors accepted his explanation about why they must not surrender. He even explained to them the history and the hatred between the elves and the human. But they refused to listen and chose to surrender. Even worse, after they were saved, they had a ball to blame their saviour. ¡°Let them cool their head outside. We will talk to them tomorrow. Right now we must discuss about something more important¡±, said Shi Ming. ¡°We have a prince and a princess of the Isebial Kingdom as our prisoner, and they probably send an envoy tomorrow to demand their release. We won¡¯t easily release them, so we need to think about something to counter their demand¡± ¡°But Mr Shi, we haven¡¯t explain anything to them yet. I fear they will harbour a grudge against us. I think we should talk to them so they won¡¯t resent us¡±, said Mr Ho. ¡°...¡± Shi Ming stared at Mr Ho like he was saying, ¡°Are you deaf? I said we will talk to them tomorrow, so we will talk tomorrow, not tonight¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late for a talk, Mr Ho. The barrier have been shut for several hours already, so any explanation to them right now is useless. As I said, we will talk tomorrow and I will let you handle it. Let¡¯s hope everything will be fine¡±, said Shi Ming to Mr Ho. Then he looked at everyone and said, ¡°Let¡¯s discuss about tomorrow. What possibly we can demand in exchange for our royal hostages¡±. At the same time, there was an important meeting happened at the capital of Isebial Kingdom. The capital of Isebial, Isengur, like the other elven cities was built among the great trees. Since the elves had a great affinities with the trees, the trees were cooperate with them when they decided to use the trees as their houses. The trees weren¡¯t cut, but the elves use wood element magic to alter the shape of the trees to make a place suitable for living. Houses, stores, halls and the others were built inside the trees, while the forge, the stone mason and the other industries that were not related with wood were built on the forest floor at the edge of the city so they won¡¯t harm the trees. As for the defensive perimeters, the elves planted multiple types of dangerous plants and trees as well as rearing many vicious animals to deter any enemies from invading the capital. The castle for the royal family of Isebial and the administrative offices were located at the greatest, the grandest and the tallest tree at the capital. The King of Isebial, King Fiverel was sitting on a golden chair at the end of a meeting table. He was tapping the table with a finger while looking at two elves. On his right was the head of Great Generals of Isebial Kingdom while on his left was the leader of the magicians in the kingdom. ¡°Durlan, explain, how did my children became a hostage?¡± King Fiverel spoke to the head of Great Generals. His face was stern and it was hiding a great rage underneath. ¡°The enemies employ a sneak attack and caught our troop off guard. They use explosion to hide their real intention which is to capture the prince and the princess. Talking about the explosion, the human of this continents never use them before, only the people from the Land of Fire did. But that was countless years ago because the contact between this continent and the Land of Fire have been cut off. No contact could be made between these two continents. Since the human at that town claimed that they came from another world, most probably the brought it from their world¡±, explained Durlan. ¡°Also, the human who captured both His and Her Highness was using a never-seen-before magic. His magic enable him to strike anywhere during the battle. Here is the report about him who called himself Acma or Lord of the Heavenly Villa¡±. Durlan stood up and gave a stack of report to King Fiverel. ¡°Is it true, Arfaern? About the spell?¡±, asked King Fiverel after he read the report. ¡°Durlan was right, Your Majesty. It was a magic that probably only the Sacred Forest have a record about it. I already sent a request to the Sacred Forest so they can illuminate us about this magic. There is a report from the Beastmen Brigade about the battle which occurred in front of the centaur¡¯s village, it mentioned that the same human who captured His and Her Highness, used a spell in a form of a black sphere, sucking and destroying everything in its surrounding. Its destructiveness was evident¡±, replied Arfaern. King Feverel frowned for a moment before he spoke. ¡°This Acma must be eliminated as soon as possible. We can¡¯t let him grow¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I got a letter from Holy Maiden that she will deal with this human¡±, said Arfaern. King Feverel appeared to be surprised when he heard that. ¡°Did she told you how is she going to handle it?¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to ask Acma to join the Guardian to lure him to the Tirion Shrine since all the Guardians are appointed there¡± ¡°Tirion Shrine? Does she want to seal him underneath the shrine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible, Your Majesty¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t easier to kill rather than sealing him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an answer for that, Your Majesty¡±, Arfaern replied. ¡°I think, by sealing him means he will die a slower death. And no one who was sealed underneath the Tirion Shrine ever come back. It¡¯s also possible that Holy Maiden want to prevent a retaliation from Acma¡±, Durlan spoke. ¡°...¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s Holy Maiden deal with this Acma then. Durlan, how are you going to settle the matter about my children?¡± King Fiverel asked. ¡°I¡¯ve sent Great General Baranduin to negotiate for the release His and Her Highness. He will bring together three knight brigades to pressure the enemies. I als...¡± ¡°Durlan, are you trying to kill my children?¡± King Fiverel cut off Durlan¡¯s speech with a grim voice. ¡°I beg for forgiveness, Your Majesty. I didn¡¯t mean to. I gave Baranduin an extremely clear instruction, never do anything that might jeopardize His and Her Highness safety¡± ¡°What make you think that those three knight brigades won¡¯t jeopardize their safety?¡± Durlan lowered his head for a while before looking at King Fiverel again. ¡°It¡¯s a gamble, Your Majesty. I want the enemies know that we will do anything to release His and Her Highness¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Pray that the enemies will get your message. Dismiss¡±, said King Fiverel as he waved his hand. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty¡± Both Great General Durlan and Archmage Arfaern retreated from the meeting room. 65 - Negotiation After the first light in the morning, Acma arrived in front of the temple entrance. He got a call from Shi Ming that the Boulder Town have been surrounded by an elves army. Since he was resting at the temporary shelter of Orca Village after the battle yesterday, he brought together Chief Pai and several elders to Boulder Town. ¡°Good Morning, gentlemen. Thank you for coming¡±, Shi Ming greeted. He was waiting for Acma¡¯s arrival with several leaders in front of the temple¡¯s entrance. ¡°Good Morning Mr Shi. Let me introduce these gentlemen. This is Chief Pai Chow, this is Elder Ma and this is Elder Daquan. They lead the hunters of Orca Village to victory against the centaurs in a battle four days ago¡±, said Acma happily. Both the elders of Orca Village and the leaders of Boulder Town shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. ¡°Gentlemen, let me show you the enemies¡±, said Shi Ming as he extended his left to invite everyone to go with him. Acma followed a few steps behind as he ordered Alice to gather all the guardians he left behind yesterday except the Guardians who were guarding the hostages and the unicorn. ¡°Master, the unicorn ran away last night after it was able to stand up¡±, Alice reported as she flew out of his chest and hovering next to his head. ¡°I see¡±, replied Acma dejectedly. He was looking forward to interact with that beautiful unicorn, but didn¡¯t expect it would run away. ¡°It just been released from slavery. Most probably it won¡¯t trust anybody right now¡±, he thought. After he collected all the guardians, he hastened his steps to follow the elders closer. A while after, they arrived at the eastern corner of the Boulder Town after they walked pass the graveyard. There is a steep cliff at the eastern corner and in front of it was a sea of tree. Over the horizon, the sun was shyly presenting itself to the world. The scenery on this side was beautiful. ¡°They are intimidating us¡±, Elder Ma broke the silence. Acma turned his head toward the direction where Elder Ma was looking at. There were three groups of elven army at the north, east and south, 10 kilometres from Boulder Town. They moved slowly, led by a few treeheard. Something captured Acma¡¯s intention was that the trees in the forest moved away to let the elven army moving unhindered. Like Elder Ma said, they tried to intimidate. If they wanted to attack, the won¡¯t move slowly and they won¡¯t put the treeheard as a vanguard. ¡°Kid, are you expecting this?¡± asked Elder Ma. ¡°Yes. For them to send this many soldier, proven that our hostages are really important to them¡±, replied Acma. ¡°Yesterday, they were so pleased with refusing our request to negotiate, now they had to do this. I¡¯m really satisfied looking at this sight¡±, Shi Ming added. The other leaders of Boulder Town nodded their head. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°How are we going to welcome them?¡± Chief Pai asked. ¡°Let set up a table in front of the temple. Our side is within the barrier while their side is outside. Even if they try anything, we will be safe¡±, Shi Ming opined. ¡°In front of the temple?¡± Chief Pai asked. ¡°Hmmmmmm... I think that was a good choice. Since they want to intimidate us with their numbers, that place will make them realize the price of underestimating us¡±, he continued. ¡°Won¡¯t they enraged?¡± someone asked. ¡°Let them be. We were in a hopeless situation to be begin with. If not for the help from our young friend, we¡¯re long dead if not been enslaved¡±, replied Shi Ming. ¡°...¡± ¡°Good. Since we already decided the place, next will be nominating the representative of the negotiation. I nominate Mr Shi. What do you think, Mr Shi?¡± Chief Pai suggested after a few moments of silence. Elder Ma and Elder Daquan also agree with Chief Pai¡¯s suggestion. They nominated Shi Ming because the negotiation happened at this Boulder Town and Shi Ming was the current leader. Furthermore, there is no time to find the best negotiator among them. ¡°Since Mr Pai said so, I¡¯ll do my best¡±, replied Shi Ming. He looked troubled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we all will help you. Let¡¯s prepare for their arrival¡±, said Chief Pai as he patted Shi Ming¡¯s shoulder to encourage him. After arriving in front of the temple¡¯s entrance, Shi Ming gave orders to the monks to take out a 12 seater dinner table from the kitchen and put it on the border of the barrier between the temple and the outside. The table was made from plywood and painted with dark brown colour. It was plain and simple. Then, five chairs were line up on each side to complete the preparation of the negotiation table. ¡°Uncle Pai, I will go and greet them¡±, said Acma after all preparation was done. ¡°Okay. Be careful and don¡¯t make trouble¡± ¡°I won¡¯t¡±, replied Acma and then he laughed. Acma summoned Silver and mounted it before dashing toward the south. After waiting for about an hour, the elven army finally arrived. Their numbers were about 5000 personnel, led by a middle age elf, wearing a golden armour and a green cape. Behind him was a battalion of Knight of Forest, followed by several platoon of magician. Then they were followed by a few infantry battalion who were wearing a dark green leather armour. The weapon of these infantry was a spear as their main weapon and a sword as their secondary. After they arrived at the edge of the forest, the began to fan out to form several rows and column. After a while, their formation was completed. The middle age elf stepped forward and move toward the town slowly.
