Chapter 82 - Mission Updated
Of course, preparations were still in order.
Noah used up the last remaining points he had to purchase stamina potions, health potions, stimulants for Krall, and a few other odd pieces of utility consumable like scent blockers.
Once he had everything in order, he began the charge with everyone by his side.
Noah at the vanguard, he had no choice but to accept the other people to his left, and right. He couldn¡¯t survive against the number that was currently in front of him, no matter how much stronger he had gotten.
However, his eyes weren¡¯t on the monsters, but what lay beyond them. The castle. Only he knew that there was a second entrance to their destination. What would occur during the battle? Who would betray who first to rush toward the entrance?
Noah was looking forward to it. All their words about how he was the murderer, he would relish in what happened next.
Only after he got closer did he notice the secondary entrance. It was to the side of the castle, and judging by the thick foliage of bladed thorns¨Cit was just behind those. If he didn¡¯t see it on the map within the fort, it was impossible to tell that there was a door there.
The sounds of the horns, beating of drums, and the screams of goblins, and orcs roused his fighting spirit to the maximum as he gazed at the incoming tide of monsters. It was going to be yet another new experience, but it was just another one that he would add to his Achievements.
He was going to survive, get stronger, and blast away the obstacles in his path to freedom.
¡°Let¡¯s do it Krall!¡± Noah screamed alongside his best friend as they smashed into the wall of goblins.
It was a strange sensation. The sounds of war turned muted, and the only noises he could make out were the ones right in front of him. He became hyper focused on only what was going on around him.
He couldn¡¯t hear the shrieks of humans to his left or right, or the clashing of steel in the distance. He was only focused on himself. His heart was consumed with the blazing passion of war that he couldn¡¯t rip his gaze from his opponents¨Cno matter how hard he tried.
Noah, for the first time, activated [Beastly Pike]. A monstrous feeling gripped the hold of his hand, then transferred into his spear. He felt the stamina dwindle within his body by an amount that was around three times that of [Thrust]. Around the shaft of the spear, a phantom image of Krall¡¯s monstrous maw displayed itself.
Without him realising it, his Monster Shard activated itself.
As the attack landed against the first goblin, he was expecting a bigger hole to be made in its body, but his eyes widened in shock in the next instant.
The entire top half of the goblin was erased. Vanished. As if it didn¡¯t exist in the first place. But the attack continued, two, four, six goblins were annihilated. The only trace of their existence were their lower halves thudding to the red soaked dirt floor.
It was as if the image of Krall devoured the monsters.That wasn¡¯t all. Noah could feel Krall himself become stronger. He emitted a monstrous roar, and swung his forearm into the attacking goblins. Just as it was about to make contact, Noah activated [Kill Command]. The strength surged in his companion''s body like a steroid as he crushed the goblins bones with one strike.
Noah reeled in the extravagant use of his skills, and only used [Beastly Pike] on its own. He had to manually make sure that his Monster Shard didn¡¯t activate for some reason, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to do so.
On the battlefield, Noah displayed the might that was a mounted warrior. Krall was in charge of creating space, and killing anything that got too close, while Noah snapped his spear out to anything that was stronger. Taking it¡¯s life with a quick move of his spear tip.
Together, they were like a meat grinder that destroyed anything in their path.
However as they continued to kill, Noah noticed that the monsters were far weaker than the ones at the back just from a glance. It seemed like they had sent their weakest members to the front, while the stronger monsters were hanging at the back¨Cready to pounce when they were weakened.
Well, Noah expected it.
It was another thing he had learned from Peter, and apparently, it was a common tactic used by even those on Earth back in the day. Send the peasants first, then the knights would swoop in, and ravage everything else until they achieved victory¨Cor not.
Honestly, Noah didn¡¯t really pay much in class as evidenced by his failing grades, but it seemed that monsters had the same ideas as humanity. Both were equally as evil as each other, yet there was no right, or wrong. It was just a strategy, and it worked.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Minutes had passed, but people were becoming tired already. Noah was certain they could fight for up to twenty minutes, if not an hour with their current stats, but it seemed war had a peculiar effect on the less experienced.
Swept up in the atmosphere of the battlefield, they used up more mana, and stamina, than they would have if it was just an ordinary fight.
It couldn¡¯t go on, but thankfully, Declan was the first to notice as his words boomed around the battlefield¨Cempowered by some sort of skill¨CNoah could feel his own heart calm down. Of course, it lasted only a couple of seconds before his high Willpower cancelled it, but the feeling was still there.
Even the fact that it lasted a couple of seconds was a testament to Declan''s high Willpower.
He¡¯s also focusing primarily on Willpower. Noah noted.
¡°Everyone remain calm, keep your skill usage to a minimum.¡± His shout echoed across the battlefield. ¡°This is just the beginning. They are holding the strongest of them for last.¡±
Unlike Noah, Declan¡¯s words had a much greater effect on everyone else. They took deep breaths and focused on killing blows. Each of their attacks became basic, lighting quick, and accurate. They hadn¡¯t survived until now for no reason.
Each of their sword strikes were well practised. Hundreds of times, thousands. Their bodies had been forged since early on to handle this exact scenario. Each of them were the prides of their families, and the sponsors they had only fueled them to try harder¨Cto kill quicker.
Noah was the same. He only ever used his skills when he met a large cluster of enemies he could wipe out in a single attack, making it more effective to use his skill, than striking six, or seven times instead of using the skill once.
An hour passed, and the corpses of goblins lined up behind them. But they just stepped over their still warm bodies, and continued to fight.
However, unlike before, as Krall swiped another group of goblins to the side, two orcs made their appearance. It wasn¡¯t just them either. Expanding from one side of the army to the other, the orcs had come out to play in force.
Noah and the survivors had annihilated the weaker goblins at the front, only to display the stronger forces at the back. But to Noah, they were all the same. They were destined to die from the tip of his spear. It was that confidence that urged him forward.
Still, he refused to use his skills. The orcs, although much stronger, still didn¡¯t require him to tire himself out needlessly.
Level 35 - Orc.
Level 36 - Orc.
Level 39 - Orc.
Krall blocked the successive hits of all three while Noah pierced the openings with a flick of his arm. Red seeped down from the wounds, and although it wasn¡¯t enough to kill the durable humanoid, it only took one more to finish the job.
Grabbing hold of the orcs'' cleaver-like sword arm, Krall reared up on both back legs, and with the other hand latched across the green man¡¯s throat, Krall pulled. There was strong resistance, but Noah used [Kill Command], and the arm was torn from its shoulder.
The orc screamed in pain, but Krall slammed it to the ground, then chomped on its skull.
The other orc tried to save its ¡®friend¡¯ and swung its cleaver in a mighty arc toward Krall¡¯s head. However, Noah was like an overseer on the back of Krall. He could see everything, and noticing the attack, Noah sliced the arm of the orc¨Ccausing it to lose all power in its attack.
Thud.
It crashed against Krall¡¯s armoured skull, but it seemed to do nothing but piss him off.
Krall swiped his mighty arm at the tusked man¡¯s legs, tripping him up. He followed it with a stomp to its skull. Crack. The orcs'' legs twitched for a second before they stopped.
Just as Noah was about to finish his own opponent, a massive humanoid monster appeared out of nowhere. It hefted an enormous club, and with a wide swing¨Cit sent the last remaining orc flying through air as it crashed against the other orcs to the side.
Level ?? - Ogre.
It immediately turned its focus onto Noah and Krall. It readied its club to swing once more, when a fire skill, and two arrows pelted its face.
Noah had no time to see that Declan had ordered others to help him, as the full wrath of the ogre was upon him.
It was an attack that Noah himself had to handle as Krall couldn¡¯t become seriously wounded here. Activating [Beastly Aegis], he tanked the full hit of the monstrous club strike. He felt a warmth bubble up within him, but he grit his teeth, and readied an attack of his own.
He used [Overpower], [Beastly Strike], [Kill Command], and both of his Shards. The monster shard, and [Kill Command] empowered Krall, hence powering up Noah in turn.
His attack exploded forth as a monstrous roar from his spear commanded everyone''s presence on the battlefield. Like a primordial monster that had awakened from its slumber, it was aimed straight for the hulking ogre.
In a blinding chomp from his spear, the entire body of the ogre disappeared as Krall exuded a primal might that swept across the red soaked land.
Noah¡¯s heart turned calm. He was the centre of the storm, and despite the lack of energy in his body, he would devour the pests that threatened him.
Mission updated.
| Only five can enter the main entrance of the Castle Dungeon.
Everyone''s faces turned to desperation. However, the final wave of monsters rampaged forward. Straight for Noah and the others. And one in particular caused everyone''s hairs to rise from its thumping might.
Then, something that perhaps only Noah expected took place.
Maera and her knights abandoned them and bolted for the castle in the distance. In the end¡ she chose her own people.
Noah¡¯s lips curled into a savage grin. Once again, he had been betrayed. But he was already expecting it to happen at some point.
It just happened sooner, rather than later.
Chapter 83 - Trust
Maera commanded her knights to break out of the entrapment, leaving behind the rest of the survivors. It wasn¡¯t an easy choice, but this is where Noah would die. And where she would take her people into the golden ages of the multiverse.
Could she save him? She shook her head. The goddess had told her and the other nobles of what would transpire within this mission.
Maera knew from the beginning¨CNoah was destined to die.
The monster that he was about to face would cripple him, then the rest of the orc¡¯s forces would crush his body until nothing remained. There was nowhere to run. He would try to approach the entrance to the castle, but surrounded¨Che would be stuck.
Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes, but she forced them back. She felt sorry. Sorry that she betrayed him¨Cbut there was no excuse. She needed to do this for her people. Bringing the strongest knights with her, she would take them to defeat whatever mysterious foes lay within the dungeon.
For that was where the divination from her Goddess ended, and where her own path began.
It was her own people, compared to that of strangers. It was an easy decision.
They ran as fast as they could as the monsters ignored them, and faced the other survivors. However, when she turned, a deep shiver crawled from the base of her spine, to the top of her neck.
A deep set of eyes looked at her from behind the wall of monsters. Noah was¡ smiling. As if he knew. Knew of the plan, and the divination, but that was impossible. Maera thought with conviction.
Perhaps he figured out that she would betray him all along? The thought stung a little, but she didn¡¯t have the right to be upset. If the roles were reversed, and if he knew what she would do, she would be the one watching his departing back.
I hope you manage to survive. But I know that is impossible. To go against the words of the Goddess, is to defy fate itself.
Noah wasn¡¯t angry, he wasn¡¯t even disappointed. It was just what he expected. In a world where one has to look after their own, and where strength was gained to those who acted first, or who had the luck to obtain it, it was only natural.
Maybe it was a sour outlook on life, but here, it was what would save him. He had to be careful who he trusted. Even Thraz, who was an honour bound dragon-born wasn¡¯t safe from that assessment.
Although who was to say what would happen in the future?
After smiling at the departing princess, Noah had to focus on what was in front of him. A hulking ogre with protruding horns, to be exact. The strength was way higher than anything he had faced before.
Although he was certain the troll back in the dungeon was stronger, it was difficult to say since he was festered with desperation. Mind warped, Noah doubted the monster even knew who he was anymore.
The same couldn''t be said about the ogre charging with thudding steps. It knew exactly what it was. A monster born for carnage. A desire to pound his flesh into the ground, and use his limbs as toothpicks for the skin, and bone in between.
¡°Bitch!¡± a fevered scream belted across the battlefield, but amongst the pounding steps, and their monstrous roars, it was droned out.
No-one could afford to be upset at the moment, but others fueled their anger into strength.
In particular: Victor.
Red surged around his blade like phantom ghosts. They rose, then swirled around him as the centre. He moved. In a blink, he leapt amongst the monsters, and began his dance of death. Everywhere he moved, limbs, and spurting of red followed in his wake.
The victims of his attack were struck with a frenzied fear. They wanted to retreat, but the moment that though struck them, an empowered Victor bolted toward them. With a final cut, there wasn¡¯t so much of a sound of a death rattle. Their lives were severed. Cut.
Not wanting to be outdone, the others also moved.
Declan had a keen insight of the battlefield, and it seemed that he had undergone a lot of training for the battlefield. He was like a fish finally released into the ocean. His commands flew, his words bolstered a select few of his ¡®troops¡¯ as they entered a killing frenzy.
Lorena herself was just behind Victor in killing speed. Against unarmoured opponents, her curved blade skills truly shone. A light blue hue imbued her blade, allowing her to slice through flesh, and bone with ease. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Noah¡¯s blood boiled. It was his turn, and it just so happened that the toughest enemy on the blood spilled, corpse rid war floor moved straight for him.
Krall emitted a monstrous roar and [Charged] ahead. The blood curdling screams of war only filled Noah with a feverish excitement. Krall was of the same mind. They wanted slaughter.
Facing such a powerful enemy, Noah had no notions of going easy to suss out its attack patterns. No, he relied on brute force.
He unleashed the strongest attack possible, combining the use of all of his current skills, and power of the Shards he had. All the muscles in his anatomy groaned in protest. A twanging pain shot through certain muscles in his arms, but he persisted in his attack.
The ogre also readied its skills. A red hue filled its eyes. Muscles bulged. It hefted its heavy hammer and smashed it down toward Noah¡¯s skull.
He could feel the air compress and swirl from the impending attack, but Noah¡¯s was a level higher. With the Monster Shard activated, something within Noah was projected forward. It felt like he himself had become a monster, and the only thing on his mind was to devour the enemy in front of him.
The Krall imbued spear crunched around the ogre''s head. Blood spilled, and a pained groan muttered under its breath. The monster thrashed and sent its axe downward.
Noah activated [Beastly Aegis] as the two-handed weapon smashed against his shield. The impact brought forth a surging heat within his body as blood shot out his mouth from the hit. He was sure something was damaged within, but he couldn''t think about it right now.
He just had to attack.
The fact that the ogre managed to tank his hit meant that it had several defensive skills. Or maybe it was just the unique properties the hulking humanoid had within its bloodline. Whatever it was, Noah swore to smash through it.
But he knew he couldn¡¯t simply rely on straightforward brute strength. He had to make use of his class bonuses, and of course, he needed shadows for that.
Noah glanced ahead as Krall swung his fists in a wide arc, clashing against the wounded ogre¨Csending him back a step. In the distance, the sun was impeded by the high castle walls, and the steep mountainous bordering the land.
I need to go there.
Noticing that his needed terrain was ahead, passed the wall of monsters. Noah had to resort to a brutal charge through the trash.
¡°Thraz, I need a space cleared!¡± Noah shouted to Thraz.
Unlike before where Thraz would tank his target, then let the other humans kill it while he went to help others, he was instead brutally tearing into his enemies with no care around him. Finally, he could level the way he wanted to.
Hearing Noah¡¯s words, he nodded.
Noah sighed in relief. It would be a risk to him, and that was why Noah was half expecting the recently betrayed dragonborn to ignore his demands. But he listened.
Maybe he knew that they needed Noah to deal with the ogre, or maybe he was doing it for Noah. Whatever the reason was, he was helping him.
Thraz charged into the midst of battle. His sponsor-given axe tore through the monsters as if he was the maelstrom of steel.
Every way he swung the axe, limbs were chopped, heads flew. But there were too many of them. Noah was still trying to free himself from the onslaught of the ogre, so he couldn¡¯t help in the next few moments.
However, it seemed that Thraz had picked up a few skills of his own. Ones that particularly took full use of his newly gained Epic Pathstone that Noah had traded him with.
An earthen layer formed around his body like a natural armour. It even formed a helmet that hugged his head as if it was made by a master craftsman.
A swing of a cleaver-sword impacted against the stone armour and although it cut past the rock, it only managed to slice a centimetre into his flesh. Without it, the wound would have been severe.
Although Noah trusted in Thraz¡¯s ability to tank the hit. It was never a good feeling having one''s bone hacked with a sharpened blade.
With his body like an armoured tank, Thraz relied on his might to cut through the opposing monsters.
Noah managed to free himself from the onslaught of the ogre, and charged straight for Thraz. Krall smashed through the line, while Noah thrust his spear in rapid succession. He took four of their lives in just a moment as he continued onward, passing the monsters.
¡°Shit, he¡¯s heading to the dungeon!¡± Another scream buzzed against his ears, but he ignored it.
Unlike the others, he had plenty of time. And although he thought little of Victor¡¯s life, the same couldn¡¯t be said about the others. Especially Thraz. He didn¡¯t want him to die.
So for that, he had to get rid of the menace that was a threat to everyone''s life. Of course, not many had the same plan.
Others used the opportunity of Noah and Thraz¡¯s charge to sprint ahead, toward the dungeon entrance. Maera was slow because of her lack of physical attributes, so that meant the fastest of them had a slim chance of catching up. It was a chance they all leapt at.
Thraz, noticing the others'' run, was also tempted. He wanted the reward for himself. To claim honour for his family and sponsor, but Noah¡¯s shout made him halt.
¡°Thraz, I need your help to kill the ogre!¡± Noah shouted, his voice almost inaudible. ¡°If I don¡¯t, it¡¯ll kill everyone.¡±
¡°But¨C¡± Thraz looked at the dungeon.
¡°Trust me.¡±
Thraz Hesitated. He took a humming breath, then followed Noah.
Thankfully, the monster wholly wanted Noah dead. The fact that a lowly human had inflicted such a wound on it had only incensed its anger further.
In a death charge, it chased Noah until the high trees and mountains transformed the glimmering sun into a deep shadow. As the black brushed against Noah¡¯s shoulder, he grinned.
The prey had evolved into the predator.
Chapter 84 - Castle Entrance
Feeling the extra power surge into his body thanks to the help of the shadows, Krall turned on his beastly heel, and faced the oncoming ogre.
Thraz was also fast approaching, but he made sure to stay behind the barreling nine-foot beast. Thankfully, it¡¯s attention was wholly on the small human that had injured it prior.
Noah could solo the monster, but it would take time. Time he didn¡¯t know if he had. Who knows what was within the dungeon, or what high grade equipment lay within. If he took too long, then Maera, and her knights would swoop them up.
Of course, they would struggle considering their current levels. With Maera healing them from the back, they would be able to tread further with resilience, and perseverance. It was only a matter of time before they managed to scavenge some of the rewards.
Noah wouldn¡¯t let that happen.
Using [Shadowed Presence], Noah blasted out of the shadows like a tumultuous storm. His spear pierced the air toward the monster''s wounded head.
Dodging the strike at the last second, it wacked Noah¡¯s skill-covered shield with a strike of its heavy hammer.
Noah grit his teeth at the impact, bore it, then fired back another thrust of his spear. Powered by the Thrust Shard, it sliced past the monster''s thick skull. Sparks flew, much to Noah¡¯s surprise.
The ogre counter-attacked. This time it wasn¡¯t directed to Noah, but Krall. Its hammer collided against his arm. From the hit, some of the armoured scales broke into fragments. However, it was clear that the hammer wasn¡¯t too effective against the natural defence of his tamed monster.
Then Thraz arrived.
Covered in thick earthen armour, he hefted his axe, chopping it into the ogres dense leg. Blood splashed.
The ogre snapped its fist back and clashed against Thraz. He was sent hurtling into the air, then crashed into the ground.
Distracted. Noah attacked. His spear flashed forward with [Overpower] and [Beastly pike] activated. It sliced past the ogre''s throat as blood gushed from the open wound.
The attack ranged on despite the monster having a deep wound on its neck, and eyes damaged from the first attack.
Noah and Thraz were able to catch a rhythm together as they continued their assault on the ogre.
Since Thraz decided on helping Noah, he had forfeited his chance of entering the dungeon. Just that one single act was enough to tell Noah of his true character. But Noah noticed something else.
Thraz had evolved in more ways than one.
His way of attacking had changed. It was ruthless, fast, creative. He was beginning to copy Noah¡¯s movements. His feints. He would step forward and fake his attack, only to continue it in the next second; catching the monster off guard.
He had forwent his outward display of honour, and decided to keep it within his sleeve.
Thanks to that¨Cthey were able to act as a team to quickly dispatch the ogre. In a couple of minutes, the stalwart ogre thudded to the ground. Wounds marred his body in the hundreds despite such a short battle.
The other survivors were already almost at the dungeon entrance, and Victor was quickly catching up with excessive use of his movement skill. Blood seeped from his long nose, but he continued regardless of the damage it was doing to his insides.
¡°We can not make it.¡± Thraz said, watching the others race to the dungeon.
¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± Noah wiped the blood from his face. His words were carefree, as if he didn¡¯t care that he wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the contested area.
Thraz spun on his heels as he inspected Noah closely.
¡°Are you okay with that?¡±
¡°There is always a second entrance.¡± Noah turned his attention as green and blue crackled in the air above the monster, and around Thraz.
¡°Pay closer attention to the System¡¯s words,¡± he continued.
Thraz thought about it for a moment. His eyes bulged. ¡°Only five can enter the main entrance. That means there is another one! That¡¯s why you wanted help to take out the monster. To gain the level while they are racing for the main gate.¡±
Noah smiled. ¡°You''re learning.¡±
He walked up to the monster, but it wasn¡¯t a Pathstone or Skill, it was numerous fragments. Gripping the Rare ones, he lobbed them over to Thraz who caught them.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
¡°That''s for trusting me, even though you didn¡¯t have to.¡±
Thraz grinned and tucked them into his pouch. ¡°Well I did not want to be with them, but it does not mean that I want to be alone. What would life be like alone?¡±
¡°I wonder.¡± Noah brooded, but shook his head. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s find this other entrance¨Cshall we?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
While the others were in a desperate race, Noah, and Thraz patiently finished the rest of the monsters. And they reaped the rewards for it. Not only did they gain the loot from their kills, but also from the other corpses that everyone hastily left.
You defeated a - Level 47 Horned-Ogre.
¡
You defeated a - Level 38 Orc.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 37 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 40
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 37 -> Krall level 40
Strength: 168
Dexterity: 97
Constitution: 112
Willpower: 166
Magic: 47
Mana: 46
Perception: 51
You have obtained Epic Fragments x3, Rare Fragments x9, Uncommon Fragments x16.
He had even gained a few Rare skills and Pathstones, but none that he could use himself. He would just need to trade them later. Some of them were given to Thraz as he needed them to evolve the current skills he had.
For Noah, it was a no-brainer. He could have kept them as they were his kills, but the stronger he was, the stronger Noah became. Feeling more confident in his dragonborn friend¡¯s newly formed thoughts, Noah was comfortable in giving him power.
The Epic Fragments he had gained were quite far from making a whole, so he had to wait there, but along with Thraz¡¯s own; it shouldn¡¯t be long before they could form another Skill or Pathstone. Whoever it would belong to would entirely depend on what the skill was.
If it was stealth or Will related, it would go to Noah. If it was Constitution or Strength related, then Thraz would have it.
Of course, Noah could also use the Strength one, but it wouldn¡¯t be fair if he claimed it considering they had gained the fragments together.
With them having claimed the rewards for themselves, Krall trotted toward the castle in the distance with Thraz jogging behind.
Maera glanced behind her shoulders as Noah and Thraz were working together to defeat the ogre.
It shouldn¡¯t be like this.
Originally, Noah should have desperately attempted to chase them, and through that arrogance, he would be injured by the rampaging ogre. But now, Noah was working together with Thraz to sweep up the monsters as if he didn¡¯t care about the dungeon, and its rewards at all.
It didn¡¯t make sense. Fate had changed. But where? And how?
No matter how hard she thought, she couldn¡¯t see where the Goddess image had twisted.
For Noah not to race toward the dungeon was such an incredible turn in character that it warped her sense of knowing completely.
Despite that, her mind calmed. He was too far to contest her as the entrance was just ahead. At least this way¨Che would still live. For once, she was thankful that her Goddess was wrong. Maybe that thinking would get her in trouble, but she didn¡¯t want him to die. Not because of her actions.
Just as they were about to reach the threshold, a bubbling fear gripped hold of her heart. Glancing over her shoulder again, a wolf-man was approaching at a speed that caused her eyes to twitch.
She ignored the sharpened blades held within his hands, and instead gazed into his dark-red eyes. They were akin to the harbinger of death as they stared into her soul.
Maera had witnesses victor fighting enemies for quite some time now, but being on the receiving end of his penetrative gaze. She felt sorry for his enemies. Now she was one of them.
Run Faster. She chanted, but Victor only became faster.
In a clash of steel, his weapons met her knights head on.
She couldn¡¯t look back. For the future of her race, she had to enter the dungeon. Pained cries scratched at her ears, but she grit her teeth. Stepping into the darkness, her heart was heavy.
You are the first to enter the dungeon!
| Title gained!
Victor overspent the energy within his body. Both from the Fear Shard, and his movement skill. He sliced and diced the elven knights in front of him, but the pointed-eared princess disappeared into the darkness along with her knights.
He emitted a crazed howl as his chances of entering the dungeon vanished. He took out his anger on the remaining knights, killing them all in a fury of metal and blood.
He feasted on their fear, but it wasn¡¯t enough to satiate the burning desire in his heart.
Killing the last enemy, Chloe, and the others arrived. However, his attention diverted to Noah. He had finished slaying all the orcs, and was heading over to the castle. Not toward the dungeon entrance¨Che was heading to the side.
The strange behaviour caused him to snarl. The mounted human knew something he didn¡¯t. His vision wandered to where he was walking, but there was nothing but dense jungle that covered the entirety of the castle''s left side.
It was impenetrable with no discernible features.
Does he know something is there?
¡°Shit, what do we do now?¡± Chloe spat as the black dungeon entrance fizzled into nothing. Behind it lay just a blank wall. As if its grand doors didn¡¯t exist in the first place.
¡°We follow him.¡± Victor pointed his sharp finger toward Noah and Thraz.
The others followed his gaze as their expressions turned serious. Why hadn¡¯t Noah raced to enter the prized dungeon?
That was the thought coursing through everyone''s minds. Now, the chase had transferred from Maera¨Cto Noah.
Chapter 85 - Birthright Castle
However, it wasn¡¯t much of a chase. Noah was too far ahead for them to catch up, and although Victor was faster than them, it was of no use.
Noah headed toward the dense jungle that looked to be growing into the castle wall. Sharp red thorns lined the foliage like an impenetrable wall.
Glancing over his shoulder, he witnessed victor on all fours hurtling toward him. Red hazed from his eye.
Lips curled, Noah arrived in front of his destination. This should be it. It was the right spot on the map, but who was to say that the map was correct? There was only one way to find out.
He ordered Krall to rip the bushes from the wall. The natural points of the thorns were unable to penetrate Krall¡¯s toughened palms that were designed to scrape passed hardened rock. And even if they did, thanks to [Trollsblood], the wounds would just heal over in an instant.
Tear. Krall tore the foliage from the castle¡¯s wall, revealing a pitch black entrance embedded within a hole in the wall. As if bricks had been removed.
It was the hidden dungeon entrance.
Without waiting for the others to catch up, he jumped in.
You have entered the hidden entrance to - Birthright Castle.
| Nine more can enter.
The castle was dark. To Noah, it looked like he had entered the dungeon¡¯s cellars. Musty, dusty, it was stifling to breathe.
Of course, to Noah, the darkness wasn¡¯t a curse. It was his comfort. He could feel strength well up within him from the bonuses his class provided within the shadows. He was home.
Nine more? Noah¡¯s brows rose.
If he recalled correctly, only five entered the main entrance. Why were more allowed through this path, than the main entrance? Shouldn¡¯t it be the other way around?
Noah didn¡¯t have time to think of the reason as his heart turned wicked. Thought of murder flashed in his mind as he blended into the shadows.
The others were chasing him, and it would only be a few more minutes before they arrived. He thought that it would be a one-man entrance. He was wrong.
Now he was certain Victor was going to arrive. He would arrive to his death.
Krall snarling. Noah activated [Shadowed Presence]. Shadows wrapped around them. A thought entered his mind. A plan.
¡°Attack?¡± Thraz asked.
¡°Thraz¨C¡±
¡°You don¡¯t have to say another word, warrior.¡± Thraz hefted his axe. ¡°Tell me where to stand, and what to do. I may not be as smart, or as crafty as you humans, but I wish to learn. To counter it, to join it¨Cif needs be.¡±
Noah smiled. He really was learning. The naive dragonborn was growing up thanks to the environment he spent his own flesh and blood within. It was much the same as with the others.
Noah leapt off Krall''s back. Then he had him wait in front of the entrance. Noah took position to the side.
¡°Mount Krall, then attack¡¡±
Thraz agreed. He climbed on top of Krall. Despite his misgivings with the creature, if they wanted to survive, he had to do things he didn¡¯t like. From the shadows, it was difficult to make out Thraz¡¯s figure. Just as Noah wanted.
They would first notice his monstrous beast, and the shadows would lead them to believe that the Thraz was Noah. The might of Krall was the perfect blanket of distraction.
White teeth flashing from behind the veil of darkness, he awaited his prey.
Victor sprinted ahead, but with him exerting himself in an attempt to catch up to the elf, his insides were a mess.
It was clear he wouldn¡¯t catch up to Noah in time, neither was he confident enough to defeat him. Behind him was the other elf: the archer, along with Chloe, Declan, Cai, Frank; the healer, and some of the other strongest survivors.
Despite being tired, he had to keep running. Noah¡¯s monsters ripped the foliage from the wall, revealing a black hole within. Victor¡¯s eyes bulged. He was right, the human knew of another path. Somehow.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
An intense anger boiled within. The human knew too much, was always too far ahead. Even now, he was entering the dungeon before him.
I have turned weak.
Mission obtained: Kill Noah.| Reward: Legendary Skill Essence, Epic Class Weapon, Skill Upgrade Token.
Victor¡¯s heart leaped. The reward was phenomenal, but he knew of the difficulty. He stopped in front of the dungeon entrance and took a few breaths. To succeed in this mission, he had to use everything at his disposal.
He gulped down a stamina potion, and an Uncommon health potion. It was a steep expense, but with the promise of the insane reward, it was well worth it. Next up, he purchased a Rare Scent Blocker, along with a Shadow Bomb.
The funds he was saving vanished. He grit his teeth. He hoped it was worth it.
The entrance hasn¡¯t closed. Victor scowled. He was happy to have the chance of entering, but it meant Noah was also aware that others could enter behind him.
Instead of entering, he waited for the others. Victor was well aware of Noah¡¯s personality. He killed Jake because he had attacked him, but Victor had done the same.
Most likely, the human was prepared to attack him the moment he stepped foot into the dungeon. He couldn¡¯t head in on himself. He had to take a gamble that the entrance allowed more than just two people.
Quickly, the others arrived. Panting, they gazed at the dungeon entrance with fervour. They still had the chance of entering.
¡°Someone should enter first,¡± Victor said.
The others looked at him with suspicion. Declan looked at him as if he understood what was going on, only for Victor to raise his lips.
Surprisingly, Chloe took the lead, only for Cai to step in front.
Declan had no choice but to take control of the situation. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll enter in formation. Keep your guard up, and prepare defensive countermeasures. We don¡¯t know what to expect there, and judging by the reward granted¨Cit won¡¯t be easy.¡±
¡°Try not to get injured. We only have so many healing potions.¡± Lorena added as the others nodded in agreement. Obviously it was a lot easier said than done.
It just meant they had to be extra careful. Victor understood it well. He had no way to heal, and in the previous fights, he was reliant on the healing powers of Maera. Frank, their new healer, was half the mage the elf was.
And so, they entered. Victor was in the middle of the group, protected on all sides. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but if he wanted a chance at survival, this was how he would accomplish it.
Gnawing down his pride, the black of the dungeon entrance transformed into a sharp grey. The misty smell broke apart within his senses as something else smashed to the forefront. A beast.
Thud. Noah¡¯s monster stepped forward with the rider on his back. It roared a monstrous roar. His ears vibrated with a rattling ring. The small room they were within didn¡¯t help at all.
Everyone was ready to attack, until some of them stopped.
Chloe was horrified to see that Declan, and the others under him, didn¡¯t attack. The same was for Lorena, the dark elf, and one of her team members.
Chloe, and Victor attacked. But with everyone else stopping their attacks, they stood out like a sore thumb.
That was when a sensation Victor had never experienced grabbed hold of his neck. Fear. He should have never been subject to the same feeling. He was the ruler of fear, but here he was, hairs raised, fingers twitching.
He was under attack.
Noah activated all of his skills to attack, and although the halted attacks surprised him, he could guess why. They had made a choice. It was a smart one.
His spear shot out like a phantom ghost at Victor¡¯s heart. Power transmitted from his legs, to his back, from his arms, into his hands. He was on target.
At the last second, red blotted the darkness, but Noah¡¯s attack was too fast. Too sudden. He felt a thud of resistance, then the splattering of liquid dripped against the hard cobbled floor underfoot.
Victor had survived. But not for long.
He could see the humanoid wolf, and was about to [Charge] straight for him, but he pinched a black ball within his fingers, then crushed it. Instantly a surge of darkness spread throughout the room.
Noah thought he would be able to see through the veil thanks to the bonus dark vision from his class, but it was like the dungeon entrance. Impenetrable.
Victor¡¯s footsteps were originally quiet, but Noah didn¡¯t rely on his hearing. He activated his Monster Shard, and the tapping of his steps vibrated against his heightened senses. Krall detected him.
Krall and Thraz moved, and just as they were about to chase the humanoid, the entire floor rumbled. Then cracked. Noah wasn¡¯t sure if it was Victor¡¯s doing, but his heart tightened. It was unknown what the hell was underneath them, and he couldn¡¯t detect it either.
Noah bolted forward, but it was too late, just like it was for all the others. The only one who made it out was Victor as he was already in the process of escaping, and with him, was Chloe.
He was about to fling his spear through the darkness in hopes of hitting them, but if he missed, he¡¯d be lucky if he ever found his weapon again.
The ground shifted. Noah imagined himself to free fall through the air, but that didn¡¯t happen. The floor wasn¡¯t collapsing, something was emerging from underneath.
From the centre of the room, two boney hands broke out from the land under, then came its head. Two spikes, following it were two flickering embers behind its eye sockets.
It looked at them, gazing at their figures with blinding hatred. It screamed a metallic screech. Noah tightened the grasp around his spear.
He couldn¡¯t worry about wherever Victor and Chloe had gone; for he had a bigger prize in front of him. With sponsors watching, he attacked.
Announcement!
First of all, I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you!
Today is a big day!
I am finally announcing ( I''m still in shock. How have I done this? ) the debut release of my very first written work - [Psychokinetic] Eyeball Pulling book 1 on Amazon. Not only will it be released as kindle format, but also physical and audio as well!
I know it''s a bit different to Monster Jousting, but if you like the crazy adventures of Noah, no doubt you''ll enjoy the even more crazier journey of Astrid!
You can get it through this link:
Amazon: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0CFBLRVBHIf you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Honestly, this is an incredible path I''m walking on. One that I didn''t think was possible when I first started just one year ago. To all of those who have read my story and supported me, it means the absolute world.
However, I''ll need your help to make this path as long as possible.
This is how you can help me further: (Seriously thank you)
Ratings and Reviews on Amazon (keeping in mind that anything below a 5 on Amazon is basically a downvote because their ratings are skewed up) will REALLY help me right now. Also note, you don''t need to buy the book to rate or review. So if anyone could possibly jump on Amazon and do that, would be seriously amazing.
This would help me tremendously.
If you do have kindle unlimited, feel free to download the book as well. Makes the algorithm like the book that much more!
Oh, and I almost forgot! I am also announcing that a webcomic is in the works. A WEBCOMIC. HOW COOL IS THAT?
You''ll be able to see the golden-haired troublemaker in all her mischievous glory sometime in 2024. (And more than a hint of eyeball pulling)
Chapter 86 - Shameless Survival
Noah and by extension Krall, were the first to react to the invading monster. One, because he could see it with his dark vision, and two, he was already in the process of chasing after Victor.
He knew he couldn¡¯t let Victor live, but by this point, he was long gone. Neither did he know of the dangers hiding within, and by the strength of the skeleton in front of him, they were big. Chasing after the furry wolf-man would just get himself injured, or killed.
He¡¯ll die on his own, hopefully, Noah hoped, but he couldn¡¯t worry about it now. He had an opponent to face.
Noah was already charging. The monster was busy trying to free itself from the ground. It was a perfect opportunity to nip the emerging threat in the bud.
He reared his pointed spear to its skull, and pierced it forward. Activating [Beastly Pike], and both of his Shards, the tip roared.
Rattling its teeth, the skeleton raised its arm. It blocked the hit, but at the cost of its own arm. Noah¡¯s attack, powered by the shadows, cleaved its arm in two.
However, his original aim of destroying its skull was squashed. Repeating his attack, he thrust his weapon again, but the lights within the monster''s eye blazed. Pain. It poured into his brain like a branding blade.
Attack cancelled, Noah stumbled back a few steps as the skeleton fully emerged from its grave.
Mind attack? Noah grimaced. Arm missing, Krall arrived.
Although the migraine still squirmed within his mind, he activated [Kill Command], or he attempted to. The moment he attempted it, a sudden pain blossomed within his head. Grimacing, holding his skull, Krall, and Thraz barreled toward the monster.
Krall¡¯s massive limbs slammed into the creature''s waist, stumbling it. While Thraz swung with all his might. A faint yellow green earthy hue covered the blade of his weapon. Along with the armour surrounding his body like a second skin, he truly had the image of an earth warrior.
The air tousled at the might of his weapon. It cleaved into the skeleton''s other raised arm. Blocking it, but the same situation occurred.
The monster didn¡¯t have the defence to entirely stop the attack. Thraz¡¯s axe sliced into bone with a thwack. Cracking into hundreds of splinters, it crashed to the floor.
Thraz was about to attack again, but its eyes lit up like lanterns once more. However, unlike Noah, it had a much greater effect. Red seeped out from his eyes, nose, and ears. The dragonborn attempted to stay mounted on Krall, but his body refused to listen to him. With no strength in his limbs, he fell off from Noah¡¯s mighty companion.
It was Krall¡¯s turn.
Even without the help from Noah¡¯s skill, his body was more than enough to deal great damage. There was no technique involved, he only relied on his animal instincts. Kill. Devour. Consume. Those were the thoughts revolving through his head like an inferno.
He raised his hands like a gorilla and smashed its skull to the side. It fell, the flickering within its eyes gradually becoming brighter.
It¡¯s trying to use the mind attack again. Noah thought, and Krall listened.
He relentlessly beat the skull until cracks formed. It attempted to use its skill again, but Krall stuck his sharpened fingers into the monster''s sockets. It seemed to do the trick. Along with the repeated bashing of its cranium, along with no arms, the monster couldn¡¯t mount an attack. Helpless.
Soon, the crack in its skull split open. Noah shook his head, finally receiving a bout of relief. He walked forward and peered into the skull of the skeleton, revealing a crystalised core of some sort. It was the first time he had seen it. Not from the broadcast, and not in person either.
Noah had witnessed countless Otherworlders slay the undead, but it was the first time a core was revealed. Every other time, they always had some sort of demonic sigil painted in blood.
Was it yet another new addition?
He picked it up. It was hot to the touch, like a battery still in operation.
Uncommon - Mid Grade Expansion Core: A core created from pure Expansion.
Expansion Core? He remembered reading something about them in the System Manual. If he activated his Energy and focused on the core, he could obtain the Energy from within, adding it to his own.
Curiosity bit him, and just as he was about to try it out, the ground rumbled once more. Grunting, he tucked it into his pocket, and leapt up onto Krall¡¯s back. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
More were coming.
One, two, four, six of them all smashed up from the ground below. Sets of flickering lanterns like eyes peered at everyone within the hall.
Declan was busy shouting orders, controlling the battlefield with well practised precision. His voice was like supernatural honey, calming them down, focusing them to a point. All their attacks were released on one target at a time.
From watching Noah fight, they knew what to look out for. What to aim at. But the mental attacks were proving a lot to bear. Blood seeped, and even with the skeletons not making a move¨Cthe Otherworlders were losing.
If it was a battle against bodies, then their practice would shine, but against a seemingly unavoidable attack¨Cthey were fighting an invisible enemy. They just had to hope their attacks landed before their minds were assaulted.
Noah, on the back of Krall, fought alongside the weakened Thraz. It seemed like the mind attack had taken its toll on his low Will mind, but the other skeletons didn¡¯t seem to have the same level as the one they faced before.
But still, Noah had to prepare. Even if they didn¡¯t have the same power as the first, the mental attacks would stack against Thraz¨Cturning his mind into mush.
Thankfully, it was easy to see when they would fire their mind attacks. Eyes lit up like beacons, Thraz would duck behind Krall¡¯s bulky body. Then he would counter attack.
Noah was in a unique position thanks to his high Will. he could experiment. He closed his eyes when the attack happened, only to realise that it had no effect.
¡°Thraz, close your eyes when the light reaches its apex!¡± Noah shouted loud enough so that the others could hear it.
With the new information, the tide was turned. Everyone here was capable. They just had to time it right, and they did. With new found accuracy, it wasn¡¯t long before they dealt with the physically weak skeletons.
Exhaling a sharp breath of air, Noah finished the last target.
You defeated a - Level 42 Mind Skeleton.
¡
You defeated a - Level 38 Mind Skeleton.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 40 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 41
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 40 -> Krall level 41
Noah also obtained a few Fragments, along with a Rare mind attacking skill. Of course, he couldn¡¯t use it as it was considered a mage skill, but he kept it for the future.
By this point, he had enough Uncommon, and Rare fragments to create skills with, but he decided to wait. Now wasn¡¯t the time to be experimenting.
Noah recalled the fight. It was strange. At first he expected them to be warriors, but in actuality, they had no physical stats to mention. They didn¡¯t even have any defence. If he, or the Otherworlders got close, it was game over.
Noah, Krall, and Thraz killed more than half of them, and so the majority of spoils went to them. Of course, he could have taken the others'' rewards, but he didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t want to. Well, at first he did. But now he was on his path, he didn¡¯t feel inclined to take from others unless they pissed him off.
He didn¡¯t know how strong this ¡®Lord¡¯ of the dungeon would be, and a group was always stronger than a single entity. Unless he was strong enough, but a few cores, and Rare skills wouldn¡¯t make that difference.
And the others had made a choice. For now, they were working with him. How long would that last exactly? They were smart, and he wasn¡¯t naive. As soon as he was no longer of use, he would be thrown to the curb. Just like Maera had done.
He would cross that path when it arrived.
¡°What do we do now?¡± Declan arrived at Noah''s side, hesitantly.
¡°We forge on, I doubt you want Maera to take all the rewards for herself, do you?¡± Noah asked, half smiling.
¡°Definitely not,¡± Lorena added.
She also approached with her bow in hand, looking down at Noah. The other dark elf to her side was even taller than she was. He held a long curved blade tucked under his arm. As if ready to unsheathe it and strike at any time.
Don¡¯t tell me, is she also royalty?
Well unlike Maera, Lorena didn¡¯t seem like it. She didn¡¯t try to recruit people, or even attempt to claw at a relationship with the others. It was why she was alone on the outskirts of the hub. Well, not exactly alone, but almost.
¡°So you do have something against the princess then?¡± Noah teased.
¡°Now I do have a reason,¡± She said. ¡°Being betrayed isn¡¯t an enjoyable experience.¡±
¡°It''s not betrayal if it''s expected." Noah chuckled, then turned to Declan. ¡°So have you finally come to your senses?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to face you in the first place,¡± Declan sighed. ¡°I had a responsibility as a leader to face you because of what happened. But if it¡¯s between you, Thraz, and your tamed monster, or Victor, then I choose the former.¡±
¡°Shameless,¡± Noah replied.
¡°Survival,¡± Declan corrected.
¡°Right.¡± Noah clapped. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving on. We¡¯ll focus on speed while remaining cautious. There¡¯s no way that Maera and her knights can clear faster than us.¡±
¡°If it¡¯s a castle, then we must be in the cellars.¡± Declain struck a light, illuminating the room. It confirmed his words. ¡°If the Lord of the castle is anywhere, it will be the main throne room.¡±
They moved. Easy, Noah thought. Except it wasn¡¯t. As soon as they exited the cellar, and walked into a large hallway, it was made apparent that this was no ordinary castle.
If the castle was large on the outside, then the labyrinth of tunnels they had just encountered would be considered massive. It was like a pocket dimension, there was no way that the castle outside was the same as what they were walking through.
It felt like hours that they were walking, but finally, the walls changed. Two paths formed. A choice would have to be made.
Chapter 87 - Path to Desire
Victor diverted an incoming blade. It screeched past his interlocked blades, but Chloe was quick to counter. Her thin glowing sword pierced through the beast''s eye with quick precision. Not a murmur left its throat as it was instantly killed.