Grand Knight Baranduin LVL 779
¡°State your name and purposes¡±, Acma shouted. Baranduin didn¡¯t answer but he spread his hands. Soon after, two knights came from behind and each of them carried a bow and an arrow. They put them into Baranduin¡¯s hands. Acma¡¯s face was stern. ¡°Another idiot elf¡±, he thought. Baranduin drew the bow and aimed the arrow at Acma¡¯s forehead. After a while, the arrow began to glow with a golden colour. The intensity of the glow increased, then the arrow was released. ¡®SWOOOSH¡¯ The arrow was rumbling towards its target, Acma. Acma didn¡¯t want to underestimate the power of the arrow but he also didn¡¯t want to overrate it. He pointed with his index finger and chanted softly. ¡°Twelve sub-tier¡± ¡°Black Hole¡± Twelve football size black spheres appeared in the middle of the arrow¡¯s path. The arrow immediately shattered the first nine spheres. Acma readied himself to chant another series of sub-tier Black Hole, but stopped himself after he saw the arrow was struggling to break the tenth and the eleventh sphere. It manage to shatter the spheres after a while but it already lost the power and it was swallowed by the twelfth sphere.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Baranduin squinted his eyes when he saw that. He didn¡¯t expect his probing attack was destroyed so easily. ¡°Looks like the power of a Grand Knight is only so so¡±, Acma spoke. ¡°IMPUDENCE!¡±, a knight shouted. He urged his mount to charge forward but was stopped by Baranduin. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than the rumours¡±, said Baranduin as he moved forward slowly. After a few metres, the army behind him followed. ¡°I am Great General Baranduin of Isebial Kingdom and I¡¯m here to negotiate for the release of our prince and princess¡±, he continued without revealing any emotion on his face. ¡°Welcome to Boulder Town, Great General Baranduin. I am Acma and I¡¯m here as a guide. But, only ten of you are allowed to enter the town. You have to left your army behind¡±, said Acma. ¡°Oh, really? They are my entourage, so you must let them in¡±, replied Baranduin without stopping his mount. A cold glint flashed within Acma¡¯s eyes. ¡°Heed my word or I will reduce their numbers to nothing¡± Baranduin chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m really interested to see what are you going to do¡±, he said. He and his army still moving forward and their distance to the town had shrinking to a few hundred metres. ¡°Very well¡±, replied Acma as he extended his hand toward the sky, 200 metres above the elves army. ¡°STOP!!!¡± Before Acma could unleashed the spell, Baranduin shouted. Baranduin¡¯s face darken. He only wanted to test the temper of the human in front him, but he never thought that the latter would immediately trying to strike his army. Although the latter only extended his hand, his eyes showed that he was determined to strike. ¡°Alright, alright. I will comply¡±, said Baranduin exasperatedly. Then he turned around and looked at his army. ¡°Nine of you, come with me¡±, he ordered. Then he marched forward. Acma smirked and lowered his hand. Then he turned around to lead Baranduin and ten of his knights toward the temple. After a while, they arrived in front of the temple. Acma dismounted and walked toward Shi Ming and the others who were waiting inside the barrier. ¡°Greetings brave knights of Isebial. Welcome to Boulder Town. Please, have a sit¡±, Shi Ming greeted Baranduin and his entourage. Baranduin dismounted and looked upon the chair and the table with contempt, then he sneered. ¡°We will talk standing. It¡¯s not like this matter will take long to settle¡±, said Baranduin arrogantly. ¡°You know what I¡¯m here for, so I will go straight to the point. I want you to release the prince and the princess of my kingdom¡±. Shi Ming just smiling and his saffron robe was fluttering a little when the morning breeze blew. ¡°Well then, we will talk standing. My name is Shi Ming and I am the representatives of my community. May I have your name, sir?¡± Shi Ming spoke politely. ¡°I am Great General Baranduin and I¡¯m here under the order from His Majesty Feverial, King of Isebial Kingdom to negotiate the release of His and Her Highness, Prince Iandithas and Princess Nidhwen. I strongly request that you release His and Her Highness as soon as possible¡±, said Baranduin with a pressed voice. ¡°We also doesn¡¯t want to keep our hostages for too long, ...¡± ¡°Great¡±, Baranduin cut in. ¡°Let¡¯s release His and Her Highness right now¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°We love to, but we would like to exchange them with a few promises from Isebial Kingdom¡±, said Shi Ming calmly. ¡°Our promises? Alright, I¡¯m all ears¡± Shi Ming startled a little when Baranduin easily agreed to listen. He swivelled his head to the right and left, looking at Chief Pai, Elder Ma, Li Susheng and the others. He got their nods. ¡°We have several requests, firstly, safety assurance for the residents of Boulder Town and Orca Village. Secondly, several plot of lands for farming. Thirdly, rights to trade and lastly, a hunting ground. I sincerely hope that you can agree with this requests¡± Baranduin knitted his brows and clenched his fists when he heard Shi Ming¡¯s requests. ¡°If I agree with your requests just now, it¡¯s the same as we let you grow exponentially, and in less than a hundred years, you will become a threat to my kingdom. Let me tell you, A few hundred years ago, the human in this continent also asked the same thing as you¡¯re and we agreed. Look at what we¡¯ve got, they bite the hands who feed them and we had to run for our lives. So, what make you think that you¡¯re different from them? How can you convinces us that you won¡¯t become a threat to us in the future?¡± asked Baranduin loudly. ¡°...¡± ¡°Great General Baranduin, we definitely didn¡¯t have any intention to be hostile against Isebial Kingdom and what happened between us in these few days were just a misunderstanding. As you know, we were forcefully transferred to this world and we¡¯re really devastated and confused by this situation. And suddenly we got attacked out of nowhere. We tried to talk to your prince, but things happened, and now you¡¯re here. I¡¯m glad that we finally have a chance to talk. I assure you, we aren¡¯t your enemy and we will never be¡±, explain Shi Ming. ¡°Misunderstandings? Are you saying that killing our knights, holding our His and Her Highness hostage are just a misunderstanding to you?¡± ¡°We really have no choice. We¡¯re just trying to survive on this unknown land¡±, replied Shi Ming. ¡°...¡± Baranduin stayed silent for a while, looks like he was searching for the right sentences. ¡°If not for order from His Majesty to accept all your condition, I definitely won¡¯t entertain any of your request¡±, said Baranduin. ¡°You mean?¡± Shi Ming interjected. ¡°I mean, we accept all of your request. I give you my word that you will be save as long as you didn¡¯t raise your weapon toward us. We will send an officer to go through the details later. Now, release His and Her Highness¡±. A smile blossomed through the face of Shi Ming and the others. They didn¡¯t have to worry about their safety anymore. ¡°How do we seal this agreement? Do we need a blood oath, signature or thumb print anywhere?¡± asked Shi Ming. ¡°My word are enough. We, the elves aren¡¯t traitorous unlike the human¡±, said Baranduin with a sneer on his face. ¡°...¡± Shi Ming turned his head toward Acma. ¡°Young friend, please release our hostages¡± ¡°Okay¡±, replied Acma short. ¡°Alice, bring the hostages¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Great General Baranduin. We will definitely remember the kindness of Isebial Kingdom¡±, Shi Ming said. He lowered his head slightly. ¡°...¡± After a long while, Prince Iandithas was emerging from the entrance, dragging his feet with great difficulties, followed by Princess Nidhwen. Two Supreme Guardians and several monks walking behind her. During detention last night, Prince Iandithas was given a minor healing only to prevent him from restoring his strength. He was stronger than anyone inside the temple and although Acma had stationed two Supreme Guardians, there still a risk if the prince decided to rampaging around. ¡°Great General Baranduin¡±, said Iandithas with a low voice after he arrived in front of the great general and the others. Baranduin and the knights immediately knelt on one knee and right hand on the left chest while lowering their head. ¡°What is the order from Father?¡± asked Iandithas. ¡°His Majesty¡¯s order was to accept all these human¡¯s condition for the release of Your and Her Highness¡±, answered Baranduin. ¡°What did they asked?¡± ¡°Safety assurance, trade rights, several land plots for farming and a hunting ground¡± ¡°You accepted all those conditions? Did Father want to let them go, just like that?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to answer that question, Your Highness¡± ¡°Tsk..¡± Iandithas, with an angry face, turned around and looked at Shi Ming and the others. Then he rested his gaze on Acma. ¡°This is not over¡±, he said grimly. Acma smiled faintly. He took out a sword from his inventory. ¡°Do you want your sword back?¡± Acma asked while holding a sword horizontally. Iandithas¡¯ face darken. ¡°I will come back for you later¡± ¡°Anytime¡±, replied Acma short. Iandithas turned back and walked away. ¡°Bring the horses¡±, Baranduin shouted. A knight immediately stood up and run toward their horses. ¡°No need, I will walk¡±, Iandithas refused. He looked around the traces of yesterday¡¯s battle and couldn¡¯t help but clenching his fists as hard as he could. ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡±, Baranduin complied. ¡°Escort His and Her Highness back to the army¡± ¡°Yes, Sir¡± Six knights immediately followed behind Iandithas and Nidhwen. ¡°There is one more thing¡±, said Baranduin after he turned around. Then he pointed his finger at Acma. ¡°My kingdom would like to appoint him as one of our Guardian, an esteemed position that even greater than a Knight of Forest. This is our well-intention and he will become the bridge between our kingdom and the people of this place¡±, said Baranduin expressionless. ¡°But, he is ...¡±, Shi Mung tried to object. ¡°A man of his strength should not be confined in a place like this. Our kingdom are really interested in him and want to use his strength for a greater goal. Believe me, him accepting the appointment will bring a lot of benefit to your people¡±, Baranduin explained. ¡°...¡± ¡°Kid, what do you think?¡± Chief Pai asked. His face was full of worries. ¡°I will accept the appointment¡±, Acma replied. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Young friend!¡± Both Chief Pai and Shi Ming shouted in shocked. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Uncle Pai, Mr Shi. I¡¯ll explain the reason later¡±, said Acma. Then he looked at Baranduin. ¡°Give me some time to prepare¡±. ¡°Very well, There will be someone to pick you up tomorrow morning¡±, replied Baranduin. Then he left with the rest of the knights. 