You defeated a - Level 34 Golem.¡
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!| Victor ( Harbinger of Fear ) level 29 -> Victor ( Harbinger of Fear ) level 30
The golems were difficult to kill. Victor relied on slashing, but with the hardened exterior that was akin to stalwart armour, his blades refused to cut into them.
To defeat them, he had to act as a tank would. Obtain their enmity, then allow Chloe to pierce their vitals in one swift movement. That meant he had to suffer injuries if he wanted to slaughter them. And he did.
Victor pressed against the deep gash in his forearm. Just having the two of them fight together, with no Vitality user to take the brunt of the damage, was disastrous. Only because of his high grade skills and Path did they manage to take on the opponents in front of them. But it was becoming too difficult.
Yet Chloe still fought with him. Why?
¡°Why did you choose to come with me?¡± he asked. Taking a health potion from his bag, he uncorked it, then swallowed down the contents within. ¡°You could have chosen the same as the others. To side with Noah. I don¡¯t understand your reasoning.¡±
Chloe grabbed hold of the sparkling blue that had spawned in the air in front of her, she grabbed it, then turned to Victor. ¡°It¡¯s clear Noah only thinks of himself. What¡¯s stopping him from charging ahead, Calum, and the others following because they need him, then he just ups, and disappears?¡±
¡°At least with you we can decide our own battles. Take it slow and steady. Reaping the rewards for ourselves. We may not be the ones to kill the ¡®Lord¡¯, but we can take the time to grow stronger¡±
Victor nodded. It made sense. Noah was strong, but following him was indeed too risky. Would the others follow him, or throw him away when he has fulfilled his use?
However, he disagreed with the latter part of her words. Time. It was something he didn¡¯t have. He had to kill Noah now before he received any more upgrades. From the time he fought him in the cave, it was evident he was catching up despite Noah¡¯s meteoric speed of levelling. It told Victor he didn¡¯t have the best Pathways, or Skills. At their current progress, Victor would grow stronger as they continued to level.
Take that away, and Victor would no longer feel as confident. He had to nip the mounted warrior in the bud.
Fighting like this was risky, but they could manage. With just the two of them, their rate of levelling would be faster¨Cdepending on the enemies the others were facing, of course.
Victor took a breath. The potion was taking effect. Wounds scabbed over. They itched.
The duo prepared for a few minutes. Bandaging each-others wounds in silence, using any of the fragments they had to gain any last effort power-ups. When they were ready, they set out once more.
The large room that they had just left was covered in red brick, candle-sticks hung on the sides of the walls, and a dull red carpet lined the floor. But now they left all of that behind.
In the distance, all Victor could see was a never ending tunnel, or hallway. Dull grey, almost black brick had replaced the colour from before. It felt like they were walking toward the gateway of hell. Victor felt no fear. He was the ruler of it. It bent to his will.
Soon, there was a change. A split path. One went left, the other right.
Mission Obtained:
| Take the left path. Walk on it until the end.
| Reward: Obtain your Desire.
My ¡®Desire¡¯? Victor tilted his head, his lips curled. It was Noah. He desired to see those pale blue eyes drip with fear.
Victor didn¡¯t know why he wasn¡¯t susceptible to his skills. But he knew the human wasn¡¯t entirely bereft of the sensation.
He had sensed it for a second at the beginning of their fight.
It must be due to a skill. All he wanted was to erase that barrier, and show Noah a world he would never be able to revisit.
One foot in front of the other, he waltzed into the path on the left.
***
Noah stopped moving and focused on the tremor sense that Krall¡¯s form provided when he activated the Monster shard. But there was nothing. The hallways either travelled too far to detect anything, or something was stopping his sense from working at all.
Just as he was about to turn to the others and see what they thought, a system notification popped up within his vision.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Mission Obtained:
| Take the left path. Walk on it until the end.
| Reward: Obtain your Desire.
My ¡®Desire¡¯? What the hell is my desire? Noah thought. Was it his desire to become stronger, to be free? He didn¡¯t know. But now he was curious. If he walked down the left path, would it make his desires apparent?
He walked forward, but it was evident by the other¡¯s reactions that they didn¡¯t want to join him.
¡°You¡¯re not coming?¡± He asked, specifically Lorena, who he was on good terms with.
She shook her head. ¡°I have received a mission to travel the path on the right. If it is a blessing from my sponsor, I shall take it.¡±
Her words were like a lightning bolt flashing within his mind. That¡¯s right. If the sponsors were some all powerful beings, did they have the capabilities to grant missions through the System?
Maybe one of his sponsors was wanting him to take the left path. Maybe they knew something he didn¡¯t?
It was the same for the others. They gazed at the right path with new found motivation. It seemed they had all received the same mission, and it was telling them all to go right.
¡°Thraz, what about you?¡± Noah asked.
¡°It¡¯s telling me to go left.¡±
¡°What about anyone else?¡±
They all shook their heads. The right path was their destination.
¡°Well I guess this is it then,¡± Noah continued. ¡°Meet you all on the other side. Maybe.¡±
¡°Stay alive, Noah,¡± Lorena said with a slight smirk. ¡°We may need your help for the Lord of the dungeon.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Noah waved with his back turned to them. He headed into the tunnel.
Noah didn¡¯t know what to expect, but hopefully it would give him some answers. He had to admit, the reward was an interesting one. Far more exciting than simple skills, or pathways. Would it be better, or worse?
He would have to wait and see.
Glancing to Thraz, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the reward for your mission?¡±
¡°Something about obtaining my Desire,¡± He said, excitement evident within his feverish eyes.
¡°Oh?¡± Noah continued. ¡°You expecting something?¡±
¡°Yes, if it¡¯s my desire, then my partner will be somewhere here!¡±
¡°What? That Heren¨Cwhatever it was?¡±
¡°Herengon,¡± Thraz corrected. ¡°Yes, I had an arranged partnership with her tribe. Kaya is her name. She is my desire!¡±
¡°Oh, then I do hope you¡¯re able to meet her.¡± Noah said helplessly.
He was expecting something more¡ grand. Like besting a dragon, or something.
Maybe he really likes the girl? It was cute. In a dragonborn, scaly kind of way.
Noah never really had the chance to think about relationships. He was too busy surviving, and preparing. Feelings of the heart were a luxury he didn¡¯t have the chance to pursue. But maybe in this new world?
Thraz was corrupting him.
Shaking his head, he focused on the task at hand. The hallway soon opened up into a larger rectangular room. Honestly, it just looked like an even wider hallway, but the size wasn¡¯t the only difference.
Large pits filled the room like visible traps. Shouldn¡¯t they be covered? Noah thought. He hesitated to get closer. He needed to be careful.
Noah activated his Monster Shard and felt the Expansion Energy within his core dwindle by the second. He once again focused on the unique sense Krall had gained from his evolution. Tremor Sense. At least that¡¯s what Noah named it.
Ripples left Krall''s limbs and seeped into the floor, like a drop of water striking a still pond. The miniature waves crept forward, then bounced back to Krall. Yet the only thing he could tell about the pits was, it was deep. Unfathomably so. Not only that, even the walls bounced back nothing. As if something was cancelling his skill, just like the tunnels before.
He waited for something to happen. Anything. But the room was still.
Guess it¡¯s one of those presence activated trap rooms, huh?
Tutting, Noah grabbed one of the spare weapons he had in his bag; a dagger, to be exact, and threw it into the room. Nothing.
Oh to hell with it. Sighing, Noah ordered Krall to walk forward. Thraz to the side, they entered the room at the same time.
Just as they walked through the entrance, the walls grumbled to life. The sound of rock grinding against rock filled the entire room. Sprinkling of dust, and fragmented earth fell from the ceiling, as if protesting at the movement.
Holes emerged from the walls, and monsters emerged from the darkness. Not only that, the entrance behind him ground to a close, then shifted toward him¨Cpushing him toward the holey floor.
I hate this. Noah spat. Not allowing the wall to judge his movement, they leapt to a solid piece of land of his choosing. Thraz jumped to the side of him.
Snarling. Noah snapped his vision to a hole in the wall. Glistening white teeth displayed themselves, dripping some sort of nasty secretion down onto the tiled floor below. Dripping, it sizzled the rock underneath, eroding it until only a hazy smoke filtered up to the ceiling.
It stepped forward, showing off its gruesome face. It was a hound, but most of its face was gone. Savage knife-like teeth flashed, unhidden from a lack of flesh to cover them. Two green embers flickered within its eye sockets. It was undead. Just like the skeleton from before.
Ignoring the dungeon theme, he readied himself for a fight.
The largest of the hounds bounded straight for him. Leaping from its hole, the toxic teeth threatened to consume him.
Krall snarled. Thrashing his hand in a wide arc, it slammed the monster down into the deep chasm. It was undoubtedly dead, but dozens bolted out of the walls. Straight for them.
Relying on his keen sense of smell given from Krall, Noah snapped his spear into an oncoming hound, piercing its heart. Then another, he penetrated its skull with the point of his weapon.
Then¨C
Noah¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of a humanoid wolf appearing in front of him. It was too fast. He relied on the blinking skill, his dual blades blurred with a red haze, and clashed against his raised spear.
Gritting his teeth, he was about to mount a counter attack, but the ground rumbled. At the entrance, the floor fell. One after the other, it approached Noah as Victor readied another attack.
Chapter 88 - Bat-Wolf
Victor realised he couldn¡¯t deal with Noah, so he moved targets. Chloe and Victor used their high agility to attack Thraz. Their assault was harmonious. Thraz, with his slow movement, didn¡¯t stand a chance.
He tried to swing his axe, but Chloe¡¯s attack emerged from behind Victor¡¯s shoulder¨Clashing straight for his eyes. All he could do was cancel his attack, and block his fragile eyes.
Noah had to deal with a few incoming hounds while Victor¡¯s attack landed, but he glanced with hope. Don¡¯t die just yet.
Victor snapped a savage kick to his knee. The dragonborns leg caved, and a powerful knee followed, slamming into his unarmoured throat. Yet it still wasn¡¯t enough to¨C
Victor jabbed something into his veins. His arms grew at a visible rate as a redness pervaded through his vision. He sent another lightning quick kick to Thraz. It was the last one as the dragonborns body fell down the hole.
The wolf man had obviously used a high grade stimulant.
A beastly rage surged up Noah¡¯s throat as he let out a monstrous roar. Like a storm, his spear pierced the air, killing three hounds in an instant.
Noah could only see a scaly hand latching onto the floor.
Noah [Charged].
Leaping over a pit, he slammed into the floor, but Victor, and Chloe leapt away.
Krall warding them off, Noah dropped to the surface, then grabbed hold of Krall¡¯s wrist. With a pull, his mighty body rose. Noah looked over his shoulder.
Victor was so close. He wouldn¡¯t let this opportunity fall through his hands. Perhaps it was the last chance he would get. A red, feverish desperation mottled his vision¨CNoah could see it. Could feel it.
His body vanished in a puff of red smoke. He appeared in front of him. Damn that movement ability!
Gritting his teeth, Krall stepped to the side like an impenetrable guardian. But Noah was aware of Victor¡¯s movement ability. Back in the cave, he had used it more than five times in quick succession. Krall couldn¡¯t stop him. Noah knew that, and so with a mighty pull, he yanked Thraz up from the pit.
But he underestimated the speed of which Victor could move. If before it was fast. Now, it was impossible to detect. The humanoid wolf appeared in front of him. Blood seeped from every facial orifice he had. Noah could practically hear each and every thump of his heart, and the liquid within.
Noah didn¡¯t know how he did it, but he overtaxed his movement skill to the limit. Victor¡¯s eyes were hazy, but bright. He had figured something out.
His weapons, glowing in red, swiped at him. Aspects of ghosts surged around the blades as they reaped toward Noah.
Time slowed. Noah thrust his spear at the humanoid, but his attack came too late. Thraz was still landing on his feet. Victor¡¯s attack landed. Noah snarled, only able to shift the weight of his spear to the side in an attempt to block the wrath filled attack.
The attack glanced off his spear, and struck his shoulder, and face. The hotness of his own blood streamed downard as Noah lost his footing. He slipped. Weightless, he fell down.
Krall gazed in horror. Thraz in shock. They attempted to save him, but it was too late.
His heartbeat smashed against his own rib cage. He didn¡¯t want to die like this. He powered his Shards and skills to their maximum, squeezing any amounts of energy he could into it. Noah could see it clearly, Victor couldn''t move.
Chloe was rushing to his aid.
With the Thrust Shard activated, Noah¡¯s spear shot forward. Each millisecond that passed, it shot forward further. Reach! Noah screamed internally. His blood boiled.
Every fibre of his being was willing the spear''s image to shoot further. Not like an elongated spear, but a projectile. Noah felt something well up within body. It gurgled. It was the Expanion Energy. It turned to chaos, but it was listening to him.
Images of his spear flying through the air pervaded every thought within his mind, and it finally listened.
Thrust Shard has upgraded.
| Early -> Middle
Like a bolt from a ballistae, light of pure Expansion Energy shot out from his elongated spear. It pierced the air, and tore a hole straight through Victor¡¯s chest. Then [Beastly Pike] followed along with the spectral image of Krall''s jaws. With the full wrath of Krall¡¯s monstrous anger, it chomped the entirety of Victor¡¯s arm off whole. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Then the world turned black. The air battered against his body. He was forced to turn around to face it, gazing into the abyss. The fact he was still falling meant that the pit was deeper than his imagination could travel.
Think!
Mind spinning, he decided to use the upgraded Shard. Spear extending, it reached from one side of the wall, to the other. He willed it to pierce the wall, and it did. The Expansion spear of his creation ground the rock to dust, but it managed to slow his insane momentum to a controllable degree.
The only problem was that he had only just started walking on the path of Expansion. His container was weak, fragile, and rapidly emptying.
All he could do was over tax it, hoping it wouldn¡¯t break, or something. It felt like an intense hunger that bubbled within his stomach, then the pain arrived. It was like thousands of swords cleaving into his flesh from within, attempting to slice their way out.
Noah glanced down. He still couldn¡¯t see the bottom.
Shit! Blood seeped from his mouth. Something within him was cracking, but he ignored it. He knew it was the Expansion container within him, but there was nothing he could do. Another crack¡ his spear made of Expansion Energy cracked, then crumbled into flickering dust.
Free falling through the air, it wasn¡¯t long before he smashed into something solid. It was land. Crack. Noah sharply exhaled at the feverish pain that assaulted him. Since he was falling for so long, any adrenaline that he once had had long left him.
There was a sharp pain in his right ankle. Putting weight on it only made it worse. Dislocated maybe, but it didn¡¯t feel like it was broken. Then there were his ribs. He didn¡¯t know how many were broken, but it was painful.
Cradling them, he stood up. Thankfully his dark vision worked down here. He gazed around at the cave he had fallen into. Deep stalactites and stalagmites formed on the ceiling and floor respectively. From how large they were, which they were enormous, he could only imagine how old this place was.
But that wasn¡¯t his concern. He ripped his vision away from the sights, and instead focused on Krall. He couldn¡¯t feel anything. Even from where he stood, he should still be able to connect with his companion.
Noah activated his Monster shard, but the moment he did so, he fell to the floor. Crippled over, he tightened his grasp around his midsection. It made the pain worsen around his ribs, but that was nothing compared to what he felt deeper within.
After a few minutes, the pain resided. That was awful¡ I need to check what the damage is. Noah sat down, and after realising he was safe for now, he sunk his vision deep within.
His brows rose as he witnessed what had happened to his container. It was fragmented, hanging on by a mere thread. He wasn¡¯t an expert in Expansion, but he guessed if he tried to use it anymore, it truly would shatter entirely.
Maybe by Expansion cancelling was a safety feature, of sorts. Noah thought. But thanks to that, he still had a future with Expansion.
He took in a pained breath and focused on his container again. After a few minutes, he could see the energy slowly accumulate toward it. As if it was repairing the core. Noah didn¡¯t know if he could speed up the process by breathing in the Energy, but he didn¡¯t want to risk it.
If it was repairing on its own, he would just let it do its own thing.
Noah turned his vision from within, to high up above. ¡°I¡¯m alive. Fight with Thraz, make it to the end, and find the others. Don¡¯t die.¡± Noah wasn¡¯t sure if Krall could hear him. If he couldn¡¯t, then there was nothing he could do.
He just had to forge a path forward and try to find any way up. If there was one. Noah shook his head. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time he was in a dire situation. He just had to stay positive.
But first, he had to heal his wounds. Thankfully he had his backpack on, and from the high quality system material, it seemed to protect the bottles within. Well, He had also landed on his foot, then his face, so that helped.
Noah took out an Uncommon potion and swallowed all of it. The taste was awful as usual, but the heat that surged within his body was a good sign.
Minutes turned into hours. He was worried the dungeon would be cleared before he could recover, but the words he expected didn¡¯t occur. Noah could only imagine how difficult it would be for the others
He flexed his ankle, it was good to go. It was the same for his ribs, the pain was mostly gone.
Noah¡¯s shoulders flinched at a sudden screech. It was so loud that it reverberated against the cave¡¯s walls. Something was fighting in the distance.
Grabbing hold of his spear, he jogged ahead, but he soon found himself in what could only be described as a bloody battlefield.
Bats as large as dogs littered the cave¡¯s floor. It continued as far as Noah could see. Obviously something was intent on annihilating the monsters, or maybe it was the bats that were invading its territory.
Whatever it was, Noah crept forward. He activated [Shadowed Presence]. Without Krall, his presence was reduced even further, to the point that his smell, and even the steps he took were fading away. It would require someone, or something with a high Perception stat to detect him.
It didn¡¯t take long until he saw the culprit. A huge skeleton wearing thick plated armour swung its heavy two-handed sword at a huge bat-wolf hybrid. The monster was fighting alongside a pure bat, but the skeleton''s sword blurred, cleaving through the demon-like bat. There was no resistance. Shoulder to rearm it sliced the monster in half.
The bat-wolf hybrid emitted a frenzied roar. It was grief. Noah could feel it. It was almost tangible as the monster rekindled its effort to battle the skeleton. It was clear the undead wanted something.
Noah looked around, until he spotted a black egg marbled with golden-white. It was embedded with a mound of bat corpses, but the lustre was difficult to hide.
He looked from the egg, to the bat creature, to the skeleton. The path he was on was the only way out of here, so he had to help one, or the other.
One was capable of thought, the other was a mindless construct of death. Noah knew which one he wanted to side with.
He crouched around the egg, until he reached a large stalactite that was just at the skeletons'' flank. Then he charged. Spear in hand, he activated his skills to reap the skeletons'' life. Just as his attack was about to land, it gazed at him with its bright orange, flickering embers.
It was ready to defend.
Chapter 89 - the Child of a Tiger
The skeleton knight¡¯s arm snapped up, deflecting Noah¡¯s piercing spear. It shot off its arm, and smashed into its shoulder. Sparks flew, but it wasn¡¯t enough to deal with the monster. It was strong, that much Noah could feel as the recoil bounced back into his arm.
Dodging an incoming swing, the air tumbled, but he managed to make some distance. He shifted around the skeleton until he was facing its back.
¡°I¡¯ll attack from the back while you have the front!¡± Noah shouted to the bat creature.
He had no idea if the beast understood his human words, but it was intelligent. The wolf-bat hybrid attacked, and so did Noah. Together, they assaulted the skeleton at the same time.
It was clear the skeleton had learned something from Noah¡¯s first attack as it placed most of its attention on the bat. It stung his pride a little, but he preferred it that way.
His empowered spear smashed into its back, stumbling it a little¨Cbut that was it. It used the forward momentum to step in front, and swung its axe in a devastating arc toward the beast.
Air tumbled, dust swirled as the axe made contact against the beast''s flesh.
Screeching in bloodlust, it conjured a blade of pure air, and slammed it into the skeleton knight. A large slice embedded into its stalwart bones, but that was it.
It was the same for Noah; he couldn¡¯t deal much damage to the undead. His spear was for finding weaknesses, for piercing flesh. Against an enemy that just relied on its tough bones, Noah found his attacks lacking in effect.
So he switched weapons. From his spear, to the mace. It would put him in more danger because of the lack of reach, but if he didn¡¯t defeat the skeleton quickly, it would kill his only form of defence¨Cthe bat creature.
Noah used the moment the skeleton was attacking to unleash [Overpower]. The muscles in his body strained as he smashed the mace at the monster''s spine. Crack. The sound echoed throughout the cave.
The skeletons head snapped back, turning to him with embers glowing a frightening light. It hurt.
Then came a blast of pure air. However, this one felt different. The energy within the air crashed, and Noah could instantly tell that it belonged to Expansion. Not given the chance to revel in the fact that a monster could cultivate Expansion, the attack landed against the skeleton.
This time, it wasn¡¯t a blade¨Cit was a hammer. It collided against the skeleton knight¡¯s body. Bone splintered, scattering to the floor. The surface of his natural defence cracked.
It copied me. Noah thought, but his heart tightened.
A cataclysmic roar split out of the skeletons mouth. Noah didn¡¯t know how the monster was able to make such a noise, but he bit his tongue, awakening himself from the stunning sound. Hairs rose at the nape of his neck.
Noah flung himself to the ground as something tore passed his arm. A thick cut cleaved his flesh. Blood spilled as he quickly ducked behind a large stalactite¨Conly for the earth to be sundered in a split second.
The force slammed him into the ground. Taking a sharp breath, he scrambled to move again but the skeleton was already upon him. It had entered a rage induced state, but given that the light in its eyes was dwindling, Noah could only guess that it was expending a lot of energy to move as it was. A guess that Noah couldn¡¯t act upon.
Thankfully, the bat decided to give him a helping hand. Another forceful blast of Expansion smashed the skeleton backwards, granting Noah the reprieve he desperately needed.
Recovering, Noah stood side by side with the wolf-bat. Only now did he realise the state the monster was in. The skeleton knight had cleaved huge gashes into its flesh, and its wings were beyond salvaging. Rattan, like an umbrella that had suffered a blade storm¨Cthey hung loosely to the side of its body.
If Noah was a vet, he¡¯d imagine the beast didn¡¯t have long to live. Realising the situation he was in, they both charged forward. They had to defeat the enemy in front of them quickly. Before either of them succumbed to wounds.
Both human and beast worked together to defeat the skeleton knight. The bat would stumble the monster, allowing Noah to get a hit in before dodging the incoming swings from the knight.
The fight turned as soon as Noah smashed its legs into pieces. With only one leg left, the fight turned into a slaughter. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
You defeated a - Level 48 Skeleton Knight.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 41 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 43
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 41 -> Krall level 43
Noah stood panting. He was surprised that Krall received the experience from his kill, but since they were considered one, it wasn¡¯t that much of a shock to him.
The fight would have been a hell of a lot easier if his tamed companion was with him. He brought him a considerable amount of strength. If he had to guess by how much, then it was most likely double. More than that, perhaps.
He had to rely on hitting where the bat had already injured it. Making use of the compromised bones.
Speaking of. Noah turned to the wolf-bat. It was whimpering, limping. Red splashed from its wounds as it neared the golden egg buried within the corpses.
It nudged the egg with its nose. The shell twitched.
Noah was about to move toward the skeleton when the monster turned its attention to him, then nudged the egg once more.
Does it want me to come over? Noah hesitated. Just because the beast was wounded, didn¡¯t mean that it was powerless. If it wanted to fight him, it would.
Taking a breath, he approached, guard raised.
However, unlike him, the monster didn¡¯t have the same reservations as he did. As if the monster was already at the entrance of death''s door.
It looked at him. Gaze filled with apprehension, and helplessness. Does it want me to take the egg?
Hands twitching, he found the courage, and reached for the egg. His nerves calmed when the wolf-bat gazed at him, but then it moved. Noah flinched his hand back as the monster collapsed on the floor. Eyes half shut.
Noah grabbed a health potion and hesitated. If he used it, and it recovered, would it kill him? However, thoughts to his second mount flashed in his mind.
He had fought alongside the monster in order to protect its offspring. Surely the Taming process would be eased if that was the case?
The monster was powerful and intelligent. Just the fact that it was able to cultivate a Shard was enough to prove that fact. Along with its body focusing on speed, and being able to fly on top of its natural bonuses of dark sight, and other characteristics of a bat made it a dream companion for Noah.
Thinking it through, Noah placed the Uncommon potion back in his pack, and instead, pulled out a Rare one. It stung, but the gamble was well worth it. If it worked.
Noah approached the wounded creature bottle in hand. ¡°Drink it, it will restore your wounds.¡±
Its wet nose glanced across the cork. Slowly pinching it, Noah pulled it out as the sweet scent of the magnificent potion wafted into its nose. Then came its long tongue. It lapped up the liquid within, but Noah frowned.
Its wounds weren''t healing like he expected.
In a few moments, it had finished the contents within. The monster was hopeful seeing Noah¡¯s eyes, but then hope turned into mulch. It shook its head and refocused its muddled gaze onto the egg. It didn¡¯t work.
Shit. Noah thought. An entire Rare potion had gone to waste.
But those thoughts vanished as he gazed into the monster''s loving eyes. They were no different to when he watched the way Mile¡¯s mother looked at her son. Gentle, nurturing love.
The monster''s head lurched forward. Something crawled out its throat, and shot out its mouth. Like a waterfall, vivid red liquid splashed the golden egg.
Noah was repulsed, but the egg didn¡¯t seem to feel the same way. The liquid from the high grade potion seeped into the shell. Slowly, the liquid was entirely absorbed, only for the egg to shake with a vibrancy that Noah thought it was about to awaken.
The parent¡¯s lips curled. Happy. But it was never meant to witness its child hatch. Heart rate slipping, eyes closing, the beast didn¡¯t have the strength to continue on.
Silence pervaded the cave and Noah was left alone with himself, and the egg.
Noah let out a forlorn sigh. Had the monster decided to ignore healing its wounds to grant the egg the properties of the healing potion, or could it not absorb the treasured liquid?
It worked for Krall, but maybe that¡¯s because he was considered his pet? Noah didn¡¯t know the reason. All he knew was that he was now responsible for the egg.
If the parent deemed him worthy, then it was only right he take responsibility and become¡ a parent. God it felt wrong, but out of sadness for the parent, he grabbed hold of the egg. He just hoped it would emerge soon.
The child of a tiger wouldn¡¯t become a donkey¨Cright?
That¡¯s what Noah hoped as he moved the egg from his warm embrace, to his pack. He made sure to keep it close to him in case it did actually need his body heat.
Next up was an experiment. He grabbed hold of the previous skeleton core he had received when he first arrived in this dungeon, and let the Energy within enter him. Immediately, he could see the Expansion Energy gather into his container, repairing it at a visible rate.
It was as he thought. He turned his attention to the wolf-bat. You don¡¯t want to watch this next part. Noah grabbed hold of his blade and aimed it at the monster¡¯s skull.
If it was anything like the undead, it would hold a powerful Expansion core. Something he needed if he wanted to breathe in more of the Energy.
To survive, to repair his core before going further, he needed to do it.
Chapter 90 - Naira
Naira watched the multiversal broadcast, annoyed. Others called her mad for spending so much on a humanoid wolf, but she felt something from him that she hadn¡¯t in a long time. The very essence of fear.
But the situation wasn¡¯t going according to how she liked. It all started when he became wounded at his first fight. Because of a small amount of blood, he decided to join a group. Whether it was to hunt them, or for safety, it was a foolish decision.
With his talents, he could have killed to his heart''s content. To murder and inspire fear. But again and again, he fell behind Ekralo¡¯s little pet.
Each time he watched Noah forge ahead, Victor decided to walk another path. To conspire against him. Make others hate him. To, in the end, take his rightful kill.
But the human Noah was different. He didn¡¯t care about plots or schemes. The skinny human only cared about one thing. Power. He put his body on the line to a suicidal degree, and risked everything to claw for even a single level up beyond his peers.
It was the crazed thinking that put him apart from the others. While others had other thoughts. Whether it was to survive, hunt, or murder¨CNoah didn¡¯t care that he was putting his life on the line as a solo act.
Where did he gain that beastly ferocity? The desire to storm ahead regardless of anyone''s thoughts.
She hated to admit it, but Noah had a mind that far outpaced anyone else. With little talents, he was without a doubt a young man that would forge his path out of blood, and bone.
You better appreciate my next act of kindness. Naira, the Goddess of Fear, gazed at Victor through the screen in front of her.
Victor wasn¡¯t given a chance to revel in his victory. Noah¡¯s body was falling, then something happened. The falling human shouldn¡¯t have a range ability. He had watched him, studied him, not once did he make use of a projectile.
In the blink of an aye, a spear head with the visage of a monstrous beast clamped around his arm. The impact caused red to stream, to drip. His arm was missing.
He didn¡¯t know how Noah had managed to do it, but the sacrifice of an arm was a small price to pay. The reward will be more than sufficient.
However, Victor knew he had to live through the next attack. Beset by dragonborn and an enraged mole-like dragon creature, he had to move.
Thraz¡¯s axe cut through the air like a death scythe. It cleaved at his chest, but a pointed blade diverted it. By a hair''s breadth, it slammed into the ground. Crumbling, the floor wouldn¡¯t last long.
Noah¡¯s body had still yet to hit the ground, but just a few more seconds, and he would turn the tide with his reward. Is what Victor thought, but seconds passed, and nothing happened. Not the reward he was promised. Not even the kill notification.
His heart sank, but he to survive the next encounter. Victor told himself that it was a further drop than expected, and leapt to another platform.
The tiles were falling, and soon, the entire path would be nothing but an entrance to the abyss. He didn¡¯t want to follow Noah, so he urged his battered body forward. Jumping to the other platforms.
Thraz was of the same mind. Along with Krall, they ignored Chloe, and raced to the end.
Victor was half expecting the mounted monster to completely lose its rationale, maybe even attacking the dragonborn out of rage, but it was smarter than he thought. He was on the right side of the room, while the duo was on the left.
They were overtaking him. It shouldn¡¯t be like this. Victor grit his teeth. He was too injured. And even the heavily armoured brute was stomping ahead of him. He had to do something.
Thankfully, he wasn¡¯t alone. Chloe sprinted forward like a well practised athlete. Her legs were quick, and she quickly caught up to the duo.
Her thin blade shot out, and lengthened, until it scraped past Thraz¡¯s ankle. A thin line of blood seeped, a fact that it had just penetrated the missing armour.
Forced to stop, Thraz grabbed hold of Krall, and hoisted himself up.
Chloe was relentless in her attacks. They were blindingly fast for the strength focused dragonborn to deal with, but at least none of her attacks could kill him.
Although she had only managed to waste a couple seconds of time, it was enough for Victor to overtake them. He quickly jumped over a crumbling platform, and threw a spike at the four legged monster. It shred through the air thanks to the stimulant still surging through his muscles.
It managed to hit its mark, slamming into the monster''s hind leg where there was a lack of armoured plates. It howled in pain, and their speed fell even more.
The fact that he had overtaken them should have filled him with relief, but it was far from it. He could feel his body breaking down cell by cell. The stimulant, and the wounds, were ravaging his body. If he made it out of this alive, it would be a miracle.
However, the reason his heart was sinking was because he had yet to receive the kill reward from his mission. He was banking on it to kill the others.
How far down was the pit? Thud. Or was Noah still alive somehow? Thud. Victor struck his heart as he arrived at the doorway of the next room. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Thraz was fast approaching, and Chloe was hot on their tail. But his blood gurgled. If he attempted to stop them from the front, he would die.
He didn¡¯t have the energy to use another [Fear Step]. And if he tried to fight for much longer, his body would give out.
Victor glanced into the next room to find something. Anything. And there was, but it wasn¡¯t something he wanted. From the earthen walls in all directions, undead pierced through the hardened soil. Their hands thrashed in the air, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before they emerged completely.
If he wanted to stay alive. Then he would have to head toward the other door. Now. In hopes of finding something else to help him and Chloe.
He looked at Chloe as she looked back at him. He snorted, and bolted through the zombie infested room toward the door. Hands almost clamped around his neck, but he managed to side-step his way through.
Gritting his itchy teeth, he stumbled into the next room. His eyes lay on a golden box. Finally. Victor approached it as his heart stung in pain.
Images of his father beating him, training him until his hand, and feet were bloodied. Abandoning him in harsh forests to claw his way back home through beast ridden forests. He was doing this for him. Victor wanted to make his father proud, and yet, he kept failing.
Ever since he encountered the human named Noah, everything wasn¡¯t as it was meant to be. He was meant to be the predator, but a moment of weakness had taken him on the wrong path.
I should have murdered more. Killed everyone. Then Noah wouldn¡¯t have been a problem.
A sudden scream, and a sickening crunch forced Victor out of his thoughts, and his head to snap around.
Thraz¡¯s two-handed axe had cleaved Chloe in half. From her shoulder to her waist. Blood spilled, yet there was nothing Victor could do about it.
He clenched his itchy teeth shut. He had failed¡ again.
Victor opened the golden chest.
Your sponsor - Naira, the Goddess of Fear - has upgraded the chest!
And finally, his lips curled. Blood boiling, he grabbed hold of a new set of armour. It was made of sturdy metal, but it was light. Light to the point he almost couldn¡¯t feel it. White leather straps were placed in a cross pattern for comfortability, but even if it stuck nails into his flesh¨Che would still wear it.
Level 30 Epic - Armour of Regeneration: An armour made from the blood essence of a troll king, and its bones.
| This is a set piece, 4/4. The entire set increases regeneration considerably.
The moment Victor strapped it to his body, he felt the regeneration take effect. The sickening wounds from inside his body healed, where even the health potions struggled. It was a great boon, but Thraz, along with the monstrous beast, was already smashing the undead into pieces.
I have to continue. Go another path and gain strength. Victor took a breath.
His pride had taken a beating and he no longer had the confidence he once had. But his father was watching. He had to act like a proven wolf-born, and get on with it.
However, one thing was clear in his mind. For the time being. For the remaining future, he wouldn¡¯t go near Noah again.
He would gather his strength, until Noah was drowned in his Epic skills, and Pathways.
Rekindling his fighting spirit, he darted into another path. One where he could gain the levels he needed to get stronger. His mission of murder transformed into one of survival.
But if there was anything his father had taught him¨Cit was just that¨Csurvival. No matter how long the hunt lasted, he would survive until the very end.
***
Noah stood over the wolf-bat with bloodied hands. Within them, was a stone the size of a marble. Of course, it wasn¡¯t any ordinary stone, but an Expanse core.
Upper Expanse Core [ D-Grade ]
He could feel the vibrant energy held within. Noah doubted the egg would be happy that he butchered its parent, but he would have to deal with that later. For now, he needed to recover his strength, and his Shards were a large part of that. Especially now that he didn¡¯t have Krall to fight alongside him, and the extra power that he granted.
Sitting down, he used the time where he wasn¡¯t being attacked by the undead to absorb the energy within the core.
From the core, to the centre of his container, it began fixing the fractures walls around it. Like particles joining together to form something stronger.
As minutes passed, the particles transformed into a solid barrier that finally managed to hold back the Expansion from leaking to the outside. In turn, seeping out into the world.
Noah made sure that everything was in order before channelling the energy into his Monster Shard. There was a prick of pain¨Cnotifying him that it wasn¡¯t entirely repaired yet¨Cbut it wasn¡¯t anything serious. Pain, he could handle. Not being able to use it all, he could not.
With the Shard activated, he attempted to connect to Krall¡¯s senses, but it was obvious he was too far underground for the connection to be made. Realising that it was a pointless endeavour, Noah got back to his feet.
Spear in hand, he was finally fit to fight. He took a closer look at the cave around him, but it was entirely void of monsters¨Cor life at all, for that matter.
¡°The skeleton knight must have annihilated them all.¡± He muttered to himself. A habit he couldn¡¯t shake when alone.
He walked through the cave until finally, he saw something of note. A large set of old stone doors, to be exact. They were roughly carved, like someone had created them in a haste with nothing but hand tools, and spit.
The handles were made of chunky ringed metal. Pushing it, the doors opened with a groan.
Noah was well aware he was at half of his fighting strength, but there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to be more careful than before, and use everything at his disposal if he wanted to come out on top.
¡°Hopefully the monsters aren¡¯t as strong as the knight from before,¡± He whispered. Because if they were, it would be a hell of a fight to get back to the surface.
As if listening to his thoughts, the walls rumbled. He half expected a skeleton to dig its way out of the floor, or walls, but that didn¡¯t happen. Instead, the air tumbled as something from high above fell.
With a resounding crash that caused the dust within the room to blow like a cloud of smoke, a blazing set of eyes flickered behind the smokescreen.
Level ?? - Skeleton Elite Brute
¡°Well shit.¡± Noah chuckled, and spat at his damned luck.
Spear in hand, he prepared for a fight. But, it wouldn¡¯t be one of honour.
For Noah didn¡¯t have so much as a trace of it.
Chapter 91
You defeated a - Level 49 Skeleton Elite Brute.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 43 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 44
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 43 -> Krall level 44
Noah stood over the skeleton, huffing in stale air. The fight had lasted much longer than he thought, as even with access to his Shards, the monstrous Constitution the brute held was enough to cause Noah to grind his teeth.
He had to resort to fueling his Thrust Shard into long range projectiles. It worked. But it did take a while before he pierced its skull with repeated attacks.
Thankfully, the groaning walls, ceiling, and the grumbling floor had stopped just after the brute emerged.
Noah believed that something was triggering them to come to life. He didn¡¯t have any evidence to back up his claim, but it was too unusual. The moment his foot stepped into a room, it came to life. Or maybe it was some perception technique that was unique to the undead?
Despite the long fight, he hadn¡¯t suffered a single injury. If he did, it would be worse than just a few broken bones. He could still feel the air strike his flesh as the monster swung its heavy hammer made of strange bone.
Taking one last, long breath. He settled himself as something caused his excitement to blossom. It wasn¡¯t from a Rare skill of any kind that had spawned in the air, only shards welcomed his sight above his defeated foe. No, it was the system notification he received that made his fingers twitch.
Strengthened Body has evolved to Stage 2
| ¡Upgrade path is being displayed.
| Upgrade path is based on the starting rarity of the Skill and the Achievements you have accrued.
False Step has evolved to Stage 2
| ¡Upgrade path is being displayed.
| Upgrade path is based on the starting rarity of the Skill and the Achievements you have accrued.
A wall of text appeared in his vision. Filled with choices he could choose from. At the best of times, Noah wasn¡¯t all that adept at figuring out things on his own. Thankfully, Peter had gone over a lot of different paths the different skills could take.
His friend had picked out the ones that would work perfectly with his class and personality.
After sifting through all the skills, he settled on three choices each for either skill. All of them increased the base defensive stat just like Strengthened Body did, but also granted some unique effects.
First off was Strengthened Body.
Uncommon - Shadowed Body: Your body will be imbued with the power of the shadows. It will decrease detection rate, and allow you to slink through the darkness with ease.
Uncommon - Stalwart Bones: Bone density will be increased. Harder bones make using stronger skills easier to endure.
Uncommon - Beastly Body: Take the defensive properties of your tamed monster and cover your flesh. This skill is determined by what your tamed monster is.
For Noah, it was a tough decision. If he activated all of his skills at once, the pressure it put onto his bones was immense. It made every attack he made painful, but at the same time, it was a pain he was able to endure.
However, if his constitution didn¡¯t match with his power, his body would break under the might of his own attacks. It was a double-edged sword.
Then there was Shadowed Body. It would improve his stealth skills greatly, allowing him to to bypass even stronger beasts that specialised in detection, or smell.
Lastly, Beastly Body would take the form of Krall. It would most likely grant him the armoured scales of his evolution, and it would scale based on the monster he tamed. If the little egg hatched into that of the wolf-bat, it would be incredible. Would he gain wings, or something else entirely? He didn¡¯t know. It was a bit of a gamble.
Each choice was a good one, but important.
The one he picked would determine what route he travelled. Although he could change it down the line with the same stat Skill Essence, it would be a pain. And it wasn¡¯t guaranteed he would even gain one unless he managed to trade with others.
That would be a long shot. Noah chuckled. After this dungeon was over, groups would be tightly formed. They would only trade within them, at least that¡¯s what Noah guessed. He wasn¡¯t exactly a prodigy when it came to group politics.
Noah had seen his fair share within the gang, but that was mostly just violence amongst other gangs. Politics there was simple. Who could hit harder than the other.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He boiled the paths into three points.
Shadowed Body would improve stealth.
Stalwart Bones would allow him to use his powered attacks more often if he had the energy, of course.
Beastly Body would grant him random defence effects based on what tamed monster he had.
In the end, he decided to boost his stealth capabilities. His class was granted a boost in his attack capabilities when leaving shadows, and this would empower both him, and Krall; or whatever other tamed monster he was able to get his hands on when he could.
He was also leaning towards Beastly Body, but he felt like it was a bit situational. What if he had a tamed monster that didn¡¯t have many defensive qualities? He would be left with a skill without much use.
Strengthened Body -> Shadowed Body.
Noah tested it out right away. A habit he had as excitement took hold of him. He couldn¡¯t get used to it.
He used [Shadowed Presence] and could immediately feel the difference. He sped out of the shadows faster than before, and could feel the extra strength within, but without his mount; it was difficult to feel the full effect.
Even so, he was satisfied with his choice.
Noah swiftly moved onto the next three choices, and it was a skill he had waited on for a while. Something to increase his mobility.
Uncommon - Boosted Step: Increases movement speed by a small amount when activated.
Uncommon: Counter Step: Increases the damage you deal after the step is complete.
Rare: Shadow Blink: While surrounded in shadows, you can step into the darkness a short distance.
Unlike the [Strengthened Body] choices, this one was too easy for Noah.
False Step -> Shadow Blink.
Noah focused on the skill and attempted to blink forward, but it didn¡¯t work.
I guess I need to use it in the darkness. It wasn¡¯t a problem for Noah. He just happened to have a skill that worked perfectly with it.
He activated [Shadowed Presence]. The darkness swirled around him like he was the centre of a blacked out smoke cloud.
Then he used the new skill. His body transformed into darkness itself as he reappeared a few feet to the front. It wasn¡¯t capable of distance, but it was instant.
It reminded him of Victor¡¯s movement skill. But where Noah¡¯s required darkness, the wolf¡¯s didn¡¯t seem to have the same restriction.
Recalling the wolf that had attempted to kill him three times now, a boiling anger coursed through his blood. Teeth itching, he couldn¡¯t wait to tear him apart. The next time, he would stop at nothing until his spear ran through his still beating heart.
Rousing himself from his dark thoughts, Noah removed them for the time being. It was a skill he learned back in the gang. Festering on thoughts of revenge was what caused mistakes. He had learned it the hard way¨Cwith a harsh beating.
The other skills he had were right at the threshold of evolving. However, without Krall with him, they weren¡¯t levelling up. They would have proved to be useful, but he would have to make do with the upgrades he was given.
He had one thing left to do before he walked into the next room. Check his stats.
Strength: 208
Dexterity: 130
Constitution: 139
Willpower: 223
Magic: 52
Mana: 51
Perception: 56
They were coming along nicely. If it wasn¡¯t for the world first titles, his Magic, Mana, and Perception would remain at a pitiful amount.
With everything checked and ready, Noah sauntered forward into the next room. Ready for any new challenge that awaited him.
At least he thought he was. That changed when the entire room rumbled far louder than all the previous times before. Noah almost had to cup his ears to protect them, but it didn¡¯t last long.
Three sets of thick skeleton hands blasted out of the walls. He didn¡¯t even have to check [Identify] as the familiar sight of a towering set of bones excavated the dirt walls around them. Elite brutes. It had been a struggle with just one of them, now there were three.
Noah cracked his neck as he threw his spear to the side. It seemed like the theme was going to continue. Undead. His spear was of little use against their bones.
In the fight before, he had used it to power through its skull with repeated [Thrusts]. If he tried that now, he would exhaust himself before he dealt with the others. But now, he would need to resort to another tactic.
Thankfully he had a weapon that was useful against them. His mace. He hadn¡¯t yet tried his new Shard with it, but like the skill [Thrust] it also worked with his mace. In theory, it should still be the same. It was the nature of thrusting. No matter the weapon.
His mace had a very small point, but it was still meant to crush.
The skeleton brute was upon him fast and hefted its large warhammer. Noah activated [Shadowed Presence] and darkness swirled around him.
[Shadow Blink] activated the next second, teleporting him to the shadow to his right. The hammer blasted the area where he once stood, then Noah attacked. He activated all the powers he could, then the thought of thrusting his mace pervaded his mind. He willed it to reach, to extend, and shoot forward like a projectile.
It listened. It screamed through the air and smashed the skeleton''s leg. Chippings flew into the surroundings. Then, like a lumbering tree¨Cit fell to the floor with a crashing thud.
Noah¡¯s attack worked. With a mace, no less.
With new found confidence from having his attack work, he was like a phantom within the dim room. His energy expansion was great, as was his stamina, and mana, but he could recover once they were defeated.
Blinking to the side, his next attack crushed another leg of a new brute. In the next few moments, the movement of his foes were destroyed.
Noah was the reaper within the shadows and even without his tamed monster, he was still a force to be reckoned with.
Chapter 92
Noah stood over a mound of crumpled bones. Once their life force was finished, it seemed that the stalwart nature of their anatomy was no more. Turning to dust, all that remained was the core inside their head, and extra fertiliser for the underground soil.
If it even worked that way. Noah shrugged. He didn¡¯t know a lot when it came to farming, or maintaining a garden for that matter. But he knew how to fight. Again, another reason why he wanted to volunteer into this new world.
You defeated a - Level 48 Skeleton Elite Brute.
You defeated a - Level 50 Skeleton Elite Brute.
You defeated a - Level 51 Skeleton Elite Brute.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 44 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 45
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 44 -> Krall level 45
He was getting closer to the next class evolution now. Of course, that was based on Ubos, not this world. But if it was level fifty, then he could perhaps evolve before having to deal with the Lord of the dungeon.
If that was the case, then he might be able to overpower it. And then there was Victor and Chloe. With his new class, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any of their plots. Noah would be free to use his most preferred method of fighting. Overwhelming might.
Of course, that was banking on the hopes that it was indeed level fifty he would gain his new class evolution.
Cracking his neck, it wasn¡¯t something he could prepare for. The System Manual didn¡¯t tell him of the next threshold, so he prepared himself for the next room.
Grabbing hold of his spear again, he pointed it forward, and walked into the next room. He didn¡¯t know if the next monsters were also going to be skeletons, but it was better to have his spear out first. To gain distance. To counter attack. It was why he chose the spear as his main weapon in the first place.
Unlike the previous rooms that were just dirt walls, ceiling, and cracked stone flooring. This new room was different. Tiles lined the floor. Not many were cracked, but that didn¡¯t fill Noah with confidence. It meant that there was a distinct lack of fighting in this place.
There were no sword scars, no holes in the wallpapered walls, and even the chandelier above remained largely intact. Only a smattering of crystals had fallen onto the floor, smashing into fragments.
Now this is more castle-like. Noah remained cautious. His eyes glanced around, unable to help himself from admiring the scenery around him.
The fort from before was broken, cold, and made for war. However, the room was obviously a part of the grand castle. It matched the majestic appearance from outside, and to Noah, it made him duck his brows in confusion.
He hadn¡¯t seen many floor plans in his eighteen years, but he had fallen down an entire dozen worth of skyscrapers. Surely this couldn¡¯t be related to the castle above?
However, the room was evidence against that point. It was part of the castle. How, he didn¡¯t know. Noah just had to conclude that the castle was obviously far, far larger than he could have estimated.
What if the last throne room wasn¡¯t up top, but down. Deep down further still. If that was the case, he would have a lot of time to level before the others managed to catch up.
Should I risk it? In the end, Noah decided to take his time, and level up. He would attempt to head up instead of down. Noah needed Krall regardless of if the final boss was down here or not.
Then, he would mount Krall, and head down once more, sweeping up all the kills for himself; reaching level fifty.
With the plan fresh in his mind, all that was left was to¨C
No longer did the ground tremble, or the ceiling shake. Hands devoid of flesh and muscle were no more. They didn¡¯t emerge from the walls, or claw their way through the ground below.
No, the candles that lit the room brightened. As if more fuel was added to the fire. They cut off. Then lit again. Standing in the room was a woman in a ragged white dress. Long black hair, darker than the abyss Noah had fallen down cascaded over her face, covering it.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Noah peered closer. Eyes of white flashed behind the curtain of darkness.
The woman had long nails fashioned into claws. Her toe nails so long that they pierced the fabric of her socks.
Thud. Noah¡¯s heartbeat pulsed. He had seen the damn woman from his nightmares. She was exactly the same as the woman from a certain movie he had watched with Peter and the others.
¡°Hello there. You seem like you¡¯ve had a rough go at it.¡± Noah forced out a nervous chuckle. ¡°Are you friendly?¡±
Level ?? - Flickering Corpse Bride.
In response, her mouth opened further than Noah thought possible. He grimaced, half expecting bugs to crawl out from within, but thankfully that didn¡¯t happen.
However, what did happen was a flickering flame hovered over her fleshy tongue. It became brighter and brighter. Noah could immediately feel the temperature in the air rise within seconds. She was ready to attack.
The flame spiralled into a ball. Her chest rose and then in the next second, spat it out. Straight for Noah.
Using [Shadow Blink], Noah appeared to the side but he didn¡¯t move far enough. The blazing heat brushed against his right side, stinging his flesh. He reciprocated the fireball with a projectile of his own.
Spear in hand, he activated his Thrust Shard. Using all the muscles in his body, he threw it forward. It blasted through the air, through the darkness of the room. It slammed through the bride¡¯s shoulder. Stumbling, her eyes turned bloodshot as she stared daggers into Noah¡¯s body.
¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± Noah prepared himself. ¡°You started it.¡±
The corpse bride didn¡¯t seem to realise her actions had consequences as she powered up another fireball in her mouth.
This time, Noah wouldn¡¯t stand still until she attacked. He activated [Shrouded Presence], and along with his new body, he was hidden even more than before. Even the whites of his eyes were not mostly indiscernible.
Noah bolted to the side as the fire attack smashed into the wall behind where he once stood. Of course, now he was somewhere else. Somewhere the fire bride didn¡¯t know. It was a thought, but what if she didn¡¯t have dark vision like him? He was right.
She had consumed the flames from the candles and used it to power her own attacks. There was no light in the room. Against Noah who could see in the dark, it was his domain.
He lobbed Shard powered spears at the creature. Each hitting its mark. They weren¡¯t as accurate as he liked. A couple of them even missed completely. Much like the accuracy with a bow, it left a lot to be desired.
After the sixth spear, he was starting to get the hang of it. Because it used his entire body, it was much easier than aiming an arced stick with a string attached. Noah just had to follow his body¡¯s movements.
The next one slammed into its chest. If it was a normal monster, it would have died. But it seemed that like the undead, its heart wasn¡¯t where its life force was kept. He should have known, considering her name.
Her fireballs were increasing in speed.
Noah braced himself as one scored straight for him. It blazed the air. Raising his shield, it slammed into him. He managed to block the brunt of the fire, but the fire''s nature was chaotic, wild. It spread across his shield and licked the edges of his arms.
The smell of burned flesh festered in his nostrils, but thankfully the attack didn¡¯t hold the same magnitude as the first few attacks. It was obvious the bride had sacrificed power for speed. It was a smart decision, but Noah would only allow it to harm him once.
Rolling to the side, a sudden flash of inspiration announced itself within his mind. What if he activated his bow skills [Power Shot]? In the description, it didn¡¯t state directly it was for a bow. If it was anything like what [Thrust] was, it should work. So he tried it.
He felt the power immediately enter his spear. Noah tried to thrust it, but the power sizzled out into nothing.
Quickly blinking out of the way from another fireball, he tried it again. This time, he used the image of his spear not as a hand-to-hand weapon, but that of a javelin. Noah felt the difference as soon as he made the change.
The skill listened to his command. It powered the javelin he threw of pure Expansion Energy. Tearing through the air, it slammed into the bride''s skull. Head snapping back, disappearing. The notifications of his kill rang out like fireworks in Noah¡¯s mind.
You defeated a - Level 55 Flickering Corpse Bride.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 45 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 46
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 45 -> Krall level 46
Like the undead before, the recently defeated enemy crumbled into nothing but its core¡ and something else.
With a jump in his step, Noah stood above the pile of dust. Within was a bead of black and red, and a pair of dangling earrings.
The bead was a little different to the other ones he had experienced. They held a trace amount of¡ death energy. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure if it was. It held a cold nature, but the one that the bride had was hot to the touch.
The description was the same as the others before it. Possibly, his level of Identify wasn¡¯t enough to differentiate between the different types of energy. Whatever it was, he wondered if there was a drawback if he absorbed two different types. Well, it was something he could worry about later.
Most of his attention was on the pair of earrings. They sparkled with a purple hue before he picked them up. When he did so, the purple vanished. It reminded him of the Skill Essences, or Pathways.
It was of Epic rarity.
Chapter 93
Epic - Level 45 - Earrings of Spiralling Death: Grants the user the ability to sense death energy and detect the undead.
| Willpower +30| Perception +25
Epic rarity equipment was meant to offer unique bonuses, but it seemed that it wasn¡¯t the case for every piece.
Noah just chalked it up to the fact that everything was different. And nothing was equal. It was the same for skills, or Pathways, for that matter. One could counter the other, or one might just be overwhelmingly better.
With the added stats provided, Noah didn¡¯t care about the questionable fashion choice as he neared them to his ears. At first he was prepared to stab his flesh as he had never had the thought of piercing them before, but as they neared, the dual earrings entered his skin without any added strength. As if surgically placed on his ears somehow.
Magic. Noah scoffed. He moved his head, and the earrings followed.The dangling was a bit annoying, but the added ability to detect undead in a dungeon primarily consisting of skeletons, or rotting corpses, it was best to endure the swinging jewellery.
Noah continued through to the other rooms. But unlike the Corpse Bride, none were as strong as it. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean he was able to come out unscathed. Rather, it was easier fighting a single, strong enemy, rather than a group of them.
If he had Krall, he could simply annihilate them with a good old [Charge], but on his own, it was different. Noah had to rely solely on the power of his stealth to defeat the skeletons that filtered into the rooms by the dozens.
As he smashed another skeleton into fragments, he was well aware he had to utilise his Expansion Energy sparingly. Unlike mana, or stamina, it couldn¡¯t be regenerated with a potion. And it was slow to boot. He could use the cores of the defeated undead to charge it up, but he noticed something after the fifth core crumbled into dust after being consumed.
It was poisoning his container. Slowly, but surely. It even eroded his total energy levels. Thankfully, it restored itself after breathing in the pure Expansion energy of the world, but it was a cause for concern. It meant he couldn¡¯t use them like potions.
Overusing potions would cause him to turn sick, sure, but it didn¡¯t have a lasting effect on his power like over consuming Expansion cored did. He had to be careful.
Noah ducked below another cleaving axe swing, and pummelling the skeletons'' knees. It fell to the ground, and Noah deftly dealt another blow directly to its skull. Unable to use its legs, it could only wait until it''s skull was crushed.
After the strike, Noah retreated back into the shadows. His new body worked a treat. It empowered his strength after leaving the shadows even further than what it used to. At least for this dungeon that was darker than the night sky, it proved to be an excellent choice.
He was like the reaper in the darkness. His death scythe was a mace, but a reaper, nonetheless. Mistakes did happen, and he did receive a few slices, and a couple deep gashes from their aces, but it was nothing he couldn¡¯t endure.
Room to room, it was all the same. Hours had passed and the tiled, furnished area belonging to the corpse bride seemed like an anomaly down where Noah stalked.
However, there was an upside to compensate for how boring the rooms'' appearances were. The levels. Noah had levelled to forty-eight after the last room, and was rapidly approaching the fifty border. Just a few more, and he would reach it, but then he noticed something different.
Twin doors, with a stone snake that seemed to lock them shut.
Noah approached them and inspected the snake lock. It was coiled in a figure of eight, eating it. own tail. He was about to grab it, to unlock it, but it didn¡¯t feel right touching something with the image of a poisonous beast. Instead, he looked at it from a safe distance until he judged that it was safe. It was just stone. Identify confirmed that.
He grabbed it, but the moment his finger glanced against it, the entire snake squirmed. Noah used [Shadow Blink], jumping backward as the snake fell to the floor with a dense thud. It was dead. Or, rather, it was already dead. Now it was dead.
Noah shook his head, ignoring how an object could pass into another life, and pushed the door open. A gust of humidity rushed at him, licking his air back with moist air.
Then there was the smell. Acrid earth, like an off mushroom plucked straight out of a bin. Using his darkvision, he peered into the room, only to discover that it was an entire new biome. A jungle. Noah spat. Not again, he thought. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
But, tapping his leg lightly with his mace, he motivated himself forward . It was the only way out of here, and with no other option, he had to face what was ahead.
The room was dark on either side, but light shone in the middle. As if there was sunlight creeping in through a crevice, but there was no sun. Upon closer inspection, it wasn¡¯t the light he was used to. Rather, it was made of some sort of stone that mimicked sunlight. And by the fact that the plants were growing so fervently meant that it acted the same way.
Mushrooms were bigger, grass grew taller than himself, and god only knows what lurked within. Before he took another breath of the awful air, he ripped off a piece of his new clothes, and tied it to his face like a mask.
It didn¡¯t make the air any better, actually, it only made breathing worse. But he wasn¡¯t worried about that. Noah was concerned that, because of the mushrooms, the air was toxic somehow. Maybe pores of the fungi had swept through the air, or maybe he was already poisoned?
Noah ignored the harrowing thought. He didn¡¯t feel any different, so until then, he resisted using his prepared potions. Besides, he had an Uncommon one. It would immediately destroy any disease growing inside of him, so it was better to save it for when he actually needed it.
He dashed into the darkness before anything caught a whiff of his scent. As he stalked within the shadows, he could sense why the System Manual had said there were different types of Expansion. Just like the cores he had consumed, he could feel the air much more clearly here. It was of nature. And
his surroundings practically bloomed with the vibrant energy.
What energy would I best use? If he had to take a guess, it was nature. Beasts loved nature, right?
Noah¡¯s thinking was simple, but it was the best he could come up with now. Maybe he could test breathing it in, then using his Monster Shard?
Right, I don¡¯t have Krall with me. Ignoring the sweat dripping from his forehead, he would just have to test his theory later.
But right now, he felt the back of his neck tingle. [Hunting Instincts] activated. Heartbeat pulsing, he blinked to the side, half behind a nearby tree.
A creature''s claws swiped the area where he once stood. It continued, thudding into the ground. The monster used the impact to bounce to the side, before slinking back into the tall grass.
It was flanking him again. Noah could hear it. Feel it.
He blinked again. This time he prepared his spear. The moment he heard the grass part, his spear shot forward at blinking speed. It cracked against its bones, stumbling the monster. Regaining its balance in a second, it readied its four legs on the jungle floor.
Level ?? - Spectral Fang.
Spectral¡ Noah immediately used the new information to raise his guard. It could mean anything, but he was leaning on it having a movement skill like his own. Something to turn it invisible maybe.
Head on a swivel, he expected the monster to disappear, but that didn¡¯t happen. Instead, sprinted to the side, then swiped the air facing Noah.
Noah wouldn¡¯t believe that the undead tiger would do that for no reason, and leapt to the side. Rolling, the air was sliced apart, and continued. Three blades of invisible energy sliced into the tall grass, reaping it like a farmer''s scythe.
He sucked in a muggy breath. It was close. He was too focused on the monster appearing somewhere else that he was almost cleaved in three from the claws of the beast.
But now he knew what the monster did, and how to prepare against it. He clanged his mace against the tree and realised they were the same ones he was used to back up on the surface. They were hard. Impervious to some, but it was a perfect natural defence.
Another bout of spectral claws tore toward him. Noah ducked behind the tree, and raised his shield. He hoped the special bark would stop the attack, but he wouldn¡¯t place all his trust in it.
The blades crashed against the tree, sending fragments of iron-like bark like shrapnel through the air. It held.
Using his new defence as a base of operations, he guided the tiger to attack him. When the claws struck the tree, Noah used the moment where it couldn¡¯t attack, and blinked forward. In a blur, his spear tore through the tiger''s skull.
He won. It was dead. But just like the jungle¡¯s surface, the cave held the same properties. Wild. Chaotic. Monsters were everywhere.
Not given a single second to breathe, another spectral fang threw its clawed blades at him. Time after time, the tree was starting to give in. Deep marks cleaved the tree until it stood on only a few rings. Then with a sharp groan, it fell.
Noah blinked to the side, and with a snap of his leg, kicked the tiger into the falling trajectory of the tree. It was about to jump, but the tree fell fast. The incredible density of the tree brought it down faster than it could react.
With a resounding crash, bone snapped, crumbled, and then a bloom of dirt blasted in the surroundings.
Monsters neared, and so Noah used the opportunity to slink back into the darkness. Through the shadows, he could see the life force of the undead, and using the dust as a blanketed veil, he shot forward. He refused to be the prey, for being the predator was much more enjoyable.
Chapter 94
Noah stood panting at the end of the jungle cave. All the monsters were dead, and he had the wounds to match the brutal fight.
There were more monsters than he anticipated, but thankfully he was able to make use of the environment to his advantage. Whether that was the dark shadows in the recesses of the cave on either side of the light, or using the trees as a wall he could counter-attack from.
You defeated a - Level 49 Spectral Fang.
¡
You defeated a - Level 47 Fungal Warrior.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 46 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 49
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 46 -> Krall level 49
Checking the progress he was making, it was enough to fuel his tired mind forward. Just a little more. But although he had the motivation to keep going, his body needed rest.
If he forged on regardless of how tired his mind and body was becoming, mistakes were inevitable. And he couldn¡¯t afford them. So many times during the fights he just experienced, he could have easily been sliced apart by claws. If his attention wavered, he would have lost limbs, or worse.
So Noah sat down, and regulated his breathing. Then, he breathed in the energy of the cave, using it to revitalise his Expansion container.
His stomach grumbled in protest just as he finished a round of Expansion. Patting his core, it was time to eat something.
Noah ruffled through his bag until he found what he was looking for. A can of meat. It was a mystery what it was, but he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t mind when he was picking food out of a bin back home in the streets, and he didn¡¯t care now. To Noah, food was food.
He just needed the nutrition it provided. The energy. The taste was just a bonus, or a mild inconvenience. Unless it was a Common health potion. Noah shuddered at the memory. He clicked his tongue, as if he could still taste it today.
Peeling back the lid of the tin, it seemed to be the same type of meat that he had consumed before near the village. It was tasty. Mouth watering, he dug into the tin, plucking out morsels of meat, and chomping into them. Soft, they melted in his mouth.
It wasn¡¯t long before he finished the entire tin and tucked it back into his backpack. Littering was bad. So he believed as he soon found himself in front of another set of doors located at the back of the cave.
Unlike the ones he had entered, there was no snake coiling around the handle. Instead, a lion''s head carved from some kind of hard stone was placed in the middle. It was split in two, presumably so that the door could open along with it.
Is the next room going to be a desert or something? Noah tilted his head in thought. If the snake meant that the room was going to be a jungle, then it only made sense that a lion was a desert.
He recalled some of his classmates arguing about it one day. Lion, the king of the jungle. Yet, it didn¡¯t live in a jungle, rather, it resided within the desert.
Not sure what to expect, Noah was about to open the door, but a shake from his back caused him to jump in shock. Something within his bag thrashed form side-to-side, and it wasn¡¯t weak either.
Fearing that whatever had crawled in his back was about to eat its way out and tear into his flesh, he threw the back off of himself. Brandishing his spear, he pointed it at the bag. Something within cracked, then sounded like the something was splitting. Like an eggshell¡
Noah¡¯s eyes widened, and while remaining cautious, he approached the bag. With his spear, he peeled the opening wider so that he could see. Then it jumped. He was expecting it, but it was fast, and with no danger sense arriving from [Beastly Instincts], it scored a direct hit.
And by direct hit, the monster clung to his shirt, claws latched onto him, head pressed against his chest. Ignoring the fact that blood dripped from the new wounds scored into his flesh, he inspected the beast. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
It wasn¡¯t trying to hurt him, instead, it seemed to want his body heat for some reason. It had the head of a wolf but it had bat ears instead of fluffy ones. Thin, boney wings emerged from its back, but unlike its parent, veins of purple gold squirmed beneath its dense fur coat. Its limbs, despite it just being born, were slender with thick corded muscle. The very appearance of the beast resembled a streamlined wolf born for speed.
Wait, is acting as if I''m the parent? To Noah, surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t a worried thought. Rather, it was what he was hoping for.
He just didn¡¯t expect the egg to hatch so soon. He didn¡¯t have any food to give it, well, he did have some.
Noah crouched down and took out some of his food supplies. A few tins, and that left him with two more in his pack. He wasn¡¯t overly concerned about lacking food. One of the tins could last him a week because of how dense it was, and he severely doubted that he would be in here longer than that.
He cracked open the tin and watched how the beast''s little wolf nose twitched at the smell. Rearing its head like a bat, which was quite eerie, its nose twitched more violently. Eyes bulging like pearls, it still refused to leave Noah¡¯s body.
So needy. Realising that the monster wouldn¡¯t leave his flesh, which was quite painful, he quickly put the tinned meat to its face. Snap. It ate the whole thing, metal included. It grinded the tin in between its teeth, then swallowed. A small little burp followed.
¡°So cute.¡± Noah smiled behind a veil of pain. ¡°Do I need to name it now? And can you let go of my flesh now?¡±
It didn¡¯t seem to want to let go. Noah realised why. It was draining his blood. At first he didn¡¯t feel it, but he could feel himself weakening. With his current Constitution, it wasn¡¯t anything to worry about, but it was an uncomfortable sensation having something steal his blood. The fact that it was a bat didn¡¯t make it any better, either.
Noah could only endure the strange sensation for a couple more minutes before he forcefully removed the wolf-bat from himself. He ignored the slight pout, and instead, it finished the other tins of meat before finally looking satisfied.
¡°How about I name you¡ Gluttony?¡± Noah crouched down and petted its fur. It was soft.
You have tamed a new monster - Gluttony.
| You are restricted to one tamed monster at a time at your current Class.
| Restriction overwritten.
| Rule: Hub upgraded room - Taming Room Tier 2.
I knew the upgrade would be worth it. Noah smiled in satisfaction. His genius was astonishing.
His new monster wagged its little tail. Then it¡¯s head snapped in a certain direction beyond the jungle leaves. Noah had to strain his eyes to see it, but it was a butterfly the size of his hand.
Gluttony bounded forward like a streak of lightning. It wasn¡¯t too impressive for the current Noah, but considering it had literally just been born, was astonishing. It was many times superior compared to Krall.
Was this the benefit of a strong bloodline? But it wasn¡¯t just the natural speed of Gluttony. It blended into the shadows, using it exactly like Noah would have done, then pounced at its unsuspecting prey. Butterfly in its paws, razor-sharp white teeth crunched down on its body.
You defeated a - Level 14 Fungal Fly.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
Gluttony has levelled up.
| Gluttony Level 1 -> Gluttony Level 2
At the System notification, Noah quickly checked his Stats. If they increased while Gluttony was catching up to him in levels, then that would be a truly huge increase in Stats.
But as he checked, a shining smile emerged. It gave him stats. That meant until Gluttony reached his level, his stats would soar. He would come out of this dungeon an entirely different person. Evolved, in more ways than one.
With a hop in his step, Noah joined Gluttony in his killing. He also realised another piece of vital information: Gluttony was a he.
Around an hour had passed, and Gluttony had transformed beyond Noah¡¯s imagination. Unlike Krall who needed to truly evolve to become larger, or taller, Gluttony was growing at a rapid pace.
Noah assumed it was because it was a baby, and beasts in this world grew faster than usual in order to survive against the threats that wanted to hunt them down. But it was perfect for Noah. At first he was worried, how the hell would he mount it? He was aware that its parent was tall enough to mount into battle, but he was concerned it would take a long time for that to happen.
However, his worries were unfounded. Gluttony was already nearing waist height in just one hour.
He spent another hour making sure that Gluttony understood his role. He was too underleveled and even with the blood of its strong parent, it was just a fledgling. Still weak, it would be killed if he wasn¡¯t careful.
Thankfully, Gluttony seemed smart. And if he wasn¡¯t, then he relied on his powerful instincts to realise that he needed Noah to provide it safety.
Noah noticed another thing about his new tamed monster. Unlike Krall who unwaveringly accepted his every order, Gluttony was more stubborn. He didn¡¯t know it was an age related thing, or if the bloodline was stronger than his own, but it was something he would have to take care of.
Now that they understood each other when it came to battle, it was time to finally head on through to the other door.
Noah pushed the door open and the lion¡¯s head split open. He was expected to see another room, but instead an enormous set of stone stairs travelled down into the abyss, and similarly the other side ascended all the way to the surface.
Grinning, it was time to head on up, and meet Krall.
Chapter 95
Thraz grit his teeth. He powered the Earth Shard he had gained from¡ eating rocks, and slammed his axe into the ground. The earth split, and spikes erupted upward, skewering the bunch of undead zombies like rotten kebabs.
It used a lot of fuel inside him, and he generally used it only when he really needed it, but it was effective. And it just happened he needed it now.
The earth had suspended their bodies in the air, allowing him to easily chop their skulls.
A roar from Krall caused Thraz to turn. Eyes filled with bloodlust, Noah¡¯s tamed monster crashed into his own opponents. Swatting them to the ground with his beastly body, he made quick work of them by chomping their craniums. A sparkle shone from within, which was then eaten by Krall in one swift motion.
Thraz ended the battle with one last axe swing. Silence filled the room as the rumbling walls stopped as the last zombie was defeated.
Embedding his hax into the floor, he pried their skulls open to reveal the core within. If Noah¡¯s tamed monster was eating them, then so would he.
If there was one thing he understood about the human, is that his scoundrel ways were growing on him. And that meant that Krall, the corrupted, also had his smarts.
Is Krall smarter than me? Thraz scoffed at the thought. No one was smarter than he, a great dragonborn.
Core mixed with brain, he plopped it into his mouth, then chomped down on it. Only for a sharp pain to assault the roof of his mouth. Crack. A chipped tooth followed.
He glared at Krall. Why didn¡¯t he tell him that it was harder than metal?
¡°Stupid corrupted.¡± Thraz muttered under his breath.
Not wanting to be bested by an oversized, warped kobold, Thraz spat out the fragmented tooth, and swallowed the core.
The moment he fell into his stomach, a heat swirled within, practically bubbled in his insides. Driven by pure instinct, he drove it around his container, like when his mother had rubbed his stomach when he was just a hatchling¡ to make himself puke.
Although this time, he resisted the urge to empty the contents of his stomach. If the corrupted could hold it, then so could he.
Soon, he discovered something amazing. The core he just ingested slowly restored the energy that he had just used during the battle. And with it, he was ready for more fighting.
He could still smell the stench of the wolf-man. A deep sense of anger seethed against his teeth. Victor had not only attempted to murder Noah, but in the process, the non-human had almost taken his own life.
It wasn¡¯t something he could ever overlook. His proud dragonheart wouldn¡¯t allow it, and neither would his sponsor: Bor the dragon king.
With the enemies dead, Krall looked lost. Eyes flitting from one door, to the next. Frantic. Thraz deduced that he might be missing Noah, who by all accounts was pretty dead.
Thraz also felt it was a shame. Noah, although a rogue that used dishonourable methods to win a fight, was a true warrior. The young human had taught him that not every fight was an honourable one. But most importantly, he showed him that it was right to stand up for himself. To stand up for his own cause.
Sighing, he looked at Krall, and Krall caught his vision. If its owner was not dead, did that make him in charge?
Krall turned away with a snort. Without waiting for Thraz to make a decision, he was already heading through another door.
Guess not. Grumbling, Thraz was forced to follow. He didn¡¯t know if Noah was alive, but he knew one thing for certain.
Victor was ahead.
It was a long way up to the surface. Noah half expected there to be dozens, maybe even hundreds of floors, but there wasn¡¯t even a single one.
There goes the chance of reaching level fifty¡ Despite the thought, and the never ending staircase, Noah was in high spirits.
He now had a tamed monster capable of flight. Flight. Noah couldn¡¯t wipe the grin from his face, nor did he want to. Who knew when he would next be in a fight to his death, or if Victor showed up with his ugly, furry face. So right now, he wanted to bask in the happy feelings while he could. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
It wasn¡¯t just the flight either. But Gluttony was more like a whole package, rather than a specialist type of mount like Krall was. It had high speed, low rate of detection with its light steps, and dark coat. And it was fast. Really fast as it bounded ahead of Noah like a supernatural whippet.
¡°Hey, wait up!¡± Noah caught his breath, then picked up the pace. Taking eight steps at a time, he soon caught up to Gluttony thanks to the level difference between them.
But that wasn¡¯t why he caught up. Gluttony had stopped. Noah was too busy watching his feet so he didn¡¯t miss a step to realise that the stairs had ended. Or, technically they began since they headed down. Regardless of the technicality, he had reached a new door, and his new tamed monster had patiently waited for him.
Gluttony looked up with wide, glossy eyes. He was expecting something.
¡°Good boy,¡± Noah said as he fed him a morsel of meat leftover from a tin.
Placing his hands on the door, Gluttony stood behind him, hackles raised along his spine. He expected danger.
Noah smiled. His training was working. Gluttony didn¡¯t really expect danger, but along the way, Noah had taught him to prepare for anything. Thankfully, he was intelligent, and quick learning was only a fraction of what his little tamed wolf-bat was capable of.
Opening the door, it groaned open, revealing a new room¡ filled with skeletons. Sighing, he half hoped that it would have been a different enemy. Not only that, he could tell they were weaker than the ones down at the bottom.
If it continued down, then that means I was halfway down in that case. Noah nodded to himself, happy about his deduction.
But it seemed the undead didn¡¯t reciprocate those same feelings as they creaked toward him.
Noah ducked underneath a powerful axe swing, and cracked its skull open with a sharp thrust of his mace.
Gluttony attempted to help him with the others, attacking in between his own strikes, but they didn¡¯t do anything. It was like using a pen against a steel wall, his little claws weren¡¯t capable of even making a scratch.
But it wouldn¡¯t last long. The moment Noah killed the first skeleton, Gluttony rose a good few levels in an instant.
It didn¡¯t take Noah long to wipe out the room of twelve skeletons. If it was before when he was down underground then he would have had to be extra careful because of their numbers. But since he outlevelled them, it was easy to outmanoeuvre their low combat speed. It wasn¡¯t that the skeletons were slow, far from it as their attacks tore through the air because of their high strength.
[Shadow Blink] had evolved the way he was able to fight. Noah could put himself in vulnerable positions in order to quickly defeat his enemies. He just wondered how it would work with Krall, or Gluttony.
Unfortunately, even though he had defeated all the undead in the room, he still hadn¡¯t levelled up to fifty. Defeating monsters above one''s level was truly the best way to level.
If he had to make a rough estimate, he would have to kill hundreds of skeletons if he wanted to reach the next level.
So there has to be some sort of multiplier on experience from higher levelled monsters. Noah thought as he walked into the next room.
However, he had to stop his train of thoughts as the room was different. Like the Corpse Bride room, but¡ different.
Two, four, eight, Noah lost count how many pillars filled the room of hardened sand. It was like the colosseum, but the entire thing was casted in a shadow. Even the light above the room was dark, like a torch through obsidian¨Cif it was see through.
He honestly didn¡¯t know how to describe it, but where the shadows were the darkest, even Noah with his darkvision couldn¡¯t see within.
Noah clicked his tongue but he wasn¡¯t too worried. The monsters up on the surface of the castle were easier than down below. It meant that whatever resided within this room couldn¡¯t be compared to the undead down there, especially not the corpse bride.
Or so he thought, but [Hunting Instincts] caused his heart to lurch. His eyes snapped to a certain area in the darkness, but then danger moved. His skill wasn¡¯t perfect. Something was looking at him from the darkness.
Grip tightening around the shaft of his spear, Noah prepared for something to leap out.
Gluttony was the same. His body that now almost reached his waist stood close by his side, although he was a little behind for safety. It was what Noah had taught him.
Something within the room snapped, almost like a bow string; but more powerful.
Noah twitched, he took a step back. A hot sensation licked his face as it shot past and thudded against the wall behind him.
He didn¡¯t have to look at the projectile, he had seen it out of the corner of his eye. It was black and pointed, like a lance covered in dark paint. However, the most important part was that he didn¡¯t even sense it with his skill: [Hunting Instincts].
Despite the attack, the monster responsible still hadn¡¯t shown itself. Not wanting to remain a sitting duck for a predator, Noah bolted into the shadows.
Noah was aware he was most likely within its domain, but so was it.
I also like the shadows. Noah thought, but the dark provided by the pillars in the room were darker than he originally thought.
He couldn¡¯t see anything. Nothing in front of him, or the surrounding area. It was like something had taken away his vision entirely.
Another snap resounded out from within the room. Noah leapt to the side, almost eating a face full of dirt, but he was able to agilely roll, and shoot to his feet.
Ten seconds, fifteen seconds, twenty¨Canother snap as Noah dodged once more.
Noah had twenty seconds in between attacks. It was time to hunt an enemy he couldn¡¯t see, smell, or sense.
Chapter 96
Noah counted down the seconds and moved as fast as he could within the shadows. His aim was simple; find the monster before it was able to attack once more, and kill it. But his plan had one simple flaw. He couldn¡¯t find it.
It wasn¡¯t until one of the spikes caught his shoulder did he realise he needed another plan of action. He needed to be able to sense the monster, whatever it was.
He racked his mind while rolling on the floor, which wasn¡¯t easy. However, he was a man of conviction. Noah plucked out the spike and threw it on the floor.
I¡¯ve got it. Noah approached the wall at high speed and smashed his spear against it. Debris fell from the impact as a hole had been punched within.
Close. A spike was approaching with a snap. Noah used [Shadow Blink] back a step, then reached into the wall. Grabbing a handful of debris, he scattered it all across the floor.
It was something he had learned during survival in the jungle. He had to always take care of the leaves on the ground if he wanted to remain stealthy. Although the debris and rocks weren¡¯t jungle foliage, it was the same principle.
It wasn¡¯t long before his plan actually worked. He had to admit, it was a shot in the dark, but when he heard a loose rock being kicked across the floor, Noah moved into action.
Counting down the time until the next time, he shot forward through the darkness with [Shrouded Presence] activated. Another rock tumbled, and Noah found himself face-to-face with the enemy that haunted the darkness.
Level ?? - Thornweaver
It had more legs than he liked to count, and a horn was slowly emerging from the tip of its head, from inside its body. Like a bullet moving to the top of the magazine; it was preparing to fire. As if its legs were a theme, the monster also had too many eyes. They gazed at him like an insect that was about to become prey, but Noah had teeth, and he wasn¡¯t afraid to use them.
Like lightning, he thrust his spear forward. Using all the offensive skills he could, it pierced through the eye of the monster in an instant.
The thornweaver thrashed, and kicked loose rocks all over. Noah rushed forward, attacking again while he could. Noah aimed for its legs. Going for a kill shot was dangerous, as it could counter-attack at any time. If he extended too far, Noah risked taking damage himself. He wouldn¡¯t allow that. So instead, it was much more effective to disable it, then whittle it down with repeated attacks.
His spear found its target, the tip disappearing into the monster''s hairy flesh. He struck bone, and just as he was about to continue his attack, he could see that the horn was fully formed.
Noah used [Shadow Blink] to get behind a pillar. Then, in anger, the spike hurtled through the air, and thudded into a pillar to his side.
It¡¯s working. Noah grinned and immediately set out for another attack, but silence remained. No matter how much he moved through the battlefield, he couldn¡¯t hear the monster scuttling across the floor.
It¡¯s using the walls, or the pillars now. Noah spat. He was afraid of that. He was banking on the monster being too in pain, and too angry to think properly. But it seemed he had underestimated the spider''s intelligence.
With no way of hearing or seeing the monster, Noah was once again put on the defensive.
One of the spikes was even aimed at Gluttony but he managed to dodge it. He glared into the darkness.
Noah¡¯s eyes widened. Gluttony could see. It made sense. The little monster was born into the darkness. Not only that, it had the natural body of a bat. He most likely had other senses to detect where it was.
I¡¯m stupid. Noah spat and fueled his energy into using his Monster Shard.
It had been a while since he used it, and the strange sensation of merging with his tamed monster almost made him puke. Fighting back the urge to empty his stomach, a wave batted against his brain.
Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t unfamiliar. Krall had the same ability, but it was a bit different to Gluttonys. Echo location. Noah remembered Peter telling him all about it. A natural ability given to a bat; it allowed them to reverberate noise in a wave, and have it bounce back to them to see.
Noah struck his spear against the wall with the flat side. A wave of sound surged forward, then bounced back to him. Unlike Krall¡¯s tremor sense, Noah could see the outline of the spider.
There was no detail. Anything such as eyes, or hair was completely indiscernible. When it moved, it disappeared until the wave of echolocation bounced back to him.
It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was better than nothing. Not only that, he felt the energy in his container dissipate by the second, and it wasn¡¯t just him either. Gluttony shivered, as if he was in pain.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Is it the level difference? Noah thought, worried. He had to finish this fast.
Noah used multiple blinks in order to arrive in front of the spider before his echolocation was too late. Using [Overpower] along with [Beastly Pike], and his Thrust Shard, his spear blurred. It penetrated through the spider''s face, and then [Beastly Pike] activated.
It was a multi attack. First his spear landed, then his skill took effect. Instead of Krall¡¯s jaws clamping down, a strange, yet familiar effect took place. A slash joined the stab in perfect harmony. One pierced, while the other scored a gash into its flesh.
Noah could tell the slash was far weaker than his stab, but he attributed that to Gluttony''s low level.
Unlike the first attack he landed, Noah knew this time he had to risk a little danger. The horn of the thornweaver grew to full size, yet Noah continued to push the spear further. Deeper.
Gritting his teeth, he prepared for the horn to shoot out like a javelin from a ballistae. He attempted to time it just right, and ducked his already wounded shoulder before the snapping sound was heard.
The timing wasn¡¯t perfect. Just as he ducked, the horn shot forward, slicing a deep wound into the side of his arm.
He pushed again until the squeals and the thrashing of the hairy monster turned quiet.
You defeated a - Level 50 Thornweaver.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 49 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 50
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 49 -> Krall level 50
Gluttony has Levelled up.
| Gluttony level 14 -> Gluttony level 20
I¡¯m level fifty¡ Noah balled his hand into a tight fist and awaited for the next message. Was it going to be a class upgrade, or if it wasn¡¯t that, what could it possibly be?
You have gained a World First achievement!
| You have gained a World First title - Level 50 Vanguard II: You are the first to reach level 50
| +5 to all stats.
Level 50 milestone reached.
| Level 50 missions are now available. | Bloodlines are now available.
| Bloodlines: Each Bloodline is unique to the individual. To unlock it, gain Achievements belonging to your Path.
Ekralo, the Beast Tamer, has sponsored you.
Lenid, the Monster Slayer, has sponsored you.
¡
Noah puffed out a breath of disappointed air. Since he didn¡¯t receive a class upgrade at level fifty, that meant it was pushed back to level one-hundred. It was a big jump, from twenty-five, all the way to one-hundred, but there was nothing he could do about it.
In the end, it wasn¡¯t that bad, not to Noah, at least. It would give him more time to learn how to properly utilise his skills and class. To build a foundation before his entire fighting style was changed once more. He wondered if that was the reason why the jump was so large.
Well, at least he was getting closer to understanding what the hell a bloodline was. Although he had no way of knowing what kind of Achievements he needed to obtain.
If his Path was something akin to his class, then he assumed he had to achieve greater things with taming. Somehow. Maybe he had to tame another monster? Whatever it was, he wasn¡¯t going to discover it by standing, thinking on the spot.
Instead, he put his brain power together to select his new mission. Well, not really as the choice was a rather easy one for him.
Tier 4 Taming Mission
| Lord of the Shadows: Kill 1 Dungeon Lord five seconds after leaving a shadow.
| Reward: Rare piece of equipment, Epic health potion.
Noah didn¡¯t know who he had to thank that he no longer had to spend hundreds of hours on the back of Krall for a mission. He was worried for a moment, but then his worry transformed into apprehension as he thought further.
Finding dungeons was incredibly rare, and on top of that, he had to kill it with a condition. Compared to the other missions that simply just took time to complete, this was different. It was difficult. Unfathomably more, that was.
The reward was good and all, but he couldn''t help but feel the difficulty was a bit much for a level fifty mission.
Could it finally be a world first title? Noah could only hope. He still hadn¡¯t received one from his missions, and he was beginning to worry if there were any titles related to the missions.
Whatever it was, a sharp pain pricked at his shoulder. The adrenaline within his system washed away like a cool breeze, bringing with it the realisation that he had a black spike lodged into his shoulder.
Noah pulled it out with little hesitation and couldn¡¯t help himself from reminiscing the past. When he first arrived in this world, to be more accurate. If it was him before, he would have had to be extremely careful with his wounds; making sure that the spike hadn¡¯t ruptured any arteries. Bleeding out was a huge risk back then.
And it was only a few days ago. Noah smiled at the ridiculousness of his thoughts. So much had happened since then, and now even the wound that spurted blood, and trailed down his body, was only the least of his worries.
He bandaged it with some Uncommon bandages he had, and they instantly got to work. Constricting against his shoulder as if imbued with magic, the blood flow stopped.
Noah cracked his neck then crouched down next to Gluttony. He trailed his fingers along his surprisingly soft coat.
Let¡¯s get a move on, shall we? At his words, Gluttony nodded, and trotted toward the door, only to stop in the next moment. Head spinning backward like an owl, he waited for Noah.
That¡¯s a good boy. Noah chuckled.
Heading through the door, he had levels to gain, and a wolf humanoid to kill.
Chapter 97
¡°On the right!¡± Declan ordered, pointing to a weakness in the enemy''s formation.
Lorena was immediate in her action. Bow pulled back, she fired an accurate arrow straight through the skeletons eye.
Her bodyguard, another dark elf, brandished his long curved blade, and intercepted the incoming skeletons with grace. His weapon sliced through the tough bone of the undead warrior. Its weapon clunking to the floor, Lorenan¡¯s arrow arrived with devastating precision.
Declan controlled the battle, easily seeing where they needed to attack, and where to defend at the drop of a hat. It was as if he had a map in his mind, and it was being constantly updated with newly added information.
Thanks to that, the rest of the skeletons were dealt with in a few moments. However, it wasn¡¯t an easy fought battle. They had cleared over six rooms now, and each time, the undead were becoming stronger. And even some of them had skills of their own. Whether they were abilities they had before they died, Declan didn¡¯t know.
He, and the others, were becoming tired. There was no time to rest either. They had around five to ten minutes every time they cleared a room to restore their wounds, thanks to Jonathan¡¯s healing skills, but it was barely enough to recover their breath.
Especially the mage users, including their healer. Mana was a lot slower to regenerate. It did help that mana potions were generally cheaper than health potions, but it wasn¡¯t by much. They were quickly running out of funds to fuel them.
Declan resorted to having the physical class users deal with most of the undead, but that meant injuries were a common occurrence without the support from the mages firepower.
With the battle ended, Jonathan rushed around to heal the more serious wounds, while leaving those who only suffered the odd cut here and there.
¡°A lot of the undead were already dealt with.¡± Declan took a breath as he approached one of the skeletons that were already dead. Their bones were scorched, and they were still hot to the touch.
¡°Maera must have some holy magic to deal with them,¡± Lorena said, expressionless.
¡°It looks like she had planned this for a while.¡± Declan grimaced. ¡°The amount of mana potions she must be going through, not even Victor could afford that.¡±
¡°She must have taken the Coins from her warriors, and pooled them together to afford it,¡± The dark elf said. ¡°Maera knew about all of this.¡±
¡°But how?¡± Declan asked. ¡°How could she possibly prepare for all of this?¡±
¡°Because she already knew about this castle. Perhaps she¡¯s already aware that we are here, catching up to her.¡±
¡°But¨C¡±
¡°Not every race is the same.¡± Lorena looked at the human commander. There was a hint of pity held in those dark eyes. ¡°High elves are blessed by the gods, and don¡¯t forget that sponsors are just powerful people throughout the multiverse. Her highest sponsor is most likely the god, or goddess that they prey to. For a princess of a kingdom, she must have received instructions from her god.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¨C¡±
Lorena cut him off once more. ¡°Unfair?¡± Lorena chuckled, a rare smile appearing on her face. Instead of filling Declan with a warmth as a smile usually would, there was only darkness.
She continued, ¡°Yes, it is unfair. But it¡¯s how you fight against it that makes you different from everyone else. Do you think Noah finds it unfair? Yet he is the strongest amongst us.¡±
¡°Good point.¡± Declan sighed.
A few minutes passed, with the room rumbling, Declan, and the others were forced to get back to their feet. Their mana and energy had just barely replenished, but they were forced to go ahead.
They had a couple people that were focused on Constitution take the front, and along with Cai, and Lorena¡¯s guard; they proved to be able to handle most of what had assaulted them during the dungeon.
Opening the already opened door further, a long hallway filled with red carpet, chandeliers, and grand paintings lined it as if it was an entrance to heaven.
But it wasn¡¯t entirely out of place. For a while now the rooms were gradually becoming more grandeur, as if they were approaching the throne room.