66 - Im Not Strong Enough After a while, Baranduin and his entourage disappeared. ¡°Now you can explain¡±, urged Chief Pai. ¡°Yeah Acma, they must be planning something sinister upon you. Why are you easily agreed with their appointment?¡± Li Susheng asked. Everyone were looking at Acma, waiting for his answer. ¡°If I were to say, I agreed because I had a noble reason which is to prevent a future trouble for this town and Orca Village, would you believe me?¡±, replied Acma solemnly. He took a deep breath. ¡°But it¡¯s obviously a trap. Why didn¡¯t you consult with us first? You didn¡¯t even ask what the Guardian is¡± Chief Pai, who looks angry interjected. ¡°There is no need to ask, whatever it is, it¡¯s just a camo to hide their real reason. Like Mr Li said, they be planning something on me¡± ¡°You knew, but you still agree¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Uncle Pai for being selfish¡±, responded Acma short as he look toward the eastern horizon. ¡°We came to this world and we know nothing about it. So, I want to explore this world and I want to interact with its inhabitant. But, as you know, I killed a lot of them and I even taken their prince as a hostage. Most probably that I can¡¯t even step out of this place without shedding more blood. So, I saw their appointment as a golden opportunity for me. I know it¡¯s a trap and I know it¡¯s dangerous, but somehow I don¡¯t worry about them. I feel that even if they¡¯re planning something sinister against me, I can escape safely. Well, if they want fight, I will give them fight. If they try to take my life, I will kill them, definitely¡±, he continued calmly. ¡°...¡± Everyone were stunned and Elder Ma was sighing. ¡°I thought you agreed because you want to go for the princess. I heard you¡¯re quite intimate with her yesterday. Touching her chin, massaging her neck. I will believe you if you said you want to go chasing her. She¡¯s gorgeous¡±, said Elder Ma, smirking. ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯m joking¡±, said Elder Ma as he raised his hands when everyone were looking at him. ¡°...¡± ¡°Mr Ma, are you okay with Young Friend¡¯s decision?¡± Shi Ming asked. ¡°Yes, somehow, because both his reasons are acceptable. Our relation with Isebial Kingdom is still shaky and him accepting their appointment will stabilize it a little¡± replied Elder Ma. Elder Daquan stepped forward and patted Acma¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If those elves do anything funny, they¡¯re looking for trouble. Brother Pai, don¡¯t worry. Little Acma will be okay no matter what he do. Stop torturing your brows. You will get old faster¡±, he said. ¡°I¡¯m already old¡±, Chief Pai grumbled. He still knitting his brows. Then he looked at Shi Ming. ¡°Mr Shi, since the meeting with the elves have been concluded, I have to return to my people. But, Elder Ma will stay here to discuss our future plan together¡± ¡°Thank you very much Mr Pai. I hope we will meet again in the future¡±, replied Shi Ming. ¡°Yeah, me too. Kid, let¡¯s go¡± After a while. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ Acma, Chief Pai and Elder Daquan arrived in front of Nokium mine. ¡°Brother Daquan, please gather all the elders and squad leaders. We need to discuss about the treaty with the elves and our next plan¡±, said Chief Pai. Elder Daquan nodded lightly before walked away. ¡°Do you want to join the discussion?¡± asked Chief Pai. ¡°No need. I will go with any decisions from the villagers¡±, replied Acma. ¡°Okay. So, what are you going to do now?¡± ¡°Go back home and sleep¡± ¡°Haih, you really are not worry about tomorrow¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m not. There is no use to worry about that. What was destined to happen will happen. So, what is Uncle Pai¡¯s plan for the Orca Village?¡± ¡°Personally, I prefer to stay here. It¡¯s much safer and there are an abundance of food and water. But that¡¯s my choice, I¡¯m not sure about everyone¡¯s decision. I will let you know once we get a decision¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go first¡± ¡°Sure, take a good rest¡± ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ Acma reappeared in front of the underground vault inside his villa. ¡°Thank you Alice¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Master¡± ¡°Did anything happened around the villa? How about those cow head and lizardmen?¡± Acma asked as he walked into the vault. As he reached the table at the middle, he lined up all the weapons he previously taken from the vault before setting out to Orca Village. Then he unequipped FREEDOM and put it back to its place. ¡°There are no movement among the lizardmen but the minatours began to congregate at one of their main camp. Their numbers are about 300¡±, Alice reported. ¡°...¡± ¡°Deliver a visual report about the minatour to Uncle Pai¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°Please clean all the weapon on the table. Make sure they¡¯re ready for use as soon as possible. Run a thorough examination on FREEDOM too. Give me the report later, I want to take a shower¡± said Acma. Then he headed toward a bathroom with just his black brief boxer. ¡°How about the weapons inside your inventory, Master? Some of them need to be sharpened¡±, Alice asked. ¡°Eh?¡± Acma almost stumbled. ¡°You can access my inventory?¡± ¡°Yes, I can¡± ¡°Why you never told me?¡± ¡°Master never asked¡± ¡°...¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Can you take out anything from my inventory?¡± asked Acma from within a shower room. ¡°No, I can only sort the items inside¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Okay then, please categorized everything inside my inventory and separate them into several folders. Also, I want to know what I have inside my inventory¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± After the shower, Acma headed toward the medical room which connected to the vault. Having a medical check up right after a prolonged operation with FREEDOM was a standard procedure to detect any anomalies in his body. Acma felt that this medical check up was really important since FREEDOM had evolved after it got the Void¡¯s blessing. He also want to know the effect of levelling up to his body. Acma stepped into a circle before a transparent glass tube descended. Then several tentacles-like wires latched itself onto several parts of his body. Acma took a deep breath to relax himself. He raised his hand to drag an oxygen mask and wear it on his face. Once he wore the mask, the initial procedure was completed. Next, a light green liquid began to flooding the tube until Acma¡¯s body was completely submerged. Once the light green liquid filled the tube, slowly, Acma fell unconscious. The liquid acted like an amniotic fluid inside a mother¡¯s womb but with additional function like scanning the body condition and healing the wounds or injuries. A few hours later. ¡°Welcome back, Master¡± Acma took off his oxygen mask after the light green liquid was drained. ¡°How long I¡¯ve been unconscious?¡± ¡°7 hours 49 minutes and 37 seconds¡± A mechanical arm from the ceiling handed him a towel after he walked out the tube circle. He cleaned himself while flexing his body and he felt nothing wrong with his body. ¡°How¡¯s my body condition?¡± A hologram depicting Acma¡¯s body appeared in front of him. ¡°Master¡¯s body condition is great. There is an increase in muscles and bones density, which let them packing more power and able to handle more pressure. All damages from the previous battles also was healed. But there is something abnormal. Your cells were aging slower but I don¡¯t know the exact reason why it¡¯s happened¡± ¡°Which means?¡± ¡°Master will live longer, unless there are accidents, caught in diseases or master didn¡¯t observe your food intake¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Live longer huh. Although it¡¯s sound unbelievable, but it still a good news. Alice¡¯s accuracy is almost 100%, so it¡¯s definitely real. Is this only happened to me or everyone else also have a similar conditions? Too bad that mother didn¡¯t allow anyone else to enter this room. If not, I¡¯m surely will check the villagers¡¯ body to compare their conditions with mine¡±, he thought while staring at the hologram. A long while after, Acma was sitting on a recliner in the living room upstairs. He already changed into a tee shirt and a short, revealing some of his fair skin and toned muscle. ¡°Is there any news from father or mother?¡± Acma asked. His hand is holding a piece of pizza. He finally got Alice to bake one after a long series of negotiation. ¡°No news, Master¡± ¡°6 days but no news about them. Although that was normal during the previous world, but the current situation is an emergency. Most likely they can¡¯t contact me. Should I stay here or go out looking for them?¡± he questioned himself while eating the pizza. ¡°Where is their last known location?¡± ¡°Shanghai¡± ¡°Shanghai huh. That¡¯s close to the East China Sea to the east. I guess it¡¯s better to go out looking for them. Even if they suddenly return, Alice will notice me and I can also return here immediately. In the mean time, I can explore this world and increase my strength. Who knows they might need my help in the future ... With my current strength, there is no way to help them¡± ¡°Alice, I want to make a journey to the east to look for my parents. It will be a long journey¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to help Master on your journey¡± ¡°Thank you, Alice¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Master¡± Acma leaned his back on the recliner. ¡°Open: Status¡±
Acma Heart
Level 387 Race Human
Class Emissary of Void
HP 19800/19800 MP 189400/189400
Dark Mana 15700
Strength 1568 Agility 1337
Intelligence 2239 Luck 310
Unallocated point(s) 125
Title Lord of The Heavenly Villa, The Benevolent, The Grand Summoner, The Puppeteer
¡°Just 387. That idiot¡¯s level is 779. I¡¯m still have a long way to go. If I¡¯m going to fight someone at that level, I can¡¯t rely on Black Hole spell alone. I need the Dimension Splitter too. So I need to go to the Metal Kingdom to find a suitable weapon for me as that man said. But that¡¯s probably not enough too. ... Dark magic is out of option for now because I don¡¯t have enough dark mana. So, my other option is to gather a lot of strong soul beast like Sawa or stronger. Yup, I need to hunt more named beasts. By doing that, I can upgrade my current soul beasts and getting more skills. Oh, I haven¡¯t try that, I almost forgot¡± Acma quickly stood up. ¡°Open: Inventory¡±
Seed Pouch
He opened the pouch and took out a seed which was a seed of Elder Redwood Treeherd. The notification appeared. ¡°Not here¡± ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ Acma reappeared 100 metres outside of his villa¡¯s entrance. ¡°Yes, I want to make a contract¡±, he said hastily. A green glowing circle with many complex runic letters appeared underneath Acma¡¯s feet and the light began to envelope the seed in Acma¡¯s hand. The seed then flew away and stopped 10 metres from Acma. A second later, the light enlarged and shone toward the sky and gradually forming a 10 metres tall humanoid tree.