Declan thought he would be excited. Excited for an incredible reward, but all he could think about was that they were getting closer to the lord of the dungeon. How unfathomable would it be? And could they even beat it with the strength that they had currently?The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
It was all a big question mark, and it was the reason for his anxiety. The high reward meant that the danger was going to match it.
Are we ready? Declan asked himself. Honestly, he didn¡¯t think so. It had only been so long since they arrived, and now they were face to face with a dungeon of such huge proportions that it turned his calculating mind numb.
He had watched countless amounts of footage of the Multiversal Broadcast, but nothing could prepare him for actually facing it directly. Thoughts flashed in his mind. He should have prepared more. Should have levelled more. Should have gained more equipment. But he was dragged forward by others greed.
Gritting his teeth, he focused. Now wasn¡¯t the time to waver. The people next to him required his leadership.
Thankfully, the hall wasn¡¯t dangerous. There were no skeletons popping out from the walls, or zombies rising out of the floor, but there were voices coming from the front. In the distance, it was difficult to make it out, but it was clear who it was once they neared further.
Declan and the others walked through the fancy doors that were etched in gold, and stopped ten metres away from the healing princess. She stopped her discussion with her knights and gazed at them in complete shock.
So she doesn¡¯t know about us then. Declan pointed out Lorena¡¯s theory as false. Or perhaps she didn¡¯t know there was a hidden entrance? It looks like even gods can¡¯t see everything.
Declan didn¡¯t know if that was true or not, but judging Maera¡¯s expression, it wasn¡¯t difficult to believe.
¡°What are you doing here?¡± Maera asked, still regaining her composure.
So she doesn¡¯t know? Declan wondered.
¡°We found a secret path,¡± Declan said. ¡°You almost killed all of us back there, you know?¡±
Lorena was of the same mind. Her brows were twisted and the shadows seemed to warp around her, or maybe that was just an illusion.
Maera sighed. ¡°And Noah?¡±
¡°Alive and well,¡± Lorena continued, ¡°as far as I¡¯m aware, anyway.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ good.¡± Maera looked conflicted. She was half relieved judging by her loosening shoulders, and half nervous if her darting eyes were anything to go by.
She must be worried about Noah¡¯s wrath. Declan couldn¡¯t help a smile from crawling up the corner of his lips.
¡°It¡¯s the lord''s room, I take it?¡± Declain looked past the princess, and laid his eyes on the enormous pair of gilded doors behind her. Golden lions looked as if they were going to pop out of the door, but it wasn¡¯t just the formidable animal that was embossed into the door. There were angel wings, and various weapons.
¡°Yes,¡± Maera continued. ¡°We were just formulating a plan.¡±
¡°Formulating a plan?¡± Declan asked. ¡°Do you even know what it is?¡±
She hesitated, and said, ¡°No, but it¡¯s better to prepare against anything that may happen.¡±
She¡¯s not a good liar, Declan surmised.
¡°Declan, do we have to go in?¡± Cai said. ¡°We can also go back, level up, and find Chloe.¡±
Cai glanced at a young woman. It was Kira, Chloe¡¯s sister, and she looked worried.
Of course Declan didn¡¯t blame her. She was with Victor, and god only knows what would happen.
¡°It¡¯s a good plan,¡± Declan agreed. If they wanted to have the best chance possible, they should level up as much as they possibly could. With a strong healer by their side now, they could power level with ease. ¡°We should also wait for Noah to arrive. I don¡¯t know where he is, but it shouldn¡¯t be long until he converges with us here. Every piece of strength we gain improves our odds of success.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t risk that,¡± Maera said. ¡°I will go ahead as planned. If you wish to join me, to become the victors of this dungeon, then you may do so.¡±
Cai looked at Declan, and so did all the others. Thanks to his leadership skills, and micro management, they were able to come this far.
Declan shook his head. ¡°With just us, it is a massive gamble. We are missing the strongest part of our force: Victor, Chloe, Thraz, Noah, and his tamed monster. I don¡¯t know what skills you are hiding, but can you swear to your god that you have a hundred percent chance of beating this lord?¡±
¡°Nothing is guaranteed in this world.¡± Maera turned to the golden door. ¡°But only those who risk the path, can emerge victorious.¡±
With a confident back, she pushed on the door. With her knights, they walked into the pitch black room. As if they walked into an opaque mist.
Declan was aware her words were a false bravado. She wanted to convince them to join her so that she wouldn¡¯t be stabbed in the back by Noah. Declan knew that, and yet he wavered.
Should he join her? What if she did indeed have a secret weapon that enabled her to deal with the lord? She would gain the reward, while they would get nothing.
But he shook his head. It was too big a gamble, and even if his sponsors would like him to head forwards, it wasn¡¯t worth his life. Sure, the princess may be able to beat it. However, on the off chance that she wasn¡¯t, then they would all die.
It wasn¡¯t something he was willing to risk. And not when it was just his life he was in control of. The others trusted him, or so it seemed, anyway.
Declan had decided. ¡°We¡¯re going back. Back through the rooms we didn¡¯t clear, and we¡¯ll level up until Noah, and the others arrive.¡±
¡°What if they¡¯re already dead?¡± Lorena asked.
¡°Then that will be shit luck, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Declan chuckled and headed back where they came. Thankfully, all the others followed his decision to play it safe.
More time passed, and as they just finished clearing out a room, footsteps were approaching through another tunnel.
Declan removed his longsword from a zombie¡¯s skull, and readied himself for whatever might come. But when a wolf-man appeared out from the darkness, Declan looked in shock at his new armour.
Victor had become stronger, and there was no sign of Noah, Thraz, or Chloe, anywhere.
Chapter 98
Noah didn¡¯t know where the others were. The only thing he could find were never-ending rooms that spawned a countless number of undead.
Yet he didn¡¯t complain.
Right now, he was in a boring, dark room filled with skeletons. He was too lazy to count, but it was definitely more than ten. If it was before, he would have had to be careful because of the number disadvantage, but with Gluttony nearing level twenty-five, his stats had shot through the roof.
He ducked under a powerful incoming swing. The air swished from the skeleton''s axe, but Noah replied in kind with a thrust of his spear to its skull. Bone fragmenting, Noah¡¯s enemy fell to the ground with a rattling crash.
Another skeleton charged at him with its great-axe dragged along the floor. Sparks turned the room orange. The flames kindling within its eyes told Noah it wanted to kill him, but with its weapon on the ground for whatever reason, it had signed its death warrant.
Noah blinked forward instead of dodging, and thrust his spear to its head. Spear-tip making contact with bone, it split the skull. The embers in its sockets were immediately extinguished.
Gluttony flashed in front of another skeleton standing a ten or so metres behind Noah. He swiped his razor sharp black claws to the undead¡¯s leg, but now it wasn¡¯t just a dull mark that was left. Swiping his claws, they sliced through the bone. Not able to completely cut through, Gluttony dashed back.
However, it was enough for Noah. It took a powerful step forward, only for a crack to form in the bone in its leg. Compromised, the skeleton''s leg shattered.
Noah¡¯s tamed monster recreated the steps, and in the next few moments; Noah wiped out the rest of the undead in the room.
Finally, the moment Noah had been waiting for had arrived.
You defeated a - Level 43 Skeleton Warrior.You defeated a - Level 44 Zombie Mauler.
You defeated a - Level 41 Skeleton Warrior.
¡Experience is reduced for defeating lower levelled enemies!
Gluttony has Levelled up.| Gluttony level 20 -> Gluttony level 27
| Level 25 milestone reached!
| Your tamed monster - Gluttony - is ready to evolve!
Does it want a core to swallow? Noah tilted his head as he watched Gluttony. Krall was able to devour a heart in order to alter his evolution process.
In truth, Noah had never heard about a monster doing that as they only ever relied upon their bloodline to evolve. Essentially, they were locked into a path, like a class. A goblin would evolve into a hobgoblin, then from a hobgoblin to an ogre, and so on.
Krall was an outlier in that aspect, so he wondered if Gluttony was the same.
Noah took out some of the cores from the stronger monster he had faced. Namely the corpse bride as if it gifted Gluttony some fire magic abilities, that would be awesome.
Gluttony approached it, took a sniff, then shook his head in disgust. He looked around, seeing that it was safe, Gluttony sat down, and curled up into a ball. He was now approaching Noah¡¯s waist in height.
That¡¯s a no then. Noah tried to think of why it may be, but the only conclusion he came to was that Gluttony believed wholly on its evolution path. Its mother¡ or father was very strong, so it obviously had a high tiered bloodline.
Maybe that¡¯s why it turned its nose at the other cores. Or maybe it needed a heart, or a core from a beast, not an undead monster.
Oh, or maybe it needs the proper element. Noah¡¯s shoulders perked up at the thought, but it was too late to try. He could already feel some sort of energy pulsating within his tamed wolf-bat hybrid.
Noah approached closer, in hopes that he wouldn¡¯t react negatively. THankfully, Gluttony didn¡¯t move an inch as Noah got closer. It was a sign of trust.
At first, Noah thought that it was mana, not Expansion energy. But now that he was in front of him, he could tell that it was expansion. He wondered if Krall was the same, but he just couldn¡¯t detect it at the time because he hadn¡¯t awakened to Shards himself.
Whatever it was, Noah was about to sit down, and wait for the good news, but something happened that shouldn¡¯t have. Something was approaching from the door on the other side of the room.
Given the density of the doors, he was surprised he could even hear anything at all. At first Noah believed that it was going to be Declan, or Thraz. Or perhaps Victor?
Snarling, Noah prepared his spear, and shield, and stood in front of Gluttony like a mother protecting its fledgling.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
However, when the doors opened, it was clear it wasn¡¯t Victor, nor was it any other human. It was a hulking zombie of gigantic proportions. It had a patchy head of hair, like a doll that had a hair transplant. Most of its flesh was stripped away, displaying the tough, rippling muscle underneath, and each stomp of its foot was disorderly, like it had just woken up from a deep slumber, or had drunk too much of the fun juice.
Level 56 - Wandering Zombie Ogre
Well that¡¯s just great. Noah spat at the dungeon. Of course, who was to say that the undead would just remain in their own rooms?!
Despite the surprise of the sudden intruder. Wait, aren¡¯t I the intruder? Noah shook his head and decided to act first.
Bolting forward, he decided to stay in front just in case the zombie decided to hurl its monstrous hammer at Gluttony.
Just as he was a couple metres from the monster, Noah activated his thrust shard, and [Power Shot]. His spear shot out like he was throwing a javelin, and with the increased power granted from [Power Shot], it slammed straight into the ogres skull.
The tip of his spectral spear disappeared, but with sparks, it failed to go any further.
Not dropping to the ground like Noah half expected, the ogre hefted its humungous hammer. With speed, it swung it through the air, tumbling in protest, it boomed, heading toward Noah¡¯s small body.
Time slowed. Noah didn¡¯t know whether it had a skill that would somehow travel towards Gluttony, so he decided to risk defending. He decided to trust in his added stats.
Noah activated [Beastly Aegis] and something shocking occurred. Tendrils of shadows grew from his shield. He didn¡¯t know what to expect, but an eldritch horror definitely wasn¡¯t one of them.
Whether it was that, it latched around the incoming hammer, then smashed right into him. Undoubtedly the impact was lessened a considerable amount, yet the force caused Noah to stumble, then crash to the floor. Tumbling, he regained his balance, and counterattacked.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in his arm, his spear flicked at the monster''s eyes. Piercing one, it continued through, but a numbing sensation caused Noah¡¯s spear to halt.
Shit, was it a stunning skill? Whatever it was, Noah bit his tongue, restoring the feeling into his limbs.
Noah decided to blink backward in a straight line from the next attack as the zombie''s hammer smashed into the floor, creating a miniature creature where it struck.
Preparing himself, he waited for a wave of force to arrive, but it didn¡¯t. It doesn¡¯t have a long range skill. Noah noted, and with that, he could move freely.
Noah used [Shadow Blink] without reservations, his spear devastating the zombie ogres body. It had one major weakness: speed. One that Noah took full advantage of. It had powerful strength, but if it couldn¡¯t hit a target, that strength was useless.
Blinking beyond the attack, crouching just in front of the monster''s chest, he activated all his offensive skills. His spear blasted through the soft tissue in its throat, and straight up into its brain.
Unlike the other zombies that didn¡¯t have any blood, red spurted out from the wound, covering the unsuspecting Noah entirely.
However, his heart dropped when he received no kill notification. Wrong area?! Noah quickly blinked out of range from the zombie. His mana was dwindling, and so was his trace amounts of Expansion energy.
He dodged another slam without using blink, and as soon as the hammer impacted the ground, a snarling growl emerged from behind.
Gluttony has evolved!
Wolf-bat -> Wolthorn.
Noah glanced behind his shoulder. His eyes widened.
Gluttony was now way above his waist, almost reaching the top of his chest. He was far more streamlined than his parents. Bat ears, unicorn, short black fur, piercing purple eyes, and two blades on either side of its legs.
It bolted forward. Noah was worried about him getting too close as he was well aware of the ogre¡¯s strength. One hit, and Gluttony would become meat paste. But he didn¡¯t have to worry.
Blending into the shadows to the point that Noah could no longer detect it, Gluttony reappeared and swiped its claws in the air five metres away from the zombie.
Noah was wondering what he was doing, but his palms itched in the next moment. It threw a purple black blade straight for the ogres chest. With a tear, it struck the already wounded chest thanks to Noah¡¯s attacks, and raked open its chest..
Blood splashed, and a beating heart was revealed.
¡°Good boy!¡± Noah shouted as he blinked forward. His spear pierced the heart, and finally, the notification rang out within his head.
You defeated a - Level 56 Wandering Zombie Ogre.
| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 50 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 51
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 50 -> Krall level 51
Gluttony has Levelled up.
| Gluttony level 27 -> Gluttony level 31
Noah took a moment to recover his breathing. Fighting without a mount was taxing as he had long realised. In the next few minutes, the walls started trembling.
¡°So that¡¯s why the room didn¡¯t move.¡± Shaking his head, he took the core from the zombie, and walked ahead into the next room.
Everything was dead. Well, re-dead since the undead now lay motionless on the floor without their heads.
At first he thought that it was the ogres doing, but there were numerous weapon wounds. Broken arrow shafts even lay scattered on the floor.
Noah had finally caught up to the others. It was a huge maze, but now he was on the right track.
¡°Let¡¯s go say hello, shall we, Gluttony?¡± Gluttony walked over. Despite him almost being taller than Noah, his footsteps made no noise. Like a remnant of a shadow, it stopped in front of Noah.
Smiling, Noah leapt on his back. ¡°Run.¡±
With the order, Gluttony blasted down the hallway at a speed that Krall could only dream of. Hair buffeted by the wind, Noah¡¯s smile widened.
Chapter 99 + Announcement!
Manu stood with his men outside the impenetrable domain; where the pillar of blue light stabbed into the heavens. To get here, he and his men had to spend flesh, and blood. After all, the jungles of Imprexis were notorious for being almost impossible to traverse. In fact, a few of them had died reaching this point.
All Manu could do was offer them a prayer to the emperor Zephara. They had been given the order, and the Golden Mercs would do anything for a golden coin. Of course, they¡¯d spend it the next day in the city''s tavern, gulping down the finest ale from around the world, and enjoying the company of the most beautiful men, and women, in Ruaturn.
Imprexis¡ Manu thought as he gazed up at the seemingly never ending vines of the impenetrable domain.
Imprexis was a land that was always shrouded in mystery. It was where monsters came to life, evolved, and grew sentience. They became human. With their powerful magic, nothing, and no-one ever had the chance of entering these jungles. Some named it the enchanted jungle. There have long been rumours that there is an ancient pyramid hidden somewhere within, but nobody has ever seen it.
It was another reason no-one had yet to enter the impenetrable domain. If one tried to burrow beneath it, they would be impaled by living vines. If they attempted to fly above it, the same vines would turn one into a kebab. Fertiliser for the enchanted vines.
So far, there had been no activity since the emergence of the pillar of light, and tensions were rising amongst the Golden Mercs. Nobody wanted to be here for much longer, and yet, he didn¡¯t blame them. He was of the same mind. The sooner he could get back out of this dreadful heat, humidity, and death, the better.
Golden-fire ale. Manu resisted the urge to click his tongue.
Yet, he was resolute in his orders. He wouldn¡¯t betray them even if it meant death. If Sesostris ordered him to come here, then he would do so without complaint. For all his master did, it was the least he could do¡
¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Khufu asked.
Manu was about to ask what he was talking about, but a green, almost black mist rolled out from behind the thick foliage to their left.
¡°Hallowed mist¨C¡± Manu¡¯s eyes bulged.
It was the Hallowed Mist from the Shadowed isles. His heart pulsed. It shouldn¡¯t be here; it was impossible. From the Shadowed Isles, to here, was thousands of miles, yet here it was.
¡°Everyone, retreat!¡± Manu barked out the order, but it was too late. The mist had already caught them. Surrounded them. Everyone backed up, confused, scared.
The mist didn¡¯t smell of anything, but as it brushed against Manu¡¯s flesh, the feeling of dread pulled at his heartstrings. His eyes attempted to pierce through the veil smoke, but he couldn¡¯t see anything. He was being watched. The hairs tingling on the nape of his neck told him so.
Yidos grabbed his shoulder, her voice severe. ¡°Commander, we need to get out of here.¡±
Frowning, Manu nodded. ¡°Everyone follow my lead¨C¡±
However, his words were interrupted. The wall of vines next to him trembled. At first, he expected them to attack, but that wasn¡¯t the case. From vivid green, they wilted ever so slowly. The deep shade of green transformed darker and darker until it turned black. In the next moment, it started falling. Piece by piece, the tall wall was dying until a large section of it collapsed.
Manu didn¡¯t understand. Why was the impenetrable domain that had formed just a few days ago, dying? Was it the mist from the shadow isles doing it? He didn¡¯t know.
Following the wall¡¯s destruction, something emerged from the mist. A spectre. It didn¡¯t have a form, and even looking closely, it looked just like a humanoid clump of air. It moved forward at an unthreatening pace.
Khufu, one of the newest recruits, held out his hand as his eyes lost their focus.
¡°Stop you fool!¡± Manu moved on instinct in an attempt to rip Khufu away, but it was too late. He wasn¡¯t fast enough, and because of that, the spectre entered his body.
Eyes turning a ghastly dark green, the same colour of mist left his mouth in a haze the next moment. Then his veins changed, bones snapped from his wrist, arms, and back. Head snapping to Manu, tendrils of green emerged within his iris. Fingers grew into sharpened blades, he shot forward.
Thud. Yidos fired a penetrating arrow that met Khufu''s charge. Through his skull, it splattered his brains against the decaying vines behind.
¡°Run!¡± Manu ordered and together with his Golden Merc¡¯s, charged through the jungle.
Hallowed screams followed them. Chased them. Followed closely was the rushing of footsteps. Manu glanced back, and the same¡ monsters were following him, and his teams mad dash through the jungle.
Yidos fired numerous arrows that all hit their mark. One of the monsters tried to dodge, but in a split second the arrow ignited, and exploded. The force brought with it a wave that pushed back the jungle foliage in their surroundings.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
It was a testament to her power.
The foliage was becoming thinner, yet the monsters were gaining on them.
The Shadowed Isles is expanding. Manu thought as he broke through the tree-line. However, his heart only sank further.
In the distance was an island, but from it, it was pulsating out a thick billowing mist that was dark green in colour. It was the same mist that was chasing them. The same mist that brought forth the monsters.
He was about to turn, but his body jolted forward. Gazing down, a blade had pierced through his chest. Red bloomed like an eerie flower.
His own men had turned against him.
Stumbling forward, Yidos screamed. Multiple arrows splintered off, reaping the lives of dozens of men, and women in a second. Her eyes glowed a sinister bright green. But it wasn¡¯t the same green of the hallowed mist.
They were primal and beautiful.
¡°Get out of here, Yidos.¡± Manu mumbled through the taste of iron as blood seeped past his lips.
Yidos grit her teeth, then fired an arrow straight into Manu¡¯s skull.
¡°Imprexis is watching, Manu,¡± Yidos said. ¡°We were right all along. The world will change, but we are ready.¡±
***
Victor gazed at the others. Would they attack him? Those were the thoughts running through his head as he held his dual wielded hand-scythes.
¡°Where¡¯s Chloe?¡± Kira took a step forward. Cai mimicked her, standing more in front than beside.
Victor grit his teeth. ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡±
¡°What?¡± Kira¡¯s eyes turned wicked. brandishing her weapon, she was about to charge at Victor, but cai held her back. ¡°Let me go!¡±
¡°Did you kill her?¡± Declan asked, also with his weapon at the ready.
¡°Of course I didn¡¯t,¡± Victor snapped. ¡°It was Thraz who killed her. Skeletons appeared from everywhere, we were just trying to escape.¡±
¡°You¡¯re a liar!¡± Kira said.
¡°Believe what you want, but Chloe was my friend.¡± Victor trembled. Images of her body being split in half tore at his mind. They were images that reminded him of how weak he was.
¡°Victor, do you have any shame?¡± Declan sighed. ¡°Skeletons appeared, just trying to escape? Such elementary words are meant to convince us?¡±
¡°Screw this.¡± Victor¡¯s eyes turned red and an aura that shocked the others emerged from his soul.
Most took steps back in fear. Even the strongest of the group weren¡¯t spared as Victor could finally taste what he had been missing. For so long he had lost his way. He had been so stupid.
He took a few words from his father: to not become injured to become prey, and took them as gospel. No, he was wrong. If one wanted to carve a path of blood, one had to be prepared to welcome wounds as a kiss of life.
In the end, it was Noah that had taught him his mistake.
Victor blinked forward at a speed that left the others shocked. His fear had stunned them. Even if they were to react in time, it was of no use.
His blade glide passed Cai¡¯s throat. Blood spurted as he blinked amongst them once more. He aimed for the pretty dark elf, but her friend got in the way.
No matter. His blade flicked through the air, around the male dark elf¡¯s huge sword, and through his throat. Straight through until nothing was left to connect his head.
Head falling to the floor, an arrow pierced the air. He blinked, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough. The arrow gouged a slice into his arm. Blood spilled, but no longer would he be fearful of a wound. It was a necessary sacrifice.
Isn¡¯t that right, Noah? Victor smiled as he blinked forward once more. He appeared in front of Chloe¡¯s sister, his weapon cleaving toward her face.
Just as it was about to make contact, Cai used his body as a shield. Blood poured from his throat, yet there was breath still remaining.
Victor grunted, and cut Cai¡¯s throat once more until his head slammed onto the floor.
¡°Lorena, stop his movement!¡± Declan shouted his command.
Lorena acted as swift as the wind. Her arrow shot out, then splintered off.
He blinked once again, but a piece of shrapnel tore into his flesh. It was jagged, like broken glass, yet it didn¡¯t matter. His armour quickly pushed out the piece of arrow, and restored his wound in seconds.
Perks of an Epic tier armour set. Victor moved. His scythe flashed, and two more men were killed. He remembered one of them, the halfling healer, Jonathan.
Victor was about to attack again, but booming footsteps from his rear made him cautious. He blinked a distance away before looking at the entrance. A familiar figure appeared, or two.
Thraz and Noah¡¯s pathetic mount.
Everyone stopped. Afraid to make the first move.
Afraid. Victor took in a deep breath as power surged within his body. With so many feared, he could feel the added power in every muscle¨C
From the shadows between Krall and Thraz, a black spear appeared. He attempted to blink, but he couldn¡¯t react in time.
It tore into his body, his chest. The breath was knocked out of him and he stumbled back a few steps before laying his eyes onto the newcomer.
Noah appeared out of the shadows like a phantom. Atop a strange beast, he grinned. Excitement was visible in his eyes, like a predator that had finally come upon its prey.
¡°Hey Victor, prepare to die.¡± Noah said with excitement as he bolted forward.
Victor willed his body to move, but it wouldn¡¯t listen to him. However, in the next second, his body became weightless as a massive amount of power filled every inch of his body.
Naira, the Goddess of Fear, has picked you as her Chosen.
¡°Do not disappoint me, Aspect of Fear.¡±
An ancient voice thrummed within Victor¡¯s head. With a smile of his own despite the grievous wound in his body, he moved.
Chapter 100
Noah didn¡¯t know why Victor had just received a power-up. Was it a stimulant, a skill, or something else?
With Noah¡¯s recent knowledge of Expansion, the energy that was now radiating from Victor was staggering. But he could tell it wouldn¡¯t last long. The wolf-man¡¯s limbs were trembling, and Noah could hear the bones creak under his fur flesh.
Victor moved. It was incredibly fast, and if Noah hadn¡¯t managed to tame Gluttony, and level him up beforehand, he doubted he would be able to handle his new speed.
But now it was different. With his new mount focusing on speed, when Noah blinked, it was the same for Gluttony. They reappeared into the shadows, only to bolt out in a flash of movement.
Noah thrust his spear at Victor¡¯s skull, but he blinked to the side, and attacked Noah¡¯s leg. His blade sliced against his armoured greaves. However, he forgot about Gluttony.
Natural blades emerging from his legs, they tore into Victor¡¯s flesh like a phantom blade.
Blinking away, Victor snarled. It was difficult dealing with a mounted warrior. He not only had to worry about the long range of his spear, but the sharp fangs of his beast.
¡°Hey Victor, aren''t you forgetting something?¡± Noah chuckled. As if he wasn¡¯t taking this seriously. He wasn¡¯t.
Noah gazed around. Both entrances were blocked, and now Thraz, and Krall were stampeding toward Victor like a rampaging bull on steroids. Filled with wrath, they wanted to separate the wolf-man¡¯s limbs from his body.
Victor seemed to realise the situation he was in. He blinked away, trying to run toward one of the doors, but he was met with resistance.
Lorena fired her arrows, each one aimed straight for the vitals, while the others stood in his way.
¡°Noah, face me on your own!¡± Victor snarled, blinking, dodging another arrow. ¡°Or are you scared?¡±
Noah shook his head. His view of the wolf-man couldn¡¯t be lower. Ever since he had first met him, all he had been doing was running away. Now, faced with him once more, he was trying to slither away again. But Noah wouldn¡¯t let him.
¡°Sure thing.¡± Gluttony walked forward, graceful like a large cat.
¡°Without your mount,¡± Victor snarled.
¡°Well, you wouldn¡¯t want me to fight without my strength, would you?¡± Noah teased. ¡°But fine, if you want it so bad, I¡¯ll give you a handicap.¡±
Noah climbed off Gluttony and had him stand behind.
His words only seemed to incense the wolf-man as his eyes turned red. In a flash, Victor moved at high speed and clashed with Noah. Metal met metal in a sparking explosion.
Hit after hit, blood seeped from both of them.
Noah blinked to the side, within a shadow, and activated his Thrust Shard. Like a javelin leaving his spear, it pierced the air, slicing through Victor''s shoulder.
Victor replied with a blink of his own. Not only his blade, but from the top of his shoulder, a red haze emerged like a bloodied mist. The red in his eyes became more vibrant as they gazed into Noah¡¯s soul.
A fear grabbed hold of his heart. Noah¡¯s sight moved from the outside world, to within his mind. Images flashed from his childhood. He was curled up in a ball, in a dirty alleyway. Rain dripped from the buildings, soaking him until his clothes stuck to his body like a second skin. He was cold, alone. Noah crawled forward, until his head emerged from the night alleyway.
In the distance, looming high above was the multiversal broadcast. People killed each-other, worked with each-other, and loved each-other. It was a new world filled with untold possibilities, and although it was filled with violence, sparks of¡ more existed within.
It was his chance of a new life.
The world turned black. It was the same feeling when he was hidden in the shadows. It wasn¡¯t loneliness this time, but it was powerful. Something called out to him, like his eyes had always been shut, and for the first time, he opened them.
An enormous pair of white monstrous teeth opened its maw, then engulfed him entirely. His eyes snapped open. Victor was in front of him.
Noah activated [Beastly Aegis] and raised his shield. Dark tendrils emerged from his wooden shield. They grabbed hold of Victor¡¯s blade, slowing it down, but his impressive speed managed to get through the darkness, and clash against his shield. But the strength difference was too much.
Grunting, Noah slammed his shield into Victor, sending him tumbling back.
Krall was itching to join the fight, but Noah told him not to. This was a fight between the two of them.
However, Gluttony had a mind of his own. Like a stubborn child, he slunk into the shadows, and Noah could only smirk at his actions. Well, he didn¡¯t blame him.
Noah summoned another thrust, and threw it at Victor as he approached, but the wolf-man blinked to the side, then blinked once more to close the distance.
Spear held at the front, he flicked it when Victor attempted to move to his flank. With his keen eyesight, Noah kept track of him. The spear tip aimed right between his eyes.
Gritting his teeth, Victor ducked below, and snapped his leg to the spears shaft in an acrobatic kick.
Noah was surprised at the flexibility, but it made sense considering he was specialised in agility. He attempted to regain control of his spear, moving it to his front, but Victor was already in front of him. Having to give up on his attack, Noah blinked backward, into the shadows.
Victor lost sight of him for a second, but it was all Noah needed. He summoned another lance from his Thrust shard, and threw it forward with [Power Shot] activated. It surged through the air, piercing Victor¡¯s stomach. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Noah knew that the wound wasn¡¯t enough. The damned wolf-man was like a snake, shifting his body this way and that, dodging his attacks.
Chasing him after a second, Victor used a new skill that he hadn¡¯t seen before. The haze of red above him warped, and what appeared to be ghosts, shot forward. Mouth open, it seemed that they wanted to bite Noah.
He wasn¡¯t sure how it would work, but he didn¡¯t want to risk getting bitten by whatever the hell it was.
Noah threw out multiple spears with his Thrust shard while moving backwards. It proved effective as one of the javelins hit Victor square in the shoulder, while the others barely missed. Or more accurately, Victor dodged them.
It was then that Noah realised that Victor had no projectile skill. Grinning, Noah blinked away, throwing another javelin while keeping his distance.
Victor may be faster, more agile, but along with a spear, and using it as a projectile at the same time, it was difficult for the wolf-man to progress.
However, it didn¡¯t last long. Blood seeped from his eyes as the power within his body surged.
Oh what the hell now?! Noah frowned as Victor sped up even further.
Muscles bulging, skin splitting, Victor teleported far further than he was previously able to. He appeared right in front of Noah with his blades already against his throat. He grinned, razor-sharp teeth bathed in his own blood.
¡°I¡¯ve got you now,¡± Victor proclaimed. His forearms tensed, but Noah simply smiled in response.
A spectral blade appeared out of thin air. From the darkness, it tore straight through his arms as if they weren¡¯t there in the first place. Blood sprayed, and Victor¡¯s weapons fell to the floor.
Noah hefted his spear, then in an instant, shot it through Victor¡¯s heart.
Victor glanced to the side. Gluttony emerged from the shadows, snarling.
¡°You¨C¡± Victor groaned.
¡°Oh please,¡± Noah spat. ¡°How much help are you getting from your sponsors? All I get is a scant few coins. Fuck you.¡±
Noah moved forward next to his spear, and slammed Victor¡¯s skull into the ground. Lifting his foot, he stomped downward. First it was solid, then it turned into mush as a wet sound splatted underneath.
You defeated a - Level 43 Victor, The Chosen of Naira: the Goddess of Fear.
Gluttony has Levelled up.
| Gluttony level 31 -> Gluttony level 33
You have angered Naira, the Goddess of Fear.
| You have slain her Chosen.
| Your sponsors are wary of your future.
Ekralo, the Beast Tamer, has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins added.
| Rare Potion added.
| Note received: Haha! You should see the wretched goddess¡¯ face right now! You¡¯ve definitely angered her alright, she¡¯s even moving out against the Nightbear kingdom! Oh man, it¡¯s going to be a bloodbath. Here¡¯s some advice, little tamer, watch out for her other Chosen. The runt named Victor is just a little mouse that had potential.
Well, that can¡¯t be good. Noah held his knees, panting.
He took a breath to regulate his breathing. He was nearing his limit in that fight. If it went any longer, he doubted either of them would have come out of it alive.
And thankfully Declan decided to stay out of it. Well, not that he was overly worried. Krall and Thraz stood there like two brick walls. Walls that had sharp fangs, and even bigger weapons.
Krall charged forward and planted his face over Noah¡¯s shoulders.
¡°There we go buddy,¡± Noah laughed. ¡°See, I¡¯m alright.¡± Noah beat his chest. He was bleeding, but it wasn¡¯t anything serious.
More than that however, was the new strength he felt. With Krall and Gluttony next to him, it seemed that [Monster Allegiance] was taking both of them together, and adding their strength to his own.
Noah flexed his muscles, happy with the surprise.
¡°Noah!¡± Thraz ran over, only slightly behind Krall. He grabbed hold of him in a tight bear hug, yet the strength wasn¡¯t even enough to make him tense. ¡°I thought you died!¡±
¡°You can¡¯t get rid of me that easily.¡± Noah slapped the dragonborn on the shoulder and turned to Declan and the others.
¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Noah,¡± Lorena said with a slight smile. Although for the dark-elf, it looked more like a sinister grin than anything else.
¡°I hate to admit it, but it¡¯s true,¡± Declan said. He was crouched next to someone, busy trying to bandage up their wounds.
¡°Victor went insane, huh?¡± Noah asked, he approached and used some of his rarer bandages to help out the injured.
¡°He did,¡± Declan continued. ¡°I¡¯ll need to hear the story later, but we have bigger problems than that right now.¡±
¡°What¡¯s up?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the princess,¡± Lorena added. ¡°She¡¯s already fighting the boss.¡±
¡°Well that can¡¯t be good,¡± Noah mused. ¡°Did you meet her before she went in?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Declan finished bandaging the young man next to him. ¡°It was her decision to go in even without us.¡±
Noah also finished bandaging the other young woman. ¡°It means she has some confidence in being able to defeat the lord.¡±
¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± Declan nodded.
¡°Alright then, give me a second,¡± Noah said as he approached Victor¡¯s body. He wasn¡¯t going to let the spoils of his fight go to anyone else.
He was wearing armour that was half white, half leather. It had a fur collar, but it was made of coarse hairs. Not like a wolf, or any other animal he was used to. The hair did look strangely familiar, but he couldn¡¯t place his finger on it. Noah Identified it.
Level 30 Epic - Armour of Regeneration: An armour made from the blood essence of a troll king, and its bones.
| This is a set piece. The entire set increases regeneration considerably.
Noah whistled. Your sponsor was good to you. And now it¡¯s mine. Noah looked up at the sky. Hopefully the so-called goddess could see him.
Next up was the blades. Victor used some kind of dual-wielded scythes. One of them looked special. One of them was ordinary.
Epic - Level 5 - Blade of Fear: A blade that harnesses fear. When struck, reduce the wounded creature''s state of mind.
| Added Stats: Dex+5, Str+3
Interesting¡ But he had no use for it.
The armour was also nice, but it didn¡¯t have the stats he was looking for. Nor did it increase his damage with tamed monsters, which his class kind of revolved around. Despite having no use for it, he stuffed it into his backpack, then slumped it onto his back. He was ready.
Noah headed toward the other door. ¡°With us, the lord shouldn''t be a problem.¡± His words radiated confidence, but it was rightfully earned through blood, sweat, and tears.
So many times he had received the breath of death on his neck, yet here he stood. Victorious. Victor realised it too late. To advance, one had to risk having their body carved into mangled flesh.
Noah was ready for all of it.
Krall was in front. Now and then, he would sniff Gluttony, but the wolf-bat was having none of it. He kept out of his way, wary of the enormous mole-kobold hybrid.
It wasn¡¯t long before he stood in front of a huge set of golden doors.
Chapter 101
Fighting and screams emerged from the opening of the twin doors. From the darkness within the room, he spotted flashes of skills, and sometimes a healing flash from Maera highlighted her tense figure, and the dark patches of liquid covering the floor.
Blood. Noah could smell the familiar stench from a mile away, or perhaps that was thanks to his tamed monster''s beastly senses.
Whatever the reason was, Noah, on the back of Gluttony, entered the room.
You have entered the lords room - Lord Vanquisher
Noah didn¡¯t know what to expect, but honestly, it wasn¡¯t too far away from his imagination of what a boss monster would look like. Monstrous. Powerful.
It was a knight that was taller than a three story building, with streamlined armour, and a helmet with piercing blue eyes that leered at him as he entered. Noah could feel that it was rightfully a lord of a dungeon.
One of her knights lay dead on the floor, surrounded in a puddle of his own blood. In pieces.
Noah didn¡¯t really care for Maera¡¯s life. Her actions would have most likely gotten them all killed if they hadn¡¯t found the secret entrance. However, it wasn¡¯t as if he was filled with wrath. It was for a noble cause, just not one Noah subscribed to.
He had to focus on his own life before thinking about anything else.
The elf princess was fighting, dodging the attacks of the knight. Noah watched, studying the monster so that he could better understand its moves.
On the third strike of the lord''s huge two-handed sword, it suddenly dashed in a straight line, bringing its weapon along with him. It used a sword skill, sundering the floor, then projecting the blade in a straight line. It was fast, but not one Noah couldn¡¯t dodge.
Then the sixth hit arrived.
An icy hue emerged over its knightly armour, and the temperature of the room underwent a frosty transformation. Underfoot, an ice formation crashed out, sending lances toward the scattering elves.
Grabbing hold of the princess, the head knight barely managed to get out of the skills proximity, only just catching his foot. He stomped, breaking the ice, but it was clear his movements weren¡¯t as swift, or as graceful as Noah remembered.
More than that however, was the princess¡¯ constitution. Tears of red trickled down her face, and she could hardly remain on her own two feet unassisted.
¡°Do we help?¡± Thraz asked.
Noah didn¡¯t know whether Thraz just wanted to get in on the action, or if he was concerned for the maiden in need of help, but he was notified with his next words.
¡°I want to fight it.¡± He said, gripping his axe tight.
There¡¯s that then. Noah shook his head. He was of the same mind as his dragonborn friend. His hands itched in anticipation for a good fight, but he wouldn¡¯t let a golden opportunity to study his opponent, and understand its vulnerabilities go to waste.
After all, he was an assassin that relied on an overpowered sudden charge. He wasn¡¯t going to ignore that.
Maera glanced over, help signalled over eyes, but Noah wouldn¡¯t listen. Besides, for her, he had to kill it in one fell swoop. One attack. That was his plan. There was also the tier four taming mission he had to think of.
A few minutes passed, and Noah finally spotted what could be considered a weakness. True, it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that it had a gaping hole in the back of its armour, but it took that long for it to turn around completely.
To be accurate, it took twenty five strikes for it to show its back. And that was where Noah would attack. For that, he needed the elves to fight for longer. But time wasn¡¯t on their side. Battered and exhausted, they wouldn¡¯t last much longer.
¡°Everyone, attack,¡± Noah ordered. It was a simple plan of action. Simply attack. But it caused the others to look at him as if he was crazy.
However, it was Declan who nodded first, and of course his loyal tamed monster before even him: Krall.
They charged forward. Declan knew what Noah was thinking, so he had the team focus on one side. The right side, so that it provided Noah the space he needed to work on the left.
He¡¯s a good leader. Noah admitted.
Throughout the entire time since they entered, he was constantly growing, evolving.
Aren¡¯t I the same? Noah smiled at the thought. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
No longer was he a loner apart from a couple friends in Miles and Peter. His days of wandering the streets, scrounging for food, was over. He had learned to trust the dragonborn, somewhat, and had gained two loyal companions in Krall, and Gluttony.
Noah didn¡¯t know why, but an all consuming urge to kill the armoured knight coursed through his body. Like it was some sort of destiny, or something. He didn¡¯t believe in anything like that, so it was a strange sensation.
Whatever it was, he placed it to the back of his mind. The time for Noah to strike was approaching. He counted the attacks, twenty.
Blending into the shadows, he activated [Shadowed Presence] to hide further within. Along with utilising the Monster Shard, with the help of Gluttony¡¯s natural camouflage, there weren''t many in the same tier that could detect his figure as he stalked his prey.
The knight swept his sword across the ground, slamming into Cai¡¯s shield. The quality of his shield, or his strength, was lacking. Shield splitting, he was sent hurtling through the air, crashing, rolling against the ground.
His already weakened body twitched, before he stopped moving altogether.
Declan was furious, shouting, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do. He knew better than to act on emotion. He needed to stay calm, give orders until Noah could make his attack.
Krall and Thraz were mighty, but they had to play it safe. Staying out of the way from the lords rending attacks as each one was capable of splitting them in two.
Lorena fired her powerful arrows, yet the only damage they did was etch a light scratch into the lord''s armour. However, the fact that she was even able to scratch its armour meant that it wasn¡¯t an impossible monster to deal with.
Even Noah himself was curious if he could penetrate its armour with his most powerful attack, but he wouldn¡¯t leave anything to chance.
Finally, the twenty-fifth strike arrived and with it, Noah¡¯s moment of attack.
From the shadows, he blasted toward the knight. Activating all his skills, along with his shards, the mana, and expansion vanished from his body. However, the strength it brought with the cost was staggering.
Like the air was sucked out of his chest. Spear snapping through the air like a viper, his arm screamed in protest.
Hit! Noah chanted within his mind, but it only lasted a split second as his spear found its mark. Tearing through the weakness in its armour like a hot knife through butter, Noah thought it was the end.
He was wrong.
Rumbling, cracking, the so-called ¡®lord¡¯ crawled into a ball, hands over head.
Noah had a terrible feeling, so he attempted to attack the weakness again, but nothing so much as a noise left the lithe set of armour. Noah¡¯s heart sunk, and then with a blast of mana, and ice, sending Noah backwards in trepidation.
Refusing to let the knight enter an empowered form, Noah disappeared into the shadows, and emerged from the front this time.
Once more, he activated all the skills at his disposal, and aimed it at the knight''s helmet. It wasn¡¯t entirely a random attack as he noticed a small indentation at its forehead. Maybe it was a design flaw, or perhaps it had another reason Noah didn¡¯t know about.
After using his attacks for so long, against so many monsters, Noah had long learnt to control his spear with proficiency.
Using the fact the knight was still gathering power, Noah battled against its icy aura. The cold nipped his flesh, and even started to form a thin layer of ice around the bite of frost.
Gritting his teeth, he stormed toward the monster. He threw his spear at its head as hard as he possibly could. The muscles in his arm tore under the stress of using all his skills for a second time, and not to mention he wasn¡¯t fully recovered from his previous fights.
It soared through the air, and clashed against the knight''s head. Sparks flew, ice shattered, and then the spear tip disappeared within its head.
You defeated a - Level 65 Lord Vanquisher
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 51 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 55
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 51 -> Krall level 55
Gluttony has Levelled up.
| Gluttony level 33 -> Gluttony level 38
You are being watched
| Dhoom, the God Slayer has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins added.
| Verkal, the Lord Annihilator has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins adde
| Akrum, the Mounted Terror has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins added.
| Lenid, the Monster Hunter has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins added.
| Srussea Corp. has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins added.
| Ekralo, the Beast Tamer has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins added.
| Nathan Kayne, the Master Fisher has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins added.
| Kromlin, the Eldritch Being has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins added.
| Alissa, the Blood Witch has sponsored you.
| Grace Coins added.
| Meelo, the Delver has sponsored you.
¡
You have cleared the Dungeon - Birthright Castle!
| Grace Coins rewarded.
| You have gained the World''s First Title - [Solo Delver II]: Be the first to clear a dungeon. +5 to all stats.
| You have gained the World''s First Title - [Dungeoneer II]: Successfully clear a dungeon. +3 to a stat of your choice.
Noah¡¯s eyes twitched at the amount of system notifications, but he was happy. The only thing he was surprised about was the Level gain. It was a staggering amount of experience compared to what he was receiving before.
Maybe it was because it was a lord class monster? Noah didn¡¯t know.
His eyes wandered toward beyond the huge throne that was built out of ancient brick and stone, where a diamond encrusted chest lay.
Just as he was about to move, the lord vanquisher emitted a dense mist.
Chapter 102 - Rewards
The mist was made of the same frost power Noah had to fight against. From the stinging pain stabbed into his flesh, he was aware of how powerful it was.
He stood at the ready, prepared for whatever may come next, but his shoulders deflated when the mist swept away from the slight draft of wind within the throne room. Revealing the streamlined helmet, and the weapon that it used to almost take their lives.
Although now it was smaller than it once was, presumably so that it was more wieldy for smaller races such as humans, elves, or dragonborns.
However, even despite the rewards laying on the ground, ripe for the picking, everyone stood within their Systems. Shocked.
Noah himself obtained new notifications, but he warded them off in fear of someone stealing the rewards. That didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Whatever they were looking at, obviously was of great importance.
Curiosity grabbed hold of him, yet he retained his awareness of the others. Or well, Krall, and Gluttony did as they protected the chest, and the fallen rewards.
Area mission compl¨¨te.
| Enter the Dungeon and defeat the Lord.
| Reward: Epic Pathstone Fragments, Rare Skill Essence for Class, Grace Coins.
Quickly putting them in his pocket, he turned his focus onto the other, latest notification. It was the one everyone was stuck on.
Birthright Castle complete.
| Granting Unique Reward:
| Title gained - Lord: Become the ¡®Lord¡¯ of your property. You have the chance of carving out a piece of land for yourself, and gaining the rewards befitting a king. Gain bonuses with your house, and grants the ability to craft unique buildings/rooms, to further build upon your Lorddom. You are entered into the Council of Lords. Convene with other lords to face problems you may not be able to handle on your own.
Choose your Lord Path.
War Lord: Focus on the Path of War. Wage wards with other Lord¡¯s and take their kingdom and its rewards for yourself. You gain bonuses while leading from the front toward war. Raise your troops morale.
General Lord: Focus on the Path of the General. Lord over the battlefield, leading your troops, or help other Lord¡¯s dominate warfare. You can talk directly to a select few followers. Your followers are granted bonuses to battle, and morale.
Profession Lord: Focus on the Path of the Professional. Your kingdom will become a sanctuary for those wanting to focus on professions. Those who focus on professions are granted boosts to production.
Expansion Lord: Focus on the path of Expansion. With you as the centre, your land will be blessed by Expansion. Within your territory, Expansion, and gaining insight is increased.
Mercenary Lord: Focus on the path of a Mercenary. You are born for adventure, and won¡¯t be tied down to one location. Your house will be converted into a caravan that is able to be moved if you so desire. Low defensive capabilities. You can offer your services to other Lords; whether it¡¯s to slay monsters, their enemies, conscript into their army, or delve into ruins.
Monster Lord: Focus on the path of Monster. Your sanctuary will become home to monstrous races. Your monstrous allies will receive bonuses for being with you. Grants unique access to mole tunnel systems, and other buildings.
Growth Lord: Focus on the path of Growth. Your crops grow better than other lords, and their yield is increased greatly. A happy kingdom is a powerful kingdom.
If before Noah¡¯s eye was twitching, now it was spasming uncontrollably. He didn¡¯t know what to expect, but this was definitely not it.
Noah wasn¡¯t going to lie. He had forgotten about his house, albeit only slightly. Sure, the monster tamer room was the only reason why he was able to have another tamed monster in the first place. The only other use he could think of was that it provided a nice shelter, and the ability to build walls.
Shit, the protective barrier. Thinking of his house awakened him from his reverie. The hub walls should be falling soon, and that meant that whatever wild monsters craved their flesh could do so.
Noah glanced at the options once more, and for him, the decision was obvious. Not only because the Monster Lord sounded cool, and it matched his theme to a tea. But it was a bonus to monsters, to Krall, and Gluttony. Whatever made them stronger, transferred to him.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Although the Mercenary, and Expansion Lord also seemed good.
Expansion Lord would help him with everything related to Expansion, but it was a big risk. Noah felt like banking on the fact that it would help him reach an epiphany was a big risk. Sought after, not to be gained.
The Mercenary Lord on the other hand was a perfect fit for him. It allowed him to move as he wanted, without being constricted by a property to manage. The only downside to it was that it didn¡¯t offer him any offensive perks at all.
And then there was the added caveat of it being a moving town. Anyone, or thing, could assault him at any given time, destroying all of his hard work.
On the other hand, monsters were always territorial. Noah was already having ideas of how to implement his town if it was just monsters.
Monsters were already territorial, he just needed to tame a king of the area, or have Krall beat everything into submission. If that was the case, gathering soldiers would be a hell of a lot easier compared to recruiting humans who wanted equipment, wealth, and other things.
Hell, give Krall a nice juicy fish, and he¡¯d wage into war for someone.
Shaking his head, he decided on the Monster Lord.
You are now a Monster Lord.
| You gained a new title - Monster Lord: Monsters in your town and its vicinity deal 15% extra damage. Your tamed monsters deal 10% extra damage anywhere. Select a Follower, granting it 25% extra power and intelligence. Communicate with Followers from afar. Current Limit 2/2 | Grants the ability to build unique buildings.
Standing next to his tamed monsters, Noah could instantly feel the power increase course through his frame. Grinning, he was about to select Krall, and Gluttony as his new followers, but stopped himself.
Pinching his chin in thought, Noah calculated the future. Or at least attempted his best, anyway.
He would need someone to look after his property. Someone, or something to stay back and defend, and deal with the inner goings of the town. Krall wasn¡¯t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and Gluttony would be his premier mount from now on thanks to his stealth capabilities.
Does Thraz count as a monster? Noah wondered what made something monstrous. Somehow, he doubted he did indeed count as a monster, but maybe he would be surprised.
Regardless, Thraz didn¡¯t have reliable intelligence either. All he wanted to do was fight, and prove that he had the right to be one of Bor¡¯s descendents.
So that meant he had to tame something that had high Intelligence. The stat kind, and one that could actually talk.
Noah wasn¡¯t exactly walking blind in that regard. He had seen a few sentient monsters while watching the multiversal broadcast back on earth. They could talk, think, plan, strategise, and even one of them was a commander in a human army.
There was a lot of backstory to that, of course, but the fact remained. There was intelligent life out there for him to tame. For that, he would need to upgrade his taming room first.
Mind thrumming in pain from the amount of thinking, he roused himself from his thoughts, and sauntered to the loot.
Noah had one more notification left, but everyone was awakening from their System. He had to make his move.
Picking up the sword with his foot, and without looking at what it was, Noah kicked it over to Thraz. He used a two-handed sword, while Noah had no interest in it.
It was unwieldy, inaccurate for thrusting, and generally would be an awful weapon for him. However, he was hoping Krall would go back to being a bipedal creature so that he could use offensive equipment, but that was just a pipe dream.
Next up was the helmet, and Noah had no intention of sharing if it was good.
Epic - Level 50 - Vanquishing Helmet: Grants sight of the Vanquisher, allowing the wearer to see the lifeforce of their enemies, and any minor weaknesses they may have.| Added stats: Str+50, Con+50, Dex+30, Will+20
Smiling in glee, Noah placed it on his head, and the added stats became apparent. More than that however, was the ability that it had given him.
Looking over to Declan and the others, a red hue shone from the centre of their chest. It¡¯s their heart. Next up was the weakness, a little blue mark sparkled, but it was faint, and in the next instant, it disappeared as the host moved.
Declan and the others noticed that Noah had taken the lord''s loot for himself, but they were currently standing over two dead bodies. One was Cai, the other, a girl. Noah didn¡¯t recall her name, or much of her presence.
Finally, Noah moved to the diamond chest. Thraz and Krall walked over with him, both peering at the jewelled box. Then Declan, Lorena, and the others walked over.
¡°We deserve something,¡± Declan said.
¡°What if everything is designed for me?¡± Noah asked with a faint smile.
¡°Then it¡¯ll be shit luck.¡±
Noah agreed. Without further ado, he opened the box. Eyes widening, his hands trembled at the sight.
Chapter 103 - Rewards Part 2
Within, was an assortment of equipment that all had the same theme of the ¡®Lord¡¯ and his armour. They all appeared knightly, grand, something that didn¡¯t seem to belong on Noah¡¯s body.
Yet he grabbed hold of them all the same. They looked awesome, and anything that matched his helmet was a welcome addition.
First up was a staff encrusted with fine jewels. Regardless of what the rarity was, Noah bet he could fetch a pretty penny for it on the blackmarket. If there was one in this world, that was.
Rare - level 45 - Grand Healing Sceptre: A healing sceptre belonging to the royal healers of Birthright Castle.
| Added stats: Int+40, Will+40
| Healing is 15% more effective.
| Has a very small chance to cure incurable diseases.
Noah¡¯s brows rose at the mention of the added Willpower. But it wasn¡¯t meant to be. He had already attempted to use other weapons on his body to raise his stat level, but it didn¡¯t count when they were in his pack, or on his waist. They needed to be in active use for the stats to work.
He was going to keep it for himself. Either that or sell it to Maera, but he had a better idea. He was thinking of the future, instead of instant gain.
¡°Are you a Lord?¡± Noah looked at Maera over his shoulder.
The beautiful elven princess was in a sorry state of affairs. Her dress was beyond ruined, and the white of her flesh peered through, if not for the red that stained it. Maera¡¯s hair was also tattered, like she had been dragged through a thorn bush.
Maera nodded, then her eyes spotted the sceptre. Her expression turned grim.
Happy at the words, Noah nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping this for now then. When you get your town all set up, you¡¯ll have to share in the spoils. Alright?¡±
¡°How do I know that the sceptre is worth that promise?¡± Maera asked.
Noah shrugged, and threw the sceptre over to Maera. Her knight; Faelar, snatched it in the air, then gracefully presented it to his princess.
The moment the elf inspected it, her eyes widened.
¡°Well?¡± Noah asked.
¡°This is extortion,¡± Knight Faelar spat. ¡°We have earned the right to our fair share. We have sacrificed, and you are going to rip that away from us?¡±
¡°Jeez, when you say it like that you make me out to be the villain.¡± Noah feigned being hurt. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one that left us all to die on that field in the first place. The moment the big orc attacked, you ran like the wind. We thought you would fight with us. Some of us died, you know?¡±
¡°Like you care about that!¡± Faelar shouted, his professional demeanour cracking.
¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t care about them,¡± Noah said. ¡°But I care about my friends.¡± He nudged his nose to Thraz, then to Krall. ¡°Your actions. Your betrayal, placed them in danger. You have sacrificed your right.¡±
Noah knew it was harsh. But just the reward of becoming a Lord was far more than the princess was expecting. She had lost one knight, but her dream of creating a sanctuary for her people was now in reach thanks to the Lordship of a town.
It was also a way to get back at Maera for annoying him. Betraying him.
Princess Maera sighed, but in the end she was forced to agree. ¡°Then what is the deal?¡±
¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯ve come to an understanding,¡± Noah said. ¡°One second.¡±
Noah opened up the shop. There was only one thing that he recalled that could be used for such a time.
Absolute Contract: A contract that is forced into the law of Gods. Once one pledges on the contract, it is enforced until the terms are complete.
| Grace Coins: 2500
It was cheap all things considered and it was just what he wanted. What he needed for those untrustworthy. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
You have purchased an - Absolute Contract.
Appearing in his hands, it was a rolled up piece of paper with the colour of bone. It was blank, but Noah imagined there was a reason for that.
¡°I¡¯ll grant you the healing sceptre now, but when there comes a time in the future where I need help, you will come to my aid,¡± Noah said, unfurling the paper.
Maera thought about it for a moment, but Noah could see her eyes leer at the sceptre. She wanted it. Perhaps even needed. It would help keep her people alive for the coming days, and with such a tool, it would be a long time before she was able to upgrade it.
Finally nodding, she promised on her honour as a member of elven nobility. Golden scribbles filled the piece of paper, then it split down the middle. One for her, one for Noah.
Sure, it was a gamble on Noah¡¯s part. He didn¡¯t know how useful the Lord titles were going to be, or how important the towns were. But if it was a reward for completing a high level dungeon, then who was he to question it?
He could gain some coins, or swap the sceptre for a piece of equipment, but he didn¡¯t really need anything they had. There was no telling how strong Maera¡¯s kingdom would become with an army of intelligent elves. Also, as a healer, she had a lot of pull. People would be lining up to receive healing, and hence, become benefactors.
Noah placed his contract in his bag, before swiftly turning back around to the chest.
He ignored all the others as Noah¡¯s hands latched around a long spear. No, Noah looked closer, it was almost cylindrical in appearance boasting a savage point. He had seen it before, but only from competitions on the internet. It was a jousting lance.
Remembering the first time he had witnessed a jousting competition, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was awesome watching the knights slam their lance into the other knight, only for it to smash into pieces.
But this one was obviously of supernatural quality. Not made of wood like the knights weapons from old. Peter had warned him about using lances as they were unwieldy. Back in the mediaeval times, they were used for a one use shock charge; only for the knight to drop it in favour of a sidearm. Maybe a sword or mace.
However, for Noah, it was perfect. With his strength, he could brandish his lance back, and pierce in one swift motion. He could also project it forward, and it being a lance would offer more strength than his spear.
After all, he relied on one swift attack anyway.
Using Identify, Noah couldn¡¯t help but smile.
Rare - level 45 - Royal Lance: A jousting lance belonging to the royal cavalry of Birthright Castle.
| Added stats: Str+50, Con+30
| First attack is increased by a small amount.
Noah nodded in excitement as he took out the next item. It was a slender armour, and to his surprise, it wasn¡¯t created for humans, but horses.
But I mean, technically my companions can use it? Noah thought as he held it out in front of him. It was a flexible metal that had clasps designed to fit around a horse¡¯s chest/stomach.
Rare - level 45 - Royal Cavalry Armour: : A durable armour belonging to the royal cavalry of Birthright Castle.
| Added stats: Con+50, Str+30
| Reduces damage by a small amount.
Noah took the armour and placed it on Krall. At first he was wondering how it was going to fit, but thankfully, magically, it increased in size in order to facilitate Krall¡¯s humongous frame.
There were two reasons why he let Krall wear it and not Gluttony.
First was because its ability to reduce damage was much more effective on Krall. He was able to take more damage anyway, so this would just make him a murdering bulldozer.
The second reason was that he honestly didn¡¯t plan on getting hit too much. With Gluttony, he could stay in the shadows longer, and be more hidden than before. Due to that reason, it would be a waste as Krall would get far more use out of it than Gluttony.
The rest of the items were an assortment of weapons, and equipment, but Noah didn¡¯t want to take everything.
Maera¡¯s knight was correct on one thing. The people here had fought with their lives on the line, and they deserved its rewards just as much as he did. He was no thief. The items received were their own.
Of course, he still wanted to act out the role of santa. Maybe it was a childhood dream since he was forever deprived of Christmas, but he was always alone on that day. Well, he was alone most days, However, it was especially sour on Christmas.
He had also taken a curved blade for Samira. The woman was protecting his house, it was the least he could do.
Noah walked over to Lorena, handing over the bow. He stood in front of her for a minute, just staring at her with a smile.
Lorena took a step back, before glancing at her bodyguard.
He whispered, ¡°Princess, I think he wants you to thank him?¡±
Lorena was about to question it, but she decided against that. ¡°Thank you,¡± She said helplessly.
¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Noah beamed a smile and walked over to the others, each given them a gift, and receiving their thanks.
It¡¯s pretty fun. Noah couldn¡¯t help but admit. However, time was running out, and there was more of the castle to explore.
He still vividly remembered the stairs descending god knows how far down below. Why did it go down so far?
Noah wanted to figure it out.
Chapter 104 - Bloodline
Noah was aware he was running against time. Soon, the Hub¡¯s walls would vanish, and the survivors would be beset by monsters. Without the strongest to fight for them, Noah could only imagine what would happen.
However, he couldn¡¯t let the opportunity go to explore more of the dungeon. There was a whole underground layer that was out of the way, and after saying goodbye to Declan and the rest of them, Noah was currently descending the steps.
¡°I¡¯m surprised there is more to this place,¡± Thraz said, then his reptilian eyes looked at him. ¡°Hey, did you fall down here when Victor pushed you down the hole?¡±
¡°I did,¡± Noah said. ¡°Thanks for the reminder.¡±
¡°Wow, what was that like?¡± Thraz asked. ¡°Falling must have been fun.¡±
¡°I thought I was going to die, Thraz.¡±
¡°Yes but it was fun, wasn''t it?¡±
Noah thought for a moment, and nope, it wasn¡¯t fun.
He really thought he was going to die, and not having Krall with him was a boring experience. But now Krall was skipping down the stairs, while Gluttony made the ride comfortable. Unlike Krall, the bat-wolf hybrid was far more graceful. Each step was like walking on clouds.
¡°I can¡¯t say falling to my death was fun,¡± Noah repeated.
¡°That sucks,¡± Thraz continued. ¡°My brother used to tell me stories of how our great ancestors leapt from mountains to awaken their wings. The fall would unlock something within our blood, allowing us to spring forth to our true form. So me and my brother climbed a tall mountain at the back of our great marshland where the story began.¡±
¡°That sounds amazing,¡± Noah replied, turning to Thraz with curiosity. ¡°What happened next?¡±
¡°Well, he prayed to the god of dragons, Bor, for seven days, and seven nights.¡±
Noah listened patiently. He was half interested in Thraz¡¯s family, but mostly he was fascinated about how the dragonborns awakened their wings. Maybe he could pry something out of the story to help his tamed companions.
Krall with wings? Hell yeah.
¡°And what happened then?¡± Noah added.
¡°I¡¯m getting there Noah, this is my story to tell!¡± Thraz snarled.
¡°Alright, don¡¯t get your loincloth in a twist.¡±
¡°Hm,¡± Thraz continued. ¡°After my brother prayed to Bor, he walked up to the edge of the mountain. At first I was concerned that it wouldn¡¯t work, but after witnessing the devout prayers of my brother, I was on his side.¡±
Noah was about to interrupt again, but he stopped himself just in time. So he grew his wings then? Maybe I need to throw Krall off a mountain as well?!
Krall glanced over his shoulder, tilting his head at his master¡¯s fantasies. His tongue left his draconic mouth, panting. As happy as a kobold-mole could be as he anticipated his next battle.
¡°As the wind blowed its gentle breeze, and the scent of¨C¡±
Noah sighed, trailing his finger against the wall. ¡°Can you just get to the good part?¡±
¡°My brother stepped off the mountain, fell as fast as a weighted bull,¡± Thraz said.
¡°And he awakened his wings?¡± Noah asked in anticipation.
¡°No, he splattered to his death.¡± Thraz shook his head. ¡°It was really messy. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it, just guts, and blood everywhere. My father had to scrape his flesh off a rock.¡±
¡°What the hell.¡± Noah grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be sorry.¡± Thraz said with a smile. ¡°He died a glorious death. My brother may not have awakened his wings, but his spirit lives on. Now that is passed on to me, I will one day accomplish what he could not.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think you should do that?¡±
¡°No, I will!¡± Thraz shouted. ¡°I will gain my wings and ascend to dragonhood.¡±
Noah attempted to steer Thraz¡¯s thinking somewhere else. He didn¡¯t want his companion to become a meat paste on a rock. Noah placed his hand on Thraz¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thraz, how many of the strongest dragonborns have wings?¡±
¡°All of them?¡± Thraz asked, scratching his head. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡±
¡°Well,¡± Noah continued, ¡°how cool would it be when you become stronger than all of them, and you didn¡¯t even need wings?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Thraz¡¯s eyes widened, a booming laughter followed. He slapped Noah¡¯s back, but the human no longer was affected by the dragonborns strength.
¡°That is true!¡± Thraz said. ¡°You are right Noah. What would Bor think if I beat all his descendants with a crutch? You really are smart.¡±
Noah sighed in relief. ¡°I know I am.¡± Noah stopped. They were reaching the bottom of the stairs, and they had long passed where the path from the cave was.
He peered into the room. It was pitch black, but thankfully for all of them, they could all see in the dark. Thraz was from the marshes, and there, it was always dark.
The room was massive, and if he guessed correctly, it was at least a mile long, and a mile wide. Far larger than a football pitch. But why would they need so much room?
At first Noah surmised that it was used for storage, but there were no bags of grain, or whatever a mediaeval castle stored their perishables within. A box? Noah shook his head and walked further in. Whatever was here, would come out when he made himself into a nice juicy snack.
And he was right.
From the centre of the room, a ghoul around twenty feet tall wearing a bone crown blasted out of the ground.
Was this the second lord?
Level ?? - Grave Keeper.
With that idea shot in the foot, boils appeared on the monster''s flesh, and when it roared, the boils burst, firing out live zombies straight for them.
Noah resisted the urge to vomit at the sight, and especially the smell, as they began their assault. Thraz and Krall from the front. Noah and Gluttony from within the shadows.
Firing out projectile spears, and Gluttony¡¯s spectral blades made from Expansion the grave keepers back was soon slashed into a gorey mess.
The grave keeper swung its humongous shovel, smashing into Krall, sending him hurtling backward. But with Trollsblood activating, Krall stubbornly rushed forward to meet its attacks once more. The wounds he suffered were healed quickly.
With another powerful spear disappearing into the ghouls deep, fatty flesh, it spun around.
But Thraz was still there, he split the tide of ghouls that surrounded him. Turning his attention to the huge ghoul, his enormous sword glowed an earthen hue, and cleaved into the monster''s leg, severing it in two.
Falling, Noah was ready for his attack. He used all his offensive techniques, powered by Gluttony¡¯s [Charge], Noah pierced the monster''s skull with a projectile spear.
You defeated a - Level 63 Grave keeper
You have Levelled up!| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 55 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 57
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 55 -> Krall level 57
Gluttony has Levelled up.
| Gluttony level 38 -> Gluttony level 42
You are being watched
¡
All conditions met for unlocking your bloodline.
| Upgrade your Taming Room to Level 2 - Complete
| Tame a monster with a rare bloodline - Complete.
| Defeat a Level 50 - Complete| Tier 4 Taming Mission - Complete
| Defeat a dungeon ¡®Lord¡¯ - Complete
| Completely clear a ¡®Lord¡¯ Dungeon - Complete
Oh nice! Noah gawked at the sudden messages. He wasn¡¯t expecting it since he couldn¡¯t see what the hell the conditions were, but it seemed they were quite difficult.
Noah took a moment to reflect. If he hadn¡¯t moved as fast as he did when he entered this new world. If he hadn¡¯t taken as many risks as he did, perhaps he would already be dead? By Victor''s hands, or some random monster.
If he was weak, Noah doubted he would even dare face this dungeon. It was a reminder that he couldn¡¯t slow down. Not yet. Not with everyone becoming ¡®Lord¡¯s of their own territory.
Maybe if he killed them all, he could obtain a semblance of peace. But he knew himself, he was no murder. Even Maera who had betrayed him, could he really kill her? Noah nodded, he absolutely could. But not unless she openly displayed her fangs against him.
Until then, she was safe.
Bloodline unlocked - [ Unique ] Father of Monsters: There is something within you that monsters fear and respect. Unique to the user: Noah. Improves the connection you have with your tamed monsters, and the damage they do by 10%. Increases your ability to tame. Anything that is deemed monstrous, you can detect around you.
| Increases Will by 5%
Noah felt something within him change. It was difficult to describe, and he couldn¡¯t really put his finger on it. He just felt different. Stronger? No, that wasn¡¯t accurate. Maybe it was an ego? He felt more arrogant?
Shaking his head, he looked at Krall, and Gluttony, only for them to fall on their knees in submission. They bowed their heads, as if they were gazing at a ruler of the animal kingdom, and not a street urchin named Noah.
¡°Am I different?¡± Noah asked Krall, but he only nodded.
¡°Nope, you still stink like a rotten human,¡± Thraz sniffed the air. ¡°Maybe mixed with blood and piss.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t smell that bad,¡± Noah said in refusal, until he sniffed his own arm, and recoiled back with a retch.
Okay, I¡¯m in dire need of a shower. ¡°I blame Krall and Gluttony.¡± Noah pointed at his companions as they looked at each-other.
¡°You named your pet Gluttony?¡± Thraz asked. ¡°You have poor naming abilities.¡±
¡°Oh sure, what would you have named him then?¡±
¡°It¡¯s black and purple with wings, a dog nose, and awesome looking blades on its legs.¡± Thraz crossed his arms, as if he thought of a cool name. ¡°I would call it: Blurple hounded blade fang.¡±
¡°What are you? Twelve?¡± Noah wryly smiled as he split open the ghouls skull to reveal a blackened pearl. He plucked it up and threw it to Thraz.
¡°I¡¯m Sixteen actually,¡± Thraz corrected him while catching the pearl. He gazed at it, bit it, then looked at Noah, confused. ¡°What use do I have for this?¡±
¡°You use it to replenish your Expansion.¡±
¡°My what?¡±
Noah thought for a second, but in the end he just took it back. How the hell would he explain Expansion to him? It was like telling a child why they had to do homework¡ Alright, Noah was one of those children, but still.
¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here,¡± Noah continued. ¡°But first let me look at my System for a moment.¡±
After all that fighting, it was time to see where his stats lay.
Chapter 105 - Assault
Strength: 446
Dexterity: 387
Constitution: 302
Willpower: 563
Magic: 33
Mana: 32
Perception: 37
Noah tutted in shock at the added stats he had earned. The last time he had checked was back at level thirty, and the difference since then was staggering, enough to cause his lips to twitch.
However that wasn¡¯t all, his skills had also upgraded from the fight with the lord, and the putrid ghoul that they defeated.
But first were the skills that hadn''t been upgraded. [Power Shot] had levelled up the most out of his skills, but because of its low level start point from when he earned his shard, it still hadn¡¯t managed to pass the level ten threshold. At level eight, it wouldn¡¯t be long before it evolved to the next stage.
[Beastly Aegis] was another that had levelled up a lot, reaching level seven. Absorbing the powerful hits of Victor, alongside the other monsters was beneficial, after all. Noah smirked at the thought.
[Hunting Instincts]. As a skill that was activated all the time, it had reached level nine. One more step, and it would evolve.
Then there was [Unbreakable Reins] that had reached level nine as well.
And finally his premier Skill: Monstrous Allegiance. It had reached level eight, but because of the rarity of the skill, it still had a good distance to go until he would be able to evolve it. It was the skill he was most looking forward to.
How strong would it become? Would he be given a Legendary choice when it evolves?
And that brought him to his evolved skills. He received a huge amount of skills to choose from, each branching off into different directions. After a while of scrutinisation, he finally decided on the skills he wanted out of the wide range of choices.
Your skills have evolved!
Mounted Combat -> Mounted Assault.
It wasn¡¯t the best he could obtain, but Noah was only given the choice of different Uncommon skills. [Mounted Assault] improved the damage and speed when on the back of his mount, while the other options either made his mount more durable, or had other conditions to be met.
Sometimes simplicity was the best.
Charge -> Shadow Charge.
The choice for Noah was an easy one. [Shadow Charge] was strengthened further by his Class bonuses related to shadows, enabling him to leave the shadows quicker. Of course, he still had [Shadow Blink] for quick movement, but [Shadow Charge] could be used for longer distances. Besides, anything to make further use of his class advantage was always going to be the better choice. Unless it was a high quality choice that disregarded that fact, that was.
Tamer¡¯s Bond -> Symbiotic Radar.
This choice, on the other hand, was a bit difficult for Noah. It was between a skill named [Tamer¡¯s Respite]. The skill in mention was one that granted Noah regeneration, like [Troll¡¯s Blood], but weaker. But in the end, he opted for [Symbiotic Radar].
[Symbiotic Radar] vastly increased the range he could detect his mounts, command them, and receive emotions from them. In other words, it was just an upgraded form of [Tamer¡¯s Bond].
Being able to interact with Krall especially at higher distances was vital. If they were separated somehow, he wanted to be able to communicate with his warrior companion. Or maybe he could have Krall enact a plan of his from a distance, while Noah entered undetected, attacking from behind. The utility the skill brought was highly attractive.
Kill Command -> Ravage.
Overpower -> Overcharge.
[Ravage] was a simple damage increase, but [Overcharge] was a little different.
[Overcharge] let him channel the mana he had in his container over a period of time, and then unleash it in a devastating attack. It wasn¡¯t instant like [Overpower] was, but if he was relying on a one-hit charge attack, then it was needed.
Noah finally stripped his sight from his system. He took a deep breath, then focused on the strength that radiated through his body. If he was to look at his previous self, what would he think?
It was difficult to put into words. Noah had truly ascended ever since he had entered this strange world. Smiling in satisfaction, he placed his hand on Krall¡¯s bony head. Gluttony, noticing the affection, also ran over, rubbing his head against Noah¡¯s chest.
Noah couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get out of here. We need to rush back.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
With nothing left to do, or accomplish within the dungeon, they climbed up all the stairs, then left through the main door.
Dark, the moon was on full display, shining its cool brilliance across the landscape. It was still humid, strangely enough, he had missed it. Anything was better than inhaling ground up bone dust, or rotting flesh that festered for way too long.
Shivering at the thought, Noah, and his party, bounded across the once battlefield as they headed back toward the hub.
He just hoped the walls of the hub still stood.
***
¡°They¡¯re coming over the wall!¡± Samira yelled out, pointing to a goblin that hoisted itself over the wall around Noah¡¯s house. Seeing the sight of the bloodthirsty goblin, slobbering at the sight of the humans, the children screamed from within the safety of the house.
But it wouldn¡¯t be safe for long.
Samira grit her teeth, and bolted to the goblin using [Wind Step]. Like a gust of powerful wind, she gracefully stopped in front of the monster, and slashed her two-handed curved blade in a wide arc. It met some resistance, until the blade glided through its flesh.
Head thudding to the ground, it wasn¡¯t long before another goblin took its place.
¡°Samira, it won¡¯t be long before they break through!¡± A voice wandered over from the other side of the safe perimeter.
It was Lily and her team. They had arrived a few hours ago, apparently they had failed to gain access to the castle and had decided to return. Thankfully they did, or the monsters that weren''t limited to goblins, would have long killed everyone within the walls.
The other survivors had also retreated to Noah¡¯s house as it was the only place that was capable of defence. Some had tried, but it wasn¡¯t long before giant goblins; orcs, tore through the windows or doors like they were made of paper mache.
Standing from afar, the orcs hurled powerful boulders past the wall, smashing against the house. Glass was shattered, bricks were crushed, and thankfully, the kids were taken into the back room where Noah kept his tamed monster.
Even the wall itself wasn¡¯t safe from their power. Like a catapult, rock collided against the wall, trembling its foundations.
¡°We need to hold out!¡± Samira shouted in reply. ¡°Noah will be back soon!¡±
It was a lie. She had no way of knowing that.
Samira flashed to the other side of the wall, cleaving her sword into another goblin. As she sent its head flying, she glanced to where the other houses stood. In Between the buildings, under the dim moonlight, gazing back at her with white eyes, was an orc larger than all the rest.
Is it¡ smiling? Samira frowned at the sight.
A group of three orcs approached from behind. They were rolling an enormous boulder over to the white-eyed orc, only stopping once it was by his side.
The enormous orc¡¯s muscles bulged as he placed his hands on the boulder. It was wider than he was, and almost as tall. He roared, sending spittle ejecting from his mouth as the heavyweight of the boulder fought against him. But it wasn¡¯t a fight the rock could win.
It rose, slowly, inch-by-inch, the orc fought with it until it was above his head. Steam left his mouth, then slowly, his eyes turned from a snow white, to scarlet red. Muscles turned from red to black. Veins squirmed like snakes under his flesh, and with a final roar, he threw the enormous boulder straight at the wall.
Samira¡¯s heart lurched. ¡°Get away from the wall!¡±
It was too late. The boulder crashed against the wall. Like an explosion being detonated, the wall was blasted apart, sending debris scattering in the surrounding area. Bodies were flattened, and confused screams followed it.
Chasing the human shouts like a hunt, the goblins filtered through the hole in the wall, brandishing their serrated blades, and chopping them into human flesh.
¡°Lily!¡± Samira shouted, calling over the young woman, and her strong teammates.
Together, they rushed to the breach. Lily slung high powered arrows, each one penetrated two or three goblins, while Samira activated her Sharpness Shard.
Samira swung her blade in a quick arc, chopping through their heads like a hot knife through butter. There was no resistance thanks to her Shard, but after activating it so many times, her head was becoming dreary.
Biting her tongue, she used it again, cutting through six goblins all at once. But there were too many. It was an army of thousands against barely a hundred weakened survivors.
Goblins scrambled over the walls, through the hole in the wall, crawled under the legs of the other goblins. They were like ants. And they were everywhere.
Then a thud, followed closely by another made Samira painfully aware that the orc chief was approaching.
From her peripheral vision, she saw the blood eyed orc smash his way through his own army. Obliterating any in his path, regardless if it was a member of his own. Noone was safe under the might of his attacks, and each swing of his club tore limb from limb.
The goblins scattered, emitting fearful murmurs for the first time as they desperately attempted to get out of the way of the approaching apocalypse.
Then silence. The orc leader stood within the threshold of the wall, panting, exhaling mist from its powerful lungs. It hefted its club, and just standing a few metres away from the monster, Samira could feel its towering presence.
She had no right standing next to it, but the children were behind her. So she tightened her grasp around the blade¨C
A black light tore through the orc leader''s chest. Boring a hole the size of the enormous monster''s own head. The branches of its heart pulsated around an grand ornate lance tip.
The monster looked side-to-side, wondering what had just happened. Then it fell. Crashing onto the ground, he was dead.
Behind it appeared a humanoid figure, clearly a man from his naked chest. But he was wearing a slender helmet that hid even his eyes from the light.
His tamed monster screeched, sending the goblins scattering, only to be mauled to death by another monster. But this one was familiar.
It was Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle.
Chapter 106 - Monster Lord
¡°I made it in time.¡± Noah sighed in relief as he looked at the destruction the orcs had caused.
His house had walls missing, roof tiles, and glass from the windows lay scattered on the floor, the wall was pretty much ravaged, and the only part of the house that remained in functioning order was the taming room.
Noah guessed that it was made from higher quality materials, being a tier two add-on.
Noticing that it was quiet, the children from within came out crying, and wailing. They latched onto the warriors that they were familiar with, and called for Samira.
Thankfully no-one had died, but there were a lot of injured. Some badly wounded, at that.
Princess Maera rushed forth, using whatever mana she had just recovered from the run over.
Noah watched closely, and to his surprise, it wasn¡¯t just mana that she used. For the wounds that were, from what Noah could tell, were unhealable. Expansion surged around Maera as she placed her hand around an arm that was almost falling off. Hanging on by a strand of muscle.. And by the amount of Expansion surrounding the princess, it was a damn sight more than what Noah was capable of producing.
Does she have a late tier Shard? Noah thought, and miraculously, the wound was healed until only a white scar was left.
Sweat formed at her forehead, before it dripped onto the floor. It was clear that whatever Shard she had used to boost her healing, wasn¡¯t an easy one to control unlike Noah¡¯s.
For Noah, it didn¡¯t require much effort on his part. He activated the Shard, and he used it without much trouble, nor did it use too much Expansion Energy.
Although Noah just attributed that to the fact that Maera must have a higher tiered Shard than he did. His Thrust shard, although useful, was just a simple application of his own energy. Something like healing a wound, restoring life, was bound to be a few grades higher.
Noah did what he could for the wounded. Gifting them some lower rarity potions to halt their wounds until Maera could see to them, but he found himself unneeded.
Most of the injured were warriors, and with their strong bodies, their wounds weren¡¯t that much of a problem. It was just a waste of resources if Noah continued, and he wasn¡¯t a saint. They could bear with a little pain for a while longer.
Instead, Noah waltzed into his home that had now turned into ruins. Kicking a few bricks to the side, he cleared the rubble from the teleporter.
I wonder what my Achievements would look like now? Noah smiled. The last time he had looked at it, there was only the head of the mole king, but since then, so much had happened. Too much to recount, in fact, as Noah turned his attention to the building system.
He opened the screen and was met with a huge new section.
Monster Lord, welcome.
| New buildings have been added.
| Unique buildings have been added.
Just as he was about to look at the new buildings, and rooms in further detail, his mind twitched. From the added distance that he could detect his tamed monsters, Krall, and Gluttony, were both hunting together. Hunting the last vestiges of the goblin army.
Have fun, you two. Noah chuckled, and finally moved his focus onto the new additions.
There was a lot added, but he was mostly interested in what the Monster Lord had as the unique building. Stated in its description, were the mole tunnels.
Noah assumed that was because of Krall, so he looked at it closer.
25,000 Grace Coins - Mole Tunnel System: Create a mole tunnel system underneath your property, once entered, you will awaken on the other side. The other side must be physically marked.
So it¡¯s like a portal then? Noah wondered how it was deemed a unique part of his title, but once he checked the price of the original teleporting room, it was obvious what the benefits of the mole tunnels were.
200,000 Grace Coins - Teleporting Array: Create a teleporter room, and stand within the circle to arrive at your array of destinations. You can travel to any other teleporter around the multiverse, based on if the owner has set their teleporter to open, or based on your current Grace Coins.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Around the multiverse?! The words caused Noah to gape in shock. Then that meant Thraz could indeed travel back home, granted that they themselves have a teleporter.
The thought of returning home, back to Earth, also flashed in his mind. Not that he had much to visit, but it would be good to thank his friends in person. Treat them to a drink, at least. He owed them that much for keeping him alive for so long.
However, he knew deep down that Earth was no longer his home. This was, out in a vast otherworld, unexplored, ready for his hands to latch onto to claim as a piece of his own.
Here, he was free.
But the difference was reflected in the price. The teleporting array was a staggering cost, one that Noah hadn¡¯t even reached yet, and he doubted he would even buy it, even if he had enough coins to purchase it.
The first thing on his mind was more power. If he could upgrade his taming room two, or even three times, it would increase the number of monsters he could tame, and make them stronger.
With the monster taming rooms on his mind, he decided to give them a look.
50,000 Grace Coins - Taming Room tier 3: Triples the size of the room, and increases tamed monsters'' damage by 10%.
100,000 Grace Coins - Taming Room Tier 4: Doubles the size of the room, and increases tamed monsters'' damage by a further 15%. Monster taming within the vicinity of your town has a 50% of increasing the bloodline of the monster. Monsters happiness is increased by 25% when within your town.
Noah nodded, both of them were in his sights to purchase immediately. Although he was rather upset that neither of them let him unlock an additional taming slot, the damage, and other bonuses made up for it.
The only thing in the description he was confused about was the increasing the bloodline of the monster. How would that work? Noah thought, but maybe it was something like how Gluttony was a higher tiered monster than Krall was.
If that was the case, if he tamed a kobold, would it turn into, say, a dragonborn? Noah didn¡¯t know, but he was curious to find out.
What if he dragged an already high tier monster into his town, then tamed it? Would it become a mythical creature? Noah rubbed his hands together in excitement.
But first, he had to check how many coins he actually had before he set his sights on buildings he couldn''t¡¯ afford.. Let¡¯s see if my sponsors are stingy bastards.
Grace Coins: 246,491
Damn, not bad. Noah whistled, impressed with the number he had accumulated. With such an amount, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to fully repair his house, buy the monster taming room, and a few extras as well.
With his plan set in motion, he first purchased the taming rooms, setting him back an astounding one-hundred, and fifty-thousand Grace coins. That left him with ninety-six thousand four-hundred, and ninety-one.
Noah decided on a higher grade wall for his house, and an upgraded outer wall along with it. Adding on to that, he also purchased a unique building granted to him thanks to his title.
It was a natural defence that added onto the outer wall; a thorn bush, to be exact. But it wasn¡¯t any ordinary bush. Being in this world, of course their thorns were sharper than most weapons they had access to right now.
Any attacker that was foolish enough to try and climb the wall would be eviscerated into nicely diced mince.
Lastly, he bought a few chairs, tables, and cookware to finish up the inside of the house.
All in all, he was left with only twenty-thousand Grace Coins remaining. Noah didn¡¯t want to go under that in fear of not having enough for some high grade potions that could potentially save his life. On the plus side however, was that he no longer felt the heat radiating from the jungle sun.
With his Constitution so high, there was no longer any need to waste his coins on survival purchases like sun-screen, antibiotics, or antiviral meds.
However, even though he bought it all, he still needed the resources to build it. And that meant he had to hire some help.
He put his big boy pants on and walked over to Maera. She had finished healing all the serious wounds, and was sitting outside her house, eyes hazed over within the System.
Knight Faelar stood in between them, but Noah held no ill blood toward the knight. He was just fulfilling his duty, following orders. Most likely he had been roped in since birth, trained up, raised to serve the royalty.
It wasn¡¯t a life Noah could live, but perhaps the man didn''t have a choice. Or maybe it was indeed an honour to serve the princess?
Noah didn¡¯t have the right to question him.
¡°Hey Maera,¡± Noah said, sitting on the grass so that he was down on her level.
Princess Maera opened her eyes, half smiling. ¡°You need help rebuilding your house?¡±
¡°As perceptive as always,¡± Noah continued. ¡°Not just that, but I¡¯ve purchased a few additional rooms. Oh, and did you see the teleporter room?¡±
¡°I did.¡± Maera¡¯s eyes sparkled. She was usually good at controlling her emotions, but right now, they were spilling out.
Her reaction told Noah everything he needed to know. Her world had a teleporter. But did Earth? Now that was something he had no idea of.
¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, but¨C¡±
¡°There¡¯s a price?¡± Noah asked, then nodded. ¡°I have quite a lot of equipment, and stones to trade¨C¡±
Noah was about to take out the selection that he had, but a system notification interrupted him.
Notification: The trial period of the houses have come to an end. Prepare to have your house, and any rooms, or buildings you have added to it, moved within your System.| You have one month to decide on its destination. If you are late, your house, and anything within, will be destroyed.
Chapter 107
¡°What?¡± Noah asked, surprised at the sudden words.
Maera was the same, a wrinkled frown caused her eyes to haze over as she checked her system.
Noah did the same, but there was nothing else that hinted as to the reason why. Something was happening, and Noah didn¡¯t know the reason.
Unease crept up within everyone''s hearts. Most had just suffered a brutal fight against goblins and a terrifying Orc. Now, something beyond their understanding was taking place.
Without their houses, without their walls, how were they meant to live? Were they destined to keep one eye open at all times? The survivors had gotten used to their little refuge. The safety of the hub walls, and the ever growing properties that were like a little piece of home within the bloodthirsty jungle.
Now it was being taken away from them.
People were panicking.
¡°What should we do?¡± Lorena looked to Noah, but he remained silent for a while.
Finally, he spoke. ¡°Well, we need to find another place to hold up. Somewhere where we can naturally defend.¡±
¡°How about the castle?¡± Declan added.
Noah nodded. That would work. It had high walls, and they could just create doors of their own. More than that, it had a lot of flat land and that meant there weren''t many things that could creep up on them.
Sure, they would have to worry about things that could fly, or climb the wall, but it was better than being bombarded from all sides in the middle of a jungle.
¡°Alright everyone!¡± Declan shouted, gathering the others. ¡°With the houses going away, we¡¯ll need to find a safe bastion for everyone. The jungle is too dangerous, but it doesn¡¯t mean we have nowhere to go.¡±
Declan pointed toward the castle, through the innumerable amount of trees. ¡°There is a castle around a four to five hour walk through the jungle. As you know, we have already travelled there. There are a few high level monsters, but we managed to kill most of them on our way there, and back.
The others nodded. Looking at each-other, sighing in relief.
Everyone was quick to act. Running to their houses if they had one, or gathering their supplies that they had kept in someone''s house. Whether it was the bags they had purchased with all the survival consumables that they had, or gathering food/water supplies.
Noah was the same. He had a few things tucked away in his house, and after moving the rubble, Noah found a few utility items that he had left.
As he was picking up a few items, tucking them into his bag, a harrowing scream erupted throughout the small town that had formed.
Noah immediately called back Krall, and Gluttony as he shot out of his house. He bolted over to Declan, but as they looked at eachother, it was clear that they were both confused.
¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Noah asked anyone that could hear him.
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± A survivor answered, a man that Noah hadn¡¯t met before. ¡°I was grabbing my bag when I heard the scream. It was coming from over there.¡±
The man pointed toward the thick trees, but just like always, it was like an impenetrable wall of darkness. Nothing could be gleaned from in between the thick trunks of the iron-like trees.
But as Noah strained his eyes, something flitted between one of the trees. Like a phantom image, it was there one moment, then gone the next. If not for Noah¡¯s dark-vision, it would have been impossible to make out.
Then, a thick dark green mist billowed out of the trees. It was unlike anything Noah had ever seen before.
It wasn¡¯t like any ordinary mist that he had seen before. More like a slow moving wall, it crept toward them. Seconds passed, and it began filtering through all around them. Front, and sides, it was coming toward them from all angles.
Noah glanced over his shoulder, to the mountain where his house was situated in front of. Atop the mountain, the same mist appeared, then fell down the cliff edge like a waterfall slowed by time.
He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but it could¡¯t mean anything good. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Not only that, he was receiving feedback from Gluttony, and Krall. They were fighting, and judging by their bestial reaction, it wasn¡¯t an easy opponent.
However, Noah couldn¡¯t offer them any help. He had to focus on his survival first and foremost. Besides, he doubted he could even see within the mist. If entered, would he be able to find his way to his companions? Most likely thanks to [Symbiotic Radar] but it wasn¡¯t a gamble he was willing to take.
Get to me, guys. Noah told them, then focused on what was going to appear out of the mist.
¡°Everyone, get ready!¡± Declan shouted.