Elder Redwood Treeherd LVL 328
¡°Only level 328? It¡¯s about 85% of my level¡±, said Acma softly. ~Ding
You¡¯ve received a new title: Favoured By Trees Increase willingness among the trees to be your contractor by 15% +15 LUCK
~Ding A Contract panel appeared in Acma¡¯s sight. It have two pages, a front page and a Tree page. ¡°Tree is written on this page. I wonder if I can make a contract with other type of creatures too, like beast, monster or something else. It would be great if I can¡±, he thought. There was a picture of a treeherd on both pages. When Acma focused on the picture, an information about the Elder Redwood Treeherd appeared.
Elder Redwood Treeherd Mana requirement: 7500 Skill: Redwood Bramble, Redwood Thorn, Redwood Wall, Redwood Knuckle, Redwood Growth Acceleration
¡°...¡± ¡°I never thought that they have skills like this. With skills like this, they could be used as close and middle range attacker while Wall and Growth Acceleration are support skills. This is great¡± He was satisfied and this treeherd was a great addition to his strength. He quickly checked his inventory for more seed pouch. In his memory, he have seven of them. Two from the first battle against the knights where he killed two magicians. Three from the magicians who were guarding the captured residents and the final two were from the killed magicians who were bombarding the temple¡¯s barrier with their treeherd. ¡°I hope all of them contains the treeherd seed¡± Luckily, they did contained the seed and he made a contract with them. Currently he had four Elder Redwood Treeherd and one Elder Pine Treeherd. He failed to make a contract with two of them. He did tried repeating the process, but he still failed. He sat crossed legs on the ground and emptied the pouches. He put four of the treeherd seeds into one of the pouches and the other two into separated pouch. He planned to give them either to Chief Pai or Shi Ming. Maybe they could find someone to make a contract with these seeds. ¡°This is a Peach seed, this one is ... hmmm.. Mountain Eater? Awesome. This one is Dragon Vine, to bind things ... Bougainville, Rose, Jasmine ... Salvia? This should be a hallucinogenic plant¡±, Acma murmured while sorting out the pouches¡¯ content. In the end, he made a contract with all the seed and having a success with most of them. He divided the seeds into several categories like attacking plants, support plants and miscellaneous plants. ¡°Unsummon: Elder Redwood Treeherd¡± He also unsummoned the other trees and they return to their previous form, a seed. Acma put the seeds into the seed pouch. Acma looked up to the sky and scanned the horizons. The night already began to descend. It was the sixth day, so the night is much longer than the day. ¡°I should train with the trees and incorporate them with my summons and guardians. Alice, lets go to the Void Realm¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ 67 - Compressed ¡°Master, wake up¡± Acma slowly opened his eyes. He wasn¡¯t a heavy sleeper so he woke up easily. He stretched a little before heading to the corner of his room to drink a glass of plain water. ¡°Do you like some black coffee, Master?¡± ¡°Black is good. Make me a half boiled egg with honey¡± ¡°On my way¡± ¡°Alice, make it two. Two half boiled eggs with honey¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Alice?¡± ¡°One is enough for Master¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stingy¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Alice?¡± ¡°...¡± No answer came out. Acma smiled a little and walked toward the window. The dawn still hasn¡¯t arrived and the world was completely dark. ¡°I finally succeeded¡±, he said softly. He was referring to the result he gained at the end of last night¡¯s training session. He divided his training session to several parts. It began with determining the time needed to summon each contracted trees and it took 10 seconds to materialized a tree from the seed. The second part of the training was familiarizing himself with the capabilities of the trees. The third part was a mock battle against a troop he created using the Void Realm function which costs him quite a lot of mana. The strength of those troop were based on the knights and the magicians he fought against while the trees were based on the trees he had contracted. However, the result of these battles weren¡¯t an indicator to the strength of the real Knight of Forest because he lacked an accurate estimation of their strength. He also faced another problem during the battle, he couldn¡¯t control all his assets simultaneously. He used his will to control either his guardians, his summons or his contract, and as a human, he couldn¡¯t divert his attention to hundreds. He only abled to focus on a few things at the same time. So, most of the time, the battle was run on auto. He would order his asset to attack a certain enemy unit, then that asset would accomplish it as per its capabilities. He also could select his asset into a group and ordered the group to accomplish a certain order. However, he really have a great time controlling and ordering his assets. It¡¯s like wishing for something and suddenly it comes true. And he felt greater when he could sneak among his assets to attack the ¡®enemies¡¯. The fourth part was to train himself since he got several new additions of magic like dark magic and tornado. Since his dark mana was limited, he trained a few spells only. He created a single creature, a skeleton warrior for example, then copied it with Void Realm function which used his normal mana. He really loved the Void Realm function to create things, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t take the creation out of the Void Realm although he could bring items from the outside into the realm. The fifth part was to compressed the Black Hole. He longed to do this since his battle against Sawa, when he realized that Black Hole enlarged gradually and it took too long to reach its maximum size. Sawa itself managed to destroy two Black Hole although it suffered some injuries. But the fact remains, the Black Hole was destroyed at its initial release. He already tried to do this during a few training sessions in these few days, but didn¡¯t succeed. After spending almost 50 hours, he finally abled to achieve the initial success in compressing the Black Hole. The answer was a good mental image. It means he had to imagine compressing the Black Hole from the maximum size to as small as possible then casted the spell. He even asked for Alice to help him doing the imagining. He set the final size then asked Alice to show the shrinking process. After he finally able to grasp the process, comes the tricky part which was to materialize the image into the real compressed Black Hole. He also cannot miss the timing to cast, or the spell won¡¯t evoked and he had to repeat the process from the beginning. By the time he spent 80 hours, he was successful in 85% of his tries. He also managed to train a new way to use the compressed Black Hole which is to cast it on his palm or at the point of his finger and move it accordingly. There were some differences between the original Black Hole and the compressed one. Firstly, the time needed to cast the compressed Black Hole was longer than the original. It¡¯s about the time needed for the original to reached its maximum size after been casted. However, when the compressed was casted, it would instantly appear. Secondly, the compressed Black Hole needed to be detonated and its destructive power equalled the accumulated power of the original from the casting to the maximum size. Before it was detonated, its suction force was nothing worth to mention. Thirdly, the amount of mana needed to cast a compressed Black Hole was doubled. If the Tier 1 of original Black Hole only need 1500 mana and the Tier 5 needed 50000 mana, the compressed Black Hole at same tier needed 3000 and 100000 mana. So, he needed to cast the compressed Black Hole sparingly during battle since he only had less than 200000 mana. Only then he return to his villa and slept soundly till morning. ¡°Master, your breakfast is ready¡±, Alice said. Acma turned around and went to dining room downstairs. His breakfast was ready on the table. It consists of a whole wheat pancakes with honey, ginger-mango smoothie and a half-boiled egg. ¡°Did Uncle Pai or Mr Shi called?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t¡± ¡°I see. They¡¯re still sleeping maybe. How¡¯s FREEDOM?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a mechanical exoskeleton anymore. It¡¯s more like an outer skin since there are sensors all over the inner layer and there is no problem to operate it even if Master only wear a few parts and not the whole system. I can¡¯t explain the reason why this was happened but it was a positive change. Its defence also increase several folds while all of its original functions remain¡± ¡°The chip inside my spinal cord had disappeared right?If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Yes, Master. But you still can operate FREEDOM like usual and I don¡¯t have any explanation about it¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Alice. What important is that I can use it without problems¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± After the breakfast and shower, Acma went to the underground vault to prepare himself while waiting for a call from Chief Pai. He emptied the vault and put everything into his inventory. An hour later, a call came in. ¡°Hello Uncle Pai. Good morning¡± [Morning, Acma. Did you get enough rest last night?] ¡°Yes, I am¡± [Good. I didn¡¯t call you last night because I didn¡¯t want to disturb you, but we already have a decision. Most of us will return to Orca Village, but around 50 people will stay here] ¡°Oh, they didn¡¯t mind about the minatours?