Listening with panicked expressions, everyone grabbed their weapons, and dropped their bags in preparation for a fight. Most had barely recovered from their fight with the goblins, now they were already being thrust into battle once more.
But Noah was different. There was no anxiety like the others, and it was all because of what he had done, and experienced over the past days. He had thrown himself into constant battles and torture, all to improve himself.
Despite all his fighting, he still had the energy to continue. It was the result of his hard work, and it was why the others lacked his tenacity.
They all retreated behind the wall of Noah¡¯s courtyard. The front had fallen, and although the sides had also received a bashing, they still stood strong.
Standing at the front of everyone, Noah stood stalwart as the mist approached. Just one metre away, Noah wondered if it was filled with poison because of the green coloration. If that was the case, then he would just die; there was no other way out.
This can¡¯t be it. Noah thought with a frown, then, the mist engulfed him, and soon it was the same for all the other survivors.
Getting into a defensive stance, Noah waited with his lance held forward. Whatever charged them from the mist would be met with the pointed tip of his weapon.
He didn¡¯t have to wait long.
A splitting roar echoed throughout the fog, and then the vague image of a humanoid sprinted at them. Before its form was fully visible, all Noah could see was a set of vivid green eyes.
And then it appeared. With wriggling green veins, and a savage expression as if it wanted to tear into his flesh, it was one of the survivors. Most likely the one who had screamed, but then others chased it.
One, two, four appeared behind it making the total number five.
Noah took a breath, then before the first could arrive, he used all of his offensive skills, then activated his Thrust Shard.
Throwing a spectral lance forward, it tore through the first monster, then bore into the one behind it. Slamming into its chest, it barreled on the floor, tumbling.
You defeated a - Level 54 Hallowed Corruption
¡°Prepare yourselves!¡± Declan shouted, rousing the spirits of those around him.
The other humanoids clashed into the survivors while Noah was in the middle of battling with his own.
Noah aimed for the stronger amongst them, while hoping that the others could deal with the weaker ones. In truth, he had no way of knowing which was the strongest. All Noah could judge was the muscles they had, and the intensity of the glow within their eyes.
He pierced his lance in quick succession, and although the monsters were tougher than most he had dealt with during his time in the jungle, it soon fell to a piercing thrust to its skull.
Lorena, her knight, and Samira worked together to defeat one. Maera and her protectors faced the other, while Declan and the survivors dealt with the last one.
Having defeated his target, Noah then turned his attention to the other humanoid the survivors were struggling with.
It appeared Declan didn¡¯t have much in the way of pure attacking skills. Flashing forward with [Shadow Step], Noah bore his lance into the monster''s skull, giving it a quick, and painless death.
Defeating the monsters, Noah quickly turned his attention to beyond the wall. He waited for any others that may arrive, but it was clear as far as he could tell.
He inched forward, beyond the threshold of the wall. He looked left, then right. His head snapped forward. A blur moved toward him at a blinding pace. Almost too fast to react, but Noah managed to activate [Beastly Aegis] just in time.
The hurtling body slammed into his shield, but since he didn¡¯t have either of his tamed monsters around him, the hit struck him with full force.
Noah¡¯s body flew back, smashing through one of the walls that remained within his house, then coming to a rolling stop. He grit his teeth, recovered his body, then bolted back to where the monster was.
If it caused so much damage to him, then it was obvious what it could do to the others.
By the time he arrived with multiple [Shadow Steps], the monster had already killed one of the weaker survivors.
It was larger than all the rest, but more than that, it was wearing golden armour. A helmet with wings, a cuirass, and what appeared to be a battle skirt was just some of the armour that adorned its mighty body.
Noah slammed his lance into its body, boring a deep hole within, but it was clear it wasn¡¯t enough, nor was it in a lethal area.
It replied with a roar, then smacked its hand into Noah¡¯s lance. Noah had to fight with everything in his power not to let his weapon be torn out of his grasp.
Groaning, he snapped a kick to the monster''s chest, and with a dull thud, it took a single step back.
One step.
The sight caused Noah¡¯s heart to drop. The children were screaming in the background. He couldn¡¯t retreat. If he did so, the monster would tear everything in its path.
Noah couldn¡¯t let that happen.
Just as he was steeling himself for a tough fight, a dual bestial roar almost split the fog.
Krall and Glutton had arrived.
Chapter 108
Seeing his companions would have filled him with ellation, if not for the bloodthirsty monster that still had him in its vision.
It was just about to commit to another charge when a projectile scythe tore through the air, slicing against the hallowed monster¡¯s throat.
The monster stumbled a few feet, then glared at Gluttony. But he was already darting forward, he went to attack, swiping the air. At the last second, Gluttony dashed to the side, toward Noah.
The golden armoured zombie struck air, allowing Noah to mount Gluttony.
From there, the battle turned from survival, to a beatdown.
Everytime the zombie attempted to move, Noah was there waiting with a spear thrust. If the monster attacked, Noah would dash back into the shadows, and have Krall, and Thraz take the brunt of the damage
Only for Noah to lash out from the darkness in devastating fashion. With the speed Noah was not able to move thanks to Gluttony, it was game over for the corrupted human.
However, it wasn¡¯t easy.
The monster had a terrifying strength, and honestly, it was almost at the level of the lord knight back in the castle dungeon. If it wasn¡¯t for the zombies'' overly simplistic attacks, perhaps it would be even stronger than it.
It meant that whatever the host was, the human in golden armour, was powerful.
Where he came from however, confused the hell out of Noah.
Blasting out of the shadows for a final time, Noah¡¯s spear pierced the air. Even the sound of his muscles contracting were heard as his weapon tore through his enemies skull.
Finally, the hallowed human was murdered.
You defeated a - Level 68 Hallowed Corruption
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 57 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 59
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 57 -> Krall level 59
Gluttony has Levelled up.
| Gluttony level 42 -> Gluttony level 45
You are being watched¡
A skill is ready to evolve!
But Noah wasn¡¯t given the chance to look at his reward, for more hallowed screams pierced from the veil of fog that had surrounded them all around.
And by the number of them, their hopes of surviving were quickly diminishing. It had taken their strongest forces to handle the zombie in golden armour. If there was more like him, then Noah, and his companions, would be immediately overpowered, and overrun.
But Noah didn¡¯t know what to do. He looked at the people around him, and judging by their grim expressions, and trembling limbs, it was clear that they had resolved themselves.
Noah¡¯s vision turned to the children cowering behind Samira, and the others they were used to being around. They were crying. They were weak. They had no right in being here, not in this hell.
So Noah resolved himself.
He headed toward the threshold of the broken wall, and peered out. Although he couldn¡¯t see the approaching monsters because of the fog, and thick trees, they were coming. Noah could feel their killing intent against the fine hairs of his neck, could smell the putrid stench of their crimson breath. It was a feeling that was manifesting itself. A feeling that he didn¡¯t have time to question.
¡°What are you doing?¡± Declan asked.
¡°The plan is the same,¡± Noah said. ¡°Head to the castle, I¡¯ll keep them off your back.¡±
¡°Are you insane?¡± Declan raised his voice, shouting. ¡°You¡¯ll be heading to your death.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve had that same question since I arrived.¡± Noah grabbed hold of his lance, then tightened the strap on his breastplate to make sure it was secure. ¡°Yet I still live. Protect the children, they don¡¯t deserve to be here. Hold out for the teleporters, then take them back to Earth.¡±
Noah gazed at Declan with intensity. ¡°Can you do that?¡±
Declan sighed, then nodded. ¡°I can do that.¡±
¡°Good.¡± Noah was about to head on out, wasting no words, but a sudden thought entered his mind. ¡°There¡¯s an open mole dungeon about two hours that way.¡± Noah quickly pointed in the direction of the mole tunnels. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°If you can¡¯t make it to the castle, you should be able to defend the caves quite well.¡±
Finished with his words Noah bolted out of what little safety the walls provided.
Thraz followed behind, and although Noah would have preferred Thraz to stay with the other group for their safety, the dragonborns face told him not to say anything.
It seemed his dragon companion wanted to stay with him, but it wasn¡¯t going to be a journey filled with rainbows, and unicorns.
Of course, Noah wasn¡¯t heading straight for his death. He had a plan. It was one formulated out of haste, but in theory, it should work.
His plan was to take all the zombified humans toward the beach, then enter the kobold cave dungeon. However, he was putting his life on the line, banking that the dungeon was even still open for visitors. If it wasn¡¯t, he¡¯d have god knows how many hallowed monsters at his back.
Well, here goes nothing. Noah patted Gluttony¡¯s ever growing back, and sprinted toward the tree line. He had to make sure to keep his pace a little slower than what Gluttony could move. Considering if he charged ahead, Thraz, and Krall, would be on their own.
Gluttony, with Noah on his back, ran through the gaps in palm trees as the greenish mist seemed to swallow them whole.
The screams were getting closer, but some of them were moving in another direction. Straight for Declan and the others.
Krall, let them know we are here. Noah gave his stalwart companion a mental order, and he listened.
Krall reared his head back, then belted a primal roar. Sound reverberating against his throat, the cry pierced through the veil of mist. In an instant, those that were interested in heading toward Declan, and the other survivors, headed straight for Noah.
And they were quickly approaching.
¡°Pick up the speed!¡± Noah shouted to Thraz.
Understanding Noah¡¯s mind seamlessly thanks to the activation of his Monster Shard, Gluttony picked up the pace.
Although Krall was huge, and wasn¡¯t generally built for speed like Gluttony was, his high strength allowed the mole kobold hybrid to move at high speeds in a straight line.
Krall had to be careful of slamming into the iron-like trees, but thankfully he had enough manoeuvrability to deal with the obstacles.
Thraz on the other hand covered his feet in rock. At first, Noah couldn¡¯t see the benefit as the dragonborn was only making his body heavier. However, Noah was pleasantly surprised at what happened next.
The rock around his teammates'' feet caused a reaction with the land below him. The soft, brittle jungle floor saturated in soggy soil, terraformed into hardened rock. Thraz tensed the muscles in his leg, then used the solid platform to move at high speeds, quickly catching up to Noah.
Interesting. Noah mused. It allowed the strong dragonborn to ignore the detriment of the land around him. Instead, he created his own footholds to improve the purchase he was able to gain from his high strength.
However, Noah didn¡¯t have time to complement Thraz¡¯s makeshift mobility skill.
The hallowed zombies had arrived.
Noah¡¯s brows rose at the sheer number of them. He was expecting a few, but they now numbered in the tens.
Four were clad in gilded armour and judging by the quality of the corpse, it hadn¡¯t been long since they had died.
Six of them belonged to survivors, or Otherworlders. Noah had seen a couple of their faces before, but since he wasn¡¯t that interested in committing them to memory, his mind was a bit hazy with the details.
But they weren¡¯t a problem. Although they seemed to become stronger after being tainted by the mist, those that belonged to the Otherworlders were weak. Noah could crush them with both hands tied behind his back, however, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the golden warriors.
Whatever they were, whoever they belonged to, were not enemies he could take lightly. And that¡¯s why Noah continued to frantically retreat through the jungle.
Thankfully, Noah had been this two three times already. The trees all looked the same, but Noah had a strong sense of direction. Of course, that wasn¡¯t always the case, but thanks to his companions'' beastly senses, Krall could sniff the ocean.
That was the only guidance he needed.
The trip wasn¡¯t easy. Noah, as the fastest with Gluttony, was in charge of fending off the attackers so that Krall, and Thraz, could continue running.
He would lash out his lance, stopping the crazed charge of the hallowed monsters. The six hallowed belonging to the Otherowrlders weren¡¯t able to keep up as their bodies were deteriorating at a rapid pace.
It was just a guess, but Noah surmised that it was because their bodies couldn¡¯t handle the extra power given by the mist.
Noah was also very careful not to suffer a scratch from their sharp claw-like fingernails. He had read his own fair share of zombie novels and movies. After all he had lived through, turning into a mindless zombie was the last thing he wanted happening to him.
He could handle dying in a fierce battle of life and death, but turning into a flesh eating zombie?
Gritting his teeth, he used all of his offensive skills, and blasted a gilded hallowed to the ground before blending into the shadows, and catching up to Thraz again.
From their high speed, it took only two hours or so before the smell of the salted ocean appeared all around them. Then came the gentle sea breeze that sifted through the jungle foliage.
They had made it.
From darkness¡ darkness came. It was already night time, and the only source of light was from the multiple moons looming high above, yet it wasn¡¯t enough to cut through the shadows.
But it mattered little to Noah. In fact, he was happy. Wherever shadows were, the stronger he became. However, that confidence was shattered when he heard powerful steps booming against the jungle floor behind him.
Each step caused a shiver to crawl into his ear canal, and without even looking back, Noah used [Shadow Blink]
Reappearing to the side, a massive figure erupted the soil from where Noah, and Gluttony once stood. His fist that was made from black rock smashed into the tree, and even the material that Noah was unable to peirce, had completely obliterated it with a single punch.
With shining golden armour, a winged helmet, and rippling muscles. The monster caused Noah¡¯s breath to quicken.
It was an enemy he didn¡¯t have a hope in hell of beating.
Chapter 109
From that one strike, Noah instantly realised the threat he was under. One hit from that hulking fist and his body would be splattered into a red mist. If he was wounded. Game over.
Noah, with one hand, grabbed hold of the reins just a little tighter than normal. Ordering Gluttony to move, to dart in between trees, but it was evident the monster had intelligence.
Instead of trying to catch the slippery prey, it turned its blood-hungry gaze on Thraz, and Krall. Feet gouging out holes in the jungle floor, it blasted for them.
Shit.
Noah spat, and instantly raised his speed to catch up. But he was behind the monster at this point. It suited Noah fine. Steadying his lance, he concentrated on his aim, then activated his offensive skills. Like a cannon leaving its barrel, the tip of his weapon shot through the air, slamming against the golden humanoid¡¯s ankle.
However, the sight Noah expected to witness didn¡¯t occur. The only damage that had been done was a single bloodied graze. It had barely managed to slice through flesh, let alone cause any significant damage at all.
It meant that whatever level the hallowed beast¡¯s constitution was at, wasn¡¯t something Noah could even hope to damage.
Still, he had to try. In quick succession, in seconds, Noah blasted attack after attack at the monster in hopes of stopping the monster from turning his companions into scrap flesh.
Nothing was working. The flesh around the humanoid was toughened to an extreme degree, and that was even if he could hit its skin. It still had the golden armour that was made out of some high tensile alloy. Whatever it was, it was incredibly durable.
Shit, think! Noah nibbled on his lip as the monster was going to reach Krall in seconds. Time slowed as he gazed at the monster. Then, with the moonlight shining down on the humanoid, Noah spotted it.
There was a gaping hole just at its neck, right where the chest armour began. Noah didn¡¯t know how it was there, but the wound glowed a black light. It shone, like mist was seeping out of the wound. But it was clear that it was just Noah that could see it.
My helmet¡ Noah remembered the use of the helmet he obtained from the Lord Vanquisher. It allowed him to see the lifeforce of his enemies, and any minor weaknesses they may have. He didn¡¯t know exactly how bad the weakness was, but Noah was determined to find out.
Using all of his offensive skills, along with the momentum brought forward by [Charge], Noah gritted his teeth. Tensing all the muscles in his body, he threw the phantom lance forward. It surged through the air, and like always, the hulking monster ignored the pest at its back.
But this pest had spotted a weakness, and his lance was aimed straight for it.
The tip bore against the hole in the monster''s neck, then continued onward. However, the humanoid reacted instantly at the pain gnawing into its hardened spine.
It snapped to the side, then rolled to the ground, away from the invading lance.
The golden armoured hallowed stared at him. Its crazy killing intent surged around its body, and practically invaded Noah¡¯s body from just a look.
Heartbeat smashing against his chest, Noah didn¡¯t dare stop. He used the time he had created to break through the trees, and onto the wide area of golden sand.
Glancing in the distance, he could see the familiar sight of the outcrop of rocks, and the dark entrance belonging to the cave.
Unlike last time, there was no point in subterfuge. It was a mad dash towards the dungeon entrance. If it was open.
However, the reprieve didn¡¯t last long as a cataclysmic roar appeared from behind.
Looking over his shoulder, three entire iron jungle trees were obliterated into splinters. Followed by the rampaging monstrosity of the enormous hallowed. Each heavy step caused the sand to splash outward as if he was disturbing water, not beach grains.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
We¡¯re not going to make it. The thought tugged at his mind like a weight and no amount of thinking could help him avoid the berserking demon on his tail.
Noah glanced at the ocean¡¯s water. Because of the night sky, and the thick blanketed mist, it was black. Only the light reflected off from the moon''s gaze provided an iota of light. Then he looked over to the cave before tightening his grip around his lance.
A crazy plan formed, but it was the only one he had.
¡°Thraz, we''re not going to make it!¡± Noah shouted, each step from the hallowed, caused goosebumps to crawl on his flesh. ¡°Head to the ocean.¡±
Thraz didn¡¯t bother replying, instead he turned on his heels, disturbing the sand into hardened ground, then leapt straight into the ocean. Just like their first meeting, the lizard displayed his prowess when it came to the water.
His strong webbed-hands thrashed the water, sending him further than what Arlo could manage.
Krall chased him, and so did Noah. Everyone tried to swim as fast as they could, but the hallowed had arrived.
It leapt straight for them. For Noah. Noah used [Shadow Blink] reappearing to the side with Gluttony as the monster landed in the ocean alongside them. The water splashed everywhere. The monster was gone.
Can it not swim? Noah thought, but the sudden sight of its red lifeforce made Noah¡¯s blood freeze.
It happened so fast. The next moment Noah realised, a mighty hand had grabbed hold of his ankle, then yanked him under the ocean. A sharp pain tore at Noah¡¯s ankle. Screaming under the water, only a bubbled muffle of noise left his mouth.
The monster indeed couldn¡¯t swim, but it had grabbed hold of Noah, and wouldn¡¯t let go.
Thankfully, he wasn¡¯t alone.
Krall, Gluttony, and even Thraz swam under in an attempt to free Noah.
The gilded hallowed sent a punch straight for Noah, surging the water around it. If it hit, Noah would die. In the last second, he managed to twist the top half of his body, barely avoiding the incoming meteor of a fist.
Then his team arrived. Each attacking the vitals of the monster, Gluttony especially. He used the phantom blades it was able to produce, and slash them across its face. Of course, the damage it did was nonexistent.
However, it did make the monster close its eyes, offering Noah a little reprisal from its wrath.
Noah shouted, garnering Thraz¡¯s interest. With the dragonborns sight locked onto him, Noah tapped the back of his neck, then nudged his head to the hallowed.
Thankfully Thraz¡¯s limited intelligence picked up on the detail, and swam to the monster''s back in a couple strokes. As if the dragonborn was born to be in the water, and perhaps, he was.
Reaching the gilded monster¡¯s back in a second, Thraz instantly hefted his axe. Then reaped it downward in a mighty swing. It clashed against the hallowed¡¯s neck, causing it to scream out in pain.
It thrashed in the water, and threw Noah through the water. The force brought him back, and slammed him against a huge underwater boulder. The impact sent blossoming pain throughout his ribs, as he even heard multiple cracks.
Grimacing in pain, Noah swam up to the surface. He could still hear the harrowing screams from the beast, but then everything grew quiet. It had drowned, and the next message only made it more obvious.
You defeated a - Level 83 Hallowed Corruption
You have Levelled up!| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 59 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 64
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.| Krall level 59 -> Krall level 64
Gluttony has Levelled up.| Gluttony level 45 -> Gluttony level 55
You are being watched¡
Noah wiped away the messages as he gulped in air. There was the sound of the gentle waves. The noise of the fog billowing around them. It was too quiet.
Frowning as Krall, Gluttony, and Thraz breached the water, Noah couldn¡¯t help but feel something was wrong.
The hallowed corruption was slain, so what now? He quickly looked around in all directions, trying to find any lifeforce with his Vanquishing Helmet, but there was nothing.
Could it have been my imagination? Noah sighed in relief, then his heart tightened.
In the distance, a blazing red was fastly approaching them. It wasn¡¯t the colour that he spotted, but the fiery lifeforce of the encroaching monster.
Whatever it was, it was perhaps even stronger than the gilded monster they had just managed to defeat by the skin of their teeth.
Then it appeared. A long, towering fin breached the waters, heading straight for them. A screech left its maw, and the visible sound waves headed straight for Noah.
Noah tried to command Gluttony to move out of the way, but the approaching attack was simply too fast for them to dodge.
The moment the sound waves engulfed Noah, he lost himself. He couldn¡¯t see, neither could he hear, or taste anything. It was like everything that constituted his being was destroyed as he floated in the deep waters.
Noah wasn¡¯t sure what happened, but his mind blanked. He fell unconscious. Without realising what had happened, and without knowing how he was going to die, the darkness of the world engulfed the young man whole.
Chapter 110
Krall panicked. Limbs thrashing around in the water, the strange fish was fast approaching them. Even worse, Noah had blanked out.
He was confused. When the weird sound rings Krall could feel his mind slipping. But something deep within him cried out. Stopped his vision from blurring, and he could feel it coming from¡ Noah.
Shaking his head, Krall had to do something.
Krall grabbed hold of Noah and desperately tried to swim. To dodge. But the fish was too quick. With its maw open wide, it threatened to swallow Krall hole.
However, a two-handed sword sliced into its scales, causing the large fish to turn the other way, and thrash its tail.
¡°Let¡¯s go corrupted. We need to move!¡± Thraz shouted, and rotated himself in the water so that he was facing the beach, but the moment his vision rested on the shore, his heart dropped.
Standing on the golden sand surrounded in dark green fog were dozens of hallowed all clad in golden armour. Thraz¡¯s head spun, looking in all directions, trying to find out where to go.
What would Noah think? What would he do?
Then he saw the cluster of islands in the distance. However, there was one thing that made him want to go there. The fog refused to settle on the land. Like a barrier had been erected around it.
It¡¯s safe there.
It was a long distance away, and by Thraz¡¯s experience in the water, he estimated it would take around six hours of swimming to reach it. But it was far away from whatever monsters were chasing them.
As the only landmark in visible range, Thraz grabbed hold of the floundering Bat-Wolf, and began swimming towards it. However, it was evident that the waters were perhaps even more dangerous than braving the hunger of the hallowed.
Not even twenty minutes into their journey, they were beset on by a shoal of fish with razor sharp teeth. Thraz cleaved one in two. His brows knit.
You defeated a - Level 35 Hallowed Piranha
You have Levelled up!| Thraz ( Earth Sunderer ) level 41 -> Thraz ( Earth Sunderer ) level 42
Even the fish had turned from the fog. Even under the water was not safe.
They worked together, slaughtering the piranha as they continued on their way. But at this point, their path was now a murky scarlet through the water. Like a royal carpet painted in blood.
Finally, Thraz¡¯s mindless swings of his sword ended up not striking anything at all. Before he realised it, there were no more targets to oust his anger on. Like a collective mind, they had simultaneously swam away.
¡°Yes, you better run from the future dragon lord!¡±
However, he scowled. They weren¡¯t running from him. They were running from something else. Head snapping in multiple directions, he tried to spot whatever it was.
Thraz could feel something. Something in the water brushed against his legs. Heart jumping, he dipped his hand under the water, but he couldn¡¯t see anything. After waiting for a few minutes, nothing attacked. Realising that he had to quickly make haste, Thraz beat the water with one arm, and Gluttony with the other.
Anxiousness pulsed around his heart, and judging by the restlessness Krall was experiencing, Thraz wasn¡¯t alone in the feeling.
Despite that, they had swam for a further two hours, and the island was quickly approaching. The feeling of something wrapping around his legs wasn¡¯t felt again, but there was a lot more variety of fish that attacked instead.
From bull headed sharks, to razor finned fish that had the palette for dragonborn flesh, and¡ well whatever the hell Krall was now.
Speaking of Krall, the beast used nothing but his back legs to kick the water. Both hands, or paws, were cradled around Noah to make sure that no harm came to him. Now and then, the water would splash over his face, but after a while, Krall placed Noah on his back.
Thraz watched as blue, almost translucent straps coiled around Noah¡¯s body like a snake, then attached to Krall¡¯s body.
Can the monster use Noah¡¯s skills? Thraz clicked his tongue. Maybe the corrupted kobold wasn¡¯t as simple as he once thought?Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
After cleaving through another one of those disgusting hallowed fish, the same sensation occurred once more. Something invisible coiled around his leg. It wasn¡¯t a constricting feeling, rather, it was like when he was swimming in the swamps back home. Kelp would gently brush against the scales on his leg, if he didn¡¯t concentrate, it was a feeling akin to the breeze blowing through hair, or languid waves bouncing on his flesh.
But obviously this wasn¡¯t the same sensation as whenever it arrived, the monstrous fish belonging to the water retreated. With no hesitation, they bolted through the water as fast as they could.
Now the waters turned silent once more.
What is happening? Thraz couldn¡¯t understand it. If it was a monster, then why was it letting them go. Whenever the monsters of the ocean became dense, and threatened them, the arbiter would arrive. SIlencing them, forcing them to flee.
Continuing to swim, thoughts began to gnaw at Thraz¡¯s mind. The only conclusion he came to was that whatever was around them right now, wanted them to go to the island. It was guiding them, like an angel from the human stories.
It was an unsettling thought. Was it guiding them to their death, or perhaps it truly was trying to save them?
Thraz didn¡¯t care. He wouldn¡¯t allow something to interfere in his life. With a swing of his sword, the water split, and the arbiter disappeared again. Only for the fish to swim back and begin biting at their heels.
The water was now hazed with their own blood. Gluttony would fire spectral blades from the side of its arms, while Krall would bite, and claw anything that came into his vicinity.
It was four hours into their journey now. One hour was left, and the guess was more or less correct. But it was difficult to make out the islands. It was as if an enormous wall of fog blocked off the area from anyone that dared approach.
Not only that, Thraz noticed that just below the wall, hundreds of tall fins were circling. In an instant, they caught the scent of blood through the ocean around them, and shot straight for Thraz.
Gritting his teeth, Thraz placed Gluttony on the back of Krall, then swam until he was in the lead. With his greatsword at the ready, he treaded water, and awaited their assault.
Not one looked the same, and sometimes they would even attack each other on the way. In a flash, the sharks arrived. Dagger-like teeth were faced right at Thraz, at the ready to taste blood.
Come then. Thraz¡¯s eyes turned razor focused. The first to arrive was a massive shark with black spots all over its body. The green in its eyes told Thraz everything he needed to know about the beast.
It wanted his life.
Hefting his sword, he swung it in a mighty arc. Just as his weapon reached the apex in the air, a bundle of rock grew from the back of the blade, making it far heavier than it was before. It descended against the shark, and just before it made contact, the rock grumbled.
Thraz had activated [Weighted Earth] as his blade cleaved through the shark.
He only managed to kill one and then they were beset on all sides by the fish.
¡°Continue swimming, we are almost there! Ah!¡± Thraz ordered, but a sudden bite raked at the scales on flesh.
Not able to use his Earthen armour in fear of sinking, he had to rely on whatever armour he had managed to collect during his adventures.
They fought against the tide of monsters, losing pieces of flesh each second that passed. But they were close. So close that Thraz could almost reach out his hand, and put it through the veil of fog surrounding the island.
Slicing through another monster, Thraz kicked his legs, and reached out for the fog. His hand passed through, not feeling the difference in air. Then he looked back, Krall was surrounded.
The water was so dark with red that it was impossible to tell whose blood it belonged to. But Thraz knew it belonged to both. He looked past the veil of fog once more, then spat. Roaring, Thraz turned, his sword flashing in every direction he could.
There was no technique, it was just how he liked it. Wild, chaotic, and destructive. It was how a dragon lord should be. Field with noble might, Thraz carved out a path out of flesh, and bone.
Finally, kicking, and swinging, they broke past the wall of fog, and reached the beach of the island.
Thraz wasn¡¯t aware of it until now, but he was truly exhausted. Wounds marred his body. Some grievous, and others not so serious. Chunks of flesh had been torn from his arms, and legs, and not even Noah was free from the snapping jaws of the aquatic monsters.
It was the same for Gluttony, but even Thraz couldn¡¯t help but take in a cold breath when he looked at Krall. There wasn¡¯t a single centimetre of skin and scales that hadn¡¯t been torn apart. Teeth marks were clearly visible, and the pink flesh underneath was a gruesome sight.
Despite that, the first thing Krall did was take Noah off his back, and make sure he was okay. But when he saw the wounds inflicted onto Noah¡¯s skin, Thraz swore he witnessed raw emotion flash behind those beastly eyes.
Thraz turned around, gazing at the enormous wall of fog surrounding them. No monster seemed to enter. Or perhaps they were feared of whatever was hidden within the island? Whatever it was, Noah could worry about it when he woke up.
Summoning whatever strength was left in his weary body, Thraz took out whatever health potions he had left, and forced them down everyone''s throats.
Krall was stubborn at first, but no one was more stubborn than a dragonborn. In the end, Krall was forced to consume the red liquid as his wounds soon scabbed over.
Now that his wounds were on the mend, he turned his focus to the island that they were one. It was an island of three, and it appeared that they had landed on the smallest of them.
Just beyond the rough beach filled with stones, was a set of ruins that almost blended into the jungle behind it.
Then, a horrifying roar pierced outward. Thraz only knew that it was coming from deeper within the island, but whatever it was, was a monster he doubted they could kill.
Noah, please wake up. Thraz cradled his sword as he awaited any beast that may wander in their direction.
Chapter 111
Salt of the ocean, the stench of coppery blood, and the wet grains of the beach that had stuck to his flesh were what he had woken up to.
Mind hazy, Noah spun his head in every direction in an attempt to get the lay of the land. He was on an island, that much was certain, and by the looks of the enormous landmass in the distance, he was far away from home.
Noah winced in pain, stroking the wounds still recovering from his body. Chunks of flesh had been chewed out of his arm and legs. It would be a while until he recovered.
Krall was worse, but thanks to his [Trollblood] Skill, his wounds were being restored at breakneck pace. Skin attached together, then new polished scales formed in between the hair that was growing. It was marvellous. The regenerative properties of a troll were a godsend.
And yet he didn¡¯t have them. His tamed monster had it. sighing, he glanced at the dragonborn who was laying flat with his back on the sand.
¡°What happened?¡± Noah asked as everyone seemed to be utterly spent.
Without looking at Noah, Thraz said with a lack of energy, ¡°brought you here.¡±
¡°Brought me here?¡± Noah could hear the savage beastly cries echoing from the ocean behind the wall of fog. Judging by the wounds everyone had, Noah could only imagine how difficult the swim was to reach this island. ¡°You could have taken us to the bigger island?¡±
Thraz tilted his neck, eyes ferocious.
¡°Kidding.¡± Noah chuckled, then sat up. ¡°Have you heard anything coming from inland?¡±
¡°A very loud, monstrous roar,¡± Thraz said as he straightened his neck again, looking straight up into the sky. ¡°Nothing has come to bother us yet.¡±
¡°Yet,¡± Noah repeated, then stood up. He flexed his muscles, ignoring the searing pain from the missing flesh from his left arm, and right leg. He moved. Testing the movability in his limbs. It was painful, but he could still fight if need be. ¡°Stay here and focus on recovery, I¡¯ll go check those ruins.¡±
¡°Be careful Noah, there is a reason the monsters refuse to enter this domain,¡± Thraz warned.
Noah approached Krall who was guarding him just a few feet from his body. Running his hand across Kralls¡¯s head, he then patted it.
You saved my life, big guy. Noah smiled. He may have been unconscious from that strange sonic wave attack, but he was still connected to Krall, and Gluttony mentally. He could feel their pain, understand their intentions, and desires.
Krall had ignored the risk to his own body to save his master. To save his friend. Noticing that Noah wanted to move, Krall attempted to get up to his feet, but he collapsed.
¡°Stay there Krall. Recover well. I need you.¡± Noah smiled, patted his head to calm his companions'' nerves, then walked over to the ruins.
Thankfully Gluttony¡¯s wounds weren¡¯t too bad so he bounded next to Noah, nuzzling his head against Noah¡¯s waist. Rubbing Gluttony¡¯s soft fur, he was only ten feet away from the strange ruins when a system notification appeared.
Your house has been removed from its previous location and added into your soul sea. Please replace your house''s borders before time runs out.
| You have one month left to set your house¡¯s boundary.
One month, right. Noah thought it would be best to wait until he could get back to where he was before. But honestly, he had no idea how difficult that would be.
From his recollection, the sea monsters that his companions had faced weren¡¯t too strong. With a few more levels under his belt, he should be able to carve a path of blood, and flesh. However, that was under the impression that the monsters also stayed at that level.
Noah didn¡¯t know if stronger monsters would arrive, or maybe they just got incredibly lucky getting to this island in the first place?
Whatever it was, it was thoughts for later. Now, he had to make sure there was nothing in the vicinity that would wander onto the beach, and kill them.
He was forced to start from the beginning once more. Find shelter so that he could defend himself from predators, and only then could he think about settling his house somewhere. Right now, Noah needed to understand where he was if he wanted to survive through the night. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Using his spear, he swiped it against the long vines that had long reclaimed the ancient ruins. Falling to the floor, Noah¡¯s eyes widened as the structure was revealed. It was a pyramid. Or at least once upon a time it was. Now, the rocks were strewn over the floor, but it was clear that they lead upward.
Noah continued to clear out the area. First, pillars appeared, then stairs, then statues of a man wearing an ornamental crown.
It led up a hill, into a tunnel that seemed to travel deep within the hillside. Noah hesitated on entering. Instead, he returned back to the beach with his findings.
¡°Shelter sounds good,¡± Thraz said.
¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s in there,¡± Noah said as he took out some canned food from his backpack. Krall roused, sniffing the air. He had already tasted it before, and now he had the taste buds for cooked beef¡ or whatever the meat was.
Due to the high density of the meat, half a tin was more than enough for Noah, even with his increased Constitution, and Strength. It was obviously some high quality stuff.
He didn¡¯t want to keep his companion waiting, so he gave the first tin to Krall, while Noah shared one with Thraz, and Gluttony. As per his name, a quarter of a tin wasn¡¯t enough for his new bat-wolf friend, so he was forced to open up another one.
Despite Gluttony¡¯s small frame compared to Krall, his hunger was no less. In a second, he devoured the entire thing. Which led Noah to a question.
Why hadn¡¯t Gluttony evolved after reaching level fifty? Was it because he was still growing, or did rare bloodlines have different level requirements?
Noah was aware he could purchase a manual all about taming, but it cost ten-thousand Grace Coins. Since he had to worry about repairing his house, and fixing up proper defensive measures, he had to save all he could for now.
Besides, it wasn¡¯t a pressing matter. Gluttony would evolve when he was ready.
¡°Sounds like a fight to me!¡± Thraz finally sat up, a couple hours had passed since Noah had left, so his wounds were now healed for the most part.
Noah thought for a moment. It was now far into the night with the only light provided from high above. But Thraz was right. It was better fighting in a tight corridor than it was trying to fight monsters out in the open. Of course, Noah could handle that thanks to his class, but Thraz was different.
He didn¡¯t have the speed required to fight in an open field. The proud dragonborn would be flanked and slaughtered.
¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± Noah said and took Thraz into the tunnels.
The lizard had a keen sight in the dark, but it wasn¡¯t as perfect as Noah¡¯s. Sometimes Thraz would stumble over a partially shaded area, so Noah took the lead, kicking any object that was in their path against the wall.
And then there was a hiss. Krall was at the back because of how narrow the tunnel was, so Noah didn¡¯t have his stalwart warrior beside him.
Thankfully though, Gluttony was more adept in the shadows than Noah was. With Noah on his back, Gluttony swiped the air, sending a phantom blade through the tunnel, striking something with a thud.
The hissing shrieked. Whatever it was, it was in pain.
Noah couldn¡¯t really make out the image, but when it struck, it was apparent why that was. It was camouflaged, like a chameleon absorbing the material that it stood on.
Striking with his spear, the tip of his weapon met head to head with the snake. Its bones were tough, but it couldn¡¯t withstand the impact. With just a single strike, the snake was killed.
Continuing on, the same result happened two times, four times, six¡ It was clear that the beasts in the vicinity had the same idea as Noah did. They were using the tunnels not only as a place of shelter, but a source of food.
Each beast had its own way of mounting an ambush, but thanks to the beastly senses provided by Gluttony, and Krall, Noah was able to sniff out anything that wished him harm. Of course, [Hunting Instincts] also helped him in that regard.
Together, there weren''t many monsters around his level that could sneak up on him.
The tunnel continued on for around thirty minutes before they breached the other side. Noah¡¯s eyes widened as he looked down upon a port town that was situated on the biggest island in the distance.
It was a stark difference to the tunnel, and the steps he had uncovered at the beach. The town didn¡¯t have the same construction, in fact, it was built from the surrounding trees, and carved stone.
Noah thought it was clear that it was once a popular area filled with trade based on the size of the port itself, and the hundreds of broken ships abandoned on the harbour.
It was a strange sight. Why would there be so many ships just sitting there? Where did the people go, and why didn¡¯t they use them to travel to different areas?
However, as he was thinking, his mind turned to the System, and the village he had uncovered within the jungle. The people there had gone to the island. Possibly for treasure, or maybe it was for their own safety.
But what happened to the people on the island? Something bad must have happened if they weren¡¯t given a chance of escape.
Noah just hoped that the system abducted them. It would suck for the people that lived here, but that would mean that the island was considerably less dangerous than he was suspecting.
Now that he had a good look around, the island he was on seemed to be the smallest of the three. However, that didn¡¯t mean it was small. The distance to the largest island was vast, and if he had to take a guess as to how long it would take to swim there, then it would be at least greater than five.
It was just as far as the mainland, to the island he was standing on now.
Just as he was about to move, he spotted a few ships down in a small cove not far from where he was.
Might as well go to the bigger island. Noah thought, and so he began the trek down to the cove.
Chapter 112
However, just reaching half way down the steep hill, a piercing shriek that trampled the land they stood on erupted from the distance.
Noah flinched, and frowned. It was coming from the main island.
¡°That¡¯s what I heard before,¡± Thraz said as he tightened his grip around his weapon. ¡°Are we really heading over there?¡±
¡°We can fight on this small island for a while, gaining levels.¡± Noah ducked under a low hanging branch. ¡°Then after a few days, we¡¯ll check if the way back to the main landmass is safe.¡±
¡°If it¡¯s not?¡± Thraz asked, severing a cluster of jungle vines that were in his way.
¡°Well, we can¡¯t stay on this little island forever,¡± Noah continued. ¡°We¡¯ll have no other option but to risk it on the island ahead.¡±
Noah slid sideways down the hill, stopped by grabbing hold of a branch, then looked up at Thraz. ¡°What? Afraid of a little monster?¡±
Although Noah said it, in reality, he was nervous. It was impossible to know what the monster was, or what it was capable of. If he was unlucky, perhaps it was capable of annihilating them the moment they stepped foot onto the island?
¡°There is nothing I¡¯m afraid of!¡± Thraz stomped, his sword swiping through the air with increased power as it clanged against the hard, metal wood of the jungle trees. His blade vibrated and transferred through his arm, and clattered against his teeth.
¡°Nice one,¡± Noah said with a bemused smile.
After a few more minutes, Noah could smell something approaching fast.
Preparing himself, he mounted Gluttony, and reared his lance in front of his body.
Noticing Noah¡¯s reaction, Thraz was quick to react. He summoned an extra layer of earthen armour, and a glint shone from his sword. Amongst two warriors who had spent days together, words weren¡¯t needed for communication.
It wasn¡¯t long before the smell transformed into sound. The sound of steps thudding against land, or the rustling, and crackling of leaves, and vines. Then a body broke out of the jungle, leaping straight for them with hallowed eyes.
The hallowed was a dark man with tattered rough clothing. Like hemp, or something course like it. Without a sheath, a durable string was tied around a curved blade, and fastened to his waist. Even after all this time, it refused to drop.
To Noah, the hallowed reminded him of a pirate.
Snarling, Noah snapped his lance to the hallowed¡¯s skull. It shot through his eye, and into his fleshy brain. He fell to the ground, but the hallowed pirate wasn¡¯t the only one.
Whether they had noticed the energy Noah and the others had, or were guided by Thraz clanging his sword against the jungle tree. It didn¡¯t matter.
Rushing down the hill, they defended against the onslaught of hallowed. It was only after Noah had killed a fifth hallowed that he quickly realised where the inhabitants of the island had gone.
They were still here. Dead but alive.
It wasn¡¯t long before they reached the cove. Noah had suffered a few wounds from the hallowed sharpened claws, and even one of them had learned how to use its sword. Slicing into Krall¡¯s flesh, blood followed. However, it healed over in almost an instant thanks to Trollsblood.
¡°Into the water!¡± Thraz shouted.
Noah wanted to refuse. If they could make it into the cove, they could defend all attacks from the attackers. What they needed was a defensible position, but Thraz had already made his move.
Speed heightened from the secure footholds of his earth skill, he dove straight into the ocean.
Gritting his teeth, Noah followed. They had to be together, even if it was a bad move. Whatever reason Thraz had in aiming for the water, Noah had to trust it.
Noah followed the dragonborns lead and leapt in after him. The sound of sand being disturbed tickled Noah¡¯s ears¡ then nothing.
Spinning around, Noah¡¯s eyes widened as the hallowed refused to enter the water. But why? The golden armoured hallowed didn¡¯t seem to care about the water. Instead, he chased them into the sea like an underworld hound that wanted to drag them back to hell.
¡°I knew it!¡± Thraz slapped the water. ¡°They are scared! Not like me!¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡± Noah asked, confused. But something tugged at his mind, and it wasn¡¯t good.
¡°On the way here, something coiled around my legs. When it happened, all the monstrous fish ran away like little cowards!¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
As if on cue, Noah felt something hug his legs. His heart dropped. One second turned into a minute, but whatever it was, wasn¡¯t harming them.
Noah peered under the water. At the sight, goosebumps appeared on his flesh. Black and green tendrils had coiled themselves around his lower legs, yet they didn¡¯t crawl any further.
He attempted to kick them off, thrashing his legs.
¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Thraz asked as if Noah was stupid. ¡°Can¡¯t you swim?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you fucking see that? It¡¯s around our legs man!¡± Noah shouted, his voice somewhat screeched in panic.
Thraz frowned and dipped his head under the water. In the next second, he lifted his head out of the water. ¡°See what?¡± He shook his head.
He can¡¯t see it?
¡°But you can feel it, right?¡± Noah asked as he finally stopped thrashing in the water. The tentacles weren¡¯t letting go, but neither did they seem to want to harm him. Yet.
¡°Oh yes I can feel it,¡± Thraz said. ¡°It feels like a gentle massage. It¡¯s quite nice actually.¡±
¡°Do you have no danger senses in that head of yours?¡±
¡°Yes, I do in fact.¡± Thraz pointed at the hallowed.
Noah ignored the useless dragonborn. With nothing else to do, Noah summoned his Thrust Shard, and began quickly throwing powerful lances at the hallowed on the beach.
Some missed because of the unstable nature of floating in the water, but most hit their mark. After a good fifteen minutes or so, Noah, and Gluttony, had killed them all.
With them dead, Noah swam as hard, and as fast as he could back to shore. Thankfully, the black, and green tentacles didn¡¯t pull him under. Instead, the moment he was about to touch the beach, they retracted back into the deep abyss of the waters.
Thraz followed right behind him.
Dragging his feet in the sand, glancing back at the water, Noah said with exasperation, ¡°Let¡¯s not go back into the water.¡±
¡°What about the main island?¡± Thraz asked.
¡°We can try using one of the ships here,¡± Noah said, looking at the beached ships. They were the kind with sails, but they had long tattered, eroded by the sea air.
¡°Do you know anything about sailing?¡± Thraz asked, shaking his head.
Scoffing, Noah said, ¡°Surely it can¡¯t be that difficult.¡±
¡°Without a sail?¡±
¡°Alright then.¡± Noah frowned. ¡°Since you¡¯re not afraid of the damned lovecraftian tentacles, you can push it while I steer.¡±
¡°Do you really think I can push it¨C¡±
Noah raised his hand, glancing deeper into the cove.
Thraz neared, weapon at the ready. ¡°Where?¡±
¡°Nowhere.¡± Noah chuckled. ¡°I just wanted you quiet for a second.¡±
¡°That is betrayal.¡±
¡°Yeah, well, so is not being able to see the tentacles.¡±
¡°That is not fair.¡±
Noah ignored his comment, then added, ¡°And if that doesn¡¯t work, I have another method to reach the island, or the mainland.¡±
Thraz¡¯s brows perked up, but Noah didn¡¯t bother explaining to the dragonborn.