¡± [They will try to find a peaceful solution with them] ¡°Let¡¯s hope they will succeed. Uncle Pai, I¡¯ll be there in 45 minutes¡± [Okay, I¡¯ll have everyone ready by then] He put on a black combat suit and headed outside the villa. 40 minutes later, Acma appeared in front of Nokium mine. He could arrive in a second if he teleported, but since it¡¯s still in the morning and he wasn¡¯t rushing, he decided to run. When he arrived, he saw the villagers already gathered in front of the mine. Among them, he saw Duo Nan was talking to the others, so Acma went toward him. ¡°Yo, Lil bro. You run? Why don¡¯t you just teleport?¡± Duo Nan asked. ¡°Big bro, I want to exercise a bit¡±, replied Acma with a smile on his face. ¡°Do you even need an exercise?¡± ¡°Haha, of course I need it. Where¡¯s Uncle Pai?¡± ¡°Chief is giving instructions to those who will remain here. He¡¯s still worried about us. Let¡¯s go find him. Oh, I also will stay here. My squad too¡± ¡°Owh. May I know your reason to stay?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t choose, I was selected. Damn, I really want to hit Chief when he chose me. Do you know, he want me to lead the community here. Shit, I know nothing about leading anyone. Lil bro, help me to convince that old man to let me follow him back to the village¡± ¡°Uncle must really trust big bro. That¡¯s why he chose you. And he must have a good reason doing that. Why not big bro also trust Uncle¡¯s judgement?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t trust Chief¡¯s judgement, I¡¯m just not confident with myself. The elder¡¯s reason is simple, they want us to continue their legacy from here if anything happened to them. They still couldn¡¯t trust those elves. Who knows when they will betray us. And if nothing happened to them, we can find something to do in this place. Can you believe that? They want us to find something to do? This place have a minatours, a lizardmen and who knows what else is here. You know ...¡± ¡°Hooooo... Little Duo dare to complain now?¡± Duo Nan immediately shrunk his head a little and turned his head to the right. ¡°Good Morning Uncle Daquan¡±, Acma greeted. ¡°Morning Little Acma. Don¡¯t hear this guy¡¯s blabbering. He¡¯s been whining since last night¡± ¡°Elder, don¡¯t tease me please. How come I¡¯m not complaining. There¡¯s a minatour that possibly our enemy. Minatour you know. A scary looking cow. Besides, why most of the strongest in the village were chosen to stay here? If we stay at the village, we can defend it better than anyone else¡± ¡°You guys are strong, but not strong enough to fight the Knight of Forest. So, rather than letting all of you fighting a futile battle, it¡¯s better to let you grow a bit further. The stronger you are, the better for Orca Village. Relax, although we elders didn¡¯t trust those elves, it¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to betray us tomorrow. Who knows if they¡¯re truly trustworthy as they claimed they were¡± Acma was amused with Duo Nan¡¯s flustering over his appointment. He took out something from his inventory and gave it to Duo Nan. ¡°This is?¡± asked Duo Nan. ¡°A congratulatory gift for your appointment¡±, replied Acma with a smile. ¡°Seed pouch?¡± ¡°Yes, it is. It contains an uncontracted seeds. Big bro can find someone to make a contract with them¡± ¡°Although I don¡¯t understand what do you want, I will do it as you said later. Thank you Lil bro. There he is. Let¡¯s greet Chief¡± ¡°Morning, Uncle Pai¡±, Acma greeted. ¡°Morning, Acma and ... hehe, Leader Duo Nan¡±, Chief Pai replied and he patted Duo Nan¡¯s shoulder. Everyone were laughing at Duo Nan who was clasping his head with both of his hands, didn¡¯t want to hear Chief Pai¡¯s word. ¡°Uncle Pai, is everything ready?¡± Acma asked, ignoring the suffering Duo Nan. ¡°Yes, everything is ready. Leader Duo, please take care of your people well. Hahaha...¡± ¡°Big bro, take this communication orb. You can contact Uncle Pai anytime¡±, Acma shoved an orb into Duo Nan¡¯s hand. It was the fourth communication orb he gave other people. Although he didn¡¯t have an unlimited amount of orb, he still have a few more spare orbs. These orbs weren¡¯t just a tool to communicate, it also could be used as a surveillance tool. So, if anything happened, he could remote-controlled them to gather more information, if he wanted to. ¡°Alice, prepare to teleport¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡± ¡°Good bye, Leader Duo. Good luck¡±, said Acma. Chief Pai and the others also bid their farewell. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ A few seconds later, they reappeared at Orca Village, in front of the Orca statue in the muddle of the village. ¡°Thank you, Acma¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Uncle Pai. If you have time, go to the centaurs village and ask for their help to contact the talpid mole merchant. They know me, so I think they will be willing if you want to trade with them¡± ¡°We will. Go talk with your auntie before leaving. She¡¯s worried¡± ¡°Okay¡± Acma walked toward the rear of the group and saw an old woman talking with her friends. ¡°Good morning, Auntie¡± The old women turned her head and smiled. ¡°Come here¡±, she said softly. Acma approached carefully. ¡°Here you are¡± Without warning, Auntie Pai extended both her hands and drilled Acma¡¯s temple. Then she proceeded with pinching his cheeks as hard as he could. ¡°Aaaaaaaaa¡±, Acma screamed a little. ¡°You always doing something dangerous, now you¡¯re going to do something even more dangerous. Tell me, is it dangerous or not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that dangerous, Auntie. I¡¯ll return safely. I promise¡±, replied Acma as he hold both of her hands. He talked a bit more with Auntie Pai before excused himself. A while after, he arrived at Boulder Town and greeted Shi Ming, Elder Ma and several young monks. ¡°You¡¯re here already. I was about to contact you just now¡±, said Shi Ming. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m teleporting the villagers back to the Orca Village¡± Ah, it¡¯s ok. I just want to inform you about those birds¡± Shi Ming pointed his finger toward the sky and Acma¡¯s gaze followed. There were two birds circling the town. From the shape of its wings, it should be an eagle. But even if it were high in the sky, Acma knew their size was huge. ¡°They¡¯re doing that since they arrived a few minutes ago¡±, said Shi Ming. ¡°...¡± Acma put on a glasses which have a zooming function. He saw there was a rider on the back of each bird. One of them was a bird people with a beak like an eagle but there wasn¡¯t many feathers on its body. It was wearing a black leather armour and its cloak was fluttering, beaten by the winds. Acma shifted his gaze toward the other rider. ¡°It¡¯s her¡±, he thought. Acma turned his head toward Elder Ma. ¡°Uncle Ma, I¡¯ll send you back to Orca Village¡±, he said. ¡°What? You mean, right now?¡± Acma smiled a little and extended his hand toward Elder Ma, but he didn¡¯t reply. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ He said and Elder Ma disappeared. Then he looked at Shi Ming which made the latter flustered and looked a bit worried. ¡°...¡± ¡°I will go now, Mr Shi. If there is anything, just contact me¡± Shi Ming let out a breath and smiled. ¡°I wish you a safe journey¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr Shi¡± Acma raised up his head and locked on one of the bird. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ ¡°Hi¡±, said Acma with an awkward smile on his face as he appeared in front of the rider. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaa¡± A scream reverberated across the morning sky. 68 - Its Unintended ¡°Hey, careful!¡± Acma shouted and extended his hand when the rider in front of him scurried backward frantically, trying to get away from him. But his warning was too late. The rider was thrown away from the back of the eagle by the winds and free falling. ¡°Kyaaaaaa... Heeellllllppppp¡±, she screamed helplessly. Her hands were gaping upwards, trying to grab an invisible rope. ¡°BASTARD!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!¡± Acma looked to his left, but the bird person who were shouting just now already hurried its eagle to catch the falling rider. That falling rider was Princess Nidhwen. Acma shook his head a little. He didn¡¯t expect the princess would react that way. When he saw the eagles earlier, he already assumed that they were here to pick him up since Baranduin said that someone will pick him up this morning. Then he saw one of the riders was the princess, so he wanted to joke a little with her because his previous greeting was too rough. That¡¯s why he chose to teleport straight on the eagle¡¯s back and not waiting for them to land. Maybe it¡¯s a bit too much, he thought. He jumped and locked his eyes on the princess. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ He reappeared at the princess¡¯ left side and hold her body before stabilizing his position to prevent both of them from rolling in the air. It wasn¡¯t easy because the princess was still panic stricken and didn¡¯t cooperate. ¡°I got you¡±, he said after a few seconds of struggling until finally managed to descend horizontally and stably while supporting the princess with his hands. Her eyes enlarged, but then she tried to scratch Acma¡¯s face and screaming again. ¡°Tsk¡± Acma pulled back his head to avoid Nidhwen¡¯s claw. He looked up. He don¡¯t have much time left. ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ They were back on the eagle¡¯s back but Nidhwen didn¡¯t realize it yet and kept struggling, making it hard for Acma to keep his hand steady. Should he shout at her? ¡°No¡±, he rejected the idea. Should he let her go? ¡°She might faint from the shock¡±, he thought. Another rejection. ¡®SCREEEEAAAA¡¯ The another eagle flew overhead and its rider jumped down toward Acma. Its right hand grabbed the hilt of its sword and ready to unsheathe. It has a slender body and a height about 1.6 metres tall. ¡°LET GO OF HER HIGHNESS RIGHT NOW!!