Of course, it had something to do with the tunnels granted by his house, and the title he obtained within the castle dungeon. It wasn¡¯t his first choice to create the house here, as he was hoping to have it on the main island, but it was better than risking it against whatever lay in the depths of the sea.
So, Noah carefully got to work the first plan. The boat. But after trying for a couple of hours, it was clear the dragonborn was right.
Noah knew nothing of sailing, and he definitely didn¡¯t feel comfortable having Thraz swim in the ocean; even if he could push an entire ship while in the water.
That left him with the second plan which he quickly got to work on. Scouting the island for the perfect place to plant his house.
Krall and Gluttony stood apart from each other, acting like an array for Noah so that he could tell whenever any hallowed approached. If they did, Noah would stop what he was doing, and swiftly take care of the problem before returning.
In the end, Noah decided that the cove was actually the best place for his new home. Most of the cove was underground, and to his knowledge, there was at least one escape tunnel if they needed it. While having the open cove would allow him to see whatever would attack.
Of course, once he got his defences up and running, the cave would make the perfect defensible position for his needs while he worked on the tunnel system.
Thankfully, the caved cove was the perfect size for his house. It was big enough for expansion. Before that however, Noah made the trek back to the waters where they had first arrived.
Noah gazed out at the rough seas, and his decision was only cemented once he witnessed the primal beasts belonging to the waters. Like guardians of the island, they remained. Watching his every move.
Returning to the cove, Noah wasted no more time as he placed down the border of his house once more. In an instant, the same purple borders appeared like a star in the night sky. It glowed in his vision, but it was clear that he had lost the materials from before.
The walls were gone, and any furniture within had vanished. He did keep the upgraded taming rooms which he was thankful for. But that just meant he had to do all of the resource gathering himself.
It was going to be a pain¡
I better get started. Time is of the essence. Noah thought as he recruited the help of Thraz¡¯s sword to chop down the trees. It wasn¡¯t as effective as an axe, or someone that had the Woodcutting profession, but Noah had to make do with what he had.
Hours turned to days.
What was once a highlighted border was now a fully fledged house once more. It looked exactly the same as it once did, but Noah wasn¡¯t finished.
He had a wall to build. Defences to create, and tunnels to carve out.
This was only the beginning.
Chapter 113
An entire week had passed since Noah had begun work on the house. Of course, thanks to the help from the system, Noah didn¡¯t have to be a genius builder. All he needed were the supplies, and when he selected the process, the system completed the rest of the work for him.
However, it was anything but easy.
Building the foundations for his house was the easy part. Chop down the basic trees on the island, find some big rocks, and thankfully, jungle vines were substituted for nails.
Noah didn¡¯t know how that one worked, but he wouldn¡¯t complain.
Then there was the wall. It required too many rocks. Noah ended up having to dig up a large portion of one side of the island. But Krall was happy. It seemed that the Mole King evolution had rewired his brain slightly. Krall had a deep grin on his face as his strong limbs smashed the rocks, and devoured the earth.
He was a one man¡ mole excavation team.
While his mole-kobold companion got to work on the quarry, Thraz received an unexpected Profession. Well, it was expected, but the rarity of it caused Noah to spit at the dragonborns luck.
Epic - Axe Chopper.
It was a woodcutting profession that was designed for a warrior to use. For Thraz, it was perfect.
Honestly, Noah was rather perplexed as to how the lizard hadn¡¯t received a profession already. But it turned out he had. A lot of them, to be exact.
His reason for not using them summed Thraz up perfectly. He didn¡¯t learn any of them because they didn¡¯t directly enhance his fighting prowess. In fact, Noah had to explain to the dragonborn how it would help him fight by increasing his stats.
For hours.
Noah worried that he would throw the Epic profession stone away, but in the end, the stubborn dragon relented. And it turned out that it helped him in combat anyway. So yay, wasted time.
The profession: Axe Chopper, boosted the speed at which he could swing his axe. It also covered his weapon in a dim green light. When he struck a tree, the dim light turned out to be like a vibrating saw blade. It not only protected the blade from unnecessary damage, but made chopping the ironwood palm trees easy work.
Even from a distance, Noah could hear the dragonborn shouting out warcries here and there as they echoed throughout the jungle. It was like he had discovered a new enemy.
Instead of hungry flesh eating hallowed, they were trees.
And that moved him to Noah¡¯s job. To fight the hallowed on the island, clearing them up with the help of Gluttony.
The island wasn¡¯t too big. From one side to the other, it took around three hours of hiking. However, it had taken him around six hours. Most of that time was spent clearing the weaker hallowed.
Up until he found a little cove that had a huge shipwreck crashed into the rocks. That was where he found a tough opponent.
A Hallowed Captain.
Even after a devastating surprise attack from Noah, the fight continued on for five minutes. It didn¡¯t seem like long, but when every strike from the captain could easily be the last, it made the fight perilous. Because of that, the short time felt like an eternity.
Thankfully after defeating the strongest of the area, clearing out the rest was an easy job. In under a week, Noah, and Gluttony, had terminated any threats on the island.
Noah also paid close attention to the waters during that time. The bloodthirsty fish still remained, but now there was a new addition to the oceans. A kraken. Or that¡¯s what it looked like with miles long, black tentacles barbed in spikes.
And numerous eyes that peered back at him as if he was an insect. To the monster, he absolutely was.
It only made him work harder. It was evident the south side of the island was impossible to cross without the use of his tunnels. Of course, then there was the north. Well, Noah didn¡¯t really know his north from his south, but it was just a way to orientate himself.
The north was where the larger island was. The main island. It was completely clear of any monsters that wanted to tear him apart. But he didn¡¯t dare step a single foot into that murky water.
Noah shivered as he recalled the sensation of that black and green monstrosity coiling around his legs. It was only made more eerie by the fact that Thraz couldn¡¯t see it.
Trying to get the feeling out of his mind, Noah returned to the small cove that he had now made into his new home.
The main building stood there, like a bastion from evil. But it was no longer just a basic square construction with one room, and a small taming sanctuary. There was a new extension to his home now. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Krall¡¯s bedroom was now extended further. The room was half the size of his entire house, and to his surprise when he had finished building it, it was now akin to a biome. Like a new world within his home. There was tall grass, a pond, trees, and of course, a sleeping area for his tamed companions.
It looked just like a jungle without the stifling heat. Honestly, if he had to deal with any more humidity, Noah would have changed his mind about the whole taming room. In fact, he was dreaming that it would be a tundra.
If it was, he could simply leave the door open and let the cool air sweep around his house. But alas, it wasn¡¯t meant to be. Damned luck.
Apart from that, there was now furniture in the house. From couches built of basic jungle leaves, to¡ well that was about it.
If he wanted real couches like fancy people had back on earth, he had to kill monsters for their leather. Fifteen hides, to be exact.
Noah made a mental note to obtain some in the future as he gazed beyond his house. The result was all from Krall¡¯s handiwork. Paw work. Whatever they were considered now.
Bypassing the questions of Krall¡¯s evolved anatomy, Noah admired the wall that closed off the entire cove. It wasn¡¯t a simple wall, of that Noah made certain of.
He had made use of some unique buildings granted only to him because of his tamer class. From spear-like thorn bushes branching out of the wall battlements to deter any beasts, quick sand pits thanks to Krall¡¯s mole evolution.
However, that wasn¡¯t what Noah was most interested in.
Noah entered his house, and headed to a new door that he had created. It came with the most unique building that he had earned.
Unlike normal doors, this one was a double door planted into the ground. Technically it was a cellar, but it was actually the beginning of Noah¡¯s great plans.
He swung open the doors, and descended into the darkness. It was a long way down. In total, it took him fifteen whole minutes until his feet hit dirt.
There weren¡¯t any lights as apparently only those with a crafting profession could create lanterns.
Besides, not that he really needed them anyway. Maybe it was better this way as he gazed into the seemingly never ending tunnel that crawled into a deep, dark abyss.
Krall stood next to the entrance with a wide smile on his face. As if he was telling Noah how proud he was of his creation. And it was his creation.
Unlike the house where the building process was magically automated through the world''s mana. The tunnel was all Krall. Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely correct. Just like the skills that Noah, and the Otherworlders could obtain, Krall received one of his own when Noah purchased one length of the tunnel system.
It had given him the knowledge, and the method of using the earth as a building material for support. Not only that, but his speed at which he dug out the tunnel had increased a lot.
Because of that, the tunnel to one side was complete.
Noah had debated for a long time during the week of work. Would he make Krall dig a tunnel toward the mainland where Declan and the others were, or forge a path toward the main island?
He was torn. To help the others, or attempt to find that legendary spear that the inhabitants were hunting after?
In the end, he made a cold, calculated decision. He would go after the spear if possible. It wasn¡¯t an easy one, but it had already been a week since the hallowed had attacked.
If they had managed to get back to the castle, then they would be safe. But if they had died, then it wouldn¡¯t matter if Noah used extra resources to go to the mainland in hopes of finding them.
And he couldn¡¯t go now, even if he wanted to. Noah had run out of Grace Coins. To create the tunnel all the way to the main island had cost him over six thousands coins. If the distance was further, then it would cost even more.
Noah had to be pragmatic. He just hoped that the kids managed to survive.
Shaking his head, Noah looked into the distance of the tunnel once more. His house was ready, protected, and all the threats on the island were defeated.
It was time he made a move.
Calling Thraz with a booming shout, Noah stood with his back leaning against the wall as he waited. He was under no pretence. This mission was going to be dangerous.
From the harrowing scream deep within the main island, and the mysterious sea creatures hiding in the depths of the water, and the mysterious disappearance of the inhabitants who were searching for the spear relic. Noah was aware he was once again entering a fight for his life.
But was this not what he wanted?
Putting his life on the thread of life and death. Would he come out on top, or would he fail, succumbing to whatever monsters that he would face?
Noah grinned as he looked at Krall.
Am I batshit insane?
Krall didn¡¯t understand what he was saying. The mole-kobold tilted his head with a silly smile on his face.
Perhaps I am.
Noah could feel it. Ever since he had connected his mind to Krall, and then Gluttony, Noah felt that his mind was undergoing a great change. At first it was difficult to make out, but during this week, he had a lot of time for self reflection.
Ever since he had arrived on this god forsaken land, ever since he had made the mental connection to Krall¡ Noah would have never jumped head on into danger like what he had done for the past weeks.
It was like he had a primal urge to grow stronger. To fight. Just like any beast had. A natural desire for self preservation.
Throwing caution to the wind, he only wanted to grow stronger. To hunt longer, to fill his stomach, to ascend to high realms.
Noah shook his head with a wry chuckle.
I must be bored.
Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have to wait for long. Thraz was descending the ladder. He brought along a deep smell of wood, and the sap that came with it.
As the dragonborn stepped on the raked earth of the tunnel, his sharp eyes swept over Krall, then landed on Noah. WIth a smile, he asked, ¡°is it time?¡±
¡°It¡¯s time.¡±
Chapter 114
The tunnels were obviously not made for any normal human. They were impossibly dark, and the terrain was rough. It was clear the tunnels weren¡¯t made with a human in mind, but monsters.
Like Krall, Gluttony¡ and Noah.
As he was walking through the darkness, thoughts of concern flitted through his mind.
How am I going to deal with that¡ thing? Noah shook his head. For now, it wasn¡¯t a concern. As long as he didn¡¯t think about it, it wouldn¡¯t attack them, right?
Moving his thoughts to the tunnels, they were a great way to travel from one area to another. But it was a two way path. What could lead him to a new area, could also take monsters straight to his home.
Unmasked, he wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if someone, or something, entered the path Krall had formed.
I¡¯ll need to build some defences in the tunnel. However, that was a thought for later.
If Noah wanted to make it out of this place alive, he had to obtain the strength to move the way he wanted to move. To be free, he had to have the power to back it up. If he didn¡¯t, he would just be another lamb to the slaughter.
For that, there had to be some lost treasure on the main island.
It took four hours of brisk walking to reach the end of the tunnel. If Krall didn¡¯t have the help of the System, it wouldn¡¯t have taken a week to form the tunnels, but multiple.
Just like from the house side, the way up to the surface was a sharp drop. A wooden ladder led the way up, and hidden on the soil layer, was a secret hatch covered in thick jungle bushes. If any monster or beast walked by the side of it, they would never be able to tell there was a secret tunnel system just a few feet away.
Noah and the gang exited the hatch, and found themselves in a hilly region of the island. By his calculations, the town that he had spotted in the distance was a good hour''s hike from the tunnel.
Of course, it wasn¡¯t going to be a stroll in the park.
From watching the island over the week, he had managed to get a good grasp on what monsters were hiding here. And they weren¡¯t the easy type.
For some reason or another, the monsters on this island resorted to ambushes. Whether it was spiders the size of a house, scorpions with a stinger bigger than any spear Noah had seen, or slithering snakes capable of eating a whale¡
It wasn¡¯t a lie to say that Noah was apprehensive about his time on the island. But if he remained scared of what could happen, then he would never amount to much.
To become strong¡ What was a little ambush now and then?
Besides, there was no telling who would become the prey, or who was the predator.
Grinning, Noah spread his shadows into the surrounding area. Because of the wall of fog that surrounded the island, it was already darker than usual.
For Noah, it was the perfect hunting ground for him.
Thraz did stand out like a sore thumb, however. But there was nothing he could do about that. The big, earthy armoured lizard would just have to be helpful in other ways.
And when a nearby bush twitched, Thraz was about to perform his new role perfectly.
From the bush arrived a thorned tendril about the thickness of Noah¡¯s arm. It pierced the air in an instant, coiling around the unsuspecting Thraz before he could react.
The earthen armour around Thraz became thicker than before.
Was it the result of a Shard, or a Skill? Noah wondered, but he had no time to be curious.
Thraz was already aware what his plan would be on this island and he was prepared to suffer for it.
The thorned piece of nature dragged Thraz, or it attempted to. But the Dragonborn was stubborn. Gritting his fanged teeth, he created earth from the moist jungle floor, then pulled forward.
Thorned vine groaning, it was pulled taught. But in the end, the level difference was proven too great for Thraz.
The proud dragonborn was losing with his greatest boon. Strength. Not only that, but he was being dragged backwards despite his intense struggle. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
That was when Noah arrived.
He had taken longer than he had liked, but he had to make sure that he knew exactly where the monster''s weakness was. And he had found it.
Moving forward in a blur, Noah used all the skills in his arsenal as he tore a hole through the vine creature. But when Noah didn¡¯t receive a system notification of his kill, he frowned.
The monster had lived despite him putting his all into the attack. Even with the increased stats provided by Gluttony, he was still below the creature in front of him.
And with it stumbling out of the bush it was hiding in, its figure was made clear.
To no surprise to Noah, it was a monster he had never seen before. Body of a tree, the face of a human, it strangely bore sharpened fangs at him.
The long vines covered in razor-sharp vines were actually its arms. With four of them, the fight would prove to be exceedingly dangerous.
Level ?? - Thorned Dryad.
¡°My¡Eyes¡Don''t look¡at it,¡± it said in a scratched voice.
Despite the monster''s words, Noah couldn¡¯t help but look at them. You fool! Snatching his eyes away from its own, he waited for something to happen, but nothing did.
Or at least not what he expected.
The dryad flicked one of its vined arms in a wide arc as Noah quickly dodged under them. Air cracking from the pressure of the strike, it slammed into a nearby iron tree. The vines not only damaged the strong bark, but sliced them into jagged pieces.
Heart beating faster, Noah would have made another move, but there was one more beast unaccounted for.
Krall suddenly appeared from the darkness and just as it was about to slam into the dryad, Noah activated [Kill Command].
Noah¡¯s trusty companion¡¯s claws glowed a vicious gleam as they tore straight into the tree monster. Then came Noah¡¯s next attack. His lance tore through the air and bored straight into its face. Right between its two red, dead, wooden eyes.
You defeated a - Level 92 Thorned Dryad.
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 64 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 69
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 64 -> Krall level 69
Gluttony has Levelled up.
| Gluttony level 55 -> Gluttony level 64
You are being watched¡
Thraz huffed, breaking free from the natural restraints. Roaring, he split what was left of the dryad into two halves with a swing of his massive sword. A light green hue covered his blade.
The angry dragonborn had obviously made use of his new profession. Fitting, considering that the dryad was practically just a humanoid tree¡
However, despite Thraz¡¯s excitement at their victory, Noah wasn¡¯t happy. He had warned the dragonborn three times already that he had to be quiet. But subterfuge obviously wasn¡¯t in the lizard''s blood.
Thanks to Thraz¡¯s victory they had made too much noise, and Noah knew what happened when something made too much on this island.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
Noah quickly ordered Krall to use his heightened mole senses to detect what was underneath, and what he relayed back to him was nothing short of breathtaking.
Something massive was fast approaching them from the far side of the island. Krall couldn¡¯t detect exactly where it was, but that just made it worse. It could be at the other side of the island, or it could be five minutes away.
Grabbing the dragonborn, they rushed toward a mountainous area where a set of ruins remained. If his guess was correct, then just over the mountain was where the town resided.
Each minute that passed, the rumbling of earth only became louder, and louder.
Even the dense lizardman had released their perilous situation. His steps were like thunder as they pelted the jungle floor, which only seemed to anger whatever was chasing them further.
It¡¯s like a damned elephant on steroids¡ Despite Thraz¡¯s harsh steps, it did make one thing clear¡
Noah sped up and hoisted the dragonborn straight onto Krall.
Thraz frowned, and was about to complain when Noah warned him.
¡°Your loud footsteps are bringing it straight for us.¡±
¡°A warrior doesn¡¯t mask his steps¨C¡±
Noah ignored his words and picked up the pace, sprinting across the land with quiet steps. However, despite his agile movements, it was clear whatever was chasing them had keen hearing. Or worse, it had vision like Kralls.
Earth sense.
The rumbling was turning even more intense. Glancing over his shoulders, Noah watched as trees in the distance were felled with ease. They didn¡¯t stop the monster for even half a second. It was like a tsunami was washing over the land, devouring everything in its path.
Oh just my damned luck!
Thankfully, they had made it to the ruins. If Noah was right, they were safe. If he was wrong, they were already dead.
Crossing under a tall archway made of giant, hand carved sandstone, Noah turned, and watched as the thing approached. Trees fell, rocks were split into fragments, and the earth was sundered as if it was not a solid, but a liquid.
Twenty metres in front of the archway the trees collapsed and then¡ silence. It remained like that for around five minutes, and then whatever was under the earth, turned back to where it came from.
Noah quickly tried to catch a glimpse of it, but what he saw turned his mind numb.
It didn¡¯t have a form.
There was no head, arms, legs, or a body. Formless, like darkness itself.
And that¡ was the thing Noah was worried about.
Chapter 115
¡°That was a close call.¡± Noah chuckled, wiping the sweat budding on his forehead. It wasn¡¯t from the heat, but the anxiousness that grabbed hold of him.
It was truly a close call. One second later, and they would be food for the mysterious beast.
¡°I would have won.¡± Thraz slapped the axe against his open palm.
¡°Pal, you wouldn¡¯t even be considered a snack,¡± Noah said as he began inspecting the ruins that they had entered.
He was in front of a pillar that obviously once had some kind of symbols etched onto the sandstone, but time, or something else, had destroyed it.
Looking closer, it did seem like something had purposefully destroyed it. From the top to the bottom, sword marks cut through the images, making them impossible to read.
Or maybe they were scratch marks?
¡°I would be more than a snack!¡± Thraz postured forward.
Noah turned from the old sandstone pillar and said with a playful smile, ¡°So you wouldn¡¯t have won then? You just admitted to being food for the monster.¡±
¡°I¨C¡± Thraz stuttered, then grumbled. ¡°I would be poisonous! Yes, I will be like a thorned fruit. If the monster dares eat me, I will kill it from the inside.¡±
¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Noah scoffed at the absurd declaration. ¡°And I will be the king of the world.¡±
Thraz turned silent for a moment, before saying, ¡°that is a lofty goal. I will help you achieve it.¡±
Listening to the words, Noah smirked before moving further into the ruins. They were heading toward a large hill where the paved path underfoot was leading to. Most of it was covered in jungle vines, so he had to hack away at them to clear the path. Thankfully he had a trustworthy dragonborn with a rare profession by his side.
Chopping into another vine with his spear, Noah glanced at Thraz. ¡°Why? Wouldn¡¯t the dragon king Bor want you to become the king of the world?¡±
¡°Ha,¡± Thraz spat. ¡°You humans have small dreams. I won¡¯t just be a lord of this world, I will become the ruler of all the worlds. Only then can I claim my right as Bor¡¯s descendant.¡±
¡°How strong is Bor?¡±
¡°Stronger than you can ever imagine.¡± Thraz stopped chopping as his eyes hazed over. ¡°Dragon king Bor is a Sovereign.¡±
¡°A sovereign?¡±
¡°Yes, a sovereign. Don¡¯t you have ears?¡± Thraz shook his head before continuing. ¡°A Sovereign is a ruler of a set of planets. It is their domain where they become stronger with the help of their worshippers. If anything threatens their system, it is their responsibility to protect it.¡±
Noah whistled in shock. He couldn¡¯t even imagine the strength it would take to take command of one planet, let alone multiple of them.
Then that meant that each Sovereign was ranked by how many planets they were in charge of. The more planets they had, the stronger their influence would become, the more power they would obtain.
The stronger would get stronger, and the weak would be absorbed by the other Sovereigns. It sounded like a cut through operation marred with bones and blood.
Noah could hardly deal with a Level seventy hallowed zombie, so his mind turned numb at the thought of the wider universe. Or in this case, multiverse. It was an unfathomable concept.
What was stopping a Sovereign from arriving on the planet, and wiping out everything in existence? Or from them absorbing the planet''s natural resources, killing it without even having to lift a finger on the residents of the world.
Just the thought caused Noah to clench his fist.
It looked like his need for strength had just become more desperate. The goal posts had widened. He needed to become strong enough not to become a pawn.
He needed to become a Sovereign himself¡
Thraz chopped another vine, and along with it, a large clump of jungle foliage fell to the floor, revealing a tall archway, and a dark room.
Noah peered around Thraz¡¯s shoulder, getting a closer look of the room from the safety of a scaled wall. It was mostly an empty room apart from a small monument in the centre of the room. Standing in the middle of the monument was some sort of golden plaque.Stolen novel; please report.
Oh, shiny.
Rubbing his hands, Noah made sure that nothing was in the room, before taking a step forward. Of course, as a treasure finding enthusiast, Noah knew that just because it was unguarded, didn¡¯t mean that there was no danger.
No, sometimes if it wasn¡¯t guarded, then it meant it was even more dangerous.
Noah picked up a piece of broken sandstone, and flung it into the room. One piece, two pieces, four¡ Noah made sure to hit all the suspicious looking tiles, but there was no activity within the room.
¡°You¡¯re scared,¡± Thraz said with dipped shoulders, and a tight grasp around his weapon.
¡®Shut up, then why don¡¯t you go first?¡±
¡°Ha, you can¡¯t fool me,¡± Thraz continued. ¡°It is against dragonborn customs to go first. We always let our guests take the honour.¡±
¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s scared,¡± Noah mumbled, then crept forward to the threshold of the room.
Looking down, he took a breath, then stepped onto the tile. Nothing happened. So he took another step, and just like before, there was no reaction.
Sighing in relief, he sauntered toward the monument with confidence.
The golden plaque had unique drawings etched into its surface. If Noah had to take a guess, then they were the same markings that were meant to be on the walls outside. But these ones were entirely undamaged.
Not only that, the surface seemed polished. Like a grave that someone looked after even though years had passed since their life had ended.
Noah thought nothing of it. After all, he had some magical items of his own.
It probably has a self-cleaning enchantment.
Nodding, Noah peered closer at the images etched onto the tablet. It seemed to depict a story, starting from left to right.
There was a large man in every sense of the word. Sitting on his throne in a large gilded hall, he looked like he was atop the world.
He was as tall as he was wide, and a large, spiky crown made out of solid gold adorned his mighty head.
Everyone surrounding him bowed in reverence, serving him foods, and fruits of all kinds. Some exotic; ones that Noah had never seen before. Some closely resembled the foods of earth, although it was just meat.
So it could have been anything¡
In the next picture, the man was married. He was wearing a grand outfit that proudly displayed his engorged stomach. On his face was etched an enormous smile, obviously showcasing how happy he was in that moment, and how much he cared for the woman by his side.
Speaking of the woman, she was in a gorgeous flowing white dress with a veil covering most of her face. Two small horns budded out from the top of her head, emerging from the thin material of the veil.
Standing next to the large smiling man, they seemed to be a match made in heaven. Surprisingly, the woman stood even taller than the man.
A giant race?
The next picture, however, their happiness came crumbling down. She died. Noah didn¡¯t know how as it didn¡¯t show that part, but the next image displayed the man sitting alone in his throne.
The food was rotting and tears rolled down his face.
Those who once worshipped him were no longer there. If Noah had to take a guess, then the man had ushered them away.
He wanted to be alone.
In the next picture, the man stood above the bride''s tomb. He was drawing strange symbols onto the surface of the sandstone coffin. Noah didn¡¯t know what they meant, but from the sorrowful mood of the picture, it couldn¡¯t mean anything good.
And he was right.
The coffin cracked, and a greenish-black mist billowed out of the coffin. At first the man smiled, then, it turned into horror.
Rising from the tomb with shining green eyes, the woman took hold of the man''s throat, then snapped it with a flick of her wrist.
Noah grimaced. It was the same mist that corrupted corpses, and increased their strength. Transforming their mind into mindless creatures of consumption.
In the last picture, the fog spilled out of a castle, and spread into the surroundings all over the island. No-one was safe from its path, and everyone turned into mindless zombies.
Hungering for flesh, they roamed.
Noah frowned. He had been keeping a close eye on the island. Not once had he seen a hallowed like back on the other island where his home was placed.
The only monsters he had witnessed were native ones. Whether they were monsters, or beasts. Of course, they all had the same thing in common: green eyes. They were strengthened by the hallowed corruption.
But that meant someone had to survive to create the plaque in front of him.
Someone had to live to tell the story. And why would they want to tell it? Shouldn¡¯t they be focusing on their escape?
Noah scratched his chin. He was curious. But if he wanted more information, he would have to place his hand on the tablet, and use [Inspect] it.
Judging by the monument it was sitting on, Noah didn¡¯t fancy his chances that something would go wrong.
No, it was more like a certainty.
Thankful that he had at least learned what had happened to the island, and what was the cause of the fog, Noah turned.
A chill ran up his spine.
Turning on his heels, he snapped his head in multiple directions, looking to one side of the room, to the other. Thraz, Krall, or Gluttony didn¡¯t seem to see, or feel anything. They were looking at him in confusion. Wondering why Noah was acting the way he was.
But Noah was certain of something. He was being watched. He heard something move.
Brandishing his shield, he activated [Beastly Aegis]. With Krall in his mind, the shield in his hand instantly took the form of Krall¡¯s thick armoured hide.
Chapter 116 + Announcement!
However, no attack arrived.
Noah looked around in confusion. He could have sworn he had heard something move within the room.
¡°What is it?¡± Thraz asked.
There was no humour in his voice. His experience fighting alongside Noah told him that the young human wasn¡¯t one to play around when it came to something serious.
More than that, the dragonborn trusted Noah enough that he had already brandished his axe in preparation for something happening.
¡°I thought I heard something,¡± Noah said, squinting his eyes as he inspected the room closer. ¡°Like something small moving.¡±
Thraz looked around, using his keen senses evolved from the swamps, but even with his advanced eyesight, he couldn¡¯t see anything.
It was only when Thraz moved a step to the side, Noah spotted something. Light from the moon peering over the dragonborns shoulder illuminated the room enough to spot the imperfections within.
The walls of the room were covered in a dark grey paint, but it had long peeled away, revealing the rough sandstone underneath.
However, the fact that Noah couldn¡¯t spot the imperfections on the wall told Noah something about his dark vision. Although he could see in the dark, he wasn¡¯t able to make out small details like he could with his regular vision.
It seemed that it was the limitation of a Rare class.
And that led him to another thought. Well, there goes the theory of someone looking after the place.
If someone was indeed looking after the plaque, then why wouldn¡¯t they take the time to also care for the room it was within?
Shaking his head, Noah was about to turn around to leave the room for good when he spotted something on the ceiling. There was a crack.
Noah carefully approached the hole, standing right underneath it with his shield raised. Now that he was closer, he could actually see that the hole continued further up. Almost like a tunnel.
Thraz approached. ¡°Should I smash it?¡±
¡°And risk collapsing a mountain worth of rock onto our heads? No thanks.¡±
Thraz pointed his axe to the ceiling. ¡°But what if there is treasure inside, or better, a worthy opponent to defeat.¡±
Noah sighed, before saying, ¡°alright, but we need to be careful. I¡¯ll do it. You¡¯re heavy handed.¡±
¡°That is correct. I am heavy handed,¡± Thraz said with pride, nudging his chin into the air.
Taking a couple steps back and brandishing his lance, Noah thrust it against the rock ceiling. As the lance tip struck, rubble fell directly onto the floor, revealing a small passageway that was roughly carved. Like someone had hand crafted it.
¡°You fucking idiot!¡±
Noah heard a scream come directly from where he had struck, but the moment he heard the strange, gruff voice, the door behind them groaned shut.
What the hell was going on?
Krall, standing next to it, flexed his muscles, and pushed against it. But the great door wouldn¡¯t budge.
[Shadow Blinking] to the door in an instant, Noah joined his faithful companion. Gritting his teeth, he pushed against the door, but it was of no use. No matter how much strength Noah used, the door refused to deviate from its course.
To leave, or stay within the room?
Time slowed. Thraz was rushing toward him in an attempt to escape, but he was too slow. Gluttony on the other hand was too fast, with an order, his shadowed monsters could easily bypass Noah, and escape.
And since Krall and himself were already at the door, they could leave.
But Noah decided against that. Although he would guarantee his life, it wasn¡¯t a life he wanted to live. He had worked so hard to gain strength to obtain freedom. The freedom required to make his own choices.
His choice was to stay and help Thraz.
Giving Krall a mental order, he gave up trying to stop the closing door, and stepped into the room. Noah did the same. And in an instant, they were swallowed by the darkness.
Thankfully, everyone in his party was able to see perfectly. Some more than others.
Gluttony because he was a creature of the shadows.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Krall because of his unique tremor sense.
Noah because of his Phantom Lancer Path.
Thraz seemed to have it the worst off. He only relied upon his lizard-like vision, but even that had its limitations. Within a pitch black room with absolutely no light source, he was almost on the verge of being blind. But all he had to see was an outline of his enemy to strike. For the warrior-bred dragonborn, that was enough.
Once again, just like the first time he had entered the peculiar room, Noah felt a chill shiver up his spine.
It was a sense of danger, and it was warning Noah. But it wasn¡¯t coming from the ceiling.
It was radiating from the plaque. Not only that, but the golden tablet was trembling. Like the ground underneath it was moving. Or¡
Noah frowned as the air surrounding the pillar swirled. Greenish-black mist billowed out of the lustrous plaque, then by the second, the once golden sheen turned rusty. Until the entirety was consumed by a disgusting copper. It oozed a dark red, viscous liquid; almost like a jelly consistency.
Then it cracked.
Suddenly, a ghostly being shot out of the plaque. Straight at Noah.
Eyes widening, he activated [Beastly Aegis] as the ghost approached him in a hazy blur. Noah braced for impact, legs tensed ready for the strike, but his heart dropped when the ghost bypassed his shield.
In an instant, the monster''s transparent hand solidified. Sickly black tipped nails sliced against his chest-piece. The resulting impact flung him backwards, striking the wall with a thud.
Noah wheezed, gulping in a breath as the air in his lungs escaped.
Krall moved in front of Noah in an instant, and so did Gluttony as he lowered his body somewhat.
Nodding, Noah jumped onto his back, and readied himself for another round of attack.
Thraz also moved, approaching Noah quickly as they held their backs against the wall.
They faced the ghostly being as it stood with its back turned, gazing at the plaque.
¡°What is it?¡± Thraz asked with an impatient tone. He thwacked the axe in his hands, itching for a fight.
¡°A ghost, I think,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Be careful, it can bypass defence, and I don¡¯t think we can physically damage it.¡±
¡°What? We can¡¯t hit it? Then it¡¯s invincible!¡±
¡°Not completely.¡± Noah frowned.
His mind replayed the moment he was struck. Although it happened in a flash, he clearly noticed that the ghost¡¯s hand turned from a translucent colour, to a black.
If that was the case, then at the moment of attack, the ghost was forced to turn its body to a physical state.
Although Noah couldn¡¯t be sure of the knowledge he had gained, he had to trust it. After all, there was no other way.
¡°The moment it attacks, attack it in the same instance,¡± Noah warned the dragonborn as he prepared his lance.
If he wanted to defeat the ghost, then he had to time his attack to perfection.
The dragonborn seemed to take his advice in stride as his slitted eyes contracted, focusing on the target that was still just standing like a statue.
However, after five minutes, Noah¡¯s nerves were a wreck. Not only because it was a type of enemy he had never faced before, but it was the unknown that weighed against his shoulders. Noah didn¡¯t know what abilities the ghost had, or why it was stuck in the plaque.
Taking a breath, he looked up at the crack in the ceiling. It was simply too small for Noah to escape from, let alone the massive Krall, or Thraz.
Then he looked at the door. Since it closed on its own, then there must be a way to open it. Maybe a lever, or a pulley system?
But no matter where Noah searched, he couldn¡¯t find it. His vision rested on the ghost. The door only closed when it appeared, but a question entered his mind.
Why isn¡¯t it attacking?
Noah guessed that it held some emotional attachment to the broken tablet, but Noah wasn¡¯t a sentimental person. The ghost had attacked them, so it was now an enemy. If he wanted to live, he had to kill it.
Realising the situation he was in, there was no way to escape. So he decided it was better to make the first move.
Of course, he already knew that his attack wouldn¡¯t do anything, so he targeted the ceiling.
I hope this doesn¡¯t kill us.
Noah grit his teeth, and fired his lance at the ceiling. This time, he placed more strength into the strike. It blasted the remains of the ceiling, shattering it completely.
He heard a hiss coming from the tunnel, but he was in no position to care what he had hit.
Like a landfall, the ceiling collapsed. A mass of rubble fell, sending thick dust billowing around the room. Noah resisted the urge to cough as he retained his focus ahead of him.
The rubble had completely swallowed the monument, and in turn, the plaque whole. Along with the ghost, they had vanished under the pile of rock.
But peace only lasted for mere moments. A shrieking cry pierced Noah¡¯s ears as a formless figure approached him at high speed.
In a second, the ghost was in front of Noah; the one responsible for the desecration of the golden plaque.
Now!
Noah snapped his lance forward, but his heart dropped. He was too early. The vicious point of his weapon disappeared within the ghosts chest, and then black formed around its hand.
Tensing the muscles in his body, he expected a strike to land on either Gluttony, or himself.
But thankfully he had a trained warrior from birth by his side. Thraz¡¯s reaction time was nothing short of spectacular as he cleaved his massive axe through the air, straight through the ghosts hand.
This time, it was a direct hit.
The blackened hand was sliced off without much effort as the ghost retreated with a wailing screech.
It was only now that Noah got a good look at the ghost''s face. It was clearly human, or, at least it was a long time ago. She had deep wrinkles under her lifeless, greyed eyes. But despite that, they were red around the edges; as if she had been crying for a long time.
Her long translucent hair turned black as it cascaded over her dainty shoulders.
Then, her short claw-like fingernails grew longer, and longer, until there were as long as blade. She moved her fingers, claws clanging against each other as if they weren¡¯t made from bone, but metal.
She screeched once more, but this time it was filled with wrath.
The ghost wanted blood.
Chapter 117
Screeching at Noah with a tormented scream, it dashed forward as if it was a phantom image. In a blur, it had already arrived in front of the monster tamer.
However, like a guardian, Krall intercepted the ghost in a clash of beasts. A resounding thud echoed throughout the room, but it was clear Krall was worse off.
He tumbled then crashed against the hard floor. Quickly recovering, it was Thraz¡¯s turn to mount an attack.
Swinging his axe in a wide arc, Thraz cleaved into the ghost. From the woman''s shoulder, to chest, a savage wound split into her body.
There was no blood, only an eerie light glimmered from the ghosts eyes.
The ghost seemed to have lost her rationale. No longer was it able to think clearly and use its ghostly features to stop the attacks.
But now that had changed.
It was like the hit from Thraz had cleared the ghost from her mindless wrath. With a rekindled mind, it¡ shook its head, and renewed her attack.
Unlucky for her however, Noah, and his team, had already discovered the method for success. All that was left was to implement it.
Of course, that was easier said than done. For Thraz, the highly trained dragonborn from birth, was able to get in a good few hits. But because the ghost was more aware of its attacks this time around, it dodged the worst of his attacks.
For Noah, and his tamed monsters, it was more difficult. Sure, Noah had learned how to use crude clubs made from broken chairs as a battering device, but he never had the opportunity to use deadly weapons in combat. Not only that, but he didn¡¯t have the combat experience required for such timely precision.
Sneak attacking, and killing monsters, was completely different.
The timing required was only capable from someone that had forged their body in the hell of yearly practice. Something that Noah didn¡¯t have. But he was getting there.
Now!
Noah activated all his offensive skills, and snapped his lance to the monster''s hand just as it was reaching out for him. All the other times he had missed, but not this time. It felt right.
His pointed weapon tore through the ghost''s hand, and continued through its arm. Noah pressed on, not giving the ghost a chance to recover.
The monster instinctively reached out to attack in defence, but it only activated its body. Gritting his teeth, Noah took a sharp breath, then let his lance fly. Straight through the monster''s heart.
Noah expected to be greeted with a blue screen noting his victory. That didn¡¯t happen. Instead, the ghost flashed a ghastly grin before jolting up to her feet. Chasing right after her ascent was a clawed hand.
The hand tore through Noah¡¯s shoulder. Blood spilled.
Thankfully, Thraz was there for the assist. His axe screamed through the air, lopping the ghosts head from its body.
Noah freed himself from the lone hand, and stumbled back a few steps before gazing at his wound. It had just missed Ekralo¡¯s breastplate by a centimetre. Any further to the left, and it would have struck solid bone armour.
The wound was hot. But it wasn¡¯t something he wasn¡¯t used to. He checked it just to make sure that the ghost didn¡¯t have some corrupting qualities to its attack, but after a quick check, the wound was clean.
Bloody, but clean.
You defeated a - Level 99 Thorned Dryad.
You have Levelled up!
| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 69 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 73
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.
| Krall level 69 -> Krall level 73
Gluttony has Levelled up.
| Gluttony level 55 -> Gluttony level 64
You are being watched¡
From the new level up, Noah had once more jumped more than fifty whole points into his Willpower stat, providing him a very nice boost in power.
Once again, he was in awe at the benefit provided by another tamed monster. What was stopping other tamers from becoming like him? Did they all receive such vast bonuses? But then he realised something.
Tamed monsters can die. They weren¡¯t immortal. If one died, then perhaps the master would lose all the stat points accrued from their monster. If that was the case, then losing one would be completely detrimental.
But Noah couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was wrong.
Well I¡¯m not going to check. A taming manual is expensive as hell.
Ten thousand coins, to be exact. It was a fortune that could be used to better his house, or save up for some legendary equipment like he had seen when he first entered this¡ paradise. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Why did it cost that much? Well Noah could only assume that it was because there wasn¡¯t much demand for it. The creator most likely put it uo for that price because if a tamer did have that much, they would be more than willing to buy it to uncover its secrets.
For Noah, he didn¡¯t really care all that much. Sure he was curious to find out all about his class, and its intricacies, but not ten thousand Grace Coins curious¡
A glimmer of purple awoke Noah from his thoughts. From where the ghost was standing a moment ago, a fragment was born.
Thraz glanced at it, then looked back at Noah. For the first time, Noah spotted a hint of greed within. It seemed the dragonborn finally realised the importance of the glimmering, tasty fragments.
Noah plucked it from the air. Did they finally have enough of them to create an Epic stone?
It was time to find out.
Noah asked the dragonborn to take out the Epic fragments that he had, while Noah did the same.
Holding all the Epic fragments in his hands, Thraz nudged closer, and asked, ¡°What do you think we¡¯ll get? A Pathstone, or a Skill Essence?¡±
¡°Hopefully a Pathstone,¡± Noah responded without thinking.
If there was one thing he wanted, it was an upgraded Pathstone. That meant that he would receive a whole two extra stats per level, plus a unique effect from the purple rarity.
Of course, an Epic Skill Essence would provide an instant power boost depending on what it was. But Noah would prefer the gradual increase of what he would earn from the Pathstone. Since he was still considered a low level, it was the obvious choice.
He just hoped to whatever god that would listen that he would obtain it.
Gluttony and Krall stood in front of him, tilting their heads at the glimmering light. It seemed that even beasts knew the importance of what he was holding. Or perhaps it was just because they were tied to his emotions.
¡°Well here goes nothing.¡±
Noah took a breath, then placed the purple fragments together. In an instant, an intense pull yanked his hands forward. In the next moment, they clanged together like they were pulled by a powerful magnet.
The sound reminded him of a metal bin falling to the floor. With a clang, purple sparks flew from the contact, and then the middle of the stone lit up.
Noah¡¯s hands trembled. Not because of the strange ringing resounding throughout his palms.
It was an Epic Pathstone.
You have obtained an Epic Strength Pathstone - Sanguine Chopper: Specialising in two-handed axes, the Raging Chopper has one goal ¨C to chop anything, and one, in their path.
| Stats per Level: Str 3, Con 3
| Damage dealt with axes is increased by 15%| Absorbs a portion of lifeforce from a chopped foe.
¡°Holy shit.¡± Noah gawked at the System¡¯s description.
¡°Where?¡± Thraz asked, head spinning.
¡°Look, you fool.¡± Noah thrust the newly gained Pathstone into Thraz¡¯s hands.
The moment the dragonborn took hold of the stone, he stomped on the spot like an excited little child. He shoved it into the air, then seemed to realise something as he glanced at Noah with puppy lizard eyes.
¡°Uh, Noah, who does it belong to?¡±
Noah didn¡¯t need to think. Thraz was a great warrior that just happened to be loyal. In this place, that was like finding a Burma diamond laying on the streets. No, here, it was worth far more. Every move, every action, was life or death.
With that in mind, it was a perfect upgrade to Thraz. And in turn, a majority power increase to Noah.
¡°It¡¯s yours,¡± Noah said with a smile.
¡°This is my moment!¡± Thraz boomed out a laugh, his words were so loud that the ceiling collapsed further. A thud followed.
A small, monstrous creature with intelligent eyes glared at them. It stood perhaps only to Noah¡¯s thighs, and it had small pointed ears that twitched at the monster''s anger. Then it sent a fleeting look to the rusted and split plaque that was once golden, and lustrous. It tutted.
¡°You bumbling idiots,¡¯ it spat. ¡°You ruined my pay day!¡±
Noah was confused. Thraz even more so.
A black and white red panda was berating them? The situation was absurd, perhaps more confusing than entering a world with elves, and monsters.
¡°Why you got your damned mouth open, trying to catch flies?¡± The black panda asked, taking a step back. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re one of them strange jungle fly snatchers in human and scaly form.¡±
¡°What? No. I¡¯m human, and he¡¯s a dragonborn.¡± Noah jabbed his thumb against Thraz¡¯s tough scales, before continuing, ¡°Besides, who are you to call us strange. Black panda.¡±
¡°Black panda? Is that a bad thing?¡±
¡°No. They¡¯re cute, actually.¡±
Thraz laughed. ¡°You¡¯re right Noah, it is quite cute.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not cute!¡± The black panda hissed, baring its fangs.
¡°Aw, he¡¯s hissing.¡± Thraz pointed at the small creature.
¡°Not. Cute.¡± The black panda brandished a pair of curved daggers. Despite the light pouring in from the outside, there was no glimmer from his weapons. It was as if they were sharpened darkness.
¡°Alright, stop!¡± Noah shouted, and with his words, Krall, and Gluttony both took a step forward as a warning. ¡°If you¡¯re friendly, we don¡¯t want a fight. But if you do¡¡±
Noah¡¯s voice turned cold. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to see you as an enemy. It¡¯s dark times out here.¡±
The black panda turned silent, before hiding his dual blades. He nodded. ¡°Yeah, you got that right. You lot are the first non-talking ghosts I¡¯ve met on this fucking island. The name¡¯s Pillow.¡±
His name¡¯s Pillow?
Noah didn¡¯t know what to do, but Thraz did. He stifled a laugh, trying his damndest not to burst out in racious laughter. All the while Noah¡¯s lips twitched.