¡±, it screamed. ¡°Lifesaver¡±, Acma thought as he smiled faintly when he saw the bird person. ¡°She¡¯s yours¡±, he said as he tossed the princess toward the bird person. ¡°What? ... Hey, wait!!¡± The flustered bird person forced itself to ignore Acma and instantly fixed its posture before catching the princess. ¡°Your Highness, please calm down. You¡¯re safe now. Your Highness, Your Highness¡±, the bird person knelt on one knee and called the princess repeatedly. After a while, the princess finally calmed down. ¡°Thank you, Nurkac¡±, she said softly. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Your Highness¡± Nidhwen swivelled her head until she saw Acma who was kneeling on his left knee with an indescribable face. She can¡¯t tell that the latter was felt guilty or happy. He just looking straight at her without any visible emotions. Thinking about the man in front of her, he was a headache since their first meeting. He intimidated everyone under her command by displaying that humongous python soul beast. If she didn¡¯t stop El¡¯Tael from annoying this man, without doubt this man would began attacking her troop. The second meeting was the worst. He unhesitant to hit her unconscious. When she finally released the next day, she was told that he used her to threaten his brother¡¯s army. No wonder she felt a great pain on her neck when she woke up. Last night, she got an order from the Holy Maiden to escort this man back to the Tirion Shrine. The latter¡¯s reason was unbelievable, it¡¯s because she¡¯s the only one among the Guardians that actually knew this man and she was selected to lower this man¡¯s guard. So she flown here with Nurkac this morning while kept telling herself to be positive. What did he do? He almost killed her again. Although he eventually saved her, he didn¡¯t even show a shred of guilt on his face. Unconsciously, she turned her head a little while kept staring dagger at Acma. All the memories of her encounter with him kept replying in her mind, really pushed her closer to the fiery chasm of rage. She wanted to explode. She wanted to scream and she wanted to beat him. But she can¡¯t. She didn¡¯t know why. It made her upset. Extremely upset. Her eyes were brimming with tears and she was doing her best to avoid an overflow. Her head and shoulders shook a little but she didn¡¯t avert her gaze. Looking at the those watery eyes, Acma was slammed by mixed feelings. This is where I should say sorry, right? Thought Acma while scratching the back of his head a little.Stolen story; please report. He looked straight into the princess¡¯ eyes and then lowered his head a little. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened earlier. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you¡±, said Acma. Nidhwen was caught unprepared by Acma¡¯s action and somehow let her tears flowed down. ¡°Eh?¡± She immediately wiped her tears. Luckily for her, Acma still hasn¡¯t raised his head yet. ¡°Do you think your sorry is enough for what you have done to Her Highness?¡± Nurkac asked full of hostility. Acma raised his head. ¡°It¡¯s really unintentional¡±, he replied. ¡°Hmmpphh... Human are really bastard, they really can lie through their teeth. I don¡¯t know why Holy Maiden want to appoint this bastard as a Guardian¡±, Nurkac sneered. Acma frowned upon hearing that racist statement. ¡°Nurkac, don¡¯t¡±, Nidhwen tried to stop her companion. ¡°Your Highness, what I said is true. You know how the human was and this man also no different. He purposely suddenly appeared in front ...¡±. ¡°Silence! Lord Acma is the guest of Holy Maiden. Insulting him is the same as insulting Holy Maiden herself. Do you understand, Nurkac!¡± Nidhwen raised her voice. Nurkac¡¯s face stiffened and slowly it lowered its head. ¡°I understand. I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness¡±, Nurkac answered weakly. ¡°This woman is really unpredictable. She was crying for a moment and shouting at the next moment¡±, thought Acma. ¡°You are here to pick me up, right? So, can we go now?¡± he asked. ¡°...¡± ¡°... Yes, we were ordered by Holy Maiden to pick you up and yes, we can go now. Nurkac¡±, said Nidhwen with a frown. ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡±, replied Nurkac. Nurkac gave a signal and the eagles immediately changed direction toward the east. Somehow, Nurkac forgot that Acma was supposed to be riding the other eagle. Acma turned around and admiring the sunrise. He always loved sunrise. In the previous world, whenever he got time, he always climbed the hill at the back of his villa to watch the sunrise. But none of those experiences were comparable to this moment. He was up a few hundreds kilometre in the sky, riding a huge eagle while watching a sunrise with a beautiful elven princess sulking behind him. It felt great. He turned his attention toward the eagle¡¯s head.
Golden Eagle LVL 463
This is awesome. If I can tame one like this, it would be easier to travel. Travel by air is faster than by land and I don¡¯t know if the aircrafts like aeroplane or helicopter could still be used or not, Acma wondered. The eagle slowly raised its altitude until it reached a few thousand metres. It supposed to be colder and unbearable up there, but after Nurkac casted sort of a shield magic, Acma felt the effect of the wind disappeared. He turned his head, looking at Nurkac, thinking. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just thinking that the magic you casted just now is really convenience¡±, Acma replied. Then he looked at Nidhwen. ¡°Let us introduce ourselves properly¡±, he said. Nidhwen nodded once, agreeing with Acma¡¯s suggestion. Acma turned around and sat crossed legs. ¡°My name is Acma Heart from Earth. I came to this world six days ago and everything about this world is new to me. I hope we can get along well. I sincerely apologize about what happened earlier. It was totally unintended¡± ¡°...¡± Nidhwen looked at Nurkac as if she was telling it to introduce itself first, but Nurkac just crossed its hands and pulled its face. ¡°I¡¯m not introducing myself¡±, it said. Nidhwen shook his head a few times before looking back at Acma. ¡°I am Nidhwen from the House of Ise, 3rd Princess of the Isebial Kingdom. This is Nurkac from the Eagle Tribe¡± ¡°Nice to meet you¡±, said Acma with a smile on his face. ¡°...¡± ¡°Damn, this is so awkward¡±, thought Acma after both Nidhwen and Nurkac kept their silence. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Acma asked, trying to continue the conversation. ¡°We will be going to Tirion Shrine. That¡¯s where all the Guardians were appointed¡±, replied Nidhwen reluctantly. ¡°Good, she replied. Chance. Have to ask more questions¡±, thought Acma. ¡°How long it will take?¡± ¡°If nothing happened, we will arrive at the shrine the day after tomorrow in the morning¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite far¡± ¡°Yes, it is¡± ¡°Are we going to fly straight to the shrine or are we going to rest somewhere first?¡± ¡°We will stop at Ulsenor City this evening and at the Thaneas Fortress tomorrow evening. Then, from the fortress, we will be riding a carriage to the Tirion Shrine the day after tomorrow¡± ¡°A city and a fortress. Interesting, I wonder if I¡¯m allowed to sightseeing¡±, said Acma after nodding a few times. ¡°That depends on the Mayor of Ulsenor City or the Lord of Thaneas Fortress¡± ¡°Oh really? Hmmm.. Then I will have to sneak out if they stop me. I can¡¯t let this opportunity slip away¡±, said Acma as he rubbed his chin slowly. The face of Nidhwen and Nurkac immediately darken. ¡°If you dare to cause trouble, in the name of the Guardian, I will personally cut your head¡±, Nurkac said grimly. Acma raised his head and looked at Nurkac. He smiled provokingly. ¡°You want to cut my head? I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re not worthy¡±, said Acma dismissively. ¡°What did you say!¡± ¡°Nurkac!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡± ¡°Lord Acma, I will ask the mayor to give you the permission and assign a few guard to accompany you sightseeing¡±, Nidhwen gave her words. Acma smiled faintly. ¡°Thank you, Princess Nidhwen. I appreciate your help¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Tell me about the Guardian¡±, Acma asked after a while. Nidhwen didn¡¯t immediately answered. She took a deep breath and then looked at Acma. ¡°The Guardian is an organization affiliated to the Sacred Forest and they received orders solely from the Her Eminence Holy Maiden who was appointed by the Sacred Forest. However, the Guardian always keep a close relationship with the Isebial Kingdom. Since they were tied to the Sacred Forest, the standing of the Guardians in the kingdom are much higher than the Knight of Forest. Each of the Guardian is qualified to command between 300 to 1000 Knight of Forest¡± ¡°What did they do?¡± ¡°As their name implies, they guard the forest from anything that the Holy Maiden considered as a threat¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Are human considered as a threat too?¡± Acma asked. ¡°...¡± ¡°I accept your silence as a yes. It¡¯s mean that I¡¯m going to Tirion Shrine right now is a suicide¡±, said Acma. ¡°No, that¡¯s not true¡±, Nidhwen quickly denied. ¡°Then, what is the truth?¡± ¡°Her Eminence Lady Kylana didn¡¯t give any opinion about the human from Earth yet and she didn¡¯t gave any orders regarding them in these few days¡±, Nidhwen answered. ¡°Is that why she didn¡¯t order the knights to kill the Boulder Town residents?¡±, Acma pondered. ¡°If the Holy Maiden didn¡¯t view us as a threat, then why your brother was so quick on attacking us?¡± ¡°Prince Iandithas isn¡¯t a Guardian¡±, Nidhwen gave a vague answer. ¡°Then why he attacked us when the Holy Maiden didn¡¯t considered us as a threat?¡± Acma questioned. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±, Nidhwen replied while looking somewhere else. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± Acma was stupefied and stared dumbly at Nidhwen. 69 - Spirit Companion ¡°Either it was your father, the King, or his superiors in the Knight of Forest army,¡± Acma guessed. Nidhwen only stared dagger at him without commenting. ¡°...¡± ¡°Nevermind, let¡¯s forget about the fight. We already on truce right now and I truly hope that your people will honour the treaty and let my people live freely,¡± said Acma after a few moments of silence. ¡°Do you have anything to ask about us? I mean about the human from Earth?¡± asked Acma. ¡°...¡± ¡°No question at all?¡± ¡°...¡± Nidhwen turned her head away. An indifference look still plastered on her face. Understanding that the princess didn¡¯t want to talk, Nurkac spoke. ¡°The questions will be asked by Her Eminence¡± ¡°I see, then I will ask the questions then,¡± said Acma. ¡°...¡± No reaction from Nidhwen or Nurkac. This made Acma lost interest to talk any further so he turned around. Although it¡¯s not wise to show his back, but he kept up his vigilance and ready to react if the duo behind him decided to attack. ¡°Open: Inventory¡± Let see what do I have, thought Acma as he began to inspect the inventory. He wanted a clear picture about what he have in his arsenal before facing the Holy Maiden two days later. He firmly believed that the invitation to Tirion Shrine concealed an ulterior motive. Although Nidhwen said that Lady Kylana hold her opinion about the human from Earth, it doesn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t have any hostilities. Considering her responsibilities as the Holy Maiden and the recent battle between Acma and the knights, most likely that this invitation was to silently eliminate him. There is no way she was so generous to award him with a high position among the elves. Meanwhile, at the Isengur, capital of Isebial Kingdom. ¡°My King, let me return to that city and annihilate all those human¡±, said Iandithas, who was kneeling with a lowered head to the king. He was completely recovered from his injuries and rushing to this study after he was given the permission to meet his father. ¡°It seems that your heart is still cloudy because of yesterday¡¯s event¡±, the King replied. He raised his head a little before continued to examine the documents in front of him. ¡°Father.. I ...¡±, Iandithas stuttered. ¡°I understand, it¡¯s your first loss after all. But, it¡¯s not good if you¡¯re still brooding over it. Go to the Pool of Serenity and calm your heart¡± ¡°Father, I must wash away this humiliation. I can¡¯t go on like this. Please, allowed me to go¡± ¡°... Your enemy is not those human. Your enemy is that man only. He is your true enemy. But, that man have been called by the Holy Maiden, so you won¡¯t have a chance of revenge anymore. That¡¯s why I ordered you to go to the Pool of Serenity. Go. No more discussion¡± ¡°... I understand, My King. Please forgive my rudeness¡± Iandithas stood up and walked out of the room. ¡°My Prince, are we really letting those human go?¡± an elf with a bearing of an experienced warrior spoke after Iandithas entered the carriage. Iandithas¡¯s face darken when he heard that. ¡°You know that I will failed?¡± ¡°Haha, yes¡± ¡°Hmph... Father want me to go to Pond of Serenity¡± ¡°Eeehhh.... So we¡¯re really letting them go. My Prince, how about we just go and kill them. I heard that man wasn¡¯t there anymore. This is a good chance for us¡± ¡°Do you want to go against His Majesty¡¯s order?¡± ¡°No, but those human will bring a great danger to us in the future. We should prevent that from happened¡± ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know that? Where is that man now? Did you completed my order?¡± ¡°Oh, that man? He will arrive at Ulsenor City this evening and I already prepared a special banquet just for him. But, My Prince, how are we going to deal with the Guardians? He is a guest of Her Eminence, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Just do your job¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I understand... So, are we going to the Pond of Serenity right now?¡± ¡°Tsk¡± On the back of the Golden Eagle, Acma already finished sorting out his equipment. Other than his original equipment, he also took the new addition of equipment like swords, knives, plant seeds into consideration. Occasionally, he took a glance at the scenery below and it was a sea of green forest with rivers snaking between silvery mountain range. Nothing much could be seen since the forest canopy hid everything beneath. But sometimes, he saw a cluster of huge trees towering above the rest of the forest and he thought it wasn¡¯t an ordinary cluster of trees because of patterns, holes and empty space on the silvery trunk. He wanted to ask Nidhwen, but the latter moved her face away as soon as he turned around. Acma could only sighed. ¡°Alice, did you mapped everything?¡± he asked. A cute and lovely fairy immediately emerged from his chest and hovering in front of his face. ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ve mapped everything. Forest, mountains, rivers, a possibly safe route from Border Town and also the location of those tree clusters as you ordered¡±, Alice replied. Acma wanted to praise Alice when he heard a commotion from behind. ¡°How.. how a human like you could have a high fairy as a companion?¡± It¡¯s Nurkac who spoke while Nidhwen covered her mouth and a face in between disbelieve, astonish, shock or even fright. Is it that shocking? Thought Acma when he saw their reactions. ¡°This is Alice¡±, he gestured and introduced Alice to them. Alice just looked at them indifferently. ¡°How did you get this fairy?¡± Nidhwen asked. ¡°...¡± ¡°Why? Is it important how do I get Alice?¡± Acma returned the question. ¡°Hey, just answer the question¡±, Nurkac barked. ¡°Never before in history, a human have a companion either with fairies or other spirit creatures because they can¡¯t communicate with them. Even among the elves, only a small number of us manage to form a contract with fairies. And that only with an ordinary fairy, not a high fairy like yours¡±, Nidhwen explained. So, that¡¯s why they¡¯re so shocked, because no human ever have a spirit companion, thought Acma. ¡°What the difference?¡± he asked. ¡°Of what?¡± Nidhwen puzzled. She seems startled since Acma didn¡¯t answer her question but asking a question instead. ¡°Between high and ordinary fairy¡± ¡°There are a few, but one of them is that the high fairy lives within the contractor¡¯s body and they can move freely while an ordinary could only be summoned as they couldn¡¯t leave the Spirit Realm¡± ¡°I see. Do you have one?¡± ¡°Me? No, I don¡¯t have one¡± ¡°Are you going to have one?¡± ¡°I love to, but I already missed my chance. To make a contract with fairies, a children under 5 years old will be brought to the gate to the Spirit Realm. Then a contract ceremony will be held to allow the children to communicate with the fairies. If they¡¯re lucky, a fairy will form a contract with them. If they¡¯re not, then they will never have another chance¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯re longing to have one. Why was it?¡± ¡°You asked too many questions, human¡±, Nurkac interjected. Nidhwen smiled when she heard that and shook her head a little. ¡°It¡¯s okay Nurkac. You¡¯re right Lord Acma, I longed to have one because there are so many benefits of having one. The fairies have a huge mana reservoir which the contractor can use them. They can shorten the time to cast a spell and serve as a support for the contractor with buff, magic shield or other spells they have. Usually a mage will chose a fairy as a companion and a fighter will chose a beast spirit because of the attributes they have¡± ¡°...¡± Acma looked at Alice thoughtfully. He agreed with Nidhwen about being a support. Alice really helped him a lot but he wasn¡¯t sure about sharing a mana reservoir since it¡¯s Alice who is using his mana reservoir. Also, Alice didn¡¯t have any inherent spells except the one she got from Void. ¡°Can a contractor teach an additional spells to the spirit companion?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know but I can help you asking Her Eminence¡±, replied Nidhwen. ¡°Thank you. About your question earlier, Alice was with me when I arrived at this world. No ceremony involved¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Just like that¡± ¡°Liar!!! There is no way you will have a companion like that!¡± Nurkac screeched. ¡°Lord Acma, are you trying to keep a secret?¡± ¡°...¡± Acma was thinking, should he tell them everything about the Overseer and how Alice originally an A.I and turned into a fairy? ¡°Actually, you shouldn¡¯t compare the normal process in this world and my case¡±, Acma told softly with a smile. ¡°Just like how we told you that we came from another world, it¡¯s unbelievable, right? ¡°...¡± ¡°... You¡¯re right. Are all of you have a spirit companion? I mean the human at your town¡± ¡°... I¡¯m not sure myself. But probably no one other me¡± Nidhwen let out a breath and looked at Nurkac. Acma was puzzled. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± he asked. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that the people with spirit companion are highly respectable in our kingdom. If there are more of you that have a spirit companion, then we will be in bind¡±, Nidhwen replied. ¡°Owh, no wonder your attitude changed completely after you saw Alice¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard human. Those respect obviously not for human¡±, Nurkac splashed the cold water. ¡°Nurkac¡± Nidhwen tried to stop her. Then she looked at Acma apologetically but she said nothing. ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re after all still an enemy¡±, said Acma while scratching the back of his head. ¡°Master, I want to show you something¡±, Alice suddenly spoke. A hologram appeared in front of Acma, showing and image of a town similar to Boulder Town. But as far as Acma could remember, this town was located about 150 kilometres from Boulder Town. They have been flying for a few hours and the speed of these Golden Hawk weren¡¯t comparable to an aircraft, but it still fast. So the location of this town has shifted to almost 750 kilometres. ¡°Zoom it¡±, he said. The image changed and it made Acma¡¯s face darker. It showed that the town has been raided since there were only a few buildings left intact while the others were destroyed or partially damaged. There were bodies sprawling everywhere and mostly converged at the center of the town. The people of the town probably put up the final fight over there but ultimately they failed. Acma turned his head toward the direction of the town and the hologram disappeared. He pinpointed the location and ... ¡®TELEPORT¡¯ ... disappeared. 70 - Heed My Word ¡°Equip FREEDOM¡± Acma arrived at the center of the town. The stench of death was unbearable. He looked around, trying to understand what had happened. There were bodies everywhere. Men, women, elders, children. They were killed ruthlessly. No sign of struggle. His previous assumption was wrong. The people of this town didn¡¯t make their last stand here. They were gathered by their killers, like a sheep being herded to the slaughterhouse. Acma stood silently, imagining their last moments. Pain, anguish, hatred and the worst of all, helplessness. They come to this world without warning and then been attacked by an unknown creatures without any means to defend themselves. Acma felt a sharp pain in his heart. His mind was blank. ¡°How do you feel, Master?¡± Alice flew nearby and asked. Acma didn¡¯t answer the question. His eyes darted around as he walked slowly through the street. Acma examined the traces of destruction on the buildings. He was sure that the attackers were beastmen. There were claw marks everywhere. The wounds on the bodies of the victims also pointed to the same conclusion. There should be no survivors left, he thought after he entered one of the houses. If the attackers were really a beastmen, the chances were close to nil since they have a good nose. This is evident from the state of this house. The doors were shattered and any possible places to hide were overturned. He walked out if the house and looked gloomily at the row of houses in front of him. Some of the houses were built in a similar way with the buildings at Boulder Town, half brick half timber. But most of them were a wooden house. These houses also as damaged as the house he just came out from. Acma took out all his drones. ¡°Alice, search for the survivors. Also look out for anything we can use¡±, he ordered. ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma heard something and then looked up into the sky. He saw two golden eagles hovering above the town. He was wondering either they will descend or not. But after a while, they still maintaining their altitude. ¡°Hmmph¡± Acma looked away and walked back toward the center of the town. An ember of rage ignited in his heart. ¡°Alice, please connect me to Uncle Pai¡±, said Acma. ¡°Yes, Master¡± After a while. [Hey kid, what¡¯s up?] ¡°Uncle Pai, I want to show you something¡± [...] [WHAT HAPPEN? WHERE IS THIS? I CAN BELIEVE THIS] ¡°This is Floating Wheel Town. I think everyone in the town were killed¡± [NO SURVIVOR? KID, WHO DID THIS?] ¡°Probably a beastmen army and judging from how devastated this town was, their hatred toward human were on another level. Uncle Pai, please relocate to Boulder Town. I¡¯m worry about your safety¡± [IF THEY DARE TO COME, I SWEAR I WILL SKIN THEM ALIVE] ¡°...¡± ¡°Uncle Pai, please reconsider. The number of people in this town should be between 2000 to 3000 people and they were gathered at the center of the town before they were massacred. It means, there are a lot of enemies. I don¡¯t think the Orca Village is capable of fending them off¡± [...]If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. [...] ¡°Uncle Pai?¡± [I¡¯m still here. I¡¯m collecting my thoughts. Hey kid, what are going to do? Are you going to get revenge for those poor people?] ¡°...¡± ¡°Uncle Pai, I wonder if everyone from Earth had the same ending like the people of this town?¡± [...] [I don¡¯t know. But maybe some of them were lucky. Maybe they have people like you or Mr Shi] ¡°Yeah, maybe. But if they didn¡¯t have people like us, they probably ends up like this town andI don¡¯t think I can get revenge for all of them. It¡¯s enough for me if everyone at Orca Village and Boulder Town are safe¡± [...] [Then what are you going to do? Are you letting those animals off?] ¡°I¡¯m doing nothing, but the people of this town and all the victims won¡¯t let them off¡± [What do you mean?] ¡°Disease outbreak¡± [...] [Kid, I never thought you¡¯re this heartless. You didn¡¯t get revenge for them and even let their bodies rot just like that] ¡°I think this is the best course of action, for now at least¡± [You have us. We can get revenge for them] ¡°Uncle Pai, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but you guys are too weak. Talk about revenge after everyone¡¯s levels are over 400¡± [What did you say! We¡¯re too weak? Say that again!] ¡°Calm down Uncle Pai. I will call you back this evening. Goodbye Uncle Pai¡± [HEY!! ....] Acma ended the call. He sighed and shook his head. He was upset too. He thought that Chief Pai was too agitated to think about a bigger picture. Getting revenge is important. But right now nothing is more important than the safety of the villagers. The attackers of this Floating Wheel Town might attacked Orca Village or Boulder Town too if they¡¯ve got news about them. Comparing the two, it¡¯s obvious that the Boulder Town is much safer because of the truce with the Isebial Kingdom. The kingdom might protect Boulder Town. But Orca Village is quite far from Boulder Town and the enemy might attack the village first and then pretend that they never heard about the truce. The kingdom also probably just let them go since it¡¯s just a small village. Acma was sincerely hope that the villagers will relocate and permanently stay at Boulder Town. Thinking about disease outbreak, he hope it will happened. ¡°Alice, did you find anything?¡± he asked. ¡°No survivor, Master¡± Like I thought. No survivors, Acma said to himself. ¡°But I found a few slightly damaged stores that have of food and clothes¡±, Alice continued. ¡°Okay. Show me the way¡± ¡°All right¡± It might be disturbing to take the food and clothes from this town, but they are important resources for the survivors especially in the first few months, thought Acma while he was running toward the first store. After a while, he arrived. It was a mini market in a row of several other stores. It was a double storey building and the owner of this mini market or the workers probably staying upstairs. Acma entered the mini market and surveyed its interior. The front section near the entrance was trashed but the back section was intact. He walked toward the back and found rice sacks and other cooking ingredient. There were also canned food, instant noodles and snacks. The amount of food here were enough for a few hundred people. It¡¯s better than nothing, he thought. He looked at the entirety of the mini market and willed everything within to enter his inventory. ¡°Lets move to the next store¡±, he said. ¡°Yes, Master¡± Acma visited all stores mentioned by Alice. He also took everything from any hardware stores he found on the way. Initially, he thought it was enough to take foods and clothes, but then changed his mind because it¡¯s not enough to maintain a society with just food and clothes. Variety of tools were also needed. Since he already cleaning up mini market and stores for food and clothes, so why not he also take the tools from hardware too. This operation ended within half an hour. It was fast because Acma just enter the store and took everything within when he concluded it had the things he wanted. He can have Alice to sort them up in his inventory later. Acma looked at his surrounding for one last time and etched everything in his memory. Rest In Peace. He looked up into the sky and locked his sight onto one of the golden hawk. TELEPORT Acma reappeared on the Golden Hawk¡¯s back and removed his helmet. He looked down onto Nidhwen who was looking away, but he could sense her uneasiness. ¡°Everyone in this town were killed and you didn¡¯t even dare to land. Why? Felt guilty?¡± Acma said with a pressed voice and a dark face. ¡°Hey, watch your mouth!¡± Nurkac shrieked. Acma ignored her. Nidhwen slowly turned her head and looked straight into Acma¡¯s eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened in this place, but I will stake everything to stop you if you¡¯re going for revenge¡±, Nidhwen spoke slowly without averting her eyes from Acma. ¡°You¡¯re a bunch of killers. Because of your blind hatred, not even a children were spared. Who are going to seek justice for them? You?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Do you think the human were less atrocious than this? Do you want to know what they did to us? Hah?¡± Nurkac spoke with a raised voice. Acma still ignoring her as he wanted to hear the most was Nidhwen¡¯s answer to the current situation. ¡°We can¡¯t differentiate between your people and the human from this world and the hatred between our races are just too deep. You are at the wrong place at the wrong time¡±, Nidhwen gave her answer. ¡°But, with your appointment as a Guardian, I sincerely think that this situation will change. I don¡¯t know how much, but at least it can ensure the safety of your people¡±, she continued. ¡°...¡± ¡°Very well, I will accept that. But heed my word, if anything happened to my people in the future, I will flip this kingdom upside down¡±, Acma gave his warning.