The black panda¡¯s hands hovered over his weapons, as if saying that he didn¡¯t mind slicing them up into little pieces
Noticing the warning face of the panda, Noah changed the subject. ¡°Non-talking ghosts?¡±
The words implied¡
¡°Oh yeah, there¡¯s a bunch of talking ghosts in the nearby town. Seven of them by my count,¡± Pillow said. ¡°But you¡¯ve gotta be careful. Some of them bite.¡±
¡°Bite?¡± Noah asked.
¡°Not physically, but they do strange¡ Ghostly things. I don''t really know, I¡¯m not a damned ghost expert. You¡¯ll have to see for yourself,¡± Pillow said, suddenly smiling. ¡°How about I take you to them?¡±
Chapter 118
Pillow took Noah and his team through a path carved into the jungle. Ofcourse, the path was made for little people. Perfect for small, intelligent little creatures, but it obviously wasn¡¯t suitable for anyone taller than four feet.
Thraz stood at the front, chopping everything in his path with the help of his Profession.
Noah stood just behind the black and white panda as curiosity began eating away at his thoughts. He needed to know everything about the strange creature if he wanted to follow him anywhere.
The only reason Noah was following now was because Pillow was indeed leading them toward the city Noah had spotted a week ago. If it wasn¡¯t for that, Noah would have refused right away.
Noah ducked under a low hanging branch before asking Pillow, ¡°Were you born here?¡±
Pillow shook his head, trying to be as quiet as possible. It was clear he was well experienced with the island, and its deadly inhabitants.
¡°No, I was taken here¨C¡± He began counting in his head, bobbing to every count, but then he spat. ¡°Well, I woke up here a while ago. I can¡¯t remember when. Damned sun doesn¡¯t work too well in this place.¡±
¡°So¨C!¡± Thraz started off loud, but after being glared at by both Noah, and Pillow, he lowered his voice. ¡°So you are like us then. Together, we can form a party led by the great warrior Noah.¡±
¡°What, so I¡¯m a great warrior now?¡± Noah scoffed.
¡°Of course.¡± Thraz bobbed his head as if it was obvious. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, we would still be stuck in that castle. And everything else you have accomplished; only a great warrior is capable of that.¡±
Pillow looked at them, tilting his head.
Noah whispered to the small panda. ¡°He¡¯s just a fan.¡±
¡°Well whatever he is, I won¡¯t join a team with a human.¡± Pillow growled. ¡°Once I¡¯ve taken you to the city and received my payment, I will be on my own way.¡±
What does he have against humans? Although Noah was curious, the latter part of his sentence made him jump over the words.
¡°Wait, what payment?¡± Noah asked, confused. There was no mention of any payment back at the ruins.
Pillow said, ¡°what, you think I¡¯m leading you to the city from the goodness of my own heart? Don¡¯t make me laugh! As a bounty hunter, my services ain¡¯t cheap. What, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re chickening out from a little payment?¡±
¡°My answer depends on what the payment is,¡± Noah replied.
He had to admit, the little creature was adept in steering away from the threats of the island. That also went for the strange underground monster that threatened to devour them.
Noah got goosebumps just thinking about it.
However, if the payment was severe, he¡¯d just go his own way.
Pillow tapped his chin for a few seconds before saying, ¡°Gold, a thousand Grace Coins, a rare Skill Essence. Or better yet, a Pathstone.¡±
What could he possibly use gold for? Noah shook his head. The only thing he could think of was that it was his original currency in his home world. Despite Pillow¡¯s demands, Noah was quite happy with them.
¡°Sure, I¡¯ll see what I¡¯ve got once we get to the city.¡± Noah smiled before continuing, ¡°What¡¯s your story anyway? I¡¯ve never seen one of your kind before, at least not one that can talk.¡±
¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Pillow snarled, raising his voice before quieting down. However, he had no intention of explaining any further.
Noah could see pain hidden under the surface of his brown eyes, but he quickly regained focus as he directed Thraz to strike a different area.
¡°So¨C¡±
Pillow interrupted, ¡°Humans always talk so much.¡±
¡°What do you have against humans?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Last time I checked, I¡¯ve done nothing to offend you. Apart from summoning that ghost, that is. My bad.¡±
¡°I just don¡¯t like them. They inflict pain onto others, they are selfish, only thinking of themselves, and are greedy.¡± Pillow thought for a second before spitting. ¡°And they smell.¡±
¡°Well I can¡¯t argue with you there, but that can be said about any race,¡± Noah added with a bemused smile. ¡°You¡¯re inflicting pain with your words right now. You¡¯re selfish wanting payment when our lives are on the line, and you¡¯re greedy wanting my Skill Essences. Who¡¯s to say I might need them to survive?¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
¡°Wh¨C¡± Pillow glanced at him before tearing his eyes back to the front. ¡°Whatever.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t smell though.¡± Noah shrugged. ¡°Point is, don¡¯t lump us all into the same group.¡±
Pillow refused to turn back, but he replied with an annoyed nod.
Noah didn¡¯t know why Pillow hated humans so much. Maybe he had a rough interaction with a few of them?
Whatever the reason was, Noah wasn¡¯t too bothered by it. He was only concerned that the hatred would be directed at himself. In turn threatening the safety of him, and his team.
Well, at least for now, Pillow was done complaining. In fact, the foulmouthed panda had turned silent as they continued their journey through the harsh jungle.
Unlike the mainland, the path was perilous, and untrodden. Powerful monsters roamed around and if it wasn¡¯t for Pillow, Noah would have had to risk his life if he wanted to take his team into the city.
Certain areas were inhabited by very strong monsters, so they were forced to take detours, winding around impenetrable walls of thorns, and crossing lakes home to prehistoric fish. Thankfully Pillow knew the land like the back of his hand¡ Or paw.
After a few hours, Noah peered around Thraz¡¯s arm. He smiled. They had made it to the city.
Noah had only watched it from afar, so to see it up close was surreal. The bricks of the buildings were dark, darker than they appeared from the other island. Bigger too. Each one was triple, or quadruple the size of bricks he was used to seeing back home.
But he didn¡¯t have to wonder for very long as it was made apparent as to why the buildings were made from such heavy materials.
A blast of wind almost threatened to pick Noah up from his feet. And it continued with no signs of stopping any time soon.
Not only that, but a torrential rain joined the gale force winds. Each drop impacted against his flesh with a force like the cracking of a whip.
Gripping the iron-wood jungle tree with one hand, and using his other as a visor to ward off the apocalyptic rain, visibility was severely impacted. Noah had to squint his eyes in order to make out any further details, but most of it was just a blur.
¡°Is this common?¡± Noah shouted through the rain.
¡°Yeah,¡± Pillow said, ¡°happens at least once a week. It¡¯s a good thing we made it in time.¡±
Noah hadn¡¯t experienced it since arriving on these islands. That meant that the storm was late?
¡°What do you mean¨C¡±
Noah was cut off by a primordial roar that sent a shiver from the base of his spine, and rattled all the way up to the base of his neck. Through the lightning streaking across the sky, Noah swore he saw an image of a devil imprinted against the clouds.
However, when the light of the thunder diminished, so did the image.
¡°What the hell was that?¡± Noah asked, his grip tighter around the handle of his lance.
Gluttony and Krall huddled closer together, both shivering. They were fear stricken. It was like an overwhelming presence was pressing against them with the weight of a mountain.
It was the suppression of a bloodline.
Whatever it was, was something Noah never wanted to see up close. The scream he was used to hearing from the centre of the island was incomparable to it.
¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± Pillow shook his head.
¡°You don¡¯t know what it is, do you?¡± Noah squinted his eyes, judging the panda.
¡°Of course I know what it is!¡± Pillow growled. ¡°Come on, let''s get inside before we¡¯re washed into the deathly waters.¡±
¡°Lead the way.¡±
Noah didn¡¯t want to be outside for a second longer.
Pillow led him to a building on the outskirts of the city. It was smaller than the rest, with a domed roof just like all the others. Now Noah knew why. To weather the storms, the buildings had heavy, and thick bricks to withstand any amount of wind thrown at them.
Then there was the roof. Because of its dome-like structure, it offered a streamlined lid so that the wind would brush over it, instead of clashing against it.
Surprisingly, there were windows. But they were covered by plated-steel, or whatever metal it was. With a latch on one side, it was capable of opening up when the storm had ended. On the other side of the building, directly opposite of the window, was another gate-like obstruction just like it.
Pillow opened up the door. Or he tried to, at least. But the wind was too strong as it battered against the door. Thraz himself had to hoist the door open to let the others in. Once they were all hiding in the shelter, Thraz stood in as the door slammed shut behind him.
Inside, was a rather bland room. It was dark, thanks to the dark-grey bricks, but there was light granted by four candles that burned with a small orange flicker.
The furniture consisted of a small table, two sturdy wooden chairs clearly made from the iron-like jungle trees of the island. A small bed lay at one side of the room, but the sheets had long decayed into rough fibres.
In the middle of the room was a fire pit, and a cauldron to go along with it. In total, it was rather primitive. Something Noah had seen before in mediaeval movies.
Noah took a seat on one of the chairs, while Thraz stood up tall against the wall. Because of the high ceiling, the dragonborn wasn¡¯t out of place.
But because of the addition of Krall and Gluttony, it was rather cramped.
Pillow was busy scavenging through a chest near the bed, only to emerge from it a few moments later chewing on a piece of dried meat.
The silence was deafening. Well, it would have been if not for the apocalypse raining down on them from above. Each drop of rain clanged against the roof.
¡°How the hell is anyone meant to sleep in here?¡± Noah asked.
¡°That¡¯s nothing. The real nightmare is still to begin,¡± Pillow said with a nervous smile.
What happened next caused Noah to jump to attention. Weapons, Shards, and Skills at the ready.
Chapter 119
Noah leapt up with his lance brandished at the horrible sound of wailing. It wasn¡¯t only him, his tamed monsters, and Thraz stood up at attention. Bearing their fangs at the sudden noises.
Not only was the crying close-by, just outside of the building, but it was also a distance away. It most likely covered the entire city.
Glancing nervously at Pillow, Noah asked, ¡°What the hell is that?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the cries of the city''s victims,¡± Pillow said, curled up in a ball in the corner of the room. His shoulders were tense as he listened to the cries all around him.
¡°The victims?¡± Noah continued, ¡°Just what the hell happened here?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know! I can¡¯t look into the damned past, can I?¡± Pillow snarled with his low temper. ¡°All I know is that there are ghosts in this place. Visible ghosts, I mean. Some sit in their homes, while others do whatever they did in their past lives. As if they are still living.¡±
Noah thought for a second. There must be a reason behind it.
¡°What about the castle behind the city?¡± Noah relaxed his arms as he placed his lance on the wall. In arms reach so that he could grab it in a hurry.
¡°Not sure.¡± Pillow shrugged. ¡°That was my first destination in mind. Think about the treasure in that place! But it¡¯s locked away. No one can enter.¡±
¡°What about scaling the walls?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve already tried that. You think I wouldn''t? I¡¯ve tried everything!¡± Pillow scoffed. ¡°From burrowing under it, over it, to trying to find a secret entrance. But there seems to be some sort of mystical arts surrounding the walls like a stupid barrier. Touch it, and a deep chill takes hold of your body. I know that from experience, you know.¡±
¡°Alright,¡± Noah paused. ¡°But there must be another way. Nothing is truly impenetrable.¡±
He didn¡¯t used to think that way. After all, there were some near inescapable prisons back on Earth. But after discovering the hidden entrance to the Birthright Castle, Noah was certain that there had to be another way in.
¡°Are you crazy?¡± Pillow slammed his fist on the hard brick floor. ¡°There¡¯s something hiding in that place. If it was my guess, then that¡¯s where all this weird shit began.¡±
¡°And yet you still wanted to enter?¡±
Pillow grumbled. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say no to a payday. But that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t understand the risks involved. For a tall human and an even larger lizard¨C¡±
¡°I¡¯m not a lizard.¡± Thraz stomped.
¡°You are, what else would you be?¡±
¡°I am a mighty dragonborn, descended of Bor!¡± Thraz tightened his grip around his blood stained axe.
¡°Yeah, one with lizard skin!¡± Pillow stood up and postured forward against the mighty dragonborn.
¡°Alright guys, give it a rest will you?¡± Noah sighed, standing up, and standing in between the two creatures.
Pillow grumbled and returned back to his corner, while Thraz humphed, sitting on the small stool looking severely out of place.
After Noah¡¯s interruption, an awkward silence pervaded the small room. Well, it would have been silent if not for the wailing that screeched against Noah¡¯s ear drums, or the sharp clanging of metal against something solid.
He didn¡¯t know what it was, but he just hoped to hell that it wasn¡¯t monstrous footsteps.
Despite that, he got used to it after a while, and finally he was able to think. The construction of the house was strange. It wasn¡¯t just the architectural design that the residents or the lord had gone for, but the general construction of it.
It was a huge room, but the residents of the city clearly weren¡¯t of giant stature. If the seats were anything to go by, then they were made for regular human size; like himself.
That led him to his next point.
What did they need such a big room for? And the fact that it was only a singular room only made it more peculiar.
Following the size, were the heavy metal window shutters. They were so heavy, and thick, because they had to endure the storms battering ram-like winds. But if the residents were normal humans, then it would require a team of them to shut them. If they were caught off guard by the winds, then they would need an army to shut it.
But after thinking for a few hours, Noah couldn¡¯t deduce why the buildings were so unusual. Maybe it was just a design choice. After all, Noah wasn¡¯t exactly an expert in construction.
Not that the damned building System with his house taught him anything either.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Noah stopped the pointless thoughts of construction and retreated to the bed. He pushed against it, but realised that it was just a ragged piece of fabric over a flexible board of wood. Despite that, it was far better than sleeping on the cold, hard bricks.
It didn¡¯t help that the material was always cold and damp, even with the fire going all night.
It wasn¡¯t long before his eyes grew heavy and he entered slumberland. All he could hear was the crying of hundreds of ghosts, and a cold that never seemed to go away, even with his Stat enhanced body. Then it got colder.
¡°Follow the wind, for where the wind blows, the path opens to a new horizon.¡±
The cold voice was fleeting as it pressed up against Noah¡¯s shoulders. It was so cold that a deep shiver caught his body in a sharp tremble.
Waking up with a start, Noah furiously rubbed his eyes as he looked around in a panic. Pillow was opening the door as the storm had long passed, while Thraz was waiting impatiently for it to open.
Krall and Gluttony had realised that Noah was awake. They craned their heads from the floor, gazing at Noah in confusion at his fight or flight response.
What the hell was that? Noah frowned as he remembered the feminine words. Where the wind blows? It didn¡¯t make sense.
Shaking his head, Noah walked out of the room, and gazed across the city. Not one building had fallen from the intense winds, not even a brick was out of place. Whoever had created them, must have been a well experienced builder.
Thraz pushed past Noah, and quickly hurried into a nearby alleyway. Most likely having to relieve himself.
Noah would have usually smiled at the humorous appearance of a mighty dragonborn running with a hunched back in desperation, but his mind was occupied.
He found himself mindlessly wandering around the city in a haze. Now and then his eyes would shift from building to building. Some of them had their huge metal windows shut, while others remained open loosely.
Most likely that was the culprit of the incessant banging across the city.
Krall stood at the front as he remained cautious. Pillow had said that monsters lurked in the dark recesses of the city, but Noah had yet to encounter one.
Gluttony was busy chasing and leaping onto his shadow. It turned out that although he had grown an enormous amount since he was a little pup, his mind was still juvenile.
¡°Follow the wind, for where the wind blows, the path opens to a new horizon,¡± Noah said with his fingers pinched around his chin.
Then he stopped. Noah had somehow walked around the city, and finished up at the pier. Hundreds of ships lined the hard wooden platforms, floating in the gentle tide.
And at the end of the pier stood dozens of green spectral images. Most of them were waving their hands toward the oceans with frantic expressions on their ghostly faces. However, there was one lady who was separated from the group.
She stood facing Noah, or to be more accurate, the city itself. Tears streamed down past the corners of her eyes.
What the hell?
Although Noah was apprehensive about the strange ghosts, curiosity got the best of him. Besides, Pillow didn¡¯t say that they were dangerous; only that a strange cold appeared.
Maybe he was visited by one of the residents during his sleep? It was the only deduction he could come to with the evidence he was given. Well, the evidence was right in front of him.
Noah plucked up the courage and decided to face the ghosts head on. If they were capable of speech, then he wanted to know what happened to the city. He needed to know because if something had turned them this way, killed them, Noah hoped it wasn¡¯t a recurring event¡
Approaching the ghosts, Krall, and Gluttony were on high alert.
Now that he was closer, he was able to get a good look of the ghostly woman. Her hair was dishevelled, almost looking to be burnt as half lay on her shoulder, and half was behind her back. In fact, it was the same for all the others
At first Noah thought it was a result of burning, but looking closer, it seemed to be their natural hair.
The lone woman wore a nice two-piece dress, with tight jewellery hugging her neck, and arms. They were rich people, with large homes and sturdy homes to survive the tough storms, and none of them looked to be starved.
¡°What happened to you?¡±
Noah peered into the woman''s translucent eyes. She couldn¡¯t hear him despite his targeted words.
Turning around, Noah followed her frozen gaze until his vision settled onto the enormous castle walls that Noah could see from the other island.
The monstrous walls instilled a sense of lonely dread, it was as if they were created to keep out the worst horrors of the world. To create a safe haven for the Lord¡¯s people.
¡°You must free us¨C¡±
Goosebumps covered Noah¡¯s flesh as he quickly faced the woman. Her vision was still locked onto the walls, but her voice was unmistakable. It was the voice he had heard during his dreams.
¡°How do I free you?¡± Noah asked, but even after standing for a full twenty minutes, the woman refused to speak again.
This place is giving me the heebejeebies.
Sighing, Noah was about to leave the docks when he noticed a peculiar sight. One even more strange than a group of wailing spirits.
On the end of a dock, was a lone fisherman.
At first Noah was going to ignore him. But the man was whistling. While everyone around him was crying, and in fear of their lives from whatever was about to consume them, he was enjoying himself without a care in the world.
Walking over, Noah got a good look at him. A straw hat, and a long luscious beard. Unlike the others, he didn¡¯t have the same burnt hair appearance. He looked¡ Human. Just like Noah.
Whatever, this entire place is like a fever dream.
Noah turned once more. He couldn¡¯t wait to get off the damned pier.
¡°Is it the castle you seek, boy?¡±
Noah frowned, then dashed to the front of the old fisherman. Squinting his eyes, Noah inspected the busy man. Only for the old man to move his eyes from the water where no fish were biting, directly at Noah.
Flinching backwards, Noah shouted, ¡°You can see me?¡±
¡°Why yes, I can,¡± the fisherman said, ¡°Mighty ugly, if I may add.¡±
Noah ignored the comment as he stared at the fisherman with his mouth open wide.
Chapter 120
¡°You can talk?!¡±
¡°It has surely been a while, but yes, I can talk,¡± the old man replied as he casted his rod into the empty waters once more.
His movements were well practised. Each swish of his fishing rod seemed to glide along with the air, as if he was part of nature itself. Even when the fly struck the water, there was no sound.
Of course there wouldn¡¯t, Noah. He¡¯s a ghost!
He smiled. ¡°Only if you fetch something for me.¡±
¡°Like what?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I hardly doubt I can bring you back to life, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re after.¡±
¡°Oh no, nothing of the sort,¡± He said. ¡°Unlike the other sorry bunch, I¡¯m rather happy about my current situation. Just me and the water¡ But it would be nice if there were any fish to catch. That leads me to my request. I want to catch fish.¡±
¡°Can a ghost even catch fish?¡± Noah squinted his eyes.
The fisherman waved his hand in the air. ¡°Of course I can¡¯t. It¡¯s the image, don¡¯t you get it? I have the time, the water, and my fishing rod. To complete the image, I need the fish, don¡¯t you agree?¡±
¡°I mean, I suppose?¡± Noah scratched his head.
What the hell was going on?
¡°Wait, are you sending me on a side quest?¡±
As if to answer his question, a System notification blinked in front of his vision.
You have encountered an area mission.
| Help the Master Fisher complete his image by bringing fish to the area.
| Reward: Master Fisher¡¯s Fishing Rod (Rarity: Unknown.), the Master Fisher will impart his knowledge down to you.
Noah was surprised at the sudden mission, but he wouldn¡¯t turn such an opportunity down. He only had a crude fishing-rod that he had created himself. It wouldn¡¯t be long until it fell apart, and he¡¯d have to obtain another.
It was perfect timing. Not only that, but a rod granted by a Master Fisher had to be at least of Rare quality. Who knows, maybe it was even better than that?
Then there was the knowledge. It obviously meant the knowledge that he wanted regarding the events that had transpired on the island, but maybe it would be more than that?
So without further ado, he accepted.
¡°Alright, I accept,¡± Noah said as he peered out into the ocean. There was definitely a distinct lack of fish¡ or any other life that hadn¡¯t taken on a ghostly appearance, for that matter. He had a vague idea as to why, and he didn¡¯t like his chances of facing them, but when there was a will, there was a way.
Noah continued with enthusiasm, ¡°But why is there no fish here? Is it because of the monsters outside the fog?¡±
¡°That, I¡¯m not sure. You¡¯ll have to figure out that one on your own. My senses are¡ dull in this form, you see.¡± The Master Fisher cast his rod once more. ¡°Oh, and please make sure that there¡¯s at least one Devil Fish. They are rather beautiful creatures, but their scales are truly magnificent. It would be the perfect sight.¡±
¡°Right¨C¡± Noah paused. ¡°And you definitely won¡¯t tell me how to guide the fish here?¡±
The Master Fisher whistled a tune, clearly indicating he had no intentions of speaking any longer.
So Noah walked back into the city. As he was heading toward the house that Pillow had commandeered, he was stuck in thought once more. Thoughts on how to complete the mission he was given.
Sure it was a side quest, but the information he was wanting gnawed at his very being. If this was the way to obtain that information, and maybe a way to gain access to the castle, and its rewards, then he had to take a little risk.
Of course that risk meant that he might become fish food, but who was to say that he had to enter the water?
For example, if he created a big enough splash¡
With his mind churning with ideas, he heard something monstrous. Clack, clack, clack, clack.
Krall and Gluttony were already standing at attention when a colossal crab emerged from the street corner. It had savage pinscors which Noah had no doubt they were capable of snapping through strengthened metal. Armoured chitin covered the entirety of its body. Eight solid legs clacked against the stone, but even the high load of the monster was unable to scratch the surface of the paved road.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Sickly emerald eyes shone with Noah¡¯s reflection. It postured itself to the ground. It was readying a strike.
Noah wasted no time. Using [Shadowed Presence], the shadows around him swirled as he leapt onto Gluttony¡¯s back in one swift motion.
Krall charged out of the shadows like a reckless storm. Each thunderous step created a noise that was no less than the armoured crab. He crashed into the monster, sending it scraping backward.
Its pinscors grabbed hold of Krall¡¯s armoured body, then squeezed. Krall roared in pain. Noah could feel it as well.
Noah was ready to strike. He had already snuck passed the monster during the exchange with Krall. Charging from the shadows, Noah used all of his offensive Skills, and throttled the monster with a piercing lance.
He missed. More accurately, his attack had struck the solid plated armour of the crab.
Tutting, Noah disappeared into a nearby street, only to reappear by its side for another attack. This time he wouldn¡¯t miss. And he didn¡¯t. His lance tore through the gap in the crab¡¯s armour, finding softened flesh.
The sea monster was forced to let go of Krall. Only for Noah¡¯s companion to rake his claws in between its hardened shell. Scraping flesh, bleeding the beast. Just like his master had done before.
After a few more repeated attacks, the crab had met its match. Collapsing to the ground, Noah noticed a few marks on its shell that weren¡¯t from his attacks. It couldn¡¯t be. Something had gouged out sections of the crabs shell.
Even Noah¡¯s lance couldn¡¯t penetrate the natural armour, let alone damaging it to that extent. No, something much scarier was hiding in this town.
You defeated a - Level 108 Legion Crab.
You have Levelled up!| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 73 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 76
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.| Krall level 73 -> Krall level 77
Gluttony has Levelled up.| Gluttony level 64 -> Gluttony level 70
You are being watched¡
Noah was given some more rewards from previous sponsors, but unlike before, new sponsors were becoming more difficult to obtain. It was easy to guess why. They wanted entertainment.
Although the crab was strong, it was too slow to really threaten Noah. Especially because he had Krall to receive the brunt of the attacks for him. It allowed him to sneak around and cause devastating damage before it could really do anything about it.
That was Noah¡¯s greatest advantage, and it was only coming to fruition now that he had two tamed monsters.
What would it be like with three? Noah rubbed his hands in anticipation. Not only would it provide him with extra firepower, but honestly, he didn¡¯t know what he would do without Krall. Or Gluttony, for that matter.
No matter how alone he felt, he always had them by his side. To keep him company, to give him comfort during the cold. He was truly thankful he was walking the path of a tamer.
Just like with his old dog Hank, Noah trusted his tamed companions with his life. As they did with their own.
Noah was about to turn around, but a bright blue light shone against the black bricks of the surrounding houses.
Something was forming above the crab''s body.
That meant that it wasn¡¯t a reward of his own actions, but it was a skill related to the crab. What could it be? An armour skill, a water travel skill? Noah kept his attention on the stone as it was forming.
Crackling in the air, it formed. Skill Essence. Noah happily reached out and grabbed it. He identified it.
Rare - Dexterity Based Skill - Legionnaires Charge: The crab legion relies upon numbers to charge their enemies, empowering each member by their side.| Increases companion damage by 5% per companion while charging.
| Can be used to evolve a Charge based Skill.
Nice.
Noah grinned and put the stone securely in his pocket. Absorbing a new skill upgrade wasn¡¯t an easy process. He had only managed to upgrade his Pathstone from first, luck, and second, the evolution stone he had bought from the System.
It wasn¡¯t a process he wanted to replicate if he could help it. First he would upgrade the [Mounted Assault] Skill in a natural process. Only then would the transition to evolving become much smoother.
However, there was one comment that made Noah suspicious. The crabs relied upon numbers. But after waiting for a while, no other crab arrived to back up its companion.
Strange.
Not leaving anything up to chance, Noah ran through the city''s streets until he made it to the outskirts where he spotted Pillow sitting outside his house, holding a meaty stick to a crackling fire.
It was just who Noah wanted to see. If there was anyone who would know how to lure fish into the bay, then it was the only person that had experience living in this place.
Pillow waved the meaty stick against the fire, turning it until it hit just the right spot. The meat was turning golden brown, and juices ran clear. Noah didn¡¯t have a clue as to what kind of meat it was. Hopefully not hallowed, he thought.
Raising his eyes, the panda said, ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost.¡±
Noah sat down next to him and took a sniff of the meat. It didn¡¯t smell bad. Surprisingly it smelt delicious. Noah gulped. ¡°Multiple actually.¡±
¡°Ah, over by the pier?¡±
Noah nodded.
¡°When I first found them, I ran away as fast as I could.¡±
¡°Scared were you?¡±
¡°Hey¨C¡± Pillow waved the stick in a violent manner, flicking the meat juices into the surrounding area. ¡°Only humans poke their noses in things they don¡¯t understand. Why the hell would I approach ghostly beings? No, I¡¯ve kept my distance from them since I arrived.¡±
Noah thought for a second, then said, ¡°But you said that you had a run in with one?¡± Noah added, ¡°that resulted in a cold chill.¡±
¡°That was for an important matter. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Pillow said, but he clearly fidgeted. ¡°What do you want anyway? I brought you here. Safest place on the island, as long as you don¡¯t go too far in the city.¡±
¡°Actually,¡± Noah said with a smile. ¡°I need your help¡¡±
Chapter 121
Noah stood alongside Pillow. Peering through a dense bush just above the coastline, they listened grimly to the loud sound of chomping. A crack followed by chomping. And slurping.
Blood stains marred the beach, leading to a wide cave entrance that Noah couldn¡¯t see because of the sheer drop below. Beyond the beach, the ocean had turned red. A line was created, like a border that couldn¡¯t be crossed.
It was because of the monster hiding in the cave that the fish refused to move. They weren¡¯t willing to cross that border.
It was Noah¡¯s job to take out whatever resided in the cave. As to how he would accomplish that¡ Well, a pointed metal pole usually did the trick. This wouldn¡¯t be any different.
However, someone had reservations.
¡°Are you fucking insane?¡± Pillow looked at Noah as if he was crazy. Maybe he was. ¡°There¡¯s a damned reason the fish refuse to go beyond that bloody border. Besides, why the hell did I come along?¡±
¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Noah smiled. ¡°You go in first, take all of its attention. I¡¯ll flank and kill it. Easy.¡±
Pillow said in a dry tone. ¡°That¡¯s not funny.¡±
Noah laughed and pet him on the shoulder. ¡°Relax.¡± Noah looked down at the bloodied beach. ¡°We need to lure it away. Maybe we don¡¯t have to kill it. If we can do that, then we don¡¯t have to risk injury.¡±
¡°You mean death.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Any ideas?¡±
¡°Why did you bring me along?¡± Pillow asked. ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve got everything figured out.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t seem to find my dragonborn friend.¡± Noah shrugged.
Truthfully, he didn¡¯t have a clue where Thraz was. He had tried looking for him before he left for this mission. But there was no sight of him. Not even a smell. And by all accounts, that was quite worrying. He could smell Thraz from a mile away, after all.
No. He had disappeared somewhere. First defeat the monster, then worry about what Thraz was up to. No way he would get himself in trouble. Right?
¡°Let¡¯s just hope he didn¡¯t venture deeper into the city.¡± Pillow scoffed.
¡°What if he did?¡±
¡°Then you¡¯d have to scrape his scales off the walls,¡± Pillow said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen numerous beasts travel there with curiosity. But none have returned.¡±
Noah nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope he¡¯s smarter than I think he is.¡±
¡°Good luck,¡± Pillow said. ¡°Well, what¡¯s the plan then? For one, we don¡¯t know how fast the monster is. For all we know its main strength could be speed. If that was the case, we¡¯d be better off signing the death warrant right now.¡±
¡°For now we just need to watch.¡± Noah kept his attention on the beach. ¡°We need to know its habits. What does it enjoy eating? Where does it shit? How long before it goes back into the ocean? To defeat it, we need to know all of that and more.¡±
¡°So you¡¯re not as reckless as I thought.¡±
¡°Yeah¨C¡±
If only Pillow knew half of it.
***
Hours passed by as Noah, Pillow, Krall, and Gluttony watched the beach. They were like patient detectives. Waiting for the suspect to reveal its true motive. They had managed to pry a lot of information on the beast as it finally reared its savage head from its hidey hole.
And it was a gruesome sight.
Its body was enormous. It reminded Noah of a giant from the broadcast. Only this giant had dorsals atop its head and gills crafted onto its ribcage like a venting system in a low quality hotel. Its feet followed the rule of size. Each toe was bigger than Noah¡¯s head, and in between them, was a thin sheet of webbed flesh,
Noah was too far up to use [Identify]. So he decided to name it Giant for now. Just like he had hoped, Giant had habits just like every beast did. Just like every human did. When something was brave enough to enter the red border, he would dash out with surprising speed. Then, he would dive straight in, catch it, then eat it.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
It didn¡¯t matter what it was, the Giant would dive in time after time to hunt. Like it was obsessed. It reminded Noah of a territorial goose. Those things were like beasts birthed from hell. Total assholes that would attack anything in sight.
And every time, Giant would eat them without fail. That was the weakness Noah had studied. And it was the weakness he attended to attack.
All that was left was to put the plan into action. Brought forward by the promise of a reward, Pillow followed Noah¡¯s descent down to the beach. If the cave was on one side of the beach, then they had stepped right into the middle.
The golden grains stretched far. It covered miles of land. Stretching from one side of the island, to the other. And Noah and his group were right bang in the middle. Of course he decided not to descend right into the beast''s jaws.
During the time spent watching the beast. Noah had prepared what he needed. Poison and fish food. He had obtained the toxic substance from the Grace Shop. And judging by the price of the item, he sure hoped it worked.
Next up was finding the fish, but that wasn¡¯t difficult. Since he was on the other side of the red border, there were plenty of fish to go around. It seemed like this side of the island was a safehaven of all sorts of life. Fish swam unperturbed by what was happening beyond the gargantuan wall of grey-green fog.
Even beasts travelled to the coast line to feed. Because of the large monsters locked behind the wall of fog, it was a risk-free eating ground. Well, apart from the other monsters that contested them. Then all hell broke loose.
Noah spotted areas in the sand that were gouged out. Holes the size of six of him had been dug out of the sand from the fighting monsters. Dried blood matted the sand. From a golden yellow, to dark brown. It wasn¡¯t a good sight.
A crackling of a bush made Noah¡¯s heart twang.
He and his group dashed into one of the nearby holes dug into the sand. Noah peered over. A beast emerged from the jungle.
Level ??? - Gillsnatch Crawler.
The sight of the three question marks made Noah wary.
It was a quadruped. Long dense fur covered the majority of its body. It had a long thin snout lined with razor-sharp teeth. Noah guessed it was for catching fish. Along with bulky claws that were even larger than two-handed swords, and thicker than hammers, it flicked up the sand as it approached the waters.
Now and then it would scout out the surrounding area. Searching for any prey that may disturb its feeding time. It didn¡¯t seem to find Noah and his team hiding in the sand. Whether it was the salt spray of the ocean, the fishy smell of the beach, or whatever other reason there may be, the monster didn¡¯t sense them.
Thank goodness. The last thing Noah wanted right now was a battle. This place was a haven for monsters and he didn¡¯t plan on staying very long. But he had to wait.
The monster, realising that it was alone, dipped its claws in the water. There wasn¡¯t a single splash. It didn¡¯t even create a little wave. It was completely different to how it walked on the sand. It was effortless, seamless. It looked like it was gliding atop the water.
Clearly exceptionally adept at hunting in the ocean, it wasn¡¯t long before the Gillsnatch¡ snatched out more than a handful of fish from the water. THey wriggled for a second, before they were swallowed.
It looked at the water once more, as if hesitating. But it decided to leave. Noah was surprised. The monster didn¡¯t let its hunger consume it. Instead, it realised the situation it was in, and the danger of the island. And retreated the moment it had taken a bite.
Not overstaying its welcome, it retreated back into the jungle. Not many beings had the capability to so easily overcome their hunger. And for a monster of that size, it must need to eat a lot. Despite that, it would rather eat less, and come back tomorrow, rather than die.
Not only was the monster more intelligent than the crab he had faced in the city. But with how perfectly it hunted its prey, Noah was given a stark reminder that now all level one hundred were the same. Who knows, maybe it was a higher level than the legion crab.
With the Crawler gone, it was time to act.
Noah ran over to the shallow waters of the ocean. However, he quickly realised the problem. Once he neared, the fish darted further into the waters.
¡°We scared them,¡± Noah whispered.
¡°Yeah, no doubt because of that ugly face,¡± Pillow said.
¡°Hey, I¡¯m above average looking.¡±
¡°Whatever helps you sleep at night,¡± Pillow continued. ¡°Well, what do we do now?¡±
¡°Want me to hold your hand as well?¡± Noah chuckled as he watched the panda¡¯s face contort to anger. ¡°Everyone back off. I¡¯ll do this part on my own.¡±
Pillow, along with Krall and Gluttony backed all the way back into one of the deep sand holes. Technically he could enact his plan with Glutton by his side, but his hungry eyes were piercing. Even if he could mask their presence, there was nothing he could do about the killer instinct of a wolf-bat.
Thanks to the massive wall of fog, the entire island was a lot darker than it should be. Because of that, Noah was able to hide in the shadows like an experienced rogue. With Shadowed Presence activated, he disappeared from sight.
When the fish returned, Noah took out the pouch of already poisoned fish flakes. Grabbing a hand full, he scattered it above the water''s surface.
At first the fish swam away, scared of what had just struck the water. But their hunger got the best of them. Thanks to the unique properties of the poison, it was odourless. And tasteless. Brought forward by the promise of a risk-free meal, they nibbled away at the water''s surface.
Noah grinned. It was time. Noah gave the signal, and Gluttony bolted from the side. He splashed in the water, and made sure that the fish were being pushed to the border.
The fish approached the red line.
Noah rubbed his hands together. Everything was going to plan.
Chapter 122
Giant approached the water for his next meal. Noah¡¯s heartbeat smashed against his chest. It¡¯s going to work, Noah thought as the beast trudged into the ocean.
The fish were frozen once they entered that scarlet border. Giant¡¯s enormous webbed hands swished through the water, grabbing a handful of thrashing fish. Noah recognised a few of them. They were the fish that had consumed his poisonous flakes. Eat it you bastard.
Thankfully, he did. He didn¡¯t suspect a thing. He wasn¡¯t as cautious as the Gillsnatch from before. Without giving his surroundings a second glance, he tipped his head back, then swallowed the fish whole. He didn¡¯t chew. There was no need as they fell into his endless stomach.
Giant didn¡¯t stop there. He was ravenous. And it just turned out that for some reason, there was a lot more fish entering his border than usual. The monster didn¡¯t stop until he had consumed all the fish that dared to enter the border.
¡°Hey it¡¯s working,¡± Pillow whispered as he peered through the thick jungle foliage.
¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie. I didn¡¯t expect it to work so well.¡±
¡°Then how did you expect it to go?¡± Pillow turned to him, frowning.
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Noah continued. ¡°I just expected it to go a bit sideways, you know? When do plans usually go so well? Who knows, maybe I¡¯m smarter than I give myself credit for?¡±
Giant coughed. It turned into a messy splutter. Fish pieces mixed with blood splattered into his hands. Then it dripped into the water. Drip. Drip. Drip. It didn¡¯t stop. It gushed into the water, turning it from a clear blue to a dark red. Whatever the poison had done Giant, had caused far greater damage than Noah had expected.
¡°What poison did you use?¡± Pillow asked with curiosity. Maybe too curious as his little paws tightened around a branch.
¡°Well,¡± Noah told Pillow as he looked at what he had purchased.
5000 Grace coins - Putrid Bloodletting Poison: A poison that eats away at the stomach lining, and then begins attacking the bloodstream of the consumer. A devastating poison that is completely odourless and tasteless. Only Expert level alchemists can create such a vicious poison. Anyone capable of creating a poison like this is to be feared at all costs. An unseen enemy is the deadliest.
Pillow clicked his tongue. His voice rose. He couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°You spent five thousand points on a fucking poison?!¡± Pillow quickly realised he was being too loud. He looked at Noah in a new light. He continued, whispering, ¡°That¡¯s wasteful. What kind of person spends that much money on a lethal poison?¡±
¡°In life, sometimes you need to spend to earn.¡± Noah grinned as he looked at his prize. ¡°For someone obsessed with currency, you should be well aware of the power of a successful investment.¡±
¡°Well, I didn¡¯t go to school,¡± Pillow said.
¡°Neither did I,¡± Noah continued. ¡°But I had good friends.¡±
¡°Friends¡¡± Pillow mumbled. His voice trembled, but Noah couldn¡¯t really hear it.
¡°What?¡± Noah asked.
¡°Nothing.¡± Pillow¡¯s voice turned sharp. He turned to face the beach.
Giant screamed. His voice was deep and guttural, like the grumbling of a powerful diesel engine. Blood shot out of his mouth like a geyser. Noah half expected him to fall by this point. After all, that was a tonne of blood. It could fill up an entire bathtub, or a huge barrel.
He bent down. Noah wondered what the hell he was up to, but when he picked up a massive rock from underwater, Noah tilted his head. He was confused. What did he intend to do with that?
Noah¡¯s eyes widened. Shit!
With bloodshot eyes, and red streaming down his mouth, painting the front of his body in viscous scarlet, he looked quite the sight. Unfortunately, those eyes marred with fury and desperation turned to Noah. He threw the rock. It hurtled right at them.
The rock approached at high velocity. Like a missile bound to crush their heads, it blurred toward them.
Noah used [Shadow Blink], reappearing to the side just as the boulder crashed through a tree. It didn¡¯t stop there. It continued, ravaging whatever foliage was behind Noah, and his team. Boulders turned to dust. Iron trees split in an instant, and the earth tore.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
So powerful, Noah thought. And now that power was directed at them. How Giant knew they were here, Noah didn¡¯t know. But the fact remained; it knew they were here.
¡°Shit, what the fuck do we do?¡± Pillow shouted.
¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± Noah said.
His gaze met with Giant. Noah squinted his eyes. Time froze. Like a hunter for its prey, Noah didn¡¯t shirk away from the radiating killing intent. Instead, he inspected the monster. He swayed. His legs trembled. Eyes twitched. Giant was weak.
That was the conclusion Noah arrived at. Because of that,
¡°We fight,¡± Noah said.
¡°No. Hell no!¡± Pillow crept back. ¡°If you want to die, then don¡¯t drag me with you. You¡¯re on your own.¡±
¡°Meet you back at the house then, Pillow,¡± Noah said as he leapt up onto Gluttony¡¯s back.
Giant was so tall he was practically a tower wading through the water. Then when he reached the golden sand, he walked into a full on sprint. He was fast. But Pillow was faster.
Not wasting a single second, the little black panda retreated into the jungle.
Noah didn¡¯t hesitate either. He activated all of his Skills, then threw an empowered lance at the Giants leg. Streaking through the air, the phantom lance pierced Giant¡¯s flesh, making him wobble. The poison was displaying its might.
Just after his attack, Noah ordered Krall to dig. In an instant, his mole companion dug his way into the sandy jungle floor. He disappeared, but Noah could detect him. He was under the sand. His adept burrowing made it so that the sand didn¡¯t fall. He lay in wait.
Giant thundered over. He kicked up sand on his way. Noah fired another phantom lance, hitting its injured leg with accuracy once more. It stumbled. But it wasn¡¯t enough to stop him.
Noah knew he couldn¡¯t get another attack off. He ran out of time. Using [Shadowed Presence], Naoh disappeared a few steps to the side as Giant crashed through the thick trees. Wherever he went, he left a path of carnage in his wake.
Giant didn¡¯t know where Noah had retreated to. From the darkness, Noah activated his [Thrust] and [Monster] shard, and [Beastly Pike] Skill. Noah heard the roar of Gluttony. Both of their minds turning to one, Noah¡¯s lance transformed into a pitch black spike. Like Gluttony¡¯s teeth surging forward, the tooth bore into the already wounded leg of Giant.
The beast fell to one knee.
Giant, surrounded on all sides by iron trees, placed one hand on the floor. He was about to clamber back onto its feet to attack once more. He wanted to rip Noah into shreds. But that didn¡¯t happen.
The earth below Giant collapsed. Giant fell once more. This time however, the earth swallowed him whole. Just like he had done with the fish before. He fell far enough that only his head remained visible. It was Noah¡¯s target.
Roaring, Noah expended all of his energy to attack. Multiple phantom lances tore into Giant¡¯s face, causing blood to pour down from every wound. One struck his eye, causing massive damage. While one tore into his through, and another through his cheek.
Then there was Gluttony. He used the raw mana in his body to conjure up blades. The same blades his mother was known for. They slashed against the Giant, but no damage was done. He wasn¡¯t strong enough. Not yet.
Giant broke free from the hole that he was in. His massive strength filled his tree-trunk like arms, but it was too late. The poison, along with the relentless onslaught from Noah proved to be too great.
Just like that, the terrifying monster that had created the red border was dead.
You defeated a - Level 117 Sea Tyrant.
You have Levelled up!| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 77 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 81
Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.| Krall level 77 -> Krall level 82
Gluttony has Levelled up.| Gluttony level 70 -> Gluttony level 77
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Noah poked Giant with his lance. Although the System notified him of his victory, for some reason he couldn¡¯t quite believe it. He had defeated this monstrous foe?
It was a difficult pill to swallow. It wasn¡¯t until the adrenaline coursing through his veins washed away did he realise what he had done. And it was easy.
However, Noah couldn¡¯t allow the victory to cloud his mind. He had only managed to defeat the monster through proper planning. The poison was also the main reason as to why he won. And it wasn¡¯t cheap. His words before rang true, though. It was an investment.
What he lost in terms of Grace Coins would hamper his progress with his house. It would even stop him from tunnelling to the mainland. But he would gain other rewards. The fishing mission, for example. And more than that, he would hopefully gain information on the castle.
And then he would storm it. Taking all the treasure for himself. It was a gamble, but he was already doing that since the day he had arrived here. No. He had gambled with his life on the line even before coming to this otherworld.
Right on cue, the red border that acted as an impenetrable barrier for the fish, washed away with the tide. The fish swam to the other side.
Noah grinned. It was a success. He blinked.
The air above the Sea Tyrant crackled and distorted. A smattering of lights, like a firework show, lit up the beach. Green, Blue¡ Purple.
Noah feasted his eyes on the rewards of his battle.